A SCOURGE FOR THE DIRECTORY, AND The Revolting SYNOD.  
Which hath sitten this 5. Years, more for four shillings a Day, then for Conscience sake.  
By Judge JENKINS.  
LONDON, Printed for J. B. in the year, 1647.   

A Scourge for the Directory.  
I Cannot but admire to see so many learned Divines so much of late metamorphosed, that have so many years professed the Protestant Religion in the purity of it, and now had their Eyesight more clear than any in Queen ELIZABETH and King JAMES his reign, and sixteen years of King CHARLES, and never writ against it till now: and I am persuaded there are very few that are good Protestants that gave their consent for the utter abolishing the Service Book, till they had made some good provision for the weaker sort of Protestants: for in many hundred of Churches of England that have not means to maintain a Preacher to instruct the people in the knowledge of God's laws, there is not a Sermon in half a year: and this Idol, as many call it, being taken away, what gross ignorance will these poor souls fall into? For if you tell them of Praying by the spirit, you may as well tell them a tale of the man in the Moon. I am persuaded in my heart, that many of the ancient Fathers that had a hand in the composing and contriving of that worthy Book, were endued with God's Spirit; witness their godly and learned Books they writ, their holy lives they led in godly conversation and doctrine; nay, and have they no● laid down their live, and rid in chariots of fire to maintain that very same Book that now many giddyheaded fellows which have scarce any Religion at all in them, but mere time-servers, blown about with every blast of light doctrine, that will be Anabaptist to day, a Brownist to morrow, and in a word any thing the next day. O lamentable! what times do we live in? when the Church is without true discipline, God's Laws quite taken from us, no Lords Prayer, no Creed, no Common Prayer allowed, but Master Presbyter to do as his fickle brain serves him, the Sacrament of the Lords Supper not administered once in half a year, and when it is delivered wonderful out of order it is, the Sacraments of Baptism celebrated as any would have it that is in fee with Master Parson; the dead body buried with five or 6 words at the most; no decency in the Churches, no manners nor order, forgetting that God is the God of order. I do not speak against Praying by the Spirit, for I know that God's people always prayed as they felt their wants; but for poor ignorant people who have not the spirit of prayer, what provision have you made for them? the answer is, Just none. What shall become of them. Your answer must be; you must leave them to God's mercy. But I and many more would have thought you had some charity in you, but in leaving poor ignorant people quite without any way to know God or his will, I think you have done worse than the superstitions Papist ever did to the Heathen where they conquered. Was there ever any Kingdom in the Christian world that flourished more for almost fourscore years, than this Kingdom did all the reign of Queen Elizabeth, King james, and sixteen years of King Charles his reign? surely God hath great plagues for this ungrateful Nation. You of the Synod, sleep not upon this thing called 4 shillings a day, till you have done some service for the poor ignorant people of this distressed Nation, that God's name may be known on earth, and his saving health to all Israel. We are not ignorant that when any came to be buried with decency, and the Minister shown that man was mortal, it did the party deceased neither good nor harm, but the standers by might know what a flourishing estate man was to day, and in a moment cut off by the hand of death. For the receiving the Sacraments, which are the seals and pledges of God's love to his Church till he doth come, and receive him often till he comes, now how often is it wonderfully neglected? So for the Sacrament of Baptism, the reading of God's Commandments, and in a word God's whole manner of decency in his true service wholly neglected. Nay it is spoken openly, that a stable is as good as any Church whatsoever; forgetting that the jews which were the chosen people of God, had their Synagogues to hear the Laws of God read and expounded to them; and the Temple where the Priests did offer sacrifice to God for appeasing his anger against his people. I do not intent to make two or three year's work to give direction by way of a Directory, and wrangle and brawl with myself for it; but I had rather spend my life in instructing the poor people in the true knowledge of God's Laws and Commandments, then to take part with any thing whatsoever to hinder God's people from his known will. For it hath been an ancient thing which the Church of Rome used, to keep the common people ignorant, that the better they might work their ends by their simplicity: and if you take these courses, the further you go from Popery, the nigher you come to them.  
