A MOTHER'S TEARS OVERDO HER SEDUCED SON: Or A dissuasive from Idolatry, penned in way of a Dialogue, by occasion of a late letter from the son now at Douai, to his mother: Which is also printed with the letter, and is fully set down in the son's part, for the substance, though with some addition in form.  
Harken unto me, that the Lord may hearken unto thee. judges. 9 7.  
Imprinted 1627.   

A MOTHER'S EPISTLE to her Child.  
CHILD.  
THere are two books that go under a mother's name; A Mother's Blessing; A Mother's Legacy: now thou see'st a Mother's Tears. And this last contains all. In this a sorrowful Mother weeps for her Child, laments for her Child, and cannot be comforted, because he is not: Call it a Mother's Tears. In this a sorrowful Mother pleads for her Child, begs for her Child, prays for her Child: That the good will of him that dwelled in the Bush, would incline his heart to fear the God of his Fathers, according to the pattern of wholesome words, call it, A Mother's Blessing. And because thy Mother, almost worn out with years and tears, is now lying down in sorrow, and not likely to see thy face, unless thou wilt hasten; she bequeathes this unto thee as her last will and Testament. Call it a Mother's Legacy.  
Now Child, I think fit to satisfy thee in two things, both touching the Impression of this book. The first shall give the reason of it: the second shall (I hope) put away the offence thou mayst take at it. To the first I have this to say, that finding most things (as I thought) couched in thy letter, which have and may draw, and hold, the unstable minds of novices, who have not laid the first principles right, I could not, whether for want of wit, or too much propensity to talk (both if thou wilt, it is no great impeachment to a woman) couch my answer within the scantling of a letter. Whence it happened, that a friend desiring a Copy, took a readier way for 500, than he could with his pen transcribe one, and so printed it beyond the seas. And before any of them came to my hands, divers were dispersed, being first taken at the Custom house, then shrifted for Papists, after dismissed by a large indulgence: Whence the books came to me just in the very manner as a Papist returns from his confessor. The book had its pardon: It's true; and his outside was as fair as pilate's hands, but the inside was in statu quo prius as foul as before. The truth is, the book had so many faults, as that it was not fit to pass with them. That put me upon some second thoughts, which made the book much bigger; and now it is free for any hand. The white it aims a●, is thy return, which if it hit not, yet I hope it will keep some from going to thee. I know not, said a wise man, whether I shall profit him, I do admonish; but this I know, If I warn many, one or another will receive instruction. Spread thine hand, and let the seed fall, some may fall in good ground; Sen. Epist. 29. Let thy hook always hang, It is a Proverb; that may bite, thou look'st not for, in a time thou thinkest not of. Cast thy Nets; So is that, though thou tak'st not a Salmon, thou mayst a Trout; suppose it be a less fish, it will be welcome. If I cannot catch men, I can be contented to catch boys, yea Children: I am a debtor to them. If any thing come: why should I sacrifice to my net? If nothing, and so my night labour be lost: I know the reason. The Lord teach his professed Fishers to cast their nets on the right side of the boat, that they may find: Sure this is the time, the waters are troubled. And so much for the first, wherein I desire to give full satisfaction, so do I in the second; which followeth.  
If thou shalt say, thy renting from us will be known now. Alas Child, if that could have been helped, thy mother would have put to both her shoulders. Yea but this will make it more notorious. I cannot tell y●; but be it so; then also it will make thy return the more gracious. And the more shall take notice of thy departing from us, the more will praise God for thy return unto us: so that this will be no more thy disgrace, than was that letter of Paul to Philemon, a disgrace to Onesimus, only let thy return be like his, who departed for a season, that he might be received for ever. But say what can be said, this is certain, he that is truly turned, little esteems his own grace: so God may have the glory. I find the Saints boasting of their infirmities, blazing their faults, none more; I was a Publican, so Matthew: I was a Persecutor, so Paul: But sparing in setting forth their excellencies, their abilities; if it must be done as sometimes it must, that God may have the glory; it shall be done in the third person; The Disciple whom Christ loved: So john of himself, joh. 13. 23. I knew a man; whether in the body▪ or out of the body. I cannot tell etc. So Paul of himself, 2 Cor. 12. 2. And why so? God must be exalted, man must be laid low. I add, and I conclude with it, when it shall please God to reveal his Son unto thee, thou wil● not then consult with flesh and blood. Gal. 1. 16▪ So much to the Child.  
Something to thee Reader, at large: the bait is laid for thee too: for I go a fishing. This book concerns that particular relation thou standest in, as a parent, or as a child, or both. Thou see'st a Mother's Tears; thou see'st also a Child hath caused them. Art thou a Child? then hear the Instruction of thy Father, and forsake not the Law of thy Mother; why shouldest thou cause thy Parents Tears? Thy Mother hath groaned for thee already, make her not groan again: How canst thou behold A Mother's Tears? Art thou a Parent? Thy child is a doubtful commodity: There is a peradventure in all things good and evil under the Sun, that may befall him, except one. It is borne, perhaps it may grow up, perhaps not, and so on, perhaps so, perhaps not. Thou canst not say, perhaps it may die, perhaps not; that is as certain, as other things are uncertain: if it do grow up like the flower, it shall be cut down like the grass: no peradventure there. But in all things, else there is nothing thou canst look on, that is subject to more hazard. It may miscarry for want of thy care, so may it notwithstanding all thy care. See what a barren piece of mould thou hast let unto him! It brings forth nothing of itself but briers and thorns; and do what thou canst do, they will shut forth. That thou mayst make it happily fruitful; thou must to planting; thou must to watering; so much thou art bound to do, for thou art his debtor; more thou canst not do, thou art but a man: weeds come up of themselves, good corn not so: flesh is propagated, not spirit. Thou canst but speak to the ear, by all thy planting, by all thy watering; it is God that boars it, so giving your increase. Thou canst not add to the stature, the one or the other: yet let me thrust in one thing by the way; I find obedience pre'st upon the parent in many places, as a special means to entail a blessing upon the child; And it shall be well with thee. Is that all? No. And with thy seed after thee. A strong motive to obedience. But still here is a brittle Bark, and it must pass through a tempestuous sea; every little gale tosseth it, a greater endangers it. Pray, that grace (a commodity thou canst not stoo in him) may set him upright, and keep him so. I say, pray, as Paul in another case, oft and again, that the keeper of Israel would so steer him off the Rocks, where there will be ship wrack, as that he may not cause his Parents Tears: they will be bitter ones; for I can tell in experience, that one Child is unto the Parents as the two basketts of Figgs to the Pallet: when good, very good, then sweet, very sweet: he is their Isaac, the Parent's joy. When bad, very bad; then bitter, very bitter: he is a Benoni, all their sorrow: hence A Mother's Tears. Believe it Reader, a Child is a kind of a thing leapt up together like a pretty bundle, thou mayst call it a bundle of Cares, but that's to general: There are three things wrapped closely in it; one, as thou mayst be, thou shalt feel before thou see'st it, and that is Labour or Sorrow, the other comes to thy hand presently, and sticks to it like birdlime, thou canst not shake thy hands off it; and that is Care. The other, which is Comfort, thou mayst meet with, but thou knowest not when, and being found, it may slip from thee, thou know'st not how soon; but in place of it, thou shalt be sure to feel the first again perhaps in more extremity. God give thee comfort in thine. Now say as much for me: And thee thine again.   

THE AUTHOR TO THE Christian Reader.  
THis Book hath yet a further Reference unto thee, than what the Mother hath told: For that it concerns that High Relation also, thou standest in towards God, to whom thou owest honour, because thou callest him Father: And fear, because thou callest him Lord: in whom all Relations meet, as lines in their Centre; and from whom they receive both light, motion, and direction. For be it thou art a Governor, thou must command in the Lord. Be it thou art a servant, (so is a Son too under age;) thou must obey in the Lord. And herein the more or less Idolatrous thou art, the more or less faulty. Now if thou shalt say, the Case is well with thee, for thou art no Idolater, my Answer is, thy heart may deceive thee, and surely doth. Indeed I am persuaded of thee, that, if thou hast not shut thine eyes against the clear light, thou art not such a Child in years or understanding (Be it thou art not fit for strong meat,) but that thou dost loath and detest Idolatry in the generality, & main tenants of the same.  
As first, that the Mystical Body the Church, which is least in sight, should have an Head on earth, so visible, as a Triple Crown will make it.  
Secondly, that a Supreme power should be given to him, & to others, a power so subordinate, as that they, though the Lords anointed on earth, (I do not read the Popes are so) should be but fit to kiss his holiness' feet, when as an unmannerly dog strained courtesy, and bitten his toes. He, no doubt, without whose providence the least sparrow falleth not, correcting such exorbitant pride by a contemptible, though serviceable Creature.  
Thirdly, That he who hath his foundation in Clay, what ever, they who give titles to men, account of him, should be planted so high above his Predecessor Peter, (so some would have it) as that the shot, whereby Peter was hit, cannot reach his Successor.  
Fourthly, That he should keep a fair for Indulgences, and pardons, Excommunications, Bulls and Curses, and I know not what: As if he had so much interest in God, as to make him pardon man for his profit: Or as if Balak had so much power in Balaam, that he could make him curse, where God will bless: follow not thou the counsel of Balaam, to mix thyself with strangers, and to follow their works, so drawing a Curse on thyself, and Balaam though he be upon his Ass, and forward on the way, shall not hurt thee.  
Fiftly, That the constitutions of the Popes & Cardinals, are of divine Authority, when as thou mayst give more credit to an old wife's tale.  
Sixthly, That the word, which is the mighty power of God unto salvation, and is profitable to teach, to instruct, and to reprove, that the man of God may be perfect, should, notwithstanding the necessity & excellency of it, be locked up in an unknown tongue, when as, besides what thou hast well observed from Paul's words, 1. Cor. 14. Thou art verily persuaded that thy shepherd takes more felicity with his Dog, then in hearing him pray or prophesy, whose language he understandeth not. Aug. de Civit. Dei lib. 19 cap. 7.  
seventhly, That the Virgin mother may command the Son, whereas she rejoiceth in God her Saviour. And that the Saints, may be invocated, as Intercessors, though not as Mediators, whereas there is but one that sitteth to make intercession for us, even he that sitteth at the right hand of his Father. This and much more, thou callest gross Idolatry, a darkness, which may be felt, and is, by all such, as are not blinded, with ignorance, as it were by proscription: who professing themselves to be wise, are become fools, and having changed the truth of God into a lie, are now delivered up unto strong delusions, even to believe lies. And thus much, for that, I am verily persuaded of thee; my hope reacheth yet further concerning thee: That whereas thou hast so often read of the jews, so often reproved for their Fasts, their Prayers, their Alms; excellent things in themselves; thou hast thence concluded, that works avail nothing, unless they proceed from a touched and religious heart; unless they do not in name only agree, but are in truth answerable to our profession: for that God is pleased with truth, not with ceremony; with substance, not with form; with mercy, rather than sacrifice; with obedience, rather than the fat of Lambs; with cutting off the right eye and arm, not with casting away the bags. And all this, considering what the Lord saith in the first of Malachi: In every place shall be offered unto me, a pure offering; but cursed be the deceaver, that hath in his flock a male, and offereth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: offer it unto the Governor: will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? I am a great King, saith the Lord, and my name is terrible.  
Again (which is a consequent from the former, and may be for explication) whereas thou readest of dead works, and a dead Faith, which like her that lived in pleasure, have but a name only; thou hast thence concluded, that it is not the bare doing of any thing, that brings the doer into acceptation with God: But that there is some more inward thing, that witnesseth to the worker, that he is in Christ, in whom his person is sanctified, and through whom the action is accepted. And this also, considering what Christ saith, As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the Vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. joh. 15. 4. Considering also what the Apostle saith; By faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain: But without faith it is impossible to please him. Heb. 11. 2. & 6. which consideration, if it hath put thee upon the pursuit after faith, whereby thou art fastened to Christ as close as the branch to the Vine; It is impossible thy works should be dead.  
Again (which is still for explication) whereas thou hast read in one place a plain reproof for holding down the head like a Bulrush; and in another, a plain command: But thou when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face; that is, seem least, when thou dost most; thou hast thence concluded, that God is pleased with sincerity of life and manners, not with a monastical severe seeming habit; With a broken and contrite heart; not with strange expressions of humiliation, set forth in a poor and austere life of many orders amongst the Priests in their sundry acts of penance, wherein they deal with themselves Bedlam-like; or like Baal's Priests. And this, considering God saith, rend your hearts, and not your garments; I add for explication, nor your skins neither, the skin is the outward garment of the soul: As they might not under the Law, so may not we under the Gospel, disfigure ourselves in mourning. Zachariah foretelling the mourning that shall be by those one whom the power of grace and supplications is poured, expressed it by two lively comparisons; their mourning shall be like his, whose coal is put out, who hath lost his only son: It shall be like that mourning, which was for good josiah: that was an extreme mourning. Now how should this be performed? The experience of Sions mourners can tell you this, for there is the same spirit in them, as in the text. They shall mourn, every family apart, and their wives apart. I know outward expressions of this sorrow, may be, nay are, and will be; it is hard to bite in that sorrow, nor is it expedient: yet the direction must be followed; but thou when thou fastest anoint thy head. Matth. 6. For close hereof, I add this. The outward gesture hath then a comely posture, when a touched heart commands it. An hearty sorrow is seen in the face. It is true: Deprendas animi tormenta, deprendas et gaudia: sumit utrumque inde habitum facies. The inwardness of the grief, and the outward expression of the same even in sight, may be as near as john and Peter in their race, but still the first is more intense, more lasting; it outruns the second.  
Again, and lastly, when thou art commanded to beware in giving alms, that thou be not thine own trumpet: Corrupt nature is much pleased with that music: And that upon thy prayers thou must shut the doors; that is, do all in secret, before him, who sees in secret, but rewards openly: thou hast thence concluded, that it is most ordinary for a man truly religious, to do the works of a sincere Christian, and yet not to be seen or marked, for fear of applause from others, and tickle from his own heart, which he would not have to be his reward; and therefore would not give the least advantage that way. And then, as thou wilt not disallow public acts of charity, or rashly judge their miscarriage (for who art thou, that darest judge another's work outwardly good, though, through the frailty of humane nature, there is great hazard of miscarriage) so nor darest thou censure a man for his not so frequent working, or not working at all to thy knowledge: And this, for that the proper seat of Religion is the heart, which indeed always sets the hand, and mouth on work, opening both, but yet most times so secretly, that the left hand cannot know what the right hand doth. By this thou perceivest what a fair hope is conceived of thee. First I will tell thee why; then thou shalt know also, that thou art not yet quitted from Idolatry. Why? The Lord hath given his word unto jacob, and his statutes to Israel. He hath not dealt so with other nations, nor have the Heathen knowledge of his law. The word of God, the will of God, the law of God, the testimonies of God, David calls them his counsellors also: he saw wonders in them, they made him wiser than the ancient, than his teachers. This word of God I say, is set before thee, maugre the malice of Devil, and Pope, translated into thy mother tongue: It is, notwithstanding the neglect of such a jewel, the loathing of such Manna, reigned down round about thy tents: nor so only, it is committed unto thee at this day; if thou wilt reach forth thine hand, thou may'st open it; if thou wilt open thine eyes, thou may'st read it: It is a sealed book indeed, but to none, but such, whose contempt hath closed the eye, who have hated iustruction: So then, God is not wanting unto thee, and I hope that thou hast not been wanting to thyself, thou hast not neglected so great salvation. There is the reason of my hope, that thou hast seen by this clear light, and discovered too, that the senses of some Papists are stupid, and their ignorance monstrous, and thou hast prayed for them: Lord lighten their eyes, else they sleep in death: Now look home: search thine own tent, turn up the furniture too; for thy heart will keep her I dolls as close as Rachel did, when thou mayst think thyself as clear of them, as jacob his tents. For surely thou mayst be confident herein; that since every sin is founded upon a kind of Idolatry, this sin of Idolatry is not poured out of thy heart, as water out of a bottle, but as milk: therefore is there a great tincture left behind. And certainly thou mayst say of this sin, as the Apostle concerning death; the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death: So the last sin that shall be destroyed in thy heart shall be Idolatry: I mean, the Idolising of the creature, something wrought by thee, or something wrought in thee: It being the highest pitch, and upmost peg in Christianity: (Yet so high m●st thou be wound, notwithstanding thy weight pressing down) to come before the Lord with the Syrians protestation. Deut. 27. And then to say in his and David's acknowledgement; it is the same; of thine own hand have I given back unto thee, for who hath first given to the Lord? And with Paul, yet not I, but the grace of God which is in me: And with the Church, the Lord hath given me dominion over the strong; judg. 5. 13. The Lord hath wrought all my works for me: and so to hang on God as the finisher and perfecter of what he hath begun, yet in an assured confidence of this very thing, that he, who hath begun a good work, will perform it till the day of jesus Christ: Phil. 1. 6. I know, I have transgressed the bounds of an Epistle, which must not fill the hand, I know not also, whether the gate & the house are proportionable: I mean, the Epistle & the Book: I am sure they are both to big. Let not that trouble thee, it was neither thy labour nor thy cost, why shouldst thou complain? It falls out in matters of this nature, as in building: this room is not light enough, nor is that large enough, the third would have some addition: by that time all is done, the pains cost and building fare exceeds the Idea or first proportion: so here: It is true, he that would say all, must needs say too much, yet I beseech thee spare thy Censure this once, I will never venture it again; nor had I now unless there had been a cause, what have I now done? is there not a cause? I leave thee now to the power of his Grace, who can build further; we have a barren mould, though the Lord hath had long patience, how soon he will come to require fruit, we know not: Pray, we, that he would husband us yet one year by his servants & give unto us the springs of water, the upper and the nether springs, than cause his winds to blow upon it, so shall we have a goodly portion. Pray we, that he would open our mouths wide, & then fill them as with marrow and fàtnes, so shall we far well.   

A LETTER WRITTEN FROM DOUAI 6 OF MARCH 1627. UNTO HIS MOTHER.  
DEAR MOTHER, It is not the first time since my departure that I have writ unto you, neither shall it be the last. Nature will find a way to vent her duty were she never so hard oppressed. Out of sight is not out of mind, for were you but as mindful of yourself, as I am of you, I doubt not but by the effects, you should find me a dutiful Son. But as the blind who see not themselves, think all others not to see them likewise, so you forgetting yourself, think me forgetful of you to. God knows before whom one day I am to give an account, of my duty towards you, how that there passeth not a day, or night either, when you and yours take your rest, wherein there is not intercession made for you. If I knew what else in this my state a Childs natural obligation could effect, in the behalf of a Mother; I would with what endeavour I could accomplish it. But alas Dear Mother, when your request is unreasonable, nay unnatural, as the forsaking my Religion, God's Church, his truth, nay himself, it stands not with the duty of a Son any way to yield in the least to so unjust demands of a Mother. O that your desires were but of that nature (of that good Mother we read of in the Maccabees was.) who did encourage her Children to suffer even to death for God. I doubt not but God would so strengthen me with his grace, that you should find my duty as ready to obey, as your piety would be willing to command: Though it be not common for a Son to teach his Mother, but rather to follow her in what she should direct him, yet when parents misled from the way of truth, shall without knowledge, command what is contrary to Gods will, and their children's conscience. It may be, nay it is the part of a dutiful Son, to remember that their command is amiss, and cannot be followed. All I here now do is no more; I do but inform you that the happiness you wish me is not true and real happiness. That not longer I now, but your own soul might be the object of your thoughts: That you would from henceforth no longer be a stranger from the truth. But submit yourself to her, who as a loving Mother would receive and embrace you, with all affection within the arms of verity; first be instructed by her, Dear Mother, and then shall you learn to govern and guide your own Children in things that are good. And then I am sure they will be ruled and guided by you. And this is all should I do less, I should think with the Apostle that I were fare worse than an Infidel. For how can I behold wolves which pray not for you, but prey upon you, and hold my tongue. Where were my duty? I perceiving you tossed up and down in the waves of heresy, as you are, and yourself ready to suffer shipwreck, and I not so much as offering you my hand to draw you into the Ark. Which of all those blind guides, that now pervert your soul, will affirm, that the foundation on which your salvation purchased so dearly by the blood of your Saviour, & on which your faith is built, is unfallable. If fallable, why do you hazard your salvation purchased so dear by the blood of your Saviour, upon sand Dear Mother, I as a poor Child of your own bowels, as upon my bended knees, in all duty of a Son, do desire you consider your own declining age, & though last judgement; (and if you do not now here in time) work a prevention of that fearful sentence, which otherwise must pass upon you, (that so you may avoid the wrath to come) endeavour somewhat to examine, whether all be true your false prophets preach unto you, or at least whether they practise what they preach: First try, and then trust. And because your capacity cannot master a better argument, then to examine the lives of your professors of your own sect. There begin See first whether your new upstart ministers do not like stage players tricked up in their neat apparel only, and barely act, and talk, and practise nothing; they will tell you of Christ's passion, his poverty, his want, his hunger and thirst, his humility, his patience, his labour and travel, his ignominy, in being apprehended, scourged, spit on, in bearing his cross: they will also tell you of the Apostles poverty, their sufferings, their wrongs and afflictions, but who is he, either of your Ministry or Laity, will follow your Saviour in these his passions, who is there among you, that in yourselves allow either of fasting, or watching, or voluntary poverty, or good works, or afflicting yourselves for God's sake: to be despised, to forsake the world, & live for ever austerely in penance for sins; they can commend these things in Christ and his Apostles; and yet forbidden to be practised by themselves. They will tell you that our Saviour paid the price for us, whereby we are become heirs of God, coheirs with Christ, and being heirs, we shall inherit, though we suffer nothing. For Christ both suffered and satisfied for us; but they will not see what followeth. For where the Apostle calleth us heirs of God etc. he addeth immediately, if ye suffer together with him; signifying that we are heirs with Christ, upon condition, that we suffer with him, to the end we may be glorified with him; for we are not freed by our Saviour's passion from suffering, but the more invited, or rather obliged thereunto; witness our Saviour himself, he that will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his Cross, and follow me; But contrary if you will but look into God's Church, you shall not only find Christ spoken of, but truly followed. You shall see those, whose only joy is in afflictions for Christ's sake, whose song is that of the Apostle, God forbidden I should rejoice in any thing, but in the cross of Christ. Who have forsaken all, and given their whole estate to maintain the poor, & so committed themselves to the providence of God: we have not those who barely commend virtues in our Saviour, but follow them in deed; also they are such that talk little, fast hard, pray much, suffer continually, they are in want, and that willingly, to help others: Poor they are in means, but poorer in spirit; and theirs only is the Kingdom of heaven. I will add no more, lest I should seem rather to preach you a sermon, then to write you a Letter. Dear Mother, see and be acquainted with those, who both of this faith and life amongst you, I am sure their good ways will better inform you in this kind than my Letters. And that you may be the surer satisfied, let the travels of any of my brethren make trial, and let them not doubt, but that they may be as safe, and as well for their calling, and travel here, as in England. I live in Douai a half week's journey from you, trust my brotherly love towards them for their safety, at one of the English houses in Douai you shall find me; I could rather wish to see any of my brethren at Douai, but I pray you if you will not take so hard a journey for my sake, at least let me hear from you. Direct your Letters to one M. Wetwood● house in Douai, who is an English Gentleman What I have written unto you Dear Mother, is likewise written to my poor brethren, and sisters, whom with yourself. I commend in my most earnest prayers, unto the safe protection of God almighty, who I hope hath brought me hither, to provide for your poor deceived souls. In our Lord and Saviour farewell, be mindful of yourselves, that your souls perish not in that heavy day of the Lord.   
MOTHER. 
THy letter came to my hands (my dear Child) like joseph's particoloured coat, to his father jacob, in many things there holds much proportion. This is my Son's coat (saith the good old man;) a wicked beast hath devoured him: joseph is surely torn in pieces. I cannot say so altogether; but this is my Son's letter, doth your poor aged Mother say, I know it is; the great beast hath set his mark upon him, and appointed him for the ptey; I shall be rob of my Son Oh! I shall be rob of my Son. At the best the Ismalites have carried him into Egypt, a place of gross Idolatry, where he is; for his lettet tells me it left him at Douai, and there must mine find him.  
