A LAMENTABLE COMPLAINT OF THE COMMONALTY, BY WAY OF SVPPLICATION TO THE HIGH covert OF PARLIAMENT, FOR A LEARNED ministry.  
In Anno. 1585.   

TO THE READER.  
BEcause our desire was, that this our complaint should be communicated to every one of the honourable of parliament, and finding no other ways to perform the same: we desired that it might be done by the way of printing. And we pray, that this our request may be made known to her majesty, who in all civil causes appertaining to this present life, is a myror of mercy, so we trust that her bowels of pitty and compassion will abound and exceed in this matter, that concerneth the salvation of the souls of her loving subiectes, and that as she is the head and chiefest, so wee trust that her hand will be most forward in this sacrifice and service of the lord, which he requireth for all the benefits that he hath most plentifully powred upon her majesty, and upon us by her majesties gracious government.   

THE CRY AND COMPLAINT of the Commonalty of this land, by way of Supplication, to the right honourable assembly of the high court of parliament, to provide by law a godly learned ministry.  
IN most humble maner that we may,( most gracious sovereign, and right honourable assembly) we fall down before your feet, even in the dust, presenting before you a most weighty petition. It is not much unlike that petition, that HESTER made to the King ASSVERVS: saying, 
easter. 7.4.  If I haue found favour in thy sight, and if it seem good unto the King, let my life bee given me at my petition, and my people at my request. For we are sold, I and my people to be destroyed, to bee slain, and to perish. And when the king demanded, who had done that deed, the queen answered that wicked HAMMON. In like wise, so many congregations of us, as be in this Land, destitute of a godly minister, to preach unto us the word of salvation( as there be exceeding many) do entreat for our life, and the life of our Neighbours. For we are sold to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish eternally, if by your gracious help, speedy remedy be not had. If question bee made, who hath done this deed? we answer, the blind guides, and unlearned Curates, that are set over vs. In deed, we confess, that our sins, and the sins of our forefathers are multiplied without measure, and grown exceeding great, and haue grievously provoked the Lords wrath, to strike us with such â grievous plague as there is none greater under the heauens. As wee read, that the lord threatened the Iewes by the prophet zachary, saying: For, lo I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not look for the thing that is lost, nor seek the tender lambs, nor heal that is hurt, nor feed that which standeth, but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces. O idol shepherd that leaveth the flockel The like description is made of will shepherds, in the 34. of EZECHIEL, with â Woe pronounced against them. By this, we trust it doth appear, what we request; even, that it would please God, to move you, to make a firm, and stable law, like unto the laws of the Medes and Persians, that cannot be altered; nay, rather to confirm God his lawe, already established in his word, that every Congregation of us may haue one, or two Godly learned preachers set over us, as every Congregation is greater, or lesser, and these dumb idols, the most pestilent enemies wee haue in the world, removed from us as far as the East is from the West; And that whosoever doth violate that holy law and decree, let his body be drawn in pieces, and his house made â jakes; because he seeketh the dishonour of the mighty God, the king of all the earth, as by NABVCHADNEZER it was decreed. So shal it appear, that you are not only careful for this present age, so to provide that we may bee taught the fear of God, but that our posterity may know it also, and the children which are yet vnborn, may stand up & declare it to their children, that they may set their hope in GOD, and not forget the works of the Lord, but keep his commandments. We confess that the greatest part of us are the farthest of from the desire, and not so much as once think hereof: the more we are to be pitied. Notwithstanding, sith some of us hath tasted the good word of God, and how gracious the Lord is to those which know & fear him, in tender love, and compassion, to our brethren, finding no other way, we uncover the tiles of your house of Parliament, & let thē down with cords before you, to stir up your bowels of compassion towards them; as the man which had the palsy, was brought before our saviour Christ. Concerning the minister appointed to the house of God by his word, we find it written( most noble queen, & right Hon. assembly) in that sacred book which you haue delivered unto us, as the true word of God, & so, with al thanksgiving, we receive it: that he must be blameless in life, free from a great number of vices( which S. paul to timothy & titus rehearseth) & garnished with the contrary virtues; & above all, he must be skilful, to teach the word of God, able to exhort by sound doctrine, & to convince the adversary. Yea, he must be that man of God, that is perfectly instructed in holy Scriptures, to every good work; not onely to teach sound doctrine, & confute errors; but also to reform manners & instruct in the way of righteousness, to cast down the proud, to raise up the humble, to comfort the distressed; to encourage him that walketh in the right way, to reprove him that runneth out of the way: and finally, to declare to all men, as Princes, Magistrates, and all other inferior persons, of what calling soever they be, their general and particular duties out of the word of God. And therefore he is worthily compared, in the gospel to the rich householder, which bringeth out of his treasury, things old and new. He is the ambassador of the most high king unto his people, to declare unto them the whole counsel of God. Afterward he is mightily to divide the Word of God to the people, as the onely food of their souls, a disposer of the secrets of God, a father to beget us with the immortal seed of the word, a mother to nourish us up in the same: a star or light, to cause the glorious gospel of Christ to shine upon us, to be an example to us, of an holy conversation: a guide and an eye, to direct us in the way of eternal life, Salt, to season us with the fear of God: a builder, to make a Temple of his people, which are living stones, for God to dwell in for ever: a warrior to cast down the proud imagination of man, as a strong hold and to bring every thought to the obedience of Christ: a prophet, to speak in such sort, as when the vnbeleeuers, and unlearned come in before them, they are rebuked and judged, and so the secrets of the heart are made manifest, by the true repentance and faith. For the which, they aclowledge the gift of God, with all submission, & say plainly, that God is in them: â skilful shepherd to feed God his flock with his word. Necessary therefore, yea, more necessary then food and clothing, is the most sacred office of preaching, an ordinary and most excellent means of our salvation: which either to neglect, or to seek for other means without it, to obtain faith in Christ, is to prejudicate the wisdom of God, and to look for some extraordinary working, which were to tempt the highest, and procure his indignation vpon vs. And to prove the necessity of preaching, the Apostle PETER affirmeth, that in the Epistles of S. paul, there are sundry things hard to bee understood, which they that are unlearned & unstable, pervert, as they do all scriptures, unto their own destruction. We therefore stand in great need of that man of God before described, to open the Scriptures, with the key of knowledge: not only to the enlightening of our understanding, and confirmation of our memory, but also to the reformation of our sinful life. The truth whereof, the example of the Eunuch, treasurer to CANDACES queen of Ethiopia, doth manifestly approve; who being brought up no doubt, in better maner then we the common people of the country, and deliting to red the holy scriptures, and especially the prophet ESAY, at what time PHILIP the evangelist demanded, whether he understood what he read, answered directly, How can I, without I had a guide. If therefore this noble man aided with better helps then the common sort, made it an hard thing to understand the Prophet without an interpreter, how can we the simplo silly people understand it. For remedy whereof, the Lord having a provident care over his Church, hath given Pastours and Doctors for the gathering together of the saints for the work of the ministery, and for the edification of the body of Christ, till we meet altogether( in the unity of faith, and knowledge of the son of God) unto â perfect man, & unto the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ. Much more we find in holy Scripture concerning the office of Ministers, tending to show the excellency of their function, and the wonderful skill and knowledge that is required at their hands. So that it doth plainly appear, that God had a special care to provide an evident and plain lawe, that no vnskilfull man should be set over his flock, because he is so plentiful in declaring their duty almost every where: so that whosoever desireth to be fit for such an office, desireth a worthy work, to whom by good right appertaineth double honor, and of whom it may worthily be said with admiration. How beautiful are the feet of them which bring glad tidings of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.  
having laid down our petition, and described in some maner a faithful pastor; we crave leave to show after what maner we desire that this pastor should exercise that his office among us simplo people, to our better edification. Neither do we desire this of ourselves, but, directed by the word of God; as it is written by S. paul to the Corinthians, saying: I could not speak unto you as spiritual men, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ Iesus. I gave you milk to drink, and not meate; for ye were not yet able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able; for ye are yet carnal. Much more may be said to us Englishmen, Ye are carnal, and therfore haue need to be fed with milk, and not with strong meate. This milk we take to be, not onely a familiar kind of Catechizing, in as short and plain terms as possible may be( which we greatly long after) whereby we are made fit to receive a more full declaration; as when we haue learned our letters, we come to spelling; but also a plain and familiar kind of handling of some portion of scripture, by delivering the doctrine as the text yeeldeth it naturally without any enforcement, which doctrine receiveth an edge by exhortation. Contrary to this practise of S. paul do they who either Catechize not at all, or else do it in such exquisite maner, that it is made rather strong meate, then milk. Some other take but one word for their text, and afterward run into the mountaines, that we cannot follow them; not knowing how they went up, or how they will come down: whereas, if they had taken a good portion of the text, and had naturally expounded, and pithily applied the same; by occasion of that large text, we should haue remembered a good part of the sermon long time after; & without all contradiction he that will do us any good, must abase himself as low as he can, to our capacity, as S. paul in the place before alleged, & also in the 6. to the romans doth testify, saying: I speak after the maner of men, because of the infirmity of your flesh. For we countrymen are well content, that they spare to speak unto us in the latin, greek, & Hebrew tongues, which we understand not; or to bring forth their Poets, Philosophers, or Schole-points taken from the liberal Artes, to approve their matter they haue in handling, wherewith we are not acquainted: For in these things many preach themselves, and not Christ Iesus, and study to leave an admiration & famed of their learning behind them, whereat they chiefly shoot, rather then a godly edification of the inner man, which is by faith in Christ Iesus. But when by those helps before name, they haue attained to a fuller understanding of the scriptures, let them( in God his name) in a plain and simplo declaration of the truth, with known words, setting apart the enticing speech of man his wisdom, & flourishing eloquence of those Corinthian preachers, deliver unto us the substance of religion, out of a pure heart, with reverence as in the sight of GOD. So shall they haue paul for an example to imitate, whom FESTVS supposed, that much learning had made him mad; yet writing to the learned Corinthians, he professed to know nothing amongst thē, save onely Iesus Christ, and him crucified.  
