I Shall according to my custome give you no­tice of the chiefe Occurrents which this week hath brought forth; considering that now in time of Treaty, you who are a lover of Peace and Truth, will be a little impatient to heare what is done at Vxbridge toward the joyning of those two together. To this pur­pose I was afraid I should have had but little to advertise, for the nine first dayes produced little; but when the businesse of the Church returned againe, although there was great contention to keep up all for the Prelaticall party in its former height, and to that purpose little done in the two first dayes, besides Disputation betwixt their Divines and ours, they holding stifly that Episcopacie was instituted by Christ and his Apostles, and that the destroying it would induce Sacriledge, and be against the Kings Oath, directly taken to preserve the Bishops; yet at the third and last day the great Lords and other Commissioners on their side be­gan to speak some reason; and though forsooth to please the Divines they would not yeeld to our Bill in the form that it was offered to them; yet to tell truth between you and me, they have done more then ever we thought they would have done, and that (as cunning as they are) which will serve our turnes as well as if they had past the whole Bill, and set up Presbyterie as high as we desire it should [Page 2]be set; for you know tis not a Scotland, or a Iure divino Presbyterie that we are for, that would give us but little ease from our former pressures, but onely change the leat of that power, and give us many instead of one Bishop in every Diocesse. But that which we desire, is such an one as will be most agreeable to the Word of God, according to our Covenant, and to the Civill State, which being of a King ruling in Parliament and doing nothing but upon the advice and consent of his great Counsel, is directly proportionable to what is here offered in the Church by the Bishop and his Presbyters, who also must be chosen by the Clergie, as our Knights and Burgesses are by the Free-holders. If this be resolved on, we shall have our good Lord Bishops a little humbler then they were, and if you mark, they must be set to Preaching too, and if they doe that according to this order once a week, we shall not heare so often from their Courts, but oftner from their Pulpits, where we shall be as glad to meet them, as before we were forty in that other more chargeable place.

I have here inclosed the severall Propositions which were then offered, and by the Postscript you will perceive that they are not now so strait laced, but that they will heare of some more too if these will not serve. But if all these be once really granted, and that grant formed into a law, or lawes, and moulded handsomly in a Parliamentary way, I think we shall not need trouble them with more Propositions, whatsoever were farther taken from them and added to the Presbytery would make that government lesse conve­nient for our turne, and within a while bring us newes of as many greivances from that, as you and I have ever talkt of in the other. And truly under the rose I see not what more to aske; For you know and remember what those grievances were, which moved us to think so earnestly of a change, and because we could not be heard in our just desires, at length to proceed to that Ordinance and our Co­venant against root and branch; and for a Presbytery in its stead. One was the Antichristian Tyranny of the Bishops upon our con­sciences in point of ceremonies, which were prest so hard where there were any law to avow it, and brought in so insidiously where there was none, and all our godly Ministers silenced that would not obey the first, and discountenanced and kept out of preferments that would not advance the second sort, all of us blasted for Puri­tans and Round-heads, and, when they durst, cited to courts, and [Page 3]high commission, because we would not, (i. e.) could not in con­science conforme to those traditions of man. Well, now you see their stomacks are come downe, they will heare reason in this point in their first Proposition, and so farewell Ceremonies and Bishops courts, and visitations, that never lookt after any thing else but the observation of these.

Another thing that we were wont to dislike in them, was their Lording it over the Clergy, no body worthy to doe any thing about the government of the Church, but my good Lord Bishop, and his Chancellour, and Officiall; and they could doe what they pleased, and no body permitted to interpose for us, but excommunications come out against us sometimes, before ever we heard that we were in the court; But now in the second Proposition the Presbyters must have as much to doe in all Acts of jurisdiction as he, and hee can never doe any thing without the consent of all, or at least a ma­jor part of them, and if they will be so base as to complot and con­curre with him against us, especially when they are chosen by the Clergy, and have no dependance on him, I confesse I cannot much hope for any great comfort or joy we should have reaped, if the whole government had by way of perfect parity been put into Presbyters hands.

Another quarrell we had to them, (and that sure so just an one, that the Papists themselves insisted upon it vehemently in the Councell of Trent) was their non-residence from their Diocesse, but living at their ease or pleasure wheresoever they would, and ne­ver preachinh (some of them) once in a twelve moneth. But now in the third Proposition they must bee sent home from tithing to tithing, if they are vagrant, and kept close to their duty, and taught to preach again, which their greatnesse had made th [...]m forget, and you shall see how handsomely some of them will doe it once a week, who never pend a Sermon yet but what they had sweat a moneth for.

Again you know nothing was more frequently and justly de­claimed at, then the stealing in of unworthy men into the Clergy, at the window or the back doore, who could not venture on the course required to a faire admit [...]ance: and hence is it that so many Popish idle fellowes that were for nothing but ceremonies, and reading of prayers, and so many debaucht ignorant fellowes crept [Page 6]into Benifices, or Curateships. Now the fourth Proposition if it may be observed, will make sufficient provision against all this, and provide for us a sufficient orthodox, learned, painfull, orderly Cler­gy, and if such lawes when they are made, be neglected, I know not what to say, but that if that our whole bill had past, we should have still been in that danger.

Another intolerable abuse was, for the Bishops and cathedrall Churches who held Impropriations, & ought to have taken good care for the serving of the Churches, & to have given good example to the Laity, did yet most scandalously leave a Vicar to discharge the whole burthen, and adde nothing to his Vicaridge, which was worth sometimes but 20 Nobles a yeare, sometimes but little more, and accordingly was fitted with some poore soule that would sit down upon such a pension. But now the fifth Proposition makes pro­vision for that, and I hope the Parliament will not leave them to proportion it, but appoint them to make every such Vicarage worth 50. l. or 100 mark per annum at the least, and let the parish have such an one as they like, to enjoy it, and preach constantly among them.

