A Scourge for the Directorie.

J Cannot but admire to ſee ſo many learned Divines ſo much of late metamorphoſed, that have ſo many yeares profeſſed the Protestant Religion in the purity of it, and now had their Eye-ſight more cleere then any in Queene ELIZABETH and King JAMES his reigne, and ſixteene yeares of King CHARLES, and never writ againſt it till now: and I am perſwaded there are very few that are good Proteſtants that gave their conſent for the utter aboli­ſhing the Service Book, till they had made ſome good pro­viſion for the weaker ſort of Proteſtants: for in many hun­dred of Churches of England that have not meanes to main­taine a Preacher to inſtruct the people in the knowledge of Gods lawes, there is not a Sermon in half a yeare: and this Idoll, as many call it, being taken away, what groſſe ignorance will theſe poore ſoules fall into? For if you tell them of Praying by the ſpirit, you may as well tell them a tale of the man in the Moone. I am perſwaded in my heart, that many of the ancient Fathers that had a hand in the compoſing and contriving of that worthy Booke, were indued with Gods Spirit; witneſſe their godly and learned Bookes they writ, their holy lives they led in godly converſation and doctrine;2 nay, and haue they no•laid down their live, and rid in cha­riots of fire to maintain that very ſame Booke that now ma­ny giddy-headed fellowes which have ſcarce any Religion at all in them, but meere time-ſervers, blown about with every blaſt of light doctrine, that will be Anabaptiſt to day, a Brow­niſt to morrow, and in a word any thing the next day. O la­mentable! what times do we live in? when the Church is without true diſcipline, Gods Lawes quite taken from us, no Lords Prayer, no Creed, no Common Prayer allowed, but Maſter Presbyter to do as his fickle braine ſerves him, the Sa­crament of the Lords Supper not adminiſtred once in halfe a yeere, and when it is delivered wonderfull out of order it is, the Sacraments of Baptiſme celebrated as any would have it that is in fee with Maſter Parſon; the dead body buryed with five or 6 words at the moſt; no decency in the Churches, no manners nor order, forgetting that God is the God of or­der. I do not ſpeak againſt Praying by the Spirit, for I know that Gods people alwayes prayed as they felt their wants; but for poor ignorant people who have not the ſpirit of pray­er, what proviſion have you made for them? the anſwer is, Iuſt none. What ſhall become of them. Your anſwer muſt bee; you muſt leave them to Gods mercy. But I and many more would have thought you had ſome charity in you, but in leaving poore ignorant people quite without any way to know God or his will, I thinke you have done worſe then the ſuperſtitions Papiſt ever did to the Heathen where they con­quered. Was there ever any Kingdome in the Chriſtian world that flouriſhed more for almoſt fourſcore yeeres, then this Kingdome did all the reign of Queene Elizabeth, King Iames, and ſixteen yeeres of King Charles his reigne? ſurely God hath great plagues for this ungratefull Nation. You of the Synod, ſleep not upon this thing called 4 ſhillings a day,3 till you have done ſome ſervice for the poore ignorant people of this diſtreſſed Nation, that Gods name may be known on earth, and his ſaving health to all Iſrael. We are not ignorant that when any came to be buried with decency, and the Miniſter ſhewed that man was mortall, it did the party deceaſed nei­ther good nor harme, but the ſtanders by might know what a flouriſhing eſtate man was to day, and in a moment cut off by the hand of death. For the receiving the Sacraments, which are the ſeales and pledges of Gods love to his Church till he doth come, and receive him often till he comes, now how often is it wonderfully neglected? So for the Sacra­ment of Baptiſme, the reading of Gods Commandements, and in a word Gods whole maner of decency in his true ſer­vice wholly neglected. Nay it is ſpoken openly, that a ſtable is as good as any Church whatſoever; forgetting that the Iewes which were the choſen people of God, had their Syna­gogues to heare the Laws of God read and expounded to them; and the Temple where the Prieſts did offer ſacrifice to God for appeaſing his anger againſt his people. I do not intend to make two or three yeeres worke to give direction by way of a Directory, and wrangle and brawle with my ſelfe for it; but I had rather ſpend my life in inſtructing the poor people in the true knowledge of Gods Lawes and Commandements, then to take part with any thing whatſoever to hinder Gods people from his known will. For it hath been an ancient thing which the Church of Rome uſed, to keep the common people ignorant, that the better they might work their ends by their ſimplicity: and if you take theſe courſes, the fur­ther you go from Popery, the nigher you come to them.