To this plainness of teaching, there ought to be joined a continuance in the holy exercise of the word, as S. paul saith to timothy: Take heed to thyself, and to doctrine, and continue therein. And in an other place: Preach the word, be instant in season, and out of season. And for that cause, one chief property of the minister is, to be vigilant over the flock, which though he carefully perform, yet in many yeeres, we come but to a small measure of knowledge, and reformation of life. And no marvell, sith the Apostles of Christ, hearing their master preach so often, and so familiarly, by the space of three yeeres and more, yet for all his pains and travail in that time, they knew not well the virtue of his death and resurrection. Yea, we hear say, that many painful preachers both in towns & cities, exercising the word three or four times a week, yet do they complain of the small profiting of the flock. Then were it requisite, that double diligence were used amongst us the rude people of the land, whose ignorance and dulness to learn, as also stubbornness to obey, are so great, that they are only known unto God, to ourselves, and those few that haue had familiar conference with vs. And in truth to speak plainly, we are children in understanding, and men in malice, and all rude behaviour. For why should we conceal from you the right honourable assembly of Parliament, the grievousness of our malady, unto whom we fly as unto our parents, who onely haue power, next under God, to provide a falue for our sore? Yea, it grieveth us that we haue so long time concealed the miserable estate wherein we stand, from them who if they had known it to be so great, as we do feel it, would ere now haue provided a remedy to redress it. But touching these men, whom we so greatly desire to haue, in our simplo iudgement, we think it not fit, that any man( were he never so wise & godly) should make choice alone of that man, that is to take a greater and more precious charge vpon him, then they that haue the most costly jewels and treasures of Princes, committed to their keeping. How requisite were it, that such â man as should haue the bringing up & government of the sons and daughters of the glorious king of heaven,( who loved them so dearly, that he spared not his onely begotten son, to redeem them with his most precious blood) should rather come into â public place of trial, as it were into an open theatre, that after public prayer and fasting, he might be seen & viewed of all men, that if the beholders had as many eyes as they fain that Argos had, they should use them all, to sift & try out that man, whehe were fit both in respect of his wisdom & understanding of the holy scriptures, as honesty of life & conversation, to take that noble charge vpon him. moreover, seeing we know that there be many subtle workers, transforming themselves into Angels of light, who seek craftily to creep in to devour the flock: is it not to be feared, that they will more easily slide in through the hands of one then of many? Yea surely, the counsel & aduise of mo then one for trial, is thought needful to be used in matters of less importance. As when any man taketh on him the profession of physic( whose care is onely to see to the good estate of the body) notwithstanding, 
11. of Henry the eight, cap. 3.  that he hath spent many yeeres both in the study of the liberal Arts, as in the secrets of physic; yet is he to pass the hands of 4. approved Doctors of physic to be tried, whither he hath profited so much in the study of physic, as is requisite for a man of that profession, least, if he should rashly take vpon him to intermeddle in that Science, without sufficient knowledge in the same, the bodily health of man should sustain either damage or danger. Shal then the spiritual physician that taketh vpon him to cure the maladies of the mind,( which are mo in number, more secret, and more difficult to be cured, and more dangerous if they bee cured) come less furnished in the knowledge of his profession then the other? And is it not requisite, for the trial of his knowledge, that the number of skilful examiners and their diligence, should be multiplied and increased so much the more as the soul doth excel the body? Therefore seeing we are so provident, that we can spy the evils that happen to the body by vnskilfull physicians, and by good means prevent them: why can we not see the palpable mischiefs that we suffer in our souls by unlearned Curates, and by many skilful & vigilant eyes exclude them? And this election many we find to bee agreeable to the scriptures; as we read in the election of MATHIAS, Acts. 1. of the Deacons Acts 6. Where the apostles and the church were assembled together about that business: and of the election of the elders in every church. acts 14. paul and BARNABAS, and John, MARK with the Church were assembled together with fasting and prayer. Likewise, Act 16. where it seemeth that paul choose timothy alone,( when they of Lystra and Iconium presented) yet in the first epistle of S. paul wrote unto timothy, mention is made, that he had imposition of hands by the Eldership, which consisteth of many. It appeareth also in the same epistle, that there were many in the election of the church-officers at Ephesus: because S. paul exhorteth timothy, not to bee partaker of the sins of others, that were fellow-choosers with him, by yielding, his consent to the election of any unworthy officer, but to keep himself pure, by denying his consent, and hindering the election, as much as he might, which no doubt is the true sense of that place. The same is proved, by the epistle to titus, where paul requireth him to ordain elders in every city, as he had appointed him: by the which saying: titus is restrained to that order or election, which S. paul had appointed him, and it is to be thought that S. paul would appoint no other order to be observed, thē he himself had used act. 14 and in the election of timothy, which was practised by the apostles, act. 6. At the least if it were but to keep vniformitye amongst them. And undoubtedly, if the ministers of the word had their calling by many good and godly men, endued with gifts sufficient for the trial of their doctrine and manners, then wee should accept them as the angels of God, even as Christ Iesus himself, then durst no such hedge-priestes, and caterpillars, as are spread over the land in great number, once think to haue any entrance into the church of God to kill souls any more: when they should understand that there were many vigilant watchmen appointed to keep the door against thē. Thē should not they that can thrive in no trade of life, such men as job calleth the children of fools, & the sons of villains, which are more vile then the earth, haue their uttermost refuge, and resting place in the ministry. But if any man that is without natural affection to us his poor brethren, should give some allowance to these unpreaching ministers, which wee haue: willing us to content ourselves with them, as our lawful pastours. In calling to our remembrance these dumb idols which oppress us, they renew our former grief, and make our hearts even bleed to think vpoon them. For who are appoynted to murder God his people, but they? Howe far are they unlike these ministers whom before we haue described? even as much as the darkness is to light. For if the word of God bee the rule of righteousness, as it is in deed, and these men of whom we complain, are not squared thereby; Howe can they avouch that they bee sent of God? If not of him, you know of whom. For if christ had sent them, as his ambassadors, then, no doubt he would haue put his ambassage in their mouths. Or if he would haue had them occupiers of the talent of preaching the word, would he not first haue given it them? For how can the judge of all the world call men to accounts for the abuse of that they never had? Nay rather; he saith to all the Pastours of his flock before he sand them, as he did to EZECHIEL. eat that thou findest, eat this book and go, and speak to the house of Israel. Neither do we find in God his book which you haue delivered unto us, any other ministers of the word, except those which are called blind guides, stars without light, vnsauory salt, good for nothing, no, not for the dunghill, clouds without water, idol shepherds whom the Lord hath cursed even from mount Ebal. 