What there my Son? Now let her, who is acquainted with the dear name of a Child, say, whether there holds not much proportion, between jacob's sorrow & mine, I go down to the grave mourning, I shall lie down in sorrow. Your old Father, and as full of griefs as years, since thou goest away, is not, & thou art not, and I am a poor distressed Mother, thus hath the Lord shown me much bitterness. These things are against me, even all these; but I am rob of my Child: That, that hastens to bring my grey hairs with sorrow to the grave: oh come again my dear Child, come again; that I may see thy face with comfort once more before I make my bed in the dark, (it is now almost night with me) and I shall be seen no more. O return my Son: return my Son, my Son.  SON. 
My Mother thinks me unmindful of her now, whereas indeed, she is unmindful of herself: herein like a blind man, who because he sees not himself, thinks another sees him not also: I discern my Mother as plainly as Elisha the two Spies, quite out of the way to the place she intends.  MOTHER. 
O Child; he, that thinks he sees another best, most commonly discerns himself worst: There may be a great mistake about this business of seeing. We find one, who, in fear, took shadows for men: judg. 9 36. and it tells thee, the very outward sense may be so mistaken: We read of another, who suddenly lost her sight, yet could not be persuaded but she could see well; the house was dark, the windows shut, there was no want in her eyes sure. But this was a fool you will say, and indeed she was accounted no better than Seneca's wives fool, Epist. 50: And yet her Master could say, the fool had many fellows, when he little suspected himself one of the number, for do but turn the sense inward, and it shall appear to be an easy and ordinary thing to be deceived therein; because a light may be in a man, and that light may be darkness. The jews thought they could see well; they blind? it was not a thing to be questioned: And yet they had no more certainty of it, than Sisera's mother had of her son's welfare, judg. 5. she stayed not until a good Ahimaaz brought her news; nor scarce, while her Ladies could answer her, though they were so wise in their Generation, as to flatter her, who would flatter herself; yea, saith the text, she returned answer to herself: therein lay the deceit. You may make it the Emblem of the grand Imposture (I mean not the Pope, or his mystery of Iniquity, though our burning and shining light hath called it so, he must come an Ace lower) I mean the Imposture of that, which is deceitful above all things: jer. 17. 9 There is a spirit in a man, which will tell him all is well, and so carves forth a prey presently, and to a man's self as good a part as Sisera had: And here is the misery of it; all this may be but in conceit, as an hungry man dreams he is eating. But the Lord weigheth the spirit●s, saith the wise man, Proverbs. 16. 2. therefore the counsel is good, which follows: Commit thy works unto the Lord, & thy thoughts shall be established. For as in a man's own strength, no man shall be strong; so nor by his own testimony, justified. Let a man than look out, and wait with long patience, till a good Ahimaaz bring him news, for than it is certain: and if he be long, and the soul weary, yet teturne not answer to thyself. The jews did foe, and thereby were they more grossly deceived, then was the poor fool, or Lady mother: both which will appear in their Question, and in Christ's Answer to the same: Are we blind also? As if they had said, we are not; Because ye say we see, ye will answer yourselves; therefore your sin remaineth. Take it thus; A right and true convincement and acknowledgement of the Spirit of blindness, which was over their eyes, of that veil that was over their hearts, had been a direct and ready way, to have had the one cured, and the other drawn away; but that false conceit of seeing, took away all possibility of curing; That fancy of health and soundness, hindered all the benefits that might have been taken from the great Physician: Observe it good child, and take this with it. Saul was taught according to the perfect manner, of the Law of the Fathers, and therein unblamable, zealous towards God, as we hope ye are all this day: Act. 22. Yet all this while, he had Scales before his eyes, and that it might appear, he was all the former time blind, he received his sight after. Now read what the seeing man saith Philip. the 3. throughout the chapter, and if thou canst, eat it, It will be like the honey which Ionathan ●. Sam. 14. 17. tasted on the end of his rod, thine eyes will be enlightened with it; but then mark this by the way, thou must be as faint as jonathan was: for he that is full despiseth the honey comb. Eat it then if thou canst. Certainly that Chapter thou now readest is the very language of Canaan; It doth and ever shall as plainly difference the seeing Paul's now, from dark Saules once, as the pronouncing of Sibboleth did the Ephramite, from the Giliadite; say now Shiboboleth and the Ephramite said Sibboleth, judg. ●2. 6. he could not frame to pronounce it right. The resemblance lieth thus: This man is now a seeing Paul; and he would over that great gulf, which is between God and man: bid him pronounce Christ then: he can frame to pronounce it right; Christ sincere, Christ perfect, Christ entire, Christ without adding to him, Christ without detracting from him, Christ the Son of the living God, only Christ, he accounts of Christ now the chiefest of ten thousand. He hath none in heaven but Him, none upon earth he desires besides him. Psal. 73. 25. All things in comparison, are but as dung. O the excellency of Christ jesus his Lord! O the power of his Resurrection! that, only that! He hath suffered the loss of all for that. He puts no confidence in the flesh, he knows not Christ that way, the flesh quickeneth not; his confidence is in Him, who raiseth the dead. His own righteousness is a menstruous cloth, oh he would not be found in that, but in that righteousness, which is of God by faith.  
He hath not as yet attained to a fullness, but forgetting those things which are behind, & reaching forth unto those things which are before, he presseth towards the mark, for the price of the high calling of God in Christ jesus, this is the seeing Paul indeed; he will over. Here is another man, and over he would go too, for it is for his life: But is he not a Saul? nay: his scales are gone, he saith he sees well. He must be put to his book now, this Scripture must try him; whether he can Pronounce Christ, Christ entire, Christ perfect: see, he cannot frame to pronounce it right, Save me Savouresse, Redeem me Redeemeresse; it is well he saith it in a barbarous language (for so is Latin and Greek; yea the Holy tongue too unto me and thee, if we understand it not:) I say it is well he saith it in the Latin, for it sounds ill in English, Save me Savouresse; this is not to pronounce Christ sure. Why? the woman's primative fruit for their godly valour, is called a man Child, Reu. 12. 6. And can it be that he should expect any help of salvation from a She, the weaker Sex: if the saved be a man Child, the Saving is more than a man, he and he only who is the Lion of the Tribe of judah.  
Hear further what he saith to the Saints: for in his humbleness of mind, he will not presume to go to Christ immediately; on that were a bold thing, before he hath obtained of the Mother to command the Son, and some Saints to help too: and yet I never knew a man speed better, then when he preferred his petition himself: but he knows a more mannerly way; Intercede for me thou He Saint; Promote my cause thou She Saint: this is not a man Child; sure, he doth not pronounce Christ right, for he detracts from him by adding to him.  
Again, doth this man esteem all things as dung? Add to what hath been said; his carving his dumb Image: would he put so much cost upon dung? Why? he hath not only the persons of men in admiration, because of their gold Rings, and goodly apparel; but very stocks and blocks; when he hath respect to the stock that hath some cost upon it, and saith, stand thou here for a devout memory, and representation of the Church Triumphant; and saith to his fellow block, because poor, & like itself, lie thou here for my footstool. judge now in yourself, is he not partial? I cannot conceive how a Papist, can be actually a member of the true Church, which hath the Moon under her feet. I do not, nor dare I state the question; but if he be, he hath committed a solecism in nature, for he hath put an Image above the Moon, I am sure, it is above his feet, and that is the very way to put it above the Sun too. Ah foolish man! Thou art going to offer up the Calves of thy lips, to him, who measureth the heavens with a Span, and holdeth the winds in his fist, before whom the nations are but as a drop of a Bucket: Isa. 40. To what wilt thou resemble him now? there is nothing can stand betwixt the living and the dead, but he that can stay the wrath that is gone forth. And how canst thou resemble him? he is an Emanuel, God with man, those two natures are inseparable, God hath joined them together, accursed is that man that doth separate them. His work is an abomination, his Idol a lie. It were a gross superstition to fix thy outward eye upon any thing in the time of this thy service; yet it is more tolerable to set before thee a flower, that's God's Workmanship, the Image is man's: more tolerable to look upon the Sun, the Moon, the Stars; they are the works of God's fingers; the Image is the work of a despicable man. Away with the Image then; it is nothing, it is an abomination, it is dung, and fix thine eyes upon him, whose office is, to stand between the living and the dead: He thou prayest unto is a Spirit, thou must worship him in spirit and in truth  
Again, doth he put no confidence in the flesh? What means then his knowing of Christ, after the flesh? his will worship? all his carnal services?  
Doth he renounce his own righteousness? is it as filthy rags? What means then his merits? his satisfaction? his work of supererrogation.  
Doth he, forgetting those things which are behind, reaching forth unto those things which are before, press toward the mark, that he may apprehend that for which he was apprehended of Christ jesus? What meaneth then his fancy of perfection in this life? This man cannot frame to pronunce Christ aright; yet scales are before his eyes: let him look to it. It will prove as deadly as Sibboleth to the Ephramite; then they took him & slew him at the passage of jordan, jud. 12.  
I have been long about this; yet I know no parent will blame me: The Mother hath been looking into her Child's Eye, and she fears it will be lost: now you know the Eye is to this little body, as the Sun to the great; the light of the body is the eye; if that be dark, the body lives in a continued night; then if there be any remedy, the Mother bestirs herself: how much more then, if the inward eye be in danger; for when that is dark, how great is that darkness? A man knows not where he shall fall. O the Mother would fame have that clear; because the love of an outward sense may be supplied, by the strength of another; but if the light within a man be darkness, what can recompense that loss? I cannot then leave my Child's eye thus, the counsel is behind; so is the eye salve: thou shalt find them both, if, of what hath been said, thou shalt make this use: Trust not, my sweet Child, thine own eye, it will present unto thee shadows for substances; that is one gross mistake: for what is the shadow to the substance? no more than is the Chaff to the Wheat: It will tell thee it sees clearly, when it is not only dim and dark, but quite put out; that is another: and can there be a greater? Go then, my dear Child, in the sense of this thy blindness (for thou art blind also, there is no question of it) to him, that is the Light; the effect of whose coming is, that they which see not, (to wit in the conscience of their own blindness) might see; and that they which see might be made blind, joh. 9 Go I say unto him, it is not my counsel only, and say; Son of David have mercy upon me, that I may receive my sight: and be instant with him; give him no rest, till he make darkness light before thee, and crooked things strait, Till he bid the Prisoners come forth, and say to the blind, receive sight. Isai. 42. 16. Then and not till then shall thine eyes be cleared, then and not till then shall thy tongue be loosed, then & not till then shalt thou frame to pronounce Christ right.  SON. 
God knows, (before whom I am our day to give an account of my duty towards you) that there passeth not a day, or night, either when you and yours take your rest, wherein there is not intercession made for you.  MOTHER. 
And dost thou beg us of the Lord (my sweet child? Now the Lord unfold thy understanding, he cure thy zeal: he add knowledge to it; he can do it. But all this while thou hast not fulfilled my joy; I rejoiced greatly that I found of my children walkeing in the truth, as we have received a commandment of the Father; they are john's words to to the elect Lady. v. 4. Hear what he w●●ts to Gaius. I rejoiced greatly when the brethren came and testified of the Truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the Truth. I have no greater joy then to hear, that my children walk in the truth. Beloved, thou dost faithfully whatsoever thou dost to the brethren & to strangers.  
I restrain this now to the matter in hand, prayer, though whatsoever a man doth, that he doth it faithfully, Crowns the worker, & the work; thou dost pray for thy Mother and her children, do it faithfully my dear child.  
Faithfully in respect of those things that must be requested.  
Faithfully, in respect of that heart, by which this Sacrifice must be presented.  
Faithfully, in respect of him to whom only it must be directed. Psal. 65. 2.  
Faithfully, in respect of that mediation through whom only it must be accepted.  
So pray on and beg us of the Lord. Behold he prayeth. Acts 9 11, It is the spirits testimony of Paul after he had left Gamaliels feet, and his own righteousness, and had attained to the knowledge of Christ, and to the power of his Resurrection; then, behold he prayeth: it yields a notable consideration: no question, Saul had prayed long and often, while he sat at Gamaliels' feet: yet, as if his prayers then, had been rather an howling then praying, the spirit gives this testimony of him after the light had shined unto him, behold he prayeth, then, and not till then. Pray thus and pray on, so begging us of the Lord. I should have no greater joy, then to hear that my child walks in truth. Beloved child, thou dost faithfully, whatsoever thou dost to thy Mother and her children. Oh what joy were here! do this and thou fulfilest my joy and thy own, for else thy labour of love will be lost, thy watching lost, thy prayers lost, thyself lost, all lost; look to thyself then, (it is john's caveat,) that thou lose not the things that thou hast wrought, but that thou receivest a full reward. In the mean time, the Mother will pray for the child too; that his love may abound yet more and more, how? In knowledge and in all judgement, Philip. 1. 9 then shall we love both in the flesh, & in the Lord▪ Phil. 16.  SON. 
What more to do in this my state I know not, when my Mother is misled from the way of truth without knowledge, and I must obey her but in the Lord, in this thing than I must be excused, and she must be plainly told, that it stands not with the duty of a son, to yield the least to so unjust demands of a Mother, yet that she may know how dutiful a Son she hath, and how courageous for the witnessing of that which he professeth, were it with his own blood. Oh! that the commands were of the same nature, with hers in the Maccabees, who did encourage her children to suffer even to the death, surely I should be as ready to obey, as she to command, but alas my Mother's commands are unreasonable, nay unnatural, tending to the forsaking my Religion, God's Church, his truth, himself.  MOTHER. 
And is it so my Son? an unreasonable request indeed, and unnatural. O but hearken my Child, and if it be so, let thine own Mother be hated: O harken my Child I beseech thee, even by the throws of thy first birth hearken, and the Lord give thee an open ear, while the true Mother pleads with the Harlot for her Son, and he that is wiser than Solomon be judge betwixt us, even he be judge. He ease me of my adversary, even he ease me of my adversary, who vexeth me very sore, and makes me go heavily all the day, troubling me and breaking my heart. The Lord look on the trouble of his handmaid, and remember her, and give her, her Son again, as I have desired, and to my power laboured to give him to the Lord again, all the days of his life, by keeping his Religion, his Church, his Truth: and rather than to forsake these or any of these, to lie in the fetters, until the iron enter into his soul, and after to give up his breath in the flame; to resist even unto blood. O my Child consider, it is neither the chain, if not Paul's, nor the prison if not Silaces, nor the flame if not Bradford's, that makes the Martyr: indeed Child it is not. But is it Paul's chain? no reason the bearer should be ashamed; A Prisoner in the Lord? sure there is great cause of rejoicing. At the stake for a good cause? now there is cause of singing, of clapping the hands.  
But the body may be given to the fire (my Child) and love may be wanting, 1 Cor. 13, the cross may be taken up, yet not Christ's, nor he followed: The body may be stripped, and whipped, pinc'ht, nay almost starved, and yet who required these things at your hands? But let the cause be such as these Saints were▪ and then let the sufferers glory; for to such is it given not only to believe, but also to suffer for the name of the Lord jesus, Philip. 1. 29. And now let the Harlot speak, for I know she told thee what thou shouldest say; what could I have done unto my Son, that I have not done, for his better keeping of these, even all these? Yet would I not seem a proud justiciary; for how few are those Hannah's, who give their children back to the Lord, who present them first in the Temple, who breed their children as they ought; as they are bound to do: as the Grandmother Lois, and the Mother Eunice bred Timothy? I cannot say, I did: in how many things might I fail? I know in many. But let the Harlot accuse me. Child, canst thou speak nothing for thy Mother? my good Child speak, I know thou canst. Whereunto hath the dear affection of thy parents tended? whitherto all their care, cost, their pains, their prayers, their fears, their hopes? Their hopes! here it was indeed, here it was, I think, I know we offended; for surely we doted upon thee Child, forgive as that wrong: We thought thee our possession, the son of our right hand, the staff on which our old age might lean: But how often do parents hopes deceive them? how soon may a hopeful blossom die in the bud▪ a forward spring be nipped with a coldwind, or a sharp frost? Do not parents, I pray you, do not dote upon your children, or think of them above what is meet. There are many months yet unto your harvest, and a little time makes great alteration. I tell you parents, & I tell you weeping; our extraordinary expectations on earthly things, ordinarily disappoints us; sometimes our ordinary, but that doth less trouble us. Mark this I pray you, it falls out many times, that a beloved Rachel proves barren, and hated Lea fruitful. It falls out so with me, and I am sure I was not the first, neither can I be the last, we have so many doters: my possession is become ●●●ity, my Benjamin a Bennons, the Lord hath knapped my staff asunder. But why should my adversary boast against me; I think he will not, lest his Rachel also prove barren: so the Lord can make him or her, when we bottom ourselves upon them, or set our affection on them too much, but come, what would the Harlot say?  HARLOT. 
Why? he sucked in heresy with his very milk, and his stronger meat was mingled with it. And when you sent him to the fountain, and as you thought to the spring head, you were quite mistaken, for they are but bitter waters, unclean and muddy.  MOTHER. 
Mistaken indeed I was, and much deceived, for had not the fountain been impure, or had not the Beasts foot mudded i●, I had not been rob of my Child, nor at this time been pleading for him. But there was a bad herb in the good pottage; a dead fly in the sweet ointment; a subtle Serpent in the pleasant garden. Thus we Parents drunk with our own hopes, little foresee our children's danger; how soon they may fall upon a shelf, and there make shipwreck of faith and a good conscience, and all. A Parent art thou? when will thy doubts, thy fears have an end? And now what shall I say to thee my adversary? I must not, I dare not, give thee reviling words, but the Lord rebuke thee; even he rebuke thee, and be judge betwixt us, whether in that way which thou callest heresy, we do not worship the God of our father's believing, etc.  HARLOT. 
What? and not to submit to our holy Church? not come within her arms for instruction? What is this but to be as a Dove without the Ark, to be tossed up and down upon the waves of heresies, still ready to suffer shipwreck, let your Son then have your hand Mother, who so piously reacheth forth his, whereby to draw you into our Ark.  MOTHER. 
I thank my good Child knowing his simple heart, and tender child like affection: for I bear him witness, that he hath a zeal, though not according to knowledge, the time of his ignorance O Lord remember not; and find out a time to take away the scales, and be merciful to all such as sinne not of malicious wickedness.  
Now my good Child, consider with me, that there was a Dove, which was out of the Ark, but found the way to it, and rested in it. that was a wise Dove sure, it had an heart. That was a true Ark sure, that could keep from drowning.  
There was a Dove, (o! be not ignorant of it) a silly seduced Dove, Hos. 7. 11 without an heart; and that got into an Ark of its own framing, which held during the calm; but when the winds rose, and the floods of great waters came, the workman could not defend the work, nor the work the workman, both perished together. This is spoken by an Allegory.  
This wise Dove is every soul, that is incorporated into that house, whose builder and founder is Christ; or, which as a spiritual stone is rooted into that building, whose foundation is that chief corner stone, elect and precious: and he that believeth in him, shall not be confounded: 1. Pet. 2. 6. By this silly seduced Dove, we all know who was meant, even Ephraim, and by Ephraim, that brave & stomachful tribe, is meant Israel, revolting Israel, backsliding Israel. And what had Ephraim done? he followed jeroboam Commandment concerning the Calves, which the workmen made, therefore it was not God: and this Calf cast him off. What did Ephraim then? He shown his wound to Egypt, and his sickness to Ashur. Did they cure him? No: they were Physicians of no value, for he was afterwards among the Nations, as a vessel wherein was no pleasure. Ephraim is at this day a spectacle of a smoking wrath from a jealous God, (jealousy is the rage of a man) against all those, whose Religion is exercised in false worship; whereas true Religion will endure no mixture nor partner. He was carried away we know not whither: his place knew him no more, where he was buried we cannot tell, where he died; & what killed him, the text clears, A brave Tribe once, till strangers had devoured his strength, was knock on the head by a rotten piece of wood, whereunto he came for shelter as to an Ark, for when Ephraim spoke trembling, he exalted himself in Israel, but when he of-in Baal he died. Hos. 13. 1. All this is written for our instruction, and it teacheth us, not to leave the snow of Lebanon, which cometh from the rock of the field: not to walk after our own devices, or the imaginations of our evil hearts: not to stumble in our ways, from the ancient path, to walk in a path, in a way not cast up; which will make a Land desolate and a perpetual ●issing, jer. 18. not to forsake the fountain of living waters, to hue out broken Cisterns that will hold no water. jer. 2. Not to say to the wood awake, which though the maker hath carved, & now worshippeth his work; for there is no more difference between bowing when it is before an Image, and worship that Image, then is betwixt bending the knee, and bowing the knee, is no whit better than the other wood, whereof one part hath warmed him; the other part roasted his meat; the other baked his bread: Isaiah. 44. This of the Prophet, doth aptly and necessarily put me in mind of a speech, which might have a very useful consideration; It is this: Put a thing from its end, whereunto it was ordained for the use of man, and you arm it against yourself. Further; the more subject this Creature was to thee, and in thy power to use it so or so; the more strongly will it fight against thee in its kind, when thou shalt put it out of its place, and abuse it. This will hold us a little I hope usefully. I am upon Ephraim's sin, which put him upon record for a silly seduced Dove; and my labour is to make the punishment thereof as seasonably useful to a poor seduced Child, as I may: The consideration of that speech will put me upon silly things, as stocks and stones, which being put out of their place, did mightily fight against Ephraim. But because the wounds that these filly abused things do give, are more inward, and not so obvious to the eye; we will not meddle with them yet: we will first be dealing with other more noble things, which put out of their place, do more evidently hurt the outward man, which is in sight: And I begin with that which is the Crown of a man, his reason: It is an useful thing; ask at Bedlam else; look within the doors, hear the hooting, and clampering of chains: (oh that we could prise blessings while we have them, and use them with thankes!) It will teach thee too, that being out of its place, it is strongly armed against thee. Thy will, an useful thing, put it out of its place, it will carry thee like a ship in a boisterous storm. Anger, useful too, but let it have power over thee, it will teach thee to act the Madman. Fear, put it from its proper object, it will make thee like a Roe before the hunter, like a leaf shaken in a tempest etc. Come we to that wherewith the Lord hath graced the outward man: Thy sight, an excellent thing, ask the dark man else: Thy hearing, ask the deaf: Thy speech, ask the dumb: (why are not blessings prised till they be lost.) Put these, or any of these from their proper end, they are strongly armed against thee. I could say as much of thy strength, a great mercy: ask him, whose staff cannot make him stand steady: Abuse it, it is strong against thee. Come we to that which sustaineth the outward man. Meat, an useful thing: Ask him else, for whom nothing is provided: him who staggers as he goes, for want of due nourishment. Drink, an useful thing: Ask him, whose tongue cleaveth to his mouth: or inquire of those Nobles, who were sent for water, and returned empty, jer. 14. 3. Such there were once, and there may be such again; prise the creature, and abuse it not. Now put these creatures out of their use, which is to refresh, & strengthen thy body, and behold them fight against thee but in a different manner; the one fights more fairly and civilly; so that another besides thyself, cannot know what hurts thee, for who can tell, when I have eaten too much, or what pincheth me. The other more unmannerly and boisterously. For when a man in a wantonness, shall show himself strong in abusing his drink, being therein worse than a Swine; because the on hath reason, the other a soul pro salo but to keep his body sweet: This creature will return its abuse upon this man in its right kind; It will use him also worse than a swine. And this before two witnesses, from whom of any thing in the world, a man would hide his shame, before the great Sun, and the little boys. Mark what will follow, the one shall declare to the world, that there lieth a man, who lived a Swine, in as clear a light of the Gospel, as that was a sunshine: The other knavishly I confess, shall give a plaudite to the creature shamefully foiling his Lord and Master.  