When the Christians in the Primitive church had their private meetings, the Church was hidden, and it was death for any to profess Christ openly, than cellars, garrets, and woods were their places of Assembly: but who reigned then? Nero. But blessed be the name of God for evermore, we have the word of God preached among us plentifully, we need not go in corners and holes to hear Christ taught. I wonder that so many learned able Divines do not gain some order against this New-England brood: but I am persuaded in my heart that many are partakers with them, and will not or dare not write or once open their mouths against them. Blame me not though I urge this again and again, for I verily believe Ananias the Button maker, Flash the Cobbler, Nondependants, do more harm to poor souls, specially to poor women, by one of their tongue Sermons, than many of your Presbyterian Sermons do good in half a year: for come into the Church, who preaches there? Non-decency, all without order or form. For your Prelatical government, go to all the Churches in Europe, you shall be sure to come short of this that was in these latter times. Go to all the Reformed Churches in the Christian world, they did stand amazed at the government of the Church of England. But now what is become of it? truly the height of our glory is laid in the dust, and we made a mock and a wonder at. The Lord in his mercy open the hearts of those who are in authority, to reform these things, that these civil combustions in Church and Kingdoms may cease, that God may have his Word settled in peace and quiet and his people may come to his Temple with joy and gladness; that God may be praised here in peace among his people for evermore. I verily believe that if every Presbyterian Priest or Independent be left to do what they will, we shall have more domineering and disturbance in the Church, than ever there was since the Church was first built up in England. What would you have then? would you have Bishops, which have bred all this broil among us? yes, provided that their Lordly dignity may be eclipsed, and preaching Bishops put in their rooms: not to have a high Commission Court little inferior to the Inquisition of Spain, nor meddle with temporal affairs, but to preach the Word of God sound, plainly, and powerfully; to root out heresy and error out of the Church of God, like a man of knowledge: who shall choose those good men? no● their rich kindred, nor the King, nor his money, but their learning, Godly lives, and conversation etc.  
For Prayer and confession, we have them in the Book of Common Prayer excellently set down; and also humiliation, with some amendments: but to take them quite away, I am humbly of opinion you greatly sin against God and this poor Island of England; and I think as long as you keep the Ark of God from us, I mean the Service Book, you will ever have swell and emrod's among you. I am no Prophet, nor the son of a Prophet, but I pray God in his mercy keep you from these plagues which hang over your heads, for leaving so many poor distressed souls in want, not having the known will of God taught among them, who lie and languish for his known Laws, and are kept short of them by force. For the Let any, I should have rejoiced greatly if I could have seen but half such good matter proceeded from you of the Synod; though I am not ignorant that there are some things that might have been amended in some passages of them, but not utterly to have them rooted out: for those that give their voices to put them quite out of the Church, I pray God of his mercy that he one day put them not quite out of the Kingdom of his mercy.  
As for the order of reading the Old and New Testament once a year, what a comfort must it needs be to those who cannot read? What an excellent order is that of reading David's Psalms once a Mouth in due place and order, which is not to be paralleled by any Reformed church in the Christian world, with many other excellent passages of great note and worth. But now that a company of shuttle-brained fellows, who for their understanding and knowledge can scarce hold argument with a Schoolboy, that these I say must have that godly Book quite taken away as a great Idol in the Church, what a kind of madness is it let all wise men judge. I do not write so much in the applause of the Book of Common Prayer, so to magnify it as to put down preaching, and to ease your lazy Priests of their pains in studying, no, my earnest desire is that there may be praying with the whole Congregation together, and preaching too, that the Word may be taught plentifully among the poor people; and that we which are the inhabitants of England may go hand in hand, that God may have his due praise and glory among us; and then we with you, and you with us may give God his due praise and honour both together: which God in his mercy grant; and that we may sit together every man under his own Vine and Figtree. And to you the Brethren of the separation, which have the spirit so much at command, and know God's Word so well that you need no teacher, take from you the exposition of the ancient Fathers, and other good men's works, which you so much despise, and then take the bare Bible and fall to expounding the Scriptures, and I dare pawn my life for six pence you shall have as good nonsense as you would desire to hear. Go back, go back, thou foolish man or woman, whatsoever thou art, and return to thy mother the Church of England, who first brought thee up to know God in Christ, and come out of these puddles, and light headed fooleries, and know he that takes hold of the Plough, and looks back, is unmeet for the Kingdom of God.  
FINIS.