Esa. 3.6, 7.  And certainly when the bishops went about to lay their hands vpon them, and vnwarily said unto them, ye haue clothing, let this ruin bee under your hands: they should haue said, yea, rather sworn on that day to the reverend fathers, saying, we can bee no helpers, there is neither bread in our houses, nor clothing, therefore make us no gouernours of the people. Or they might haue said every one of them, as we red in the Prophet zachary: 
●ach. 13.5.  I am no Prophet, I am an husbandman, for man taught me to be an herdman from my youth up. O that they had ben so wise, so to haue done: But, if they themselves will pled for the allowance of their ministery, and show forth themselves as though they were workmen that need not to be ashamed, Let thē prove it by their work as S. paul doth prove his Apostleship to the Corinthians, which was then called into question by the false Apostles most unworthily; as we do call their ministery into question most worthily. He brought not forth unto them his letters commendatory from some great man; as peradventure they will show the letters of their Orders: but he willed them to call to remembrance their conversion to Christ, and the graces given them by his ministry in the Gospel, and that was his epistle commendatory, and the seal of his Apostleship to be read of all men. What those graces were, it is plain in the 1. Cor. 1. In all things ye are made rich in him, in all utterance, and all knowledge; so that you are not destitute of any gift, waiting for the appearing of our Lord Iesus Christ. So wee pray you to try these men, their congregations, which in some places are more then two thousand souls, and see their work: move but these small questions to try their knowledge, and you shall haue the like answers for the most part. Honest man, are you â sinner? Yea, the best of us all are sinners. Haue you sinned in the 1. come. Thou shalt haue none other gods but me? I thank God my whole trust is in him. Haue you broken the 3. come. by taking Gods name in vain? I swear as little as any man, I thank God. Do you not commit adultery, or steal? No, God forbid, I perceue we shal find you no sinner at length. But what is the punishment due for sin? As it pleaseth God. Then God hath not already determined of that matter. So it may be. But how shall you be saved from your sins, tel me that? By my good works, & deeds I hope, & some better learned will say, God is merciful. Through whom is God merciful unto you? I cannot tel that, for I am not learned. Then I will tel you, God is merciful through Christ. But what was Christ? A man, I trow. And was he no more? Yes, he was more. What more? I  told you that I am not learned to answer such deep questions, I was never asked the like before. Are you not fully persuaded that you shall go to heaven? No, for you cannot be certain of that yourself, but I hope well, & mean as well as the best of you scripture men. Behold the nakedness of our souls, haue pity vpon us, & help us to cover our shane. But al this time while you reason with us of these matters, we think ourselves in a wilderness, or as a fish out of the water, & so glad as may be to be rid of your company. And some will not answer at all, but shake you of as busybodies, in great anger, willing you to see to your own souls, & let theirs alone. So that not above 2. or 3. of 100.( we suppose) of us country people throughout the land where these blind guides be, can make any better answer to the purpose, whereby you may probably conjecture that the seed of eternal life is sown in our hearts. And the conversion of these few is not wrought by any thing done by these silly ministers; but rather the providence of God hath drawn us into some other place by occasion of our calling, where we haue heard the word preached: or it may be, that God doth bless some mens bare reading or hearing the scripture read, or conference with godly men, by the working of his spirit, where al other means fail thē. But if question be further made of the practise of mortification of the old man, & the raising of the new man, of the benefits of afflictions, of patience, &c. whereof the Corinthians were not destitute by PAVLES ministry; we think we hear men speak parables, if mention be made of the coming of our lord Iesus, then we tremble. But many of us, can say the belief, the lord his prayer, and the ten commandments; and yet God knoweth, without understanding or feeling. nevertheless, we think ourselves to be in as good case, touching our souls health, as the best of you all. This is that great perfection whereunto our idol-ministers haue brought vs. Behold these labourers, that need not to be ashamed of their work? red these their Epistles to their high commendation. But by this, that we haue said, we think it to be plain enough, that these men entred not in at the door into the sheepe-folde, but climbed up another way, and therefore, by the verdict of our saviour Christ, they are theeues and robbers, whose coming tendeth only to steal, to kill, and to destroy. First, what good can come unto us by them, whom the lord hath not sent, and sanctified to the work of the ministry? what good can they do to the building of God his temple, that bring with them no tools to work with, but occupy the room of a fig three that bear no fruit. Secondly, they which do not gather with Christ, according to his own testimony, do scatter: but it is manifestly known, that these men are no gatherers, but to satan. Therfore it is evident, that they do us much harm, but no good at al. Thirdly, how can those be profitable unto us, and not rather an intolerable burden, whom the Lord in his great displeasure hath cursed and laden with many woes, as in ieremy 23. Woe be unto the pastours that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture, saith the Lord: and after promising to set shepherds over them, that should feed them. He sheweth evidently that they scatter and destroy, who feed not the people with the wholesome word of life. The like we red in the prophet EZECHIEL cap. 34. where it is written, after this manner. Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds. Wo be unto the shepherds of Israel, that feed themselves: should not the shepherds feed their flocks? Ye eat the fat & cloath ye with the wool, ye kill them that are fed; but ye feed not the sheep: the weak haue ye not strengthened, the sick haue ye not healed, neither haue ye bound up the broken, nor brought again that which was driven away, neither haue ye sought that which was lost, but with cruelty and rigour, haue ye ruled over them, and they were scattered without a shepherd, and when they were scattered, they were devoured of all the beasts of the field &c. How can the sheep bee in worse case then to bee in the hands of such shepherds as regard them not, but scatter them to be devoured of all the beasts of the field? In the which spiritual pouerishments the wrath of the Lord doth not stay itself, but his arm is stretched out stil to afflict the people of that kingdome where such evil shepherds be, with al maner of bodily plagues also, as war and captivity, whereof we red, in the Prophet ESAIAS, where the Lord provoketh foreign nations to invade the land of IVDEA, saying: All ye beasts of the field come to, & devour even all the beasts of the foreste &c. The reason followeth. Their watchmen are all blind, they haue no knowledge, they are all dumb Dogges, they cannot bark, they lie, and sleep, and delight in sleeping. Last of all hereby it appeareth that wee are worse by these Sheapheards, then if we had none, because their skill serving them onely to teach us to say by heart, the Lord his prayer, the belief, and ten commandements, and peradventure some part of the catechism: Which we know full little what they mean, and to read the scripture unto us, which we hear as a story that concerned the people of old time, with out any further application therof unto ourselves: yet notwithstanding by this, we think ourselves to be in as good case, and as far forward in the way of salvation as the best of them all, that haue continually heard the gospel preached for the space of these 26. yeares. This is the policy of satan, with the show of nothing, to make us beleeue, that we haue al things, & when we are empty, to make us think we are full. This is that chainshot, wherewith he slayeth thousands vpon thousands, & as it were, the iawbone of an ass; wherewith he doth make heaps vpon heaps, as we red of samson, whereas, if we had none at all, very shane would compel us, to go to the places, where preachers are, and by the grace of God, wee should hear them, even the secrets of our harts discovered and condemned, and the only means to be saved, to embrace our saviour Christ by faith. By whose help we should take such taste of the word of God, that we should afterward never be in rest and peace before we had procured a good pastor to be placed over vs. So should not satan deceive us any more to cause us to stay vpon these silly shepeheards, as vpon a broken staff of reede, vpon the which if a man lean, it will go into his hand & pierce it. But if further reply be made of those that tender our salvation but a little, saying, you are sufficiently provided of preaching by your quarterly sermons. We answer, that 4. sermons in the year are as insufficient ordinarily to make us perfect men in Christ Iesus,( to which end Pastours and Doctors are given us) as 4. stroke with an axe are unable to fell down a mighty oak, or 4. showers of rain of one houres continuance to moisten the hard dry earth, and to make it fruitful all the year long. Yea, our children will as soon learn the Latin tongue by going to school 4. houres in a year, as we that be children in understanding the scripture, shall attain to a true knowledge and reformation of life fit for a Christian man, by hearing 4. sermons yearly: by reason, that the one is agreeable to nature, the other quiter contrary. What if these men which preach these quarterly sermons, be be the Pastours of an other flock? How can we with a good conscience take those sermons from that flock to which they belong, and deprive them of that which by good right doth appertain to them? That congregation which soweth unto their pastor all his earthly things, will be loath to be defrauded of the use of any of his spiritual things; especially, on the sabbath day. And surely, if this injury were offered in matters concerning this life, it would in no maner wise be put up and digested amongst vs. But admit it were lawful for the pastors to borrow so much time of their flock as to preach these quarterly sermons, yet if we consider the small profiting of the Apostles of Christ in a long time, who were often taught and after the best maner, by their master, and the incredible dullness & backewardnes of us country people, that are fallen into the last and worst age; and the exceeding great inequality of our teachers in comparison of our saviour Cstrist: it may easily move you to think, that 4. sermons were far to little, and that 400. rather were more requisite( if it were possible they could be attained unto) to bring us to the unity of faith, & acknowledging of the son of God, which is the end of the ministry, as S. paul writeth to the Ephesians. But seing we haue the express words of the same same Apostle to timothy, willing him, & in him al pastours to preach the word, & to be instant in season, and out of season, & to continue therein; as also the example of himself, which he recommended to the Elders of Ephesus, & consequently to all Pastors to be imitated, saying: Watch therefore, & remember that by the space of three yeeres, I warned every man night and day with tears; this controversy may soon be ended, yea the woeful experience almost every where, which is the schoolmaster of fools, doth make open proclamation, that these 4. sermons are to slender a diet for vs. But if it were granted( will some say) that it is fit, yea necessary, that every congregation should haue a painful preacher or two, if it be greater; which we take to be as clear as the light, and denied of none but of Papists and atheists: yet were it pity( say they) to displace these unlearned Curates, and to turn them & their family forth a begging. But were it not a greater pity by far, to see these blind guides themselves to fall into the pit of hel, & â multitude of souls in the land, that are almost innumerable to follow thē, there to starve & pine away eternally, being deprived of all food that should comfort them? Nay, seing they did never sweat for the place which they haue invaded, nor entred in by the door, but climbed up some other way by evil means, & no good faith; & being entred, haue made havoc of the Lord his flock, & therefore most worthily are called sleeves & robbers, by the mekest man that ever was: they may think themselves very mercifully dealt withal, that they may quietly depart away with bag & baggage, and return to their old occupations again, from whence they came, without any further punishment. But because it may be thought that they haue committed this sin ignorauntly, and that under the shadow of lawe, and seeing that Christian charity doth extend itself very far, we suppose that some little pension might very well be deducted from the living of the BB. of the See where they were ordered & be given unto them: & if that pension would not serve for their maintenance, the rest might be supplied either by their old occupations, or by exercising some inferior office in the church, and teaching of children. So by this sparer diet, then heretofore they haue used, and the hearing of the gospel preached diligently by