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<DATE>7-11-14</DATE>
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<NAME>John Latta</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="report">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>THE REPORT Of the Bi&s;hop of <HI>Canterburies</HI> Dreame, for an adverti&s;ement to all proud Lordly, per&s;ecuting, unpreaching, oppre&s;&s;ing, tyrannizing Prelates, who &s;uppre&s;&s;e the Preaching and progre&s;&s;e of the Go&s;pell.</HEAD>
<P>IT is reported of his Arch-grace of <HI>Canterbury,</HI> that when he was a poore Scholler in <HI>Oxford,</HI> hee dreamed, that he &s;hould be a Bi&s;hop, then Arch-Bi&s;hop of <HI>Canterbury,</HI> and a great per&s;ecuter of Gods Mini&s;ters and people, (which we &s;ee all verified) and that at la&s;t he &s;unke downe into Hell, whereupon he awaked, and then and &s;ince, oft related this dreame; enough to have terrified and awaked his <HI>Lord&s;hip,</HI> if true. Oh that a man had but a view of <HI>Hell (&s;aith Father Latimer in his Ser|mons)</HI> he &s;hould &s;ee on one &s;ide of it, a row of unpreaching <HI>Prelates</HI> in their &s;quare Caps, I warrant you as farre, as betweene this and <HI>Dover.</HI> And no marvell &s;ince they have &s;o hated, di&s;pi&s;ed, and bla&s;phemed both the word of God, the true Preachers and lovers thereof, driving away, and &s;ilencing Gods faithfull Mini&s;ters, and &s;etting up in their roomes and places, <HI>Doct. Ignorance, Domine Drunkard, Sir William Wild-oates</HI> that hunteth after Whores, and &s;uch al&s;o as can play di&s;&s;embling Hypocrites, whereby the De|vils empire of darkne&s;&s;e exceedingly flouri&s;heth: le&s;t faithfull Preaching &s;hould roote it out. But the <HI>Churches</HI> hope is, that God in his good time, will now in this happie <HI>Parliament-time,</HI> heare the prayers of the people of this <HI>Land</HI> everywhere put up: That the <HI>Seas</HI> of tho&s;e <HI>Lordly Prelates, Pope-&s;ucce&s;&s;ors, Tyrants, Per|&s;ecuters</HI> of Chri&s;t, &amp;c. &s;hall bee, <HI>Nidos corum ubique de|&s;truendos;</HI> or el&s;e put to &s;ome better u&s;es.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="document">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>ENGLANDS GLORY IN HER ROYALL King and Honourable A&s;&s;embly in the high Court of Parliament, above her former Lordly Bi&s;hops Courts.</HEAD>
<P><HI>This will cau&s;e Princes to be ble&s;&s;ed, if they make their power (in which they are as &s;ervants unto Gods Maje&s;ty) to inlarge his wor&s;hip, &s;ervice and Religion, if they doe all things not for vaine glory, but for charity, and with all, and before all, give God the due &s;acrifice of prayer, &s;aith Saint</HI> Au&s;tin <HI>in his</HI> 5. <HI>book and</HI> 24. <HI>chap. de Civitate Dei.</HI></P>
<P>The high and Honourable A&s;&s;embly of Parliament are a a more holy A&s;&s;embly then our Lordly Bi&s;hops and Prelates were in their Courts.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>The Argument.</HEAD>
<P>WHere the Name of God is magnified mo&s;t, <MILESTONE UNIT="Argument."> there is mo&s;t holine&s;&s;e; but the name of God is mag|nified more in that high and honourable A&s;|&s;embly of Parliament (by the Providence of God, and the care of our gracious King) now a&s;&s;embled then it was before by our Lordly Bi&s;hops and Prelates in their Sy|nods, Courts, and Convocation; therefore it mu&s;t needs ap|peare,
<PB REF="3">that the high and honourable A&s;&s;embly of Parliament are a more holy A&s;&s;embly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Conclu&s;ion.</NOTE> then our Bi&s;hops and Prelate were in their Synods.</P>
<P N="1">1. To prove, that where the Name God of is mo&s;t magnified, there is mo&s;t holine&s;&s;e: God him&s;elfe expre&s;&s;eth to <HI>Salomon</HI> when he appeared to him, &s;aying, I have heard thy prayer and thy &s;uppllication, that thou ha&s;t made before me, I have hal|lowed this hou&s;e (which thou ha&s;t built) to put my name there for ever, and mine eyes and my heart &s;hall be there perpetually 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 9. And Chri&s;t &s;aith in his prayer to his Father, I have (&s;aith he) manife&s;ted thy name unto the men which thou gave&s;t me out of the world, <HI>John</HI> 17.6.</P>