Mark the equity of this; we put the Glutton and Drunkard together; there is nothing, no not a piece of wood, which is more subject to man, than meat and drink is: They had them in their power as the workman the wood, who might make a ladle of it, as well as a Saint, they might have sent, both the one and the other unto the poor, who would be glad to find work for their hands that their hands might find work for their mouths. But these two are too full, to remember the empty. That fat morsel, so shall that beer be turned down into their stomaches like a dish of water into Thames, when it is high tide; and so they fall into the power of the creature: and the more they put forth their strength in the abusing of it, being in their power; the more will it put forth its strength in returning their abuse, now that they are in the power of it.  
It will nor be lost labour Reader, if thou shalt, according to those helps the Lord hath given thee, considerately look over all that wherewith thy little world is beautified; and then that, wherewith the Great-world is beautified for the use of the little, see how orderly the greater serves the lesser, and the less itself, in the whole Bulk, then in the several parcels of the same. Then again consider these, either in the one, or in the other disordered and put out of course by man's rebellion against God, whereby they rebel against thee. This if thou shalt do, thy song willbe of mercy & judgement, and to the Lord thou wilt sing; whom, as thou wi●t praise always, so also wilt thou fear always. The use of the creature is always before thee, that is matter of praise. Thy sin will soon turn it against thee, that is matter of fear.  
Now I am to deal with silly and contemptible things, because I would make the sin and punishment of Ephraim, a silly Dove, seasonably useful to a silly seduced Child: whereby I shall show, how the more silly and contemptible a thing is, and the more in man's power, the more strongly is it armed against a man, when he shall subject himself to it. I begin with wood; the Prophet tells us the use of it. But now in that thou hast taken a chip of that block, wherewith thou hast warmed thyself, and made an Idol of it; thou hast put the wood out of its place, and use, whereto it was ordained: now it is armed against thee, and will make thee stumble and fall upon thy knees; then, having thee at that advantage, it will slay thee: For thou hast put upon it that sweet name, which is a sweet savour to the Saints, and their Crown of rejoicing, not communicable to a Creature; and now, that will turn thy glory into a lie.  
I could say as much of gold and silver, how it was armed against Israel, when it was turned into a Calf Exod. 32. The like might be said of jewels, and other like ornaments, which being clapped together into an Ephod, were a snare unto Gideon, and to his house, judg. 8. 27. This will appear in the sequel. I will here ask her, who hath the heart of a Mother; whether the Mother and her house have not cause to mourn; in that my Child (for though he be rent from me, yet is he a parcel of my house) hath set up the abomination of desolation, where it ought not? when the wicked are exalted, yet they are men; we know what follows: how much more then, when stocks and stones? I shall read him the danger in Ephraim's punishment, which I have set down before in the general, but now I will take it in pieces, that therewith I may make it plain to my child, how that abused piece of wood had divers times greivously wounded Ephrahim, so giving him fair warnings. You shall find that Deborah in her thanks giving for their deliverances is mindful to set down upon Record, that which had so enthralled Israel, which she doth very shortly, but pithily. They chose new Gods: then was war in the gates, judges 5. 9 When? then. I hope it will make my child tremble. It seems by the text, that Idolatry & war, kept a kind of Equipage little distance betwixt them: yet thou must not understand it so. For sin ever sets forth before punishment, and many times gets start of it, that a man would think it had quite outrun the punishment: yet after punishment comes slowly, but surely. It cannot be better expre'st then to tell you it dogs a man: For look how a man follows a thief, whom he means to attach suddenly; he lets him go on, you know the manner, so he may take him at the greatest advantage, perhaps at his supper, perhaps in his bed, whence he must be rattled up: so punishment here; Ephraim had lodged Idolatry within, and it was fallen asleep; by this time, war was in the Gate, Idolatry must be rattled up, with the noise of the prancing horses, and iumping Charetts.  
But could not Ephraim put back the enemy? It seems no: his defence was gone: his Idols had disarmed him, and left him naked: was there a shield or spear found, among the forty thousand in Israel? There is a place in the second of Isaiah parallel with the former, but much more terrible; you may call it the Burden of Idolatry. I will sharpen it upon the Child, and bring it to a double point. If it enter, it will first learn thee, whensoever thy secure heart shall ask jehorams question; Is it peace? to give jehues answer: what peace, so long as thy whoredoms, & jezabel's witchcrafts are so many? 2 King. 9 2●. Secondly, it shall take thee off from resting upon the Arm of flesh; so that thou shalt say with the true Israel, we will not ride upon horses, nor shall Ashur save us: Riches shall not be my strong tower, nor ought else, but that name only, whereunto the righteous run, and they are safe, Prover. 18. 10. we read the words. The Land is full of silver and gold; no end of their treasure. So the sinews of war were perfect. The Land is full of horses. A vain thing indeed, if we shall think to deliver ourselves by them, but use the horse, and rest upon God; and it is a notable help. See how the Lord of Hosts describes his Horse: job. 39 19 Neither is there any end of their Charetts. A mighty strength, they laid all waist as they went. We read forward, and we find another fullness yet, that emptied all this: Their Land also is full of Idols. These lay in Ephraim's stomach politic, as some raw and disagreeing bits in the stomach natural, amongst much good meat: they were hastily taken, and unadvisedly swallowed; and up they must, and the good meat with them: for the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.  SON. 
I know unto what my Mother tends apace; I must needs here crave pardon, and interrupt you. For you would bring Ephraim's sin upon us, as Peter Christ's blood upon the jews, and so make us liable to a judgement, the hearing whereof would make the ear tingle, You may be pleased therefore to remember, that in a late letter, I profess to take Doctor Carier for my guide, who in his letter yet speaketh; and tells me and you thus much, that we can wash our hands from Ephraim's Idolatry well enough: For though we use Images, yet we abhor Idolatry; and admonish the people to take heed thereof Sec. 12.  MOTHER. 
I meddle with no man's person: Paul would be followed, but as he followed Christ: thou didst not consider that. Thy letter with Doctor Carrier's three reasons, is answered; but to the thing now in hand. To allow Images for religious use, and then to admonish the people to beware, is with the Mad man, to cast firebrands about the house, and then to bid the standers by look to their shins. Pro. 26. 18. let the wood lie under the pot, it is the place for it: to what use serves it in the time of prayer, but to make the mind as sensual as the Image, which should be choir drawn from the senses. Call ye this a serving God in Spirit?  SON. 
Yes for mark my Leaders words, we use them but as a devout representation of the Church Triumphant; which is fit to be made; in the time and place of prayer.  MOTHER. 
I say nothing of the Church Triumphant, or of that proportion, which is betwixt the the representation and the thing represented, turn we to Deut. 4. 15. Take good heed (for ye saw no manner of Image) lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make the representation of any figure. See here: ye saw no Image, ye shall make the representation of no figure: we do use Images, as a representation. What call ye this, but with a whore's forehead, to walk in the stubborness of your own hearts: ye shall not, yet ye will do contrary to the express charge of God: therefore as theirs, so your services are accounted no better, then sacrificing to Devils, Deut. 32. 17. Whosoever walks contrary to Gods revealed will, shall find the Scripture an adversary, and contrary to his way in every page. Agree then with thy adversary while thou art in the way: For ye can no more wash your hands from Israel's sin, than their following generation could theirs from innocent blood. Therefore that thou may'st be pricked in thy heart, I return to the second of Isaiah, where we find the burden of Idolatry; The mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself, therefore forgive them not: wherefore? they bowed, they humbled. Mark it; the judgement is tied to bowing and humbling.  
Forgive them not! had thy Mother some rhetorics now, what could she do with it? Elocution thrice repeated, could do no good here: This is a judgement beyond expression. It is the utmost of all judgements. Why? The horse may trample out the brains of a man, and stamp his body to pieces; yet there is hope in that death. The Canon may dash the body like a snow ball thrown against the wall; yet there is hope in that death. The sword may be made fat with the blood of the slain; there may be wailing in all streets, and crying out in all high ways, Alas, Alas: yet there may be hope all this while; for these things fall alike to all, and no man knoweth love or hatred. But forgive them not. What think you?  
A man might here inquire, & with sobriety too, why the Prophet's tongue was thus steeled against the people: he seemed more than a Son of thunder, his words were swords even bitter words. Lord forgive them not! on would have thought, that he should have stood in the gap, and have said, Lord forgive them. Yea, but the Prophet that hath a dream may tell a dream. Ierm. 23: but he that hath the word, he saw concerning judah and jerusalem. Isaiah 2. 1: must speak the word faithfully: and when the people shall ask, what is the burden of Lord? the Prophet must answer, I will even forsake you, saith the Lord. jere. 23. 33.  
Consider we now: here is an heavy judgement, & can the exalting of a piece of wood procure such a punishment? Consider we again, that silly man would not be compared to a block: and that jealousy is, the rage of a man. he will not spare in the day of vengeance, Prov. 6. 34. Consider also, that the name of the Lord is dreadful, he will be sanctified of all that come near him, for he is a consuming fire. This puts us upon David's words, let us call for his spirit: my flesh trembleth for dread of thee; and I fear for thy judgements: Psal. 119. 120.  
But if thy heart continue yet stiff, thou hast made thyself liable to Belshazzars sin, which brought destruction upon him like a whirlwind: The Lord hath done thus and thus to Ephraim, and thou hast not humbled thy heart, though thou knewest all this: But hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, & wood, etc. and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, thou hast not glorified: Dan. 5. 22. Good Child consider it; and since I cannot give thee my right hand of fellowship, yet the Mother and Child would fain be together, they would not a few miles should part them, much less such a gulf; let us, before thy hand be plucked back, seriously debate this thing, by what hath been said, by what shall be said; which is safest, which surest; my coming over unto thee, or thy coming over unto us, that if it may be: we may be together, here, and hereafter for ever with the Lord.  
Attend then further to what I have learned from Paul's planting, and Apollo's watering, God giving the increase: we acknowledge but one Church, firm and steadfast as the foundation of the everlasting Hills; compared to Noah's Ark, as in many respects; so also for this; because as out of that there was nothing but death, so out of this there can be no salvation: And therefore as Noah having Gods special order for the matter and form of it, had also his invisible hand to guide it: So likewise hath this Church that watchman of Israel, for its Pilot; therefore, though it be in continual dangerin, yet shall it be preserved from the raging waves of this sea, & be safely brought to the haven, where it would be. And for its more sure direction, this keeper of Israel hath appointed at a most certain and infallible oracle, whereunto all the prophets and Apostles give witness; and thereunto it doth give diligent heed, and firm assent; because the Authority and testimony thereof is always the same; being grounded upon God's unchangeable verity. As for the Pope's succeeding Peter, the Church findeth not the truth of it in her Genealogies; and it may be as doubtful, as the succession of Peter's Cock, whose Pedigree notwithstanding (they say) hath been lineally drawn from generation to generation, and it is Cocksure. But yet call your Pope what you will, john or joane, (you know it was doubtful once) yet is he of the same mould with Peter, and may err as he did: whereupon Paul resisted him to the face, for he was to be blamed, Gal. 2. 11. And therefore whatsoever he saith, challengeth no other than an humane consent unto it: for if all the men in the world, (not immediately directed, as were extraordinary Prophets & Apostles, in whom the spirit spoke and testified by them,) should consent in one; as they, notwithstanding their multitude were but men, though many? so were their testimony but humane: It was not then of old time, that they asked council of your holy Father, and so ended the matter; but search the Scriptures, they testify of me. There is our oracle; harken to what they say. The Church of the living God, (I call it neither ours nor yours, but blessed is the man that hath his name written therein) is the pillar and ground of truth; no foundation whereon the building must rely, but as it is built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles, jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone, in whom all the building coupled together, groweth to a holy Temple in the Lord: Ephes. 2. 20.  HARLOT. 
Why? But all this while you are but upon the sand, no true foundation, nor infallibility of supporting. Will you have a Son's soul, hazarded upon sand:  MOTHER. 
Hazard my child's soul Harlot? Oh precious thing! O rich jewel! an inestimable treasure! it is amidst the things of the world, like David among the people; worth ten thousand of them, and much more; of all the things in the world (my dear child) run not the hazard of that. Hazard a foot thou mayst, and yet thou wilt not, thou hast another, a leg, thou hast another; an hand, thou hast an other; an arm, thou hast an other: an eye, thou hast an other. Here are no pairs, lose one and lose all. O unvaluable loss, and unrecoverable! the redemption thereof must cease for ever. What would not a parent now do, to put a child's soul out of hazard? Then hear me my Son, Son of my bowels hearken; Is that soul in danger, that is in the Ark, made by Gods own appointment both for the matter and manner, directed to him by that morning Starr, from which it hath a certain course. Listen my child, child of my bowels listen; Is that cornerstone a sandy foundation? can the weight of men and Angels press it? can the gates of hell remove it? Indeed, if that stone fall upon thee or me, we are crushed in pieces, Math. 21. 44. So are we if we fall upon it, heedlessly, carelessly, presumptuously: but come unto it in the whole obedience of thy heart, stick, cleave unto it, as Ruth to Naomie, be not entreated to leave it, or to departed from it, and thou canst not miscarry. Hearken my Son, Son of my bowels hearken, can the blowing of the wind, can the beating of the storm, remove that house which the wise builder, hath founded upon a Rock? Thou dost my Son believe Christ's words, I know, thou dost believe them. Then hearken my Son this once, Son of my bowels hearken. He that layeth a foundation diggeth deep, certainly so did this wise builder, beyond all humane traditions; here was no settling: Beyond all will-worship; a counterfeit ground: Beyond all satisfaction of his own, this was not solid: Beyond the intercession of Saints and Angels; this was not safe: Beyond the righteousness of his best works: here he would fain stay, but it would not hold the weight: still he digs further, for the soul that seeketh the Lord, is not satisfied, until he find him. Where have ye laid my Lord (saith Mary) let me find him, or all is nothing. He digs deeper, even as he that seeks a treasure, or as a thirsty man after a spring of water: or like those three mighty, he will through the whole host of the Philistimes, but he will dig through those sandy bottoms, and get to the rock. And now upon it he is, and by it supported, and from it refreshed, for behold here is strength to hold him up; here are waters, living waters; to comfort him, for this rock is Christ: It is good being here, here will he set up his rest; here will he abide for ever: If the Rock fail not, he cannot fail: blessed is the man that hath this foundation: thrice blessed is he that hath this water to drink: he will ever dig it in broken pits. Can the rain or hail fall now upon this man, as upon a wilderness? to whom that man (for so Christ the Rock is called, and observe the number) will be as a hiding place from the wind, & as a refuge from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, and as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. Isa. 32. 1, 2. Now the rain may fall, and the floods come, and the winds blow, and beat upon this house, & behold it stands, for it is grounded upon a rock. Matth. 7. 25. See a mount Zion now, which stands for ever, and the blast of the mighty shall be as a storm against the wall. Oh my child: though my eyes be shut up, yet am I, as it were in balaam's rapture; who can rel the strength of this man? for as the Rock is, such is his strength, as the strength of an Unicorn, no poison shall hurt him, no sorcery shall make against him, he hath a refuge from the storm; a shadow from the heat, a strength in distress, what can daunt this man now, can evil tidings whereof the world is full, and are to be expected daily, like jobs messengers. No: then being well able to judge of the times, his heart would be shaken like a leaf● with the wind: but he is no re●d, whose foundation is mire and dirt: The Lord i● his confidence: Proverb. 3. 24. He hath laid himself down in peace, and taketh his rest; his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord: Psal. 112. Can the judgement when it doth come, quail him? No: for of all the hours of the day, he was inquisitive with his beloved, where he should rest at noon: he knew that would be an hot time. His beloved told him; and ever since he rests assured; that the nature of the judgement, be it what it will be, shall be changed; it shall give but a gentle correction, a fatherly chastisement, a sour sweet, meat shall come forth of the eater: judges. 14. 14.  
What will the King of fears do? What? lay him upon his earth sure; and there it will keep him, till the graves give up their dead: But now it is sense, that goes no further. The body returns to its earth: the soul to him that gave it. The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law: but thankes be to God, who hath given us victory through jesus Christ. So then this mighty King, (who hath with stood his power) will do the very same to this man, which the Angel did to Paul & Silas, and as Pharaoh to joseph: It will open to him the Prison doors, knock off his fetters, take off his Prison . Let those fear, to whom Christ is not both in life and death advantage. This man cannot fear, but rejoice rather: For though the grave for a time must be his house, and the worms his companions: Yet putting death on the one side, and immortality on the other: worms on the one side, and Angels on the other: Rottenness on the one side, and Christ jesus on the other: he is bold, and loves rather to remove; and so for ever to be with the Lord, where he shall toil no more, he shall weep no more, he shall sigh no more, he shall hunger no more, he shall thirst no more. R●st is come: all tears are wiped away: his Sun shall no more go down, neither shall the Moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be his everlasting light, and the days of his mourning shall be ended: Isaiah 60. 20. Who can tell the joys of this jacob, or number the fourth part of the comforts of this Israel? The sure mercies of David are his: The word of God his for his instruction: The righteousness of God his for his justification: God's spirit his for his sanctification: God's power his for his protection: Gods glory his for his happiness: All things are his▪ he is Christ's, and Christ is Gods: 1 Cor. 3. 23. Let my strength be as this man's strength, and my last end shall be like his.  
Oh but why doth Balaam wish and sit still the while? judge with thyself, whether such comforts can be drawn with ease. This is a work, not an easy one: Why is there a price in the hand of a fool, and he hath no heart unto it? Prov. 17. 16. Dig man, dig deep, deeper yet; to it again: thou must through all these sandy bottoms. Why? judge within yourself, whether any thing but only the rock, the rock only can hold a building thus steadfast, that the world, nay the gates of hell cannot prevail against it? Oh to it again; there must be a low foundation, on which so glorious a building must be rooted, built, and established, that must stand like mount Zion fast for evermore. Then yet deeper, and faint not, forasmuch as you know, your labour is not in vain in the Lord.  
Dear Child; I as an affectionate Mother to my own bowels, by my sorrows in thy first birth, by those since, wherewith I travel with thee, till Christ be form in thee, by that solemn vow, thou mad'st to God in Baptism; by that strong bond of nature, & dear name of a Mother, I do desire thee, nay she that might command, doth beseech thee, if there be any consolation in Christ, if any comfort in love, if any fellowship of the spirit, if any bowels of mercies, to consider, by what hath been said, and the Lord make it profitable, whether my requests that thou wouldst return, be unreasonable or unnatural, whether my reasons for it, are any way dangerous or hazardous; or rather whether the one be not pious, the other safe & certain: directing thee unto that Church, which is guided by a certain course; it may float, it cannot sink; setting thee upon a sure foundation; it may shake, it cannot fall; no more than the cornerstone, which cannot be removed: Entreating thee to put away those lies, which are in thy right hand: all those Idols which cannot help: all those sparks with which you may compass yourself, and yet lie down in sorrow, Isai. 50. 11. persuading thee to put away all those vanities, (they are too long to name) which weighed in the balance, will be found too light; and also to dig to the Rock which cannot fail. Oh my Child consider! It is not for any of your good works, that you are condemned; yet I know thou wilt consider, that there are many circumstances, belonging to every action, from which the work ever receives its true estimat. Thou may'st hear somewhat more of this anon, because thou dost not walk uprightly, according to the truth and purity of the Gospel. I would drive this nail to the head now: consider whether your rock be as our rock; even our enemies being judges: what will become of their gods? their rock in which they trusted? let them rise up and help you, and be your protection: Deut. 31. ver. 31. & 37. etc. But see my child, this rock is he, which I have pointed out unto thee, & there is none with him, only Christ; only Christ. Can here be hazard my Child? can here be danger? canst thou thirst at the fountain▪ canst thou sink upon the rock? In thine own righteousness thou may'st, the intercessions of Saints and Angels may deceive thee. Baal may be busied, peradventure he may be sleeping. Abraham may be ignorant of thee; and Israel may not acknowledge thee.  
I say but it may be, though the Scripture puts it out of all question; for albeit the Saints in heaven do in general remember their fellows, whose warfare is not yet accomplished, and so perform that never failing act of charity, to pray for them; as they fare divided on earth, do one for another: yet particularly they know not our hearts, nor the desires, nor sighs, nor groans of our hearts: for thou only (saith Solomon) knowest, the hearts of the Children of men. 2 Chro. 6. 30. thou only, therefore not Abraham, not Israel. Yet I say, but that it may be, that thou mayst see plainly, how at the best here is a venture, here ●s a hazard: but he that keepeth Israel neither slumbreth nor sleepeth: and this is he which I point out unto thee: there can be no hazard here; this rock is a mighty redeemer: he will sustain thee alone; he must have no helper: whom wilt thou join with him, whose name is everlasting? I tell thee this for the sum of all: there is nothing though never so lovely in thine eyes, which can make thee the righteousness of God, but that which was made sin for thee. Tell me then, were any of these things crucified for thee? how long shall vain thoughts which separate from God, lodge within thee? return then my Son, return; or in case thou dost halt between two opinions, surely the Lord the jealous God, who will not give his honour to another, nor suffer Dagon to stand by him, will have this controversy against thee; and what Saint or Angel shall plead for thee? thou hast committed two great evils, thou hast forsaken the fountain of living waters, & hewed thyself out Cisterns, broken Cisterns, that can hold no water. Return then my Son, return; for why shouldest thou be as a Cake half baked, neither hit ●or cold, almost a Christian: Thou must ●●ke strait steppse, and cast off that which kings on so fast, lest that which is halting be turned out of the way. The Lord calls for thy heart, give it him my Son, and follow him wholly, or else thou shalt nev●r with Caleb and joshuah, come into that good Land. O● my bowels do yearn upon my Son! the Harlot shall rather have him, than I will have him divided. Come away from her, Son, come away.  SON. 
Ye have wolves amongst you, who pray not for you but prey upon you. Besides, the lives of your Ministers and professors, are very scandalous; you have but the carcase of the Ministry amongst you, and you do not cover it, with a seemly cloth. Do not the Ministers some of them, like stage players, only an● barely act & talk and practise nothing? They will tell you of Christ's passion, his hunger, his thirst; so of the Apostles too: But which of your Ministers or Laity will follow his Saviour in those his passions? Who amongst you do allow of fastings, or watching, or voluntary Poverty etc. Now look upon ours, their practice will preach you a Sermon, they are rather doers than talkers. They fast hard: pray much, suffer continually. By this their practice, you may know their doctrine; there is your Sermon. Now I would you could examine the doctrine of yours: but that's too high, look upon it in their practice, that fits your capacity. Observe also the lives of your professors: do they not walk in palpable darkness. whereas they would be accounted children of the light: Are these the fruits of truth?  MOTHER. 
O! Child take heed thou dost not seem to wound a holy profession, through the vizard of it; but I have many things to say unto thee, some thing to the Harlot too, they will come forth as in a throng, perhaps in no very good order: I would screw it together in as little room as I might. And first my Son,, to excuse thee, I hope thou didst not tell in Gath, nor publish in the streets of Askelon, what thou didst observe in our practice, if we had not carried our wickedness in our foreheads, my child would not have uncovered our skirts. I know thou wouldst preserve the credit of thy own nest. But the Harlot cannot but know these things, though never by thy relation, for they are not practised altogether in corners; but before Israel & before the Sun: and they will be as openly punished, for God hath a controversy for it, and woe be to them by whom this offence cometh. But stay Harlot I have many things against thee too, first thou hast told my poor child such an untruth, that could have none for its Author but thyself; and did not the silly wretch wink with the eye, (for he thinks he is bound to it, that thou mayst lead him, not knowing thy footsteps lead to death, he could not be so grossly deceived. Why wouldst thou tell him that we have Wolves in England, preying upon us? What if I should tell thee now that England breeds no wolves. But grant that we have Wolves in sheep's clothing, yet they seem rather sheep than wolves, and indeed are rather deceivers than raveners; nay grant we have as true wolves amongst us, as Herod was a Fox; Ravenous Wolves, such as would rend in pieces the fairest of the flock, as truly I think we have such; Nay grant they did gape at us with their mouths, as it will be granted, if one day be written. Why then, thankes be to God, who did not deliver us, as a prey unto their teeth. For Ravenous though they are, gaping though they were; yet have they not sucked one drop of blood since Q. mary's days, thus thou seest we have no wolves preying upon us.  