a learned man, which had been before precious unto them because they had no manifest vision; as it fel out in the dayes of ELIAS, as we red in SAMVEL, they may be brought to bewail the blood( whereof they are guilty) of so many souls, as haue perished in their manifold sins and ignorance, within their parishes, by reason they haue not given warning from God, out of his word, as he requireth in the prophet EZECHIEL; that if it be possible one way, or other, God his wrath might be pacified in true humbling of themselves; with many tears before the throan of grace, and they washed clean from the blood of all men, by the rich mercies of God in Christ Iesus. Were not this a better way by a thou sand degrees; for these men themselves, though no regard were had of us, then to suffer them still to ad blood unto blood, until such time as the Lord his wrath were so kindled against them, that nothing but certain destruction, were to be looked to fall vpon them from the Lord, as we red of the wicked sons of ely? Let them therfore depart, & give place to learned preachers, if some sacrilegious patrons will so permit; for we haue heard, that it hath been preached at Paules cross, that in the two universities of Cambridge and Oxford, there are mo then 300. able men fit for the ministry, beside many other in the country that cannot enter into any church, or take any charge abroad, except in the first step they enter in, they will commit both simony and perjury. How shal satan be conquered by such men, as in the first conflict haue received by him such deadly wounds? For even our plough boyes know it to be a common practise almost every where amongst patrons, that either they take a great sum of money, or money worth, as it were a fine, with such sleighty conveyance, as if they were iuglers, that no man shal spy thē or any law prevent them, or make some reservation of the tithes and glebeland, as it were a rent, & many times all these practices be used together, whose ravenous teeth, and also the payment of the first fruits and tenths, which the charge of their lawful family, which the papists never knew, and also their tithes not paid them in so large a size as heretofore hath been done, hath brought the churchmen unto such an ebb, that after their death their executours do not bless them, except it be certain of thē which haue sundry benefice. The consideration whereof, hath abashed many of us so much, that we haue small regard to maintain our children in learning, in hope of any honest preferment that way. Yea, we fear â further mischief to fall vpon us by these devourers of holy things, of the which we hope there is none among you: for we see them every day more diligent to compass sea and land, to find out jeroboam priests for us( for they are the men that will be content to part Christ his coat between them) and when they haue found them out, they make them two fold more, the children of the divell, then themselves; by causing thē for a little lucre sake, to betray mens souls to the divell. So that what by these cormorant patrons, and jeroboam his priestes, sin and iniquity is risen so high, that it is now full sea: ignorance, blasphemy, and contempt of the sabbath day doth reign in town and city: In pride & vanity, satan hath wasted his fruitful wits, that he can do no more. In these dayes all are become princes and nobles. The tyre of women is lighter now, then of the stews heretofore: so that, if the people of the former times should rise out of their graues, and behold this present age, they would surely think that proud strangers had invaded and conquered this land. quarrels and strifes in lawe are infinite. whoredom is made but a sport. Craft and deceit is every where practised. usury hath made as much friendship between man and man, as was between cain and ABEL. No town is empty of the covetous which join house to house, and land to land, whereby the poor is multiplied in great number. But as concerning many patrons; the leprosy of spoiling of the church, hath so pierced their bones and marrow so deep, that it cannot be washed away, with any good law, be it never so wisely made: For the Lawyers themselves confess, that by the help of satan, some men are as cunning, to overthrow the meaning of good laws, as it were to undo PENELOPE her web, as other are provident by the good laws to prevent mischief. And therefore, the onely way and remedy to cure this canker, is; to restore the presentations to the Church, to whom by good right they do belong. Which thing as it is most undoubted by the word of God, so also we hear that the learned are able to prove it by the civil law: wherein it is said, that a privilege is frustrate and of none effect, when it is abused, and that the people and other that had interest to present, assigned their right to the patrons, when they endowed the church with lands and other prefermentes, it is plain: who persuaded themselves that the patron would be careful enough to provide a worthy man, who would not spare his lands and living to maintain him. But now the patrons neither endow the church but spoil it, neither are they careful to provide godly preachers but on the contrary, they labour tooth and nail to bring the caterpillars of Egypt vpon vs. And therefore what right can they pretend to claim any privilege? Which surely the godly will not contend for, when they shall see that restitution thereof tendeth to the glory of God, and the building of his church. will ye hear what the papists mutter; yea they speak it plainly that we maintain our heresies( as they term them) for advantage, & not for conscience; affirming, that they cannot be persuaded, that we ourselves are certified of the truth of our religion or receive any comfort thereby: for then( say they) would ye cherish and maintain the professors as we do, & not use them as sponges and spoil them as ye do. O lamentable estate of the church! o pitiful sight to see her thus lye in the dust. Come jeremy, & fill thy head with tears, as with a fountain, cease neither day nor night, but make lamentation for the slain of the daughter of Sion! Let thine eyes cast out riuers of water for the destruction of God his people! o that some Angel of the Lord would come unto you, as it were from Gilgal to Bochim, and record in your ears the mercies of our God, in delivering you from the captivity of Antichrist, as it were from Pharaoh, and in giuing you â fruitful and peaceable land, to whom the Lord said by his gospel which he delivered unto you: I will never break my covenant with you. You also shal make no covenant with the papists, the idolaters of this land, or any kind of their ungodliness, but destroy al their idolatry and superstition whatsoever. But ye haue not obeyed my voice in retaining idol ministers, by whom satan doth hold his kingdom fast. Wherefore haue ye done this? At the hearing of which words, reproving the Israelites for making a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, all the people of the children of Israel lift up their voices & wept. Of the which weepyng, the place took his name Bochim, which in them was a true sign of earnest repentance. And further, to assure them of God his mercies touching this fault, as also to bind themselves more straightly to the reformation thereof, they sacrificed there unto the Lord. The father of our Lord Iesus Christ, of his rich & abundant mercy, grant, that in hearing the like sin; in suffering this idol ministry amongst us, you may draw out of your heads buckets of water of repentance, & join yourselves with them in the like reformation. But let ESDRAS come in also amongst you, and bewail a greater matter then unlawful marriages. Let him rent his clothes and tear his garments, and pluck of the hair of his head, and beard, and sit down astonished, and let all be assembled unto him that fear the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgressions of this land. Let them fall down vpon their knees & spread out their hands unto the Lord God, and say: o my God, I am confounded and ashamed to lift up mine eyes unto thee my God, for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespasses are grown up unto the heauens: from the dayes of our fathers haue we been in great trespass unto this day. And now, for a little space in the reign of our sovereign Lady ELIZABETH, grace hath been shewed from the Lord our God, in causing a remnant to escape, in giuing us a nail in his holy place, that our GOD might lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our servitude papistical: For we were bondmen in queen MARY her dayes; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath inclined mercy unto us in the sight of Iesus Christ, to give us life, and to erect the house of our God, and to give us a wall and defence in this land. And now our GOD, what shall we say? for we haue forsaken thy commandements which thou hast commanded by thy servants the Prophets and Apostles, saying: The land whether ye go to possess, is an unclean land, full of idolaters, and idol ministers: Now therefore shall ye erect in GOD his house, an holy ministery, that ye may bee strong and eat the goodness of the land, and so to leave it for an inheritance to your sons for ever. And though thou didst punish us grievously in queen mary her days, and now in our days, by stirring up the papists to disturb the peace of the land, for the neglect of this holy ordinance, yet hast thou punished us less, then our sins haue deserved. Should we still continue, to break thy commandements and permit this idol ministerye to remain among us? a people of much abominations, whereby sin doth flow, as a river, in the land: wouldest thou not be angry towards us, till thou hadst consumed us, so that ther should be no remain or scaping? o Lord God of Israel, in so doing thou shouldst be just: yet we are reserved to escape, as appeareth this day. Behold we are before thee in our trespasses, our conscience doth acknowledge the same: haue mercy upon us, for we cannot stand before thee, because of it. O that it would please God to move you our most dread sovereign, after this manner to go into God his house again, with ESDRAS and aclowledge this oversight with tears! Then would a great assembly of all sorts of people of this land be gathered about you with weeping and great lamentation. Then would your honourable counsel come about you, as SECHANIAH the son of IEHIHEL came to ESDRAS, and said, we haue trespassed against God, by receiving a strange ministry; yet there is hope concerning this. Now therfore let us make a covenant with our God and put away this dumb ministry, & place in their room a godly preaching ministry, according to the counsel of the Lord, and those that fear the commandement of our God, and let it be done according to the law. Arise, the matter belongeth unto thee, we also will be with thee. Be of good comfort and do it. But the means how this learned ministry may be established, are best known unto your wisdoms. But if you will give us countrymen leave to show our opinions with patience. briefly we think, there must be a sufficient number of workmen, and honest provision be made for them, as we red that SOLOMON, for the building of the material temple, found out 183300 able men that were occupied in hewing of ston and timber, and carrying of burdens, which al were maintained at the king his cost, yet we think that a less number of work-men would suffice for the building of this spiritual Temple, which notwithstanding, is far more glorious then SOLOMON his temple. If it be said the small number of skilful men can not easily be found, a lamentable thing to be heard. What should we do? but first place all those worthy men, that can be found, and erect more colleges and seminaries of true religion, to enlarge the kingdom of Christ: as we see Antichrist, whose talents are as hard as brass, to hold fast whatsoever cometh within them, & whose hunger is as insatiable, as hell, yet doth he spare no cost to build Seminaries of lies and heresies, to advance the kingdom of the devill, who by such means, hath greatly prevailed in this land: Should then the pillars of the kingdom of Christ be more sparing, yea, more cold to provide all things necessary for the lords army, to be sent against these Idolatoures, with a two edged sword in their hands, to execute vengeance upon these and correction against the people, to cast down imaginations, and every high thing, that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and to bring into captivity every thought, to the obedience of christ? God forbid. For, if the enemy hath increased his force, Is it not meet, that we should doubt oures? now for the provision of such a number of able men as might come out of colleges and other schools of Learning, to take charge upon them; This Noble Iselande may not for shane complain, of want: For the lord his eyes are upon this land night and day, that it is as fruitful as the Gardene of EDEN, a Parragonne of all the world, and the Store-house for other countries: The wealth whereof is so great, that men, and Women can not devise to waste it vaynelye. Then when the lord saith that he hath need of mayntaynaunce for his Ministers; Shall wee say that wee haue it not? In the time of idolatry there was more then sufficient by far. Howe then is it embeseled away, that there is not to feed christ, and too cloath him? Howe can wee say, that wee love him? no, not so much as antichrist loveth the devill: For antichrist is bountiful, to maintain his service. If the like liberality were used amongst us, without all doubt, a great number would be stayed, from passing the seas to Rome or rheims to become Iesuites.  