<P N="2">2. To prove that the name of God is manife&s;ted more in that high and honourable a&s;&s;embly of Parliament, then it was before by the Lordly Bi&s;hops and Prelates. Which &s;hall bee done by &s;even queries nece&s;&s;ary to be taken notice of for the magnifying of the name of God in any a&s;&s;embly, Court, or Councell.</P>
<P N="1">I. To &s;ee whether they be lawfully called to it, yea or no.</P>
<P>The Lordly Bi&s;hops, they have not their calling from God, therefore Chri&s;t reproves them &s;aying, bee not called <HI>Rabbi,</HI> for one is your Doctor (to wit, Chri&s;t) and all yee are bre|thren, <HI>Matth.</HI> 23.8. they ought not to be Lords over Gods heritage, but examples of meekne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>They have their calling from the Pope,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Of S. Paul</NOTE> as the Cardinalls of &s;ome Cathedralls have, by which name (as I have heard to this day) they receive their pay.</P>
<P>The Pope hee hath his calling from the Devill, <HI>Revel.</HI> 17. wherefore &s;ay our Lordly Bi&s;hops then, that they are Lords, and will not come to God, but take their calling from the Pope, who is a rebell again&s;t God, <HI>Jer.</HI> 2.29. <HI>&amp;</HI> 3. neither have they called A&s;&s;emblies to &s;it with them in their Courts, except onely &s;uch as will uphold them in their unju&s;t proceedings.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> Is a Bi&s;hop then not a lawfull calling?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> So farre as S. <HI>Jerome</HI> expre&s;&s;eth the office of a Bi&s;hop, it is lawfull and warrantable,<NOTE PLACE="marg">In Levit. di|&s;tinct. <HI>36.</HI></NOTE> if they follow <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aaron,</HI> that is not to depart from the Tabernacle of the Lord, in pray|ing, preaching, and reading the Scriptures, and not in Lordly predominacie.</P>
<P N="2"><PB REF="3"> II. Whether the Word of God be their guide, yea, or no.</P>
<P>The Prelates have not taken the Word of God for their guide, but the traditions of men and the divices of their own braine, and the corrupt cu&s;tomes of their owne Courts,<NOTE PLACE="marg">In the <HI>8.</HI> di|&s;tinct Canon qui contemp|ta.</NOTE> which Chri&s;t reproveth, <HI>Mark.</HI> 7.8. And Saint <HI>Au&s;tin</HI> &s;aith, he that de&s;pi&s;eth the truth, and pre&s;umeth to follow cu&s;tome, either hee is envious to his brethren, and froward and injurious to tho&s;e to whom the truth is revealed, or el&s;e he is unkind to|wards God, by who&s;e in&s;piration the Congregation and Church is in&s;tructed.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> The Bi&s;hops doe not deny the Word of God, onely they would have tho&s;e Ceremonies and cu&s;tomes of decencie (which have been a long time u&s;ed in the Church) &s;till to con|tinue.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">To W. Aver|&s;ane B.</NOTE> To plead for cu&s;tome (as &s;aith Saint <HI>Gregory</HI>) let them take heed, for the Lord &s;aith, I am the way, the truth and the life, he &s;aith not, I am the cu&s;tome, but I am the truth. In proce&s;&s;e of time an ungodly cu&s;tome groweth &s;trong, and is kept for a law, and graven Images are wor&s;hipped by com|mand, <HI>Wi&s;d.</HI> 14.15.</P>
<P N="3">III. Whether they lay a&s;ide all &s;an&s;ter re&s;pect.</P>
<P>The Prelates have combined together for them&s;elves, and contrived for their owne &s;ini&s;ter ends and u&s;urpation, though to the great di&s;per&s;ion of divi&s;ions both in Church and State, moving of warre, and afflicting of the people of God, not re|&s;pecting any thing more then there owne glory and &s;ini&s;ter re&s;pects: Such the Lord complaines of (&s;aying) Yee, who turne judgement into Wormewood, and leave off righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, I know your mighty &s;ins, and how you afflict the ju&s;t, and take bribes, &amp; turn a&s;ide the poor, <HI>Amos</HI> 5. Yet by the&s;e means our Lordly Bi&s;hops and Prelates laboured to rai&s;e them&s;elves to honour, of whom Saint <HI>Gregory</HI> &s;aith (boldy,)<NOTE PLACE="marg">In his Anno|tations on Matth. <HI>23.</HI></NOTE> that who|&s;oever calleth him&s;elfe an univer&s;all Prie&s;t, or de&s;ireth to bee called a Lordly Prie&s;t (in the pride of his heart) he is the fore|runner of Antichri&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> The Bi&s;hops have not onely &s;ought after their own &s;ini&s;ter re&s;pects, but they have al&s;o laboured to bring the Church to a &s;etled order of di&s;cipline al&s;o.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> But they have not gone about to &s;ettle the Church
