Hiera dakrya, Ecclesiae anglicanae suspiria, The tears, sighs, complaints, and prayers of the Church of England setting forth her former constitution, compared with her present condition : also the visible causes and probable cures of her distempers : in IV books / by John Gauden ...

CHAP. XXVIII.

NOr do these wilely Romanists exercise their malice a∣gainst this Reformed Church, onely with their own strength and dexterity, but they have other oblique Policies and sinister Practises, by which they set on work the hot heads and pragmatick hands of all other Sects, who pretend the greatest Antipathies to Pope∣ry, and yet most promote its interests by their Factions and fana∣tick Practises; by their heedlesse and headlesse, their boundlesse and endlesse Agitations, which blast all true Reformation, and bring in nothing but Division and Confusion.

For among these there are a sort of people who affect Supremacy in Church and State too, a spirituall and temporall Dominion, no less than doth the Pope of Rome: there are among them many petty Popes, who would fain be the great and onely Dictators of Religion; whose opinionative pride and projects are as yet of a lesser volume & blinder print, but they every day meditate & agitate new Editions of their power, and larger additions to their parties and designes; being as infallible in their own conceits, as imperious in their spirits, and as magisteriall in their censures, as the proudest Popes of Rome; not doubting to condemn and excommunicate any private Christians and Ministers, yea whole Christian Churches, yea and the best Refor∣med in the world (such as England was) if they be not just of their form and fashion, or if they will not patiently submit to their mul∣tiform and deformed Reformations, by which they daily wire-draw true Reformation to such a small thread, that losing its strength and integrity, it must needs snap in pieces and become uselesse: the strange fires of blind, popular, preposterous and sacrilegious Zeal so overboyling true Religion and sober Reformation, till they are ut∣terly confounded and quenched with such sordid and shamefull de∣formities, as must needs follow their Divisions, Distractions and Despiciencies, as to all Church-order, Christian unity and Mini∣steriall authority. Thus many heady and giddy Professors have been so eager to come out of Babylon, that they are almost run out of their wits, and far beyond the bounds of good consciences; so jealous of Superstition, that they are Panders for Confusion; so scared with the name of Rome, that they are afraid of all right Reason and sober Re∣ligion; so fearfull of being over-righteous by following vain tra∣ditions of men, that they fear not to be over-wicked, by overthrowing the good foundations of Order, Honour, Peace and Charity, which Christ and his Apostles have laid in his Church: fierce enemies in∣deed against the Idolatry of Antichrist, but fast friends to Belial and Mammon, to Schisme and Sacriledge; which having no fellowship with God and Christ, must needs belong to the party of Antichrist, which contains a circle of Errours, while Christ is the centre of

Truth: and we know that parts diametrally opposite to each other may (yet) make up the same circumference, and be at equal distance from the centre; so may Practises and Opinions which seem most crosse against each other, yet, as Herod and Pilate, alike conspire against Christ and true Religion, like vicious extremes, which are contrary to each other, and yet uncorrespondent with that vertue from which they are divided.

They are children in understanding who do not already discern and deplore (what wise and godly men have long ago foreseen and foretold) that by these two, Papall policy and fanatick fury, the super∣stitions of the Romanists, and the confusions of Schismaticks, the happy state of the reformed Church of England was alwayes in danger to be mocked, stripped, wounded and crucified: some men already fancy, that they see it weeping and bleeding, crying and dying, using in its sad expirings the last words of its Saviour; first, to her God, Why hast thou forsaken me? next, for her Enemies and Destroyers, Fa∣ther, forgive them, they know not what they do. While the Papists on the one side rob God of his glory, giving religious worship to Crea∣tures: the Sacrilegists on the other side rob God and the Church, their Mother, Fathers, and Brethren, of that double Honour, Mainte∣nance and Reverence, Authority and competency, which is due to them, and was setled upon them, snatching away the childrens bread that they may give it to dogs, to greedy and grinning men, authors and fautors of all our rents and confusions; who (as the Psalmist expresseth it) run up and down through every County, City, Street and Village, grudging if they be not satisfied with the Priests portion.

