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<NAME>Alexis Jakobson</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P><HI>AN</HI> ADVERTISEMENT TO EVERIE GODLY READER OF Mr. Thomas Brightman his book. namely, <HI>A REVELATION OF THE APOCALYPS.</HI></P>
<P>In which adverti&s;ement is &s;hewed how corruptly he tea|cheth, that notwith&s;tanding all the &s;inns &amp; abhominations that are in the Church of England, and by him &s;hewed, yet that it is bla&s;phemous to &s;eparate from it.</P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>1 King. 18.21.</HI></BIBL> How long halt yee between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal be he, then go after him.</Q>
<P>Imprinted in the yere 1612.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="3" REF="2">
<HEAD>AN EPISTLE To the Reader.</HEAD>
<P>_GEntle Reader, the cau&s;es that have moved mee to put forth this &s;hort writing, are cheifly three; the first, the glory of the Lord my God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lev. 19.2. 1 Pet. 1.15.16.</NOTE> who as he is holy, &s;o dooth he require that all his people &s;hould be holy, in all manner of conver&s;ation: and that all tho&s;e that call upon the name of Chri&s;t &s;hould depart from iniquity. <HI>2 Tim. 2.19.</HI> The &s;econd, the fer|vent de&s;ire which I have of the &s;alvation of mens &s;oules, &amp; gayn|ning of them unto God; the means whereof being,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 5.19.20.</NOTE> in &s;hewing unto them their erring from the truth, and to convert them from go|ing astray, out of the way. The third, is in re&s;pect of my &s;elf; for having had a hand both in the tran&s;lating and printing of M. B. book, and there being in it, as I am fully per&s;waded, &amp; as by the grace of God I &s;hal &s;hew, out of the holy &s;criptures, errors and abberations from the truth of the living God; If I had held my peace and &s;ayd nothing, I could not have cleared my &s;elf from partaking with other mens &s;ynns; and &s;o &s;hould have done, con|trary unto that holy commandement of the Apo&s;tle to Timothy.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 5.22</NOTE></P>
<P>To the end therfore, that the reader may the better perceive the thing intended in this writing, namely, how corruptly Mr. Brightman, dooth teach, not to &s;eparate fro~ the Church of Engl. notwith&s;tanding all the corruptions which he &s;hewes to be in her; this is the order that I &s;hall ob&s;erve, to wit, that fir&s;t I will &s;et down &s;ome of the particulars wherby he blames that Church of England, for partaking with the corruptions and manner of government of Antichri&s;t. Secondly I &s;hall &s;hew &s;ome of the prai&s;es, which not|with&s;tanding the&s;e corruptions, he gives vnto the &s;ame. And thirdly what is the collection or conclu&s;ion that he gathers therevp|on: which having done <HI>I</HI> &s;hal al&s;o declare my mind concerning the&s;e things. And thus (Christian Reader) I &s;hall co~mit the ap|proving, or cen&s;uring of all, to thy godly wi&s;dom, grounded upon the canon and holy writings of the holy Prophets and Apo&s;tles. Fare well.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Thine as thou art the Lords <HI>Iean de Le&s;clu&s;e.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
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<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="3">
<PB N="5" REF="3">
<HEAD>An Adverti&s;ement concerning M. Brightman upon the Apocalyps.</HEAD>
<P>_FOr to come therfore unto the matter I will begin with that which is written in the 103 page of his book, tran&s;lated into Engli&s;h, where he &s;hewed the <MILESTONE N="I"> mo&s;t fearfull e&s;tate of the Church of England in the&s;e words: <HI>I could not but mourn from the bottome of myne heart when I beheld in her, Chri&s;t</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">fa&s;tidien|tem.</NOTE> <HI>lothing us, and very greatly provoked again&s;t us.</HI><MILESTONE N="II"></P>
<P>The &s;econd blame which he layeth vpon the back of the Church of England is, that the <HI>mo&s;t mighty King Henry had expelled the Pope, but <MILESTONE N="III"> reteyned the popi&s;h &s;uperstition;</HI> pag. 104 of the &s;ayd book.</P>
