THE COPY Of a LETTER Sent out of Wiltshire, to a Gentleman in London; wherein is laid open the dangerous Designs of the CLERGY, In reference to the approaching PARLIAMENT.  
By a true Friend to the Public Interest, and to all Peaceable Men.  
LONDON: Printed for Livewell Chapman, at the Crown in Popes-head-Alley. 1654.   

The Copy of a Letter sent out of Wiltshire, to a Gentleman in London; Wherein is laid open the dangerous Designs of the CLERGY, in reference to the approaching Parliament.  
WORTHY SIR;  
YOU will expect that I should give you a true account, of passages relating to the choosing of Members to sit in Parliament for this County of Wilts; The truth is, the matter was most confusedly and unworthily carried without any order or discretion; As for the Clergy they exceedingly bestirred themselves, making their party as strong as ever they could, that so they might promote and carry on their Scottish Interest.  
The Ringleaders of this faction were Dr. Chambers, Mr. Byfield, Strickland, these with the rest of their Brethren of the Association (and 'tis more than probable that the same design is carried on by the Clergy in other Counties) gathered together a great number of people, & taught them their lesson before hand to cry up only those ten men named in their List, and to brand others, as namely Lieut. Gen. Ludlow, Col. Eyre, etc. (who were nominated by approved faithful men in the County) with the names of Anabaptists, Levellers, to render them odious to the generality of the injudicious people, by these false and malicious imputations. Thus honest Public spirited men are most unworthily dealt withal, and trampled upon by a Time serving Generation.  
Sir, I am very confident that some hundreds gave their Voices who were either Cavaliers, or else of inconsiderable Estates, not worth 100 l. and therefore uncapable of choosing, by the Model of the Established Government.  
It was agreed on at length, that the several Lists should be called one by one, and so put to the Yeas and Noe's, without naming any other in competition with the former. But this order was violated by the Clergies party, by which means through the instigation of this Scottish faction, Lievt. Gen. Ludlow was put by, to the great disparagement of this Country, where he hath been more serviceable to the true interest of the State, than all the men that are chosen, put them all together, and the Parsons too: nay they were so far from giving their Voices for this faithful valiant selfdenying man, that the leading man among them, & their chief Counsellor, whom I shall forbear to name, refused to appear for the Lieut. Gen. intimating that he was not fit to sit in the next Parl.  
Ye are so considerate Sir, I doubt it not, as to observe that there is a design generally carried on by the Clergy of this Nation, to bring us again into Egyptian bondage, to keep up and maintain the oppression of Tithes, and to set up themselves and their Classical Diana by Civil Sanction; in order whereunto they have endeavoured to procure a considerable number of Members that may Vote in the next Parl. for an Assembly or Convention of Ministers, to make Cannons for inthralling the consciences of good men, where Adoniram may be one of the Scribes, who indeed was an exceeding busy man, and acted like a Pharisee at the Election, his carriage not becoming a Minister of Christ. But why should we wonder at him and others, their busy intermeddling, and more than ordinary diligence and activity? alas poor men, they are afraid they shall lose their fat Parsonages, worth 3 or 400. l. per ann. a piece. These Politic State Parsons, neglected the Preaching of their Lecture at Sarum, that they might bawl and cry with open mouth, No Ludlow, no Ludlow, till they were even hoarse again; they chose rather to spend their breath in decrying honest men, then in preaching the Gospel of the Lord Jesus. Nor is it sufficient for these men that they have present encouragement, equal with or above other men more deserving, unless they may also impose upon, & domineer over their brethren, they will not be contented. I do plainly see they will rather join with the vilest men, then with such as cross their carnal interest, and descent from them, though never so godly.  
What shall I say of the impudence of these men? one Stone a Factor for them, and Vassal to them, went up and down at the Election like a mad man, crying out, Now friends appear for the Church of God, or never; poor man, can he put no difference between appearing for the lusts of men, and the Church of Christ? between the Classical Usurpations of the selfseeking Parsons, and the truth and Gospel of Christ?  
