A consideration of the depriued and silenced ministers arguments, for their restitution to the vse and libertie of their ministerie exhibited in their late supplication, vnto the honorable states assembled in this present Parliament. By Gabriel Powel.

ANSWER.

I. To the Antecedent.

The zeale and courage of such as haue beene earnest, or aduentured their liues and estate in

Gods cause, for defence of his eternall trueth and Church, is certainely much to be commen∣ded and imitated (to their vtmost power) of all such as desire to be called and be indeede mem∣bers of the Church of God. But it would bee wisely cosidered, that it were rashnesse and foole-hardinesse, for any to aduenture hazard, or manifest danger, by intermedling in a friuolous and vnnecessarie quarel, and much more for such cause as can not be iustified by any probable rea∣son. Wherefore I answere

II. To the Consequence

1. THis Consequence hath no coherence with the Antecedent. For there are great ods betweene these examples proposed and the Re∣fractarie Ministers case.

I. In the time of Nehemiah, the Church of the Iewes, having bin long captiuated, was in great affliction and reproach, and the walles of Ierusalem were broken downe. (Nehem. 1.3.) which was not so in the dayes of their fathers. But our Church ha∣ving (by the mercies of God) now long conti∣nued in prosperous and flourishing estate, is (God be thanked) glorious still, yea more now then e∣uer it was in the dayes of our fathers.

Furthermore, Nehemiah, after he had wept, mourned, fasted and prayed (Nehem. 1.4.) spake vn∣to King Artashaste, an heathen and prophane man, and finding grace in his eyes, obtayned leaue to build vp Ierusalem. (Nehem. 2.6.) But Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem and others deriding

and despising the Iewes, laboured to hinder the worke, but preuayled not (Nehem. 2.19. and 4.7.15.) Then Nehemiah prayed, My God, remember thou Tobiah and Sanballat, according vnto these their workes. (Nehem. 6.14.) So euen in the very beginning of our religious Soueraignes raigne, many worthy Nehemiahs finding grace in his eyes, haue moued his Maiestie for the continu∣ance of the prosperous estate of our Church, as it was in dayes of our late blessed Queene, albeit his Highnesse was more ready to graunt their re∣quest, then they to aske it. And nowe, so many Sanballats, Tobiahs, and Geshems, as there be Re∣fractarie: Ministers and Papistes, deriding and despising vs, labour to hinder our Ministery, blas∣pheming the same, either to be none at all, or a∣dulterate and very corrupt, but (Godwilling) shal not preuaile. And we still thinking that most of them do sinne of ignorance, cease not to pray vn∣to God: O Lord, open the eyes of these men, and lay not this sinne to their charge.

II. In the dayes of the noble and renowned Q. Hester, all the Iewes should haue bin swallowed vp by the manny of Haman, had not that vertu∣ous Queene, by aduenturing her owne life, deli∣uered her people frō destruction. But I hope the Suppliants do not thinke our Church to be in so desperate a state, neither outwardly, nor spiritual∣ly. And if they do, yet none can be so foolish as to beleeue it.

III. The examples of Ioseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus are altogither impertinent: for neither had Pilate any reason to deny the buriall of

Christs body being dead: nor is the Ministers re∣quests concerning Crosse, and Surplice any thing of such importance, as was the buriall of Christs body. For it is not true that they contend about Whole Christ Iesus, and the Ministery of the Gospell, as the Suppliants here suggest.

2. The Errour is threefold. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. 2. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. 3. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.