I THE first (as we told you before) is drawn ab utili & jucundo, from the profit and pleasure of thus standing, it is in liberty; the Galatians were, and we are free.

BUT it fares now with us as it did then with them. The Jews had a mind by put­ting upon them the yoke of Circumcision (which was once a Commandment of God) to glory in their flesh: and the Church or Court Chap. vi. 13. of Rome ('tis all one to me which) would by making us receive for Doctrins the command­ments never of God but of men, fain glory in [Page 10] our flesh, but with a design undoubtedly to use it very coarsly; as I question not in the follow­ing part of my Discourse to make it most evi­dent. Stand fast therefore in the liberty where­with we are made free.

LIBERTY and Freedom! Why is it pos­sible that either the Galatians or we, or indeed any man should come to that pass as to stand in need of persuasions to preserve that? that, upon which no man could yet ever set any price? Certainly both they and we must be bewitched first.—I shall not desire to be ex­cused either for the harshness or homeliness of the expression: for it was the very case of the Galatians here, against whom our Apostle ex­claims thus. —O foolish Galatians, who hath Chap. iii. 1. bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth?

THE Truth is, they were bewitched with the fear of eternal Damnation which had been positively denounced against them by some of the Jews who were Zealous of the Law, and might possibly Zealously affect them, Chap. iv. 17. but not well. Of such you read Act. xv. 1. Cer­tain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren saying, except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.

BUT besides this, another charm by which they were bewitched, was their weariness of past and fear of future persecutions, if they did not comply with the Jews.

THESE were the Bugbears of the Galati­ans, and they are ours.

EXCEPT ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved, said some of the Jews to them. And except ye become Roman Catholicks (which yet every youth that hath but learnt half his Logic will tell you is non­sense) ye cannot be saved! No; but, with much more fierceness; you shall be damned, say the Papists with one mouth to us.—And I would fain know why so. To obviate what the Zea­lous Jews had said to terrifie the Galatians, the Apostle asks them this question —this only Gal. iii. 2. would I learn of you: received you the spirit by the works of the Law, or by the hearing of faith? q. d. did I who am a Jew, when I preached to you the Gospel of Christ (upon which, the Lord working with me, you received the Holy Ghost, and saw that Doctrine confirmed by miracles) did I oblige you to any such cu­stom?

AND This only would I learn of the Pa­pists, did we first receive the Gospel from [Page 12] them? I know very well that some of them want not confidence to affirm any thing, but we are better assured that Christianity was planted in this Island long before any of the Popes agents set their feet here. And when they did come, what did they do for us, but corrupt our Religion by degrees, and draw us into their yoke by making us believe, that if we did not keep close communion with and observe them in all things, we should certainly be damned?

BUT the Galatians were weary of their past and afraid of their future persecutions, if they did not comply with the Jews.

THE more Fools they.

ARE ye so foolish (says our Apostle) have Ch. iii. 3, 4. ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. q. d. Have ye embraced the Gospel with resolutions to suffer in the profession of it? have ye done it hitherto, and will ye now by foolishly thinking to avoid persecutions lose the Crown laid up in store for you on that ac­count?

THE more fools they, and the more cow­ards we.

WE have suffered in the defence of our Re­ligion, of the cause of God and his Vicegerents [Page 13] against a schismatical and rebellious generation of men, but yet such as were set on and mana­ged undoubtedly by our old implacable adver­saries of Rome. How many men of all ranks and degrees with an invincible courage lost their Estates, their Liberties, their Lives in the quarrel! and are we faint-hearted now? Have a care. He that seeks thus to save his life is in a fair way to lose it.

BUT stay, is the Liberty wherewith we are made free worth the contending for, i. e. so as to oblige us to die (if called to it) rather than yield to the Roman Yoke?

IS it! I do not in the least doubt it. I am sure the first blessed instruments of our happy Reformation and their followers thought so: else they would never have lost their Lives in the cause.

BUT (Good God!) in what an age do we live! when a sort of men among our selves of loose and corrupt principles have not stuck to affront the memory of those blessed men and women with the name of Foxian Martyrs! Such fellows will look to themselves I'll war­rant them.

