ENGLANDS rejoicing AT THE prelates downfall.  
OR, GODS goodness and mercy to England in delivering them from the cruel tyranny of blood-thirsty prelates.  PSAL. 34. 19. 
Many are the troubles of the Righteous, but the Lord delivereth them out of all.  PSAL. 90. 15. 
Comfort us according to the dayes that thou hast afflicted us, and according to the years we have seen evil.  
ENGLAND, Printed in the year of the down-fall of the prelates. 1641.   

THE PREFACE.  
CHristian Reader, thou hast here presented unto thee in this small Treatise, the cruel Tyranny of the wicked Bishops, and Gods goodness and great mercy in easing the Land of them, in turning their plots to their own Destruction, and in making them a derision to all the world: Therfore let us all bless and praise God for all his mercies to us, and long and desire the downfall of Rome, and al his brood, with all the enemies of the Church, that so our Church may be a glorious Church, even to the coming of our Lord Iesus Christ, even so be it, Amen.  
Farewell. Your Friend in Christ.   

ENGLANDS rejoicing at the prelates downfall, Or, Gods goodness and mercy to ENGLAND in delivering them from the cruel Tyranny of blood-thirsty prelates.  PSAL. 123. 3. Have mercy upon us o Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have suffered too much contempt. PSAL. 120. 6. My soul hath too long dwelled with him that hateth peace. PSAL. 119. 126. It is time for thee to work o Lord, for they have destroyed thy Law. 
THere ever hath been, and is now, and still there ever will be( so long as the 
Gods people will have enemies, as long as they continue here.  world stands) enemies against the Church and People of God, bloody enemies, cruel Tyrants: but still the Lord ever hath been, and is now, and will be the deliverer of his People; the Lord doth confounded their enemies and trap them in their own snares; they lay baits privily to entrap the Righteous, 
The wicked lay snares for the Righteous, and are snared themselves.  and are snared in their own snares; the Lord who sits in heaven, and eyes and beholds the ways and plots of the wicked: he wisely orders and contrives their own plots to their own Destruction, as witness that hellish Powder Treason of blood-thirsty 
Papists are cruel Tyrants to Gods people and Church.  prelates, who sought to have blowed up the whole Assembly of Parliament; and when they thought themselves most sure, then God discovered it, and turned it to their own ruin.  
And also in Queen Maryes dayes, how cruel 
In Q. Maryes time were bloody dayes with the Papists.  were they to all Christians, insomuch that whosoever would not turn to them to worship Baal, there was no mercy with them, but to fire and 
No mercy to be had of Papists.  faggot they must go, bloody-minded men they were. But yet the Lord in the end did overthrow 
God will overthrow their plots.  them and consumed them; they must not always tyramnize over Gods people: For though God let them alone for a time, yet in the end he will laugh at their destruction: The rod of the wicked shall not alway lie on the back of the righteous, God will ease them, and deliver them.  
And now also God is very good to his people, far beyond all hopes or expectation: for our 
God will not forsake his people.  Lordly prelates have so Lorded it over all Gods people, as scarce any have been free from trouble, but that the Bishops, our Lordly prelates have persecuted them by Pursevanting knaves, some way 
pursuivants are knaves by Bonnirags confession.  or other: and their impudency was grown to such a height, that Ministers dare hardly Preach; and if they did, they were tied to a just hour: and pursuivants were redy to ensnare them if they 
That was because they would have brought in Popery under the name of Religion.  spoken any thing against Popery: Nor people could not assemble themselves together in any duty in private, much less public, but they were had before his Grace, and were mocked and scoffed at by the name of Puritans, and many other absurd names, so that they had the world at their beck and command, that all the world groaned 
Bishops were never more hated then now.  under them, they were( I mean our Lordly prelates) a burden both to Church and State.  
How had they corrupted Gods worship, abused his Ordinances, despised his Ministers, rejected 
The Lord hath been very much wronged.  his Word, dishonoured his Name, profaned his Sabbaths, persecuted his people, and robbing God of his Honour. O Brethren, these are grievous things: and when a Land is guilty of these things, 
and justly might the Lord have done it.  the Lord must needs avenge himself, as faith the Lord, Shall not I visit for these things?  