<PB REF="4">in true order and di&s;cipline, according to Gods holy Word, but in &s;uch a way as they thought be&s;t to conferre that ho|nour upon them (and tho&s;e by re&s;pects) at which they aimed. But who can abide,<NOTE PLACE="marg">In his <HI>4.</HI> Book and <HI>38.</HI> Epi&s;t.</NOTE> &s;ath <HI>Era&s;mus,</HI> that the Bi&s;hops &s;hould occupy an open tyranny again&s;t Chri&s;ts Doctrine, and make Lawes for their owne advantage, mea&s;uring all things accor|ding to their gaine and glorious Maje&s;ties; they that en&s;nare the people with rites and ordinances devi&s;ed for their owne profit, and thus fulfill their tyranny, doe not fit in the chaire of the Go&s;pel, but in the chaire of <HI>Simon Magus</HI> and <HI>Caiphas.</HI></P>
<P N="4">IV. Whether they labour for the flouri&s;hing of the Go&s;pel of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>The Prelates have laboured in the &s;uppre&s;&s;ing of the Go&s;|pel, and &s;ilencing of the faithfull Preachers thereof and have &s;cattered the flocke, and driven them away: But behold, &s;aith the Lord,<NOTE PLACE="marg">In his <HI>42.</HI> Serm. to the Brethren in the Wilder|ne&s;&s;e.</NOTE> I will vi&s;it unto you the evill of your doings, <HI>Ier.</HI> 23.2. And Saint <HI>Au&s;tin</HI> &s;aith, Take heed (&s;aith hee, oh yee Pa|&s;tors) le&s;t the Lord &s;ay unto you, I have made you &s;tewards over my hou&s;hold, and yee have given them no bread; thou that do&s;t &s;o, &s;aith hee, art not a gatherer together, but a &s;cat|terer; thou art not a watch-man, but a hang-man, take him Jaylor, &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> Tho&s;e whom the Bi&s;hops have &s;ilenced and puni|&s;hed, are &s;uch as have gone about to bring in &s;ome new Here|&s;ies, which the Church of <HI>England</HI> hath not allowed of.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> I &s;ay with <HI>Tertullian,</HI> let them take heed unto whom the thing &s;eemeth new,<NOTE PLACE="marg">In his Book of Virgins.</NOTE> that in it &s;elfe is old, it is not &s;o much the novelty of the matter as the truth, that proveth what is Here&s;ie; what&s;oever &s;avoureth again&s;t the truth, that is an He|re&s;ie, be the cu&s;tome thereof never &s;o old.</P>
<P N="5">V. Whether they &s;et up and exalt the Kings Highne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>The Prelates have gone about to exalt them&s;elves, and to make them&s;elves great and mighty, that &s;o like cruell tyrants they might raigne over the Land; nay, were they not ambi|tious of the Popes u&s;urpation, like him to &s;it above the King, but (if they were) ble&s;&s;ed be God) they are prevented. Let them now learne of <HI>Davids</HI> Prie&s;t and Levites, to carry them|&s;elves towards our <HI>David</HI> (whom God pre&s;erve unto us in
<PB REF="4">honour and length of dayes) not to decline from the Lawes of God and from the commandement of the King touching all things, 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 8. And Saint <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> &s;aith, wee went in, &s;aith hee,<NOTE PLACE="marg">In his Epi&s;t. to Innocen|tius.</NOTE> and humbly be&s;ought the mo&s;t Chri&s;tian Prince to call a coun&s;ell, but our Prelates would over-turne (if they could) both Coun&s;ell and Parliament, and de&s;ire no Court but of their owne choice: No, they had rather that our Roy|all King &s;hould hazard his Crowne, and the whole King|dome ruinating, then them&s;elves be ruled in the Courts of Ju&s;tice.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> But the Bi&s;hops &s;hould call an a&s;&s;embly concer|ning matters of Religion, becau&s;e they are the Governours of the Church.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;wer.</HI> Herein would appeare their Lordly u&s;urpation, &s;o to object to be trayterous, thus to ca&s;t off the Kings Go|vernment. This u&s;urpation in the raigne of King <HI>Henry</HI> the &s;econd, cau&s;ed him to call a Parliament,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tho. Becket.</NOTE> where he reformed many abu&s;es in the Clergie, although the Arch-bi&s;hop of <HI>Can|terbury,</HI> like a perjured Papi&s;ticall traytor, re&s;i&s;ted him.</P>
