Life and Death of William Laud

To the Reader.

IT is the manner to adresse a few words to thee at the entrance to a Discourse, which are these; I was an eye witness of this man's Doings in his life; an 〈◊〉 ear-witness of his sayings at his Death: yet had I not a thought (for I thought it needless) to tell the world what his Doings were [no not then when I saw his 〈◊〉 boldly published to the world, to make gain of money thereby, though with the hazard of souls] till the 〈◊〉 fornight after he suffered Death for the 〈◊〉 : On that Day, a worthy Minister, my dear friend, came to me, told me that they who were thought the fittest men for the work, had no purpose to do it, (there was a mistake, for the fittest of Many hath done it,) then moved me about it by such arguments as might have commanded me, and so did though not at that time, yet some hours after. Then I girded myself to the service. To give a Breviate of his Doings first (The Reader could exp ct no other in such scantness of time and room, different from that is extant, as I thought also the time and place did require) Of his saying after, that his Doings and sayings being laid together, the one may interpret and explain the other; And the scriptures of God may warrant the Reader to be judge of both.

I have made hast here, as I was desired to do; and as a man hasteneth to take an Anti-dote to expel the poison he hath unadvisedly drunk down. Yet this 〈◊〉 is not of that Nature as to cause Repentance. But er ours it may have caused not a few, which the Author and the Printer, may lovingly divide 〈◊〉 them, and be at no loss: For the Reader must take all in good part for these reasons.

(1) Because he may make a great gain by this to his 〈◊〉 . He may learn by this how to live, & order all his doings all his life long. How? As the righteous, God's faithful servants do; and then he may be sure his 〈◊〉 shall be like theirs, and the comfort of his sayings then answerable to his doings;

2. The Reader may be informed hereby touching the Religion, we, without mental Reservations, call 〈◊〉 , That it is not like our garments still 〈◊〉 after the fashion of the Times: nor like the 〈◊〉 neither, now 〈◊〉 , and then waning, as she 〈◊〉 to us: But Religion is as the Sun, a perpetual and 〈◊〉 Ordinance in heaven.

3. Touching the war about Religion; who they are, who so venter far and freely in this war: who fight indeed the Battells of the Lamb? Truly Reader, The old Serpent the Devil, speaking through a Dying man, as audibly in the ears of a great People, as once he spake in the ears of our Grand-mother Eve, would have beguiled all the Christian world, touching this matter. It was my great Care to undeceive thee at this great Point, to Discover that Grand. 〈◊〉 to thee; which I have done, but not indeed so fully as I would 〈◊〉 could: but yet faithfully, not daring for my life, to do otherwise, in a matter, which did so highly concern The High God, His Christ, His Church, and His Parliament, now fighting the Lord's Battells against the 〈◊〉 , and His Angels. Indeed the Scripture calls the Adversary and enemy row, not the Dragon; but the Beast; And he would seem the tamest of Beasts, a Lamb; and make the world believe he would, That 〈◊〉 fights the Lord's Battels venters as far and as freely for the Religion and Faith of Christ, as any in all the world.

Now what see we? For we may behold now as 〈◊〉 John did in a vision; A Beast like a Lamb: But how 〈◊〉 he? he spake as a Dragon.

How 〈◊〉 he? As a Dragon we may be sure. And it is as 〈◊〉 before our eyes, by his 〈◊〉 and Sayings; That, though he be a 〈◊〉 in show, he is a Dragon indeed; for Dragons 〈◊〉 are never 〈◊〉 then are his words.

And hence, Reader; Thou art taught a great Lesson; Not To trust the Dragon though in 〈◊〉 like a Lamb; and may speak like a Lamb. So he 〈◊〉 speak for advantage, that he may Act anon 〈◊〉 a Dragon. 〈◊◊〉 as all the faithful servants in the world 〈◊〉 now; They send their Ambassador to heaven, their prayers thither, through the Mediation of 〈◊◊〉 and only Friend, to make peace; that is the peace they breath-after, Peace and Holiness, Peace and Righteousness, Truth and Peace; They hearken not what the Dragon saith, nor what the Beast saith, nor what the Lamb saith, which is but like a Lamb; they hearken what their Lord saith for He speaks Peace. A Peace of their Friends making, and their God's giving. Surely their expectation, is from God, a peace of his speaking & giving. And in the world they expect trouble, and with the Dragon War, while he and the Saints are together in the world. These things the Lord hath spoken, That (which makes amends for all the Dragon can do or say) in Mee ye might have Peace; In the world ye shall have Tribulation: But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. So saith the faithful and true witness, The

The Life and Death of William Lawd, late Arch-Bishop of Canterbury; Briefly related.

I Will begin in order, with his Life first, and his Death after: I will set down faithfully, and as narrowly as I can, his Doings all his life long, and his Sayings at his death. And this I shall do for two reasons. (1) That every man, who will, may see, That his Deeds and his Words, do stand at an eternal Distance; and can possibly be reconciled no more than Life and Death can. (2) That he who has read his Death, his Funeral Sermon there (A mere mockery of God, and good men; the Religion of God, and Reformation of men, a mere scorn to all these:) And finds it a snare to his Perdition; for he blesseth the man, and His fare-well to the world; May also read his life, and consider well on it, lest rising early and blessing his friend, because of some light expressions which fell from his mouth at his Death, it proves a snare to his soul now, and it be counted a curse unto him hereafter.

I know I shall be envied for this, I know not of how many. Of none but Malignants sure, whose envy I would rather have than their favor.

Some good men may blame me too.

I cannot believe that; They will blame them rather, who were so bold; To tell all the world, what he said at the point of his departure out of the World, thereby to argue his piety towards God, and his Righteousness towards men: And hold the world in ignorance of all he did all his life long, which argued him a mighty sinner, before the Lord, as was the unjust Judge, who neither feared God nor reverenced man.

I, but I shall be judged very uncharitable now, and censorious of a dying man's words.

A short Apology for this:

1 I appeal to God, that, I think, I looked with as pitiful an eye upon his departing soul, as the best friend he had upon the Scaffold.

2 That I shall not judge him, or his dying words; No, I would have the Reader to leave that to God; I would help the Reader, well to understand, what he said at his death, by what he did all his life long.

3 To undeceive the ignorant at this high point, That they may not think to live as he did, and so to die, without making any confession at all; or the least show of Repentance, so giving Glory to God; and yet die in the Lord, the death of the Righteous: For these Reasons I have written the History of his Life, which I shall pen-up into the narrowest compass, for two reasons also.

1 That the common Reader may be at as little cost of time and purse, in reading the History of his Life, as he he was at, for reading his Death.

2 Because all the proceedings throughout his whole Arraignment, and in Reference to that Crime he pleaded, even to his last, not Guilty, shall be clearly and fully set down, to the fullest satisfaction of all the world, even those, that are the most prejudiced Readers.

The History of his Life begins from that time 1608. whereof I can write what my eyes saw, and what my ears heard concerning him, five years after he was Proctor of the University in Oxford, which was in the same year King James came to the Crown of England, 1603. Quickly after, and to make the more haste; he went out Doctor of the Civil Law, and was chosen President over the College called Saint Johns; I may mistake somewhat in the Account of this time; because I was then young, and careless to remember it; and came myself in that year unto the same University, and to the College, at that time, next adjoining to his College; I shall note here as an eye, and an ear witness: First,

1. That he, Doctor Lawd then, Arch-Bishop at last, and Doctor Howson, afterward Bishop of Durham, did, as their turns were to preach in Saint Mary's Church, and Christ-Church, there scatter the seeds of evil Doctrines; for the suppression whereof, and keeping them from taking root, Doctor Abbots both, and other eminent Divines bestirred themselves, and appeared the very next Lord's day in opposition to those Doctrines, whereunto they would not give place for an hour. He went on, and declared to all the Christian world:

1. His zeal to Forms of Religion, and envy to the Power.

2. His love and liking to the Shadows; and hatred to the Substance;

3. His approbation of Pictures and Images, even that abomination, the picture of God the Father; and furious rage against the Image of God, stamped upon, and framed in His holy-ones.