What is then to be done? give unto God that which belongeth to God, and unto CAESAR that which belongeth unto CAESAR. What belongeth to God, that is kept from him? even that which appertaineth unto his church, to wit, presentations and impropriations. That things pertaining to the church, do also belong to the lord, it appeareth in the prophet malachi, cap 3. Where he himself doth seriously complain, saying: Will a man spoil his Gods? yet haue ye spoiled me. But ye say, wherein haue we spoiled thee? in tithes & offerings, ye are cursed, with a curse, for ye haue spoiled me, even this whole nation? Hath not the whole nation of England spoyled the Lord in like manner, and rather more: that a work-man his hire is to be found in few places. Surely, this is written for our learning, that we might know that things consecrated to GOD for the service of his church belong unto him for ever: as the tithes which were dedicated to the lord, and his church by our fore-fathers with great equity which by no right can be taken away as we red levi. 27. Nothing separate from common use, that a man doth separate unto the Lord of all that he hath,( whether it be man or beast or land of his inheritance may be sold or redeemed. For every thing separate from the common use is most holy unto the Lord. The which law, is not ceremonial but judicial: the equity whereof endureth to the church for ever, and the violation of the same law hath been horribly punished in former days, as we red that ACHAN who defrauded the Lord of silver & gold consecrated to his treasury, was put to death with al his house in a fearful maner, NABVCHADNEZER also spoiled the temple of the holy vessels, consecated to the Lords service, which BALTHASAR also abused by drinking wine in them with his concubines turning holithings to profane uses, whose heavy iudgement was not deferred, the like we red of Ananias & Saphira his wife, who sold a parcel of land, & dedicated the price thereof to God & his church. But when they had consented to keep part of that which was consecrated, they wersharply rebuked by Peter, and suddenly stricken to death. The like iustice can no man escape, either in this world, or in the world to come, that committeth the like offence, for the Lord is not partial in iudgement, neither with him is there any respect of persons, but he that sinnrth shall die the death, except he turn unto him with true repentance, & reformation of his sins, and assuredly the sacrilege of holy things is committed even with greediness in this Land. Howe can christ in the last day, place these men which commit sacrilege and make the church so naked of her own right hand, and say: I was hungry & ye fed me, I was naked and ye clothed me; and not rather thrust them among the Goats, on the left hand, saying, depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the divell and his angels: for I was hungry, and ye gave me not mine own: I was naked and ye partend my garments among you. For whatsoever ye did unto my poor ministers in defrauding them, ye did to me. Yea let them take heed, least in the day of their death, the Church do not appear in their consciences, as a mighty sea to ouerwhelm them, and they say then: Come ye mountaines, and cover us, that we may fly from the fierce wrath of the Lord, and not behold his fearful countenance. For we must make restitution to the uttermost farthing. Repent therefore in time, and make restitution, as the lawe requireth. If any man by error hath taken, that which was holy to the lord: Let him restore it, and put the fift part to it according to the law. levi. 27. Then shall Christ his sacrifice be accepted for him. Which restitution, we red that ZACHEVS practised most straightly: as appeareth by his own words. If I haue done any man wrong, I will restore him four fold, For repentance, without satisfaction if it be in thy power, is no better then plain mocking of God. And to move them the more, let them remember, what S. paul writeth to the Corinths. Know ye not that the unjust shal not inherit the kingdom of God? What greater injustice, then to defraud God of his glory? the ministers of their right? and the poor people of their everlasting life? But we trust, that if certain, that do neither regard God nor his church, and therefore will not be willing to depart with any thing for the maintenance of a learned ministry, that the good prince NEHEMIAH accompanied with so many worthy men, as are now assembled together, will disappoint that profane man TOBIIAH, of his Iodging, in the chamber of the house of the Lord, and make it clean for the levites. And this injury if we feel, to be so great, to take that from us, which we would consecrate to the food of our souls, & yet we are utterly famished, that we think it not only manifest by the lawe of God, but also by the light of nature; yea, if they themselves, which haue these impropriations were deposed vpon their oath, by their superiors, whether in their consciences, they wrong the Church or no? they would first make many excuses. But if they were urged with an oath, surely they would lay their hands vpon their mouth, & crave pardon. For the light of nature may be covered, yet it cannot be utterly extinguished. Which light of nature shined most clearly in king pharaoh, whom the great famine of the land, having brought all the land of the people, was so far off from seeking of the ground belonging to the priestes, that to preserve it, of his bountifulness he gave them, an ordinary allowance. If this heathen king had such a conscience, to preserve the state of his superstitious priestes, by relieving them in the time of extremity, should Christian estates make less conscience, to maintain the true seruants of God, which show unto us the way of salvation in the time of peace and prosperity. We pray you( right honourable) to spare us to speak a little more: for we plead for the salvation of our souls. It seemeth unto us that Christ the grand captain of the tribe of Iuda, as one awaken out of sleep, and as a strong man after wine, doth now offer himself to smite his & our enemies on the hinder parts, and to put them to a perpetual shane, requiring of you a number of expert souldiers, the maintenance for them, which are rights & roialties of his kingdom, & therefore justly we cannot deny him. But if the patron say that he will not lose his patronage, for then he should forego his pillage, nor the improprietary will diminish any of his impropriation for the service of this war( of which disposition we hope that ther is none among you) but that rather they would entreat Christ to depart the country as the Gergesits did for the loss of their swine: or more spitefully repel him as the phariseis, Who said depart hence, or Herodes will kill thee. Might he not conceive such grief and indignation against us vpon this repulse, who came to deliver us from the greatest bondage and slavery in the world, & to enfranchise us as the citizens of his kingdom the basest of whom are Nobles and Princes? Might not this unkind act( say wee) so much kindle his displeasure towards us, that he might be moved to retire back with all his blessings, and turn them into plagues, against such an unkind people? what injury then should he offer us? Surely none at all. But to descend to some particular example of want of maintenance, as where a church is endowed with half that provision which is requisite to maintain a preacher, by reason of the impropriation, as it falleth out in many churches of this land, which injury was done by Antichrist in the night, and now restitution might be made in the day: Yea, put the case that the church is not endowed with value of 20. marks( as exceeding many churches haue less) how can we think that a learned man that hath spent many years in good letters, and in the holy scriptures, will seat himself there, almost to famish himself, & not rather to employ his labour to the teaching of children? Then by means of this impropriation, such a clerk as is correspondent to the living shal be placed there, a man that can bring no glad tidings, and to be plain an idol shepherd: whereby of necessity it must fall out in that congregation, that HAGAR shall be fruitful in bringing forth bond-men and slaves unto satan, and SARAH altogether barren. How then can that impropietory seeing this, eat savourly those holy things heretofore consecrated to the saving of souls without salt tears trickling down his cheeks( except his hart be as hard as brass) knowing that he is the man alone, that doth shut the gate against the preacher, and consequently defraud God of his honor in that place, and kill the souls of a multitude of his poor neighbours, that would live and not perish. And this slaughter of souls likely to be continued thorough all posterities, except restitution be made thereof to give entertainment to a preacher. And the which is more lamentable to be known, how many hirelings for five or six pounds be in diners Congregations in this land, especially in the North partes, where there is two or three thousand souls of all sorts of people both old and young, that come to one Church to bee taught: where the poor silly man is as one that hath not filled his belly in many Weekes before, or lately come out of prison, with a sharp face, both pale and white, who hath less spiritual food to feed the people that flock about him, then he hath bodily nourishment to fill their bellies: so that in such a populous congregation, ther be 3. or 4. that are able to give an account of their faith, it is very much, and yet that work is wrought by some extraordinary hand of God, & not to be imputed to the silly body. And thus it falleth out in many places where there bee farmers to her majesty of impropriations that as they are careless for the peoples souls & their own, the like regard haue they to maintain the building of the chancels, which lie ruinous in sundry places, quiter contrary to her majesties pleasure, & the good pennyworth they haue at her gracious hands. These & other things cause us to remember the daies of HEEI; wherein ther was no manifest vision. For the 2. sons of HELY, OPHNY & PHINIAS who knew not the lord were wicked men also, caused the children of Israel to abhor the offerings of the Lord, & the service of their God. By whose means the people trespassed grievously against the Lord in negligence, or rather contempt of coming to the tabernacle to worship the Lord according to the law. Of which disho nor of God, HELY being informed that his sons were the occasion thereof, yet did not reform & redress that great mischief, according to that authority & power, which he had being chief judge & high priest of the people, but only gave thē gentle admonition; whereas their fault & offence deserved rather to bee punished with death. For whose remissness or rather negligence to reform such a weighty matter, the Lord threatened such a grievous plague & destruction to fall vpon him & vpon his house, which was truly executed as the remenbrance therof doth make ears to tingle. So the contempt & corruption of the worship of God, remaining unreformed, at last it came to pass, the sins of the priests & of the people were grievously punished by a great slaughter, which they sustained of the philistines, & the ark of the Lord taken away from the midst of them & delivered into the hands of their enemies. In stead of Ophny & Phineas, we haue a swarm & multitude of ministers that neither in ignorance of the Lord, nor in lewd behaviour are inferior to them. By whose ignorance & wickedness the admiration of the word & sacraments vpon