NOW to satisfie you in the point, I will in as few words as I can give you an account of [Page 14] this liberty wherewith we are made free: and then tell me what you think on't.

WE have the Oracles of God, those Foun­tains of living water (which contain all things necessary for our Salvation) put into our hands 2 Tim. 3. 17. and read to us, according to the Apostles times in a known tongue. We have the Word of God purely dispensed by Workmen that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. We have the Sacraments rightly and duely admi­nistred according to our blessed Lord and Savi­our Jesus Christ his own holy Institution. And all this (which characterizeth a true Church) in order to our future happiness. Then, which both tends to that and also to our present well-being, we are taught to obey our King, and all that are put in authority under him without resisting; to suffer death rather than lift up a fin­ger against him: never to expect to see the face of God with comfort unless we be of a peace­able disposition and live an holy life, so taking the holy Jesus for our pattern as yet (de­spairing most justly of all benefit from our own or others pretended righteousness) to rely upon his most meritorious Death and Passion for our Salvation. In a word, to honour all men, to love the Brother-hood, (nay our very enemies) [Page 15] to fear God and honour the King. These for brevity's sake I offer only as a specimen of that great and glorious liberty wherewith we are made free. And what think ye now? is not this liberty worth the contending for? worth every mans contending for? I will not so much as suspect that any person here thinks other­wise. But if any such there be, I shall only desire your patience a little while, till I come to paint out to them the yoke of bondage, which is to be given us in exchange for this liberty; and then I hope they will be satisfied. In the mean time let us stand fast in the liberty wherewith we are made free. Stand fast there­fore. For Christ his sake stand fast. Which is the Apostles second argument to enforce his exhor­tation—Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free.

CHRIST made the Galatians, us and the whole world free by his meritorious Death and Passion on his part, and by faith and re­pentance on ours. Christ made us free, by enjoining us no more than his own perfect law of liberty: leaving power indeed to the Guides of the Church to take care that all things should be done with decency and order; but not to alter or diminish, no nor to add a tittle that was not [Page 16] built upon that foundation. And all the Epi­stles of the holy Apostles are but so many Com­ments upon that Law. As for the straw there­fore and stubble which our adversaries of Rome have built upon this foundation in order to our making brick for the repair of their tottering Tower—away with it.

LET us follow Christ the author and finisher of our faith, and not the corrupter of it; Christ the Captain of our Salvation, the Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls, and not his pretended Lieutenant and Vicar who acts both beyond and contrary to his Commission. Remember I beseech you, your first Vow when you were baptized into Christ who purchased your liberty by shedding his own most precious Blood for you; and not into that man or Church who are most notori­ously known ready to take it from you at the expence of your bloud, if they cannot compass it by other means. Remember that at that time you promised faithfully to be the Soul­diers of Christ, and to fight manfully under his Banner: and do not run from your Colours by ungratefully and cowardly quitting your Post.

STAND fast therefore in the liberty where­with Christ hath made us free.

AND now one would think the Apostle had said enough to make his Galatians stand fast, by urging to them their liberty and the author of it; that there needed no more to be said in the case; and that therefore, if those would not prevail upon them, all other arguments would prove insignificant and useless.

NO such matter. He knew very well that if he did not shew them as well the danger and absurdity of quitting their station as the profit and pleasure of keeping it, they would be wavering still.

1. AND that is the first argument ab incom­modo, which our Apostle urgeth to enforce this Dissuasion or Dehortation—there is a yoke in the case.

BE not therefore intangled with the yoke of bondage.

I I will begin with the first part of their yoke (which we occasionally mentioned before) their denying to the people the Cup in the Holy Sacrament. A yoke which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear.

OUR blessed Saviour instituted eating and drinking the Symboles of his Body and Bloud apart; the Apostles and the Church after them constantly practised it for above a thousand years together: and now we must be sacrilegi­ously rob'd of it for reasons of their own inven­tion, (for Christs Vicar must be wiser than his Master) and because they will please to have it so.