4. His zeal to build and beautify dead Temples made with hands: and even mad with rage, against the Temples of the Holy Ghost, to deface, spoil, and destroy those living temples.

5. His zeal seething hot, against the Lord, and His Day, His pure worship and worshippers, His zeal against all these: and for all detestable things, Crosses, Crucifixes, and Altars, all which the soul of the Lord does hate; and yet we know his zeal for all these was notorious all over the Christian world;

II. All men, that know him, & observed his manner will witness with me, that he labourd to be accepted of greatmen, able to lift-him-up in the world, as earnestly, as Paul labored to be accepted of the Lord; & Paul's labor was, as his and other his Bishops was, to ascend unto the highest Pinacle of honor: O with what earnestness did he embrace the world; And what havoc he made of faith and a good conscience all the world knows. But you will say; this might not be so; he might serve his own ends, and as he said, at his death, Serve God too; seek himself first, and God's glory at last. No, not possible; No man can serve two Masters; Cardinal Wolsey speaks sadly to this;

said the Cardinal when he was departing the world. This serving the creature more than the Creator; If it might be charged upon any man in the world, it might be charged upon this Man. And this also, Minding earthly things; Honor from men, and Glory from the world. We cannot mind earthly things heartily, and heavenly things too, no more then we can give forth the Male of our flock, the strength of our affections to two masters: Nor can we believe when we receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only. These Scriptures well thought on would stop us in our eager pursuit after the World; or tell ourselves what we are. The Male of our flock, the first borne, or strength of our Affections can be given but to one Master. Love of the present world, argues an heart, forsaking the Communion of Saints, and careless of future Glory: I proceed, His labor was to be accepted of man, and of man he was accepted, and advanced (after some length of time, which I must step over, his rising by degrees from one 〈◊〉 to another) till, at length, he had Clambered up to the pinnacle he aspired unto, and there sat down in his Throne, as one of his flatterers calls it, Arch Bishop of Canterbury. Then he was supreme Judge in the High-Commission Court, and, next to the Supreame in the Star-Chamber. I speak now as an eye and ear witness: But what am I or my witness?

God, Angels, and men, I know not how many thousands, to whom he directed his dying words, will witness with me: That now, having the power in his hand, he did execute it to the largest extent thereof, turning judgment into wormwood, and Righteousness into gall; grinding the faces of the Righteous; perverting the wholesome laws of the Kingdom; forcing the Judges (they should rather have suffered the extremist injuries from Great men, that to be so injurious to mean men, as to suffer themselves to do as he commanded, and would have done) to pervert Judgment, and Justice, which, being kept-unto, and executed according to God's commands, sets the crown fast upon the Kings head, and establisheth the Throne (in Righteousness) Indeed now he was strong, his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, whom he would he slew, & whom he would he kept alive, whom he would, he set up; and whom he would he put down: His will stood for a Law; and his will was to break through the Laws of God, and man; and such power he had, he could do it, as easily as through a spiders Webbe: So he brake through the Laws of God; The law of his worship, The Law of His 〈◊〉 , there he began, with the House of God, profaning that House: Then with His Worship, defiling that; Then with his day, setting his foot thereon: It is not utterable how he marred the Lord's Day more than any day. In brief, He offered violence to the Law, and Gospel, and was mad with rage, against those, that used the Law 〈◊〉 ; and preached the Gospel, as the Gospel of Christ, &c. For I forbear, in matters, so notoriously known, how he oppressed the Gospellers, ( i.e. ) The true worshippers of God. Indeed had he had an Arm like God (he thought he had) he had not left one Faithful Minister in in all three Kingdoms. But the Lord had him, as he has the Devil, in Chaines. Thus he dealt with the Laws and ordinances of God; and those that were zealous for them. I need not say how Imperiously he dealt with the Laws of men, yet since I have undertaken to tell what his doings were, I must proceed with the same brevity, saying this only, and conncluding all in it, That his will was Law; What he had a Will to do, he did, if God restrained him not. (Oh) how favorable was he to evil men! How fierce against the Good! These men, good men I mean (The evil men, the Blasphemers, who had pierced and torn the Name of God by execrable Oaths: And vile Treacherous Priests, who, by their lewdness made the Sacrifices of the Lord to be abhorred, these men I have seen tried before his Court, and quitted: But) the good and precious, these were delivered, as their Lord and Master was, to their Will: So these, To his Will; not to the Justice of the Law, but to the 〈◊〉 , and Rigour of his Will: And how his will was to deal with them, is notorious through all the Christian World: For ask from one end of his Courts to the other, of all the Standers-by there, whether he has suffered any Sentence to pass, which crossed his Will, though never so agreeable to God's Will, man's Law, and right Reason. Time would fail me, to tell what he did and spake, against the souls of the Righteous: to whom he said, Bow down, that we may go over: And, by the Power in his hand, he bowed down the Bodies, of the Saints, and laid them as the ground, and as the street to them them that went over. All this, and much more, his hand and tongue have made so legible, That he who runs may read it, what havoc he made in the Churches of God; how he breathed-forth threatenings; reached-forth the hand of Violence, against those, who protested against his mateing of God's Worship, with his Follies, setting up his Thresholds by the Lord's Threshold, as the Lord himself is pleased to express that horrible impiety, of joining man's Traditions with His Worship, whereby the place of My Throne, (saith the Lord) and the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of my people forever; and My Name have been Defiled: And, Because of which abominations, I have consumed my people in my Anger as it is at this Day. To sum-up all in two words; he set his foot upon the Laws of God, and Mans Laws; These were in his hand like 〈◊〉 knots, fast or loose at his pleasure; He exalted and magnified himself above every god: and according to his Will, so things must be. And he thought, he might adventure upon the Holy laws too, for he spake marvelous things against the God of gods, magnifying himself above all, and prospering till the time of indignation was (almost) accomplished: He polluted the Sanctuary of strenghth; and, almost took away, that which was called the daily Sacrifice, we call Praying and preaching; And in the place thereof, he placed the Abomination, that maketh Desolate. These were his Actings, or Doings, in the Kingdoms of God, against the Gospel of God; The Name of God; The House and Household of God; The Laws of God there, and all the known Laws of all three Kingdoms.

How he walked in his own House, how cross to his Rule after the manner of Bishops, but most unlike a Bishop indeed, and to their course, whose praise is in the Gospel: All this had been fully declared unto him (by one, who in former time lived in the house with him) two days before his Death: But that servant of the Lord, with two more, who, in a dear affection to his departing soul, went to visit him, could not be admitted; Dr. Heywood, Dr. Martin, and Dr. Stern, were the men, with whom he craved leave to advise: For they would absolve him after their manner, and like to like, he would admit of no other. But had the three, the faithful of the Lord, been admitted to his presence, he had been then told in meekness of spirit, how he starved his household, commanded prayers for the Dead, had the picture of God the Father, in his House. Indeed his horrible impieties, iniquities, blasphemies, might have been in part sweetly opened before him, by those, who thirsted after his Repentings but he would not be troubled. And indeed it seemed to be a trouble in vain, for he had gone against his light so long, that now he was as a man in a Dungeon: And he had forced his conscience so often, that surely now he had no conscience at all: Or if any in his sense, then seared, and past feeling in ours. All this appeared at the hour of his suffering for his horrible sins; which he should have confessed there before all the people, so giving Glory to God, and taking shame to himself: But he did contrary, he took Glory to himself, even of Martyrdom (which turned to his greater shame:) and rising now, when he was falling into the pit, himself had digged, to the height of arrogancy, impudency, &c: He laid the shame upon the Worthies of the Lord, whom he calls, the people, that he might call them Egyptians, and might be believed, That the people hurried him into the Red Sea of blood, as once the Egyptians did, the Israel of God. But I prevent myself; I have concluded too briefly, the History of his Life, what his Doings were all along.