Again, thou hast helped my poor deluded Child, to put down one thing as grossly, though not so apparently false, as the other; which he would never have done, hadst thou not guided his pen with the one hand, and closed his eyes with the other: For having set down Christ's Passion, in the general, and then in the particulars of it; my Child asketh, which now of all the ministry or laity, will follow his Saviour in these his passions? In these his passions! why none sure. They cannot do it: But through his strength, by whom they can do all things: they will follow their Saviour, in his meekness, in his patience, etc. they are enabled to do it, they are bound to do it, for they have a precept, as well as a pattern: 1 Pet. 2. 22, 23. I would my Child had observed so much, then could he have found no ground for all your superstitious services. Ye do fast hard. [not one bit of flesh, no not an egg, what you will else, for forty days together:] so ye follow Christ's. Ye pray much. [ye will tumble over I know not how many Beads, sometimes a whole night together:] so ye follow Christ. Suffer continually. [ye will cross yourselves every hour, whip yourselves till the blood follow: we read not the like, but of Baalls Priests: your whole life is a continual penance:] so ye follow Christ. In want and that willingly. [All is cast upon the waters: some leave not themselves so much as will bring them to harbour:] so ye follow Christ.  
Well-worshippers! who required these things at your hands. I shall anon inform my Child concerning ourdoctrine and practice, answerable thereunto; the sincerity and truth whereof, will I hope plainly tell him, the vanity of yours: yet I am speaking to thee, and now concerning our practice. Grant it be scandalous; I remember what the Lord saith to Edom; pleasing himself once in the calamity of judah: Thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother. A tear on Edomes' cheeks, would have beseemed him better, than a smile on his lips; for judah was his brother. Let me use the same words to thee: thou shouldest not have looked on our day; call it our calamity, if thou wilt; for so it is in effect, to good joseph's, who see the practice, and he are the words of their Brethren not good: And they bring them to their Father, and say, Lord visit not these things upon them, for they know not what they do; and by this means the Lords hand is stayed, though he is pressed as a cart with sheaves. But yet Harlot, why dost thou look on our day? Why? thou wilt say, we have been taken in the very Act; have we so? We confess we should have walked warily towards them that are without; but yet thou shouldest have held thy hand from taking up a stone against us, because the throwing of it doth but aggravate thy judgement: thou hast thy bill of divorce, and art sent away; but God hath been patiented towards us, as appeareth this day.  
Again, why should Catiline a very firebrand, accuse seditious persons? Be it our practice be bad, very bad, be thou silent in it, and look homewards: for may I not say to thee, as the Prophet upon another occasion: Are there not with you, even with you, sins against the Lord your God? 2 Chron. 28. 20. What mean else those 6000. infants heads, found in your Gregory's ponds? Act. Mon. p. 1954: whose fathers must needs be holy men, living so near the smoke of his holiness' kitchen. What meaneth else that farewell which one of your own proselytes bids to Rome, when he came forth of her.  
Roma vale, vidi, satis est vidisse: revertar:  
Cum leno, meretrix, scurra, cinaedus ero.  
Now farewell Rome, I have thee seen, It was enough to see:  
I will return when as I mean, Bawd, Harlot, Knave, to be.  
I could ask thee what meaneth such? and such abominations? Such wherein thy sister Sodom never exceeded thee, but what were this, but for the port to prove itself fair by the kettles blackness? Or it were somewhat though not altogether, like the reply of the Hebrew, reproved by Moses, for striking his fellow. Thou killed'st the Egyptian, what was that to the lestning of the Hebrews fault? Let my heart ever look inward, and take a reproof as a plaster. We deserve thy reproof even the spitting in our face, for we are unclean. Your sins are no excuse for ours, nor ours for yours, we shall each bear our own burden, punishment will find us both out, and in the day of the Lords visitation, he will visit our sins upon us, let Baal plead for Baal, and wickedness proceed from awicked man, let him defend it, it will find him out at length, and in due time the foot shall slide. And it shall be bitterness in the end, that the Priests, whether yours, or ours, have made the Sacrifice to be abhorred, and for the professors too, that they have caused the name of the Lord to be blasphemed, and his holy ways to be spoken against; nay I tell thee, some of these ministers and professors too, that have thus profaned the covenant, and dishonoured that holy thing, they have taken upon them, are made contemptible, and base before all the people. Oh that they were wise, then would they understand; they would consider their latter end.  
Now again to the● my Child, (it is no matter how my words come forth for their method, so none be lost, thy Mother hath no Art:) And first, for thy better information concerning our doctrine. Yet as an introduction thereunto, because there is no end of writing; hear thy Mother's doctrine first: Call it Salamons' sums. Fear God, keep his Commandments. And consider this with it; that these are Evangelicall precepts, which are not dead, like those of the law, but lively in operation. Take this also with it, which thou findest in many places; The Lord gives his Spirit to them that obey him, and his secret is with them, that fear him. Thus much to prepare thy care, it is the Lord that must circumcise it, that must bor● it. The doctrine follows. Love God with thy whole heart, and thy neighbour as thyself; there is the Law and the prophets, and in that the Church's doctrine, and thy lesson. Thou wilt say with the youngman; All this I do perform: Therefore thy Mother conceives the less hope. I would rather thou couldst have confe'st thyself an unprofitable servant; that so thou mightst have been capable, of that which follows; for thou hast but half yet: Christ came into the world to save sinners. There is the Gospel; And if in thy own apprehension, thou art one; yea the chief of sinners, there is the comfort & only there. Thus thou hast the sum of the Law and the Gospel, take it together in Paul's words, 1. Tim. 4. 6. 2: 3: 4: 5. It teacheth the wholesome words, even the words of our Lord jesus Christ, the doctrine which is according to godliness, and if any man teach otherwise, he is proud knowing nothing & from such with draw thyself. 1. Tim, 6. so much for the general. Now more particularly thou shalt see how this doctrine ariseth out of the Scriptures, the ground of it, as the sap soaketh out of the tree, and thence spreadeth itself into several branches; then unites itself upon its disciple man, to whom it is more particularly made known by the inward work of God's spirit.  
The Doctrine is holy according to the Scriptures, avowing them to be a most perfect rule, neither crooked any way, nor short in any thing requisite; which must be received for the testimony of God, because we must set to our seal, that he is true; and not for the testimony of the Church, which were to set to our seal; that men were true: Thence concluding that there is one God, one Christ, one Faith, one Church, one Baptism. That this one God is to be worshipped purely as a spirit, in spirit and in truth; according to the three substances, soberly, and wisely; according to all his Attributes, piously, religiously. That Christ is to be rested upon wholly, by a precious faith whereof God is the Author, God is the Finisher, (for it pleads not the power of man's freewill in spiritual things, against the free grace of God, who will be admired in all that believe,) not immediately, when he gives the means, but upon the conscionable use of the word and Sacraments, according to the pattern, and primitive Institution, set apart for that end, and sanctified thereunto, by which faith every soul gets union with, and interest in jesus; and hereby is only perfectly justified, both in respect of degrees & parts; and sanctified also in respect of parts: and all this, not by perfection of the instrument Faith, (that is a creature,) but of the object it apprehendeth, Christ, and so may with a true, though palsy hand, receive and keep both Christ and his benefits; which doth evidence to the soul, now not walking by sight, that he hath union with the vine, and Communion with the branches having now the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, even clean waters poured upon him, whereof the outward element was more than a bare sign: And now being thus washed, thus purged, he cannot be unprofitable, but beareth much fruit, to the glory and praise of him, who hath called him out of darkness into his marvellous light; and this fruit coming from a lively root, is lively also, evedencing outwardly what the Spirit hath sealed inwardly. So putting to silence the mouths of wicked men; and his own mouth too from glorying in any thing, but in him that raised the dead; who prevented him with grace, and follows him with grace, thereby giving him assurance that he will perfect what i● begun; to him therefore is ascribed the glory, whose power was and i● so graciously manifested in weakness. Hence ariseth a joy inexpressible, yet till this warfare be accomplished, many ways and divers times interrupted, never quite lost in the ground of it, (be walks by faith) but the fullness is reserved in the heavens, which the Lord the righteous judge shall give him, for the praise of the glory of his grace, according to the dispensation of his will, purposed before all time, sealed unto him i● time; and shall be perpetuated ●●to all eternity.  
This is a light (Child) though darkness apprehend it not, this is a good seed, whereof i● given thee but a little handful though tares be sown with it. This is a Treasure, & what vessel is fit for it? yet it is but in an earthen one; that the glory may be of God.  SON. 
What should you be meddling with the Scriptures, and the Church's doctrine; rather according to sobriety, walk in un Implicit Faith, resigning yourself to the holy Church, and the holy Church to his Holiness I pray you, what say you for your practice, your capacity may master that.  MOTHER. 
Take heed, the tongue is an unruly member, Search the Scriptures it an indefinite injunction, Timothy knew them of a Child, and by them was made wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ jesus. 2. Tim. 3. 15. the neglect of them is the ground of error: ye err because ye know not the Scriptures. It is our happiness that we have them; our sure instruction that we read them; our condemnation if we seek for truth from any else, though he who is translated into an Angel of light; nay, though an Angel from heaven should bring it. We look unto the Scripture to seek counsel from them, as from our Oracle, our Pillar, our Rule; but we resignelour ways to the Lord, by whom our thoughts are established. And this shall aggravate your judgement, that whereas the Lord hath written unto you the great things of his law, ye have accounted them a light thing: And further, thy Mother is persuaded, that so long as thou hast neglect of such a treasure, and wilt hearken to the traditions of men, thou wilt continue a fool, though thou shouldest be braid in a mortar.  
Concerning our practice, I have something to say for it; something against it; thou shalt have it presently: First, I think it fit in the way, to remove some straws, (call them so comparatively) thy Mother would not have a straw lie in her Son's way homewards a and herein I am the more wary; because it will plainly appear, that thou hast stumbled at a straw, and leapt over a block. Consider then with me, that there may be some errors in points of doctrine, not Fundamental; not trenching upon that only and alone sacrifice once offered for sin; since which all sacrifices must cease, whether bloody, or unbloody; which errors not fundamental, the fire may consume, yet the person be saved.  
Again, that there may be some faults in practice, and those foul ones too, which Charity should help with both her shoulders: but if strength be wanting that way, or the mantle too short, yet Charity hath done its part.  
That all this may be, and is, I gather it thus. A wide door was opened: what did follow then? many adversaries, saith Paul: The Husbandman was sowing his seed, where was the envious man? As near unto him a● Satan was to the Priests right hand, to resist him: Zech. 3. and he casts his hand as well as the seedsman, and perhaps faster too; because the seedsman sleeps sometimes, but the envious man is wakeful, and he bestirs himself: In this place, he throws a handful, and in that a handful (& yet it is a field still) and the great Landlord saith; let them grow up together until harvest, than they shall be separated.  
Now Child, that I may bring this to o●● purpose, and thereby show thee, how thou hast stumbled at a straw, and loap'● over a block, I return to the first again, and say, that as there are certain principles of the doctrine of Christ, and of faith, which must first be laid, and upon which other truths are to be built: so must not the foundation be confounded with the wall, or roof; nor light errors be made fundamental. From hence thou art to take this into thy consideration, yet there is time, That the errors of the Antichristian Church, whereunto thou art joined, as Ephraim to Idols, do trench upon the carner-stone, elect and precious, than which none must lay any it be a foundation; thus thou didst leap over a block. Again, thou hast separated from us, (I hope but for a season, that we may receive thee for ever at the ten Tribes (if I may compart small things with great) rent from jerusalem, the only true instituted Church in the world, which was then on individual, & not many as now; and this by Idolatry; thus thou didst leap over a block.  
To the second, faults in practice, they are confe'st; I think the Harlot heard me plead guilty. It was the best way sure, unless one could have proved, that the envious man had done nothing. Be it granted then; yet what is the Tares to the good soedes, what is the chaff to the wheat? Good seed is good feed, for all the tares; wheat, wheat notwithstanding the Chaff. Be it, that we have both of our Shepherds, and of their flock to, such whose walking is no whit answerable to that it should be: Then the Scripture calls them Idols: Zech. 11. 17. And we know, an Idol is nothing. What can be inferred thence? what though an Idol hath nothing but the superficies, & outmost proportion of a man; it sees not, it hears not, it speaks not; It will not follow, that therefore the living do not praise God. Though a lie be nothing, truth is something. Thy questioning hereof puts me in mind of a strange speech, that was uttered by one, whose conceit was stronger than his reason, and his love weaker than either. He was once, as he thought, over-reach't by a minister: well, (said he) for this trick, I will never trust a black-coat again. A good Item, to those of that Coat, that they walk circumspectly, as examples in word, in conversation, in spirit, in faith, in purity: ● Tim. 4. 12. Considering their profession will take soil, as soon as their cloth; so that the one as much requires a wakeful eye over it, as the other a brush; yet still offences will be taken. But let us examine the former speech: If so be that words make a Commentary on the heart, as well as actions, (they say they do) and the one betrays a man, as well as the other, than I can discern no difference, between that man we now heard of, and this I am now telling you of; who very wisely put his drink into a sieve; and because the sieve deceived him, and let his drink out, would not be persuaded afterwards to trust his dish, no that he would not. Think you as you please, of the one and the other: I am sure here was an extreme. The dish would have held it, though the siue did not.  
I must not lay the blame upon all, because some walk not as they should do. The faults of a counterfeit, must not cast dirt into the face of a gracious profession: no, nor may any man's faults though never so scandalous, bring contempt upon the doctrine. As it was under the Law, so is it now under the Gospel: Aaron's Priesthood was holy, though Nadab and Abihu did that the Lord commanded them not. The sacrifice holy, though Elies sons were wicked. That the offering of the Lord was abhorred, was the people's fault. Yet woe befell them, who gave the offence, and it shall certainly overtake all such as go on in their steps. But all this while there is no warrant for abhorring the offering. There is a treasury in earthly vessels; the treasure sanctifies not the vessel, nor the vessel pollutes the treasure: Moses Chair cannot make the Scribe the holier; nor can the unholiness of the Scribe pollute Moses Doctrine: No man's sins should bring the service of God into dislike.  SON. 
Yea but you have been speaking of your doctrine, and you have I know not how fitly, compared it to a treasure, and to wheat, and I know not what: this makes against you; For we say, sow wheat, and reap wheat.  MOTHER. 
It is most true; For what a man sows, that shall he reap: but you know, the envious man sowed Tares; then by the same reason, there will be tares too. As envious as the man is, he must have his crop.  SON. 
This doth not satisfio me: we have read, that Truth is strongest, and doth prevail; it brings a power with it,  MOTHER. 
That it doth, and thou mayst be sure of it. A greater power than is this, to cast away ones goods, to thump one's self on the breast; to cross the forehead; to lash one● sides till the blood follow; to cast up ones prayers with beads, in stead of counters; to abstain from eggs on Friday, and a chick on Saturday; and flesh for forty days together. Nay, (I am not wide if I say) it brings a greater power, then that of your Pope's keys, though it cannot open Purgatory. But for thy information, which I specially intent, I will plainly show thee what power this is, which truth brings with it, by two resemblances: It is such a power, as jacob gave his Father Laban, to search his tents, for the Images which Rachel had stolen: she was desirous to keep them, whether to play with them, or because they were her Fathers, I know not: and Laban was desirous to have them; they were his gods, therefore of great esteem. Search my tents (saith jacob) there is your power: I would give no way to keep them upon any condition, if I knew of them; For jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them: Gen. 31. 32. So then Rachel was too hard for them both. The resemblance lieth thus. Truth brings power with it to search the heart, yea to sweep it and cleanse it too. And yet this crafty subtle Rachel keeps some of the filth behind the door in a corner. And this to humble man; who, if he knows nothing by himself, yet is he not thereby justified: He hath to do with him who is greater than the heart, whose eyes are as Crystal. Selfe-puritie is a fancy, it will deceive a man like a broken tooth, or a leg out of joint: Behold, if we say we know it not, doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it & c? Prov. 24. 12. Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret sai●●s, keep back thy servant, etc. Psal. 19 Now mark how Hezechiah prayed: The good Lord pardon every one, that prepareth his heart to seek God, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. That man who is as desirous to cleanse his heart from Idols, as jacob was to cleanse his tents: and can say with Hezechiah: Remember how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart: 2 King. 20. that man may find comfort from Gods answering Hezechiahs' prayer; And the Lord harkened to Hezechiah and healed the people: 2 Chro. 30. 18. 19 I should now show this power, which truth brings in a second resemblance; but I cannot leave this scripture, there being something else in it considerable, and pat for our purpose.  
Rachel had stolen her Father's gods; no question but she would keep them: and what means useth she for that? she hides them under the furniture, then sits down close upon them. This was a principal means first to wipe her Father's nose of them, and then to keep them above ground; for till she rose, jacob could not bury them under the Oak: we may sitly call this her wilfulness. But wilfulness, though it be a kind of a reason, such as it is, yet it hath nothing to defend itself, we call it a madness rather; how then did she defend her wilful sitting so close in her Father's presence, and upon such precious things? For that she pleads custom. So now this Scripture hath afforded us two principal helps, by which you maintain Images at this day; they are the very pillars, which keep them from falling to the ground. Ye resolve to keep them, therefore you sit down close upon them. This is a strong Argument: this will is a tough & knotty thing. And yet that this wilfulness may not be counted madness; ye plead custom from ancient days: let ancient days speak. It is ordinary with you to say, you hope, your great Grandfather is in heaven, yet he bowed before an Image. It is hard to prove that, because there were seven thousand, who bowed not the knee before the Image of Baal. But see here, though they cannot use a more Herculean Argument, than wilfulness; yet if ye will ask for the old way, and inquire of ancient days, (which I am sure would fail you) here is a Scripture would stand you in stead, for it draws the Pedigree of Images, from more ancient days, than were my Fathers: And we do grant your Church had a being long before Luther; and that your strange gods are as ancient as the oak beyond Sechem: yet that you may not thence conclude their lawfulness, they lay buried there; and certainly, there is no true jacob, but thinks them fittest under ground: But if there be any one, who will say to the dead stock, stand up; he must uphold them by wilfulness, or by pleading custom, or both. Here I have been out of my way, yet not from my purpose, I come to another resemblance, whereby that power which truth brings with it, will appear also.  
It is such a power, which josuah had to carry all before him; yet the men of Gibeon were too wily for him: yet the jebusite dwelled in the Land: The one made their peace by working wilily: The other stood to it, having first had the City in a kind of ancient possession, which is 12. points in the law: and so rooted, and earthed himself in the Land, as you see Ivy doth into a wall. I remember one compare the body of sin unto Ivy in a wall: the Ivy doth so clasp the wall, as that it cannot be taken forth, till the wall be plucked down; nor can that sin be purged, till the building be dissolved: The jebusite held out till David's time. But mark. the resemblance goes further: The first were hewers of wood, and drawers of water, to all the Congregations. Anger, hatred, fear, etc. All things work for the good of them that fear him: & they who are others masters, are Israel's servants. The other were as goads in Israel's sides, and as thorns in his eyes: so is the crucified body of sin unto the true Israel; witness a true Israelite; who shall deliver me from the body of this death?  SON. 
Yea but if truth bring but such a power with it, how is it there is such fowl practice?  MOTHER. 
The reason is plain, all men have not truth; nay sew have it. Truth is a jewel; it must be bought, it may not be sold. It must be bought at any rate; rather part with all then miss of it: It must be sold at no rate; the world and the glory of it cannot balance it. So than it being hardly bought, and hardly kept; no marvel that all men have not truth.  SON. 
Yet I cannot see, how truth and such soul practice may stand together any more, then light by darkness; God with belial.  MOTHER. 
They do not agree together; yet may they stand together; yet may they be together: how? As the Israelite and jebusite in one Land; as the wheat and the tares stand in one field.  
Now Child, that thou mayst make some use of this observation. Thou hast been looking on our practice; call it our carcase if thou wilt, because it hath no life in it: yet as dead as it is, it might yield some honey, if thou wert wise. I read of one, whose name is as a sweet ointment; that he never looked on such an object, but he would say; Lord be merciful unto me. He knew the envious man had done that thing; and who knows his depths? he knew a cunning joab had an hand in it too, even that which is deceitful above all things; & who knows his slights? to this man this carcase yielded honey. But if thou canst not make this use of it, as every one cannot; yet beware thou standest no longer still looking on it, as they on Amasa's body. That may tell thee the danger: I want strength to take it out of the way; nor can I find a cloth wide enough to cover it. I counsel thee to hasten forward: Thy own corruption hath got much advantage, and more ground it gets continually; never more than when thou standest looking at others: It hath got a strong hold, nor is thy heart faithful within thee, to cast this rebel out. Oh stand not still, but pursue this enemy even to death; looking up to him, him only, whose strength is perfected in weakness. Here is a difficult work, and the hardness of it lieth in this; the getting the consent of ones will, which is a stubborn thing. And that cannot be said to be willing and pliable in deed, till it is as content to fasten upon the means, as it is to enjoy the end. The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nought. Prov. 13. 4. Hieromes translation of that verse seemed very strange to me, but (I hope) it proved useful: I take it rather as a comment, than a translation. He reads the words thus; vult et non vult piger; The sluggard wills & he wills not. It implies a kind of contradiction in the will, and that is strange; yet but seemingly, and there is the use. For that man who desires and wills, how covetous soever he be, and yet is not diligent, but turneth on his bed, like the doote on his hinges; he gets not forward; where he was, there he i●; that man in deed and in truth wills not. Why? he is not diligent: therefore be not mistaken, he doth not will the end; for the desiring of the end in deed and in truth, implies the means in sincerity. This saying, if there be a willing mind, rocks many asleep, and keeps them as fast on their bed, as the door on its hinges. But diligence must try whether there be a willing mind or no: if no diligence, no willingness: thou canst not think of a thing more considerable. Thou seest now what use I would have thee make of our practice; I would have thee mend thine own practice, by looking on ours. So thou hast my counsel; now thou must hearken to my correction: these do well together, let parents mark that.  
Thy report in thy letter is like the report brought to David upon the murder of A●●●●: (A thing is increased by report, as a snowball by tumbling.) All the Kings sout are slain. That was not so; only A … was slain, whose lust and drunkenness gave the cause, Absalon the hand. What one of all your ministry or la●●y do allow of fasting, & c? Thou hast an enulous eye, that canst look on nothing, but what the envious man hath done: we have living bodies, as I shall show thee anon.  
Again, thou hast in thy letter pronounced us unclean: my Child should have used much wariness therein▪ the law of the hope● tells thee so much: the moral whereof stands as a strong b●● against rash censure. Thou wilt say, thou hast pronounced us unclean from the Priest's mouth. I might question the Priest's order, yet I take not that advantage: tell the Priest, that every white s●●b, or white spot, is not the plague of leprosy, though it be like it: when the garments are washed, the man may be clean, and the Priest shall be judged for his rash judgement. Ask him then, whether he hath considered of this sore, according to the proportion of time, seven days, yet seven days more &c. All the places that ever I met with, or ever shall, which may be a few amongst many, being put together, will not so stop the way against rash judgement, as will this one; therefore admire the Scripture. The Priest tells thee, he hath considered accordingly, and that he finds the sore deep in the flesh, nay in his head, the seat of life: therefore hath he pronounced him utterly unclean.  
