THE GHOST OF SIR. JOHN PRESBJTER, Wherein he desireth that the rest of that faction may desist, and prosecute no further that Monster of PRESBYTERY.  
Also, his advertisement to one of his dear children, whom he left out of his Will, by reason of his great rage of his sickness.   woodcut of man in robes 
Printed in the year, of the Presbyterian fear. 1647.   

The Ghost of Sr. JOHN PRESBYTER, WHEREIN He desireth, that the rest of that faction may desist and prosecute no farther that monster of PRESBYTERY.  
Dear friends that are enemies to that monster of the Presbyterian Government, I must now confess, that it is such a devouting monster, that I hope the people of England will not set it up; For by it the Priests that labour with might and main to set it up, who ever be loser by it, they will be sure to be gainers, and will eat even as a Cancer in your estates: but the rust of them so eaten by the Priests, shall be a witness against them, as you may see, in the 5 of James and the 3 ver. and now my friends that do now oppose the monster of Presbyter, I must confess that you did nothing but truth in resisting that Scottish Monster, although when I was with you, you did tell me for my good, that it was a Land-devourer, which now I find that your words are very true; Therefore now my dear friends, take the view of the Presbyterian Priests and compare their practices to the word, and see how oppressive they are, look upon the 18 of Deuterinomy and the 3 ver. That when a Sacrifice was to be offered up, the Priests were to have the shoulder, the two Cheeks and the maw, and yet they will say that it is jewish; but shall I tell you why it is ●ewish? it is because their portion is too little, if it were the half, or the 3 part of ●t, than it were somewhat like; look likewise, in the 1 of Sam. the 2 and 13. 14 ver. For the Priest's custom towards the people was this, When a man offered sacrifice, the the Priests boy came while the flesh was seething with the flesh hook i● his hand with 3 teeth in it, and thrust it into the Kettle, Pan, Cauldron, or Pot, and all that the flesh-hooke brought up was for the Priest; but what now if he took up all, must the people have nothing but the Broth? Nay, truly they might be glad if they could get that, for covetousness is a thing that runs generally to all; look in the 6. of jeremiah, the 13. verse, from the least of them, even to the greatest of them, every one is given to covetousness from the Prophet to the Priest, they all deal falsely. Look like wise, in the 22. of Ezek. the 25. verse They devour souls, and in the 28. verse. They have daubed with untempered Mortar, seeing vanities and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord, when the Lord had not spoken. Now in the same kind, do the Priests of England, they say that their borrowed Scottish monster of bitterness itself is from God, and that God hath revealed it to them, when indeed the Lord hath not spoken to them; they would fain make the people believe what they please, and if they said it is truth, the people must believe it. Consider that 3. of Micah and 11. verse. The heads thereof judge for a reward, the Priests thereof teach for higher, the Prophets thereof prophesy for m●ny; Yet, will they leave upon the Lord, and say is not the Lord amongst us? no evil can come upon us. I pray God that text be not true of the Judges, Priests and Prophets of England, and so be like them of the house of Israel, and so the old Proverb be made upon them, never a Barrel better herring. And truly my friends, shall I tell you why my Antichristian brethren do hate the godly people of this City and Kingdom, I will tell you it is because they are not of this world, even as Christ was not of this world; For could the Saints of God hold with them in their wicked design that they prosecute, than they should be one of them, and be very much respected by them; But seeing that these oppose their Scotch Government they shall be opposed. I have heard many say when I was with you, that when it did rain slowly, we would say that it was but a Scottish mist, but it would wet an Englishman to the skin: so now I must confess, and say of their Government, that it is but a Scottish one, but if it be erected in England, it will rend and tore, and divide the Kingdom, it will turn it upside down: and therefore now my loving friends that was to me, I mean the Synod, did you but know what now I suffer by pressing men's Consciences, to that Scotch faction, you would desist & prosecute that ill begotten Monster of Presbyter no further; Therefore let my torment though unseen and unfelt by you, be such an example to you, that you may for ever bless God that Sir john Presbyter deceased and that his Ghost should communicate such evils as is wrapped up in that Government; for truly I must confess, that it is heretical and obnoxious, and will undo King and State, you all know that I did as much labour to bring it about to erect it, as ever you can do; but now finding that it is so abusive, both to God and Saints that were, I now amongst you again instead of setting of it out in pomp and glory, I would discover the ill consequences that are in it; for truly when I was as one of you, what did we labour but only to get wealth into our own keep, although it was to the woe and grief of the Inhabitants of England, nay our holy Convocasion that was in King Henry the 7. Chappill, what did we treat on there, but only to tie men's Consciences to what we believed, and if we believed that the Church of Rome is a true Church, the people must believe it or else they shall be banished; we thought then that our designs were gallantly carried on, if we could get Mr. Henry Wilkinson to treat with Stapleton, Manchester, and Hollis, to carry on our wicked designs; we could make them believe that white was black, and black was white, and they being intoxicated by the Priest, could intoxicate the truth of their unjust; never the like heard of practices in the brains of other, and they must believe it, because it came from the Priest, and so of necessity it must be truth; and so the poor people must believe that the Minister cannot err, even as the Priest believes that the Pope cannot err; but to another of the same faction! O Mr. Love, truly it is to be feared, nay I am confident, that you love yourself more than the glory of God? why do you still persist and incense the people against the Army, in telling them that it doth not belong to Officers and Soldiers, men of War, to look after Justice, and Judgement; whereas if you were a true Minister of Jesus Christ, you should encourage the people, and give glory to God, and look upon them with admiration, that God should stir up men of War to see that Justice and Judgement might run down as a mighty stream.  