Consider in the first place, how they have corrupted Gods worship, in turning their Table Altarwise, and railing of it, and making the people come up to it, and kneel round about it; in reading their Second Service there; and in consecrating 
They all are for the outside worship, and never look after the heart within.  the Table or chancel, as though the Table or chancel had been more holier then any part of the Church else; and also in wearing the white Surplice, Lawn Sleeves, Tippet, four corner Cap, &c. as though God required these outside Ceremonies, when as indeed this is a corrupting of Gods worship, and so bowing at the Name of Jesus, as if that were above Jehovah  
Secondly, consider how they have abused thine ordinances, in setting up of Idolatry and Superstition, and labouring to pull down thine Ordinances by their good will: they would not have 
All things were hateful to him, but Idolatry.  us have a Lecture once a week, nay not on the Lords day: for they set out a Book for Liberty on the Sabbath, in spending the afternoons in Sports and Past-times, and so putting down all Sermons in the afternoons, as one of the prelates most notoriously 
But this was the way to their own destruction, as now you see.  boasted and said, I thank God I have but one Lecture in all my diocese: o most wicked Blasphemour, to thank God that he hath done wickedly: o this is a high contempt of Gods Ordinances, and abusing them, when men strive with all their might and main to subvert the Ordinances of God, as our proud prelates did.  
Thirdly, consider how they have contemned and despised the Ministers of God, as that they would not suffer them to teach: for if they did, they must cringe, and bow, and be very ceremonial; or else if they will not, they are clapped up in Prison. And of late that sinful Synod made an Oath, that all Ministers must take, and so they thought to ensnare all good Ministers, for none would take it that feared God, and then by thi● Oath, they would have silenced all good men, suchs a plot it was, that one would have thought all the Devils in hell could not have thought: but now it is clean contrary to their expectation.  
Fourthly, consider how they rejected his Word in adding and diminishing what they pleased, and in being careless and negligent of his Word in rejecting Gods Word and Religion,& setting up of a Religion of their own, and in making a set form of Prayer, as they pleased, for Ministers to say before their Sermons, as if so be none were so holy as they( as they thought themselves) when indeed none were so wicked as they: o this rejecting of Gods Word would have caused him to have taken it away: For where a People once rejects his Word, then he departs from them.  
Fiftly consider, they have dishonoured his Name, by swearing by his Name, as Lord, or God, as many of our prelates do, who( at least should know better) do, yea many of our ceremonial Ministers, that will come out of a Tavern or Alehouse, and go up in the Pulpit to preach, and call upon the name of God, whenas this is a dishonouring Gods name, and a mocking him to his face, when they say and promise one thing, and do clean contrary. God commands us to honour him, and we dishonour him, to honour the creatures, wicked men.  
sixthly, Consider how they have profaned his Sabbaths, in giving men liberty on the Sabbath: whereas God hath set it apart to be kept holy to himself, they gave liberty to men to profane the Sabbath, to make it a day of mirth and Pastimes: o this is most abominable, they contradict God, and break the Fourth Commandement, wherein God has commanded men to keep the Sabbath day holy: and how is it kept when they keep it unholy, and profane it?  
Seventhly, Consider how most barbarously they persecuted Gods people, in dismembering and disfiguring, and whipping, and Pilloring, and Fettering, and Imprisoning, and Banishing, and Silencing, &c.  
As first, in cutting off those Three Worthy 
Three Worthy Champions of Christ suffered all patiently.  mens ears, Mr. Burton, Dr. Bastwicke, and Mr. Pryn: and then Fining them, and Banishing them to perpetual Imprisonment, which was against both the Laws of God and men: for they were not found guilty of any thing: o it was most cruel dealing, not like Christians, but as dogs. And also good Dr. Layton, that hath been both branded and whipped, and his nose slit, and Imprisoned. And 
This was the Christian mans trial.  Mr. John Lilburne, that hath been whipped and gagged, and Fettered, and Pillorified, and Imprisoned. And so many other of Gods Children did the Lordly prelates persecute, and tyramnize over. How did they Lord it over all men in their bitter High Commission, worse then the Spanish 
All will turn to their own ruin.  Inquisition: but Pride now hath had a fall, they now are fallen into the Pit that they digged for others.  
