A Winding-Sheet FOR THE Anabaptists & Quakers; OR The Death and Burial of their Fanatic Doctrines.  
Being a Discovery of their dangerous Designs, wicked practices, and malicious Endeavours, to subvert all Civil Government, both in Church and State.  
As also, the strong Bulwark, and Banners of Loyalty; for all Loyal Subjects, against the Fanatic Gunpowder Reformations, within these His gracious Majesty's Realms, and Dominion.  
Likewise, a Christian Summons to all persons whatsoever, to submit to the Church of England, and cheerfully to comply with the Rites and Cetemonies of the Worship of God, commended to, and required of us, by such Reverend persons, delegated to that end, by our gracious Sovereign Lord King Charles, whom God long preserve, being the Defender of the Faith.  
And the Laws, Orders, and Statutes for the punishing all Anabaptists and Sectaries that shall presume to meet, and disturb the Ministers in their public Congregations.  
Ordered to be Published throughout the several Counties in England and Wales.  
LONDON, Printed for G. Horton, and are to be sold at the Royal Elchange in Cornhill.   

A Winding-Sheet For the ANABAPTISTS, etc.  
IS it not to be admired that so many worthy and learned Divines, for some years past, should be so much metamorphized, as to deny their Mother Church of England, and the purity of it, who so transparently flourished in the days of the never to be forgotten Queen Elizabeth, blessed King James, our late glorious Martyr King Charles the first; and now blessed be God, under our Gracious Sovereign King Charles the second; and shall they dare to represent themselves Serpents amongst innocent Doves? such Monuments of these, are not without the Calculation of time, when we consider the faction they arose from, whose chief Rise was disorder, and the whole Kingdom made a rude Chaos of Confusion; there was no beauty in the Holy Temple, 'twas converted into a Den of Thiefs; nay, which is worse, if possible, a Stable for Horses, which forced an Italian to vent this bitter speech, seeing that famous Cathedral of St. Paul's so much abused, and the beauty thereof so much defaced, Horses and men (said he) amongst you English, serve God alike now adays, the Surplice was turned into Scotch-Cloth, and the white sheet of Penance into the stool of Repentance.  
I am persuaded there was not one of a hundred, at the first, that gave their consent for the utter abolishing of the Divine Service-Book; and true it is, it may well be so termed, when we consider what Reverend and Ancient Fathers they were, that had a hand in the composing and contriving of it, being endued with God's holy and blessed Spirit, and laying down their lives to ride in Chariots of fire, to maintain that worthy Book; which some giddyheaded Sectaries, since the beginning of our late unnatural Wars, so much despised, renting and tearing of it in pieces, like so many Bedlams, and mere time-servers, blown about with every blast of light doctrine, that will be Anabaptist to day, a Brownist to morrow, and in a word any thing the next day. O lamentable! what times did we then live in? when the Church was without true discipline, God's Laws quite taken from us, no Lords Prayer allowed, but Master Separate to do as his fickle brain served him, the Sacrament of the Lords Suppe● not administered once in half a year, and when it was delivered wonderful out of order it was; the Sacrament of Baptism celebrated as any would have it that was in fee with Master Parson; the dead body buried with five or six words at the most; no decency in the Churches, no manners nor order, forgetting that God is the God of order. I do not speak against praying by the Spirit, for I know that God's people always prayed as they felt their wants; but for poor ignorant people who have not the spirit of prayer, what provision were made for them? the answer is, Just none. What shall become of them? Your answer must be, you must leave them to God's mercy. But I and many more would have thought you had some charity in you, but in leaving poor ignorant people quite without any way to know God or his will, I think you have done worse than the superstitious Papist ever did to the Heathen where they conquered. Was there ever any Kingdom in the Christian world that flourished more for almost fourscore years, than this Kingdom did all the reign of queen Elizabeth, King james, and sixteen years of our glorious Martyred King Charles his reign?  
As for the order of reading the Old and New Testament once a year, what a comfort must it needs be to those who can not read? What an excellent order is that of reading David's Psalms once a month, in due place and order, which is not to be parelleled by any Reformed church in the Christian world, with many other excellent passages of great note and worth. But now that a company of shuttle-brained fellows, who for their understanding and knowledge can scarce hold argument with a Schoolboy, that these I say must have that good Book quite taken away as a great Idol in the Church, what a kind of madness is it let all wise men judge. I do not write so much in the applause of the Book of common Prayer, so to magnify it, as to put down preaching, and to ease some Ministers of their pains in studying, no, my earnest desire is that there may be praying with the whole congregation together, and preaching too; that the Word may be taught plentifully among the poor people; and ●hat we which are the inhabitants of England may go hand in hand, that God may have his due praise and glory among us; and you with us may ●ive God his due praise and honour both together: which God in his mercy ●rant; and that we may sit together every man under his own Vine and figtree. And to you the Brothers of the Separation, which have the spirit so much at command, and know God's Word so well that you need no teacher, take from you the exposition of the ancient Fathers, and other men's works, which you so much despise, and then take the bare Bible and fall to expounding the Scriptures, and I dare pawn my life for six pence you shall have as good nonsense as you would desire to hear. Go back, go back, thou foolish man or woman, whatsoever thou art, and return to thy mother the Church of England, who first brought thee up to know God in Christ, and come out of these puddles, and lightheaded fooleries, and know he that takes hold of the Plough, and looks back, is unmeet for the Kingdom of God.  