Now I come to his sayings at the hour of his Death, which every man has heard, or read; and some are 〈◊〉 by it to the perdition of their soul: Simple men indeed and very ignorant, who can be taken with such sayings, which argue nothing but impudency and arrogancy, with eyes, and ears, and an heart shut-up, and a conscience scared; all which will appear presently, through-out his whole Speech, when we have pondered it in our own hearts. But I must tell you, as my ears told me, what the simple and ignorant people said, at the hearing of his words; and satisfy them, if I can; They say,

A. (1) They will believe a Dying man, addressing himself to give-up his Account to God; He will be serious now; and lay-open his conscience before the world, which he must open presently before the Lord God Almighty.

B. (1) Probable so, and but probable; for certain it is, some men, not serious, have died, as he died, with an horrible lie on his tongue; It is a serious thing to die; for then the soul launcheth forth into the Ocean of Eternity; and, if the thread of life be cut off in wrath, life runs forth into an everlasting bottom, there to abide under Wrath forever: And yet all men are not serious at the point of death; Nor could this man be so, who all his life long, was serious in this, how he might cast dishonors upon God and good men: And secondly,

(2) For his conscience, we heard what that was, pastfeeling. But let this be remembered too. (1) That it is the manner of a stout and proud sinner, (such was he) so to tender his honor with men, and his name (that it may not Rot, and be left to posterity for a curse) as to justify himself to the death; that men may not say he died as a fool dies: Though now so they will say indeed, And so I could retort his own words he spake to another purpose veniunt Romani, for that, which he feared, and would have prevented, is come upon him. (2) That it is the glory of the Devil, to hold fast and full possession of a man, to the last period of his time, and render his faithful servant, as he can himself, a seeming Angel of light at his Death; Such like proud sinners were Becket an Arch-Bishop, or rather, as this was, an Arch-Traitor; And Garnet, an Arch-Traitor too, against God and His King, for he was a Jesuit.

A. (2) It is said; The man is fallen now to his own Master; let the Dead alone, and his words die with him.

B. It were more than injustice so to do, it were impiety; To let such words die, which fret and corrupt like a Gangrene. Besides, it is impossible; for as our doings, are as seeds cast into the ground, which die not there, but to live again, and we must look upon them, and these look us in the face in after time: So our Actions or doings, and so our words or sayings also, these cannot die; specially not the words of a Dying man; his Death gives them life, so as they have the quickest touch upon the Ear, and the more quickening power in the heart, because, he that now speaks, shall speak no more forever.

And this the Dying man knew very well, and, accordingly, had prepared himself, probably more at that time to preach, after his manner, than to die. I was an ear witness how effectually, That dying man's Sermon, as we call it, wrought upon the hearers; who counted themselves Discreet men: But sure I am, in such a concourse of people, the greatest number are not so discreet: And for their sakes, as I have set down his Doings, so shall I his sayings, that the Reader, with me, may ponder them together, and may not be deceived in a matter of so high concernment, relating to an eternal condition, either of happiness, or woe forever. I know some looked upon upon him, as the saddest object that ever they beheld. And truly, I think, myself was one; And some loo ked him, as an humble penitent, for no other reason, but because he said so; and so they were infinitely mistaken, as will appear by and by.

These things premised, I come to his speech, which some mis-call, a sermon; Call it so if they will, a Bishops sermon, Such as I have ordinarily heard at the Court, not a word to the Text, but after the old manner turning head upon the Scriptures of God. This strikes terror to the hearts of Court-Parasites, Preachers I must not call them, whose manner is to choose a Text, and then abuse it fearfully, as this Arch-Bishop did at Court, I know not how often. But look upon his Text, (now it is his Text) and his Pulpit, and the Preacher too, and with all these, Remember, O thou Amaziah, thou living man, who hast taught thy mouth to flatter, and Blaspheme: so did this Arch-Bishop at the Court. And so he did upon the Scaffold, taking this Text of Scripture. Heb. 12. 1, 2. And making it a Paralel that the standers-by might believe, that he had the same ground of comfort, his Lord-Christ had, in enduring the Cross, and might, as his Lord did, despise the shame, for the joy was set before him. An horrible presuption! The like cannot be paraleld in any story. Proceeded to the context: Jesus despised the shame for me: God forbid but I should despise the shame for Him: For him! Read his life, he was put to that open shame, and yet not shame enough for his horrible sins, impieties, and iniquities, and Blasphemies, against God, and good men. Notwithstanding read his confidence, My God whom I serve. It was Paul's confidence upon the great waters, that the mighty flood should not hurt him. It was this man's confidence also in appearance, That he should be delivered from this sea of blood, (whrerinto he hurried himself) for God is his God, and Him he served, says he. Reader, that you may not be mistaken, read his life now, and how he served God: Then inquire of every man you meet, whether he can tell you any piece of good service, which he did to God or his Church, all his life time? What discervices he did every man can tell. Reader, though I passeon, yet stay thou upon these words, My God, whom I serve. These will be thy Stay and thy Staff, when thou art falling into thy grave, and addressing thyself to make thy appearance before the judge of all the world; These words will bear up thy Fainting spirit then, as upon the wings of an Eagle: else nothing can do it. But then thou must look to this, as thou doest regard thine imortall soul, That thou doest speak-out these words, heartily, entirely, and indeed; when thou sayest, My God, then thou canst say, Whom I serve, If that follows not, no comfort follows. But if thou canst say, Whom I serve indeed, then mayest thou say, My God indeed; else not; My God, and My service to him, must go together. He tells us in the next place, of the Imaginations, which the people are setting up. Then the people do as he and such blind guides taught them the way, to worship God after the imaginations of their own hearts. Then he tells us of following the Bleating of Jeroboams Calves. An horrible Blasphemy: But a very fit Paralel: for of no Arch-Bishop, it may be said so truly as of him, That he, as Jeroboam, set up a Calvish worship, and made all Israel to sin. In the same page he acknowledgeth himsele a grievous sinner many ways; and this he does, in all humility.

All humility! There is no humlity at all. Where are the Actings of an humble spirit? Where are the Breakings of his heart, with sorrow? Where is he condemning, judging, loathing himself, for all his abominations? Where are his thirstings after God! Reader, believe the Word of God and what His Faithful servants have said touching this, which he calls, all humility; where all humility is, there is all this forementioned; where there is none of this, there is no humility, none at all. No, he made an acknowledgment of his sins in all the pride of his heart, not as a poor penitent, as he calls himself, but as a proud impenitent person, who had an heart that could not, nay would not repent. Reader, I speak this for thy profit, therefore before I pass on I must bespeak thee again, and I do charge thee before the living God, and as thou dost tender thine immortal Soul, read over those words again, which I have said, rather the mouth of God saith in Reference to his acknowledgement in all humility; And add thereunto; That where humility is, there all known sins are Confessed, distinctly humbled for, and repented of bitterly, bitterly; Where there is all humility, sin will be as bitter herbs indeed, bitter in the mouth, and bitter in the soul; A man all humbled, tastes sin now, as the Gall of Asps, which was before as sugar under the tongue; and whereas he gloried in his shame before, now he loathes himlelfe for that shame. What thiukest thou now of the Bishops aknowledgment of his sin, in all humility? Consider well on it, and make answer here as before God, and as thou regardest thine immortal Soul. Now proceed, and hear what he says; I have upon this sad occasion, ransacked every Corner of mine heart, and yet, I thank God, I hawe not found any sins there, deserving Death by any known laws of this Kingdom.