<P>The third evil wherwith he chargeth that Church of England is, that <HI>there is &s;uch a form of Church establi&s;hed as is neyther cold nor hot, but &s;et in the middes, and made of both:</HI> and againe in the &s;ame place about 2. or 3 lines after he hath the&s;e words: <HI>Hot in deed &s;he is not, who&s;e out|ward government for the mo&s;t part is yet &s;til Romi&s;h: In the degrees of their Clergie, in Elections, and ordinations, and whole administration of the Cen|&s;ures: which</HI><NOTE N="&dagger;" PLACE="marg">tempera|tio purio|ris doctri|nae.</NOTE> <HI>mixing of the pure doctrine, and Romi&s;h regiment togither, ma|keth this lukewarmnes, wherby wee &s;tand in the middes between cold and hot, between the Romi&s;h and the reformed Churches, of both which wee are</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">confla|mur.</NOTE> <HI>com|po&s;ed:</HI> and a few lines after he produceth the te&s;timony of the lear|ned and godly, Martin Bucer, in a letter of his written to a freind at Cambridge in the yeare 1550, where he complayneth of the corru|ption of the Church of England, in the&s;e words; <HI>There be &s;ome who by mo&s;t humane wi&s;dome and vani&s;hing cogitations, would joyn togither God and Belial, by the leaven of Antichri&s;t:</HI> Such are the words of Martin Bu|cer: which are thus confirmed by Mr Brightmans: <HI>The&s;e things he did write, which wee at this day find by experience too true.</HI> pa. 108. of his book.</P>
<P N="4">4. He maketh the condition of the poor blinde Papi&s;ts, to be farr <MILESTONE N="IIII"> better, then the condition of the Angels of the Church of England; in the&s;e words, <HI>for in this place Chri&s;t preferreth the blinde Papists, before tho&s;e Angels, who bewitched with ambition and covetou&s;nes, doe refu&s;e ho|ly reformation.</HI> pag. 109. And in the 111 pag, &s;peaking of the pu|ni&s;hment to be inflicted upon this Engli&s;h Angel for his &s;innes, he &s;peaketh al&s;o thus of the whole Church. <HI>It is al&s;o to be feared, that the Church may feele &s;ome adver&s;itie through contagion and con&s;enting to. Such as are the Angels, &s;uch becometh &s;hee for the most part: and none is &s;o igno|rant of the matters, that &s;eeth not playnly, that the whole body is &s;ick of the
<PB N="6" REF="4"> &s;ame di&s;ea&s;e.</HI> And &s;o by his own grant, the whole &s;tate of that Church to be wor&s;e then that of the Church of Rome.</P>
<P N="5"><MILESTONE N="V"> 5. In the 112 page be &s;heweth what is the cau&s;e of the lukewarm|nes of the Church of England in the&s;e words: <HI>Jn our England the con|gruency is &s;o manife&s;t, that nothing could have been expre&s;&s;ed more lively: for what other cau&s;e can wee bring of our lukewarmnes, the Popi&s;h government mingled with the pure doctrine then the love of riches and honours?</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P N="6"><MILESTONE N="VI"> 6. Ob&s;erve al&s;o in the &s;ame page a &s;hort de&s;cription of the An|gel of the Church of Engl. in the&s;e words. <HI>But our Bi&s;hops are Peeres of the Realme, &s;uperiour in honour to many great &s;tates: al&s;o in riches, compa|ny of men and mayd &s;ervants, in magnificence of how&s;es, and all the other pomp of the world, equal to any, even the greate&s;t Earles. How rich is the re&s;t of the Clergie? The Deanes, Arch-deacons, Prebendaries, Chaplains,</HI> &amp;c. And that the&s;e and the like are the Angel of the Church of England wherof he &s;peaketh &s;o often in this book, it appeareth by that wich foloweth in the beginning of the page 113 in the&s;e words: <HI>Doe not this amplify and increa&s;e very greatly the glory of the Church, that her Ministers do &s;hine in garments of &s;ilk and velvet.</HI> &amp;c. and al&s;o by that which is in pag. 117. thus, <HI>Thou art therfore a begger &ocirc; thou Engli&s;h An|gel:</HI> comprehending under the name of this Engli&s;h Angel, which he calls a <HI>begger, Curates, Prebendaries, Archdeacons, Deacons,</HI> &amp; the <HI>Bi&s;hops</HI> them&s;elves, as it may be plainly &s;een in the 116 and 117 pa|ges of his book, in which places ob&s;erve al&s;o by the way, the man|ner of entrance into the Mini&s;tery of the Church of England, plain|ly de&s;cribed by Mr Brightmans.</P>
