A LETTER OF Friendly Admonition TO A DIVINE of the SYNOD, Upon occasion of a Sermon preached by him, Octob. 18. 1647. TOGETHER, With certain Quaeres presented to the SYNOD: Wherein the main Objections against the commonprayer set forth in the Preface to the late Directory are examined; Together, with other Acts that have been done against the suffering party of this kingdom. And the Answer of the Synod desired thereunto. By a hearty wellwisher to Truth & Peace, T.W.  {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Si ego, quis ego, si non ego, quis? 
Printed in the year, MDCXLVII.   

An Advertisement to the Reader.  
Honest Reader,  
PRincipium bene agendi est b●ne sape, & proaemium bene sapiendi est bene dubitare; The beginning of well doing is to know well, and the preface of well knowing is to doubt well. Had this been the preface, or that the principle of those with whom I have to do in this Treatise, for the leading on and rectifying of those Acts which they have done, in order, or rather in disorder to the Church. I should not have needed to have troubled them or thee with so many doubts or queries as are here presented to thy view, but their overhasty resolutions have brought forth these questions. Had they sincerely and impartially examined their designs before hand, we had been saved the labour of this after examination of their performance; some may perhaps count me with the Proverb, That a fool may ask more questions than many a wise man can answer▪ & others may charge me with overmuch arrogancy and boldness, To take upon me the examination of the acts of a whole Synod, consisting of so many learned Divines; others may blot me and this book with the imputation of impertinency in seeming to require answers of them for those things which are the Issues of another womb, the sharp effects of the influence of another Constellation. And perhaps there will not be some wanting that will challenge me of less clearness, and of as little ingenuity in my proceeding in that I have not set up the particular marks that I have shot at, before every shaft that I have let go, that is to say, That I have not set down the particular passages of the Directory against every Quaere which is passed upon them. And indeed it is but reason, that I who am so forward to require satisfaction of others, should not be backward in giving satisfaction to others that may require it of me: mine answer therefore to them that shall examine me, or that shall make any of the aforesaid objections against me, is this:  
To the first, That it is too true, That it is very easy for wisdom to be pozed and puzzled by folly. The many unnecessary, fruitless, unsober and pernicious questions of this age, that is sick of an inquisition, do too plainly and evidently convince it. But yet though curiosity hath the stamp both of malevolency and folly upon it, yet it may be remembered, that as wise men are bound in reason to clear and justify those acts which they do of public concernment: so it may be the part of honest and sober men to desire it of them, especially where many consciences are engaged upon the inquest, and that under the penalty of an eternal mulct, and where the Authority whereby things are done is within a little as doubtful, as the reason of their doing being done.  
It may well be I confess, that that Painter spoiled his picture that mended it, or rather altered it according to the exceptions of every fancy that would find fault with it; an error that some are too guilty of in these days, in the too easy change of frames and draughts of a far greater moment than the painter's workmanship, and an eye endued but with natural and ordinary skill may easily perceive what a comely deformity is left us. If the people must always be heard in such matters, I mean in matters of Church and State government; they will never likely have done their quarrels, until they have quarrelled or agitated all into confusion; since as Judicious Mr. Hooker hath well observed, and we find by lamentable experience at this day: There is scarce any thing more easy than to persuade a people that they are not well governed; no yoke can be so fit or easy to their necks, but those untamed Calves or Bullocks will be ready enough to shake it off, and plead for licentiousness under the name of liberty; hence it is that affectation of novelty is such an epidemical disease amongst them, and not more universal than turbulent and pernicious; which made the Thurian's lawgiver provide that severe antidote against it, by making a law that whoever would go about either to abolish any one of the old laws, or attempt to establish a new, should present himself before the people with a rope about his neck: to the end, that if his invention were not approved of all men he should presently be strangled, and so he should taste first of the poison that himself had mingled: That it might not be safe for any man to propose that which should be dangerous to the whole body. A law that never was more needful than to our people, and in these days; and I think we may well wish it had been the first Act of this present Parliament; it might no doubt have saved a great many lives, and prevented a multitude of mischiefs. A great Moralist maketh it a great doubt, whether any so evident profit may be found in the change of a received Law of what nature whatsoever, as there is hurt in the removing of the same, for so much, as a well settled policy may be compared to a frame or building of divers parts joined together with such a ligament as it is impossible to stir or displace one, but the whole body must needs be shaken or show a feeling in it. The doubt I conceive to be a little too general, but yet the reason that he giveth hath proved too true in our present condition. And the old rusty sword of justice at Marseille, that the same author tells us of, was a good emblmee to signify, the great caution that should be used in admitting of novelty in public administrations.  