These Laws are not so well known to us: But this we know, understanding in our Measure the Law of our God, That this man was put to death, by as known Laaw, as all Judah put Mattan, Baals Priest to death, who was the Queens Favorite, in all probability 〈◊〉 to her Councils, and had his hands and his head acting and contriving all her Murthers, and several Practices against the Peers and Princes of Judah; and complotting with her Her, at that time, how to divolve the Crown of Judah to Israel, that the Light of Judah might be quite extinct; All this is more than probable, But certain it was, This Priest was, heart and Hand, for Ahab had his house, and the cursed ways thereof, and he had scattered his ways, His horrible Idolatreis, as he could, from Corner to Corner: By the same known Law, that this Mattan was put to Death, this Archbishop, was put to Death. And the Law we read Full out, Deut. 13. As for the known Laws of the Kingdom, we leave it to them, that know them better than we do; and are preparing to give the World a full and ample Satisfaction: It is abundantly sufficiently for us to know the Law of our God toughing that matter. Read on, in the same Page, where he saith; though the Sentence lieth heavy upon me, yet I am as quiet within, as I ever was in my life.

I did not believe him, though yet it might be so; For his heart was as Nabal's was, a Stone; And the Devil, like a Strong-man, held his Habitation there till the last: and there we read all things are at peace, but it is a cursed peace. If he had lifted up his voice; and cried for the Spirit of Christ to come-in unto him, to convince him of his sins, to set them in order before his eyes (in a way of mercy) then there had been trouble, and a blessed trouble, though no rest had been to his flesh, nor quiet to his spirit because of his sins. Certian it is, when Christ, by His Spirit, cometh into the Soul, Trouble will be there, as was, when he was born King of the Jews, then 〈◊〉 was trubled and all Jerusalem with him. The point is, The spirit of God convinceth of fin first and so causeth trouble, before He convinceth of Righteousness, so causing Quiet, Rest, and Peace. I see my papers fill apace, I will hasten, yet we will examine his comfort in the next words. An empty one God knows, That other Bishops were (hanged, and) beheaded (too) before him; That is true enough; and yet not half so many suffered that most shameful death, as deserved the same; We hope his Brethren in iniquity, shall have their deservings anon. But he did almost as presumptuoufly, as he had done in the choice of his Text, to make 〈◊〉 the Baptist, and Saint Cyprian (no Archbishop) and the first Martyr Saint Stephen, Saint James too, Saint Paul also, all these paralels now, comparing them with himself. That he doth not, he says and God forbid he should, so he says also; he will raise a comfort to himself from those great Saints, and servants of God, who were laid-up in their several times, as he must be; that is his comfort. But now let the living man know, for the time is passed with him; That, if he look for comfort from these men's sufferings at his death, then he must suffer for the same cause ( the cause makes the Martyr: ) and his life must be as theirs was, and that is matter of comfort indeed: for they were all for God, His House, and His Household, and the Laws thereof: This man was full set, and his hand, and heart full bent against all these, God, and God's House, and Household, and Laws there.

In the same Page we may read his mutterings against the Honorable Assemblies in Parliament now; That they will bring-in the Romans (i. e.) Romish Religion, by the same means they seek to root it out.

Well; I like the proceedings so much the better, because such a man as he, the worst of a thousand, hath scandalized the proceedings thereof, casting such shame thereupon: They go a clean cross way to him, I hope, Blessed be God for that, As he to root-in Popery; so they to root-it-out. And veniant Romani, let all the Papists in the world, join hearts and hands, as now they do, to set up Popery again; they shall not prevail; so long as all the Assemblies do go, as we hope they do, clean cross to this man's way, all his life long: For that is to go strait and level, to the Glory of God; and advancing His Truths, and Ordinances in their purity.

I must not pass over that, which he deferred till afterwards; I but; perhaps, a great clamour there is, that I would have brought-in Popery. Perhaps! It was as sure, as he came-upon the 〈◊〉 to be cut a sunder; And yet says he, ye know, that the Pharisees said against Christ himself, If ye let him alone the Romans will come, &c. And so he makes application, as was pointed at before: So as indeed, every word there is pointed with a blasphemy. But for that, which he said was clamoured against him, that he would have brought in Popery, hereto, he said, I shall answer more fully by and by. He should have answered to that, at that point of time, he should have cleared himself of that Crime before he spake so largely of the King, That, upon his conseience he is as free from laboring to bring in Popery as any man living: And as sound a Protestant he held him to be, as 〈◊〉 man in his Kingdom: and would venture his life as far and as freely for (the) Religion, (he calls Protestant.)

Thus dishonourably he spake of his Lord and Master; I say again, dishonourably; It is a mighty dishonor to his Master for 3. Reasons. (1) Because, as it is an honor indeed to be honored by a person, that is honorable indeed: So is it a dishonor indeed, to be honored by a person infamous indeed. (2) Because it will be so judged by all men, That he who justifieth himself and his own wicked way, will not condemn another, 〈◊〉 on in the same way; but commend it rather. (3) And this will argue, That he has spoken dishonourably indeed, Because hitherto all (the miscarriages or misgovernments in the Kingdom, have been charged upon the Kings Counselors, not upon the King: God forbid it. He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. They are his Counselors, who have counseled the King to do wickedly, to his own destruction, To bring in Popery; To fight against the Holy City: The Counselors have persuaded all this; and what is done against the very mind and end wherefore God made him King, they have done it; And so we blessed ourselves, and our King, a good King, but his Counselors are all naught; But now, the chief of his Counselors quits himself here before God, Angels, and men, and affirmeth (so may all his other Counselors as truly, even the worst of them all) under the ear and eye of heaven, That he had never a thought or Will to bring in 〈◊〉 : and then he would never persuade the King unto it. What shall we say to this? As sure as the Daughter of a strange god, is brought into the Land: so sure Popery is brought-in. As sure, as the Irish are brought into the Land: so sure Popery is brought-in. As sure, as Romish Priests are in Oxford: so sure Popery is there. As sure as the Lord Christ is in Heaven: so sure, the Cannons-mouth is levelled against the very place, where His Heart dwells on earth; and the sword is pointed against the very Apple of His eye, and yet the King is as sound a Protestant as any in the Kingdom, and will venture his life for Christ and His Cause, as far and as freely, as any man whosoever. Well, I wish heartily, That any man but an Arch-Traitour, or Rebell, like himself, had spoken this. But since, an Arch-Bishop hath spoken thus, putting all off from himself, the Kings chief Counselor; and freeing the King also upon 〈◊〉 conscience, of which he was going to give God a present Account; and this heavy Charge must be charged somewhere; either upon the King, or his Counselor; For Popery is brought-in, that is certain. And there is a generation of men Risen-up in the Sun light, who fight with God now, as if they had an Arm like Him; This is clear also, as the Sun when it shineth in his strength. But the Kings Counselor clears himself and the King his Master of all this: And we have none else to charge but the Pope; who is all one with all the Papists in the world, which join themselves with the Kings council now: And though they may differ in many things, yet they are faithful to the Devil, and made friends amongst themselves in the main; the carrying-on the design against the Lord Christ, and His Holy ones.

But do we well consider what a piece of Scripture we have read here from the mouth or pen of this dying man? Surely the Debths and Wiles, the Devices of Satan were in this man, and vented themselves at his tongues ende; Now his Memory serves him very well, to do by the help of the Devil, such a piece of service for his Side and Partie, as a greater has not been done, since the War began; nor is it Imaginable how a greater service Can be done, to encourage the contrary party in their Cursed way: and to advance their Cursed work. For God's sake and his Churches cause observe what he says;

1. Popery is brought into the Land: so we say, and, God Angels and men will witness to what we say. But what says he? That neither the King nor his Counsel, have ever endeavored, the bringing in of Popery.

