who dissented: which rendered Rome's actions so detestable to the very martyrs, and indeed without which they had not been martyrs. The work was now to promote religion by power, who had so lately overcome it by suffering. Leagues, stately embassies, great conventions, raising of armies, war with one, and peace with another took up the minds of most, how to defend the stateliness and pompous grandeur of their religion, though they by so doing, gave testimony they had lost much of the true sense of that very religion they pretended to advance.

It was now that some appeared who, dissatisfied with such proceedings, decried that superstition and formality which had been unadvisedly detained by the English church as decent ;* for, the invention of that church the Protestants themselves styled antichristian. They believed men's lives were much corrupted, and laid the fault upon the pride, avarice, voluptuousness, and ignorance of the clergy. They stripped themselves of most superfluities, and seemed to promote a straighter way, than what was then generally professed. These they called Puritans.

But such sour resentments had both the powers and prelates of their procedure, that laws were enacted, and executed to blood, as well to hinder religion from being more refined, as they had for preserving it from being again more gross. Surely, this looked more like care for power, faction, and interest, than religion. For without doubt, the plea of those Puritans was thus far unanswerable by their adversaries. By this time almost all people were taken with their complaints, especially those who seemed more religiously inclined, which at last had so leavened the gentry, as well as the commonalty, that when that memorable parliament was chosen, and for their sitting, called afterwards the long parliament, the stream clearly run on the Puritanical side.

The church of England disdaining their pretended reformation, and as resolved to abate in nothing of her splendor, wealth, and preferment, in either civil or ecclesiastical matters, makes head against these supposed disturbers of the peace of both church and state. And as the blind wrath of heathens taught the Papists, and the Papists the Protestants; so the Protestants, by their coercive power for religion, taught the Puritans to be resolute and fierce in the defence of their separation. The complaints of the one, meeting with strong denials from the other, they came to big words, and from thence to heavy blows. Such feud, such hatred, such war, spoil, and lamentable slaughter, as for many ages had not been known, were the most deplorable effects of that contest for religion. By this time victory turning to the Puritanical party, now degenerated into harsh Presbytery. They who before did fasten anti-christianism upon the Church of England, for offering to act coercively towards them, in what concerned conscientious separation, became themselves the most narrow in religion, and vigorous in imposing, upon the sharpest

*Cambd. Life of Q. E.
Hist. Wars of England.

Rush. Hist. Collect,

+ Cambd.

penalties known to those times, what they synodically agreed to be scripture faith, worship, and discipline; forgetting or denying to leave that liberty of examination to others, which they had so earnestly contended for against the prelates of the English church. So partial is self, so blind is interest.

But neither does our story end here; for these men forgetting their primitive tenderness, and that lowly spirit, which justly charged the English clergy with some degeneracy, as had that done the Romish, were quickly reminded by the timely and honest zeal of those they call Independents and Anabaptists: who having a clearer sight of things, as I believe, and more regard for reformation, at once charged them with neglect, and endeavoured to push things a step further. They loudly exclaimed against the looseness of their parishes, and their too free administration of the sacraments to mixed and unqualified persons. They decried the absoluteness of their church-monarchy, with the necessity of human learning to ministerial qualification. And lastly, with great earnestness they declaimed against the imposition of any faith or worship, or punishing with corporal penalties, such as dissented for the sake of conscience. One would have thought, these men had set the last bounds to the spirit of superstition and revenge, and that having seen the rock on which their predecessors split, they should have learned safety by their destruction, and construed those foregoing calamities land-marks for their preservation, as was anciently said

faciunt aliena pericula cautum.

That is, having beheld so many fair adventures for reformation, (begun certainly from an inward sense of the corrupt and un-Christ-like state of things,) to issue in fulness, pride, superstition, and base coercion upon conscience, they should have lived in an holy subjection, and awful regard to that Holy Spirit of truth, that had given them some farther illumination, and which would have taught the denial of those worldly lusts, that covetousness and revenge whetted their desires after, and have preserved them in the way of meekness, patience, long-suffering, and holiness, without which none shall ever see God. But, alas! as reformation from popery and prelacy, was soon overrun by party asperity, and self-promotion; so truly these men made as little conscience to employ the old weapon of external force to advance themselves, and depress others, as had those that

went before them.