<P N="7"><MILESTONE N="VII"> 7. The &s;eventh charge wherewith he dealeth with the Church of Engl. is to be &s;een in the 116 pa. thus: <HI>So reprehen&s;ions are &s;ilent,</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">nequitia regnat.</NOTE> <HI>naugh|tines reigneth, the hand of God is heavy upon us, and whither the matter will grow at la&s;t, prudent men feare not without iu&s;t cau&s;e.</HI> With which is to be added that which he &s;ayth in the pag. 117, namely that the lawes of Chri&s;t are not kept in the Ch: of Engl. in the&s;e words: <HI>wee avayle nothing with our Lawes; where the lawes of Chri&s;t are not kept.</HI></P>
<P N="8"><MILESTONE N="VIII"> 8. In the pag 119. he ob&s;erveth, that the ordinances concer|ning the manner of entrance into the Mini&s;tery of the Church of England is &s;uch, as for which the other reformed Churches may be a&s;hamed: thus, <HI>Excellent ordinances in deed; for which the reformed Chur|ches may be a&s;hamed.</HI></P>
<P N="9"><MILESTONE N="IX"> 9 He chargeth this Church to have &s;uch officers as who&s;e names,
<PB N="7" REF="4"> except the Bi&s;hop have not been heard in the Church: thus, <HI>What is this auncient u&s;e of pronouncing the &s;entence by them, who&s;e names, except onely the Bi&s;hop, have not been heard in deed in the Church, as long as the true honour and dignity of excommunication remayned?</HI></P>
<P>The tenth and la&s;t charge of his, which I doo here purpo&s;e to <MILESTONE N="X"> adde, leaving the re&s;t, becau&s;e it were too long to relate them all in particular &s;halbe this, written in the pag 128. of his book, where he makes the Angel of the Church of Engl. a per&s;ecuter of the bre|thren &amp; a deceiver of the Prince. Thus, <HI>Repent of the iniuries which thou ha&s;t done to the brethren, in ca&s;ting &s;ome into pri&s;on, in turning others out of their goods, in depriving many of the power to preach the word, in reproching and traducing all with the odious names of Anabapti&s;ts</HI> &amp;c. and in the &s;ame page a few lines after; thus he &s;peaketh, <HI>That was a notable ca|lumnie, whereby both thou ha&s;t deceived the PRINCE, and al&s;o ha&s;t pro|cured hatred to the brethren:</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>The&s;e &amp; many the like charges are in his book, wherby he &s;hew|eth the fearfulnes of the e&s;tate of the Church of England.</P>
<P>Now followeth to &s;hew breifly &s;ome of the pray&s;es which he al|&s;o giveth vnto her, wherby as with a &s;alve, he cureth all her &s;oares.</P>
<P>And fir&s;t in the very title of his Epi&s;tle dedicatory to the Chur|ches <MILESTONE N="I"> thus he writeth, <HI>To the holy reformed Churches of</HI> &amp;c. where note that the Church of Britany, that is the Church of England hath this honourable title given her with the re&s;t, <HI>holy reformed:</HI> vnto which title add that which al&s;o he &s;aith in the 102 pag. of this book, where he maketh the Church of England to be the Antitype of the Church of Laodicea, thus; <HI>The Antitype is the third reformed Church;</HI></P>
<P>The &s;econd good thing which he &s;heweth to be in the Church <MILESTONE N="II"> and Kingdome of England is twofold,<NOTE PLACE="marg">double ble&s;&s;ings in the Church of Engl.</NOTE> in the 104 &amp; 105 pages of his book; the fir&s;t in re&s;pect of earthly ble&s;&s;ings: the &s;econd in re|&s;pect of &s;piritual: for the fir&s;t thus he &s;peaketh: <HI>From hence the lawes are in force, judgements are exerci&s;ed, every one inioyeth his own; iniuries are re|&s;trayned; wantonnes is repre&s;sed,</HI> &amp;c. The &s;econd is thus,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Earthly.</NOTE> <HI>And to what end were all the&s;e good things if we could not have the whol&s;om doctrine of truth?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Spiritual.</NOTE> <HI>But ever &s;ince the first times of our mo&s;t peaceable Queen, he hath ray&s;ed up continually deligent and learned Pa&s;tours &amp; Teachers, who have preached the word purely and &s;yncerely. Neyther at this day are wanting many, by his infinite mercy, who bestow all their labour in imparting to his people the whole will of God, and that pure and uncorrupt from all leaven of fal&s;hood.</HI>