THEY tell us that the Church hath an un­limited power to do such things, and to make such alterations. Believe it that list: I have something else to do.

BUT this is a very small matter with them.

HEAR what Bellarmine says of the un­bounded power of the Pope alone in all cases. If the Pope should so far err as to call vice De Rom. Pont. lib. 4. c. 5. vertue and vertue vice, and command them to be accordingly practised and forborn, the Church were bound to submit and conform her self, unless she would sin against Consci­ence.

WELL said Cardinal!

THE good man had forgot that God him­self had accursed those that call evil good and good evil. But (to let that pass) how comes so great a man to suppose what he had taken so great pains to prove impossible, i. e. that his Holiness can err? and how comes he to pull down what he had before (as much as in him lay) built up, i. e. the Popes infallibility? For if we be not assured of the real and unalterable difference betwixt vertue and vice, we have no certainty: and where there is no certainty, it is impossible there can be any infallibility. Which doctrine of infallibility (for I must hasten) is the very beam of the yoke to be laid upon us in lieu of the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free.

WE are by Gods providence yet free from the yoke (we celebrate the Supper of the Lord with eating and drinking according to his own most holy Institution) Be not therefore intang­led with this yoke of bondage.

II, TAKE for a second part of their yoke the doctrine of Transubstantiation: than which I am sure Jacob Behmen has not any thing in all his enthusiastick writings more monstrously mysterious and unintelligible. As if no man [Page 24] could possibly become a good Christian, unless he threw away his memory and understanding at the same time.

TRANSUBSTANTIATION! a name and thing so unknown to all antiquity and so utterly impossible in it self, that I must shake hands with my nature before I can bring my neck to the yoke.

INDEED if the Assertors of that doctrine can once mould me into such a temper as that (with the Comoedian) I could run in their hand, and in one and the same breath affirm with them that a Cloud looks like a Camel, like a Weazel and like a Whale—much may be done. Till then they must give me leave (and if they will not give it me, I shall make bold to take it) to belive my senses both inward and outward, which I humbly conceive and am verily per­suaded God and Nature did not bestow upon me with a design to deceive and cheat me.

IF they ask (as they usually do) why do we then believe the doctrine of the Trinity, which on this occasion they will have to be as much against human reason? I answer by denying what they take for granted, i. e. That the do­ctrine of the Trinity and that of Transubstan­tiation are alike against reason. That I and [Page 25] two more can be one, or that any created be­ing can be in more than one place at the same is indeed against reason; because we have di­stinct beings and are distinctly circumscribed by our own proper limits and places: but that God who is infinite in power and fills all places with his unbounded presence, may be whatever he pleaseth to reveal and declare himself to be, as touching his Divine Nature, is (if above, yet) not at all against my rea­son.

BUT (to end this Paragraph) to what pur­pose should I be obliged in this matter to call white black, and black white? Cui bono? Can­not the same God who at the Preaching of the Gospel of his Son by his Apostles conferred the Holy Ghost on those that never heard of him before; and cannot that Son of God, who In­stituted Holy Baptism to the mystical washing away of sin, confer Grace and Spiritual nourish­ment to my soul upon my humble and grateful commemoration of his meritorious Death and Passion, in eating and drinking the Consecrated Elements, without the Priests turning by I know not how many unconceivable Miracles, not only the Bread and Wine, but even the Bread alone into his real Body and Blood?

IT cannot be expected that I should, with­in the time allotted me, say all that can be said (if I could do it) upon these and the following subjects; and therefore I refer you for your further satisfaction and confirmation, to the labours of those many Pious and Learned men of our Church, who have in this and all other points controverted betwixt us, so baffled our Adversaries of Rome, that though they will have the last word (there is no help for that) they have nothing left them which with modesty they can say for themselves. As for us, we are yet by the Grace of God free from this ground­less, useless and senseless yoke of Transubstan­tiation: Be not therefore intangled with this yoke of bondage.