Now I could help thee to make this reply to your Priest: First we question whether the person were so near him, as that he could discern his uncleanness so plainly: then, if it be granted, he was; we conclude, that the person received his uncleanness from the Priest: For it is a position amongst us, that the priests breath is as infection's a● the plague; ●●d that Idolatry is a spreading leprosy. But here would be much to do to bring the Priest to confess the plague of his own hea●● though it be a mean point in confession▪ therefore I leave that, and I take the advantage only, which the law concerning the Leper gives me, which is this: your Priest hath pronounced him unclean, and yet hath not put him apart: This was against the saw then, and the moral of it now, which is of force. He is unclean saith the law, he shall dwell alone, without the Camp shall his habitation be. Levit. 13. 46. Than not in the Camp: then he only unclean; not the whole Camp for his sake. What one (saith my Child, speaking from the Priest's mouth) doth allow of fasting ●re? Alas to thy own prejudice thou hast put the whole and the sick together. We say not, but that there is a leprosy amongst us; we cannot think but there are unclean persons in a whole land: yet we say it infecteth no farther than it spreadeth, and it spreadeth not over all. Pitch is a defiling thing: who will deny that? but they are children that will be piddling in it. What was that to thee? what is that to me, if we touch it not? Coals will burn, he was burnt that denied it: they will not burn thee, unless thou takest them in thy bosom; nor me, unless I walk upon them. That which neither comes into the mouth, nor goes forth of the mouth, cannot defile a man. We grant that we have some wicked persons amongst us; call them sons of Bichri if thou wilt, for they do not yield subjection to David. Would my Child for their sakes swallow up the inheritance of the Lord? oh fare be it, far of thy heart, as it is from the power of thy hands, to destroy a peaceable and faithful mother in Israel; who if she doth not cast their heads over the wall, doth not therefore strengthen their hands, nothing less; she can but go to them who have not the sword for naught, and wish that they were cut off that trouble her: and this she doth with grief too: for as she is a wise woman, and will do nothing rashly; so she is a mother too, and doth what she doth tenderly: she is not enjoined the temporal sword, but that which likes her better, even fair and gentle persuasions, whereby to persuade obedience to David; and thus she pierceth the hearts of men, by a two edged sword in her mouth. Consider this, good Child, for it is the inseparable mark of a mother, as you shall hear anon in due place.  
Now harken to what this wise woman saith, (for as her actions, whereof anon, so her words will bewray her to be a mother:) Concerning this evil practice specially of her ministers, and all such as come near the Lord in the strong bond or profession. The watchman of Ephraim was with my God, Hos. 9 8. & is he a snare? From the Prophets of jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land, jer. 23. Israel hath played the harlot, and hath the bill of divorcement: and now doth judah sin? Comfort me, comfort me, for my strength faileth; mine eye breaketh my heart; it poureth forth rivers of tears. Why woman? only Nadab & Abihu have corrupted their ways. Two are too many: they are shepherds, and are they Idol shepherds? woe to them; the sword shall be upon their Arm, and their right Eye Zacha. 11. 17. Now that Israel hath her bill of divorce, will judah sinne? This will be bitterness, much bitterness; for hear what the Lord hath said, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people, I will be glorified, Levit. 10. 3. Why then if there be not a prevention in time, these Prophets shall be fed with wormwood, and be made to drink the water of gall: A whirlwind of the Lord shall go forth in fury, & shall fall grievouslly on the head of the wicked: jer. 23. Harken Child, this wise woman is speaking still. She confesseth that the Priest's mouth should preserve knowledge, and his lips teach many. The snuffers were of gold, of beaten gold: they that are appointed to give light unto others, should be burning and shining lights: Holiness becomes the Lord's house, and his Priests should for ever be clothed with righteousness; then would the Saints shout for joy, for they do wish that all the congregation were holy; Priest and people, every one of them. Yet was it rebellion in Korah and his company to think them all so; and surely a great fault in thee, to be as fare wide in the contrary. What one of your ministers, or professors? sayest thou, etc. Oh number not the godly with the wicked, it will not profit, wisdom will be justified of her children, whose spot is not like your spot, Deut. 32. I am taking up Balaams words: how wilt thou condemn, where the Lord hath not condemned? how wilt thou accuse, where the Lord hath not accused? Nu. 23. We have a people (my Son) whom thou mayest see from the tops of the Rocks, from the Hills thou mayest behold them: Lo, this people shall dwell by themselves, and shall not be counted among the Nations: Num. 23. 13. It is as dangerous to call good evil, as evil good. We have a holy ministry amongst us, we have a holy people, though their number be the fewest, but like to little flocks of kids. It must needs be so, how can it be otherwise? why didst thou not see them even now, a people upon the rocks, and upon the hills? there must be sweat to get thither; and how loath are we to take pains? this deep digging is a wearisome work, it is a sowing in tears. Good Child mark: An outward form without the power, stayeth this man by the way, a lie another: one man sets up Idols in his heart, and rests upon them: Another puts a stumbling block before his eyes, and will not over: A Lion is in the way saith another, and he lies still, and turneth like a door upon the hinges: An army of the Philistimes will oppose me; I cannot through; the children of Anak are there, I shall never get the land: thus case slaieth the fool, & vain thoughts deceive, as if victory could be got by sleeping, or a crown with case. But there is a Caleb and a josua too, who walk wholly with the Lord; and through they get, notwithstanding all opposition. Thus there is a remnant, here is a few, and not so few but Elias may discern them, for he is not alone. But pray thou for the life and prosperity of these few, even for thy Mother and her children's sake; for by them it is, that thy father's house, and thousands more enjoy their safety, sitting under their vines and figgtrees; for these are the Moseses that stand in the gap, to turn away the wrath of the Lord, lest it should begin and make an end in one day. These are they who intercede for the people, when the plague is begun, standing between the living and the dead. These are they who are as oft upon their knees, as the people in their sin. These are the Michaa's, that will not daub with untempered mortar, and so build a mud wall; but deal plainly to turn away ruin from the King & people, if they might be heard; though they were smitten on their cheeks, and fed with the bread of affliction: But the souls of the Saints are in God's hands, when others go on and are punished; & others from chamber to chamber when the scourge cometh, yet shall not be hid. These are the Amoses, who thus in many corners lift up their hands and say; Oh Lord God, cease I beseech thee, by whom shall jacob arise, for he is small Amos 7. This is the day of his troubles, he lieth now bleeding on the ground, almost fainting, strength faileth. The Syrians before, and the Philistimes behind, would devour him with open mouth; But thy thoughts o Lord are too high for them: A brutish man knoweth not; nor can fools understand this: The wicked is exalted, and the righteous man is laid low: Psal. 92. It is because the workers of iniquity shall be destroyed for ever; but the borne of the righteous shall be exalted. We know jacob must be brought to the grave, that he may know whose hand must bring him back again: he must receive the sentence of death within himself, that he may not trust in himself, but in God that raiseth the dead. Then jacob is but in a trance, his life is whole within him. According to thy will we help him with our prayers, and remember thee of thy promise, who hast said, that the house of jacob shall be a fire, and the house of joseph a flame; and the house of Esau for stubble. Ob●d. 18. He that believeth maketh not haste, be limiteth not the holy one of Israel. The vision is for an appointed time, and we wait: The rod of Ashur shall not still be upon the back of the righteous; it is in the Lord's hand: and when we shall turn to him that smiteth, we know the rod must to the fire: for upon mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of jacob shall possess their possessions. In the mean time, we know jacob shall be hid in a secret place, till these calamities be past; his head shall be covered, till the two tails of this smoking firebrand be blown over: For the Lord hath said it, who is making up his jewels, when his fire is in Zion, and his furnace in jerusalem.  
Thus my Son, we have of our ministers, that weep between the porch and the Altar, and say, spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thy heritage to reproach. Call them the great Kings Ambassadors; they know whose message they have; and they deliver it faithfully. Then call them … rs of the breach; they stand in the gap. Shepherds; they strengthen the diseased, Ezec. 34. Watchmen; they blow, though the Adders ●●r●s charmed. Thus they s●●ke not ours, but us, who will most gladly bestow, & will be bestowed for our souls, though the more they love, the less they are beloved: yet is the word as fire within them, and knowing the terrors of the Lord, they will persuade men.  
We have of our people too, that hold the mystery of faith in a pure conscience. 1 Tim. 3. 9 So adorning that holy name by which they are called. It is hard to speak of them a part, they are so like; being indeed but as a one lump leavened with the same leaven: but as fellow branches, borne up by the same root: only these last are as the lower bough's; the other as the upmost, whose places set them as a City on an hill, that cannot be hid. Call them Puritan if thou wilt, because they were unclean in their own eyes, they sought for a righteousness of faith, whereby they are cleansed from their filthiness. Call them Separatists if thou wilt, they cannot run into the same excess of riot. Call them stout and stiff fellows, for you can no more make them bow before an Image, than you can make an Elephant bend, which they say, the weight of a Castle with armed men in it will not do. Call them if thou wilt, as thy Leader Doctor Carrier hath done; Schismatical fellows, Sons of Zervia, too hard for David. Cry out against them Athaliah-like; Treason, Treason; so dealing with them, as a man with his dog, whom he would have knocked on the head, he calls out, he is mad: they will by well-doing, put to silence the malice of wicked men. How? they will pray for their King, bless God for their King; persuade obedience to their King; accounting him the breath of their nostrils. He is the Lords Anointed, let his soul be bound up in the bundle of life; but let his enemies be slung out, as out of the middle of a sling. Now my Son will use his tongue a little better, knowing whose tongue would learn no manners before it was scorched, and then it called Abraham Father. We will then find out other names for them, that thou mayest be instructed by them: we will call them freely beloved; for they are justified by faith freely by his grace Rom. 3. 24. We will call them living men; as they are planted into the likeness of Christ's death, so are they into the likeness of his resurrection. Call them new Creatures: old things are passed away, all things are new. Call them Gods workmanship; thou hast made us, not we ourselves, thou hast wrought all our works for us▪ Call them holy; for they have not defiled their garments: and it shallbe their glory, and Crown of rejoicing. Call them tree● planted by the rivers of waters, which cannot care for the years of drought, nor feel when the heat cometh, neither cease from yielding fruit. They are of the Lords plantation ever fat and well liking, as the dew from the Lord, & the showers upon the grass, tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men. Me thinks I am again in balaam's rapture; how goodly are thy tents O jacob? and thy habitations O Israel? as the valleys are they stretched forth, as Gardens by the river side; as the Alloe trees that the Lord hath planted; as the Cedars besides the waters. We have spoken of them a part, and now they are together again, they cannot be parted, belonging both to one head, and having fellowship one with another. We will now call them mount Zion, for they stand fast for evermore: on them is deliverance, and in them is holiness. We call them as the Churches primitive fruit was called: A Man Child; for their faith, charity, patience, labour, godly valour. These are they who count all things but loss, that they may win Christ; whom yet they knew not after the flesh: much less the cross, much less the nails of it, or any other relic. The Spirit quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing. These are they who go always bound in the Spirit, not knowing what things will befall them; but they pass not, neither is their life dear unto them: For they are ready not to be bound only, but also to suffer for the name of the Lord jesus. And yet (observe my Child) before they will go into the face of persecution, they will have as sure a warrant as jacob had to meet his brother Esau: Lord which saidst unto me return, & I will deal well with thee Gen. 32. 9 And having this, nothing can be too dear for him, who hath done so much for them; neither goods, nor liberty, nor life: now into the face of this Esau they go; and behold! to the admiration of the beholders, his stern face is changed: the face of persecution is unto them now no other than the face of God; and behold! in stead of blows kisses. This is as the healing of the waters; and indeed, the waters of affliction are healed to the children of God, and shall never prove deadly unto them; it is like Samsons riddle, and none but the children of God can unfold it: only they with Samson can find swarms of bees, & honey in the carcase of a Lion.  SON. 
It seems your men must be dealt with, as the jews dealt with Simon of Cyrene, who was Angariatus; so they must be compelled to bear the Cross. The Lord loveth a cheerful giver, I add too, and a cheerful sufferer; this free will offering is an acceptable thing. Our men reading Christ's passion, see warrant enough to disesteem life, liberty, goods, and all. They will live in austere penance for ever: Christ's life was a passion. They will be poor, and that willingly; Christ was so: They will live penned up in a hole; Christ had not whereon to lay his head. And all this they will do, before they be Anguriati constrained unto it. Meritorious things sure! Thus you have, (as I may say) the whole bundle of the sour herbs, wherewith we eat our Passeover; the very ingredients, which make up our austere penance, the soul's medicine.  MOTHER. 
I might say of this medicine, as they of the pottage: Death is in the pot, we cannot eat of it. But I leave the figure, and speak plainly; we have no such custom, nor the Churches of God. It is a truth; A man ought to be a martyr in affection. He must deny himself, and take up his cross daily: And yet he must take his life, goods, and liberty from God's hand, as Talents entrusted to him, to use, to improve. Nor must he part with them, till they stand in competition with the purity of the Gospel; and now that they do, he hath his warrant what to do, and his woe too, if he doth it not: and to the Saints, the choice is easy, neither are their lives dear unto them; it is necessary say they (the truth of Christ constraining them) that we go, not that we should live. We shall lose our goods. No matter, we will take it joyfully, knowing we have in heaven an enduring substance. Heb. 10. 34. we shall lose our liberty. No matter, the word of God is not bound, Christ hath set us free, we are free indeed.  
Life is sweet, the other life is sweeter. But Death is bitter, the second death is more bitter. Come prison, come death: all is advantage. The choice is made; but still they have their warrant. Esau hath a stern look, the true Israel will go to meet him warrantably, & preparedly, they look to have kisses from him. The Cross is a heavy thing: the Head fainted under it, much more the member: therefore they will forecast the Cross at all times; they will cast it in their way at no time: It shall meet the Saints as it did Simon of Cyren, and as the Lion met Samson in their way. They will not thrust themselves into danger, as they will not cowardly avoid it. They will pray to be delivered from the mouth of the Lion; but if the Beast will bend them or break them: their breaking hath and shall be like the breaking of a box of precious ointment, it shall fill the whole house with a sweet perfume. And the Beast shall be forced in spite of malice to yield them honey, which proves so sweet, that they shall take pleasure in infirmity, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ his sake, whose power is so upon them, that when they are weak, then are they strong. How sweet shall the waters be, when the Lord hath healed them? What pleasant fruit shall grow from a bitter root, when the Lord hath watered it, or hath changed his nature? Tribulation shall work patience; patience experience; experience hope; and hope maketh not ashamed: see what kisses are here.  SON. 
You have said something to our sufferings in giver all; what say you to the particulars; first to our austere penance: we are content to whip ourselves, because Christ was whipped by the jews; and we think we have ground for it, if not a direct precept: yea what clearing of yourselves: there is ground for our auricular confession: yea what indignation, yea what revenge, 2 Cor. 7. there is ground for our penance. There cannot be a greater token of sorrow to repentance, then to take revenge of our body for the sin of our souls. Again, we have pattern for it too; The Publican smote upon his breast, Luke 18.  MOTHER. 
Truth is an excellent thing, if we have it not, yet we would have some thing like it▪ Your letter doth not mention Auricular confession, therefore I will but touch upon it, because it goes before Penance. If you will take the Apostles clearing for Confession, let Ezra & Nehemiah, and Daniel expound it, in their three excellent chapters the 9 of their books, where you have the form of clearing your Confession, where you must mark by the way, that it was accompanied, with astonishment, with trembling. For that indignation, and revenge, the Apostle speaks off, it cannot be meant of whipping yourselves. For what is a little smart of the body, a yery flea biting, to make satisfaction for sin? when as the sin of the body, cannot satisfy for the sin of the soul. For the Publican smiting his breast, It is a wonder to me, you dare come so near that Scripture, because the Pharesi● is hard by, and meete● you at every turn staring you in the face. It is true the Publican smote his breast, he looked upon the ground too. Christ doth not deliver a general rule; but tells me and thee, the inseparable mark of a true penitent; shame or loathing. He looked on the ground, acknowledging, that mercy kept him from being beneath for his iniquity: he smott his breast so pleading with his heart the mother of sin. Take it tohetger, and let indignation and revenge be put to it too; the Prophet Ezech. comprehends all, and expound it fully. They shall loathe themselves for the evils which they have committed Cap. 6. ver. 9 They shall be on the mountains like Doves of the valleys, all of them mourning every one for his iniquity: so cap. 7. ver. 16. They shall remember their ways and be ashamed. so cap 16. ver. 61. And ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight: so cap 20. ver. 43. Whether this were not a smart within the skin, let the indifferent Reader judge.  
So then I conclude against you, we have no such custom, nor the Churches of God. We have no precept for it, rather against it: rend your hearts, and not your garmen. This shadow hath devoured the substance: we have no pattern; for Baalls Priests must not be our examples: we follow Paul, for he followed Christ. Paul received from the jews forty stripes save one; we read not, that he gave himself one. Your heretics (you will have it so) were whipped by Boner, as long as his breath would hold; we find not that they g●ve themselves one stripe. A man may be too unmannerly bold with his body: Certainly the Saints have a reverend esteem of it. It is the Cabinet of a rich jewel: nor is that all; it is the temple of the Holy Ghost. A temple made with hands we know is of much esteem: The temple of the Holy Ghost much more. I find it used by the Apostle, as a main Argument against uncleanness: It may serve also as a buckler, to keep off the blows. Are the bodies of the Saints the temples of the holy Ghost? they dare not whip them, nor scorch them, nor pine them, these are not the marks of the Lord jesus: who required them at their hands? They know that the sufferings of Christ must abound in them; if they look to have the consolations abound through Christ: They know that they must hear about in their bodies, the dying of the Lord jesus, that the life of jesus may be made manifest in their bodies; knowing well that there is a false penance, and a counterfeit Martyrdom: my sweet Child, they never were, nor never will be their own tormentors. If their bodies must be whipped, they shall be delivered up to be whipped, and a Bonner shall do it; but they will go away rejoicing. If their bodies must be scorctht, a Terrill shall do it (unless our English Mutius will in an holy indignation and revenge, burn that hand which had subscribed, to that which would have destroyed the whole body & soul too. But Rose Allen hath an other fire within, even zeal to the truth, and this burns so within her, that outwardly she feels but little pain. If they must be pinched with hunger, a stony-hearted keeper shall do it, whose charge is as hard as he; but they have a meat, which the keeper knows not off. they live not by bread alone, yet if the keeper be so kind as to give it them, they will take it, for they will not hate their own flesh, but in due time and place nourish it & cherish it was the husband the wife, and the Lord his Church: these know not (my child) what to make of that for ever Austere living in penance for sin. But they are very well acquainted with a sorrow for sin, and affliction of soul, which is an inward thing, coming from an inward principle, and this is such that it doth make them with David, to forget to eat their bread, or if they do remember it, to mingle it with weeping. Then they be such as fast too and fast often, not resting upon it, as an essential part of God's worship, but as a notable help and preparation thereunto, fitting them for that wherein they are abundant, prayer, joining that with it, knowing that some sins will not be cast out without it. And thus they do for a time, not defrauding themselves superstitiously in imitation of Christ, or of Moses before, than they should go against the precept; and be found to neglect their bodies, which must be cared for, that they may be serviceable. They do, they must somtims set aside their water, & use a little wine for their stomach's sake, and their often infirmities. 1. Tim. 5. 23. Somtims a bit of flesh on the friday, and an egg on the saturday, to the , days and meats are pure; But still respecting the main, that they be serviceable to God, and his Church, whereunto they have ever so wakeful an eye, knowing well their season when to keep under their bodies, and to bring them into subjection, lest at any time or by any means, they should be reproved. This they do frequently but by no means resting on the outward act. That is but the carcase, but joining many excellent works with it; breaking of their sins by repentance, that is a principal thing, for now their work is accepted. Dealing their bread to the hungry that is an other: fervent prayer that was in the first place and now it comes again to be considered a part, that thou mayst know, that we have them who pray too and pray much: but mark, upon all these, the door is shut, knowing they have a God that seethe in secret. These are they, who are frequent and fervent in prayer, carried upon the wings of faith, without the help of Saint or Angel, not by number but by weight, yet having the spirit but by measure, they do not continue in prayer superstitiously. It is an easy matter to count Beads: but that prayer which foils Amalecke, is a laborions work; for behold two men holding up Moses hands. O Lord, whose property it is, to have thy hands stretched out still, strengthen the weak hands, that Amaleck may not prevail. Thus they do pray, and that fervently, watching thereunto: prayer is one of their weapons, and is unto them as Goliahs' sword to David, nothing like that. Like the worthiest of David's worthies; what difficulties doth it go through? what waters of comfort doth it fetch? the time would fail me; I leave it to a silent admiration. That soul on which the spirit of prayer and supplication is poured, can tell, and only that; it is possible for me & thee to admire that whereof we have no experience; I do so, and see I am again in balaam's rapture. Behold here they rise up as a great Lion, and lift up themselves as young Lions, they shall not lie down till they eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain. This is Moses hand lift up, Amaleck falls before it. No that it doth not some will say; Amaleck prevails. He doth so, yet are the prayers of the Saints ascended up, and they are before the throne, as the Lords remembrancers; how long Lord, how long, when wilt thou hearken to the voice of our breathing? And these are heard, though the Lord be not now come to answer them in all the people's sight: here is the patience of the Saints. In the mean time, their tears the other weapon shall be bottled; for they have tears too: I say not all have, nor all at all times; it is certain, there may be a weeping heart, when there is a dry eye; as there may be and often is a wet eye, and a dry heart: all natures, all constitutions are not alike, yet tears they have, some of them jeremies' vivers; some tears to fill a bottle; some of them have tears to cover the place they pray in, tears to water the couch. Mary's tears to wash with; tears to eat; tears to drink▪ tears to sow with; tears to water with: they have their joy too, but that as a cluster of grapes, in respect of the vintage; to refresh them travailing through this wilderness: light is sown for the righteous, they kn●… they shall reap in due time, therefore they fai●… not.  
Come now my sweet Child, set the pe●…nance of your Augustine, or your Capucim or Anchorite; call them what you will; an●… compare it with the penance of the afore mentioned, and like Dagon before the ark, it falls before it. I know well you have much bodily exercise, you see many things, which have in deed a show of wisdom, in voluntary religion, and humbleness of mind, and in not sparing the body. But are not many things in great estimation among men, and yet in the eyes of God and his Saints vile & contemptible, yea beggarly rudiments; no more able to cast down the strong holds of sin, which are set up in the heart of man, than a child with his potgun can batter a tower.  
Come we to your voluntary poverty; a thing your letter tells me, thou dost much gaze upon, This casting away all, and then casting yourselves upon God's providence: In want, and that willingly: oh it is a glorious thing!  SON. 
Yes, our great Master saith so, Cardinal Bellarmine, he hath Scripture for it too, If thou wilt be perfect, go sell give to the poor. Math. 19 A work of Supererogation: It will set a man on the right hand in the kingdom. All this have I done. Hast thou? now overtopped perfection, go sell, and give, etc.  
Again, mark what Peter saith in the person of all the rest, (therefore the Pope is Supreme head, Bellar: makes it follow, mark that by the way) we have forsaken all, what shall we have therefore? Peter's expectation was large upon that, so is ours. Now turn to the 2. & 4. of the Acts. there you shall find that as many as possessed Lands, or houses sold them and laid the money at Peter's feet, Put all this together, and we have first Counsel (Bellarm: calls it so) to maintain voluntary poverty. Secondly, we have the practice of the converts to cast away all: and Thirdly, we have it warranted from the Apostles, to beg when we have done: who after they had forsaken all, lived (saith Bellarmine) vitam mendicantium, like our Monks, beggar-like.  MOTHER. 
Then you must mend your Copy; It is voluntary beggary. Here good Reader thou seest my child hath urged Bellarmine: that book he read and such like before the Scriptures, nay before he had laid the first principles, and so was poisoned. Hence those tares: let them teach thee, to look unto the Scriptures as thy Counsellors: through God's blessings upon it, they will make thee wiser than was Bellarmine: In the mean time know, they are the Sovereign Antidote against poison. Now thou shalt hear a woman contend with Bellarmine. A book I never read, but a skilful Fisherman hath fished out of that book, something to my hand, which I shall set down for my child's instruction and thee too, till thou findest a better help. It is true: Bellarmine saith, that This, Go, sell, give & c- was not Christ's precept, but his Counsel: and that not to the young man alone, but to all the faithful.  
We will not contend about words; call it precept or counsel, (I confess their is difference) It was specially directed to one, and it teacheth all. I pray you give me leave to paraphrase upon Christ's words though like a woman.  
