TO ALL THE Orthodox and Godly MAGISTRATES, MINISTERS AND PEOPLE of ENGLAND, who are Lovers of Truth and Holiness.

I Am not ignorant that the Socinians make sport in their Books with the Protestant Authours, because they call themselves the Orthodox, and say, We use that as a spell, thinking thereby to charm all dis∣sentiates. And some that plead for Uni∣versal Redemption, Apostasie of the Saints, and such corrupt Doctrins, seem to slight those mormo∣lukes of Arminianism, Pelagianism, Socinianism.

Yet there are those who are Orthodox, whose judgement is sound in matters of Faith, and there are also without question many in these dayes, who are Hetrodox and unsound in the Faith, We have no such custome, nor the Churches of Christ, saith the Apostle, 1 Cor. 11. 16.*

The concurrent judgement of the Reformed Churches is not to be slighted.

That saying of Vincentius Lirinensis cap. 5. in Commonit. adver∣sus Haereses is worthy our serious consideration, Mos iste semperPage  [unnumbered]in Ecclesia viguit, ut quò quisque foret religiosior eo promp∣tius novellis adinventionibus contrairet. That custome (saith he) hath still flourished in the Church, that the more religi∣ous any one was, the more readily he would oppose new in∣ventions.

Truth is precious and should be maintained: Errour is dan∣gerous* and should be opposed. Buy the truth and sell it not, saith Salomon. Ierusalem is called a City of truth, Zech. 8. 3. The Church is called the pillar and ground of truth, 1 Tim. 3. 15. Christ came into the world, that he might bear witness to the truth, Iohn 18. 27. The Prophet Ieremiah complains, That none were va∣liant*for the truth. Contend earnestly for the Faith, which was once*delivered to the Saints. We can do nothing against the truth but for the truth, saith Paul, It is made a sign of Christs sheep, Iohn 10. 4, 5. to take heed of errours and false teachers.

Our Magistrates should do well to follow the examples of our Iosiah King Edward the sixth and Queen Elizabeth; Two things in King Edward,

• 1. In his honouring the Word of God.
• 2. In his opposing of errour and false worship.

When he was crowned, they put into his hands three Swords: he answered, there was one yet wanting, the Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit, which was farre to be preferred before all those. When he was pressed by Bishop Ridley and others to tolerate his Sister Masse in her own Chappel, he would not (though importuned) yeeld thereunto, saying, He should dis∣honour God in it; and being much urged by them, he burst out into tears, and they affirmed, That he had more Divinity in his lit∣tle fingers, then they in all their bodies.

Queen Elizabeth after her Coronation, when the Bible was*Page  [unnumbered] presented unto her at the little Conduit in Cheapside; she re∣ceived the same with both her hands, and kissing it, laid it to her brest, saying, That the same had ever been her chiefest delight, and should be the Rule by which she meant to frame her Go∣vernment.*

Fregevill a wise French Writer in his Apology for the general cause of Reformation, observes two memorable things in Queen Elizabeths Government:

• 1. That under her first, Reformation had free and full course throughout England.
• 2. That she was a favourer of the Clergy.

She once in her Progress visiting the County of Suffolk, all the* Iustices of Peace in that County, met her Majesty, every one of them having his Minister next to his body, which the Queen took special notice of, and thereupon uttered this Speech, That she had often demanded of her Privy Councel, why her County of Suffolk was better governed theu any other County, and could never understand the reason thereof but now she her self perceived the reason, It must needs be so (said she) where the Word and the Sword go together.*

It is the Duty of the Magistrate not onely to regard that the life of his Subjects be civil and honest, but also that it be religi∣ous and godly. Therefore we are taught to pray for them, that we may live under them a peaceable life, not onely in all honesty, but also in all godliness, or true worship of God, as the word used by the Apostle doth signifie. Therefore the King was comman∣ded to take a copy of the whole Law, and not of the second Table only, implying that he should look to the execution as well of the first Table as the second.

Ministers also should appear for the truths of God, and be able (now if ever) to convince the gain-sayers, Tit. 1. 9. The Scripture is profitable for doctrine and for reproof, 2 Tim. 3. 16. Shall we have the Pelagian Doctrine of Free-will, and the power of nature pleaded for; and our Bertii maintaining the Apostasie of Saints, and shall we have no Bradwardines to write de causa Dei, nor Augustines de bono Perseverantiae?

I remember when the worthy Prolocutor of the Assembly with other Divines, brought in the Confession of Faith into the House of Commons, he said, They had been the longer, and Page  [unnumbered] had taken the more pains about it, that it might obviate the er∣rours of the times.