It is true, the Presbyterians, who showed them the way, as had the Protestants them, and the Papists the Protestants, being so considerable in number, and these people's maxim so narrow, viz. "out of a church, out of the faith; not dipped, not christianed:" that too great division might not perish the whole affair, of continuing the government in its present channel of incredible advantage to them, they, much against their will, admitted the Presbyterians into a share with them, especially of parochial churches, as they are called, and did not wholly exclude the more moderate of them a part in the administration of the civil government.

Thus then, (though with regret, and no small jealousy,) being tolerably well agreed, like he that from a poor priest to a pope, was wont to be remembered of his original, by a net (because several of the apostles were fishermen) which he commanded to be brought to his table, when pope, cried: " take it away, take it away, the fish is caught;" so they having caught the great two-headed fish of civil and ecclesiastical power, and upon one a crown, upon the other a mitre, Laodicea-like, full, rich, and wanting nothing, are willing to forget their small original, their father's house, those heavenly convictions, and that humble frame of spirit, their early sense in some good measure had reduced them to. Oh! into what falseness, cruelty, covetousness, and folly did they not precipitate themselves! To violate faith with men, and break the most solemn covenants that any age have ever made with God himself. To sail to security through blood, and establish their church in persecution; not unlike the Ottoman emperors, that never think their imperial crowns better settled, than in the murder of their brethren. But above the rest, to decry tyranny and persecution, and yet to be the authors of both; as if they could not have used their power without abusing it, is unworthy the name of true men. I will believe succeeding times may have outdone them in debauchery; but I can never think, unless better informed, that any age hath so much as equalled them in a treacherous hypocrisy. Though, (that I may be just,) several among them were not wanting to express their utter abhorrence of such procedure, which hath thus far aggravated the others' apostacy, that they were worse treated than such that were reputed their public enemies; as if not to be treacherous, had been to be disaffected: concerning which I refer the reader to the first and second narratives, printed in the year 1659.

Certainly, it was now time that God should arise, and that his enemies should be manifest; who, under the most splendid show of reformation, that almost any age for fourteen hundred years could parallel, had crucified the holy life of religion, stifling the spirituality thereof by reformed formality, empty shows, and mere tinkling cymbals of sin-pleasing doctrines. And their primitive tenderness being worn off by time and preferment, none grew more superstitious and persecuting than those who once seemed most averse from it. (I charitably forbear the mention of particular persons.) In short, pride, self-seeking, and self-establishment in glory, wealth, and worldly prosperity had undermined the worthy honesty, that was at first stirring in the hearts of some of them. Behold a glorious, but empty trunk of profession! As lofty as the Jews themselves, pretending to be children of Abraham, and heirs of the promise, yet servants to sin; christians by imputation, but not by qualification; saved in Christ, though lost, through sin, in themselves; pray by the Spirit, yet their duties unholy things. Behold Babylon in one of her best trims !

But it was at this time, serious reader, when religion was so much talked of, and so little practised, that it pleased the eternal wise God, who is unsearchable in his goings, to appear, and manifest the

knowledge of himself, by a way contemptable to the world, (as indeed, when did he otherwise,) showing himself first to shepherds and men of mean rank, whose outward abilities were as incapable to gain applause from men, as their meanness to invite them: men, plain and simple, who desired of long time above worldly treasure, that they might be acquainted with the true and unchangeable way of God. All the religion they were taught of men, or the strength of memory could collect from books, joined with their own simplicity and zeal, was not able to overcome the enemies of their souls, for whose redemption God appeared, and they often groaned in secret, being truly willing to undergo any cross, that might but help them to this knowledge, after which they had daily thirsted more than for appointed food.