2 The Religion of God, which we, without any mental reservations, Call Protestant, is protested against, and persecuted with fire & sword in both hands, as God knows, and all His most faithful servants see, and feel: And yet the King and his Counsellers, are all, everyone, as Sound Protestants as any men in the Kingdom.

3. The Bullet and the Spear are pointed now against the very Appel of Christ's eye, as every man sees, that will see. And yet, The King and his Counselors do bear so 〈◊〉 affection to Religion by Law established; that they will venture their lives as far, and as freely for it, as any men in all three Kingdoms. Where then shall these impieties and horrible iniquities be charged? There is no remedy, upon the parliament sure; (1.) That they have brought in Popery. [By throwing down Jdolatrie, and 〈◊〉 out those Idol services, which the Bishops had brought-in; and so have given the Pope fair hopes, of an harvest in England shortly.] (2.) That they are unsound Protestants. [Why Truly I cannot tell, unless, because they have avouched the Lord this Day to be their God; and to walk in His ways: and to hear his voice: And the Lord hath: avouched them to be His peculiar people; therefore, unsound protestants they, and there is all the reason that I can give, or the adversary either.] (3.) They will not venter their lives so far and so freely for God's Cause, as the King and his Counselors will. [Now the Lord God of gods be judge here, and show whether of these two parties, He hath chosen to fight his Battels ] Amen. But these words shall not pass so; Though I may not handle them as I would, I will handle them as I may; after this manner; Since the Counselor has discharged the King in all the three particulars fore mentioned, I will charge the Counselor with them all three. And because the chief among them is gone to his own place, the burden of the Charge shall lie still upon those, of the same Conspiracy with him (who will say as much for them-selves as he did) against the peace of their King, and the Lord's Kingd omes; The first charge is, That, this late Archbishop sought, by all means to bring in Popery; And brougt it in (what was not in before). Our Allegations and prooss, are upon everlasting record; there let them remain; I will allege only, that which was in every man's eye; He has thrust at those, and thrustthem-out of their places and out of the Kingdom, who set themselves against the bringing in of 〈◊〉 ; Therefore, thrusting-out these 〈◊〉 of the Lord, he en-deauoured to bring-Popery-in: Nay he did not only endeavor but brought in Popery, A strang-worship into the Church, Therefore plain popery in 〈◊〉 . He brought altars into the church, plain Popery. That also: He bended and cringed before Wood and stone, The grosest Popery that; And yet he said, perhaps men have clamoured against me,

And, which must needs follow. (2.) That he was not so sound a Protestant as any man living: for some protestants there are, who are Sound indeed, and understand the word, as it is generally understood without any mental reservations, as, we think he did not: And have better evidence for their Religion, than that they were borne and baptized in the Church of England, which was all the evidence the man brought, that he was a Protestant, in his sense: and so he might be, a papist in ours: A sound! What? Truly I cannot tell; Not Protestant sure, not as the Lutherans understand protestant; much less as we understand the word; but as unsound according to the Religion by (God's) Law established as any man in this Kingdom; I do not except any now of the Kings Council now, the stink of whose 〈◊◊〉 they are engaged in a war against the Lord 〈◊〉 is come up even to their own Nostrils: and hath 〈◊〉 a filthy savor over all the Churches of God, spread over the face of the whole Earth. Sound Protestants they! No; sound Atheists, and Papists they, enemies and Adversaries to all Righteousness. It will be manifest thorowoat the next particular of the charge.

3. Doubtless he would make the world believe that he also would venture his Life as far and as freely for the Protestant Religion as the King would do. We may believe him with some Reservation, ) what they were I guess, and may in part examine anon) who 〈◊〉 the King into a war against the Kingdoms of Christ, that he might sheath his sword in his Subjects bowels. He and and his fellow Counselors venter their lives as far and as freely for Religion! It is for the Pagan or Popish Religion, then, an Abominable Religion: for under the heavens of God never were there found such enemies, such fighters against God, and Religion by (God's) Law established as these Counselors are who have adventured far and freely indeed their honors their Estates, their lives, their souls; I, and the life of their lives, their God, His favor, His protection; they venter far and freely indeed, their God and all, for a Religion by (their own) law established. And yet says he, he and his fellows will venter as far and as freely for Religion (he would make us believe) by God's Law established, as any men in this Kingdom. So he says, And so they do: And so the Devil and his Angels will say, and do too: and so they did, just as they do now, the Dragon and his Angels fought with Michael and His Angels, Revelation: 12. So far and as freely these Counselors venter themselves. Here is now the third particuliar of the charge, charged, as indeed it ought to be, upon the wicked Counselors who are at this Day to the King their Master, as Athaliah, and the house of Ahab were to that unhappy King Ahaziah; she his Counselor to do wickedly: They his Counselors to his destruction. And yet let my soul abhor to deal unfaithfully with God, and His King, against the good word and mind of God; and the knowledge He has been pleased to communicate unto His poor servant, therein, which is this, That the Lord God chargeth all the Bloodshed in a Kingdom (that which is openly shed, & with both hands, or with an high Hand before all Israel and before the Sun, all this the Lord chargeth) upon the King, He has set over that Kingdom: So doth he all Abominable Idolatries committed before the eyes of His Holiness, and under the look of the King; all these, that Bloodshed, and these Idolatries, The Lord of lords, and God of gods chargeth upon the King, though wicked men were his Counsellers, to do wickedly against God, and His poor People.

Now I proceed in the same Page, and to Page following, where first we read his blessing upon this great and Populous City, God bless it said he. Amen; And blessed be His name He doth Bless it, in all the Peoples sight; And His Blessings are the more conspicuously visible upon the City, the more Audible, the Adversaries curses are against the Prosperity of the same: For indeed all that this Bishop did in the time of his reign, and all his fellow Counselors do now, was and is to bring down a curse upon the City: certainly their zeal is so fiery against the prosperity of it, that they do call down for firer from 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 from Heaven to consume it as Sodom was consumed. O how gracious a God is our God! our fins call for a curse; our enemies call for a curse: Free-grace with holds it, it shall not come: while the City keeps close to God and to his cause; and cannot bear them, which are evil; and for Christ, and His Names-sake, and His Churches sake, hath labored and hath not fainted. The adversary and Enemy to all Righteousness, calls for a curse upon the City, day and night, and had he an Arm like God, he would rain-down fire and Brimstone upon it; God will not suffer it so to be. He hath blessed it, and it must be blessed, Blessed be his Name; Bless it still, Lord, bless it, still; even because thy adversaries do curse, bless Thou; and let thy Friends see an increase of thy Blessings, in an answerableness to tky adversaries Curses. Amen.