III WHAT shall I say of the Doctrin of the Popes Supremacy over the whole World? his pretended power to confer and take away Crowns and Kingdoms? and in the stead of God himself (for King David makes it his pe­culiar Prerogative, and so doth his Son too) to pull down one and set up another? They tell us a great many fine stories of St. Peters Keys, and St. Pauls Sword: but alass! they are but sto­ries, ambitious imaginations of their own brains. Now before I give mine own opinion [Page 27] in the case so far as we are concerned, I crave leave to tell you what one of their late Pam­phleteers hath affirmed in it, viz. That Oliver Cromwel had as much right to exclude the Royal Family and set up for himself, as King Henry the Eighth had to throw off his Obedi­ence to the Pope. Spoken like a good Sub­ject, and a well read man! Is there no diffe­rence between an home-born Prince and a fo­rein Usurper? And for Gods sake, what power or profit had ever the Popes of Rome in this Kingdom, but what was either granted them by the indulgence and bounty of devout and unwary Princes, or else what they extorted by watching their opportunities and fishing in troubled waters? the last of which was no Title at all, and the first being abused was justly forfeited.

THE first considerable footing that his Ho­liness got here was by Austin the Monk about the year 600. and then the Foundation was laid in blood, in the blood of twelve hundred Monks. A truer story I am sure than that of their 11000 Virgin-Martyrs. And, as the Na­turalists say, ex quibus componimur, ex iisdem nu­trimur, so I may say of them. If you prove good children, believe as the Church believes and [Page 28] do what she bids you right or wrong; pay your first-fruits, tenths, Peter-pence and other perquisites which the Apostolic Sea claims (all which however I think better in the King of England's Exchequer than in the Roman Aerary) then his Holiness smiles at your easiness, and his word is —Si populus vult decipi, decipiatur, &c. but if you do not, look to your selves; the note is changed into that of Nebuchadnezzar (his Predecessor in old Babylon)—If you wor­ship not, you shall be cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. But suppose we should (not grant but) give them what they contend for, i. e. that they did first Preach the Gospel to our Fore-fathers in this Island; what will they get by it? Put the Case I should have the happi­ness to convert a rich Jew, or an Indian to the Christian Faith; am I thereby presently in­vested with a power over his Estate, Liberty and Life?

A blessed Reformation, this! Christ sent his disciples forth as sheep among wolves; but the Church or Court of Rome (for I protest I can make no distinction between them) sends forth her disciples as wolves among sheep, to kill, to tear and to destroy.

I do not find that Christs disciples received any Commission to cut the throats of all such as would not submit to the Gospel: but I am sure that both they and their followers chose ra­ther to suffer death than to cause any distur­bance in the State, otherwise than by Preach­ing that Gospel according to their Commission. Our Saviour wrought a Miracle to testifie his obedience to the Civil power: and had not that blessed Son of God himself given his fol­lowers an example by patiently submitting to the Sentence of Death under unjust Judges, because they were in Authority, we had at this day (for ought I know) wanted a Saviour our selves.

THE Jesuites tell us indeed that the Primi­tive Church and the First Bishops of Rome did not execute this power because they were then in Incunabulis, in the Cradle and under Perse­cution. But I hope the Son of God did not want that power —If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight for me, saith he—and to Peter himself —Put up thy sword into his sheath, for cannot I pray now to my Fathe [...] and he shall give me more than twelve legions of An­gels? But I forget my self.

IV THE time would fail me to speak of their Divine Service in an unknown tongue;

V OF their invocations and adorations of Angels and Saints departed;

VI OF their worshipping of Images, and VII (in order thereunto) utterly abolishing the second Commandment;

VIII OF works of Supererogation, all expresly contrary to the written word of God, (which therefore they destroy or make void through IX their Traditions;)

X OF their Purgatory;

XI OF Indulgences;

XII OF Pilgrimages.

I will name no more, I am weary on't: they all being the unlawful Engins for the en­largement of their dominion, and support of their grandeur by filthy lucre.

THESE and many, very many more make up that yoke which is to be given us in exchange for that blessed liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and which by Gods super­abundant and no way deserved mercy we yet enjoy.

BE not therefore entangled with this yoke of bondage.

