ENGLAND'S Tears and Lamentation For her lost Friend PEACE, AND Her comfort for the continuance of TRUTH:  
OR Truth and Peace justly pleaded for, and truly Petitioned for, by him that is neither Factious nor self-affected; but only desires the prosperity of his Country, and that Peace and the Gospel may be joined together, without which we shall never expect to live in Unity.  
London, Printed for William Ley. 1642.   

A Moderate Plea for Truth and Peace, or Truth and Peace reconciled.  
WEre I endued with the demure and seraphical patience of Solomon, or enriched with the glistering Rhetoric of Aristotle, then might I hope to persuade this depraved dissipated age, to lay aside there study of parties to part all, and sweetly insinuate persuasive reasons, that might win the spirits of this irrational rage, seriously to lay their hands on their hearts, before the days come wherein we may all say we have no pleasure in them, and weigh in deepest Judgement the direful judgements that begin to pain and pinch us all, and look upon them not only as the fruits of pernicious counsel and Counsellors, but the black web of all our weavings, the sad presages of Jerusalem's, Germanies, Ireland's line drawing over England, let every one mend one, each party quarrel with their own persons, and every man look into his own bosom, and he shall there see and read the tokens of an angry God: England hath abused the height of sweetest and dearest mercies, and in stead of being allured and won to serve that God who hath been the Donor, Jesuram hath waxed fat and kicked, and in the midst of our mercies we have forgotten the God of our mercies, and therefore (as Chrisostome sadly and seriously) it is just with God, that we that would not remember our God nor ourselves, should be plagued in forgetting both, and now Ephram is against Manasses and both against Judah, and most against God, O how happy should I think myself if I might write a word in due season, and all wou●d look on it as apples of gold in pictures of silver, that while some are earnest Proctors for a pernicious peace without Christian terms, in a word most neglect truth under pretended zeal for peace, and many are possessed with zeal without discretion, and the general seek neither with christian moderation, Oh times! Oh manners! what strange times are we fallen into, that none or few are found really to be fillii veritatis & alum in pacis, lovers of truth & peace: it is a Paradox in our age to love both, dreadful must be our condition and bitterness in the end, if there be found never a Moses that hath a fire of holy zeal, to rebuke and correct the people for Idolatry, and a meek mind to pray and seek their peace. Is not every man that i● worthy the name of a Christian resolved into grief, to see the winter's distemper of our age, which is such, that the love of many if not most is grown cold to truth and peace, truth much obscured, depraved, blemished, prejudiced, undermined, discountenanced, surprised: peace very crazy and sadly shaken, not only with rumours of wars and preparation for war, study of sides and parties to pierce us all, not only great division of thoughts, pertinacy in opinions breeding disaffections, and now disaffections dreadfully flaming into open contentions and hostilities, so far as from the strife of pens and tongues, writing and disputing, we are come to the terror of war, each party contending who shall obtain that— woeful self destroying, which without God work wonders, will make none but death Victor I say, but let these taste but a little of the miseries of war, they would know it is there, as Socrates said it was in marriage, applying the similitude of the fishes, they that are without the net would fain be in, but they that are within would more fain be out, they that finding some discontent in peace called for war to ease them, would do as the old man did in the fable, who being heavy laden, threw his burden down and called for death to take him out of the world, but when death appeared ready to satisfy his desire, to put it off, desired him to help him up with his burden, as though he had called him for nothing else.  
Oh blessed peace thou crownest thy year with thy goodness, and thy paths drop fatness, and blessed hast thou been o England, and our eyes might have been blessed in beholding thee in the triumphs of peace, where we have seen plenty triumphing over famine in the country, riches triumphing over poverty in the City, learning triumphing over ignorance in the University, Justice almost triumphing over vice in the Kingdon, and the King triumphing over danger in the loyalty of his Subjects: these are the triumphs of peace; and the God of peace restore and continue this peace, that the fury of war may never turn this Paradise into a Wilderness, nor make England which hath been a Map of Majesty to other Nations, a Map of confusion, and let us say, beati pacifici, after our Saviour, blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the Children of God, and let the blessing of our heavenly father crown His Majesty's Royal head with grey hairs; the silver crown of age, let God create the fruits of the lips peace, let that precious ointment which was richly shed upon the head of our high Priest Christ Jesus, descend to the skirts of his clothing, with an influence of like virtue, that as our Saviour healed the woman's issue of blood, so he may staunch the bleeding wounds of Church and state, that hath put itself under his protection, and that his sacred Majesty may speedily decline all pernicious counsels, and deliver into the hands of justice, all crafty achitophel's, that Prince and people may shout for joy, in seeing the nuptial day of peace and truth, which hath as great a share in both as the former truth being the foundation, peace the lovely structure and building, the same Christ that said blessed are the peacemakers, with the same blessed mouth said blessed are the pure in heart, which cannot be enjoyed without truth; though it be granted, which is as much as can be granted, that peace is the felicity of the Saints of heaven, the glory of the