I would not have you to make a Trade and Traffic of the Gospel; do not tell the people any more that it is the Ordinance of God that the Gospel that you preach to, should maintain you, though you have sufficient means of your own, or else what man of parts and quality will be a Minister, truly Mr. Love. I was once of your mind; but now were I out of torments, I would do the work for the works sake, and I would with Paul in the 3. of Philippians and the 8. verse, account all things but dross and dung in comparison of the excellent knowledge of jesus Christ; and therefore let this my torment be a means to hinder you from prosecuting that will-worship; for were it not painful to the Priests, they would never labour so to set it up; therefore all ye Priests and people that are for that Monster of Presbytery, do no longer keep Christ out of his Throne by labouring to set up an Antichristian Government, I am confident if you do, it will c●st England dear the modulising of it; but if it should be erected, you Priest of the new found Monster out of your exorbitant great pains, that you will get by it, you cannot in conscience but requite the Clergy of Scotland for helping you to so much pain by such a Monster that was begot in Hell, nursed up in Scotland, and what now England will you be such fools to bring it up to is full groat, and maturity, truly if you do, you will bring up a bird to pick out your own eyes.  
And now a word more to another of my newer able brats! O Mr. Edward? what still Rebeckah like, no amendment, such, a Father, such a Child, indeed you are in a very high esteem with the Devil; for he saith you are one of the best chaplains that ever he had, because you do in no ways degenerate from him; but if now the question be asked, why the Devil hath his Chapling so far remote from him, I will tell you the reason of it, is because he doth him a great deal better service in England then he can do him in H●ll; for he can tell the people lies, and then show them reasons: Fathers and politic wrighters for it; the Devil he is an accuser of the Brethren, and you accuse that faithful and never to be forgotten Army, under the Command of his Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax; what accusations and aspersions do you cast upon them, in saying that Sir Thomas and his Army Christianed a Horse; well thou Gangreen, he that set you a work will pay you your wages, that you above all shall not need to Petition the House of Lords for Tithes for your part, the Devil will give you more than you will be willing to have; well Children Presbyterians, for your sake, I am much troubled and tossed to and fro, and all because I would not have you to tread the same path that I have trod, lest you be as bad perplexed as now I am, I was a great Episcopal man once, than the wind turned, than I became a dissembler, like the rest that met at the holy Convocation house, than we must dance a Scotch Gigg, and the title of it must be a Scotch Covenant for England's Inhabitants, but truly now the case is altered with me; now I say, must Scottish factions be England's rule and example, and then we must swear to suppress all Popish and popish innovations, and for the exterpating of Bishops and their adherents, what now friend cut down the Bishops and raise up their Government under another notion! O brave Priest, gallant dissembler, truly if I could tell where to get a bottle, I would send it to the Pope, for a bottle full of holy water, to wash your dissembling faces; I pray in the mean time, take your handkerchiefs and wipe your noses, for you stink in the nostrils of every honest man, where was all your histories, and Scollership, and Fathers, and politic writers, what all the Bishop's libraries pawned for Muskedine, and rolls that you could not contrive a Church-Government without the Scots, but seeing that you have got it by hook and by crook, and up it shall go if possible you can, seeing you will so persist in it; Winter is a coming, and you cannot sit without fire; therefore let Doctor G●ug be your Woodmonger, to provide wood and Coals for that holy Convocation, because he hath very good skill in Coals, but this I must tell you, you must look very warily to him, or else he will connive, and play underhand with you; but Countrymen, I much wonder that we in the other world should hear as much now as you do in this, let me tell you that the Devil hath his host amongst you every day, and a thing is no sooner▪ in agitation with you, but we have it with us, we can hear of your new confessions of Faith that you made, and of the queries propounded from the Parliament to you, and of the 50. questions propounded to you, but as yet we can hear no answer to any of them, and I am confident never shall; Truly the course that now you steer is wrong, it will never bring you to happiness; for it tends to nothing but oppression and cruelty, or else why do you labour for power to be given you into your hand, for the bannishing of all godly men out of the Kingdom; therefore take this word of exhortation to you, desist from labouring to set up the devilish Monster, and do no longer 〈◊〉 against the stream to keep Christ out of his Throne, for Jesus Christ will reign; truly my fear, nay my confidence is that ●●ny of you draw near to God with your mouth when your heart● are fare remote from him, you can make gallant flatter and desembling how that you seek for nothing but the glory of God, when intruth it is nothing so, your fair pretences are but like 〈◊〉 body without a head, a shadow without a substance, you would fain show yourselves to the people to be milk white Saints, when indeed you are as yet black Devils; for you do the drudgery of Hell; but God that sits in Heaven laughs you and your doing to scorn, and this my time limited being expired, I bid you adieu till the next opportunity.  
FJNJS.