Thus while the Papists too much pamper & overcharge Religion with Pomp and Luxury, with superfluous Ceremonies and Superstitions; while the Fanaticks strive to underfeed and starve it to a despicable feeblenesse and deformity; both of them are become dangerous ene∣mies to the true reformed state of Religion, in this or any Church and Nation, whose best temper and healthfullest constitution is made up of sincere Truth, unfeigned Charity, liberall Piety, unaffected Decency, a duly-ordained Ministry with just Authority, and uninterrupted Succes∣sion, entertained with holy moderation and humble prosperity. All which were heretofore as remarkably to be seen in the Church of Eng∣land as in any Nation under Heaven: which now is in danger to be put upon great streights, to run between two Seas and Rocks, like the Ship which carried S. Paul; uncertain whether it must be destroyed by Papall, or popular insolencies; whether it shall at once be driven and split upon the high rocks of Popery, or tossed with the Herricano's of vulgar tempests and variety, till it run upon the flats and shallows of Sacriledge, and be swallowed up by fanatick Quick-sands.

'Tis true, these insectiles, the later and lesser fry of novell Sects and various factions in England, dayly multiplying and dividing in their Opinions, Religions and Reformations, may possibly seem to some men like small Pilchards or Shotten Herrings, compared to the great Whales and mighty Leviathans of Rome; neither so dreadfull,

nor so dangerous to the Reformed Religion: But wise men may con∣sider that what seems wanting in their Masse and Bulk, severally look∣ed on, is made up in their number and activity: not onely Sea-Mon∣sters may sink a ship, but small wormes, which grow to its sides and keel, will eat it through and destroy it. It is a great deal of mischief that Mice and Rats, Ants and Mites, will do in a little time to great bodies, if they be let alone. This I am sure, some of these petty-spi∣rited, but very spitefull animals, which some men so much despise, have of late yeares so excessively spawned and swarmed by a licenti∣ous superfetation of Religions and Reformations here in England, that they are become like the numerous Locusts, Flies and Caterpillars of Egypt; not onely very busie and importune, but biting and devour∣ing what ever they can light upon; yea many of them, like Wasps and Hornets, are most exasperated against those sober Christians and Ministers, who are less patient to have their Estates, Liberties, Con∣sciences and Religion, at once destroyed by their gnawing or cor∣roding Reformations.

The fruits and effects of which African mixtures and confusions, every wise man may easily foretell, being utterly inconsistent▪ with not onely the Sanctity, Charity, Unity, Tranquillity, and Majesty of Religion, becoming this Reformed Church and Christian State, but with the very civill Peace, freedom and secular Honour of this Nation. Nor can any sober person tell what any one or all of them, in their fractions and factions, would be at, either in respect of the flourishing of Religion, or felicity of the civil state, beyond (or any way comparable to) what was formerly professed, practised and en∣joyed in this Church and Nation, long before Satan had leave thus to winnow the Church, with Saint Peter, or to smite the State, as he did Job, with these civill boyles and botches. I know there are some grave and godly men (who are well-affected to the Church of Eng∣land, and zealous for true Reformation in a settled and happy way) who do not account these Moderne and Minute Sects, these broken and divided factions, to be any way very dangerous, and so not con∣siderable to the publick welfare of this Nation, either in Religious or civill respects; because they think none of them to be of a firme and durable constitution, but rather as Vermine, bred of putid water, in warme, unholesome, and to them most indulgent seasons, between Pride and Peevishnesse, Ignorance and Licentiousnesse, Envy and Covetousness, they cannot either continue long, or propagate any lasting succession, but as animalls of a crude, imperfect and equivocall generation, having spent that corrupt matter out of which they have both their production and nutrition, they will (like Magots) dye of themselves: as did the Gnosticks, Montanists, Manichees, No∣vatians, or Catharists, the Aerians, Euchites, Circumcellions, Dona∣tists and others in ancient times, whose folly being made manifest to all sober Christians, it prevailed no further. Such creatures in time, like Snailes, wasting their slimy and indigested substance by their own motions. The rage of Hereticks and Schismaticks being

like that of mad Doggs, which after they have a while fomed and snapped here and there, run themselves to death, and are tired by their own cruell agitations. Nor will they find many to succeed them, especially when once the wisdome and piety of a Christian Nation so far recovers, as to cut off and curb that popular, licentious and lazy humour, or to obstruct those hopes of profit, pleasure and preferment, which are the Favonii, the warme winds, that impreg∣nate these creatures. How few would have deserted, and so defied, the Church of England, (as they have done) if they had not had other temptations than those of conscience or religious perswasions?