Thus, that no flesh might glory in his presence, did the Almighty God, according to his many precious promises, break in upon the spirits of a poor despised people by his terrible power, which caused the old foundations to shake, and begat holy terror and dread, because of the glory of his majesty, who had revealed himself. Judgment overtook for sin, and righteousness was laid to the plummet, and a true scale was erected, wherein all the profession in the world was lighter than the chaff which is blown away of the tempest. This day of judgment for sin, and consumption upon all the pleasant pictures of religion, that tradition, education, or imagination had drawn in the minds of men, they were constrained to declare, and the very utterings thereof were astonishing, both to professors and profane. For, being witnesses of a nearer thing than an out-side religion, however refined, in which the whole world was adulterated from God, and that the time of the kindling of the indignation of the Lord God Almighty was come, because of iniquity and unrighteousness that covered the earth, as the waters cover the sea, (which made the controversy essential; not to consist about exterior order, church-government, or mere articles of faith; but that inward principle of righteousness, which reduceth the soul to the heavenly order, and that faith which overcomes the world :) therefore in the name of the Lord, and by the alone arm of the Almighty, did several of these poor men go forth into towns, cities, and countries, proclaiming the day of the controversy of God with men, by the pleadings of his holy light, power, or spirit in their hearts and consciences, decrying all notions of Christ above possession; calling the lofty cedars to bow, and the sturdy oaks to bend before the heavenly appearance of the Lord, by his light within; that all knowledge of God, not gotten through inward judgment, and experience of the operation of his saving hand, was accursed of God; and that as the earth of wickedness in men's hearts should be consumed by the refiner's fire, so the heavens of lofty knowledge should by the fiery heat thereof, be wrapt up as a scroll, that a new heaven and a new earth, in which dwelleth (not imputative, but real, inherent, and everlasting) righteousness, might be known to be created by the Word of God, nigh in the heart.

I say, these men alarming the nation with the sound of this harsh and terrible trumpet, who had taken so long a nap in pleasure, ease, and fleshly religion, caused very strange, and differing apprehen

sions.

Some pricked to the very heart, cried out: "What shall we do to be saved whilst the wolf and the fox lay in wait to intercept the blessed work of the Lord, by several ways of cunning and cruelty. The priests, (who were degenerated as well as the people, basefy teaching for hire, and divining for money; the best accounted of them making bargains, how much a year to preach the gospel, as they call it, and so is it to this day,) like foxes seeing their kennel found out, in which they had so long hid their prey, and fearing that the turning men to the light in the conscience, and their so resolutely testifying, that no man could be at peace with God who went condemned thereof; and that all knowledge of the things of God, which hath not been received through the holy subjection of the creature to God's heavenly appearance within him, (for whatever may be known of God, is manifested within, saith the apostle,) was above the true teacher, and the sufferings of the cross of Christ: they posted to the magistrates, Saul-like, with whole packets of lies, slanders, and invectives, on purpose to beget a wolfish nature in them, to put a stop to the progress of this blessed manifestation of the eternal Light of righteousness, by the exercise of a merciless power. Some few would not be prevailed upon; but the generality, seeing their worldly honour, and which to some of them was dearer, their beloved easy religion was struck at, root and branch, they, as an armed man, furiously employed their strength to the relief of the priests, and subversion of these poor men. Some were imprisoned, others whipped, several bruised, not a few murdered, and many robbed and spoiled of their goods.

And that the priests might show themselves, some of them thinking it too long to wait the magistrates' leisure, turned their own paymasters upon heads, shoulders, and other limbs of men and women, not distinguishing in either sex or age.

The cry of these innocent people came up to the then supreme authority, but relief could not be had. One book came out upon another, conjuring the magistrates to employ their power to the utter extirpation of these seducers, and commanded the people that they should not so much as have any common intercourse with them, but avoid them as the pest, and fly them as witches and sorcerers. It were too irksome to tell the moiety of their stratagems. Oh! the mercies of these men were cruelties! But yet farther, many things were written by us in vindication of our innocency. Some that sought for the redemption of Israel, and the right way of God, believed; here and there a Simeon, a centurion, a priest, a lawyer, a physician, a customer, and fisherman, and abundance of handicrafts, for the poor received the gospel. But, alas! neither our apologies, nor grievous sufferings, were enough to allay that swelling spirit of cruelty; nor in the least affect the minds of priests or rulers with the deplorableness of our condition, so as to redress all these grievous suffer