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; [Page 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, [Page 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 woods [Page 4] 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, pro­vided [Page 5] 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 is [Page 6] 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.