'Tis true, I do not look upon these many-headed and mis-shapen factions, which are so highly animated against the Church of England, (being most-what like Monsters, either excessive in their Seraphick Whimsies, everlasting Novelties, and affected fancies, or defective in that sound knowledge, that humble, orderly and peaceable chari∣ty, which becomes true Christians) I do not look upon them as any way apt, or able of themselves to build an orderly and durable structure, no more than the Brick-layers of Babel, when their Tongues were divided: for I find they are commonly like Rookes, which strive to make their own nests by rifling their Neighbours. Little so∣lid or setled, in Reason or Religion, in Church or State, is expecta∣ble from tempers and activities which are like that of Pioneers and Plunderers, chiefly for undermining and ruining prostrating and le∣velling, both Churches and States, all Magistrates and Ministers that are either within their reach and stroke, or without their mark and cognizance upon their fore-heads.

Yet give me leave to suggest, yea and to urge upon your most se∣rious considerations (O my Honoured and beloved Country-men) than the consequents necessarily attending the divided opinions and de∣structive agitations of those that may seem the most petty parties, and inconsiderable Sects now in England, must needs be very dange∣rous, and may in time prove extreamly pernicious to the peace, piety, honour, and welfare of this Nation; not onely in respect of the Reformed Religion, whose authoritative Ministry and maintenance they will ever seek to devour and utterly destroy, but even in respect of secular interests, and civill peace.

For the first, (The integrity and true interests of the Reformed Religion,) who, that hath read what I have already, not more passi∣onately then impartially written, can be so blind, as not to see, That the pride, petulancy and despite, the ignorance, licentiousnesse and covetousness of some of these men, hath been and still is such, that they have not onely sought to wast and deforme, to reproach and defame all that outward order, visible beauty, polity, support and uni∣ty, which became so famous a Church and Nation; but they have further studied to weaken and destroy the most solid and essentiall parts of Religion, by many grosse errours, damnable Doctrines, bold blasphemies, high Atheismes and rude immoralities? all which do naturally boile up in the corrupt hearts and violent lusts of mankinde,

when they have any fire of temptation, or encouragement. What is then so immodest, so impudent against the glory of God, against the honour of our Lord Jesus Christ, against the written word of God, against the reputation of the Catholick, or any well-reformed Church, against the Lawes of nature, civill societies and common ju∣stice, against the good of men and Christians, their temporall and eternall welfare, which some of these Abaddons, these Apollyons will not adventure to broach and abet, to act, own and applaud, when they see their raveries are apt not onely to amuse the vulgar people, but to mend their own fortunes, which are the first and neerest de∣signes they aime at, as the chief ends of the agents?

But the end or effect following their actions, (though possibly not some of their intentions) will be this, to prepare by these vari∣ous windings, confused circulations and distorted wrestings of the Reformed Religion, the way for Roman factors, Papall interests and Jesuitick designes, whose learned abilities, orderly industry, and in∣defatigable activity is such, that by that time the old stock of Reve∣rend, orderly and authoritative Bishops and Presbyters, (the truest and most unquestionable Ministers of the Church of Christ,) are worn out in England, and the reformed Religion is reduced with its titular and extenuated Ministers to a meer medly, or popular Chaos of confusions; (the most of sober people being either sick, or ashamed, or weary of their home-bred disorders, and unremedied diseases in Religion) by this time (I say) the Romish agitators will not onely devoure all these petty parties, and feeble factions of Reformers, with as much ease as the Stork did the Froggs; but they will (in time) utterly destroy the remaines of the defamed Doctrine and de∣formed Religion, which your fore-fathers owned, and to the death professed, as most true and well reformed, with great Honour, Ho∣linesse, and Happiness; which yet the ignorance and insolence, the Illiterateness and Rusticity, the Barrennesse and Barbarity of novel Sects have already rendred poor and despicable, much to be pitied and deplored both at home and abroad.

I must ever so far own my reason, as to professe that I look upon the Defamers, Dividers and Destroyers of the Church of England, whatever they are or seem) to be no other than the perdues or forelorn hope of Popery, which by lighter skirmishes open advan∣tages to the Popes maine Battaglio; the Vancourriers, or Harbin∣gers, sent and excited (in great part) from the Pragmatick Policies of Rome, whose grand interest since the Reformation hath been, not more to advance the House of Austria and preserve the Papacy, than to regain the Church of England to the Romish slavery.