J recall myself now, and the dying man's Blessing, God bless the City; then he minds them very well, of that, which will bring a Curse, the shedding of innocent blood; (so will the sparing of the Nocent, the wicked parson) and bids them beware of it; the people have been (said he) very forward that way stirred up against him, as once against Saint Stephen; And Herod (in his construction (I verily think) the Parliament ) went before the people the self same way, when he had killed Saint James (interpreted, beheadded the Lord Strafford) And now they see-how well it pleaseth the people (indeed it pleaseth them verry well, every man in the City except Malignants there) they will venture upon Saint William too; I have ploughed with his hayfer, and read his Riddle, and made it plain Scripture. He spake again to the City, take heed says he of having your hands full of blood, in the first of Isaiah; God is now on foot making inquisition for blood (indeed He is) And now God remembers the complaint of the poor, (indeed he doth so, and forgetts not) but what poor? Those poor, says he, & puts himself in the number, whose blood is shed by such kind of means, (as his must be) It was his manner at Court to prevaricat with God and men; and to pervert the good word of God, to a clean contrary sense, and now he could not do otherwise at his death. Then He warneth the city the third time, take heed of this, It is a fearful thing (at any time) to fall into the hands of the Living God in the 12. of the Hebrews: but it is fearful indeed, then especially, When God is making His Inquisition for blood, A man could not speak more Terror to his own heart then these words hold forth, if he had had an heart to consider-one them, and Ponder them, well (viz) God is one foot now to make inquisition for blood: and at that present time, hearing the complaints of the poor, and answering the Desires and sighings of his prisoners and His needy oppressed ones; The Lord was Risen now, and had taken the matter Into His own hands, whereinto this man was now fallen, and at that instant of time undressing himself for the block, thence to rise to judgment, to give an account of his sayings, and doings, the Rage of his wrath against God's hidden-ones. O fearful thing indeed! and Terrible words; yet came they from him, as from a Truke; his heart was quite past feeling, as that he was not sensible of any word he spake, so far as the standers-by could discern; which words well thought one, would make the car tingle, and an heart of 〈◊〉 melt away to nothing. I must pass over these words also, and stay a little upon the following: for we must not forger how he remembers the City of 〈◊〉 Words and Case, and makes all, as well as he can, paralele with his own case. But oh how different is the Case, and how unparalele with Jeremiah's words: Jeremiah sought the peace of Jerusalem, spake all he spake from the mouth of the Lord: for this his faithful dealing, the Nobles, (to whom the King could deny nothing: ) would have Jeremiah put to death: take him, says the King, he is in your hands: (God's hand over ruled there) do to him as you pleas: Then said Jeremiah, take heed what you do; if you put me to death, God will require it, when He makes Inquisition for blood: and you shall bring Jnnocent blood upon yourselves and the City. Innocent blood, the blood of him, who stood-up night, and day speaking for the good of the City. This man did clean contrary, as all the City knows very well, so do all the Christian World. And not to have him put to death, had been to bring innocent blood upon the City; the blood of souls too, which he had destroyed by his evil Doctrines, and Practises all throughout the City. Therefore he must be destroyed; Rebellion against God, Treason against His Christ must be punished with cruelty, A cruel messenger must be sent against a son of Rebellion, to take off that head, which plotted the ruin of Christ's Kingdom. Mercy to such a man had been cruelty to good men: To spare the evil, vile and treacherous persons, is to destroy and make havoc of the Righteous. It is notable, which the Noble Scholar saith; Plebotomie (i.e.) blood letting by cutting a vain, is so necessary sometimes for our bodies, that, unless we let out our corrupt blood, we must let out our souls: So (Caedes) chopping off heads, or hanging them-up before the sun, cutting down the whicked, as in Queen Hesters days, ( days of slaughter ) when the wicked were mowed down as the grass or corn before the Reapers, This is necessary for the civil or political body. And when this justice, and 〈◊〉 of the Lord is executed, then it is a good day with the City, and the memorial thereof must not perish from their seed; for the 〈◊〉 must rejoice when they see the vengeance; because then they see clearly, That there is a reward for them; And their God judgeth the earth.

His following words seem pointed with tears; He seems to weep over the City as Ishmael over the bodies, he himself had slain: so he bemoaneth the Church of England now in a storm her self; and God knows whether or how it shall get-out. Well, let that pass, The Church has a promise for that, she shall weather-out the storm, and be brought to safe harbor: And now the Lord steeres her course, the most direct way thither-ward, through these mighty floods of great waters, which shall serve but to make the Churches harbor or promised Land, more fair, and desirable now, and more joyful at the last. But yet we cannot forget, That this man, who so bemoaned the Church, helped mightily to raise the storm. And that which is yet worse, (and so to retort his own words) he helped to cause devisions amongst us, and to cleave Kingdoms and Churches to shivers as with wedges, that thereby Profaneness and Irreligion might creep in ( said he ) might rush-in like a Mighty wind, or flow-in like a mighty flood, which leaveth no food, say I, and so will every man say, that observed his Doings and Sayings, all the time of his reign: for what could he have done to bring in these abominations, which he hath not done? Indeed to use his own words, and to explain them, The Church is fallen into a great deal of danger by her own ( i. e. ) lesuits, Arch Bishops and Bishops, a great deal of danger by her own: for these Bishops, he the chief Bishop, and all the other of the same order, Bishops or Priests, did all of them contrary to what they should have done, and 〈◊〉 the good Priest did do; he made a covenant between God and the King, and the people, that they should be the Lord's people: But he and they did quite contrary by their abominable Doctrines, and practices, they divided the King from his God, and the people from God and their King, that they should be no more the Lord's People, And now the great house of the Kingdom was cleft, as with wedges to shivers: for where there is a dividing from God, there will be divisions among men. And where sin is, especially the sin of Idolatry, there will be a storm, and profaneness, and irreligion will come-in like a flood. And so has the Church of England been dealt with by her own ( i.e ) Arch-Bishops and Bishops, pandars for their own lusts, procters for their own Rome; subtle Brokers for their Babylon: And yet see, the impudency of these Arch-Bishops and Bishops! Though they are all cast forth as dung, out of two Kingdoms; and one of them hanged-up for his villainies in Ireland; And their Arch-Bishop is cut-asunder here, because he did cleave Kingdoms to shivers as with wedges: yet they will be Arch Bishops and Bishops still, That they will, though God tells them they shall not: He has troubled their seas, and He will trouble them; their sea shall work so high that they shall not be able to weather out the storm which lieth upon them; Yet they are as Ambitious to rise again to their throne, as their Arch-Bishop was unwillingly to fall upon a Scaffold: but thus an hardened heart will do, rise-up against the Lord God, not observing The Lord's sword is in His Hand, to ease himself of such Adversaries; To destroy their Lordships utterly, and to take away that blasphemous name, Arch-Bishop, from un der the heavens of God, that it may not be once named anymore in the Churches of God.