But yet though the danger of novelty doth forbid the People to be admitted for tamperers with the settled constitutions of a kingdom, since the selfish nature of men is such, that for the most part every one (as we see) would have his private affections and designs be the only gauges of public rules, and the profit of one man is observed to be the damage of another; yet when the perilous business of changing old or making new laws is set on foot, it is not inexpedient that all men's objections may be heard against them before they be throughly established; and therefore it were not a misle that as some Colleges use to deal in the admission of their members, making them probationers for a certain time before they be finally admitted into the number; so those new laws that are brought in might be probationers too amongst us for a convenient time, in which time it might be free for all men to make their exceptions against them in a fair and peaceable manner. The banes of them should be first as it were publicly asked as we use to do in marria●es, and liberty allowed to every man to show cause if he knows any why they ought not to be contracted with the commonwealth; and when they are once so settled, for ever after the people should be bound to hold their peace, unless it be in such case where some clear and manifest opposition is discovered between the Law of God and the received constitutions: In which case also there is great moderation to be used, and nothing to be extorted by force or tumult, nor is it often found that the people are fit Judges in such things.  
But this may serve I hope to excuse me from the over-severe censure either of folly or malignity, in that now I have endeavoured so far to serve the good of the Church & State; as now in this time of attempted change, and whilst those new laws that are brought in are yet upon their probation▪ being not yet established by a full authority (which cannot be done with pretermission of, or contradiction of the supreme magistrate) yea, whilst the laws are yet in force whereby the old customs are ordained (Unless we will admit that the acts of a less and more imperfect power may abolish the acts of that which is more full and perfect, or that a Body without a Head hath more faculty and perfection than a Body and Head together) I hope I say I may be excused from the aforesaid censures, if now I have discharged so much faithfulness to the Church and State, and particularly to my Prince and the suffering party, as to offer my objections against those things that are attempted in a fair way to the public view, and especially unto their consideration who have taken upon them the manage of the business.  
And this may serve in part too, for an answer unto the second objection that may be made against me in point of Arrogancy, in undertaking the examination of the Acts of a whole Synod. I shall acknowledge the parts and gifts that are amongst them to be far more eminent than any I can pretend unto I contend not with them in these things, but I hope to be found as faithful as they, and think I have altogether as much Authority to desire a resolution from them of those doubts that conscience may make against, that they have done, as they hav● (being not designed by the supreme power, or the Church thereunto) to make constitutions wherein men's Conscience are not satisfied. God hath chosen the foolish things of the World to confound the wise, the weaker things of the World to confound the things that are mighty, the base things of the World and things that are despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not to bring to nought things that are; that flesh should glory in his presence. I desire not to make odious comparisons for them, nor ambitious or arrogant ones for myself, not to quench but revive the flames of Christian love betwixt us. But yet it is possible they may be in an error; and than Micaiah was no presumptuous Prophet to oppose 400 Prophets that had mistaken their message; and I could tell my censurers that the Arrian counsels, and the council of Trent too might have had a more free and uninterrupted passage through the World perhaps, if they had been secured from the examination and opposition from particular men. And we know the Apostle hath laid a command upon us to try the spirits; however we may reverence their gifts, and wish the Church the benefit of them in the right employment; yet we dare not ascribe so much Divinity unto them, as to take all things upon trust that they shall impose upon us, or receive every mettle of their Coinage for pure Gold, without bringing it unto the ●est, lest in so exalting them we should debase the most high; and whilst we afford such reverence unto them, we should forget to pay that reverence which is due from us, unto the Church of England, and those Constitutions which have been established by other former Synods at least as authentical as they.  