<PB N="8" REF="5"> Adde vnto this al&s;o the &s;anctification of the&s;e Pa&s;tours by Chri&s;t in the 106 page, thus; <HI>But he that is a faithfull and true witne&s;s, &s;anctifieth the Pa&s;tours with the truth beyond all hope: in who&s;e lipps he dwelleth even hi|therto:</HI></P>
<P N="3"><MILESTONE N="III"> 3. But in the page 318 he is large in de&s;cribing the good e&s;tate of the Church of England thus: <HI>as it came to pa&s;s in our England, to which Christ at the &s;ound of the &s;eventh trumpet, in the yere 1558, gave the most gracious Queen Elizabeth, who againe gave her Kingdome to Christ, in roo|ting out through all her dominions, the mo&s;t part of the Romi&s;h &s;uper&s;titions, and in re&s;toring to her people the &s;yncere and whole&s;ome truth, that wee might wor&s;hip the Lord our God according to his ordinance.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="IIII"> The fourth good thing which he mentioneth to be in the Church of England, is the preaching of the word &amp; the lawfull admini&s;tra|tion of the &s;acraments, in the&s;e words; <HI>The&s;e things therfore doo proove, that a double and great good thing doo abide in the Engli&s;h Church, that is to &s;ay, the preaching of the word, and the lawful admini&s;tration of the &s;acra|ments: In both which Christ bestoweth him&s;elf vpon his people, keeping a mu|tual feast with them, he fir&s;t being received of us by hearing of the word; &s;e|condly, entertayning us againe with the &s;upper of his body.</HI></P>
<P>And thus much touching &s;ome of the prai&s;es which he giveth unto that Church of England: now let the godly &s;ee in the&s;e words of his following, what conclu&s;ion he maketh hereupon; which may be read in the 131 pag. of his book thus: <HI>Therfore wicked and bla&s;phemous is their errour, who doo fall away &s;o from this Church, as if Chri&s;t were bani&s;hed wholly from hence; and that there could not be any hope of &s;al|vation for them that tarry there. Let them mind here Chri&s;t feasting with his people. Wil they be a&s;hamed to &s;it down there, where they &s;ee Chri&s;t not to be a&s;hamed? Are they purer and holyer then he?</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>The&s;e things being thus &s;et down, it re&s;teth now that according to my promi&s;e, I doo al&s;o &s;hew my mind concerning them? thus therefore, fir&s;t to begin with that which I have &s;et for the fir&s;t charge, which he layeth upon the Church of England; I de&s;ire the reader to ob&s;erve the word which he u&s;eth of Chri&s;t <HI>loathing them,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">fa&s;tidien|tem no&s;tri.</NOTE> which word of loathing &s;eemeth to be taken from the <HI>95.</HI> P&s;al. ver. 10. where the Prophet &s;peaking in the per&s;on of the Lord him&s;elf, &s;ayth that fowrty yeres long he had loathed that generation: &s;aying that they are a people erring in heart, and not knowing his wayes, wherfore he &s;ware in his wrath that they &s;hould not enter into his
<PB N="9" REF="5"> re&s;t. So that by M. Brightmans own graunt this Church of England is in no better e&s;tate then were tho&s;e rebels in the wildernes, all which were con&s;umed and entred not into his re&s;t, as he had &s;worn.</P>
