ENGLAND Know thy Drivers, and their Driver, &c.
DEMOCCITVS a Philoſopher living in a City called Abdera in the time of Hypocrates a learned Phyſitian frequently accuſtomed to repaire to the concourſes and meetings of the Abderites, and profuſely to laugh at their madnes. Democritus juntor a learned both Divine, and Philoſopher in this preſent age writ an elaborate, and copious Tract called The Anatomy of Melancholy therein demonſtrating the Cauſes, Symptomes, and proper Cures thereof. Now in the third place commeth Democritus naru minimus, neither Philoſopher, nor Divine, but a cri•call obſerver of Times and Perſons, and a diligent ſearcher of holy Scriptures, one, who, as a calm, humble and charitable Chriſtian would gladly bee his Countries Phyſitian, and for that cauſe will endeavour, though hee be for his labour eſteemed a mad man, as Democritus was by the Abderites, to laugh his Nation out of its Epidemicall phrenſie. But if our Engliſh Abderites take pitty on mee and ſend ſome wiſe and earned Hypocrates to cure me, I am confident after hee hath read this Paper, hee will vindicate mee, and conclude that they themſelves are ſicke of a Phrenſie. If Democritus had lived in our age, hee needed not have gone among the vulgar multitude2 to have made himſelf mery; hee might have gone into the Court, into the Capitoll, and beheld the diſturbers of the Parliament, and violaters of the Covenant made with, and before GOD; into the Synod, and beheld the Brethren diſſenting; among the griping Committees, if there bee ſuch; among the holy anarchicall confuſed Libertines whereſoever incorporate, or not incorporate in the Kingdome; in the very ſtreets hee might behold Drunkards, and Men, and Women attired like Anticks, and Stage-players, and have too much cauſe of laughter.
He might ſee hypocritical Zelots profeſſing to be religious.
Hee might behold men luke-warme in religion, whom GOD hath threat'ned to ſpew out of his mouth.
Hee might ſee ſuperſtitious Idolaters bewitched with Antichriſtianiſme.
Hee might ſee ſome of the Angels of the Churches forſaking their firſt love, ready to returne to the Onions of Egypt.
Hee might ſee many Ahabs thirſting after Naboths their neighbours Paſtures, and fields, and houſes.
Hee might ſee deſpightfull Furies broaching bitter quarrels amongſt Chriſtians, hee might ſee Blaſphemers of God, prophaners of his Sabboths, Fornicators, Adulterers, laſcivious riotous Prodigals.
He might ſee Envious men, Backbiters, Detractors, breakers of Promiſes, detainers of Laborers wages, uncharitable cruell Oppreſſors, perfidious, and treacherous Friends.
Hee might ſee Demetrius, and the Craftſmen for the Temple of Diana's ſeeke their owne gaine, crying, and beating downe works of Piety, Mercy, and Charity.
Hee might ſee our diſtracted Diviſions and Factions ariſing meerly out of Pride, and ſingularity the daughter of Covetouſneſſe which is Idolatry, one emulating to bee Paul, another to be Cephas, a third to bee Apollo, every one of them affecting fame and popularity, and ſtriving to effect Parity, that each might gather unto himſelf multitudes of Diſciples, and ſo procure much Contribution to the Saints, thereby to3 make the coffers and treaſurie of the Saints himſelfe opulent.
He might heretofore have ſeen the hands of corrupt Iudges, and Magiſtrates full of Bribes, ready to receive a payre of ſhoots, a basket of Chickens, a morſell of Bread to pervert Iuſtice, and as on the bench, ſo at the bar, falſe unfaithfull pleaders, ſiding hyred perjured aretopagites, and witneſſes.
But let them ſtand or fall to their own Maſter. What are all theſe to our ſubject, thoſe artificiall drivers, (that have gotten a Smart-Laſh to drive a whole hoſt of men with counterfeit pretences of a wonderfull ſpirit raiſed for Iuſtice and Righteouſneſſe, and by them to drive a Parliament and a whole Nation even againſt God and Chriſt) thoſe unclean ſpirits like Frogs comming out of the mouth of the Dragon, of the beaſt, of the falſe Prophet, who were and are the ſpirits of Devils working miracles to go unto the Kings of the earth, and of the whole World to gather them to the battaile of the great day of God Almighty mentioned in the Revelations, 16. 13, 14. Who had well nigh driven three Kingdomes to perdition by the extirpation and ſubverſion of Religion, Law, and the liberty of the Subject, and their due right by the ancient eſtabliſhed Lawes of the Nation, not that imaginary fantaſticall Vtopian pretended Chriſtian liberty framed out of the ſingularity, and pride of ſome ſpiritually high-minded men puffed up with the ſpirit of Peter, who having undertaken to dye with Chriſt, did not only fall into a ſleep when Chriſt required him to watch one houre, but alſo denyed, and forſwore his Maſter Chriſt three times before the cock crowed once.