In whose present calamities may easily be discerned a far greater reach and deeper Spirit, than is usuall to be found in ordinary Secta∣ries and Schismaticks, who are commonly of low and mean parts, short-sighted and short-spirited, of very shallow wits and extemporary designes, rarely aiming at any thing that is of a publick concern, of a grand, notable and durable proportion; but rather gratifying

their sudden passions and occasionall fancies or correptions, which are pitifully poor and plebeian, seldome reaching higher than the pleasure of scratching their own or other mens itching ears with some novel fancies and opinions, or setting up themselves by a sorry am∣bition to be Heads and Leaders, the Pastors and Teachers of some credulous company, which makes it self into some new mode, and very superciliously calls it self The Church; not in charity and com∣munion with, but in contempt and defiance of all other Churches, Parochiall, Provinciall, Nationall, or Catholick, owning none of the Primitive, Grand and Apostolicall Combinations, or their Suc∣cessions, to be truly constituted Churches. By such little arts some of them feed their bellies and cloth their backs better than heretofore, when they made no such cakes for their Queens of Heaven, nor Shrines for their severall Diana's, but were confined to their lesse gainfull trades; some of them feed meerly upon popular breath, which, as the wind, will never last long in one point or corner; lastly, some of them keep up their vulgar Pride and sad Ambitions by nothing else but by the fame of their Antagonists, the glory they have to contest with, the Church of England and her ablest Mini∣sters, who are (in earnest) so much superiour to these sorry Rivals and Ruiners of them, in all Learning, Religion, Vertue, Wisdome, Honesty and Modesty, as the Stars in the firmament are beyond the glittering of rotten chips in the dark, or the shining of Glow-wormes in a ditch.

Certainly these petty parties, who scarce know what they drive at, and are full of varieties in their Fancies, Forms and Factions, these cannot produce so constant a current and so strong a tide, as is al∣waies urging against the Church of Engl. and the honour of the Refor∣med Religion; but they are driven on by a subtill and secret, yet potent impulse, as waves of the sea, not onely dashing and breaking upon each other, but (all of them) battering the Honour and Sta∣bility of the Church of England, as the great rampart or bank which stands in the way of the Sea of Rome, mightily opposing and hinder∣ing heretofore both fanatick Confusions, Papal Usurpations, and Ro∣mish Superstitions; whose advantages now are evidently prepared and carried on by those, that under the name of Reformation will most effectually at last overthrow it.

For after these petty spirits, who have been and are the great Di∣viders, Despisers and Destroyers of the reformed Church of Eng∣land, have a few years longer played their mad pranks in this some∣time so flourishing and fruitfull vineyard of the Lord, (pulling up the hedge of Ecclesiasticall Canons, and Civil Sanctions, throwing down the wall of Ancient Discipline and Catholick Government, breaking in pieces the wine-press of holy Ordination and Ministeriall Authori∣ty and Succession, pulling up both root and branch of holy Plants and regular Planters;) what (I beseech you) can hinder these subtill Foxes and wild Boars of Romish Power and Policy, to enter in, and not onely secretly, but openly (as occasion shall serve) to destroy all

the remaining stock of the true Protestants, and Professors of the Re∣formed Religion? who at first soberly protesting against Popish Errours and Deformities, afterwards praying (in-vain) for a joynt and just Reformation, did (at last) reform themselves, after the rule of Gods Word, interpreted by the Catholick Practise of purest An∣tiquity.

What (without a miracle) can hinder the Papall prevalency in England, when once sound Doctrine is shaken, corrupted, despised; when Scriptures are wrested by every private interpreter; when the ancient Creeds and Symbols, the Lords Prayer and Ten Comman∣dements all wholsome forms of sound Doctrine and Devotion, the Articles and Liturgy of such a Church, together with the first famous Councils, all are slighted, vilified, despised and abhorred by such English-men as pretend to be great Reformers; when neither pristine Respect nor Support, Credit nor Countenance, Mainte∣nance nor Reverence shall be left either to the Reformed Religion or the Ministry of it? without which they will hardly be carried on beyond the fate of Pharaohs Chariots, when their wheeles were taken off, which is to be overwhelmed and drowned in the Romish red Sea; which will certainly overflow all, when once England is be∣come, not onely a dunghill and Tophet of Hereticall filth and Schis∣maticall fire, but an Aceldama, or field of blood, by mutuall Ani∣mosities and civil Dissentions, arising from the variations and confu∣sions of Religions.

All which, as the Roman Eagle now foresees, and so followes the camp of Sectaries (as Vultures and Birds of prey are wont to doe Ar∣mies) so no man, not blinded with private passions and present inte∣rest, is so simple, as not to know that it will in time terribly seize upon the blind, dying, or dead carkase of this Church and Nation; whose expiration will be very visible, when the Purity, Order and Unity of Religion, the Respect, Support and Authority of the Mini∣stry is vanished and banished out of England, by the neglect of some, the Malice, Madnesse and Ingratitude of others, your most unhappy Countrey-men: Then shall the Israel of England return to the Egypt of Rome; then shall the beauty of our Sion be captive to the bondage of Babylons either Superstition or Persecution; from both which I beseech God to deliver us.