the sabbath day is by thē greatly profaned, & of the people grievously contemned. Which profanation of that sacred day, if it should not be reformed, it were to bee feared that by these idol ministers & we the people offending together with them likewise, should fall into the hands of our enemies the papists, & the word of God taken from us, which is more dear and precious unto us then was the ark of the covenant unto the Israelits. But we trust that these evils shall not come vpon us, because that for the redress of this heinous corruption of the service of God, we make our complaint unto thē that haue equal authority with HELY, & greater zeal to advance the honor of God, and to wipe away the deformities of his church; whose hearts do tremble at the words of the Lord, who as we are persuaded will not be partakers with HELY in his sins, lest they should also be partakers with him in his terrible punishments. Therfore sith so many thousands of us be in such a streite by means hereof, not possible for us by any means we can spy either now or hereafter to be delivered without your gracious & mighty helping hands: haue pity vpon us right honourable assembly, & let our souls be precious in your sight. Let us not die that everlasting death like fools in Israel, but so work in this Parliament, that you may say unto the people of the whole land: Wee take you to record this day, that wee are pure from the blood of al men, for we haue kept nothing back, but haue established al such laws as are necessary for the publishing of all the counsels of God unto you his people. For al the whole land is at your commandement both of body and goods( with the consent of our most gracious sovereign, who is full of mercy and compassion) to do as by law you shal prescribe thē. And assuredly( right honourable) it were better for us by far( if no other remedy could be had) to live with bread and water in the wilderness with the Israelites all the dayes of our miserable life, with the plentiful preaching of the word of God, then to haue our welfare( which we aclowledge to be great) a thousands time doubled with this great famishment of the word, which we endure in the most places of this land: for then our misery after a small time would end in felicity: where as now our momentary pleasure will shortly be turned into weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, except the Lord come down from heaven to visit us by your ministry. We pray you therfore most pitifully( right honourable) that that voice may no more be heard amongst vs. The lords house cannot be built in many places within this land for want of provision: for that doth kill our hearts altogether, as if you should say unto us: There is no remedy but you must needs die in your sins and ignorance, the second and everlasting death. O most doleful voice, able to break the Adamant, & to resolve it into tears; which terrible voice the Lord of his infinite mercy turn far away from vs. But undoubtedly so godly and religious an assembly, the faire flowers of this land, will never speak so hardly unto us; but( we hope) the contrary saying. This house may be built in those desolate places, and with Gods help and our soueraignes it shall be built, & therefore poor people be of good comfort. Otherwise you should bear greater blame then the poor Iewes that came out captivity from babylon, & differred the building of the material temple, excusing the matter, that it was not yet time to build it; and never said, that by reason of their great poverty & multitude of their enemies that it could not be built at all. Thus right honourable, we haue bewrayed our grief, made our petition known, declared the impediments of a learned ministry, & shewed that an honest maintenance is necessary required: look vpon us; lift up your eyes & behold a great multitude gathered about you, which are in the wilderness & haue nothing to eat. Be moved with compassion towards us, for we are as sheep wanting a shepherd. We are hungry & come from far; we come unto you as children unto the parents and ask bread, we trust you will not give us a ston; we crave a fish, will you in stead of a fish give us a serpent? we desire to haue an egg; surely you will not give us a scorpion. O let us live and not diel & let not that lamentable weeping and howling be heard among us in the country, which sometime was heard in Ramah. Let us not bewail the spiritual death of our children & posterity, as RACHEL wept for the bodily death of her children who could not be comforted, because they were not. But let the silver trump of the Lord sound the law in our ears, to the casting down of the old man, and the gospel to the raising up of the new man: Let the Lords lights be placed in our temples, & then shal it be fulfilled again which was spoken by the Prophet. The people which sate in darkness, saw a great light; & to thē which sate in the region & shadow of death, light is risen up. And therefore we humbly beseech you right honourable to stir up you tender affections towards such a multitude of us simplo people that are in this land fleeting in the sea of sin and ignorance, and now vpon sight of comfort, making an outcry for the safety of our life. That it would please you to reach forth your right hand of mercy, & by your godly wisdoms to establish the means of our deliverance, for we are in your hands either to save or spill. And therfore, if there should be some of you that would not further to the uttermost this the weightiest cause of a thousand, concerning not onely our salvation, but more the glory of Christ. Howe could these men protest that he loved him, seing he hath set over the trial of his love to the care of the feeding of his flock? As he hath manifestly declared in the person of PETER, saying: lovest thou me; feed my sheep, feed my lambs. And though you feed them not in your own persons; yet ye feed them in procuring them to be fed: for the which cause ye are called by the Lord, the Pastours and shepeheards of the people. moreover, if these men should haue any suite to the father of our Lord Iesus Christ, for any thing whereof they should stand in need; how could they use Christ as a mediator and advocate, to bring their matters to good effect, if they should neglect such a weighty cause of his, which he desireth so earnestly to be brought to pass, as appeareth when he saith: First, seek the kingdom of God, and the righteousness thereof, &c. Which is chiefly performed by a learned ministery, & not rather be afraid to hear his voice. They that honour me, will I honor, and they that despise me, shall be despised. But be it far from us to think any thing but good of so honourable assembly: for we hope that our mouth shall bee filled with laughter, & our tongue with ioy, saying: The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we may rejoice. When we remember your pitiful inclination upon complaint made, to redress all maner of, yea, smallest injuries touching this life. How should we now doubt to be sent empty away, when we come for matters concerning everlasting life. We come therfore unto you in great bitterness of our souls, not able to express half the grief we feel for the death of our sons & daughters, as the Sunamite came to ELIZEVS for the bodily death of her son, praying you to sand ELIZEVS and the sons of the Prophets, to spread themselves vpon us, and vpon our children, to breath into us the word of life, and to make prayers and supplications to God forvs; so by little there is hope that we shal be revived again into a spiritual life: for surely GEHEZY by laying on us ELIZEVS his staff, we mean these hirelings, by reading to us their homilies, can do us no good. For notwithstanding this staff GEHEZY may return answer, that we can neither speak nor hear, which be evident tokens of want of life. We beseech you in Christ his name to take our supplication as the man of Macedonia, which appeared unto paul in a vision, praying you to sand preachers into our country to help us, and in so doing be you well assured that you pass not the bounds of your vocation. Oh, that you were carried in a vision into some great high mountain, and could behold the huge army of people of this land spiritually slain of satan more cruelly & pitifully then ever was slain, as we suppose in the greatest battle that ever was since the creation of this world. Then would you  shed tears abundantly with our saviour Christ, who standing vpon mount olivet, beholded that stubborn city of jerusalem & wept for them, because they refused the doctrine of salvation then offered them. But our case is to bee bewailed and pitied, because the doctrine of salvation is not offered us by the way of preaching, in so many several congregations, as hunger and thirst after it. And therefore harken what Bethsheba saith to every one of you. Open thy mouth for the dumb, in the cause of al the children of destruction, so shall you be able to say with job to your unspeakable comfort after this maner. When the ear heard me, it blessed me, and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me, for I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, & him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish, came vpon me, and I caused the widows heart to rejoice: I broke also the jaws of the unrighteous, & plucked the pray out of his teeth. Now then there is no time of silence, your vocation will not suffer it, but that every one of you without exception, all excuses set apart, is to extend his voice, wit, authority & credit to the uttermost degree in the cause of Christ & his church, pleding it( if need so require) so zealously until you sweat & faint withal, seeing that in your cause Christ refused not to sweat drops of blood. But as the Lord is kind to those that deal kindly with him: so his displeasure is death, if he being elected or contemned. Know him therfore and his cause, that he may know you as his friends in the day of his glory. And remember that Christ that maketh this request for a learned ministry,( which by his authority he might command, but rather through love he entreateth you by us) is not more vile and contemptible, but glorious sitting on the right hand of his father, and therefore is able, and will requited this kindness done to him seven fold into your bosom: yea, the Lord will account it to be kindness, although in all right and conscience, it is an homage most justly appertaining to his roialty, by reason that we hold of him, al that ever we haue in Capite. And though you be willing to perform this service, yet let us put you in remembrance that satan will withstand you, with all his malice and power, who is the prince of this world, and therefore will not suffice himself to be thrown out of his kingdom, as appeareth in the deliverance of the children of Israel, from under the hand of Pharaoh in reedifiyng of the primitive Church: so at this present day, he is not altered, either in might or malice, that he will be content to resign his kingdom over unto Christ; but as then, so now with all speed will he muster his men of war against those that attempt to the abolishing of his kingdom. Then we are to know, that as no victory is gotten without strife, much less noble victory without contention in the highest degree: For it is to be feared, that the divell, the flesh and the world, will all oppose themselves against you, which notwithstanding being achieved, is far more glorious in the high court of heaven, thē the conquest of ten mighty kingdoms made tributary & vassals unto this land. This therefore is a work worth the trial of your