And as touching Episcopacy, it is of venerable Antiquity in the Church, having its rise in the Apostles time; in proof of which, we can give no better Evidence, than the Catalogue of Bishops, who begin from the Age, in which the Apostles lived: And shall any man deny his assent, to such grave Authority? so unanimously conspiring in matter of Fact, without incurring the guilt of singular irreverence, and pertenacy. Mark the wotds of St. jerom, in his Ep. 85. The Presbyters of Alexandria, ever since St. Mark the Evangelist, having chosen one from amongst themselves, and exalted him to a higher place, styled him Bishop, for 'tis observable, that St. Mark died in the eighth year of Nero, about the year of our Lord, 62. Whose Successors, (St. john the Apostle yet living) was Amianus; to him succeeded Abilius; to Abilius, Certo. After the death of St. james, Simon succeed him in the Bishopric of jerusalem. After St. Peter's departure, Linos, Anacletus, and Clement; or (as some) St. Peter yet living, sat in the Episcopal Chair of Rome: as Evodius, and Ignatius did at Antioch. A Record of such Antiquity, confirmed by Ignatius, the Disciple of St. john, cannot be refuted by any, save such only, who have no faith for any thing that themselves saw not: and may as well deny, that ever there was a Philip of Spain, or Lewis of France, or Henry King of England; as that the persons  were Bishops of their respective Sees.  
Thus have you an account of these Governors in the Church (the Reverend Bishops) in respect of the great and external things of the splendour and purity of the Church; now a word of their Mission, even from the Holy Ghost, in respect of the internal preaching, & Administering Sacraments, Ordaining, Binding, and Losing, and such like, Since than prelacy is not contrary to the Scriptures; since the Church Catholic hath embraceed and received it; since it is of very Reveren● Antiquity, and approved of by Divine Right; this, one would thinks should be enough to prepare a Room for it in the heart of any pious an● 〈…〉 ●●●ugh to beget in us a Reverend esteem of the Calli●●● of Bishops, to work in us a cheerful submission to, and ready compliance with the Rites and Ceremonies in the worship of God, commended to, and required of us, by such persons, delegated to that end by our gracious Sovereign, whom God long preserve, being Defender of the Faith. And for the better reconciling this Order, to the affections of some men, give me leave to add a word, or two, viz. First, the Conveniency, and Expediency, of Conformity, and Agreement between the Ecclesiastical and Civil Government. There is such an affinity between these two, that in Commonwealths, where the Government is by many, they always commend the Affairs of the Church to the Clergy, or Presbytery; but where the Government is Monarchical in the State, Episcopacy in the Church is only conformable to it; Presbytery no way comporting with Monarchy. Hence that Proverbial saying, No Bishop, No King. A saying that may be ●asily derided, but not so easily refuted. Our late sad experiences have engraven it in such Capital Characters, upon the understanding of all sober, and unprejudiced persons, that it will not easily be defaced. Secondly, the utility and advantages that redound to the Church by Episcopacy; I might entertain you (upon this Head) with the unanimous consent of all Historians; but I shall select his testimony only, who, of all the Ancients had the least affection for Bishops, St. jerom. (add Tit. c. 1.) It is universally decreed, that, for the prevention of Schisms, and differences, one chosen out of the Presbyters, be set over the rest. And again, The safety of the Church, consists in the dignity of the Highpriest, that is, the Bishop, to whom, if there be not a peculiar power, distinct from all others, annexed, there will be as many Schisms as Priests in the Church.  