Seventhly, they robbed God of his glory, and 
Robbing God of his glory, giving all to the creatures that God should have.  honour, they forsook the living God, and set up Images, and Idols, and they worshipped them: this was in some places, and they would have had it in all places, had not they been crost of their designs; for how many scores of Ministers had they Silenced, and set up dumb dogs in their Rome, that so they might( when all good Ministers were put out) rule as Lords and Kings; and every one should have honoured them: for in their Courts they sate like Gods, and not like Men, making every one subject to them; and thus they robbed God of his honour: o these were heavy things, and certainly God will be avenged of these prelates: and indeed now he hath begun, in that he hath turned all to their own ruin and destruction. God in pitty and mercy towards his people, called a Parliament, which England longed for, contrary to our wicked Bishops mind: for they little thought of a Parliament, for if they had, they would never have Tyrannized so as they did; they thought they might do what they would, for no body durst say, why do you so? The truth was, they neither feared God nor man, for if they had, they would have thought then that God would have called them to an account for all, and then they would not have done so: but they were departed from the living Lord, and did according to their own hearts lust, as in je▪ 9. 13. 14. They have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeied my voice, neither walk thereafter. But they have walked after the stubbornes of their own hearts. Yea they have walked very stubbornly before God, doing all things contrary to Gods will, as in Le. 26. 1. 40. They have walked contrary unto me: and therfore saith God in the next verse 41. Because they have walked contrary unto me, therefore will I walk contrary unto them. God will serve them in their own kind: for they that forsake him, he will forsake them, and 
Miserable are al they whom the Lord departs from.  leave them to their own destruction: as you see he hath done these Lordly prelates: they forsook God, and God forsook them, and hath brought 
They are descended from their Palace to their Prison.  them to their own destruction: that whereas before they sate as Lords and Kings in their palace, now they sit as Prisoners in their Prison, yet they never thought of this, nor if any had  told them of it, would not have believed it: for they thought it was impossible, they had so seated themselves. And I dare be bold to say, that had not the Lord crossed their wicked designs by this time Canterbury would have been entering into his Popeship: for as a worthy Knight says, He 
But the little great man was deceived.  pleads for a Popeship under the name of a Patriarch, and it was too true, as was apparent by his actions, and by what he intended to do; as to have silenced all Godly Ministers with that damnable Oath hatched in Hell; and then we should have had fire and faggot. But o blessed, and for ever blessed and praised be the Lord our God, that hath eased the Land of this great burden: for they are of late hated of all men, both Scotch men, and English men: for they by sending over the Scotch Service Book, and imposing it on them, was the cause of all this: they could not be content to rule and Lord it here, but they must there also too,& so made a rod for their own back: for they by that means brought the Scots hither, and so they bread hatred between the two united kingdoms, and would have made them pierced their swords in one anothers side. But the wise God hath now brought them into shane and confusion, that now our Lordly prelates hang down their heads, for this happy Parliament hath quelled all the Canterburian Faction, that now they have nothing to say: and now I believe they wish they had never been Bishops at all, but some handicraft Trade, which indeed there are too too many more, are more fitter for the Plough then the Pulpit, idol Ministers, that are negligent in Gods worship, and in preaching his Word; when as God saith, Cursed are they that do the work of the Lord negligently, Jer. 48. 10. And how negligent are our Lordly Bishops, that do not preach once in a whole year, when as Bishops should be preaching Bishops, and not Lording Bishops: for in Zacha. 11. 17. Woe unto ye Idol shepherds that leave your flock, the sword shalbe upon you, &c. And yet how many idol shepherds have we now that famish their flock, and are idle and lazy? and how many idol worshippers such as worship Idols, when God forbids it, as in Levit. 19. 4. Ye shall not turn unto idols, nor make your melted Gods, for I am the Lord your God: yet they made them graved Images, and worshipped them, for all that the Lord forbids them, and they walked every way stubbornly against God: and therfore says God in Pro. 1. 24, 25, 26. Because I have called, and ye refused, and I stretched forth my hand, and none would regard, but have despised my counsel, I will laugh at your destruction, and mock when your fear cometh. And also in Jer. 9. 13. Because they have forsaken my Law which I set before them, and have not obeied my voice, I will sand a sword after them till I have consumed them: So that God leaves those that leave him, yea those that walk not in the way of God shall not prosper, as you see these wicked prelates that did all according to their own wills, and so run headlong to destruction, for those things which 
Nothing that they take in hand against the godly shall prosper. Zach. 9. 9.  they sought the ruin of others with, have turned to their own ruin; and England hath great cause to rejoice at their downfalls, for they were enemies to God and his people; as in Lament. 3. 59, 60. 