The last particular is (for now he said he was hastening out of this miserable world, and my trembling pen hastens after) he bespeaks the people's good opinion of him, whom even now, he called calves and persecutors, all by his own name; notwithstanding he would have them conceive well of him, and take knowledge, that however he lived, yet he was borne and died a sound Protestant: a lover of that Religion from his youth up, and stood firm and fast thereunto till his Death, and now would die in it. And this is the sum of his full answer, to that he said, perhaps was 〈◊〉 against him, that he would have brought in Popery: If you would have replied here, that he brought false worship into the Church, Crucifixes, Crosses, Altars in thither; he would have answered you fully, that so indeed he did, but that was to keep an uniformity in the external service of God. And if you 〈◊〉 have asked him, as indeed I was about to do, to explain the word Protestant: because Atheists and Papists use ths same words in their sense too; so also, what he meant by Religion established by law, because there may be a great ambiguity in that word, there being a Religion established in England by law, which ws downright Popery: And this word Law is ambiguous too: for there is a law in our members, which fighteth against God; and there is a Law of 〈◊〉 ordinances, which stands opposite to God's Law also; If, I say, he had been asked to explain himself, I know not what he could have said more than he said, I was borne and Baptized in the bosom of the Church of England (So were Arch-Rebels, and Arch-Traitors also there) as it stands yet established by Law. I cannot understand him there: He should have said, I profess that Religion, and in that I come now to die, which stands established by the Word of God, And had he said so, I had not believed him; For though Saul before he was Paul, I mean before he was converted, would have said almost as much, that if he had died at that time, he had died in the Religion of his Fathers, but he would not have said, in the Religion and Faith of Christ, for Him ignorantly he persecuted, though he would not have thought himself a Persecutor, as he calls himsefe afterward, But not till after his conversion. I confess I stood at amaze here; If any other stand so now, reading this his following Protestation, let us take the thread of his life, and so go through all his Doings and sayings all his life long: and then we cannot be so credulous as to believe his Protestation at his death, which was: That he never endeavored to altar the Laws of the Church or State: never endeavored the subversion of the Laws of the Realms nor change of Religion. Never endeavored! He ever endeavored it, witness High Commission and Star Chamber Courts. God, Angels, and men are all witnesses there, That he more than endeavored it, he affected it; he subverted the Laws, and changed the everlasting Ordinances, as he could. And we are confident, that though the light which was in him was darkness, and great was that Darkness, yet he could not but have so much light remaining, as to clear unto himself his falacy about this word, Protestant, and those words also Religion established by Law, wherewith he would deceive the people: and his impudency also, denying that he ever endeavored the subversion of the Kingdom: For could he do as he did to the pure worship of God, and His Worshippers; To the day of his Wrship? could he keep in the Popery, which he found, a great 〈◊〉 in Chapels and cathedrals, could he keep all this-in? And could he bring in, by main force, into our Churches what he found not there, Pictures, and Jmages, and set-up Altars in all churches, his hand could reach-unto, and yet no endeavor to Altar Religion? could he set his foot so 〈◊〉 upon the laws of the Realm, and never endeavor the subversion of those laws! This is as incredible as for a Frier (So the old tale goes) to have the Liver of a Goose, and the heart of a Pig, and yet to have nothig killed for him. Surely, as he went cross to the light of God all his life long: So did he to his own light, at the hour of his death; Truly I cannot think otherwise: For the light of nature cannot be quite extinct in this world; I have told but my conceit here, but me thinks it is more than a conceit, That his Protest for his innocence, heightens his crimes, makes him more detestable, and the man more nocent.

In the last place; That he was no enemy to Parliaments. Believe him we may with his reservation;

But one Parliament there was, and blesssed be God there is, he said two, and these indeed he disliked, for some misgovernment there, Saies he. We understood him very well; This Parliament are enemies to that misgovernment by Arch Bishops and Bishops. All Sober men in the world, like the Parliament for this, and bless them day and night, and God for them; And for all the good He has wrought by them. Oh Blessed be God, who has given wisdom, and discerning unto men to see unto this misgovernment, and has made them resolve upon this question, That this misgovernment in and over the churches of God shall be no more, no more Arch-Bishops and Lord Bishops: For God is above them, who would hold-up that Misgovernment still. Blessed be God for this forever and ever: That this Misgovernment, clean opposite to the Government of Christ, is taken away; Salvation and Glory and Dominion be ascribed to our God for this, Amen.

He has almost done, so have I, He has one Desire to put up to the Throne of Grace, and that is a great one, It is, That God would forgive him. I humbly desire to be forgiven, first of God, and then of every man, a great desire indeed to be for given of God: If that Desire be granted, then come life, come Death, nothing comes amiss; All that comes whether fire or sword all is welcome. Oh this desire must be well thoughton, managed, and ordered every day, early and late there, that it may be heard and answered, at the last, when we are breathing it-forth last of all, and with it our soul. God knows, who knows the heart, That I joined with him as I could. But to speak the Truth, Though my soul went forth affectionably towards him; yet my spirit could not go out with one word in his Petition.

(1) His desire; I could not close with that, because the Lord has said, The Desire of the wicked shall perish.

(2) To be forgiven; I could not heartily close with that neither: for I remembered what we read, The great man humbled himself (before Wood and Stone) therefore forgive him not. Oh terrible words! Forgive them not!

Many a man, you will say, has done so, and God has forgiven him for so doing. Yes, for nothing is so free as Grace; And nothing, not sin itself, can be so multiplied, as God's pardons are to poor humble sinners. We must not limit God's infinite Mercy. No, we do not. But we must take all together; Great sinners * have been forgiven, the very Argument that David useth, Forgive my sin, for it is great. The most 〈◊〉 Idolaters, these have been forgiven; But they have been indeed poor penitent, greatly humbled before the Lord; for humbling themselves before the crature, the works of their hands, or imaginations of their hearts. We cannot tell where to read this man, a poor penitent indeed.

We read him indeed, 〈◊◊〉 forgiveness of sin, but nowhere do we read or observe him, humbly confessing his sin. But the contrary we 〈◊〉 : And therefore so 〈◊〉 as God hath communicated His mind to His servants, touching this man's 〈◊〉 , and his prayer at the foot of his Sermon: So far they may declare it, That this man's desire, and his prayer both, the one and the other, was an abomination to the Lord. Secret things belong unto the Lord our God: But things revealed unto us and to our children.

His prayer at the foot of his Sermon, takes with a world of people, as his sermon did. Indeed, we are very prone to make an Idol of our last prayer; we hope we may fly unto it, when we are slaying, as Joab did unto his Sanctuary: God will hear our last words, think we, though we regarded not to hear His words all our life long. This is but a conceit, a false hope, and will deceive us as it did Joab, and as it has deceived all the wicked in the world, Who cried, but there was none to help; even to the Lord, but He answered not: And when this great confidence in this last prayer was rejected then will follow, as then, a treading down, and a casting forth forever. This gives fair warnings.

1 That we do not dare to turn away our ear from hearing God's Law: For then, when we would turn to God (as at the point of Death certainly we would) then will He turn from us: And our prayer then will be, as for ought we can know this man's prayer was, an abomination.

2 Beware of such a prayer, which thine hand has formed, and thine eye only prompts unto thee, so teaching thee to pray. I dare not censure that, which learned men do approve: But I am persuaded, That the soul shall find as little comfort in the time of need, from his prayer so formed, and so suggested unto him, as his palate finds relish now in the white of an Egg.

3 Beware of having an hand, or voice in restraining prayer, or binding it to Forms. Thou art no more able to do this, then thou canst restrain the sweet influences of Pleiades, or bind the Sun beams: But beware of having a mind, or purpose in thy heart to do it, as this late Archbishop had, and these Lord's of the World have at this day; Remember how it fared with this man, how pent-up and restrained his spirit was at his Death. He was putting-up a Prayer then, which he hoped would pierce the heavens, and reach the bosom of his Father there. A miserable Deceit; he had no help to form his prayer but his hand; nor to suggest, or promp, or teach him how to pray, but his eye; Ah Lord! A prayer so formed, so taught, and suggested, can no more reach heaven, than you can the highest star, with the shortest finger. And yet the Adversary and Enemy will have his Service-Book brought into the Churches again; God shall be served after their manner, with forms, the hand has framed; and with prayers the eye hath taught. Well, we shall see whose Word shall prevail, Mans or God's; and how the Lord will recompense these proud men.

I have done with the Sermon and the Prayer. 〈◊〉 draw to a conclusion.

This man is fallen, and the lower, the higher his pinnacle was; The Lord 〈◊〉 this our Brothers fall unto us, that it may be for our 〈◊〉 , and looking well to our standing when we are up. There is matter of infinite Use in all, that we have read hitherto. It shall be threefold: For here is matter (1) of great fear. (2) Of bitter lamentation. And yet (3) of exceeding joy; with that we will end sure: But in order, and very briefly, giving but the hints of things, three words to these three uses.

