THE Puritans impurity: OR THE anatomy Of a Puritan or SEPERATIST, by Name and Profession, Wherein is declared the differences betwixt a true PROTESTANT and a Puritan, made manifest by the Sinceritv of the one and hypocrisy of the other.  
Likewise the comeliness and necessity of Reverence used in the performing of the Service of GOD, especially at the receiving of the SACRAMENT.  
By JOHN HARRIS Gent.  1 Corinth. 11. vers. 27. 
For whosoever shall eat this Bread and drink this Cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.  
LONDON.  
Printed by T. faucet. MDCXLI.   

The PURITANE's impurity.  
IN these preposterous times many vices are predominant but amongst all the whole brood of vices, there is none so great, there is none grown to that height, there's none so seprous as this of Puritanism, the errors of which Sect by the grace of God, I will plainly Anatomize and lay open to the view of all men, but first it is requisite that we should examine who is pure. Secondly, what creatures they are that count themselves pure. Thirdly, the effects of their purity, Fourthly, their opinions and hypocritical lives. Fiftly, whether the fruit of purity be hypocrisy. Sixtly and lastly, the difference betwixt a true Protestant and a dissembling Puritan, all which points in their order by God's assistance I shall lay open & plainly decipher, with as much brevity as possible I can, desiring all judicious and true Protestants, to read it with as much care, and as free from envy, as I shall express in the writing, for God witness with me, although I hate their opinions, I love the men, and it shall be mine (and aught to be the prayer of every true Christian) to God that he would be pleased to illuminate their darkened judgements, to open their eyes and guide their wandering feet into the way of peace, as touching the first point or question who is pure, I hope it is needless to tell any believer, yet I will give you one testimony which shall serve as a prop, unto that man, if there be such a one which shall stagger in his belief, and doubt of God's purity, you may read in the 19 psalm the 82. ver. These words, The Statutes of the Lord are right and rejoice the heart, the commandment of the Lord is pure, and giveth light unto the eyes, Likewise Psal. 25. at the 7. ver. gracious and Righteous is the Lord, for he will teach sinners in the way. So in the 33. Psal. at the 34 verse, Sing unto the Lord a song, sing praises unto him with a good courage, for the word of the Lord is true, and all his works are faithful, thus much shall serve as touching this point, which I trust is apparently manifest in every one of our hearts, namely that God is pure, nevertheless it will ask some labour, to make it apparent, that there is none pure but God, for in these latter times since, has got so great a predomination in some men's hearts, and so fair a pretence withal, that they presume to cover all their vicious opinions with the pure mantle of Religion, now to prove that there is none pure but God, I might quote many places in Scripture, but it were a needless labour bestowed on so worthless a subject, only these 3. shall serve, the first of which, you shall find in the 7. of Eccles. at the 20. ver. There is not a just man upon Earth that doth good and sinneth not, the second proof you shall find in the 14. Psal. 2. ver. there is none that doth good, no not one. Likewise Rom. 30. 23. all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. As touching the third point what sort of Creatures they are that count themselves pure, namely sinful men, sons and daughters of Adam, we are all heirs of original sin from our first Father, now if we be borne in sin, if we be spotted with leprosy, we cannot be pure, but per-adventure they will plead that the power of original sin and the strength of the law was abolished by Christ's death, to this I answer, that to all believers it was, for Christ's obedience made full satisfaction for our first Parents disobedience, but then how can they clear themselves from their actual transgressions, their sins of omission, their sins of Commission, their wilful sins, their sins of ignorance, are those men pure, that produce nought but the effects of impurity, are those men worshippers of God, which worship their own erroneous opinions, are they lovers of Christ which they never saw, yet hate their brothers whom they see daily, are these men pleasers of God, which prefer their own wills before God's pleasure, non est optima quae placet, sed quae decet, that is not best which pleases, but that which becomes thee, now whether it is most becoming to please God or thyself, I leave it to thy consideration; God commands thee to love thy brother, wilt thou hate him, then surely thou preferst thy own pleasure before God's command, but of this anon, moreover Christ while he was conversant on Earth laboured to convert sinners, I came not to call the Righteous but sinners to Repentance, says that physician of our souls Christ Jesus, he spent his time in curing the diseased, in feeding the poor, in performing good and pious works, now if these men be Imitators of Christ, we shall suddenly discern, by their actions, a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit, Luke 6. 