<P>But that the Lord hath more ju&s;t cau&s;e to loath the Church of En|gland, then that of the I&s;raelites in the wildernes, let the reader ob|&s;erve it in the&s;e particulars; fir&s;t that that Church had a true Mini&s;te|ry, and true Offices and Officers; and &s;o hath not the Church of England by M. Brightmans own graunt: Secondly the Officers of that Church never per&s;ecuted the faithful Iewes for practi&s;ing the holy ordinances of God; as he affirmeth that the Angel of the Ch: of England dooth, tho&s;e that will not &s;ubmit to their government. Thirdly, their government was not a mixt government partly of the Aegyptians, partly of the Moabites, and Edomites or Cananeans, but &s;imple and pure according to the true patern &s;hewed to Mo&s;es in the mount: but that of England is not &s;o, for Mr Brightman af|firmeth it to be partly Romi&s;h and partly reformed, and &s;o not the true government which Chri&s;t hath appointed in his eternall Te&s;ta|ment: Fourthly, none of that Church were admitted unto any of|fice but onely &s;uch as were lawfully called thereunto as Aaron was, but &s;o it is not in the Church of England, for &s;uch Offices and Of|ficers are there admitted as are unknown unto the true Church of Chri&s;t by Mr Brightmans own doctrine. Therfore it dooth nece&s;&s;a|rily follow that the e&s;tate of the Church of England is wor&s;e then was the e&s;tate of tho&s;e rebels in the wildernes, and that there is no|thing to be expected from Chri&s;t, by any member thereof, but a powring out of his eternall wrath upon them.</P>
<P>Concerning his &s;econd charge of King Henry expelling the Pope but reteyning the popi&s;h &s;uper&s;tition; this is that which I &s;ay, that the Pope cannot properly be &s;aid to be expelled when his doctrine &amp; &s;uper&s;tition is reteyned; for as concerning the Popes own per&s;on he could not be expelled from England for he was never there. But it may be that Mr Brightman meaneth that &s;ome of the Monks &amp; Fryars were driven out and their revenues taken away from them; as al&s;o that their manner of wor&s;hipping of God which was in the La|tin tongue, was then tran&s;lated into Engli&s;h: but what of all this? can this be &s;ayd to be an expelling of the Pope? No; for in deed &amp; properly, it is the doctrine &amp; &s;uper&s;tition of the Pope which dooth corrupt the harts and &s;oules of men, which can be done eyther in a
<PB N="10" REF="6"> Kingdome or in a Province or in a pari&s;h, or in a hou&s;e without the pre&s;ence eyther of the Pope him&s;elfe or of any of his Monks and Fryars, by their doctrine, &s;uper&s;titions, fal&s;e manner of wor&s;hip, which are &s;pred too farre abroad in the world by their bookes and writings, and even now reteyned <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">o this day in England, as Mr. Brightman him&s;elf do write.</P>
<P>The third is that the e&s;tabli&s;hed form of the Church of England is neyther cold nor hot, and againe, that &s;he is not hot who&s;e outward government for the mo&s;t part is yet &s;till Romi&s;h; and againe that this mixing of the pure doctrine and Romi&s;h government togither maketh this lukewarmnes; wherby they &s;tand between cold and hot, between the Romi&s;h and the reformed Churches, of both which they are compo&s;ed: joyn with this th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters"> which wee have &s;et for the fift charge where he &s;ayth, that <HI>no other cau&s;e can be brought of their luke|warmnes, the Popi&s;h government mingled with the pure doctrine, then the love of riches and honours?</HI></P>
<P>Now I be&s;eech the reader to compare this with his fir&s;t pray&s;e of the Church of England which is in the very title of his Epi&s;tle dedi|catory, where he intituled the Church of England to be a reformed Church. Is it po&s;&s;ible that holynes and unholynes can raigne togi|ther? Is there any co~munion between Chri&s;t and Antichri&s;t? be|tween light and darknes? between Idols and the true God? Can a|ny Kingdome, any Church, any family, any man &s;ubmit unto the go|vernment, of Antichri&s;t and not be defiled therby? No God him&s;elf and his Prophets; Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles doo teach otherwi&s;e, ther|fore let all &s;uch as do &s;o teach, remember that &s;aying of the Prophet I&s;ayas, <HI>Woe unto him that calleth evil good,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Moreover in his fourth charge where he maketh the &s;tate of the poor blinde Papi&s;ts farr better, then the condition of the Angel of the Church of England, and that al&s;o &s;uch as are the Angels &s;uch be|co~meth the Church for the mo&s;t part, I doe ob&s;erve that by his own doctrine the e&s;tate of the Church of England is wor&s;e then Babylon it &s;elf; which Babylon is granted by all to be that Synagogue and Church of Antichri&s;t devoted unto de&s;truction in the day of the e|ternall wrath of the Lamb. And where are then tho&s;e great pray&s;es of all manner of ble&s;&s;ings upon that Church reher&s;ed in the &s;econd article, but cheifly the&s;e &s;pirituall ble&s;&s;ings of the word purely and &s;yncerely taught in it? Yea in that Church of which he &s;aith in