[Page 31] 2. ESPECIALLY considering the absur­dity of being so intangled; which is the Apostles second argument to fortifie this Dissuasion or Dehortation —be not intangled again.

SED quid valet istud Rursus? how comes the Apostle to dissuade the Galatians from being intangled again with the yoke of bondage, who never had the law of Moses delivered to them, and so had never before been circumcised? whatever others answer, I think there will be no great difficulty in the case, if instead of the yoke you read a yoke, which the original will bear as well as the other: and then the sense is this—you have by the preaching of Christ crucified among you been freed from one yoke, that of Idol-worship; no not run your necks into another of Circumcision.

BE not intangled again.

BUT then even here again the Galatians have the advantage of us: for they were submitting their necks to a yoke sometime imposed by God himself as absolutely necessary; but we by taking on us the Roman Yoke again submit our selves to a yoke of bondage made up of mere human inventions, contrary to Gods word, and destructive both of true Religion and civil Societies.

BE not therefore intangled again.

WOULD the Doctors go to School again? a School, where they shall be taught better manners than to rely only upon the all-suffi­cient merits of their Saviour: than to be sub­ject to any other power than that of our Lord God the Pope. And in order thereunto they must learn a new lesson, to live a single life (whe­ther they can do it honestly or no, it makes no matter) for fear lest having wives and children they should give the State security of their obedience to their undoubted and lawful So­vereign: Nay (which is more) to be the Popes executioners, and whenever heis angry and shall please to put their native Country under an interdict, to proclaim his Bull for Excommu­nicating their Prince and absolving themselves and fellow Subjects from their allegeance to him, and to surcease all religious Offices in the Church. Would the Doctors (I say) go to School again?

WOULD a Servant manumitted and ha­ving a good stock wherewith to set up for himself be bound apprentice again? Would a General of an Army turn private Souldier again?

WOULD a man become a child again?

A Patient lately recovered from an ill ha­bit of body or some desperate disease, re­lapse and fall sick again?

WOULD a Prince, who holds his Im­perial Crown only from God, lay it down at the feet of an insolent pretender to a power of kicking it off from his head, and giving it unto whomsoever he will?

AND if these things be absurd; it must needs be so in us, if we return to the Roman yoke again.

BE not therefore intangled again.

FOR Gods sake, whatever the genius of the Galatians was, let not us in so weighty a matter as this verifie our own Country-Pro­verb which says, that an English-man never knows when a thing is well.

STAND fast therefore in the liberty where­with Christ hath made us free, and be not intangled again with the yoke of bondage.

I have now finished my meditations upon the Text: in the delivery whereof I have dis­charged my bounden duty without any sinister ends; without either hope of good or fear of evil in this life; but (I confess) not without [Page 34] having an eye to the recompence of reward in that which is to come.

I hope no man will be displeased with me for what I have said. But if any such there be, I am not careful to answer them in this matter. I shall only make use of the Apostles honest Apology —Am I therefore become your enemy, be­cause I tell you the truth? Chap. iv. 16.

TO conclude; give me leave once more to pursue the Apostles method, who shuts up this Epistle with earnest persuasions that his Galatians would trouble him no more about these Chap. vi. 17. matters; but forsake the lusts of the flesh and live a vertuous and a pious life: the only way (if we could at last be persuaded to believe it) to beget unity among our selves, to avert Gods just and dreadful judgments and to make him favourable and gracious to our Sion.

I say therefore (in the words of the Prophet Daniel) as well to my self as to all that hear me Chap. iv. 17. this day —Let my Counsel now be acceptable to you; let us break off our sins by Righteousness and our iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor, if it may be a lengthning of our tranquillity.

And to that end

WE humbly beseech thee, O Father, mercifully to look upon our infirmities, and for the Glory of thy Name turn from us all those evils that we most Righteously have deserved: and grant that in all our troubles we may put our whole trust and con­fidence in thy mercy, and evermore serve thee in holiness and pureness of living to thy Honor and Glory through our only Mediator and Advocate Jesus Christ our Lord.

AS many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them and mercy, and upon the Israel of God; to whom be ascribed and given all Power and Praise now and evermore.