If all this will not justify me form a blot of insolency, I must bear it for aught I know, only to make them the more inclinable to lenity in their censure of it: give me leave to say, that if I cannot be freed from the guilt of insolency, in taking upon me to examine the Acts of a whole Synod (as they are styled) I cannot see how it will gain them the Glory of modesty to take upon them not only to examine but to abolish the Acts of the Church of England, confirmed by the laws of the supreme civil power, and by the Constitutions of the ecclesiastical State of this Nation, unless they had a better calling to do it than we know of.  
To the third quarrel of impertinency that may be entered against me in desiring an answer from them for the actions of others. I answer briefly, That the highest capacity that I can look upon them in, in that Body where they are assembled, is as they are chosen by those others for the direction of their Consciences, in those things which they were to do. And therefore if things have been done amiss, it concerned them to have advised them better, and yet we have some reason to believe, where we consider the advantages that divers of the Synod have made unto themselves of some of those Acts that have been done by others, in the receiving the benefit of pluralities of sequestered Livings, &c. That some of those things were done not for want of their advice to the contrary, but were promoted by their advice and council. And counsellors as well as actors of Inconveniences are answerable to God, and may be desired by men concerned, to afford them satisfaction in Conscience: However it be I do but propose Quaeres and Doubts of them in the main, and if there be any modest harmless way I think that is it.  
To the fourth and last objection that I am liable to. I do not undertake the justification of myself against it, but first excuse it, and desire pardon; my mind is full of many thoughts in these times, many issues I have struggling in the womb of my soul at once, and one hath the hand as it were upon the heel of another, like Jacob upon the heel of his Brother, ready to supplant it, or precipitate the birth of it. Besides the particular business of the Directory reasons was not in my mind when I went first about this work, and that may I hope be admitted for one tolerable Apology for the omission of setting down the Passages of the Directory in the same order with the Quaeres, unto which divers of them are directed.  
But Secondly, to make some amends for this error, I have here afforded thee the draught of the preface to the Directory, where thou hast the several objections thereof against the Common Prayer, which are pointed at, and called to a reckoning in some of the Quaeres, especially in the 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, &c. unto the 26. Together with some other particular passages of the Directory itself concerning burial of the Dead, and holidays which are touched upon therein.  
If any shall desire farther to know why I have not gone through with other passages of the Directory; I answer with the proverb, that haste makes wast, and withal some regard was to be had of the volume in such a time, when people are so easily frighted from a book by the bulk of it. But if I find that the further prosecution thereof shall be desired from so weak and rude a hand as mine is. I shall be willing to make up what hath been wanting ere it be long: In the mean time honest Reader, His mere mecum, read deliberately and judge impartially, and the Lord who is the God of wisdom and Peace fill thee full of the riches of his spiritual wisdom, and restore Peace unto us in these poor distracted kingdoms. Farewell.   

The Preface TO THE DIRECTORY.  
IN the beginning of the blessed Reformation, our wise and pious Ancestors took care to set forth an Order for redress of many things, which they, then, by the Word discovered to be vain, Erroneous, Superstitious and Idolatrous, in the public Worship of God. This occasioned many Godly and Learned men to rejoice much in the book of commonprayer at that time set forth; Because the mass, and the rest of the latin-service being removed, the public Worship was celebrated in our own Tongue; many of the common People also received benefit by hearing the Scriptures read in their own Language, which formerly were unto them as a book that is sealed.  