Sozomen relates a very remarkable story to this purpose.* When the Synod of Nice was called against Arius, many of the wiser Heathens came thither to hear the Disputation there. One Philosopher among the rest behaved himself very insolently there, and petulantly derided the Christian Ministers: an old plain countrey-man (ex illustrium confessorum numero) being not able to brook his arrogancy, desired to dispute with him, and having a last gained liberty, he began thus, Philosophe audito, VNVS EST DEVS COELI, TERRAE, &c. Hear Phi∣losopher (making a Confession of his Faith) there is one God, maker of Heaven and Earth, and all things Invisible, and then shew'd how Christ was born of a Virgin, and conversed here with men, and died for them, and should after come to judge men for all that they had done here on earth, and then con∣cludes, That these * things are so without any other curious search, we certainly beleeve. Therefore do not spend your pains in vain in a curious refuting of these things, which are on∣ly rightly understood by faith, or in searching how they may be done or not. But if thou beleevest, answer me some Questions; with which things the Philosopher being astonished, answered, I beleeve; and giving him thanks that he had overcome him, was not onely of the same judgement with the old man, but al∣so began to give counsell to others (who were before enemies to the Christian Faith as well as himself) to assent to the Christian Doctrine, and added an Oath, that he was not onely changed by a divine Deity, but also by a certain unexpressible force was converted to the Christian Religion.

If Zanchy may be credited, the perseverance of Saints in the* Faith, is a main part of the Gospel. Vedelius in his PanaceaPage  [unnumbered]Apostasiae bono constantium & lapsorum praescripta. l. 1. c. 3. shews, that* an Apostate breaks all the ten Commandments.

I wish that the Reformed Churches by their unhappy divisi∣ons (fomented by the Boutefeus of Christendom, the lesuites) do not weaken themselves, and accomplish their enemies great design.

It is observed by Chemnitius*, that in the year 1540. the Ie∣suites by the Intercession of Cardinal Contarenus did obtain from Paul the III, that he would confirm that order by his Pon∣tificial Authority, who did ratifie it with this caution, that one∣ly threescore men should be of that Society. But when after∣ward they observed that that order was more active then others in upholding the tottering Church of Rome, he decreed in the year 1543. that this Society of the Iesuites should not be limited to any either terms of places, or number of persons.

It is also observable what Campanella laies down in his discourse* of the Spanish Monarchy; It is manifest (saith he) that the King of Spain if he could subdue England with the Low-coun∣treys, would soon become Monarch of all Europe, and a great part of the world. Now nothing so much conduceth to over∣throw the English as a dissension and discord stirred up amongst them and the Dutch, and perpetually nourished, which will soon (saith he) afford better occasions. In Chap. 27. of the same Book he speaks much to the same purpose.

Parsons the English Jesuite in his Memorial for Reformation, or a remembrance for them that shall live when Catholick Re∣ligion shall be restored unto England, he would have the grand Charter burnt, the municipal Laws abrogated, and the Innes Page  [unnumbered] of Court converted to some other use; that for Lawyers. Then for Divines, The Colledges in both the Vniversities should be onely in the power of six men, who should have all the Lands, Mannors, Lordships, Parsonages, &c. and what ever else be∣longed to Church or Cloister resigned into their hands. That at the beginning no mans conscience be pressed for matters in Religion: then, that publick disputations between Papists and Protestants be held in both the Vniversities. That for some years it will be more commodious for the publick, and more li∣berty for the Preachers, to have no Appropriation nor Obligation to any particular Benefice, but Itinera—mitto caetera. M. Smiths Preface to Dailles Apology for the Reformed Churches, transla∣ted by him. He saith there he hath been told by the London Booksellers, that at the least thirty thousand Popish Books have been printed here within these three last years.

Shall the Iesuitical and heretical party be so active for Popery, for errour, and shall not the Orthodox be as studious to hold fast and hold forth the Truth? Let Magistrates make the interest of Christ his Truths, his Worship, his People, their great interest, let them discountenance gross errors and damnable heresies. Let Ministers preach down, pray down, live down those abominable Doctrins now amongst us: Let all the people of God study Fundament∣als, labour to be stablisht in the Truth, and in their places op∣pose Falshood, Libertinism and all horrid Blasphemies, and pray earnestly to God, that he would cause the false prophets and the unclean spirits to pass out of the Land, Zech. 13. •. and I should yet hope (though our case be very sad) that God would continue his Gospel still amongst us in power and purity, though by our sins we have forfeited so great a mercy▪ Which blessing that it may be vouchsafed unto us (though altogether unworthy) shall be the prayer of,