Thou wouldst get heaven by doing, and thou thinkest thou art come to a nothing more; what lack I yet? dost thou understand the voice of words? They that heard could not endure that which was commanded; and Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake. Hebr. 12. And yet wouldst thou get heaven by doing? something is behind that shall tell thee, thou art too forward, yea that nothing is yet done. Thou hast kept the Commandments: that shall be tried. What canst thou do for thy brother, whom thou hast seen? canst thou draw forth thy soul unto him? I do not mean thy outward parting with thy goods. Canst thou do it according to the perfection of charity, which the Law requireth? Nay canst thou do it according to that measure which the Gospel requires, if the cause of the Gospel calls for it? Though thou bestowest all thy goods to feed the poor, and hast not Charity, it profiteth thee nothing. 1 Cor. 13. Thy money is thy treasure man, thy heart is upon it. Thou must part with thy treasure, when thou mayst keep thy money. Thy affections must be taken off; thou must buy as if thou boughtedst not, thou must enjoy as if thou enjoyedst not. This makes thee sorrowful now. Thou art then exceeding faulty in the second table toward thy brother, whom thou hast seen: Thou art infinitely short in the second table towards God, whom thou hast not seen. Thus you see, the Lord tried this young man in that; which was his treasure indeed, for his heart was on it: he sorrowed, for he had great possessions. The Lord feels the pulse of a man, and can make him bleed in a right vain.  
Now if you will conclude hence, that no man can be justified by the works of the law, (which I take to be the genuine scope of the place) we consent, though Bellarmin doth not. That he who fails in the second table, must needs fail in the first; we grant that too. We go further; if you will prove hence, that a man must cast away his treasure: we grant that too, meaning that, what ever it be, being a creature, on which the Heart is riveted. But if you will conclude hence, that it is Christ's counsel not to the young man alone, but to all the faithful; go cast away that civil right, which thou hast to the talon given thee to use; I will put thee to prove it out of Bellarmine; and when thou hast done, thou shalt begin again, and prove it from the Scripture, else I will not believe it: so much to the Counsel. To the practice of the Apostles I have this to say: Christ had told them by occasion of this rich man's departing sorrowful; It was hard for a rich man to enter into heaven: Impossible, without a great measure of grace. Let none be grieved he is of low degree, if he hath a competency: Adversity hath slain a thousand, prosperity ten thousand. This man though young was sorrowful to hear of parting with his possessions; they lay too near his heart. Then answered Peter, we have forsaken all, what shall we have therefore? What had they forsaken? A house, and old nets, and friends too. As small as you may account it, all was forsaken, for they left themselves nothing. And this all, might be great matters; for a poor fisher man hath slept as quietly in his boat, and upon land in his thatched house, as an Emperor in his palace; perhaps more quietly, for great doors let in great cares. And this is a truth too: A man loves his house, or what you will, not because it is a great one, but because it is his own; and therefore may he be as loath to part with it, as a rich man with hi● of hewn stone. We will grant that, the Apostles forsook All; and that they had not done it, but that they knew, he that called them, would recompense the loss, though Peter was too hasty. But if Bellarmine will conclude hence, that a man may warrantably cast away his possessions, and then confine himself to a Cloister; I shall never believe him: because this man hath not a calling to it; the Apostles had: Come follow me, This man mu'eth himself up in a hole; the other were sent forth to publish the glad tidings of the Gospel, a great work. Again, Christ called them; it was their best way to follow: there is no danger in following Christ, what ever the way be; Christ is a sure guide: But they could not follow him like snails with their house on their heads, or with the nets on their backs: The Scripture doth not tell us, they left the propriety they had in their house, or in their nets: if they did, they were called to it, and the matter was not much; those nets were not to catch men: we have not done with this Scripture yet. My Child quotes Bellarmine, and that truly; who concludes, that the Apostles did live the life of beggars; therefore the Monks do beg warrantably. I could say, it follows not; still urging the Call, which makes a main difference: the one were called, and must obey; the other were not called, yet they will be in wants and that willingly. But I will never grant that the Apostles begged, or lived a beggar's life, it is much one; yet we will see, from what premises Bellarmine concludes it: which are these. The Apostles had forsaken all. The Apostles might provide neither gold, nor silver, Matth. 10. The Apostles did not work with their hands; therefore they lived vitam mendicantium, in my English, a beggar's life. I shall not meddle with persons; the Cardinal in his book yet liveth, yet speaketh; but very ignorantly, very unmannerly: therefore is he delivered into the hands of a woman, who by the help of the Scripture, will confute Bellarmine. He speaks ignorantly; for thou art to know, that he who brings his servants into straits, knoweth well how to deliver his servants out of the straits: he speaks uncivilly too, and upon that I will insist a little.  
Their shall be no beggar in Israel after the flesh: and shall there be beggars in Israel after the spirit? It is not probable. David had observed much in his youth, so had he in his age: yet he never saw the Righteous forsaken nor his seed begging their bread. Yea but David was a King you will say, the righteous might go a begging for aught he knew, he was in his Palace: he little saw the distresses of his subjects: yes sure, his ears were open to the cries of his good people. Indeed his countenance expelled the wicked as the Sun the mist, but his delight was with the Saints, with them that excelled in virtue; he took good notice of them, and I will tell you how you may be sure of it. David was a King, and David followed the Ewes great with young too. David run from Cave to cave like a poor hunted Partrialge. Saul made him skip like a flea, more than this, David did water his Coucth with tears too. This non ignora mali, I was thus afflicted myself; It draws forth a man's soul to an other; miseris succurrere disco; it will make a man ●atch at a poor man's petition, and teach him not to send the Petitioner away sad. Thou shalt respect the stranger. Why? Thou wast a stranger in Egypt. What then? Thou knowest the heart of a stranger. David's affliction board his ear. He hard the sighs and groans of his poor, he knew the heart of the afflicted. It is certain, David's experience was much more than a Cardinals, and you have heard what David said. You are bound to believe him, before the whole Conclave of the Cardinals. Yet hear you the Cardinal's Reasons. The Apostles worked not with their hands; therefore they begged; It follows not, I know some who work not with their hands, yet think it foul scorn to be called beggars. Yea, but the Apostles might have no money in their purses, therefore they begged. It follows not, my purse hath often times been empty, yet I thank God, I never begged, I would much rather work with my hands, and I will presume, so would the Apostles too, rather than they would have begged. The fowls of the air shall teach this great scholar; they work not with their hands I am sure, for they sow not, neither do they reap, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. I ask were not the Apostles much better than they? They did dispense the Sacred Oracles of God, can we think that God would suffer them to beg their bread? The pretty Lilies shall teach him too; they toil not, yet Solomon then; nay which is more, the Pope now, in all his glory, is not arrayed like on of them. Then the Apostles begged not their clothing, nor their bread, O ye of little wit.  
Again, would Paul's hearers pluck out their eyes, to do Paul good, that is, they would part with the dearest things? and can we think, that the Apostles hearers would not draw forth a morsel of bread, or a dish of drink, to refresh empty souls, unless they begged it? But it will be said, though I make the best of it I can, yet the Apostles lived upon the liberality of others, which is vita mendicantium, beggar-like. Pray you let us see how this follows: A man is liberal to me, I accept it, therefore do I live beggar-like? It is, as I have said, an uncivil conclusion. But let us examine, whether the Apostles did live upon others liberality. I find not the Scripture saith so: let me put in a housewives similitude; I have spun a pound of flax, I expect six pence for my labour, I can scarce live on that; for you shall find that a poor body's labour is the cheapest commodity in the market: call you this liberality: I say my work is worthy of my wages, if it were more. God's Apostles (for they be sent) do dispense unto us spiritual things: we let them partake of our temporals: what a matter is this; not so much as the six pence for flax. Christ's words clear● this; provide neither gold etc. So they may beg. No, For the work man is worthy of his meat, Math. 10. 10. Then the Apostles will not fear, but he that paid the Israelits for their burdens, and righted him who served a long siege, will see their wages paid, they shall not beg. Now if any will yet take his warrant hence, that he may part with his possessions, and then beg an Alms; I have no more to say to him from this text, jubea miserum esse libenter, which I English thus, let him be in want & in ignorance too willingly.  
I come now to Peter● converts, to whom Christ had made his words good; I will make you fishers of men. He caught as many men at a Sermon, as before he caught Fishes: Christ's power was plain in the on, and in the other. Three thousand were pricked in their hearts at on sermon. Men and brethren, what shall we do? Certainly they thought, that if the Lord did forgive them, he did forgive much; then they would love much. By this means, here was a spark of love kindled. A spark is true fire; it will give a reflection, it will soon kindle a flame.  
This reflects upon the members; they shall have no want. For if a man, that hath this world's goods, yet releeveth not his brother in want, how dwelleth the love of God in that man? It will never be answered.  
Then all sold their possessions, and parted to all as there was need. It is an indefinite speech thinks Calvine, ordinary in the Scripture, under the form of an universal. It is like that all did not part with their houses and Lands: For of all the 3. thousand, only one is named (the other a counterfeit) as a memorable example of liberality, joses having Land sold it. So far Calvin. joses might keep his house for aught I know, and what was in his house, a wiser body than myself cannot tell. But let it be granted, all sold their possessions, yet they cannot make a rule of this, a Rule must be fitted to circumstances of persons, time and place: Here was an extraordinary liberality: here was an extraordinary occasion. Following generations should speak of the one; so should they of the other. A box of Ointment of Spikenard▪ very precious, may be poured forth at some times; and yet there was no waste. A man may pour out a trifle, in comparison at another time, and yet there may be much waist. Circumstances must guide me, or else I walk as a fool.  
Again, grant All parted with their possessions; what poison can be sucked thence? therefore they lived in voluntary poverty. It follows not: For though all parted with their possessions, yet All parted not with All. The text clears it: They sold their possessions, and parted them as every one had need. Certainly, they were so wise, so to help others, that they might not need themselves. Look we on the 34. verse of the 4 Chapter: Neither was there any among them that lacked. I conclude hence, that the liberality of the rich supplied the wants of the poor; they lacked not: And the wants of the poor did not exhaust, or suck dry, the liberality of the rich: there was no lack. It is a madness, (could an heathen say) to destroy thy liberality, by liliberality. We may bring the wise man's similitude hither, though it may be in a more proper place where it is: Drink the waters of thine own Cistern, let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, & rivers of waters in the streets: let them be only thine own, and not strangers with thee. I pray you take the reddition in my own meaning. Let the streams of thy liberality run about the streets, like the gutters after a sudden flood of rain; it is a hard time: Nay, rather like a high tide, let them run into houses too: there are many dry souls, water them: but keep the fountain within thine own doors. Look to that; let it be thine, thine only.  
Thus Reader (for I still speak to two, whereof one is my Child; so thou must be, else I can give thee no instruction) I have rubbed over those knots, which lay in my way, as strongly as I could: And I profess unto thee, that it was my chiefest work to inquire into these Scriptures, from which corruption might gild over this voluntary poverty; and I find them to be those Scriptures which I have named unto thee, and only them, as fare as I could find; whereunto Piscator upon Matthew, gave me much light; so did Calvin; the one is large in it, the other more brief; both excellent helps: Yet let my tears entreat this thing of thee, that thou wouldst read the text diligently, comparing scripture with scripture, and thou shalt find, that scripture answers itself, than it is sound answered. It is a notable help, and it is made as common unto thee, as the book of nature; neither can be out of thine eye, let thy eye carry them to thy heart; if through thy neglect, both do not help to teach thee; to the aggravating thy punishment, both will help to condemn thee.  
Now go on with me, but consider first whether this voluntary poverty, notwithstanding Bellurmines art in guilding, be any thing else, then splendidum peccatum, a poison guilded over, like Apples of Sodom, which seem fair to the eye, but if you handle them, they moulder to nothing. Therefore I conclude against my Son, yet to inform him; that we have no such counsel, no such custom, nor the Churches of God. But because we live in an Iron age, wherein we have nabals churlishly keeping, as if they said; souls, ye may take your rest, though the fire be round about, which should tell the buyer, he should not rejoice, and the seller he should not mourn: Because I say, we have such, yea & prodigals too, who spend that in a day, which might serve them, and the poor with them a month together: we will cut a middle way betwixt these two, and thou shalt see, that they, who do not take for doctrines the precepts of men, go as it were by a thre●●, neither churlishly keeping all, till like a butler's box they are broken; nor foolishly casting away all, that they may seem some body. Call these jacobs; or the Israel of God: The Lord (say they) hath had mercy on us, and therefore woe have these and these things; lands, houses, possessions, we may call them what we will, so we call them not their trensure: that makes a main difference, for that is cast away; their affections are taken off▪ the Moon is under their feet: so than they can readily part with them, that so fare as they can help, there be no lack; but yet wisely considering circumstances, where, when, to whom, and what they give: they are not Solomon's fools, they know the way to the City: he that walks uprightly, walks safely, saith job: they go by their warrant, for they are stewards. And this they have not by any extraordinary way, but by ordinary. Is it possible that he who is in trust with much, and hath the bowels of mercy too, should detain it for want of his master's order. See here mourns the widow, there cries the fatherless, this back is naked, that belly pinched; look yonder steward, there are many families in caves and rocks; the sword of the enemy drove them, they are not in want, and that willingly: now they will draw forth their souls, they must be merciful, as their heavenly father is merciful: much is forgiven, they will love much. Have they much? They see the waters, they cast their bread; they give the portion to seven, and also to eight. The rich woman mindeth her husband of that man of God, who treadeth forth the Corn, and perhaps his mouth muzzled; he shall have his table, his stool, his conveniences. Have they but little; the two mites shall go; their extreme poverty shall abound unto a rich liberality. Can a poor man be liberal? an heathen said, yes: the Scripture puts it out of question, he can, he is. The poor widow that thinks there is but one way, is fetching some water for the prophet, & she must bring a morsel of bread, as hard as it is; she shall not die, nor shall her Child, though her want be greater than that of the Apostles, nor shall she beg: he that brings into a straight, can bring back again. If thou draw forth thy soul to the hungry, etc. then shall thy light shine in obscurity, end thy darkness as the noon day, Isaiah. 58. Israel knows it; and as they have an eye to the precept, so have they to the recompense of reward: They know, there is that scattereth and yet increaseth, & there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty: The liberal soul shall be made fat, and he that watereth, shall be watered again. Proverbs. 11. These stewards do not question their master's sufficiency; they will distribute and give to the poor, they will be merciful, and they will lend; with such sacrifices God is well pleased: Then they know there must be salt, they must measure their affairs by judgement, & as becometh the wisdom of the Saints. They know that charity must have an eye within doors, all must not go forth. They know full well, that he who biddeth them part with their coat, gives them leave to keep one for themselves; he that chargeth them to help others, doth give them that wisdom as not to leave themselves helpless: He that hath given them wherewithal to show mercy to others, gives them that care as that they do not come to crave mercy from others. Since their master hath entrusted them as stewards in his house, to give every one their portion, they will carefully do it, knowing withal that the same master alloweth them meat, and drink, and cloth, I mean a jacob's competency.  
Let the children stand aside a little, it may be your Hermit is not one of that number, and therefore he dares not keep his goods: we will suppose him but as a servant in the house, waiting upon the children; yet when the children have done, he may sit down if it please him, it is his good master's bargain, and it shall be his shame; if when his Master allows him it, he will refuse it, or sit down naked. Mark Child, that thou mayst not admire this voluntary beggary; I say the Lord his Master gave that Hermit (whom now thou admirest, because he hath thrown away his goods) a right unto the creatures, at least as a servant in the house, and he should have been well advised, not only how he used them and kept them; for there was not all the danger; but how he parted with them too, there lieth as much. I have given you the hear● of the field, saith the Lord: Mount Seir I have given to the children of Esau for a possession; let his brother jacob's posterity take heed they meddle not with a foot of it; what they have, they must have for their money: If Esau will part with it for nothing, or give away all in hope his merciful brother will relieve him, he may; but let him look to it. Seest thou then my Child, this Hermit, call him by what name thou wilt; hath he cast away his goods? Let him look to it, they were his masters, who gave him them to use, and he must come to his account: Servant what hast thou gained? I have cast them away Sir: they were cumbersome; I cast them at my heels, so drowning them that they might not drown me. The Holy Father is the better, his fire burns the clearer; so i● the Holy Mother: the one will faint me; the other will help me with her prayers. Give a man this (as the Proverb is) and throw him into the midst of the sea; he shall not sink, unless his own weight press him down. Hast thou not perceived by what hath been said, that these are lying words; and that in these sacrifices there is no salt? But his goods are sacrificed: doth he now think he hath denied himself, because he hath denied himself these, & they are gone: Why Child, his sins may be as close as ever they were, his goods were neither his right hand, nor his right eye I warrant thee: If so, they had not been so easily parted with. Alas, a little money is easily turned over board, when the Philosopher keeps his treasure, that which is nearer than his skirt or skin: so doth that Hermit too, it is a venture else, but I judge no man's heart: only I would have thee to know, and make use of it too; that there is great difference betwixt the emptying of a purse, and the emptying of the heart: The one will empty whether thou wilt or no; the other will not be emptied do what thou canst. The one hath money in it, thou mayst keep it if thou wilt, at least if thou canst, it is not a straw matter: the other hath a treasure in it; thou must not keep it, thy soul lieth upon it. Empty the one this day, as the case may be, thou canst not fill it to morrow; let a man empty the other as well as he may, it will fill of itself without hands. I conclude hence, that though the emptying of the purse to ones hands, may help to the emptying of the heart; yet therefore the work is not done, perhaps in no forwardness: For the purse may be emptied, yet the heart may be full; but when the heart is emptied, the purse will not be kept full. We proceed, look yet better upon this Hermit; I will tell thee what thou mayst discover by thine eye, thou see'st the cell or hole he lies buried in. I tell thee, he may as well deny himself that, nay the earth he stands on, the air he breathes in, the light he sees with; surely he might, as well as that liberty he might enjoy, yea and is bound to improve too, or those other necessaries, which like a proud servant he would not take, when his rich Master offered them. But thou my Child, fly these things, and learn the wisdom of the Saints: they eat their bread with joy, and drink their drink with a merry heart, for God accepteth their work. How should they pinch, where the Lord hath not pinched? how should they scant themselves, where the Lord hath not scanted? Are then the creatures before thee and me? Through our Master● bounty, and rich liberality they are so; we may eat of the fat, and we may drink the sweet, and cloth ourselves with the wool: so the use of them is ours (our Master's pleasure is so) are we but as servants, and shall not abide in the house for ever: the abuse of them whether in not sanctifying them by the word & prayer, or not sending portions unto them, for whom nothing is provided; or in not using our liberty, so as we give no occasion to the flesh; or in what kind soever, is ours, and is set upon our score, and without repentance shall in the end make for our great convincement. I have done these and these things for thee, wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? Here is a convincement indeed, let us look to it; if Gods daily renewed mercies lead us not to repentance, causing us to renew our obedience, they will in the day of our reckoning make us speechless, if they be not as loadstones to draw our iron hearts unto God; they will prove in the great day of the Lord, as a heavy weight to crush us in pieces. This deserves our care, let us look to it; lest our meat and drink make us unclean, and our own  filthy. Thus my Child, I think thou knowest now how to judge of voluntary beggary: It is Bellarmine's word, the Monks are proud of it. I have done with that, but not with the beggar. He must be examined upon two things; first for that he doth not; A Beggar's life is a lazy life: then for what he doth; he commits himself to God's providence. But here is a straight; I am to examine a man I cannot speak with, therefore we cannot take satisfaction from on another: yet I will propose my questions; and till I am resolved in them, I shall think that the beggar lives as a thief, because he worketh not with his hands: and besides, when I look upon a louse, it will put me in mind of a fat Friar; and the similitude, which wants no feet, lieth in this; the louse, a sluggish thing takes no pains, but lives on the sweat of another's body. First then I question not his order, whether an Augustine, Capucin, Franciscan, or Dominican; I question the place he lieth in, whether a monastery, or a cell; I think a grave rather: and he lieth buried in it alive: For Seneca saith, that he never passed by one Vatia, who lived Friar-like, but he would say, Vatia hîc situs est, Vatia lieth buried here: That I may English situs so, Ovid warrants it; Hîc situs est Phaeton.  SON. 
I know be would never answer you at an unlawful weapon, taken forth of an unlawful Armoury, so might you kill him indeed: you prove nothing. What are Seneca or Ovid to us, worse than Apochriphas.  MOTHER. 
As much as your doctrines taught by the precept of man, are to us; you will foist them upon us, why may not we foist these upon you. It is well I know your mind; what ever I shall find from any of yours, tending to faith and godliness, and is not grounded upon that, which only is of divine authority; I will account of it as a light thing. In the mean time, I esteem Seneca and Ovid, before the constitutions of Popes, Cardinals, Monks or Friars; though in the one, the Deity is given to jupiter as familiarly as Holiness to the Pope: we expect no more from a Heathen, we do from Christians. Well now, the man will yet be found alive; yet we will question it further. Life is an active thing, specially in man, in whose little world, nature hath put every member in office, which is faithfully executed for the good of the whole; to teach man, that he must be in some office too, & he must faithfully discharge it, for the good of himself, and others. Now if I find this man out of action, for aught I know, he may be found dead yet. I propose then unto him another question, so anciently asked, and resolved that it is almost out of use; some shame to answer to it, others scorn it, and others cannot; yet every man is bound to answer to it; and every honest man can, though perhaps he have not a fit word to express himself: It is Pharaohs question to joseph's brethren. Sir what occupation are you off? I cannot imagine how he should answer to this; for it is granted by Bellarmine, he is a beggar, and though I have heard in way of contempt of the trade of begging; yet certainly a beggar hath no more a trade, than a louse hath, which is wholly employed in feeding itself, and hurting others. I question him further; Sir, do you enjoy the blessing of God on them that fear him, which they consider as a fruit of God's love, and as a reward of their obedience to the commademenr of labour and travel to be undergone in this world by the Children of men, to humble them thereby, being borne to labour, as the sparks fly upward? What is that? They shall eat the labour of their hands, that is of their diligence. The more I ask, the more unresolved. My Child indeed saith, his mind is employed. If according to God's ordinance for the good of himself & others, we grant it a calling. But to this my Child saith no more, but that he prayeth hard and long; which is an exercise of the general calling, but very assistant to the particular, the only thing in question: nor am I any way satisfied with his long prayers; It is a suspicious thing; I have heard of widow's houses have been devoured under pretence of long prayers. And though I judge no man so fare; yet I am sure there were fat Friars once; for they had the fat and cream of a land flowing with milk and honey. I know better how they lost it, then how they got it. I could question him yet further, as an heathen questioned a poor man, who after the burning of his little cottage, collected a good sum of money: Did he not set his house on fire himself? Doth not this man find more ease, & partake of more fatness than before? This is the last doubt; because I know many have left thousands, choosing rather to be in want and that willingly. But the main doubt remains: When he kept his goods, he should have lived in a calling, so should he after he parted with them. I cannot possibly find he doth. And so much for that he doth not. I come to the second thing; that which he doth: his whole estate is cast away, and he commits himself to the providence of God, saith thy letter. And doth he so; I question his warrant. It is a truth; the providence of God is a large and sure inheritance to his chosen; It shown Abraham a Ram, where and when he little expected it. It provided Samsons drink, and Eliiabs meat, by such a means, as they little looked for; A dry bone yielded the one, a Raven brought the other. But mark, this is only when ordinary means fail. God will be seen but only in the Mount. I must not, I dare not part with my sheep, in expectation to meet with one in the Bush; nor with my bread, in hope that a Raven will bring me more: I must not let my plough stand still, I mean my endeavour in what calling soever, because God can spread a table in a wilderness: I know he can, but I must not reason from his power to his will. The Lord did spread a table. Where? In a wilderness: he sent neither Quails nor Manna in Canaan, there the Plough might go. God will not feed me from heaven, when I may take up my meat from the earth: He works not extraordinarily in a fruitful land. Now put these together, what he doth not, and what he doth; and learn this from me: Ever suspect that man's prayer, whose hand is idle. An Heathen man hath a lesson, and me think it comes double to a Christian. God is to be called upon by the hand. I desire the end: how knows he that? Why volo et totâ ment volo. My mind is intent upon the means; I endeavour my utmost, as if there were no providence: And yet I rest upon a providence, as if my endeavour were nothing. A Christian may find much use from it, both in his general and particular calling. Asa set his battle in array, and cried 2 Chron. 14. It is as observable likewise what joab did and said 1 Chron. 19 Whether he was a good man or no I define not, sure he was a good general. The sluggard would have his meat; it is true, for he lusteth; but then the Raven must bring it him: the Raven comes not, for the sluggard hath nought: But the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. As it is a fearful thing to commit one's self to God's mercy, Lord, Lord; and yet fit still the while: so is it dangerous to commit one's self to God's providence, and endeavour nothing. I never heard of any man's will, but it bequeathed his soul to God; let the living man be careful to prove his will in his life time by double diligence; as by two sure witnesses: For certainly, as the sluggard hath lost his meat, so will he venture his legacy. I am now lapping up that which was last said, as close together as I can; and let the Child hearken, even every one who is a child in understanding.  