blessed Angels, the desire of nations, the royalty of God himself, yet let wise men consider, that without truth, these heights and the highest with reverence be it spoken, were but as sounding brass and a tinkling Symbol; if peace be the felicity of the Saints, if truth were not in it would not its beauty whither? it's silver become dross, and its gold tin? say it be the glory of Angels, were that glory worth the having, if this ingredient were not in it: & let the height of honour be set as a crown of incomparable gold, and precious stones on its head, and let men men believe it is the royalty of God himself, yet without this let us cover our faces in speaking being we are not: Truth is the most transcendent glory of the divine Majesty, if we may say God is capable of degrees, all the glorious attributes of God receive there being from this, which if I speak as it is, is no less than God himself in his height of blessedness, this truth is the increated light of the Intellectual world, shining from God to Angels and men, and let men's hearts harp on this, that peace is the desire of nations, what is peace without Truth? not peace but the shadow of peace enjoyed without truth loved, is to use solomon's; phrase like a jewel of pearl in in a swine's snoat, and let me speak and all England hear, had truth blessed truths fundamentals at least been holily and thankfully received, peace had never departed, had truth been better welcome and more desieed by all, peace had never taken its leave so suddenly and sadly, and the only way to have peace restored in purity and perfection, is to purge our hearts, and then seek God's peace, and if none this blood not of nation but of our nation purge us; then blessed shall we be that are in such a case, ye happy that have the Lord fully and reconciledly for our God, and then the other I say of truth and peace as the author of both in another case, those whom God hath joined together let no man dare to put asunder, as men naturally incline to follow that Petition with ardency, Lord send peace in our days, so let them with as much fervency and sincerity, contend for that of david's, that righteousness and peace may kiss each other, and let that heart, tongue and hand, sink, perish, and whither, that will not say Amen.  
Truth and peace like a loving couple, they seek the preservation of each others estate, and like Hypocrates twins they laugh together, and are like affected: survey their sweet congruity, and you will say as a lovely couple, it were sin and pity to part them, truth and peace being bona publica & universalia, 
Doctor Gauden in his seasonable Serm n before the truly Honourable Huose of Commons.  truth for the soul, peace for the body and state, every one hath a share and interest in them, Prince, Peers, and people: Behold with judicious eyes, and weigh with judgement the vanity, folly, misery, impossibility of real enjoining one without the other, ponder, and ponder wisely, meekly, moderately, ruminate with serious and saddest thoughts on this, all ye that neglect the fair opportunities of peace, and look upon it with a foolish disdain like a coy dame on a loving suitor, whom after she hath slighted and neglected, would upon second thoughts gladly embrace with dearest affections when too late, but other guests will soon be invited, nay come riding on the wings of the wind; and peace will dwell within our walls and plenteousness in our palaces, therefore let not any sons of Belial blow any longer the fire of contention, and in seeking their own ends, endeavour to end all. Let not the Prince wage war rashly, but remember the advise given to Augustus, to repeat all the letters of his Alphabet when he was angry before he do any thing, and our dread Sovereign should do well to try all his let●e●s, all his learning, all his skill first, all his Counsel, before he engage his Royal Person, loving and loyal Subjects, in an unnatural war; and let him not proceed to war implacably; Hercules club they say was made of Olive, an emblem of peace, and peace must there be desired where war cannot be warranted, Oh that God would persuade his Royal heart not to go to war, but as An dronicus proceeded to the execution of justice with the saying of St. Paul, in his mouth and heart, non quod volo bonum facio, etc. the good I would I do not, and the evil I would not that do I, and resolve with our Saviour, if my right eye offend me and my people, I will pluck it out, and if my right hand offend justly, I will cut it off, better one or few I account dear should perish then the whole body be inevitably lost, and let our right Honourable Parliament say as they have often, so God may be glorified, the King truly honoured, Haman hanged, the people blessed in the enjoyment of truth and peace, let our honour lie in the dust, our estates waste, our pleasures and profits be known no more.  
And let all men pray for King and Parliament, and that those that God hath joined together, those may be accursed that ere part asunder, and let none sinfully prefer an unwarrantable unjust peace, before a just war, lest the just God teach them better divinity by the rod of severity; all know God justified Israel's war, with his Brother Benjamine, and commanded war with Amalech; War in itself is an appeal to heaven by a sword, when other ways of Justice upon earth, either by witness, oaths, or Leagues are made void, and invallid; and Religion is a greater happiness than peace, Religion is just so much the best of blessings as God is the best of beings, a p; entifull table to feed the body without profitable discourse to feed the mind, is little better than a manger, Israel had 3. crowns as Talmud observes, of the King, of the Priest, of the Law, but the crown of the Law was the chief of the three; in a word let peace and truth be in all men's lives and loves, truth as the roots, peace as the fruits, and; et a;; desire nothing more than that the son of GOD may reign, and that with and under the son of GOD the King may command, and we as good subjects to the Christ and the King, may obey, so prays he that loves truth and peace.   
FINIS.