<P N="6">VI. Whether they labour for &s;ettlement of peace.</P>
<P>The Prelates have much erred herein, and that not onely in their owne Courts to de&s;turbe the Church, but have al&s;o much troubled the State, of which Saint <HI>Paul</HI> warneth <HI>Timothy</HI> to beware, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2. But let &s;uch Prelates, (for all their fury and rage) remember that &s;aying of <HI>Pompeius,</HI> it is adulterous, it is wicked (&s;aith hee) thus to be ruled by their ra&s;hne&s;&s;e, to the di&s;order of the Church of God.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> The Bi&s;hops doe not de&s;ire warre and troubles, their intent was to &s;ettle the Church to a conformity in peace, if they could have done it.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> There can be no true peace to goe about to bring in Idolatry and &s;uper&s;tition among&s;t the people of God. To this purpo&s;e &s;aith <HI>Con&s;tantine,</HI> I have judged, &s;aith hee, that this ought before all other things to be the end and endeavour and that to this I addre&s;&s;e my power and authority in go|vernment, that the unity of Faith, pure love, and agreement of religion towards Almighty God might be kept and main|tained among&s;t all the congregations of the Church.</P>
<P N="7">VII. Whether it be done in truth and &s;incerity.</P>
<PB REF="5">
<P> Not as our Prelates, to wor&s;hip God in dumbe &s;hewes, and &s;uper&s;titious Ceremonies, but to wor&s;hip him in &s;pirit and in truth, <HI>Iohn</HI> 4.24. <HI>Epephanius</HI> &s;aith, My deare children, &s;aith he,<NOTE PLACE="marg">In his <HI>3.</HI> book of Here&s;ies.</NOTE> be ye mindfull that yee bring no Images into the Churches, but evermore carry God in your hearts; nay, &s;uffer not &s;uch Images, no not in your hou&s;es, for it is not lawfull to leade a Chri&s;tian man by his eyes, but rather by the &s;tudy and exer|ci&s;e of his mind.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> There is many good actions which the Bi&s;hops have done freely for the good of others in reliefe of the poore, &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">In a Sermon of his prea|ched before yong men.</NOTE> Wee mu&s;t make u&s;e of that goodne&s;&s;e which wee can finde in them, as <HI>Ba&s;ilius Magnus</HI> teacheth us by the compa|ri&s;on of Bees; When they (&s;aith he) flye to the flowers, they doe not crop them, and carry them quite away, but &s;ucking &s;o much as &s;hall &s;uffice for their Honey making, take their leaves of the re&s;t: Even &s;o let us take from them &s;o much as is &s;ound and agreeable to truth, and commend it, and for&s;ake the re&s;t.</P>
<P N="1">I. But that happy a&s;&s;embly in the High Court of Parlia|ment, are &s;uch as are lawfully and warrantably a&s;&s;embled by the prayers of the whole Church, and having favour of all Gods people, prai&s;ing God for the &s;ame, according to the cu|&s;tome of the Church in the Apo&s;tles time, <HI>Act.</HI> 46. and 47.</P>
<P N="2">II. The honourable and worthy A&s;&s;embly of Parliament, oh how clearely doth it appeare unto us, that all their con|&s;ultations, and all their proceedings are grounded upon Gods Word. And as <HI>Hezekiah</HI> in the fir&s;t yeare of his raigne, and in the fir&s;t month opened the doores of the hou&s;e of the Lord, and repaired them, and cau&s;ed the filthine&s;&s;e to be carried out of the holy place, as it is in 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 29.3. and 5. even &s;o have that honourable A&s;&s;embly of the Parliament, ever &s;ince their fir&s;t meeting, opened the mouthes of the Mini&s;ters that were &s;topt, and tho&s;e who before feared a catch-pole to trap them for preaching <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &s;incerely, now &s;peake boldly in the cau&s;e of God; and ble&s;&s;ed be God they goe on &s;till, continuing the the repairing of the Hou&s;e of God, and purging of the Church from idolatry, popery, &s;uper&s;tition, and all filthine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P N="3">III. That holy A&s;&s;embly of Parliament, who among&s;t us is &s;o ignorant but may perceive that not any &s;ini&s;ter end, or by-re&s;pect do they aime at, but for the magnifying of the name