Thou must trust God with the blessing; he trusts thee with the means: if thou art not a wise steward in the one, thou dost foolishly expect the other.  
Again, when thou seest thy way, walk in it, and go down unto God's providence by means, as by steps and stairs; so mayst thou lay thyself down upon it, as upon a bed of Camomile safely.  
Again, dost thou perceive no way? art thou in a wilderness, and canst discern no path? in a straight, and see'st no means? yet grope not for them in the dark by any meànes; but reach forth thy hand unto the Lord willingly as Abraham did; he obeyed and went out, not knowing whither. The Lord can lead thee, whose property it is to show his mercy than greatest, when nearest to be utterly despaired off: to do the greatest things by contraries. To deal with men as he did with Paul's passengers, to break the ship on which they bottom themselves, & yet to bring them to land. Thou had questioned the Churches being before Luther in another letter; thou art answered: but because thou art never likely to see it, mark this one thing more, which I shall now tell thee, touching God's providence in answer to that rotten question. God hath and doth do great things by Ashur, he lays waste, and cuts down not a few: But the Lord will never do a great thing for Ashur. What is that? The Lord will never make his Arm bare for Ashur; he will never show himself in the Mount to Ashur: he will never strike off his chariot wheels, and yet bring him safe to shore, when they go heavily, he sinks like a stone. This giving an issue, this opening the waters, this paving a path in the wilderness, is Abraham's prerogative royal: I mean the Church's portion for ever. Ancient days can speak this, the following shall declare it. Consider this, thou lookest beyond Luther. It clears our eyes too. jacob is small, his hands hang down; jacob's ship is almost broke: he will sink sure. No, this doth but unbottome him; see him rolling himself upon God's providence, and there resting, till the Lord make bare his Arm in all the people's sight; so carrying him to the place, where he would be, as upon the wings of an Eagle. Thus Abraham as dying lives by faith, whose property it is to rest on God most, when it sees least; to rely on God above means, against means.  
Now but one word to thee Reader, before I leave the Church's treasure, God's providence. Thou art yet in no straight: That is a wonder. Doth the fire clasp the house, and is thy chamber in safety? doth it not smell of the smoke? then God is exceeding patiented towards thee, as appeareth this day; yet canst thou not discern the wind, & which way it bears the flame? If thou thinkest not, thou mayst be in a straight shortly, thou considerest nothing: and if thou considerest it; thou wilt be never the sooner io it, but the further from it. In the mean time thou hast heard with thy ears, and jobs messengers have told thee, that there is one at this day, in a straight, and sees no means, (thou mayst be sure it is the Church) in a wilderness, & can discern no path. What do we, man, for her, what shall we do for ourselves? what? We know not what to do; our eyes are only to thee O Lord: than it went well with jehosophat. I have done with this man's casting away his goods, and then himself upon the Church's treasure: We must judge nothing before the time, he that judgeth is the Lord, who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness. 1 Cor. 4.  
I have yet more to say unto my child to bring him out of liking with this man's bodily exercise, will worship, his assumed, not commanded services, not only shows and shadows, but such as hold the heart contented, without the truth, for what can Please the heart better, than some things of his own choosing: which shall not be so sharp (I warrant thee) but that he may keep upon the lees, and detain his old sent still, O my child, let but thy heart once go a whoring this way, it is strange, how it will dote upon these things as a harlot upon her lovers, no cost shall be thought too much, rivers of oil shall go, no travel too long, a thousand miles on pilgrimage if you will. No pains too hard, no penance too paienfull, the the heart will as easily turn in unto these things, as the Israelits were persuaded to return into Egypt, or Sisera pursued by Barak, entreated to return into jaels' tent. Alas child any tent will serve the turn for a time, to take a little milk in, and so to bring it a sleep, when like a wearied child, it is willing to rest. Or like a pursued Sisera, it would fain be at quiet. A Cloister may serve the turn; a Scelb, a Crucifix, a stripe a pilgrimage, a little holy water, a diridge, an Ave-Marie, let the heart but have a Saint one its little, or a pardon about its neck, and what can hurt him, O child? why dost thou gaze one these things? what is this? But for thee to make lies thy refuge, and under falsehood to seek to hide thyself, for what are these? Or any of these, or aught else, of these assumed services, but like the Harlots wiping her mouth, or Pilat's washing his hands? Good child fall not a sleep here, or if thou hast in these jaels' Tents taken of the milk and its pleasant unto thee, yet for thy soul● sake, keep thy eyes waking. For behold a stronger than Barak pursues thee. judgement will he also lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet, and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the water shall overflow these hiding places, and thou shalt not stand when the overflowing scourge shall pass over, thou wilt be trodden down by it, for the bed is shorter, then that a man can stretch himself on it, and the cover narrower than that he can wrap himself in it. Good Child sleep not. How willingly would a poor mother keep her child waking; when if he sleep, his sleep would prove and iron sleep, he will never wake again. How shall I endure the death of my Son? O hark unto thy mother child? that would fain keep thee waking, that so discovering thy danger, thou mayst get forth of thy jaels' Tent, and take sanctuary at the rocks, the mighty God of this Salvation, I tell you child a thousand stripes on thy body, cannot deface the print of one sin, that is write with a pen of a Diamond. As many knocke● one thy breasts; will not soften thy hard heart, which is as an adamant. All your holy water not sprinkled, but powr●d till the chalice be dry, will not wash away one sin. Is is as the spot of a Leopard or as ●rimson of deep dy● in the wool & in the cloth. The Harlots wiping her mouth will not serve her, nor Pilat's washing his hands, nor Elishas' staff, a man may be at great coast, he may part with rivers of oil, and yet his countenance look never a whit more cheerful in the day of the Lord. He may kneel till the strong men are weary, yet may the heart continue still stiff. He may go one pilgrimage to this Saint, and the other relic, yea and bare foot till he pinch his feet, and prick them too, yet may he be never the nearer heaven, his heart may remain untouched still; nay it is certain child, that nothing is a greater enemy to true mortification than the counterfeits, nothing holds a man off more from the power, then love with the form, nothing more prevalent than these jaels' Tents to rock thy heart in security, and to keep it in its own hardness, till a dart strikes through the liver, and a nail the temples, the Harlot will never cleanse the heart, if she thinks to mae all clean by wiping her lips, Pilate shall stand gulitie of innocent blood for ever, because he thinks he is clear of it, now that he hath washed his hands, the blood sticks nearer than so; the Prophet will never be sent for, if his staff will serve the turn; but when a man looks one his sins, as those that put to death the Lord of glory, or as that spear which pierced his sides, and is so pricked at the heart, and receives the sentence of death within himself; this man now looks upon the true crucifix, his sins are always before him. What is this man doing now? He troubleth not himself with empty questions, and vain genealogies, wherein thou didst foolishly busy thyself some months before thou transgressedst the bounds; namely whether Peter was at Rome, or the Pope be his successor. Peter might be at Rome, and Rome never the better, but much the worse, for then another Apostle was there, whose doctrine Rome follows not. This man hath other work in hand, he goes upon certainties; Peter is in heaven, there is no question in that. How came he thither? Peter confessed with his mouth: on that the Church was built: Peter believed with his heart, thereby he was tied unto it, as fast as the branch unto the vine. Now mark this man's enquiry: Can I confess with my mouth the Lord jesus? Can I believe with my heart, that God raised him from the dead? Rom. 10. 10. Then I shall be saved: but soft, he is upon an hard task, this is not a work of a day or two: If he get faith, he must know how he got it: This man is upon this business still; And what difficulties doth he meet with by the way! amongst which this is not the least, that jael stands at the entry of her tent, and the Harlott at her door, beckoning to this babe in Christ, come in to me, come in to me: these be false Christ's, and there be many of them within and without: But he hears a voice behind him saying, walk in the way, turn not aside: we will suppose this man now troubled and bowed down greatly. I would ask your Priests, what would ye do to him? will ye put on him all your Saules Armour? Alas, it is but combersorne: he must march on in that strength, wherein David came against Goliath; not by might, but by my spirit, saith the Lord. Zech. 4. Will ye give him some of your balm, your holy water, your oil, your daubinges? you are physicians of no value; All his money is spent upon trifles already, and yet the bloody issue remaineth. Will your Pope now freely give him his pardon, since all his money is spent? Alas, he knows he shall go forth from thence ashamed, and with his hands upon his head; the Lord will reject those confidences. jer. 2. 36. 37. What would this man have? I marvel what seeks he after? A ransom sure: a pardon. And if he get it, he must have it without money or money worth; the must be brought to a kind of beggary in himself, to a kind of nothing. What should a sound man do with a Physician? An whole man with plaster? An uncondemned man a pardon? He is now emptied indeed of his treasure, of one of his greatest enemies, himself; he leaneth unto nothing within him, nor to any earthly thing without him. Now compare the penance of your Capucino, Franciscan, or Dominican, who will not part with his hole, for as much land as the little bird flieth over; nay he hopes that his contendednesse in so little a place on earth, shall procure him a large mansion in heaven. I say compare his voluntary religion, his humbleness of mind, his not sparing the body, all his bodily exercise, Coloss. 2. 18. 23. with this man's penance, if I may call it so, and it will be no more, like unto it, than the Harlots wipinge the mouth, is to the clensiing the heart, th●n Pilat's washing his hands, to the purging his conscience: I say no more like it, than Elishaes' staff is to Elisha himself, than Solomon's needle work, to the little Lily: I mean then art unto nature. There is but imitation in the one, art is but nature's ape; there is life in the other, all the power in the world cannot produce it. And observe it, the effects of that man's penance, & this man's sorrow, are as different; the one seeks after trifles, and babbles, such as never pleased any but children and fools, empty things, lies and vanities, for as the wound is, such is the remedy: the heart was never touched. The other labours after the one thing which is necessary, which that he may obtain, he goeth down by steps of the flocks into the garden of spices, and there he feeds on green and clean pasture, regarding no more the steps of Popes and Cardinals, Friars and Monks, than the crawling of a louse, or the skipp of a flea: he hangs upon the mouth of his beloved, and observeth what they say who testify of him: he waiteth upon God in his ordinance, and he hath long patience: nothing shall content him, till his mouth be filled as with marrow and fatness; till the Lord hath reached forth his hand of mercy unto him, and thereby enabled him to reach back his to the Lord, whereby he receiveth blood to justify him, and water to sanctify him, for the hand of faith doth not only receive, but also purgeth the heart from all dead works; it doth not only take, but it doth also work by love: behold now the joy and peace of this man, at what ease doth he now lie? If we look upon him, we would set up a Tabernacle by him, nay certainly we should continue with him for ever. He finds his bed large enough for his wearied body to rest upon; the plaster great enough to the wound, the covering large enough to wrap himself in, and now hear him what he saith; Lord unto me thou wilt ordain peace, for thou hast wrought all my works Isai. 26. 12. Thou hast commanded deliverance for jacob: In thee I will boast all the day long. The righteous shall hear of it, and shall wait upon thee for this thing: For I declare to the world, that they who observe lying vanities, forsake their own mercies. jonah. 2. They shall sink upon them as a man upon quicksand: The sarrowes of them who offer unto other Gods shall be multiplied, their offerings I will not offer, nor make mention of their names within my lips; but I will remember thee only and thy name, thou art the portion of my inheritance, and of my cup, thou maintainest my let, the lives have fallen to me in pleasant places, yea I have a goodly heritage: I will bless thee O Lord, who hast given me this counsel, for now my heart is glad, my glory rejoiceth, my flesh also shall rest in hope, for thou hast not left my soul in Hell; thou hast shown me the path of life, in thy presence is fullness of joy, and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.  
Thou hast heard in this one, the Church speaking; I have brought her in upon another occasion, and upon more deliberation, clearing her oft eclipsed light, as fare beyond Luther, as the rising of the Sun is from his fall; and thence fetching his race, as the Sun in his strength, though many times hid under a cloud. And this she proves out of the Scripture, where is no other spirit, than what speaks in the hearts of her children; first from what the Lord hath done for her, and then what she hath teturned to the Lord. Secondly, from what her enemies in all ages have done against her, and then what she hath done for them. Thirdly. from those many deliverances, past, present, (though they be slain all the day long) and to come. Wherein the Lord hath, doth & will, make bare his Arme. Thou hast only the first here but briefly, and in another form of words, as be fits the present; but hast thou not discerned what a building this is. I would ravish thy thoughts; if any shall try to pluck a stone from this building, it shall be unto him a burdensome stone, If any shall march against it, the horse shall be smit with astonishment, and his Rider with madness. If any shall attempt to burn it; it shall be unto them as a fiery torch in a sheaf. If to devour it, it shall be unto them as a cup of trembling, the Lord hath said this Zach. 12. He hath, he will, he doth make it good. Come away come away, it is much to be under the shadow of it, cast off all those dead works, which thou dost eye too much, and learn what the Lord requires at thy hands, surely not thousand of Rames, nor ten thousand rivers of oil, nor the son of thy body, for the sin of thy soul, but to fear the Lord and to serve him in sincerity and truth. Iosh. 24. 14. not mentioning the names of other gods, nor bowing thyself unto them. Iosh. 23. 6. but to break off thy sins by repentance●, and that there be an healing of thine error, to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God; approving thyself as the child of God, not by these assumed services, which will not hold weight, when righteousness is put to the scale, but as the Saints do by pureness, by knowledge▪ by long sufferings by kindness, by the holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness, one the right hand and one the left. Oh my bowels do yearn upon my child, my heart is enlarged? Thou art not kept straight in me, but I am kept straight in thee. Thou mayest plainly conclude, by what is said, see how dear my mother love's: yea and the Lord knoweth too, who is truth itself, that my desire of thy return hath no less love in it, than it hath safety too, for I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper: as thy soul may prosper. Once more; if there be any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the spirit, if any bowels of mercy: fulfil my joy and come away.  
And that thou mayst make haste, for a Mother's affection thinks the shortest time long, I will quit thy argument, which thou thoughtest so fit for my capacity, & indeed it was so, with another as fit for thine, for thou art but a child yet, and knowest nothing as thou oughtest to do: And I know it shall fall as right as thine did, but then with a different effect. Thine did but foil the form of godliness that was amongst us, the power was not touched, the truth remains the truth still, and will be justified of her children: mine shall take away the truth and power you seem to have, and shall tell thee plainly there is none indeed, hearken while this argument smits' your holy Mothet this once, I will not smite her the second time, for I shall labour to drive the nail to the head, & fasten her to the ground with it, that she rise not again, and all this in a dear affection to thee, that so I may get thee out of her Tent, and free myself from the fear, & thyself from the danger, of having that other nail in thy Temples. Nearken then while the wiles and deceits of this Harlot are discovered unto thee, these are plain by what hath been said by her name & by her practice.  
I shall not parallel this holy mother, with hers in the 3 Proverbs; it would prove her an Harlot, but it would be taken in scorn; neither will I tell you how she hath filled forth the Cup of her fornications; that would prove as much, but some would deny it. Nor will search into the chamber of her Imagery; I cannot see into that; I will take her own Argument, and if I can by that prove her to be cruel in commanding the Child to be divided; I will by help of that Scripture turn it like a weapon against her, and sheathe it in her bowels, for that Scripture makes cruelty the inseparable mark of an Harlott; and when that is done, the holy Mother is killed; the Harlot is reserved to a longer day, her punishment sleepeth not.  
The holy Mother's Argument against the Church, hath been drawn from the block, fire, sword, persecution, interdiction, and the like: there is cruelty I think. The Children of the Church have answered this Argument, with tears, prayers, martyrdom: there is patience I think. I have two paths to tract, they lie near together: the one i● died with blood; the other be dewed with tears: both lead us through the streets, before Israel and before the Sun, and meet at the stake; there is cruelty, there is patience. We tract the holy Mother first; we can not miss her; which way soever she goes, her footsteps drop blood. Look upon that little book of Martyr●, Heb. 11. What bloody footsteps are there? But that you will say was shed by Ethnic Rome. It's true. But Christian Rome hath justified her sister: For ask the later times, & they shall teach thee, that Christian Rome hath risen up a cruel generation in her sister's stead, so filling up that measure of blood, which must be visited upon her: Ask I say and they will tell thee, not only what Christian Rome hath done in the City of Orange, or of that in Roan, or that in Deipe; but they will tell thee of that horrible massacre in Paris, where this mother's instruments went forth like a destroying Angel, and within the space of three days or little more, cruelly murdered above ten thousand, and all this after a marriage feast. Act. et Mon. 1948. Can here be truth? could this be a true Mother? A Devil she was, for like a bear rob of her whelps, she went about seeking whom she might destroy. I assure thee, she hath killed the Mother upon the Child, witney that lamentable Tragedy acted in Garnsey, where the infant bursting from the Mother's womb, in the midst of the flame, and taken from her, was by instruments sacrificed again to the flame, there to receive its baptism, Acts. Mon. 1764. Cursed be their wrath, for it was fierce, and their rage, for it was cruel; into their secret let not my Son's soul come, nor let thy glory be joined with their assemblies; for in their wrath they have slain millions, and the instruments of death were in their habitations. Wilt thou look nearer into thine own Country, then see our Marian days, I know my Child's eyes will stand with tears; what prisons empty? what racking? what tearing? what whipping? what scourging▪ what burning? whar bone fires were made of the bones of the Saints? Was this a Mother? Certainly, that very sword, which did not divide the Mother from the Child, was a sure means to divide the Mother from the Harlot. You have heard them pleading in that text▪ let us hear them pleading again. Nor will we put down the●● names; their words shall difference them to the meanest capacity: for this name Mother is the sweetest name under the Sun; and as she is such are her words. Oh let the Child live: he is stubborn, he will not worship, that which Longs wife hath made, and the holy Priest hath consecrated, he calls it Bread; because it appears so to the eye, not considering how miraculously God can work: nor will he bend unto that the workman hath made as a devout representation; he calls that no better than a block; but he shall to the block forit, I will bow him or break him. A hard Argument; yet let the Child live: For he can take God to record upon his soul, that he doth not this in a stubborness, but for pure conscience sake: he doth acknowledge an unlimited power in God; and it is his crutch, his pillar to hold him up, when the nations take counsel against the Lord, and his anointed once: he knows God can turn bread into flesh; he doth it daily, and the commonness abates the sense of that power. But now in that his eye and taste tells him, the Accidents remain; he eats it as true bread with the teeth of his body; and yet cheweth the living Bread, Christ and his benefits with the faith of his heart; and so doth truly eat the flesh, & drink the blood of the son of man; and yet as benefits a sacrament, spiritually: my words saith Christ, are spirit and trath. He doth in that ordinance truly enjoy his well-beloved; his well-beloved looking upon him, and he upon his well-beloved; and yet as through a Lattice. And for that representation he knows it is inferior to the workman; he must worship the Lord his God, and him only. He is a stubborn Child. It is not proved: but grant he be: If that be all, yet do not blow his body up into the air, he cannot mend in the passage. Do not turn his body into a coal, he cannot mend then. When once the breath is out, all passages are stopped, there is no coming in, there is no going forth. Now speak unto him, he can hear you; now give him his book, he can read it: evidence his stubborness to him from a true and infallible testimony which cannot err. Look to your witnesses, when they pass upon life and death: for when you have kindled the flame about his ears, you have defaced that sacred Image stamped upon him, which made him little inferior to the Angels. Consider of it, a heathen could say, demorte hominis nulla est cunctatio longa: ye cannot consider too much nor can ye consult too long, when in giving up your sentence, ye give away a man's life too. You have heard the pleading: and for aught was proved against the child; he might have lived to this day; but there was an Argument produced from the Stake, which he could not answer but by suffering. So blood was spilt: by whose Law? (for they said we have a Law,) the holy mothers. A holy Harlot, cursed be her rage, for it was fierce; like the rage of him, who cast the man into the fire & into the water: (we know who it was): or like that possessed man, who was so fierce that none might pass that way. Come a little nearer (child) yet perhaps thou thou mayst discern thy own preservation though then in thy cradle; hast thou not heard of our fift of November? I know thou hast. I must now take a little leave, I assure thee, I thought that after that very day the name of a Papist would presently have rotten, and that the stink and stentch of it would have gone over all the earth, and surely it did and doth so, and it is unsavoury in the nostrils of the very heathen, and would be so unto all, but that these jaels' Tents afford so much sweet milk, where with to bring the heart a sleep in security. But my child, thou dost remember this day, dost thou not? thou dost, why then thou standest amazed at the beastly cruelty of the mother and of her children, and at the exceeding love, and superabundant mercy (words are too scanty) at the admirable kindness of our God. Tell me for thou shalt be judge, was not our Land at that time compacted as into a compendious body, which was to sit in Parliament, as the representation of the whole Land, and now had it but one neck? had not the whore and her instruments watching their opportunity and finding it, laid this neck as upon the block, that they might strike it off at a blow; A blow indeed, whose rage would have wretched up to heaven, which would have sent up the bodies of men, like the sparkels of a smith's forge, and have made as many divisions of each, as there are sparkles.  SON. 
Hold mother, for you are out. Believe Doct. Carier & your child, and take it upon our words who will not lie; we never heard the work of that dismal day commended, if so we had never been Papists.  MOTHER. 
I think so too, for the Lord awaked like a Giant refreshed with wine, broke the snare that it might not be told in Gath, that the body of a state by means of a sulphutious blast was lifted up into the air, like the body of a Lark soaring upon her wings: therefore were your mouths filled with shame in stead of laughter. Foolish boy! dost thou not know, non placent scelera nisi peracta? The throwing of wildfire into a state is not commended, before it takes and layeth waste; than it is a meritorious work: Nay, it hath been compared to the work of our Redemption. I have an Author for that: stop Reader, thou must help us with thy prayers. From this holy Mother O Lord deliver us. A good man is merciful to his Beast, but the bowels of this Mother are cruel. We do tell this to our Children, that they may tell it to generations to come; and they stand affrighted at it, like a little Child, when you tell it of john of bare Arms. And we do pay our vows in all the people's sight: nay, because the whole fabric of nature, and the creatures in it, had suffered in that blow; we say, let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord; who stayed the blow like Abraham's hand, so snatching us and them as brands out of the fire: let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. If thou wilt be out of this number; yet detest this Mother's cruelty, nor let thy soul come into her secret; she will bid thee dig down a wall, that so thou mayst prepare instruments of death. I have done tracking this woman whom I have called Mother, that she may so hear of her cruelty, as that the name of nature might brand her as an Harlot.  