<PB N="11" REF="6"> the &s;eventh article of his charges, that <HI>naughtynes raigneth</HI> in it, the ha~d of God is heavie upon it and agayn, that in her the lawes of Chri&s;t are not kept. But what is there then to be done, even this, that eve|ry &s;oule who hath any care of &s;alvation and of e&s;caping the eternall flames of everla&s;ting damnation be careful to come out with &s;peed from Babylon and not to partake any longer with her &s;innes, lea&s;t they patake al&s;o of her plagues. For it is unpo&s;&s;ible to be both a ho|ly member of Chri&s;t, and wor&s;e then a Papi&s;t; Chri&s;t nor his mem|bers cannot be coupled with a harlot and her members, &amp; who&s;oever coupleth him&s;elf with a harlot, is made one body with her, as wit|ne&s;&s;eth the holy Apo&s;tle.</P>
<P>As concerning therfore the outward ble&s;&s;ings of peace and pro|&s;perity in earthly things, let every godly mind that by it no Church, no man, can have any a&s;&s;urance to be in the favour of God: but let every &s;oul be &s;ure that where there is no repentance from evil works they are but fatlings again&s;t the day of &s;laughter.</P>
<P>But becau&s;e I doe &s;ee that this writing enlargeth it &s;elf beyond that which I had determined, I &s;hall now begin to draw to an end con|cerning his charges again&s;t the Church of England and the Angel therof: and therfore wil here bring the re&s;t into a &s;hort &s;umme, and they at the&s;e, fir&s;t, that the entra~ce into the Mini&s;tery of the Church of England is &s;uch as for which the other reformed Churches may be a&s;hamed: &s;econdly that the names of the officers of that Church have not been heard in the Church, but onely the Bi&s;hops; finally that the Angel of that Church, is both a per&s;ecuter of the brethren, and a deceiver of the Prince: when I doe con&s;ider the&s;e things and others al&s;o which I have both &s;een and heard, I cannot but lament &amp; deplore the e&s;tate both of tho&s;e mo&s;t noble Princes of England as al&s;o of their poore &s;ubjects, which are thus mi&s;u&s;ed by tho&s;e &s;onns of Anak though I be but a &s;tranger unto them and under the juri&s;|diction of an other Prince. It is now 46 yeres agoe that indeed the reformed Churches began to be a&s;hamed of &s;ome things which they had but heard concerning the e&s;tate of the Church of England, as namely <HI>the plurality of benefices, licences of non re&s;idency, licences to con|tract mariages, the v&s;e of meats</HI> and the like, which things they then jud|ged, not to be a corruption of Chri&s;tianity, but a manife&s;t apo&s;ta&s;y from Chri&s;t: for which &s;ee my countryman of famous &amp; happy me|mory Theodorus Beza in his Epi&s;tle to Edmu~d Grindal then Bi&s;hop
<PB N="12" REF="7"> of London. <HI>Epi&s;t. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">.</HI> towards the end. And if the&s;e things were thus written &s;o many yeres agoe, what may all the reformed Chur|ches now &s;ay of the e&s;tate of that of England which they have as yet embraced as their &s;i&s;ter hitherto, when they &s;hall both &s;ee &amp; know by this man even a profe&s;&s;ed freind of hers, thus to &s;peak, concer|ning her e&s;tate: But yet concerning this point I mu&s;t needs &s;ay, that in deed the reformed Churches have not dealt with that Church of England &s;o &s;yncerely &amp; playnly as they &s;hould have done. For what is it, if one or two of the mo&s;t famous members of them have thus in a few words and as it were by the way &s;et down &s;ome few of her corruptions? Have they not many thow&s;ands of them both learned and unlearned, &s;een and heard the e&s;tate of the officers of that Ch: to be Antichri&s;tian? &amp; that