To all such Honourable and Pious hands, whom the present Debate touching the propagating of CHRIST'S Gospel concernes: AND TO All such gentle Bereans, who with ingenious Civility de∣sire to search whether what's presented concerning Christ Iesus, be so or no.

IT being a present high Debate (Honourable and Beloved) how the Gospel of Christ Jesus might more be propagated in this Nation: 2. And be∣ing desired by eminent friends,* to cast in my mite towards it: 3. And having been engaged in several points of this Nature, in my former and later Endeavours, against that bloody Tenent of Persecution for cause of Conscience: 4. And also having been forced to observe the Goings of God, and the spirits of Men, both in Old and New England, as touching the Church, the Ministry and Ordinances of Jesus Christ; I did humbly apprehend my Call from Hea∣ven; not to hide my Candle under a Bed of Ease and Plea∣sure, or a Bushel of Gain and Profit; but to set it on a Can∣dlestick of this publike Profession, for the Benefit of others, and the Praise of the Father of all Lights and Godliness.

2. For the Substance and most of this, I suddenly drew it up, and delivered two Copies unto two eminent friends of Jesus Christ,* and this Nation: But being importuned for more Copies then I was possibly able to transcribe, and being (therefore) advised by some honourable Friends, to use the help of the Press; I am thus beyond my first Intentions and Desires) held forth in Publike.

Page  [unnumbered]3. If ought I have expressed seem harsh, dissatisfactory, or offensive; I am humbly bold (I hope in the power of the Most High) to profess my readiness to discuss; debate; dispute; either by Word or Writing, with whom, or before whom soever the present Debate concerns, with all Christian meekness, and due submission.

4. It is true, I do absolutely deny it (against all com∣mers) to be the Burthen of the Civil State to take cogni∣sance of any Spiritual cause;* and I do positively assert it, to be the proper and alone work of the holy Son and Spirit of God in the hands of his Saints and Prophets, to manage Heavenly and Spiritual causes (and that only with Spiritu∣al Weapons against Spiritual Oppositions.) And therefore that the Higher Powers have been constantly deceived by the Mercenary and Hireling Ministry; who being them∣selves deceived, deceive; and tack about (as the Wind, and Time, and Advantage blows) from Popery to Protestanisme, from Protestanisme to Popery, from Popery to Protestanisme again! From Prelacy to Presbyterie, from Presbyterie, many to Independency; and will again to Presbyterie and Prelacy, if not to Popery (in some cases) rather then lose (as they say) the Liberty of Preaching. But what that loss is of somwhat else (Gain, Honour, &c.) let themselves, and all men, judge impartially in the fear of God. Yet

5. I humbly acknowledge (as to Personal worth) I deal with men, for many excellent gifts, elevated above the common rank of men; yea, and for Personal Holiness (ma∣ny of them) worthy of all true Christian Love and Honour: In which respects when I look down upon my self,* I am re∣ally perswaded to acknowledge my unworthiness to hold a Candle or a Book unto them. And yet, if I give flattering Titles unto men, my Maker (said Elihu) would quickly take me away; and why therefore (since I have not been al∣together a stranger to the Learning of the AEgyptians, and have trod the hopefullest paths to Worldly preferments, which for Christ's sake I have forsaken) since I know what it is to Study, to Preach, to be an Elder, to be applauded; Page  [unnumbered] and yet also what it is also to tug at the Oar, to dig with the Spade,* and Plow, and to labour and travel day and night amongst English, amongst Barbarians!) why should I not be humbly bold to give my witness faithfully, to give my counsel effectually, and to perswade with some truly pious and conscientious spirits, rather to turn to Law, to Physick, to Souldiery, to Educating of Children, to Digging (and yet not cease from Prophecying) rather then to live under the slavery, yea and the censure (from Christ Jesus and his Saints, and others also) of a mercenary and Hireling Mi∣nistery?

6. To which end, my humble and hearty cry is to the Father of Lights, to plead with all his Children of Light effectually; so that they may look up, wonder, and say, Am I a Child of Light?* Is the Father of Lights my Father, and the Saints my fellow Brethren and Schollars in Christ Je∣sus, the children of Light also? What make I then in dark places, like those that have been dead of old? What make I amongst the Graves and Tombs; the Livings, Benefices, Promotions, Stipends &c?

I have been told a quick passage between the truly Noble Earl of Essex (in Queen Elizabeth her days) and a truly able and zealous Non-conformist: I have said the Earl, been studying a great while these two points; First, the Persons of the Bishops; and I have laboured with the Queen to prefer none but good men to her Bishopricks.