Our own Chronicles tells us, that King Edward the Elder, by constituting five new Bishops, stopped an Inundation of Paganism, ready to break in on the West for want of Pastors. And that excellent Order of the Lords and Commons Assembled in Parliament, in the year, 1646. put a great stop to the licentious Anabaptists in those days: for taking into consideration, that divers Sectaries, had disturbed the Ministers in their public Exercises, both in England and Wales, to the great disturbance of the public peace, and disparagement of the Laws, Statutes, and Government of this Realm, Ordered, That the Constables, ●nd Headboroughs within the several Parishes in the Counties of Eng●●nd and Wales, should arrest the Bodies of all and every such person ●nd persons as aforesaid, who should disturb any Minister in Holy Or●rers, whilst he was in the place or places of exercising his public Cal●ing, by speaking to him, or using unreverent gesture or actions; and to carry the bodies of such offenders before some Justice of Peace of the same County, to be proceeded against according to the Laws of this Kingdom. And since the happy Restauration of our gracious and dread Sovereign, excellent Laws have been enacted, for the preventing of disorders, and unwarrantable meetings; but, like a Stiffnecked people, and perverse Generation, they refused to submit to Regal Authority; so that had not his Royal Majesty, with the Advice and consent of his great Council, put forth their hands to restrain them, in a short time, probably, they might have grown so numerous, as to have diffused their poison throughout these his Majesty's Realms and Dominions; for indeed, many of them were as pestiferous in their Doctrine, as dangerous in their seduction; and so ought of all men to be avoided. But many of them now are sensible of their erroneous ways, and reduced from their former practices; others have engaged to live conformable to the present Laws; and some, through their great infidelity and obstinacy, remain as yet in several Goals.  
But to return to the Antiquity of the Church; If any man question, or doubt of the Utility of this Reverend Order, let him look back upon the Torrent of Confusion Heresy and Blasphemy, that broke in upon us, while these Banks were by violent hands thrown down; and they will find, that the extirpation of Episcopacy in these Kingdoms, is the first born of the Pope's desires; that, which his soul longs for, as for the first ripe fruit, you know the Apologue, how the Wolves would make peace with the Sheep, upon the condition they would hang up all their Dogs. Let but Episcopacy and the Liturgy be abolished, and the Papists, I assure you, shall promise peace upon any terms. Since therefore through the goodness of God, and his Majesty's gracious Resolution, the Reverend Bishops are restored to the Church, and sent 〈◊〉 Governors by the King, if you be Members of this Spiritual House you must submit to their directions, and Injunctions in all Rites, Ceremonies, and Circumstances of Religion, which leads me to this Inference, that he who shall pretend to take one, or a few Bricks out of th● Wall, because they are not well burnt, that the persons of that persuasion and importunity, would, if they had power, to their Wills, t●●● leave to pluck them out one by one, till they left no Wall at all.  
I hope the persons in Authority ' over us have learned (by a de●● bought Experience) to take heed of Root, and Branch-men; and not 〈◊〉 consent to pull down the whole Fabric, because a Window, or Chim●●● 〈◊〉 it may be a Tile only, is misplaced.  
It is an unpardonable Error in any, to think, that the Act of Reformation, consists in the taking away things, together with the abuse of the● (if any be) for, that cannot be said to be Reform, which is made N●w. Reformation is (properly) Repetitio vel restitutio facti antiqui, The Repetition or restitution of an anient Custom. Thus, let our Liturgy, (if it stand in any need) be reform; but God of his Mercy grant, that neither our Liturgy, nor the Administratours of it, fall again under a Gunpowder-Reformation.  
It is said of Rome, that she never understood what Cato was aright, till she had lost him (Catonem non intellexit civitas, nisi cum perdidit) the loss we sustained through the abolishing our Liturgy (by that Ordinance, which was discharged against it) will have (I hope) such an impression upon the Spirits of all those, that have good will for the Church of Engeland, that it will not (for the time to come) be an easy matter for those, that rise up against it, to cast it down a second time. To prevent which.  
1. Do not provoke God through your want of Diligence, in assembling yourselves together, to deliver up the Liturgy, into the hands of violent men, skilful to destroy. If the God of heaven once perceive (by your negligence in frequenting it) that it is a matter of Indifferency to you, whether you enjoy it, or enjoy it not, he will have a just occasion Administered, to take that from you, upon which you set so little value.  
2. Let your Ardour and Fervency in performing this prescribed Service testify to God, Angels, and Men, that your Souls are delighted ●ith it: that it is not the labour of your Lips only, but the devout wreathing of your pious Souls. If you do thus, God will delight to establish it, and make it appear, that it is a Plant of your Heavenly Fa●●er's Planting, which no mortal hand shall be able to pluck up.  
And, if any person (to conclude) be offended at it, because it is an●●●nt or solemn, or sober, or charitable; you may be sorry for their weakness, and labour to inform them: but be sure you choose rather, to dis●●●se one, or a few peevish Servants in the Family; then to offend the ●●ole Household, and incur the displeasure of the great Master of 〈◊〉 word House, God himself.  
FINIS.