the very of&s;pring of every one of them is from the Archbi&s;hops, which very name may not be attributed unto any eyther man or Angel without bla&s;phemy again&s;t Chri&s;t Ie|&s;us who is the alone head and cheif of all Bi&s;hops and Pa&s;tours? Have they not al&s;o &s;een that the manner of wor&s;hipping God in their Cathedral Churches, as they call them, with &s;inging men, and &s;ing|ing boyes cloathed with white &s;urplices, with Orgens and all man|ner of mu&s;ique? Have they not &s;een and heard that all manner of wicked livers both Papi&s;ts and others are compelled to partake with the re&s;t, and of a confu&s;ed multitude, to make the Church and bo|dy of Chri&s;t, and &s;o force and compel men to take their condemna|tion and judgment? Have they not al&s;o heard and known that the Archbi&s;hops and Bi&s;hops and others of the officers of that Church have &s;o many yeeres continually oppo&s;ed and &s;hewed them&s;elves to be deadly enemies unto all godly reformation? Yea doubtles, they doo know and have known all the&s;e things and many more: But how have they dealt in this re&s;pect? Have they at any time Chri&s;tian|ly &amp; &s;oundly admoni&s;hed, reproved, convinced that Church of their corruptions by the lawe and word of God as they ought to have done? not at al; but they have rather eyther held their peace or flat|tered them in their &s;inns, or &s;o little &s;poken or written of them, as that they may well and ju&s;tly be a&s;hamed, of their unkindnes in this re&s;pect towards that Kingdome and people of whom they have re|ceived &s;o many benefits in tyme of their calamities &amp; bani&s;hments. Concerning the names of the officers of that Church, they were (&s;ayth he) unknown unto the Church of Chri&s;t. &amp;c. And what is
<PB N="13" REF="7"> this? Shal then any &s;oule in whome there is but a very &s;mall &s;parkle of the feare of God, be &s;o bold as to dare &s;ubmitt under the govern|ment and guidance of &s;uch vnlawfull Mini&s;ters and Mini&s;tery? Are they not all thieves &amp; robbers which enter not in by the doore, but climbe up another way? And will any man of wi&s;dome com|mit unto the protection and keeping of thieves the lea&s;t part of his worldly goods? No, none wilbe &s;o unwi&s;e, for every one knoweth that they wil but make a pray of them and &s;poile and robbe them. And &s;hall any then be &s;o carefull for things of &s;o &s;mall importance, and &s;hall he not care unto whom he dooth commit the guidance of that which is the principall, namely of his &s;oule? Let them alone therfore, for as our &s;aviour Chri&s;t &s;ayth, they are blind leaders of the blind: and both of them &s;hall &s;urely fall into the pit.</P>
<P>Finally, the Angel of the Church of England is both a per&s;ecu|ter of the brethren and a deceiver of the Prince. Marvelous; and is he &s;till for all this, the Angel of the Church in Mr. Brightmans judgement? In mine doubtle&s;&s;e he is altogither otherwi&s;e; even that Angel of the bottomle&s;&s;e pit, who is a King over tho&s;e Locu&s;ts &s;po|ken of in the ninth of the Revelation; like unto that wicked Haman &s;poken of in the book of E&s;ther who both per&s;ecuted the brethren of the Church of God, and al&s;o deceived the King: but let the&s;e take heed, for God who hath the hearts of Kings &amp; Princes in his hands for to turn them as the Rivers of waters, &s;hall no doubt di&s;cover the malice of this Angel unto the Princes of that land, and then &s;hall they be rewarded as Haman was&punc; Be&s;ides let every godly Reader ob&s;erve, that to be a per&s;ecuter of Gods people and &s;aints, is and hath been alwayes a &s;ure mark of Antichri&s;t and of his kingdome.</P>
<P>To conclude therfore this writing, I wil come unto that which wee have &s;et for the fourth pray&s;e of the Church of England, and the conclu&s;ions that he dooth inferr therupon, which are the&s;e. <HI>The&s;e things therfore proove that a double and great good thing dooth abide in the Engli&s;h Church, that is to &s;ay, the preaching of the word, and the lawfull admi|nistration of the &s;acraments:</HI> &amp;c. his 2. conclu&s;ion followeth therupon thus: <HI>Therfore wicked and bla&s;phemous is their errour, who doo &s;o fall away from this Church as if Christ were bani&s;hed wholly from hence.</HI> &amp;c. And &s;o by this what&s;oever &s;inns, errours, wickedne&s;&s;es abhominations, he hath &s;hewed before to be, both in the Angel and in the Church it &s;elf, all is now cured by this &s;alve: &ocirc; mo&s;t mi&s;erable dawbing with