strength & magnanimity, joined with the greatest honor that may be. So that if you prevail( right honourable) as we trust your enemies shall fall down before you, otherwise we could see no end of our grief and sorrow, thē no doubt in the iudgement of all wise men, you shall be counted comparable with the worthies of the world: yea, far passing them in all true honour and glory. And seeing we haue begun to speak to the right honourable assembly, being but the base people of the land: Let it not displease you that wee speak yet a little more: But if any thing shal escape our pen unfit to be spoken by us to so high and honourable a court of Parliament, we most humbly beseech you vpon our knees by the price of the death and passion of the Lord Iesus Christ, and by his glorious coming to iudgement for our everlasting deliverance, to pardon us, imputing it either to the grief and bitterness of our souls, which caused job to utter some foolish words; or to the rudeness of our education, whereby in words and terms we may fail against our will. For our purpose is( God knoweth) not to hinder our suite by offending any, but by a plain and pitiful manifestation of the truth to win the favor of you all in this weighty and long desirous petition, which concerneth the salvation of our souls. But to the matter. We haue heard it spoken by wise men, and it sinketh deeply into our minds, that if every one of you were in policy comparable to ACHITOPHEL the Gilonite, whose aduise for the common wealth in the dayes of DAVID, was taken as an oracle of God, yet if you should devise many strong laws for the preservation of her majesties person( whom the Lord bless for ever) the peace and prosperity of this land, and the subversion of our enemies the Papists and Iesuites, & pass over this law for a learned ministry( by planting whereof we are sure to haue a perpetual league of amity with the Father, the son, the holy Ghost and mighty angels of heaven, who will be unto us a strong wall of defence, thē that wherewith Babylon was environed, which was very strong as the learned say: For if God be on our side, who can bee against vs.) Then( say they) that those good laws would be as weak and frail to bind fast the head strong papists and Iesuites, as were the 7. green withs never dried, and the new ropes never occupied able to bind mighty SAMSON. But being joined with that principal lawe, they will be as sharp as a razor to cut them clean of. But as in the greatest mischiefs viz. by wasting by fire & water, as also by the invasion of the enemy, the proverb hath place, Delay doth make the danger greater: so especially it holdeth in the invasion of the greatest enemy of all mankind, who hath already taken many towns and castles in this land, showing all kind of tyranny wheresoever he cometh. Therefore as when the bodily enemies enter the land to waste and destroy the care full magistrates, set the beacons on fire, whereby with all speed they levy power against the enemy, least by sufferance & daily victories, he should make himself so strong, that afterwards he were not able to bee driven out of the country. So the like expedition or rather greater, were to be used in gathering an army of worthy soldiers to encounter satan before he enlarge himself in the kingdom of darkness by means of these Iesuites, least as we haue seen with our eyes in the dayes of queen MARY, it might fall out by the just iudgement of God for our sins, that by tract of time he might possess the whole kingdom, as the foresaid Iesuites, his faithful servants, do endeavour to bring to pass. And therfore, as you love the Lord Iesus Christ, and his Church, which is as tender unto him, as the apple of his eye, in the preparation of his warfare, deal not sparing or niggardly with him, but honour him with your substance as he requireth, who hath been so rich and bountiful towards you not onely in the treasures of the kingdom of heaven, but also in the blessings of this presentlyfe. So that the lord hath not set you below, but hath placed you on high: And if that which he hath done for you bee too little, he will yet multiply his graces upon you, until you run over. O remember and forget not that seeing Christ the son of the living God, equal with his Father, abounding in love towards you, did cast aside all honor and glory, and made himself of no reputation, by taking vpon him the form of a seruant: yea, he became a worm and no man: a very abject of the people, to raise from the dust, and to lift you out of the dung, to cause you to sit with princes of his people in the heavenly places in Christ Iesus: he also became poor, not having whereupon to lay his head, to make you to abound in those most excellent riches, which the eye hath not seen, nor the ear hath not heard, neither haue they entred into the heart of any carnal man. Ought you not with like recompense of love towards him to lay your honor and riches at his feet to cover the shane and nakedness of his desolate Church? if ye protest in word that love him, & that ye are desirous to see the Church his spouse in her glorious beauty, arrayed in robes of needle work: yea, clad with a vesture of Gold of Ophire, & yet will not descend one step downward, or abase yourself one whit, nor open your purses to contribute relief, even to sustain her necessities, but keeping back her ancient revenues, wherewith heretofore she was furnished to all necessary uses: how can this feigned love escape the sharp censure of the apostle james, who saith, if a brother or a sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, depart in peace, warm yourselves and fill your bellies, notwithstanding ye give them not those things, which are needful to the body, what helpeth it, but we are fully persuaded that these rich mercies of Iesus christ cannot lie hide and rest in the heart of any man living, but that they will kindle a flamme of burning love which will show itself bountiful and liberal to the aduancement of his Church and kingdom. And further whereas it hath been provided by a good statute, that a freedom from payment of tithes for a certain time should be granted to them that do convert barren and waste ground into tillage, to give them a greater encouragement to take the toil in hand; & that ye haue likewise been careful to provide for the tuing of Marshes, that haue been overflown & surrownded with water: ought not then a far greater care and diligence be used that a wise and sure Lawe might bee established to bring the lords field into Tillage which lieth waste and barren of the fruits of righteousness, and full of thorns and briars fit for nothing but for the fire, and is likewise drowned with the flowds of sin and ignorance, as it is pittifullye to bee seen in the greatest parte of this land: which Lawe if it should bee neglected, seeing it concerneth peace and prosperitye of our souls for ever, should not just occasion bee given to take up this proverb against you? They haue strained a gnat and swallowed a camel: but wee trust that the lord in his mercy will look vpon us, and stir up in the hearts of so grave Wise, and godly a Senate, such a care and pitty over us, that none of the evils which we fear shall fall vpon vs. For as we wee read that when DAVID had built himself an house in jerusalem, yet swore he unto the lord, and vowed to the mighty God of jacob, saying, I will not enter into the Tabernacle of mine house, nor come vpon my pallet or bed, nor suffer mine eyes to sleep, nor mine eyelids to slumber, until I find out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of jacob. So if you all as one man, in like godly zeal with DAVID, should swear & vow unto the lord that you would not not return unto those fair houses, wherewith the lord hath blessed you, to take your comfort, and recreation therein, until such time, as you haue provided and procured, not that the ark of the lord, but that the gospel of Iesus Christ, which is a more sure token of his presence, should bee brought into his Temple, and placed between the Cherubins, which thing is performed when the gospel is committed to a faithful Ministerye of the lord, to whom al the people may resort, in doubtful causes to ask counsel of God. But contrariwise, nothing less is done when the gospel of reconcilliation is committed into hands of a dumb & idol ministry, who can neither open the book nor shut it: neither by the authority thereof can either bind or loose. Who are to bee admonished not to meddle with that sacred book as public persons, least the lord make a breach into them as he did into VZZA. Assuredly in this your service of the Lord, ye should do a work worthy of al posterities to be remembered: so should it appear that ye are not only careful for the church in recommending her good estate by prayer unto the Lord: saying, peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces: for my brethren and neyghbors sakes, I will wish thee now prosperity, but also by deeds, when ye perform the same. As it is written, because of the house of the lord our God, I will procure thy wealth. Consider also that it was in the hart of DAVID, to build a temple unto the Lord but because he was occupied in warres against the enemies of the lord, the building of that house was committed unto his Son SOLOMON: To whom the Lord promised peace from his enemies on every side: so he brought the work, to perfection in the fourth year of his reign. should we not think, that seeing the lord hath blessed us with the peace of SOLOMON in the time of the gospel for the space of twenty seven yeares, that it had been our duty with like diligence and speed, to haue set up the spiritual Temple of the lord in a glorious beauty, so that hardly any default or blemish could by this time haue been espied in the same: yea, hath not the lord shewed himself angry against the whole land, and threatened a grievous punishment against it when he hath at sundry times offered danger unto her majesty, by the sons of belial, as though he would quench the light of Israel? yet the Lord with great patience hath had mercy, not only on her, but also on us, still waiting, if now at the last, we will reform and amend such grievous ruin amongst vs. And we beseech you to cast your eyes from Dan to Bersheba, and see if there be any sin more detestable and odious in the sight of the Lord that reigneth in this land, then the permission of this idol ministry: whereby the people perish without number, & God is defrauded of his honor. And if any man be wilfully ignorant in these things, let him be ignorant still, for the lord hath revealed it unto babes, yet if any man will now commend the state of the Church compared with that time wherein the palpable darkness of egypt covered the land( peradventure to stay the proceedings of the godly minded) we aclowledge it with all thanksgiving unto God, to be excellent & singular. But if we compare our Church by that which the Lord requireth in his word, and we by duty are bound to perform under a great penalty laid vpon us, which the long peace and quietness of this land might haue made easy to be performed & the examples of the other countries haue provoked forward, we shall find the church to be in great weakness and desolation: So that we haue great cause of lamentation to see her thus lie in the dust. For wee red in the Prophet Amos, that the Lord brought a grievous plague vpon the children of Israel, which ought to haue caused them to return unto the Lord, by withholding the rain from the earth, so that it rained vpon one city & not vpon another, one piece was rained vpon & the pcece whereupon it