(1) Here is matter of great fear to thee, and to me, (we are lost in generals) is there a lust in us, and bearing rule there, which is not mortified, nor by our will shall it be? Here is matter of great fear, That this lust whether of the flesh; or of the eye; or of life, will undo us, will put us to open shame here; or, which is worse, seal us under wrath forever; It is the manner, for an unmortified lust so to do, especially where there is no care at all taken about it, to mortify the same: I do abound with terrible examples out of God's Book, and the Churches book of days, all commanding our speedy care, and zeal for the mortifying of every lust; But this man, we have spoken of, is sufficient alone to press us to this Christian duty. Pride of life was notorous in him; and he was so far from showing any care to mortify that lust, that he did all to give life and 〈◊〉 unto it, And see how that lust served him; It was a means to put him to open shame; and what wrath may lie under to all eternity, I have not a tongue to express; only the thought of the misery, an unmortified lust (whereof we commonly say, is not a little one,) may bring upon us, a matter of great fear, and should engage us to the work of mortification, and to speed that work. And surely this, which has been said, is of the same use to me and to thee, Reader as it is to him, or them, in whom the pride of life is so predominant, that they will, whether God will or no, be Arch-Bishops and Lord Bishops still, minding their throne, and forgetting the Scaffold. But fear we every unmortified lust in us, and use we, in the fear of the Lord, all means to mortify the same; for mighty men have fallen (and shall fall) thereby, they that made the earth to tremble, and did shake Kingdoms. We must lead our lust captive; throw it down, from its dominion, casting it-out of our hearts from having place there, in our affections, else it will throw us down, and expose us to a throwing-out like unsavourie salt: Fear we an unmortified lust, we little know how far it may carry-us, nor to what shame it may expose us to.

(2) Here is matter of bitter mourning, and lamentation, certainly if good Bradford had been alive, and had 〈◊〉 what our eyes saw, he would have mourned bitterly over the hardness of his heart; and then he would have come home to his own heart, my heart, said he, as hard as a stone: But it was not so, for his 〈◊〉 was felt and bitterly mourned over. Indeed this hardness, this rockinesse of heart, is matter of bitter mourning; The heart is as a stone, when it first comes into the world, and that is a natural hardness: There is an hardness, which man, by several acts, can contract to render his heart like a rock, or nether 〈◊〉 , or 〈◊〉 . And, O what a judgment is this, 〈◊〉 all 〈◊◊〉 of Egypt, for a rocky heart, was one of them, and the greatest amongst them all. A Rocky heart! Nothing makes anymore impression upon it, than our hand does upon a rock. Mercies may be shewred-down upon this heart; they run-off again as waters off a stone. Judgments may be pow ed down upon this rocky heart; The fury of God's anger, and the strength of battle; the Lord sets this man on fire round about. And what then? yet he knows it not; It burned him, yet he laid it not to heart ( i.e ) Though the 〈◊〉 of God's wrath was very scorching upon him, yet his heart melted not, for it is a rock. The innocent blood, that he has shed is found-out; God at present is requiring it; The sights and groans of His poor, God has now heard, and He is now a foot to avenge his poor servants: And this murderer has received the sentence of Death, and yet so rocky is his heart, he says ile eat and drink tomorrow I shall die. Ah Lord! has the man a rocky heart? He has. Then he will set his face like a flint, and drive-on furiously against the Lord, and His hidden-ones, and upon the Drawn Sword in His way, more blind than the Beast he rides upon: And while he breaths-forth threatenings against the Lord, and is mad with rage against those, the Lord has set His heart upon, he may think that all this while, he does the Lord good service. A rocky heart! All the incomes of pleasures, and profits, out of all those sweets, the world affords, he draws poison. To be brief in so clear a case; Has the man a rocky heart! Then he will workeout his destruction with both hands, by all means, all ways, both by his Graces, and sins; He doth clean contrary to that, a man of a soft and melting heart doth do: for he doth work out his Salvation by all means all ways: An heart like a rock! A man had better be possessed of a Legion of Devils, than to have such an heart within him, It renders him, Spiritually, dumb and deaf; It throws a man into the fire, and into the water, and yet he knew it not; It dasheth him upon this Rock, and that, and yet he feels himself nor hurt by it; he is as a man asleep upon the top of a Mast, the seas work, and waters roar round about him, but he hears not. What shall I say? But a word more. A rocky heart! It renders a man, even his graces, shall I say useless? 〈◊〉 , Destructive to himself and others: Of all this, this man, late Arch Bishop, was a very great example, Therefore I said, as sad an object he was as ever was looked upon: For his heart was a rock, and that is matter of bitter mourning.

3 It is matter of rejoicing too, even to the whole city of God: For when it goes ill with the wicked, it goes well with the Righteous, and then the city rejoiceth. That there may be no mistakes, I will briefly propose two Questions, and answer them as briefly.

1. What is the force and emphasis of this word, Rej yceth? It is the lifting-up, or rather a leaping of the heart for joy.

2. Why is this leaping for Joy? Not because the blood of a man is spilled; not because a man made in God's Image and beautified with graces (where of he had great store; but wanted the chief Grace which teacheth to make use of all,) is taken away; not for this; The city rejoceth at no man's 〈◊〉 , or misery: It is a matter of sorrow to the City to see a person, which God has made, or the graces, which God has given, all destroyed in a moment of time; This is matter of sorrow; But this of joy, of leaping for joy, that that head is chopped off, which plotted and contrived the 〈◊〉 of Christ's Kingdom. That those lights are both put out in darkness, that would have put out the light of Israel. That that tongue is Silent in darkness, which silenced or would so have done, all the faithful ministers in all three Kingdoms. Cause of leaping for joy; That his day is past and his night come, who darkened the Lord's Day more than any day; and would have it profaned by a law. Cause to leap for joy, that we saw his head drunk in his own blood, who burned against Jacob (the Church of God) like a flame, which devoureth round about: and poured out his fury like fire upon three Kingdoms, that they might burn together in the fire of their own rage, and wallow in their own blood. Cause to leap sor joy that we saw this man's head lie drunk in his own blood, and himself consumed in the fire he had kindled. It goes well with the Righteous the City rejoiceth. I know there are many more Adversaries, Archones; And great Adversaries there are in the hearts of God's own people, which only hinder, and set back the work of Reformation mightily: But yet in the good of the City we must rejoice; and in the fall of this great Adversary, at he was an Adversary to God, we may leap for joy. We hope we shall see the house of our God profaned no more with lying vanities; Nor the worship of our God defiled anymore Nor the worshipers of God thrust into 〈◊〉 anymore Nor our Lord's day blasphemed anymore. Nor our privileges taken from us anymore. Nor the Royalities of our Lord's Kingdom trod under by the food of pride anymore: for we are confident and have full assurance, that we shall have Arch-Bishops and Lord-Bishops no more. It goes well with the righteous, The City must 〈◊〉 , must be exceeding glad. For when the wicked perish there is shouting ( i. e ) There is a skipping like lambs for joy because God's enemy, and the Churches Adversary is taken away; An enemy to all Righteousness, to the Righteonsnesse of faith by an opinion of a Rightcousnesse by works; An enemy to the pure worship, and worshippers; and to the Lord and His Day; An enemy to the Church, and State, endeavoring and effecting the subversion of the Laws, and change of Religion. When the wicked are taken away there is shouting: For it is with them as it was with Judah, when Athaliah and Mattan her Priest, were flain, their House and Altars and Images brake in pieces, for then all the people of the Land rejoiced: and the City was quiet. It is so now with the Righteous, therefore are their mouths wide open to sing the high praises of their God: For He that did lead into Captivitie, was lead into Captivitie: and he, that has killed with the sword, was killed with the sword, here is the Patience and the Faith of the Saints. They must wait a little while in full assurance that as they have seen, so it shall be to all their Adversaries, Archbishops, and Lord Bishops, and to all the enemies of God, who seek the ruin of Christ's Kingdom; they whom they see today, they shall see no more forever. And then seeing the salvations of their God, they shall say, Great and marvelous are thy works Lord God Almighty: lust and true are thy ways O King of Saints: For thy Judgments are made manifest. Amen.