Howbeit, long and sad Experience hath made it manifest, That the liturgy used in the Church of England, (notwithstanding all the pains and Religious intentions of the Compilers of it) hath proved an offence, not only to many of the Godly at home; but also to the Reformed Churches abroad. For, not to speak of urging the Reading of all the Prayers, which very greatly increased the burden of it; the many unprofitable and burdensome Ceremonies, contained in it, have occasioned much mischief, as well by disquieting the Consciences of many godly Ministers and people who could not yield unto them, as by depriving them of the Ordinances of God, which they might not enjoy without conforming or Subscribing to those Ceremonies. Sundry good Christians have been by means thereof, kept from the Lord's Table, and divers able and faithful Ministers debarred from the exercise of their ministry (to the endangering of many thousand souls, in a time of such scarcity of faithful Pastors) and spoiled of their livelihood, to the undoing of them and their Families. Prelates and their Faction have laboured to raise the Estimation of it to such an height, as if there were no other Worship, or way of Worship of God amongst us, but only the service-book; to the great hindrance of the Preaching of the Word, and (in some places, especially of late) to the justling of it out, as unnecessary; or (at best) as far inferior to the Reading of Common Prayer, which was made no better than an Idol by many Ignorant and Superstitious People, who pleasing themselves in their presence at that Service, and their Lip-labour in bearing a part in it, have thereby hardened themselves in their ignorance and carelessness of saving Knowledge and true Piety.  
In the mean time Papists boasted, that the book was a compliance with them in a great part of their Service, and so were not a little confirmed in their Superstition and Idolatry, expecting rather our return to them, than endeavouring the Reformation of themselves: In which expectation they were of late very much encouraged, when, upon the pretended warrantableness of imposing of the former Ceremonies, new ones were daily obtruded upon the Church.  
Add hereunto (which was not foreseen, but since hath come to pass) that the liturgy hath been a great means, as on the one hand to make increase an idle and unedifying ministry, which contented itself with set forms made to their hands by others, without putting forth themselves to exercise the gift of Prayer, with which our Lord Jesus Christ pleaseth to furnish all his Servants whom he calls to that office: so on the other side it hath been (and ever would be, if continued) a matter of endless strife and contention in the Church, and a snare both to many godly and faithful Ministers, who have been persecuted and silenced upon that occasion, and to others of hopeful parts, many of which have been, and more still would be, diverted from all thoughts of the ministry to other studies; especially in these latter times, wherein God vouchsafeth to his people more and better means for the discovery of error and Superstition, and for attaining of knowledge in the mysteries of godliness, and gifts in Preaching and Prayer.  
Upon these, and many the like weighty considerations, in reference to the whole book in general, and because of divers particulars contained in it; not from any love to Novelty, or intention to disparage our first Reformers (of whom we are persuaded that were they now alive, they would join with us in this work, and whom we acknowledge as Excellent Instruments raised by God to begin the purging and building of his House, and desire they may be had of us and Posterity in everlasting Remembrance, with thankfulness and honour;) but that we may in some measure answer the gracious Providence of God, which at this time calleth upon us for further Reformation, and may satisfy our own Consciences, and answer the expectation of other Reformed Churches, and the desires of many of the godly among ourselves, and with all give some public Testimony of our endeavours for uniformity in Divine Worship, which we have promised in our solemn League and Covenant: We have after earnest and frequent calling upon the Name of God, and after much Consultation, not with flesh and blood, but with his holy Word, resolved to lay aside the former liturgy, with the many Rites and Ceremonies formerly used in the Worship of God: And have agreed upon this following Directory for all the parts of public Worship, at ordinary and extraordinary Times.  
Wherein our care hath been to hold forth such things as are of Divine Institution in every Ordinance; and other things we have endeavoured to set forth according to the Rules of Christian Prudence, agreeable to the general Rules of the Word of God. Our meaning therein being only that the general heads, the sense and scope of the Prayers and other parts of public Worship being known to all, there may be a consent of all the Churches, in those things that contain the substance of the Service and Worship of God; And the Ministers may be hereby directed in their Administrations to keep like soundness in Doctrine and Prayer; and may, if need be, have some help and furniture; And yet so, as they become not hereby slothful and negligent in stirring up the gifts of Christ in them: But, that each one, by meditation, by taking heed to himself and the flock of God committed to him, and by wise observing the ways of Divine Providence, may be careful to furnish his heart and tongue with further, or other materials of Prayer and Exhortation, as shall be needful upon all occasions.   