43. Now let us examine the actions of these separatists alias Puritans, the fruit of a true Christian must be faith in Christ Jesus, Secondly, the fruit of that faith must be springing, it must not be a dead faith, now the greatest expression of a lively faith is good works, as you may read in the 2. of St. James, at the 26. ver. As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without good works is dead, Is it so then that charitable works are the lively fruits of faith, is it so then that faith without good works is dead, what just cause have we then to fear that those men which term themselves separatists, what cause have we i say to fear that their faith is a dead faith, for they are so far from good works themselves, that they will persuade others from the exercise of that pious duty, Thirdly, the badge of a lively faith is humility, & a reverend zeal in the performing God's service, as we may read a perfect example in Christ Jesus, who when he prayed humbled himself before his Father, as you may see in the 22. chap. Luke, ver. 21. And when he was withdrawn from them about a stones cast he kneeled down and prayed. Likewise you may read how Humility and reverence was accepted in the Publican, when boasting Arrogancy was rejected in the proud Pharisee, Luke the 18. ver. 13. Now that these sort of men are proud, may easily be expressed, for they are so far from humility, that at the receiving of the Sacrament which is the greatest and surest means of our Salvation, they will not vouchsafe to kneel but sit on their Cushions or places of ease, they are so lazy, or as we may term them so extreme proud, that they will not vouchsafe to go to meet Christ, but he must come to them, the people of Jerusalem when they heard Christ was coming to the City, they ran to meet him, they strewed the way, they met him with a Song of praise and thanksgiving, Hosana, Hosana in the highest, blessed is the King of Israel which cometh in the name of the Lord, Joh. 12. ver. 13. Beloved, did these people so extol the Lord? Did they reverence him, did they run to meet him, because they had received temporal Blessings of him, because he had cured their lame and given sight unto the blind, and shall not we reverence him, shall not we earnestly run to meet him that healed our leprous souls, that gave eyes of understanding to our blind judgements, that died to redeem us from eternal death, surely beloved if we shall neglect this grateful duty, these Jews, these people of Jerusalem shall rise up in judgement against us, but to my former discourse, our Precisians think it to much labour, it savours of superstition to come up to the Communion Table, therefore if the bread and wine which is the sign of our substantial saviour be not brought to them, they will rather choose to disturb the whole Congregation to make a mutiny in the presence of God then be persuaded from their diabolical opinions, the next point we are to examine is what sort of men they be that are of this opinion, to wit mechanic persons, for the most part unlectured grooms, Coachmen, Feltmakers, cobblers, Weavers, glover's, hawking Ironmongers walking after the imaginations of their own hearts, whose consciences are in a consumption, and wits as rusty as a piece of old Iron which has been broken and thrown on the dunghill, these rusty companions are known well enough, in every street their abominations break forth, and like to spreading ulcers infect poor innocent souls, this beguiler sells his pills very cheap, you may buy one for a penny, but take heed, taste it not for if you do, it will spoil your Common prayer; but to proceed, that they are ignorant souls, may appear in this, that they prefer the Discipline of ignorant men of their own Society, before the Discipline of learned men, they prefer the dross before the treasure, they prefer a dunce that will flatter and wrest his text according to the fancies of his Auditors, before a learned Divine, that teaches Orthodox Doctrine, that will open with the Key of knowledge, the Cabinet of the Scriptures, alas, Orthodox Doctrine is to cold of digestion for their queasy stomachs, it is to deep for them, oh no, it is the language of the beast, and they will not hear it, they will rather forsake the Church, and get under a hedge then endure to be told of their iniquities, so much concerning what sorts of people, they are that think themselves pure, next I come to the effects of their purity, they are proud, they are envious, they are enemies to the Church, they are enemies to learning, they are self-willed, self-conceited, they are hearers but not doers, they are covetous, they are liars, they are persecutors of the poor, oppressors of the needy. In fine, i may say with David, there's not one good, no not one, now if this be the fruit of Purity, let