Sir, By this days work ye may judge of the issue and fruit of the Ministers Association in this County, which may rather be called a subtle Combination, than a Christian spiritual Communion as they manage it; you will hear of the like proceed in other Counties, especially where this Association is carried on, the same being devised as a shelter upon a politic account, against an approaching storm.  
The Lord direct his Highness in this Juncture of Affairs, and make him truly sensible of the dangerous plots of these men that would thus rigidly impose upon their Brethren.  
There will be I am confident a necessity of taking a strict review of these Elections, having been carried on in such a turbulent confused manner, by the violent motions of the corrupt Clergy, all joining together to uphold their Diana.  
But as it was with the Prelates, in entering their Protestation in the former Parliament, they prepared a Rodd to whip themselves with, and digged a pit wherein they themselves did fall: so will these men do, that which they have designed for upholding their corrupt Interest, will be the ruin thereof. His Highness and his Army cannot but call to mind the late broils both in this Nation, and Scotland, caused by this sort of men, who will not cease plotting and combining till they embroil the Nations again in blood, if the Lord in mercy prevent not.  
Sir, I had the sight of a Letter writ by one Burgess a Parson of the Confederacy, sent to one of his Brethren in this County: his words are as followeth. Sir, I hope you will be active to engage all that ever you can to appear with us for such men as will be valiant for the truth, and be ready to meet Dr. Chambers, Mr. Byfield, Strickland, Ince, etc. And that we may not be divided, there shall then be a List of the ten to be chosen, given to every one that appeareth for the best interest. Let us not be accessary to our own ruin, and give occasion to the succeeding Generation to curse us, by not putting forth our interest to the utmost, for choosing right men. If we remember the last men that met at Westminst: what they were Voting for, and withal how the Monster of their malice was even brought to the birth, it will make us active for a better Choice.  
Besides what this Parson writ in his Letter, he told the party before one Mr. Dyer, that there was a Commission coming out for ejecting Ministers, and that he would be in danger of being outed his Living, that should not appear with the Ministers at the Election.  
Thus you see Sir, they make lies their refuge, and have recourse to Carnal weapons, the Instruments of a foolish Shepherd, as his Highness expresseth it in one of his Letters to the Clergy of Scotland.  
Well, though these rigid foolish men will not see the hand of God which is gone out against them, but go on in their vain ways of opposition, notwithstanding they have been so often disappointed yet the work of the Lord shall prosper, and God will ere long separate his faithful Ministers and Servants, from this corrupt self seeking Generation of men, who will not cease from busy intermeddling in state matters and raising Factions, till the Maintenance for the Ministry be brought into one Treasury, and equally divided. In Holland (you know) where the Magistrate takes a stricter course, the Ministers dare not busy themselves thus in State affairs. God forgive these men, for they cause the Ministry of Christ to be evil spoken of, and to stink in the nostrils of people, who do but deride them as a company of vain busibodys.  
Sir, It cannot but grieve and afflict the Spirits of honest men, to see a company of time-serving Cavaliers, and corrupt Parsons carry on things as they do, without control; and in the mean while such men as are most faithful to the Public Interest, for which so much Blood hath been spilt, and Treasure spent, such as have been valiant in the field, and ventured their lives in the high places for the liberties of the people, such as have all along in the greatest Revolutions and dangers (when this Generation of men durst not show their faces unless it was at Oxon, where some of them sat and acted) appeared in their purses and persons for the true interest of the Nation, such as have poured out floods of Tears and Prayers for the cause of Christ, that these honest men should be thus slighted, undermined, scorned, discountenanced, and a company of unworthy Time-serving men preferred and advanced, such as never did the State any faithful service, such as do unworthily & vaingloriously in them own persons, hunt after worldly honour, and popular applause, and do even hate and abhor the poor despised Saints. Certainly though good men should be silent & sit still, yet the Lord himself will shortly avenge the cause of his people, & bring deliverance in a way which we think not of, which will make the ears of some to tingle, and their hearts to ache; we have yet the Christian weapons of Faith, Hope, Patience, Prayers and tears remaining with us, which will in due time prevail against this corrupt party, and the less there is of man the more will God be seen. Let us sit still and see the Salvation of the Lord.  
July 13. 1654.  
FINIS.