The next thing is their Places; which if I find them to be as bad as their Persons be; then, then &c. But they soon cropt off that Noble head &c.

That same blessed Spirit breaths (I doubt not) in many heavenly spirits of our Times in Parliament, in Councel in the Army; and their holy desire hath been to prefer the choice and flower of Able and Godly men to Places in City▪* in Country, in University. It may yet so please the Father of Spirits, to stir up their Noble minds to meditate as well Hirelings places, as they have too well known their persons. It may also be, that his most holy and pure EyePage  [unnumbered] sees they have been highly honoured, and enough already: More work is left for growing sprigs, for whom some Crownes are kept to which their Fathers heads were not so fitted.

7. And yet although I humbly give the Civil state it's Right, to wit, to take down places or persons which them∣selves or Fathers have erected: yet am I also far from taking off a yoke from one,* to clap on the neck of others. Let the Townes, the Parishes, and divisions of people in the three Nations be undisturbed by any civil Sword, from their consciences and worships; though traditional, though Parochial: and let their maintenance be by Tenths and Fifths, or how they freely please.

1. Only let it be their souls choice and no inforcing Sword, but what is spiritual in their spiritual causes.

2. I plead for Impartiality and equal freedom, peace, and safety to other Consciences and Assemblies, unto which the people may as freely goe, and this according to each con∣science, what conscience soever this conscience be (not transgressing against Civilities) whether of Jews or Gen∣tile.

Object. But would you have say some, Jews, Turks, and Papists live in Protestant countries?

I answer, I judge it here only seasonable to say, that I humbly conceive, that this objection, and all that can be said (as to piety or policy) is satisfied in my late unwashing of M. Cotton's washing of the Bloody Tenent: in that late endeavour, I humbly hope, I have made it evident, that no opinion in the world is comparably so bloody, or so blas∣phemous as that of punishing, and not permitting, in a ci∣vil way of Cohabitation, the consciences and worships, both of Jewes and Gentiles.

Ireland hath been an Akeldama, a field of blood; proba∣ble it is, that the guilt of all that blood, Protestant and Papist,* will fall upon this Bloody Tenent, of which both Papist and Protestant are guilty; to wit, of not permitting the Hereticks, the Blasphemers, &c. as the Sword falls Page  [unnumbered] either into the hand of a Popish or a Protestant Victor.

What a voice from heaven is there, in the forepast ages of our Fathers, now rotten under us! From Henry the se∣cond his time, when Englands first yoke was clapt on poore Irelands neck, I say from Henry the second his time, unto Henry the eight, while their consciences had freedom un∣der popish Kings of England, how little bloud was spilt, English or Irish, compared with the showers and rivers both of one and the other, spilt in the few years of our Pro∣testant Princes, while the consciences of the Catholicks have been restrained by the civil Sword and penalties?

Eightly, In the discourse it will appear, how greatly some mistake, which say I declame against all Ministries, all Churches,* all Ordinances; for I professedly avow and main∣tain, that since the Apostasie, and the interrupting of the first ministry and order, God hath graciously and immedi∣atly stirred up and sent forth the ministrie of his Prophets, who during all the raigne of Antichrist, have prophesied in sackcloth, and the saints and people of God have more or less gathered to and assembled with them: they have praid and fasted together, and exhorted and comforted each o∣ther, and so do, notwithstanding that some are not perswad∣ed and satisfied, (as others conceive themselves to be) as touching the doctrines of Baptismes, and laying on of hands.

Lastly what ever be the Issue of all their publick agita∣tions, my humble and hearty cry to the Father of mercies, is for every soul in the three Nations, that desire to fear him; whether of higher or lower rank, that we may more and more cry and endeavour for assurance of personal reconci∣liation in the blood of the lambe, more and more for parti∣cipation of the divine Nature in the purity and holiness of the spirit of God: more and more lament (with Jeremy) the division and desolations of God's people and the holy Ordinances and Worship of God in Christ Jesus;* more and more press after love and all possible communion with God's people in the midst of many differences: more and more abound in mercy and compassion to the soules and Page  [unnumbered]consciences; and wofull conditions of others, Jews or Gen∣tiles, and more and more prepared with the golden shoes of the preparation of the Gospel of peace, ready for all the good pleasure of God in Christ Jesus; for prosperity, for adversity, for abundance, for want, for liberty, for imprisonment, for honour, for dishonour for life for death, as knowing that they that suffer with Jesus, shall not only Reigne with him, but here also in the midst of outward sorrows, be filled with Joy unspeakable, and full of Glory.