Now I tract the Church and her Children; and behold all her ways are peace: she goeth plainly and quietly not like a boisterous wind, but with a soft voice, she sinks into the heart, well knowing the temper of it: her weapons are meekness, gentleness, long suffering; if at any time, or by any means, (except fire and sword, that's the whore's mark, truth abhors it) she may win the people to her. Observe further, is this truth opposed, as indeed she is too much? that's truth's destiny, not her fault; is she tossed, and tumbled, and hurried? see her temper, and thou wilt admire her, and for ever detest the Beast; how doth she follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, patience, and meekness? Is she at length brought to the slaughter? she is so. That shall make her light break out as the noon day, she knows it well; see her temper still, and behold in it the patience of the Saints. Thou hast seen a sheep brought to the slaughter; so is truth. Thou hast seen a lamb before the shearer; so stands truth: Christ hath given her a lesson, even his own example, she hath learned it; she openeth not her mouth. I would not thou shouldest leave truth's temper yet; for I hope by feeling her pulse, thou wilt assure thyself she is of a sound constitution, and plainly discover the contrary. She is so fare from fire, and sword or any such cruelty, that she followeth peace with all men, as fare as is possible; she is no striker with the fist, no smiter with the tongue; (there is a smiting with the tongue) but it is bound to the peace, and good behaviour. I will show thee her Children as like the Mother as may be; observe their carriage: Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted we suffer it; being defamed we entreat. 1 Cor. 4. This is a strange Retaliation, & never to be found but from the Children of truth, who must not render evil for evil, but contrariwise bless, knowing that they are thereunto called being heirs of blessing. 1 Pet. 3. 9 We will single out one of her Children, who made saul's heart melt. David had the skirt of saul's robe in his hand, his heart smote him for that too. He cried out to Saul. What gesture used he? He might stand upon his points then; the wilderness of Engedi, at least the advantage he had of Saul made them equal, did it not? By no means. Saul was the Lords Anointed still, and David's Master too; and if he casts his eye upon David, off goes the ha●t: David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself: there was his gesture. What was David's voice▪ what titles gave he to him that hunted him like Partridge? one would think they should be such as choler & rage had laid upmost: But you shall hear David was better taught; my Lord, the King, the Lords Anointed, my Father. What is the matter of David's words? Wherefore doth my Lord hear men's words, (saying) David seeketh thy hurt: behold my Father, see yea see the skirt of thy robe in my hand, I might have had thy head as easily. But I would thou couldst see, how my heart hath smit me for cutting off the lap of the coat of the Lords anointed. Hear yet further my Lord Saul: I am much displeased with thy chamberlain Abner, whom thou hast made keeper of thy head; and were I judge in Israel, he might perhaps lose his own head, he is worthy to die; but at the least he should out of his office, he is too sleepy for that charge. Why so? he hath not kept his master the Lords anointed. How doth that appear? Abner may see here, and my Lord Saul may hearken, though Abner be a valiant man, and who like him in Israel, yet is he not fit to be the keeper of the head of the Lords anointed; that must have a surer watch than so: I tell thee Abner, thy master's head was in great danger this night, and thou layest by him sleeping; for now see where the King's spear is, and the cruse of water, are they not in my hands? they were this night at thy Master's bolster; and was not thy Master's head upon it? Certainly Abner, and let my Lord Saul hear, had but a Philistim come in, or but half a jesuited Israelite, thy Master, though the Lords anointed had been smitten to the earth at once, there had not needed a second blow; and his head had gone with the pot and spear. But a David came into your camp this night, a poor persecuted flea indeed, one of truths children, and God forbidden that he should stretch forth the hand against the Lords anointed, or suffer it to be done. Why he was no more able to hurt, than a dead dog could bite; and therefore art thou O Lord my King, and thou also Abner alive at this time, and your eyes may behold both the spear and pot, that was so nigh thy Master's Pillow; and my Master Saul may hear too; and now I hope both my Lord and Abner from this very day will be able to discern truth and innocency, from wickedness which ever proceedeth from the wicked man, and be able to point at it too with the finger, (saying) there it is; & behold Child, Saul doth it, he knows the voice of David, and it melts him into tears, and see what he saith, thou art more righteous than I, thou hast rewarded me good, when I rewarded thee evil: and now my Child, rhou hast seen truths guise, and her children's carriage, how meek! how harmless! Thou mayst likewise discern the Beasts mark, and from whence wickedness doth proceed, I know no motive in the world, except the secret working of God's Spirit, more prevalent to cause thee to come away, unless thou hast not a saul's discerning.  
But because I know thou art blind folded and hast no light, but what comes in by chaunes and crevices, I will contract what hath been said concerning these two Mothers into an Emblem one or two, which thou mayst perceive by the least glimmering. Then I will turn thee to two places of Scriptures, from which thou shalt make thine own collection. The first Emblem shall be of the holy Mother, and a Mother shall be it; An Hecuba in travel with a fire brand, and forth it comes rushing into the Bush of the Church. Or a jezabel plotting the death of poor Naboth, because he will not part with the Vinyard, the inheritance of his Fathers. She must not keep it; for all her painting, down she must be cast like a millstone. The Dogs did eat the flesh of jezabel. Take the Emblem of her eldest sons, and sons shall be it; Samsons three hundred foxes, running about the field with firebrands at their tails: see what hurt they do; the shocks are burnt. Or for variety sake, look upon the Gadarens heard of swine, but not running into the lake, though an evil spirit be in them; The day of recompense for Sions controversy is not yet; yet the enemy is not brought to the valley of jehosophat, to be judged there: we must look on them running into the vineyard, that must be more w●st: we leave them rooting there. But here is the comfort; Is it waste, is Sharon a wilderness: now I will up saith the Lord, I will give to Israel the opening of the month in the midst of them, and they shall know that I am the Lord. Ezech. 29. 21. Take the Emblem of she true. Mother, and that is made to our hands, you heard her begging of the Child's life. Take the Emblem of her Children; David cursed and pelted at by Shimes, and praying the while. Steven stoning, and even then saying, Lord lay not this ot their charge. We have done with the Emblems, we turn to the Scriptures; the first is 1 Kings. 19 11. There came a great strong wind, but the Lord was not in the wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire: There came a still and soft voice, there the Lord was. Make thy collection now: here are two, both would be Mothers, both would speak in the evidence of the same spirits which of these comes like a wind renting as it goes; like an earthquake, opening graves as it goes; like a fire, scorching as it goes: or in a still and soft voice, instructing, persuading, blessing, praying as it goes? with whom the soft voice is there the Lord is. Answer this unto him who understands thy thoughts long before. I have done with that Scripture: we find the other 2 Sam. 7. compared with 1 Chron. 22. 8. where is something will hold us from our purpose a little for the Readers sake. We find David sitting in his house, and in peace, yet not confined to his own particular interest, and looking no further: one eye is on his house, the other on the Ark; and he sees no correspondency: And yet he that hath David's observation may observe a greater disproportion betwixt his conveniences & the Arks now; then was betwixt david's and the Arkes then: he sits in his house of hewed stone, he hears no complaining in the streets; Gods footsteps drop fatness towards him; there are his conveniences. What are the Arkes? The enemy hath raised a mighty storm, and the Ark hath scarce curtains to keep it off. I know well on the glory there i● a defence, but I speak of that covering the outward eye may discern. Certainly if the consideration of David be this man's precept, the practice of David will be his pattern, whose mind was presently on work, how he might build an house for the Ark too. Yet Nathan must stay his hand, that must not be put to the work. We came purposely hither, to inquire the reason of that, but I desire the Reader would mark one thing by the way. Though it were taken out of the power of David's hand to build an house for the Ark; yet the Lord, tells him▪ thou didst well in that it was in thy heart 2 Chro. 6. 8. A man's hand may be kept from the Ark; every one cannot visibly work the security of it, nor bring it within Cedars. Nay though the Ark shake, every hand is not worthy to hold it up. A man must look to his warrant specially, when he goes about the business of the Ark. But mark this; they shall prosper that love thee▪ We wish you prosperity in the name of the Lord; O it is a gracious thing even when the hand, can do nothing. But M●roz with the inhabitants were curs● bitterly. judge, 5. 23. And the men, of S●c●oth were taught (that i● the word) by briers and th●r●●● judg. 8. 16. That was a sore teaching, but who can help it. They that will not be taught by instruction, must be taught by pain. 2. Esd. 9 12. It is Apocryphas thou mayst keep it in thy Bible, when it rout of thy Creed, and let it teach thee; when thou look'st upon thy house of Cedar, I mean thy many, many conveniences; many positrue, many privative, to have the Ark in thy heart; for this is to remember the Chare●● of Israel and the horse men thereof, that is the Church: The glory of Israel; that is the Gospel: The Paul's in prison; and she jaseps in affliction for this glory (for thy sake are we killed all the day long:) now what thou dost for these or any of these, they ●●e so like, thou canst not distinguish them) thou dost it to Christ, and thou showest mercy to thy own soul. For these will pray that thy mercy may be returned to thee & thine in the tempestivity of time. The Lord ●●ew mercy to Onesiphorus in that day. Nor is that all, the Lord show mercy to the whole house of Onesiphorus. Now to my errand, which should have been done before, but that I intent the instruction of two. We inquire of this text, why David might not build an house for the Ark? & it answers, because David had shed much blood. It was the blood of Philistians indeed; yet that was blood. Solomon must do it, who was a King of peace, who had shed none. There was a mystery in this, more clear now.  
That material house made with hands, was a tip of a spiritual made without hands, who hath for her protection, him, who is the God of peace; and is married (though the solemnity be not yet,) to him who i● the author of peace; and her children are the the children of peace. Therefore, as neither hammer nor axe, nor tool of Iron was heard in that: 1. King. 6. 7. so, nor in this; Righteousness and Truth do kiss each other. Peace is followed with all men, as far as is possible, so that holiness be not left behind, Fellow peace and holiness: Heb. 12. But suppose this peaceable body cannot be at peace and keep holiness too, yet she must not fly at the throat; holiness is rather plucked out than infused that way. She will not out with the sword with Peter, and cut off the ●are, much less with his supposed Successor, the head: she finds no warrant for that, no, not where she finds two swords. The sword must be sheathed, for all that touch it unwarrantably, must perish by it. Neither axe, nor tool of iron must be heard in it. Now let us consider: The Lord hath his Temple, and living stones are daily laid upon it. Here are two would have a hand in it; and they would be accounted builders, that need not be ashamed. By which of these two hath it been built? by whose hands is it daily raised? Consider the matter before thou judgest, and look upon it well by that light, this Scripture yields thee. Where is the axe, where is the tool of iron heard? who hath come out against the body, as the Priests and Elders against the head with swords and staves? where was the mattock heard? who prepared a Cellar well furnished with Barrels, and all filled up to the brim with deadly wine? by whom is all this blood shed? not by drops but by buckets; not by streams but by rivers? of Philistines thou wilt say, (for so thou art taught) it will never be granted; It is the blood of the Saints, which is tunned up, as their tears are bottled. But we take that which cannot be denied; here is blood: That was blood which was spilt in Paris, Holland, Germany, Italy,) there she came near home) all places Christian; nay I may say an heathenish too. A poor Heathen professed he would not come to heaven, if the Spaniards were there, this holy Mother's instruments. A heavy speech if you mark it: The poor wretch felt a fullness of pain, he never heard of thy fullness of joy: pity the speech, and abhor cruelty; thou shalt never win a Christian that way, much less an heathen. Hear out the judious words; he lay tortured, so that he died by piecemeal; so many joints, so many deaths: surely said he, the God of these Christians is cruel: thus their cruelty made the name of God to be blasphemed. See Reader, An Heathen by the light of nature, a candle in respect of thy Sun, could tell who was their God by their work. There is much use in it; but it must needs teach thee this, that thou canst not resemble God in any thing more, then in showing mercy: nor canst thou more lively transform thyself into the image of Satan, then in showing thyself cruel. A cruel man, he serves a cruel master. Consider again that mercy is an attractive thing; and therefore if ●uer thou hast to do with heathens, let thy compassion drop towards them, it may lead them to the fountain: let the little stream of thy compassion ●●n towards them, it may (for aught thou knowest) carry them to the ocean. Is there so much compassion in these men, we will serve their God, he is a merciful God sure.  
Still this blood i● before us; we will now determine the question, who shed it? and we find out the murderer by two witnesses: the first comes double, we find the swords in the slayers hands drunk with the blood of the slain. Who is that who comes forth with as many swords, as she hath hands? whose mouth is that, which where there were but two sword's, challengeth them both? there is one witness. And the blood doth evidence too, crying against this holy Mother; shed in England, in France, etc. we will go no further, we wade in it already, and it riseth like the waters: yet will she have a hand in the building this house▪ judge Child, what warrant there can be for this; and consider it according to that sincerity wherein thou wouldst be found, when thou ●●t to stand before the great judge; at which time Belshazzars knees shall smite each other, and he shall weary the mountain to fall upon him. I add one thing, which may tell, my hair hath gone with my pen; It is this; that I am persuaded in my soul, that there may be a candle lighted from these Scriptures, which all the world cannot put out: And though there be a mystery of iniquity; yet hath this blood washed off the seeming beauty of this wellfavoured Harlot; and the fire she hath kindled, hath marred the painting of this jezabel, unto any one's eye, that hath the least glimmering. My conclusion unto this shall be a short reasoning, and then a gentle persuasion. Thou art drinking of this holy Mother's cup: dost thou know what poison is in it? I reason with thee, as Iot●an● with the men of Sechem; wherein if thou understandest, thou shalt perceive, thou hast not dealt kindly, no● truly, nor faithfully; with thy parents, with the Church, with thine own soul.  
Harken to thy Mother, Child, that the Lord may hearken unto thee. Hast thou dealt kindly with thy dead Father, with thy dying Mother: with thy Father, that toiled for thee; with thy Mother, that groaned for thee? with thy parents, that thought all too little for the Child; come husband, ye● wife, let us take care, that the Child may have his education; he will return it one day; when we are old, he will be our staff to lean upon: A staff indeed, which peirceth not the hand, but the heart; an Egyptian staff of reed. Hast thou dealt kindly with thy parents, hast thou?  
Hearken to me, that the Lord may hearken unto thee▪ Hast thou dealt truly with the Church? Thou wast ●● thy blood: she took thee in her arms, 〈◊〉 blessed thee, praying; that he, who came after, would pour clean waters vp●● thee▪ so … sing thee with fire and the Holy Ghost; then she held thee in her arms and ●ipped or sprinkled thee, which is one, and after the Primitive Institution: she used no spittle or the like, for she keepeth the pattern: then she laid thee to her breasts and suckled thee, so feeding thee with milk, till thou couldst bear strong meat. Now thou risest up as a gain saying child, against the mother & her, house: hast thou dealt truly, with this Mother hast thou▪  
Hearken unto me, that the Lord may, hearken unto thee. Hast thou dealt faithfully with thy own soul? Thou hast left the fatness of the Olive, the sweetness of the Figtree, the wine of the Vine▪ and thou hast▪ put thy trust under the shadow of the Bramble. It is true, of all the trees of the Forest, none so ready to boast of protection, as is the Bramble. It is strange what a shadow it seems to cast, like that we read off in the 4 of Daniel, the Cedars may come under it, nay must, they will not be safe else: but it is a dreame-Doest thou not know whether the Bramble must go? Can it stand against the fire? Can it keep off the he●● at noon? I●na● was exceeding glad of his go●●d; but did it sheilter him, when the 〈…〉 one the head of 〈…〉 fainting time will come, child, and ●he strongest man this day living shall find it so, a vehement wind; the Sun at noon, will beat upon thy head, and then it will be too late to seek for a sheilte●: we must think of this fainting time, while it is to day. Now there is a tree, whose l●●ves 〈◊〉 heal the nations, under which there is a sure shadow: the bramble not so. The olive 〈◊〉 hath much fatness●● the bramble not so. The f●ggtr●● much sweetness: the bramble not so. The Vine cheereth man's heart: the bramble not so. It is prepared for the fire, the end is burning; so is the its that trust under her shadow, as thou shalt hear anon. Hast thou dealt faithfully with thy own soul▪ Then do thou re●●●ce●● the Bramble, and let the Bramble rejoice in th●e▪ But if not, then yet let thy soul hearken unto thy Mother, that the Lord may hearken unto thee.  
If the Lord hath left thee to the counsail● of thy own heart, which he may do, as not bound to the creature, a rebellious creature▪ and this is to be acknowledged, let him accept an offering; even the ●alv●● of thy lips, that he who i● the tr …, would lead th●● into all truth. See thy face towards heaven, & resign thyself to God, to be guided in the way thither, a● David did, who know the way, better th●● thou or I; with ●●y whole hear have I sought th●●, O let me not w●●der from thy commandments. But if they be the children of men who have enticed thee, and beguiled thy poor soul, which will likewise be acknowledged; I will not pronounce the Lords curse against them, for I have not David's spirit▪ but the Lord be merciful to the blind leaders of the blind, and remember them not after their dealing; for they have driven thee out this day from the abiding in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, so sake the rock, even the only rock of thy salvation, and go serve other gods. I am now at the bottom of thy letter, that shall conclude my Answer. Thou seemedst to persuade thyself, thou art another joseph sent before, to provide for thy Mother and her Children, and were it so, and that now I have heard from thee; let her who hath the heart of a Mother, &c▪ is acquainted with the yearnings of the bowels, say, whether she thinks not; (although nowagon is come) that I would presently take my staff, and trudge away, yea and not feel the weary steps, though my legs be old: this thought would still be better than wine to refresh me, I shall see my Son before I die. But alas, the case is different; how doth a beguiled heart deceive thee? your Egypt hath proved an iron furnace to our Israel, and at the best a staff of reed, I dare not venture myself so; no nor yet thy brother neither; though thou like a good judah wilt undertake for thy brother Beniamen: thy Mother will not trust thee to be thy brother's keeper, unless thou couldst keep thyself better; why should I be rob of both my Children? Alas Child, I well know, your Egypt is full of enchantments; ask a Mother now, and she will tell thee, whether she will venture a Child as boys venture pi●s; and points, hazard two that they may find one, she will not do it; a Child is dearer than so. Again, why should I send my Child over to you for bread? Why our staff is not yet broken; it is God's goodness, it is not; if it should be, which our unthankfulness threatens, what have we to do with the broken reed of Egypt, that would deceive us: we have yet store of bread in our father's house, rebellious children though we are; but through our father's patience we have it, and the children are fat and well liking upon it; but if we were thrust out of door, as we have well deserved it; yet we could not eat your Gibeonitish bread, which hath nothing to show its antiquity, but that it is dry and mouldy; nor could we go to eat among the swine, Husks, such empty things: we do daily pray, Lord give us evermore of this bread: But if the Lord be deaf towards us, as he may justly be, he bathe called to us, and we have not harkened; how could we expect that Baal could hear us? I trust we should never seek to Eckron, we know we have a God in Israel, and we hope we shall not go from the living to the dead. To speak yet more plainly, we have Moses and the Prophets, and thy are read amongst us even to this day, and it is wonderful in our eyes, and the Saints see wonders in it; if we do not believe them, neither should we believe, though some of us were sent unto your dead, or some of your dead were sent unto us. But to cut of all hope of coming over unto you, and yet to confirm this hope of thy return unto us, I tell thee besides, that Christ hath set a sword to stop the way unto thee, which in some cases must divide between Mother and Child, brother and sister: there is a kind of gulf betwixt us, yet passable on thy part, that strengtheneth my hope; a se● betwixt us, no less full of blood; then that other is of water: For is it not plain unto thee, what havoc the whore hath made of the Churches, what threatenings she hath breathed forth, what rivers of blood she hath shed, how she hath killed, and scourged, & persecuted the Saints & Martyrs of the Lord jesus; that may come upon her all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel, unto the blood of all the prophets, Apostles, and Martyrs, that have been slain. O Child what a sea is here! Certainly, he that hath any light will not venture here, & he that hath no●e walketh in darkness, and knows not where he shall fall, and plunge himself. Then there is no coming for us to thee, thou mayst to us; & how am I straightened till thou comest▪ as long as thou art there, thou art liable to her plagues; and how great will they be! Why thou seest plainly, that in her is found the blood of prophets, and of Saints, and of all that are slain upon the earth; and the ●●p she hath filled to others; must be filled to her double; how great will her plagues be? Come forth from her my Child, my sweet Child come forth, for living there, thou must partake of her sins, and then must thou receive of her plagues▪ and how canst thou stand in that everlasting burning? Thou art now in danger indeed, thou art now in hazard, and how am I straightened? the sentence is passed upon the great whore, the execution hasteneth, and though it be deferred, it is at the doors; for can the souls under the Altar cry aloud and not be heard? O come forth of her, why dost thou linger man? wilt thou first know that Egypt is destroyed? come away even before the day break, come away even before the dough be leavened; and if thou wilt in the other sense, before the whole lump be soured; there is no lingering, for God's sake, & for thy soul's sake come away, why dost thou linger? my dear Child consider, other sins speak, blood cries; and here is not Ab●lls blood alone, he was but one, here i● the voice of bloods, even all which were slain for the word of God, and the testimony which they held: what a thundering voice is here! Certainly the widowe● cry to the unjust judge, that he would avenge her of her adversaries, was not so loud, and yet see though he lieth still for a while, up saith he I will arise, and aveng this troublesome bawling widow; I love my rest well, but behold there is no remedy, I see she is resolved to weary me; I will up that I may be quiet; for though I regard neither God nor man, yet have I a great respect unto my own rest, and I will up and right her. Now Child I have done with thee, my words have an end; and how loath am I to leave thee, or to cease entreating thee: how do my bowels yearn? how am I straightened? but the Lord hath heard my controversy, and who knoweth whether he may not look on the affliction of his Servant, and bring thee again; if not I am before him, let him do with me what seemeth good in his eyes. But yet before I leave thee, one thing I beg of thee; and since the Son will have the old Mother crouch and bend to him; why see a Mother will not stand upon her points, she will do any thing to have her Son again; I do beg one thing of thee, and I beg it on my knees; it is this, that thou wouldst rouse up thyself, for there is a great matter in hand. What is that? Why the great God of heaven and earth is at this instant speaking to thee, and so slow is man of hearing, that it is possible for God to speak once and again, and yet man may not perceive it: alas, what is man's speaking now? Yet since thou hast notice of it, for thy souls sake rouse up thyself; it is the Lord which brings home the example of the unjust judge unto thee; in his own words rouse up thyself, the Lord speaks unto thee; and he that speaks bear the care, that thou mayst have an hearing care. Hear what the unjust judge saith, & shall not God avenge his own Elect, which cry day & night unto him, though he hear them long, I tell you he will avenge them speedily, Luk. 18. There remaineth now but a little season, until their fellow servants also & their brethren, that should be killed as they were shall be fulfilled: Revel. 6. This the bloody whore will dispatch as soon as she may, she is about it, & thus she treasureth up wrath against the day of wrath, & fillith up the measure of her judgement, which shall be given to her double. O come away from her my dear Child, come hastily, linger not; throw thy dough upon thy shoulders theris no time to leaven it, and ●●udge away, & the Lord which can persuade japhet to devil in the Tents of Shem, and if Loath will prolong his time in so imminent a danger, cnast in mercy to him, cause him to come out of Sodom, before the brimstone and the fire shall fall, extend thy mercy unto thy servant seek him out who is gone astray, and cause him to return to thee, who art the Shepherd and Bishop of his soul, so shall I ever praise thy name, who hast given me my Son again, in whom I may have comfort here, and through thy mercy, joy with him hereafter.  
FINIS.  Prov. 6. 5. Deliver thyself as a Bird from the hand of the hunter, & as a Bird from the hand of the fowler. Prover. 19 26. He that destroyeth his father, or chaseth away his mother, is a lewd and shameful Child.  

I know Reader, you have found many faults; sometimes words misplaced, sometimes letters, most times stopps. I wish it better, but it would not be, for want of d●e attendance as the Press: and for that the Copy was part printed, part written, the Composer was mistaken, putting i● six lines (pag. 136. lin. 6. From Harken to the end of the period) which should have been out▪ A word or two also there is which corruptes the sense. Pag. 54. lin. 29. read subsistances. Pag. 103. lin. 6. read understanding. Pag. 140 lin 3. read befitts. Other literal faults there are many: a● pag. 118. i for y in a Greek word. Pag. 130. t for s in a Latin. Sed quid exempta juvat spinis de pluribus una. Let me have thy love, and greater faults than these will be covered.