<PB REF="5">of God, the propagation of the Go&s;pel, the purity of Reli|gion, and the ju&s;t puni&s;hment of wickedne&s;&s;e and vice: Is there any &s;candalous per&s;on in the Realme that can accu&s;e them of unrighteous judgement, by bribes or &s;ini&s;ter re&s;pect: No, had I a thou&s;and lives I dur&s;t lay them to &s;take for them in this behalfe: Doe wee not &s;ee how ready they are to &s;pend their meanes, yea their lives even to their la&s;t breath, to for&s;ake their owne private profits and plea&s;ures, and all for the &s;et|ting up of the glory of God, the honour of the King, and the good of the Kingdome, being followers of God, as deare children, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 5.1.</P>
<P N="4">IV. They that feared the Lord &s;pake often one to another, and the Lord harkned, and heard it, <HI>Mal.</HI> 3.16. And ble&s;&s;ed be God now we have a gracious King, and an holy A&s;&s;embly of Parliament, true I&s;raelites indeed, in whom there is no guile, who to their utmo&s;t &s;trength and power labour for the flouri&s;hing of the Go&s;pel of our Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who labour that the Churches may bee &s;erved with preaching Mini&s;ters, and that the peoples &s;oules may not bee &s;tarved, as they have beene, but that the Mini&s;ters may doe it as of the ability which God giveth, that God in all things may be glorified, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 4.11.</P>
<P N="5">V. The honourable A&s;&s;embly of Parliament, are right Parliament proofe indeed, who give unto <HI>Cae&s;ar</HI> tho&s;e things which are <HI>Cae&s;ars,</HI> and unto God tho&s;e things which are Gods, as <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> commands, <HI>Matth.</HI> 22.21. Yea, and will give the Prelates that which they finde them worthy of, and &s;ee ju&s;tice excuted through the whole Land, that the King may rule in peace, and the people live in comfort.</P>
<P N="6">VI. Ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord who hath reduced us to peace, and put it into the Kings heart in calling of the happy a&s;&s;embly of Parliament; Oh Lord we cannot chu&s;e but much admire and prai&s;e thy Mercy, to &s;ee how thou ha&s;t e&s;tabli&s;hed our peace, &s;ince their fitting, to the joy both of King and State; oh how &s;weet a nap doth the Church now begin to &s;leepe in the armes of her Savior, &s;o that we may now &s;ay Chri&s;t hath brought us to the Banqueting hou&s;e, &amp; his baner over us is love, <HI>Cant.</HI> 2.4.</P>
<P N="7">VII. Oh what truth, what &s;incerity doth plainly appeareto dwell among&s;t that holy a&s;&s;embly of Parliament who with|out all doubt are filled with the Holy Gho&s;t, who have pro|fe&s;&s;ed a good profe&s;&s;ion before many witne&s;&s;e, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 6.12.
<PB REF="6">They &s;pare not the mighty for their wealth, nor oppre&s;&s;e the poore for their poverty, they lay the ju&s;t cen&s;ure upon the of|fenders, and &s;et free the innocent, guiltle&s;&s;e per&s;ons.</P>
<P>Let us but a little meditate upon Gods mercies towards this Kingdome &s;ince the Parliament began in tho&s;e great things that he hath done for us, and it will make us &s;tand amazed at our happy &s;udden change? how hath the Lord a&s;&s;waged the Plague, &s;topped warres, which we feared on every &s;ide, cau&s;ed divi&s;ions to cea&s;e among&s;t us: This holy A&s;&s;embly findes out the golden wedges, they ca&s;t out the accur&s;ed things, God is wor&s;hipped, our gracious King is e&s;tabli&s;hed in his Throne in peace, and all the whole Land is comforted, who wi&s;h the pro|&s;perity of King and Kingdome.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="6">
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