all true Christians judge, next for their opinions, namely, that it is lawful to separate themselves from the wicked, but what avails it to separate themselves from the performers or actors of iniquity, when they retain and keep the same iniquity in their hearts, what is it for a man to leave the Society of a public whore, and keep a private one, what is it to hate swearing and love lying, what is it for me to hate a vice in another, and love it in myself, could they separate themselves from their sins, as easily as they separate themselves from the Society of the wicked (as they term us) I would be one of their conventicle, but so long as i see so much deceit, so much poison in a golden pill, so much baseness covered under a religion's mantle, i'll rather choose to be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord, than a bawling Pastor in their Synagogue, Fiftly, for their lives and conversations, they are men which respect their profits above their consciences, for let a man be of what condition soever, if they think they can profit by him, than they will express a great deal of formality, a great deal of love and kindness, but make trial of their love, and then in verity you shall find them inwardly Jew's, though outwardly Saints, they are all for profit, nothing for love, their zeal has forgot what St. Paul says in the 2 chap. 1 Epistle of St. John about the 9, 10, and 11. verses. He that saith he is in the light and hateth his brother is in darkness, Likewise chap. 3. ver. 15, whosoever hateth his brother is a Murderer, and you know that no Murderer hath eternal life abiding in him, but they will say that they do not hate their brethren but the wicked, to this I answer, so long as they continue in sin they are brothers unto the most wicked man, and in hating him they hate their brother, for we are all Sons of one Father, or will you say that all they that are not of your opinion are the wicked, it does appear so, for you have separated yourselves from us, and what greater symptom of hate can there be then separation, but yet take heed, judge not lost you be judged, again, has the wickedness of the people made the Church wicked, why should you hate that, is a Surplice, a bugbear, or is the Common Prayer of force to blister your precise ears, if you should vouchsafe to hear it, you may read in Matth. chap. 24. ver. 28. these words, Wheresoever the carcase is, there will the Eagles be gathered together, this carcase may be termed the word of God, and the Eagles all true Christians, now if the word of God be taught in the Church, let all true Christians resort thither, as for them that think to go to Heaven blindfold, let them go on, let them spend their days according to the imaginations of their own hearts; let them live securely, yet let them remember that secura vita est mare mortuum, a secure life is a dead Sea, let them separate, let them rail, let them reign in vice; yet let them at last remember, that for all these things they must come to judgement, Lastly, the differences betwixt a true Protestant and a Puritan, are declared in these four things, a Protestant will deal uprightly, a Puritan will cozen his Father, a true Protestant will love his enemy, a Puritan will hate every man, a true Protestant will serve God devoutly▪ and express it in his life and conversation, a Puritan will make a zealous show of serving God, but express the contrary in his life and conversation, a Protestant will relieve the poor and fatherless, a Puritan will oppress the fatherless and widow, as it is apparent in too many of your zealous Professors, but let them take heed that Christ pronounce not that judgement against them, which is mentioned in the 25. chap. Matth. 45. ver. Verily I say unto you, forasmuch as you have not relieved the poorest of my Brethren, you did it not to me, therefore these shall go into eternal torments but the Righteous into life eternal, is it so then that the poorest Creature is Christ's brother, is it so that those that have neglected to feed the poor, shall receive that heavy sentence, How much more than are they liable to this bitter doom that have oppressed the fatherless and widow, that have suffered their poor brethren to starve for want of food, that have fed on dilicious, cars themselves, yet not afforded the crumbs to their brother Lazarus, God knows this duty of charity is cold in all men, especially in this Sect, who instead of relieving a poor creature will send him going with, God help thee, or it may be they will bestow the title of lazy knave, or counterfeit rascal, but not a farthing, although begged for Christ's sake, I beseech God of his abundant mercy open their hearts, send down the heavenly dew of thy mercy upon us and them. that we may no longer be dead in sin, but spring and flourish and bring forth fruits worthy amendment of life, o shall we love one another, so shall we glorify thee our God, on Earth, and when we die be pertakens of thy glory in Heaven.  
We beseech thee to hear us good Lord.  
FINIS.