In the next place you know how justly we complained of the two steeples, the spirituall Bygamy or Polygamy, and what a horrible corruption that was in it selfe, and what consequents attended it, that the Kings and Lords Chaplains must have all, (every man his tot quot & omnes) and an honest man not able to get one, but con­tent himselfe with a Cure or a Lecture, and take all the paines for a pittance, when the fat Pluralist had 2 or 3 hundred a year for doing nothing. But now, their sixth Proposition hath fetcht them off from their Jewish Polygamy, & will make every one live with his own wife according to the Apostles rule of a benevolence, and then the wife will be brought to love and reverence her husband.

Againe you know how oft we have talkt of the riches of the Bi­shops and cathedrall Churches which came in to them for doing of nothing, while the countrey Clergy could scarce pay their first Fruits, Tenths, and Subsidies, and live in any tolerable manner upon the remainder, and that in all charges, the poor Vicar (being so high in the Kings books) had nothing to think of but how he might pro­vide for bread, and payments. But now the seventh Proposition layes that on the right shoulders, and (besides that I hope this may [Page 7]be a president for the future) this summe of 100000. l. being to be raised on so few, and those for the most part old men, will be a pretty fleecing of them after the sequestrations are taken off, and by that time that burthen is off from their shoulders, it is to be hoped that honest and grave men of our friends may be gotten into their places, who sure may deserve to enjoy what these are fit only to receive, and pay in, to the good of the State.

You know our last but forest grievance was Ecclesiastical courts, which no body could keep from having to doe with some­times, if not about ceremonies, yet about probats of Wills and Tithes, &c. and when once we came into their clutches, then Master Officiall, and Master Register, and Master Proctor, and Master Goodman Apparitor must have each their penni­worths out of us; But now the eight Proposition hath relea­sed us from all those fetters, and pressures; and the wisdome of Parliament, I hope, (to whom it is referred) will put it in­to some directer and easier course by intrusting the common law with it, or finding out some other way which shall bee most agreeable, and medicinall to our disease.

And truly let me make you my confessor, I know not what can make the Parliament unsatisfied in this point of the Church, the first and maine part of our Treaty; (if the Militia and Ire­land may be agreed on) unlesse it be that, concerning the lands, which you know are to be given to the Scots, as appeares by the reference in our bill to that in Edenburgh. But this our Assembly I beleeve will take as ill, as the Prelates, for all of them that I ever met with, are against alienating of the lands to any but sacred uses; and the truth is, the giving them to the Scots (if they were alienated) would give them too great a hold in our! Kingdome, every Bishoprick will plant them in a faire mannor and demeanes in each Diocesse through Eng­land and Wales, and then having a third part in the Commissi­on for the Militia, though they may if they please bee by that the better fitted to bee the conservatours of the peace of the Kingdome, yet if they should have any respect to their own interests, any ambitious or insidious designes, this with the [Page 8]strength they have already both in England and Ireland, may bee a good faire step toward the command of all the three Kingdomes.

The truth is, I heare some conceive themselves obliged by the Covenant which wee have taken, not to lay downe Armes without root and branch, the absolute abolition of the whole order. But sure these men doe either not marke, or not under­stand the Covenant aright. For to that part of it which con­cernes our Brethren of Scotland, and the securing of them in the continuance of their government against the Machinations of the Prelates here (which sure was the sole reason that at their late comming in, they desired we should joyne with them in that Covenant) I have no reason to doubt but that work is done.

And for that which concernes this Kingdome, the taking away the present forme of Prelacie by Archbishops, Bishops, Deanes and Chapters, &c. 1. I conceive that all that we have sworne, is but to endeavour that, and in that we can perfect­ly satisfie our selves; that if the spending our Estates, ventu­ring our lives, doing whatever the Parliament hath required of us, may be called Endeavouring, we have then discharged our Oath.

2. I make no doubt but if a new forme of Government be drawne up according to the Propositions now offered, it will be quite another forme from that of Archbishops, &c.

And 3. I must adde, that we meant not to take away what was good or lawfull, but onely that which was unlawfull and grievous; and many of the Assembly in expounding the Cove­nant to their people, told them that it was not against a mode­rate or limited Presidencie or Episcopacie, (wherein Presby­ters should have joynt sociall power) but onely against the sole tyrannicall Antichristian power of Bishops, &c.

4. To shrift my selfe to you; seeing we have generally con­fest that it is not lawfull to fight for Religion, especially for so slight a part of it, as the Government of the Church, we should not be able to stand to our principles, if wee should break the Treaty for peace upon these tearmes, and fall to fighting again, which you know we professe to doe, onely on that other ground [Page 10]of defending the Priviledges of Parliament, and that just legall power of theirs of bringing Delinquents to condigne pu­nishment; and if they be opposed in it, of raising the Posse regni for that purpose.

I have kept you too long in this discourse, the conclusion whereof shall be willing to give you some reward for your pa­tience of all this trouble, by telling you what I heare; that though these Propositions be not yet accepted, yet if the two other bu­sinesses can be composed in the other six dayes, there will be two dayes of the twenty left; and in them, if no more will be yeel­ded to, these that are offered shall be accepted, which may pro­duce a happy Peace. For which that it may be to Gods glory, and the satisfaction of all our consciences, that we have sincerely done our duties, is the prayer of