Concerning burial of the Dead.  
WHen any person departeth this life, let the dead body upon the day of burial, be decently attended from the house to the place appointed for public burial, and there immediately interred, without any Ceremony.  
And because the customs of kneeling down, and praying by, or towards the dead corpse, and other such usages, in the place where it lies, before it be carried to burial, are Superstitious: and for that, praying, reading, and singing, both in going to, and at the Grave, have been grossly abused, are no way beneficial to the Dead, and have proved many ways hurtful to the living, therefore let all such things be laid aside.  
Howbeit, we judge it very convenient, that the Christian friends which accompany the dead body to the place appointed for public burial, do apply themselves to meditations, and conferences suitable to the occasion: and, that the Minister, as upon other occasions, so at this time, if he be present, may put them in remembrance of their duty.  
That this shall not extend to deny any civil respects or differences at the burial, suitable to the rank and condition of the party deceased whiles he was living.   

Concerning days and Places for public Worship.  
THere is no Day commanded in Scripture to be kept holy under the gospel, but the Lord's day, which is the Christian Sabbath.  
Festival days, vulgarly called Holy days, having no warrant in the Word of God, are not to be continued.  
Nevertheless it is lawful and necessary upon special emergent occasions, to separate a day or days for public Fasting or Thanksgiving, as the several eminent and extraordinary dispensations of God's providence shall administer cause & opportunity to his people.   

SIR,  
I Have been several times your Auditor, and cannot but confess that I have heard many Truths from you. Truths employed in their right Offices, Truth vindicating Peace from the bane of Division; and Truths vindicating truth from the liberty of Corruption. I shall not now question with you whether you have guided the Truth unto its right end, as well as you have employed it in its proper Function. I have heard you mourning for the miserable condition of this Church and Nation; and I think every good Christian should join with you in the lamentation of these great evils: For who can think or speak it without a heavy and groaning heart; That we have lived to see the Paradise of the world become a rude and desolate wilderness; The glory of the whole Earth to become the shame and reproach of all Nations: The Temple of God (for so I may well say this kingdom of ours was, if any of late days in the World) turned into a great Den of thieves and Robbers: The erst enclosed Garden of the Almighty, once full of the fragrant Flowers, and wholesome herbs and Plants of Divine Truths, not less amiable in their beauty and ornament, then profitable in their sovereign virtues and operations, & hedged about with an orderly discipline or government (though some thought it grew too high) transformed indeed (not reformed) into a horrid brake of Weeds and briers, and become a free harbour for Toads and Serpents, & every noisome and poisonous creature, whilst falsehoods, and those none of the meanest additions do not as heretofore steel in as thieves by night, or dwell obscurely as stranger (amongst us▪ but are even naturallized, and made free Denizens in this wretched Nation: and as if our Age were the refuse and dregs, the very last off all of all the former winnowings of the floor er of time, and our Nation the sink to receive the Congeries of all that Corruption that ever any Nation hath brought forth, whether in depraved Doctrines, or debauched. Conversation; All the Articles of the Creed almost, the great {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, heretofore to distinguish between Christians, and Jews, and Infidels; and all the holy commandments of God; The great and holy Mounds and Ramparts between the pastures of the Sheep, and the wilderness of the Wolves or Goats; between the road of life, and the broad way of death and damnation, are not only shut out of your Directory for Worship, when as yet they themselves are the great Directory of God, for the main parts of his Worship, (which should have been better considered of) but are as commonly trampled upon as the dirt in the streets.  
— Quis talia fando?  
Mirmidonum dolopumve aut duri miles Ulysses.  
Temperet a lachrimis—  
I cannot blame you to lament these things, I think we should all take up the wish of the Prophet Jeremiah, O that my Head were waters, and mine Eyes a fountain of tears, that we might weep day and night for these things, and for the slain of the daughter of my people. For those many thousands that have been slain by the violence of the sword: and that far greater number which we may justly fear have been, and are daily slain by the famine and corruption of the Word; when we do but think how the glorious maxims of truth, the very foundations of Christianity are shaken and demolished.  