Lamen. 3. 59, 60  Lord thou hast seen our wrongs, the fore judge thou our cause. Thou hast seen all their vengeance, and all their devices against us; and 64. Therfore give them 
The Lord will recompense them.  a recompense according to the works of their hands Now the Lord hath refreshed his people wonderfully, in relieving of them: for now the Lord hath brought home those 3 Worthies, that were Banished 
God can do all things.  so far, contrary to all our expectations, for few thought to have seen them all here alive again: but all things are possible unto God. And so in setting at liberty other Captives, as silenced Ministers, and others. O this is a great mercy, that God out of his free mercy and love to his people should give them such a gracious deliverance from the cruel Tyranny of these Prelates, who ruled and reigned as Lords over them: for the wicked must not think always to tyramnize over them, and think the Lord will not avenge himself of them, no, no, for the Lord hath promised to his people the utter ruin of their enemies at last: yea, the Lord hath said, All things shall work together for the best of them that love him. And therfore, though they be persecuted, it is not always, it is but for a time. Now God will stand up to pled their own cause, that whereas 
Gods cause shall be pleaded.  before his people were called in question, and Imprisoned; now they who called them in question; are called in question themselves, and have the same punishment inflicted on them, as they 
They are paid with their own coin.  would have inflicted on others: for our Lordly Bishops, and other inferior Doctors, that silenced other good men, are now silenced themselves, and that according to justice: for there is no Court like unto the Parliament for justice and 
No Court like unto the Parliament.  equity; now all things are called in question that were wrong, to be set right. But in my Lords Court at Lambeth, there was nothing but injustice. Pursevanting knaves would come and domineer 
No justi●● at al.  and carry any one, who they would, before his Grace, and make them spend their money, and their time; and in the end know not why, nor for what; they were brought in, and 
And yet there was no remedy▪  there was no help at all for it. But here the Parliament is a Court of justice, doing no man wrong, but righting the wronged, and easing the oppressed. And I hope the Parliament will take it into consideration, that there may be no Bishops, for the Church may be governed without 
No Bishops. No Bishops.  Bishops: or at least, if there be, to curb them of their power, that if they do ordain Bishops, that they may be preaching Bishops, and not 
Bishops that will preach, it may be willbe accepted of.  Lording Bishops, not have so much power and Authority as they had, and not so many benefice, when many good men are without: but I leave all to that grave and honourable Assemblies disposing, beseeching God to protect, and keep them, and continue them together.  
But to conclude, here you see Gods goodness 
For Conclusion.  to his people, in kerbing the prelates: and here let all take notice and observe( all that are the enemies 
It is in vain to work mischief against the Church of God.  of the people of God) that it is in vain to plot or contrive any mischief against the godly, seeing that God turns all to their own ruin, seeing that God is their God, and they his people, yea they are his jewels, and therfore he will have a care of 
Gods people are his delight: therfore he will have a care of them.  them, that none do hurt them: why then this is for great terror to the wicked, that though they sit up early and late, night and day to invent mischief and wickedness against the people of God, yet it is in vain, for all is turned to their ruin: why then Bretheren in Christ, rejoice all ye godly, shout for joy, thy 
Zach. 9. 9.  King cometh unto thee. O here is matter of great joy, Christ is come to bring deliverance, all the enemies of the Church, and his gospel is falling, the prelates downfall is hastening; and then the 
It is begun already.  gospel of Jesus Christ will flourish more then ever before, and shine more clearer: for so long as the enemies of it reigned, it could never shine forth in its clear light: therfore let it be always all our Prayers to God, that he would accomplish the downfall of Babylon, to ruin that man of Sin. And Lord confounded all the enemies of thy Church and people: let them be confounded and put to shane that seek after my soul: let them be turned back, and brought to confusion that imagine mine hurt. Psal. 35. 4.  
FJNJS.  
Written by an ill willer to the Romish brood.