Theſe are the ſecond artificiall drivers, who drive to the ſame end of Englands confuſion with the firſt, but by ſeverall wayes like Sampſons foxes tyed by the tayles. But before I tell theſe ſecond drivers why I laugh at them, I will end with the firſt. Thoſe unclean Spirits like Frogs working miracles have manifeſted to the world in theſe our dayes the exquiſite with incomparable policy contrived plots and Treaſons; firſt in their ſecret and clandeſtine practiſes to butcher, and murder many of our late ſeverall Kings, and Princes; ſecondly, in the twinkling of an eye ſo ſoon as a little piece of Paper would be burned, to have deſtroyed all the Nobility and chief4 Gentry of our Nation, and to have conſumed by fire, or•umbled, or mouldred into duſt, all the memorable records, and antiquities preſerved for the honour of our Nation; thirdly, in contempt of our ſtrict capital and fatall Lawes againſt them, in creeping into the higheſt and moſt eminent places in the Kingdome, both Eccleſiaſticall and Civill, thereby annulling our Lawes, and introducing an arbitrary power, and rule of government at their ripened opportunities, to have exalted the ſupremacy of that Dragon, beaſt, and falſe Prophet, out of whoſe mouth they came, and without any noiſe, or power to oppoſe them, to have changed our (new, as they terme it) true reformed Religion into a falſe, Idolatrous, and Superſtitions. And if any of our Gentry have entred ſo far into their ſecrets, and orders, worſhipping that beaſt, having his marke, couch themſelves in the number of the Patriarchs of their Country, or in the number of the Clergy, pretenders to purity of divine Worſhip, and having brought in one Mr. Oglethorp among diſſenting Brethren under another name, by their cloſe conveyances, ſubtile inſinuations, and arguments, and pragmaticall poſitive opinions, Dogmates, and Votes, do retard, obſtruct, and hinder the reconciliation of King, and Parliam. and therby the ſettlement of the peace of the Church, and kingdom (which without the King cannot bee, for no King no Law; no Law, no Peace; no Peace, no Truth; et é converſo, no Truth, no Peace; no Peace, no Law; no Law, no King) and craftily, wickedly, and trayterouſly oppoſe and hinder the parformance of the nationall Covenant made with God touching the King, labouring either to impriſon, or dethrone him, are they not worthy to bee laughed at, when being learned Politicians, and having ſublime Mercurian wits they neither diſcerne our Kings many, and maruellous deliverances from their Treaſons, nor that that beaſt, Dragon, and falſe Prophe•out of whoſe mouth they came is the very Antichriſt their holy Hierarchy, nor that they themſelves are thoſe unclean ſpirits like frogs, the ſpirits of Divels, nor that their plots, policies, and diveliſh Treaſons are thoſe miracles, nor that they muſt go to the Kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the battail of the great day of God almighty, no otherwiſe5 then as Gods Miniſters and ſervants for the execution of his wrath and vengeance; as Nebuchadnezzar King of Babel was, as Jeremiah 15. 9. & 43. 10. Whom afterwards other Kings brought into ſubjection, as Ieremiah 25. 14. Or as Pharoah was, whoſe hart God for his own glory hardened, as in the hiſtory of him in Exodus, nor that without Repentance they muſt go into the bottomleſſe pit, the place of the damned. And are not they more worthy to be laughed at, who after fruſtration of their manifold deſperate, miſcheivous, traiterous, diabolicall deſignes, more then the plagues of Aegypt, againſt the tranquillity and happines of our Nation and Princes, and after ours, and our Princes miraculous deliverances from them, yet ſtill perſiſt and proceed in their Machiavellian deviſes, and enterpriſes, nothing aſtoniſhed or moved at the mighty power and providence of God in their former failings. Democritus will only merily put them in mind how ſome of their late predeceſſors, who drove as cloſely, politickly, artificially, and furiouſly as they now do, or can do, and had almoſt driven to their journeyes end, concluded with hemp and hatchet, and hee laughing hartily expecteth their like concluſion.
Now for our Vtopian liberty drivers, who drive cunningly and fiercely, for breach of Covenant, extirpation of Law, order, and government, pretending notwithſtanding to be Patriots of their Country, and Zealots in the Church, I will confidently laugh at them, becauſe I well know that God is the God of order, not of confuſion, and that it is evident by holy writ, that in the laſt times hee will have nationall churches of the Gentiles, and their Kings, as may appeare in Iſa. 60. 3, 5, 10. 11, 16. & Rev. 21. 24, 26. And that he will have the Kingdomes of this World to be his, and his Chriſts; as is manifeſt Rev. 11. 15. And what are Kingdomes? Are they not Dominions, and governments? Who can forbeare to laugh at theſe drivers, whoſe holy zeale paſſeth over, ſlighteth or waveth theſe Scriptures, and driveth even againſt Gods Providence, Decree, and purpoſe, and contemneth the threats of his vengeance againſt breakers of Covenant made before him, pronounced by the mouth of Ieremiah 34. 17, 18, 19, 20. See the6 words in the Bible, that Democritus may laugh in no more ſheets then the Mercuries, and other Pamphletters uſe to lye in, and to write Libels, and Treaſon in. Were theſe threats denou•ced only againſt the Princes, Prieſts, and People of Jud•th and Ieruſalem, and not againſt Englands and the whole earths Princes, Prieſts and People alſo? Democritus reſolveth to laugh profuſely at all them, who be obnoxious to this curſe, if they wilfully periſh thereby, and will tell them, humani mores fingunt ſibi fortunam, their deſtruction is of themſelves. But he hopeth that God in mercy will ſpare the Nation for the ſake of that part thereof, whoſe harts have not yeelded to that preſumptuous horrid ſin of perjury, and will not execute his predicted vengeance of Vae perjurae genti, Woe to a perjured Nation! and therefore waving all laughter Democritus will cloſe with a ſhort, but ſerious queſtion to this Nation.
Democritus might behold, and conſider our Faſts for diſtreſſed Proteſtants in Ireland and might laugh at them as mockery, when theſe drivers are the means to hinder and keep back competent ſupply and reliefe from them, nay how can any man conſidering it forbeare to laugh, if withall he read Iſaiah 58. 5, 6, 7. & 1. 15. 16, 17. & Zech. 7.
Many other ſubjects of laughter there bee, but cannot bee laughed out in one ſheet, neither need we laugh at our ſelves, Forraigne Nations laugh ſo much at us, painting us upon their Wals with a Bible in left-hand, and right hand in neighbours pocket.