As an Omen of the future fate, how many persons of fair Estates, others of good parts and hopefull Learning, are already shrewdly warped and inclined to the Church of Rome, and either actually re∣conciled, or in a great readinesse to embrace that Communion (which excommunicates all Greek and Latine Churches, Eastern, Western and African Christians, which will not submit to its Dominion and Su∣perstition) chiefly moved hereto, because they know not what to make of or expect from the Religion and Reformation of the Church of England; which they see so many zealous to reproch and ruine, so few concerned to relieve, restore, or pity?

As for the return of you (my noble Countrey-men) and your Po∣sterity

to the Roman Subjection and Superstition, I doubt not but many of you, most of you, all of you, that are persons of judicious and consciencious Piety, doe heartily deprecate it, and would seri∣ously avoid it to the best of your skill and power, as indeed you have great cause, both in Prudence and Conscience, in Piety and Policy: yet I believe none of you can flatter your selves, that the next Cen∣tury shall defend the Reformed Religion in England from Romish Pretensions, Perswasions and Prevalencies, as the last hath done, while the Dignity, Order and Authority of the Ministry, the Go∣vernment of excellent Bishops, the Majesty and Unity of this refor∣med Church and its Religion, were all maintained by the unanimous vote, consent and power of all Estates.

Nay, the Dilemma and distressed choice of Religion is now redu∣ced to this, that many peaceable and well-minded Christians, having been so long harrassed, bitten and worried with novell Factions and pretended Reformations, would rather chuse that their Posterity (if they may but have the excuse of ignorance in the main controversies, to plead for Gods mercy in their joining to that Communion which hath so strong a relish of Egyptian Leeks and Onions, of Idolatry and Superstition, besides unchristian Arrogancy and intolerable Ambiti∣on; that their Posterity, I say) should return to the Roman party, which hath something among them setled, orderly and uniform, becoming Religion, than to have them ever turning and tortured upon Ixions wheel, catching in vain at fancifull Reformations, as Tantalus at the deceitfull waters, rolling with infinite paines and hazard the Reformed Religion, like Sisyphus his stone, sometime asserting it by Law and Power, otherwhile exposing it to popular Liberty and Loosenesse; than to have them tossed to and fro with every wind of Doctrine, with the Fedities, Blasphemies, Animosities, Anarchies, Dangers and Confusions, attending fanatick Fancies & quotidian Reformations, which, like botches or boiles from surfeit∣ed and unwholsome bodies, do daily break out among those Chri∣stians, who have no rule of Religion but their own humours, and no bounds of their Reformations but their own Interests; the first makes them ridiculous, the second pernicious to all sober Christians.

Whereas the Roman Church, however tainted with rank Errours and dangerous Corruptions in Doctrine and Manners (which forbid us under our present convictions to have in those things any visible sacred communion with them, though we have a great charity and pity for them; Charity in what they still retain good, Pity in what they have erred from the Rule and Example of Christ and his Ca∣tholick Church;) yet it cannot be denied, without a brutish blind∣nesse and injurious slander (which onely serves to gratifie the grosse Antipathies of the gaping vulgar) that the Church of Rome, among its Tares and Cockle, its Weeds and Thornes, hath many whol∣some Herbs and holy Plants growing; much more of Reason and Religion, of good Learning and sober Industry, of Order and Poli∣ty, of Morality and Constancy, of Christian Candor and Civility, of

common Honesty and Humanity, becoming grave men and Christi∣ans, by which to invite after-Ages and your Posterity to adhere to it and them, rather then to be everlastingly exposed to the profane bab∣lings, endless janglings, miserable manglings, childing confusions, A∣theisticall indifferencies and sacrilegious furies of some later spirits, which are equally greedy and giddy, making both a play and a prey of Religion, who have nothing in them comparable to the Papall party, to deserve your or your Posterities admiration or imitation, but rather their greatest caution and prevention: for you will finde what not I onely, but sad experience of others may tell you, that the sithes and pitch-forks of these petty Sects and plebeian Factions will be as sharp and heavy as the Papists Swords and Faggots hereto∣fore were, both to your religious and civil Happinesse.

Notes

• Roman inte∣rests advanced by the petty factions of su∣per-Reformers of Religion.
• Eccles. 7.16.
• Rom. 2.22.
• Ps. 59.6.
• 2 Tim. 3.9.
• Finis operantis & operis.