<PB N="14" REF="8"> untempered morter! Can any preach in the office of an Angel purely and &s;yncerely who is a theife and a robber? Shal any man admini&s;ter purely, who is not lawfully called therunto as Aaron was? Can any unlawfull mini&s;ter admini&s;ter lawfully the &s;eales of Gods Covenant unto doggs and &s;wyne purely and &s;incerely? O cea&s;e to doe evill &amp; learne to doe good! God who is jealous of his honour and glory &s;hall not long &s;uffer this wickednes unpuni&s;hed. Are the bodies of Idolatrous Papi&s;ts, or abhominable whores and whoremongers and of all manner of wicked ones, the temples of the holy Gho&s;t? No; who &s;oever coupleth him&s;elf with a harlot is made one body with her, as he witne&s;&s;eth to the Corinthians: Therfore Chri&s;t is far from that Church in re&s;pect of any ble&s;&s;ing or approving of their wor&s;hip, how&s;oever Mr Brightman per&s;waded otherwi&s;e: And ther|fore the two &s;ynns whereof he accu&s;ed before that Angel of the Ch: of England, are here found upon him: namely that in thus writing he hath been both a per&s;ecutor of the brethren and a deceiver of the Prince: for what greater per&s;ecution could he put upon tho&s;e poore &s;oules which have &s;eparated them&s;elves from tho&s;e evills by him&s;elfe &s;et down, then to accu&s;e or charge them of bla&s;phemy; yea it is &s;uch a per&s;ecution as that it is unto death; for by the lawe of God, a bla&s;|phemer mu&s;t dye. And how hath he al&s;o deceived the Princes he &amp; others of his minde by cau&s;ing them to bani&s;h and keepe in bani&s;h|ment their mo&s;t loyall and faithfull &s;ubjects? And in deed although I am but a &s;tranger unto them and one of an other people, yet the truth cau&s;ed me to &s;peak thus in their behalf, that I know not any people at this day under the Sunne more loyall and faithfull unto their Prince and country; and more zelous and religious towards God, then they are: and the&s;e things are &s;een in them and among them both privately and publikly: yea in &s;uch mea&s;ure as that, I am fully per&s;waded that they are, and &s;halbe if they continue faithfull unto the end, that people by which cheifly Antichri&s;t the man of &s;in &s;halbe rooted out: for by that purity of doctrine which they doe teach, &amp; by the &s;yncere and publick admini&s;tration of the glorious Kingdome of Chri&s;t publikly and before all the people; as al&s;o by profe&s;&s;ing that glorious liberty in the Go&s;pel, that if any &s;inne be &s;hewed or manife&s;ted unto them by the word of God is amended what&s;oever oppo&s;ition may be to the contrary; by tho&s;e things, I &s;ay, by them profe&s;&s;ed, practi&s;ed, and taught, it is impo&s;&s;ible that
<PB N="15" REF="8"> where they have place, Antichri&s;t can or have any doore to come in. And for my part I doe ble&s;&s;e the day in which I had that grace from my God to knowe both the people &amp; their faithfull walking in their wayes and religion of God; and <HI>J be&s;ech the Lord of his grace even with tears that he vouch&s;afe to open the eyes of their mo&s;t noble and wi&s;e Prince that he may &s;ee the iustice and equity of their cau&s;e, and cau&s;e them to &s;ee his Royall face and pre&s;ence agayn with ioy and gladnes of heart under his dominions and iuri&s;dictions, Amen.</HI></P>
<P>And &s;o I do here end, though many more things might be &s;aid touching &s;eparation from evil, and adjoyning or following that which is good: and in deed in a word, wee &s;hall not read even from the beginning of the world to this day, that there was ever any true Church of God truely e&s;tabli&s;hed but by &s;eparation: &amp; therfore this peo|ple not to be bla&s;phemers, but true wor&s;hipers of GOD.</P>
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