How the Beauty and Order of God's Worship, together with the peace and unity of the Church is defaced and confounded.  
What continual encroachments and inroads Satan makes upon the Lord's Inheritance, to the ravishing and worrying of so many thousands of souls; the blood whereof must be one day accounted for by some body.  
How the Lamps of the Temple, together with the fire of the Altar (sincere knowledge and holy zeal) seems by the twinkling to be even almost ready to go out amongst us. The former being turned for a great part into frantic fancies; and the latter into unsanctified furies.  
How the new nightly Lights, or ignis fatui, that appear to the seducing of the people, whilst they promise to guide them, do seem to be sad Messengers of the declination of the sun of the true and saving knowledge of the Gospel; and to threaten us with the sad lot of Antioch, and Ephesus; and Smyrna, and those other famous ancient Churches, which for less unthankfulness (it may be feared) than we have showed, have been stripped of their ornaments of the Jewels and precious graces of the Gospel, and have had the Candlestick removed from them. How can we but fear the fearful sentence that our Saviour in the close of the Parrable denounced against the Jews, to be the sad judgement that hangs over this Nation; Even that the Vineyard of the Lord shall be taken from us, because we have not yielded the fruit thereof; but have beaten and cast out the Messengers of the Lord with such a sharp and cruel persecution, and that against those that the Authors cannot deny to be Preachers of the truth of the Gospel, and to embrace the same faith which themselves profess and allow, (as for aught I know) I may challenge any to parallel in all respects in any Christian Story: Which together with the many other crying sins of this Nation, may seem to threaten us with that woe of the Prophet, and make us to cry out with him; Woe unto us, for the day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out. Jer. 6.4.  
We have great reason to bear a part with you in the lamentation of those sad consequences that have followed already upon these things, and are likely yet further to come in. Who can mourn sufficiently for them?  
But could we shed forth ten thousand Rivers of tears, yet they would not satisfy the Duty that God expects from us; that we should not content ourselves with a fruitless lamentation, but should all use our best endeavours for a remedy. And sure he is not worthy the name of a Christian that would not readily join with you in this too. And I pray God it be not too late. And I could heartily wish, we could all so far forget ourselves, our interests, our former courses, and illegal, and unwarrantable engagements, as to join together in those means, which are most conducible to a sound and speedy remedy.  
But I shall desire you not to grow angry (if I shall, as I do) earnestly entreat you to cast your thoughts back upon your own ways, and to consider well, whether you and others with whom you have traveled together in turbulent Machinations, have not led on these mischiefs in the road wherein they have hasted to surprise us, whether you have not been too too active in cutting up and pulling down those Mounds of Government both in Church and state, at the ruins whereof, they have broken in; to the great devastation of the inheritance of the Almighty; and whether a Writ of Quare claus●m fregit? will not issue forth against you from an higher Court than the Parliament, unless you prevent it by a timely Repentance, and a serious endeavour to repair those breaches which you have made.  
Consider, I beseech you, whether it had not been wisdom and piety, (however vile and extravagant the old Mounds were grown) to let them have stood, at least not to have pulled them up root and branch, till your new Quick had been grown up, (as wise Husbandmen use to do) and had been able to have kept in the enclosure from those forages that have been since made upon it; especially since (as it appears) you could not foresee what Frosts might nip it, or what Beasts would devour it before it could attain unto its full growth, for all those thorns wherewith you saturn and covered it.  
Let this Meditation take up some of your solitary and serious minutes, and if your Conscience will take no Bribes from Interest, I hope you may discover it to be a friendly Admonition.  