rained not, withered: so 2. or 3. cities wandered unto one city to drink Water, but they were not satisfied: hath not this plague twice doubled, fallen upon us cause us to turn unto the the lord, seeing he hath restrained the dew of his word, even the Water of life, from falling upon many towns of the country, so that ten or twelve of them should bee compelled to wander unto one town in sundry places of this land, if they had that godly desire and thirst of the word which is required: yet peradventure they should not be satisfied in that place. Then seing that the hand of the lord lieth so grievously upon us, ought we not to humble ourselves in deep repentance with many tears, that the fierce wrath of the Lord may be turned away from us, least he add plague unto plague until we bee all consumed from the face of the earth. But if it bee further provided that hereafter men shall bee admitted into the ministry, except those which are able to preach the word of God, and that in the mean time we shall be contented to suffer those idol ministers which are already entred into the flock, to wear out their miserable days amongst us, then this mischief perchance would drive us to these extremities, either to wish that we had not as yet been born in the world, or else that some untimely death suddenly fall upon these idols, least the most part of us should be plunged in the deep pit of hell, before their cursed dayes were ended. And therefore the occasion of these unnatural desires ought not to be enforced vpon us, neither is there the like reason to make provision in the matters of salvation onely, against the evils and mischiefs which may happen after that time, as it is conveniently done in the civil causes appertaining to this present life, for two weighty reasons that may bee alleged. First, in civil matters, the evils and discommodities which are past, are such, as are intolerable, and may be suffered, & time will wear them away. Secondly, the peace of the public wealth is preferred, and no man hath cause to complain that any right is taken from him, but it is far otherwise in this cause that concerneth the kingdom of heaven: for this mischievous evil of a blind ministry, is every ways intolerable, for it is written: If the blind led the blind, they shal both fall into the ditch, out of the which they can never rise again, where there is weepyng, wailing and gnashyng of teeth for ever. For who is able to give a ramsome to redeem their souls out of hell, & no length of time doth wear away their misery, but rather doth increase and multiply the anguish of their souls, neither is our peace disturbed by remedying these evils that are past. For how can there be peace otherwise established before that this wickedness as it were of ACAN that troubleth all Israel be taken away from amongst us: And these blind guides haue lest of al cause to complain of injury offered them, for by removing them out of their places, they should receive the greatest benefit that could happen unto them: for they should bee forced to cease from murdering Gods people any more, and if it were possible be brought to repentance for the guiltiness of that blood which they haue  shed vpon the earth, that their souls might bee saved in that great day when the Lord shall come to iudgement: among which persons( with your patience) the non residents are to bee numbered. And therfore we pray you right honourable in the tender mercies of Christ Iesus, to redress these evils that do presently hang vpon us and oppress us with intolerable bondage and slavery, no, not by the way of imagination any way suffrable. And look round about you, and take for example to imitate, so many as haue been zealous for the house of God, and liberal toward the maintenance thereof. First, set God himself before your eyes, who in mount Sinai provided a sufficient portion to be given to the levites his ministers to attend upon holy things. Remember that the Israelites in their poor estate in the wilderness, gave voluntarily more then enough, to the erectyng of the Tabernacle and furniture thereof. But to pass over many examples which might bee set before your eyes, let not EZECHIAS, josias, NEHEMIAS, and the Princes of the people that bee under them be clean forgotten. Yea, CYRVS an Heathen king, and other kings of Persia, were bountiful to the Temple of the lord. Of all which worthy men, the memory will ever flourish and never die. But especially, we beseech our gracious and noble princess, to match herself with DAVID the chiefest worthy of the world, and not onely consecrate the most just spoils of her enemies, but also give bountifully of her own peculiar treasure to the mainteuaunce of the house of GOD after his example, and taking upon her his person, to come into this honourable assembly of Parliament, and say unto them: This spiritual Temple is a great and mighty work, For this house is not for man, but for GOD; Now I haue prepared with all my power for the house of my God: gold for vessels of gold, and silver for vessels of silver, and brass for things of brass, iron for things of iron, and Wood for things of Wood, and onyx stones and stones to bee set, and carbuncle stones, and of diuers colours, and all precious stones, and marble stones in abundance. moreover, because I haue delight in the house of my GOD, I haue of mine own gold, and silver, which I haue given to the house of God beside all that I haue prepared for the house of my God, I haue prepared for the house of the sanctuary, even three thousand talents of of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of fined silver, to whereby the walls of the houses. The gold for the things of gold, and the silver for the things of silver, and for all the work by the hands of artificers, and who is willing to fill his hand to day unto the lord. So the princes of the Families, and the princes of the tribes of Israell, and the captaines of thousands and of hundreds, which the rulers of the king his work offered willingly & they gave for the service of the house of God, five thousand talents of gold, & ten thousand pieces, and ten thousand talents of silver, & eighteen thousand talents of brass, and one hundreth talents of iron. And with whom precious stones were found, gave them to the treasure of the house of the Lord by the hand of IEHIEL the Gershonite. And the people rejoiced when they offered willingly: for they offered willingly unto the lord with a perfect heart. And DAVID the king also reioyced with great ioy. Therfore DAVID blessed the Lord before all the congregation, and DAVID said. Blessed be thou, o Lord God of Israel, our father for ever and ever. Thine o Lord is greatness, and power, and glory, and victory, and praise, for all that is in heaven, and earth is thine: Thine is the kingdom, o Lord, and thou excellest as head over all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all, and in thine hand is power, and strength: and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therfore our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. But who am I? and what is my people, that we should be able to offer willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee; & of thine own hand we haue given thee: For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, like all our fathers: Our dayes are like the shadow vpon the earth, & there is none abiding: o Lord our God in al this abundance, that we haue prepared, to build thee an house for thy holy name, is of thine hand, and all is thine. I know also my God, that thou triest the hart, and hast pleasure in righteousness: I haue offered willingly in the uprightness of mine heart all these things: now also haue I seen thy people which are found here to offer unto thee willingly with ioy, o Lord God ABRAHAM, IZZAK, and ISRAEL our forefathers, keep this for ever in purpose, and the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their hearts unto thee. And give unto SOLOMON my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all things, and to build the house which I haue prepared. And DAVID said unto all the congregation. now bless the lord your God: And all the congregation blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped the Lord, and the king. &c. So shall our most gracious prince and her people, not onely in contemplation behold this house, as DAVID did the other, but with SOLOMON also, see it erected, in al perfection, and rejoice wonderfully in the glorious beauty thereof. How much would this worthy work advance the honor of our Lord Christ? who no doubt, would honor you all again in that great day, and make mention of this noble act in that glorious assembly, to your unspeakable comfort. Howe much should you make the angels of God to rejoice; who are glad at the conversion of one sinner? How many that remain in their manifold sins and ignorance, would the Lord convert, if these workmen were sent abroad to every place? For the harvest is great, and the labourers are few. Thē should the Lord his eyes be more vigilant to gard her royal person and the whole land. Then should all the people bee knit together in one true religion, and be of one heart, and one soul, and not be carried away with the blast of every Iesuite, saying: Will you forsake the religion of your forefathers? lived they not well? Had they not plenty of all things? For we think that nothing will destroy these vermin of the land without the plentiful preaching of the word. But being enriched therwith, we should earnestly despise the Pope his trash, and tread it under his feet as dung, which is now very saleable in this land. Then should these Iesuites be forced to cry as it were skrich owls not being able to abide the clear light of the gospel, and fly into desolate places, and mourn with the dragons at Rome. Then should the prayers of the people which should be born a new by the immortal seed of the word, be as the sound of many Orators, for the preservation of her majesties person, the honourable counsel, the inferior magistrates, and the peace of the whole land. Then, when the Lord his way shall be known vpon this earth, and his saving health among all this people, then shall our land bring forth her increase, & God even our own God shall give us his blessing. Then shall it be known that the Ministers of the word, are the chariots and horsemen of Israel. Most humbly therfore we pray, and beseech our most gracious sovereign, and you the right honourable counsellors and the Nobility of this Land, you reverend Fathers of the clergy, you worthy Iudges of the Lawe, and also you right worshipful knights and Burgesses of the Lower House, not to shrinck away and wash your hands of this work, but to raise up yourselves, and as every one hath received from Iesus christ greater wisdom, authority, and magnanimity then another, so to strive and contend one with another, to strengthen the army of Christ, and 〈◇〉 place him in the royal seat of his king●●me. Which thing performed, as it would bee a glorious example for all christendom to imitate, and a day of ioy and solemnity, more excellent then that day which the Iewes held for their deliverance from the conspiracy of HAMMON, not onely in this present age, but also in all posterities to come: so would it bee the dolefullest day to the kingdom of the divell and Antichrist, that ever was known in this land. Which our most merciful father of his infinite mercy in Christ bring to pass: To whose blessing, and direction of his holy spirit, in all your affairs, and consultations, wee commend you, with unfeigned prayers this time and ever. Amen.