When the Chriſtians in the Primitive church had their pri­vate meetings, the Church was hidden, and it was death for any to profeſſe Chriſt openly, then cellars, garrets, and woods4 were their places of Aſſembly: but who reigned then? Nero. But bleſſed be the name of God for evermore, we have the word of God preached among us plentifully, we need not go in corners and holes to heare Chriſt taught. I wonder that ſo many learned able Divines do not gain ſome order againſt this New-England brood: but I am perſwaded in my heart that many are partakers with them, and will not or dare not write or once open their mouthes againſt them. Blame me not though I urge this again and again, for I verily beleeve Ana­nias the Button maker, Flaſh the Cobler, Nondependants, do more harme to poore ſoules, ſpecially to poore women, by one of their tongue Sermons, then many of your Presby­terian Sermons do good in halfe a yeere: for come into the Church, who preaches there? Non-decency, all without or­der or forme. For your Prelaticall government, go to all the Churches in Europe, you ſhall be ſure to come ſhort of this that was in theſe latter times. Go to all the Reformed Chur­ches in the Chriſtian world, they did ſtand amazed at the go­vernment of the Church of England. But now what is become of it? truly the height of our glory is laid in the duſt, and we made a mocke and a wonder at. The Lord in his mercy o­pen the hearts of thoſe who are in authority, to reform theſe things, that theſe civill combuſtions in Church and King­domes may ceaſe, that God may have his Word ſetled in peace and quiet and his people may come to his Temple with joy and gladneſſe; that God may be praiſed here in peace a­mong his people for evermore. I verily beleeve that if every Presbyterian Prieſt or Independant bee left to do what they will, we ſhall have more domineering and diſturbance in the Church, then ever there was ſince the Church was firſt built up in England. What would you have then? would you have Biſhops, which have bred all this broile among us? yes, pro­vided5 that their Lordly dignitie may be eclipſed, and prea­ching Biſhops put in their rooms: not to have a high Com­miſſion Court little inferiour to the Inquiſition of Spaine, nor meddle with temporall affaires, but to preach the Word of God ſoundly, plainly, and powerfully; to root out hereſie and errour out of the Church of God, like a man of know­ledge: who ſhall chuſe thoſe good men? no•their rich kin­dred, nor the King, nor his money, but their learning, Godly lives, and converſation &c.

For Prayer and confeſſion, we have them in the Booke of Common Prayer excellently ſet down; and alſo humiliation, with ſome amendments: but to take them quite away, I am humbly of opinion you greatly ſin againſt God and this poore Iſland of England; and I think as long as you keep the Arke of God from us, I mean the Service Book, you will ever have ſwellings and Emrods among you. I am no Prophet, nor the ſonne of a Prophet, but I pray God in his mercy keep you from theſe plagues which hang over your heads, for leaving ſo many poore diſtreſſed ſoules in want, not having the known will of God taught among them, who lye and languiſh for his known Lawes, and are kept ſhort of them by force. For the Let any, I ſhould have rejoyced greatly if I could have ſeen but half ſuch good matter proceeded from you of the Synod; though I am not ignorant that there are ſome things that might have been amended in ſome paſſages of them, but not utterly to have them rooted out: for thoſe that give their voices to put them quite out of the Church, I pray God of his mercy that he one day put them not quite out of the Kingdome of his mercy.

As for the order of reading the Old and New Teſtament once a yeere, what a comfort muſt it needs be to thoſe who cannot read? What an excellent order is that of reading Da­vids Pſalmes once a Mouth in due place and order, which is6 not to be parallel'd by any Reformed church in the Chriſti­an world, with many other excellent paſſages of great note and worth. But now that a company of ſhuttle-brain'd fel­lowes, who for their underſtanding and knowledge can ſcarce hold argument with a Schoole-boy, that theſe I ſay muſt have that godly Book quite taken away as a great Idoll in the Church, what a kind of madneſſe is it let all wiſe men judge. I do not write ſo much in the applauſe of the Book of Common Prayer, ſo to magnifie it as to put down prea­ching, and to eaſe your lazie Prieſts of their paines in ſtudy­ing, no, my earneſt deſire is that ther may be praying with the whole Congregation together, and preaching too, that the Word may be taught plentifully among the poore peo­ple; and that we which are the inhabitants of England may go hand in hand, that God may have his due praiſe and glo­ry among us; and then we with you, and you with us may give God his due praiſe and honour both together: which God in his mercy grant; and that we may ſit together eve­ry man under his own Vine and Figtree. And to you the Brethren of the ſeparation, which have the ſpirit ſo much at command, and know Gods Word ſo well that you need no teacher, take from you the expoſition of the ancient Fathers, and other good mens workes, which you ſo much deſpiſe, and then take the bare Bible and fall to expounding the Scriptures, and I dare pawne my life for ſix pence you ſhall have as good non-ſenſe as you would deſire to heare. Goe back, go back, thou fooliſh man or woman, whatſoever thou art, and returne to thy mother the Church of England, who firſt brought thee up to know God in Chriſt, and come out of theſe puddles, and light headed fooleries, and know he that takes hold of the Plough, and lookes back, is unmeet for the Kingdome of God.