I am glad you have learned; but how did you learn it? by acting upon others, or suffering yourself? but I am glad you have learned it; but sorry that you have learned it so late, and by such sad experience, That Persecution it such an innocent and profitable thing unto the sufferers. But I must beseech you to remember, That it is not altogether either so innocent or profitable to the inflicters▪ I would you had not been so busy in reading hard Lectures upon this subject unto others, before you would acknowledge it yourself. I am very well pleased to hear you now tell us, That the greatest Persecution is better than those far greater evils which are now come upon us. Had you but learned this seven years' sooner, you would not sure have been so impatient of a fancied Persecution, or at the most so light a one as the worst of it was; as in the shaking off that yoke from off your neck, and by springing so violent a Mine under the late Ancient Government, to have opened the door to all that Rabble that is come in. Me thinks your present Doctrine is a secret retractation of your practice heretofore: let your future practice be now answerable to your Doctrine, or take heed your Sermons be not turned into Bills of Indictments against yourself, when you shall stand at the bar of the great tribunal. You see now I hope how dangerous a thing it is to be tampering with the frame of a Church or State, when it is once reasonably settled in any tolerable condition: and that it was a wise saying of holy Augustine, 
Aug. Ep. ad Januarium.  josa quippe mutatio consuetudines etiam quae adjuvat utilitate novitate purturbat, That the change of things received by custom, although it be such as may help by the commodity of it doth cause trouble and disturbance by the novelty.  
You find now I hope, that every Novelty is not a Medicine.  
I think you cannot, I am sure you dare not deny, but many men did, and more might have gone to Heaven, had that Frame, and Government, and Discipline been continued, which was founded in the blood of so many Martyrs; at least if it had been peaceably and orderly reformed, by a wise and moderate reclaiming of some wild Branches that had crept into it; and by a reduction of it to a (somewhat more near compliance) with the frames of the Primitive times.  
Tell me truly, or if you will not confess to us, yet confess to your own Conscience; do you not find cause heartily to wish, that you had left some things undone.  
We had need take heed what sparkles we kindle, unless we be well assured that we know how and when to quench them again, lest we burn down the House we dwell in.  
Who would have thought that the setting fire of a pair of lawn sleeves, and a Common prayer-book, should have made so much Tinder to light such a multitude of Matches amongst us, to set such a blaze into three several kingdoms.  
Oh this Ambition! it is a pestilent Tumour. And Diogenes his Pride it's thought was as bad as Plato's. 
Calco fastu● Pla●onis, said Diogenes. Sed majori fastu, replied Plato.  I am sorry his Tub too is in such request amongst us.  
Oh this covetousness! it is no good chirurgeon to cure the wounds of a Church or State: it hath proved unto us like those Medici parisienses, it is too much given to Phlebotomy. A bloody sin it is without doubt, but will the Bishop's Lands, or the sequestered livings, or Deaneries think you pay for that great Acceldama of this land? Oh a peaceable mind; it is a rich commodity.  
Sir, I could find more to say in this matter: But I shall conclude, commending unto your consideration these few sayings of the wise man.  
The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: 
Prov. 17.14.  therefore leave off contention before it be meddled with.  
It needs no other descant but what as I remember yourself gave upon it not long since, I refer you to your own Notes.  
He that diggeth a Pit shall fall into it, 
Eccl. 10.8.  and who so breaketh an hedge, a Serpent shall bite him.  
Remove not the ancient landmark, 
Prov. 22.28.  which thy Fathers have set.  
One more. My son, 
Prov. 24.21.  fear thou the Lord and the King: and meddle not with them that are given to change.  
Sir, think me not your Enemy for this advice. I assure you, I heartily wish your greatest good; and I pray you consider that I am but a poor runinous Wall, that have received so strong a beam of your own light from you, and thus reflected it upon you again for your good.  
Of which I rest an hearty wellwisher in the recovery and preservation of Truth and Peace, and righteousness in the Church, and in the prosperity of my gracious sovereign and his kingdom: {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}. Octob. 18. Die Dominico noctiscente. Anno infaustae seditionis Anglianae jam curente septimo foelicissimae verò incarnativus Dominicae supra millessimo sexcentissimo quadragessimo septimo.  
POSTSCRIPT.  
SIR, where men wish no good, they do not use to expectany; that you may guess therefore by my confidence in you, how far I am from wishing any evil unto you, I am bold here to entreat your favour to present these few Quaeres to your Synod, desiring their sincere and speedy resolution.