thousands to perifh at Rochell for want of victuals, rather than fuffer them to partake of the Royal clemency that was offer'd; they who made a conflagration of the whole Province of Languedoc and parts adjoyning; they who eminently urder'd the learned Cameron, for refusing to run in the fame exceffe of Riot,were none others then the pretended and profeffed Minifters of the Gofpel. And if the Name of the Gofpel was thus abufed even in France (where the Beaft was more fubject to bit and Bridle,) How much more was it in Scotland, where it was frequent for the Beast to hold fast the bit betwixt his Teeth, or to fpit it out of its mouth, or to shift the Rains from off its Neck, and thereupon either to caft or run away with its Rider: The pretended Heralds of Peace and Charity, national Unity and Concord, have been the Tragical Boanerges, whofe Thunders have been feconded with Thunder-bolts. They have turn'd their Flocks and Congregations into Bands and Regiments, and have made their Churches their feveral places of Rendez-vous. When any Malecontents, whether Lay or Clergy, have meditated Disturbance to Church and State, the common cuftome hath been to difpatch their Emiffaries and Tickets to all the Præcones of the Pulpit,tomake them pray up and preach up the thing Defign'd: whefe tongues have been touch't with fuch Coles of fury (rather than zeal) as bave kindled a fire throughout the Body of the Church; fuch a flagrant and spreading, devouring fire as bath not been able to be quenched with leffe effufions than of many whole Rivers of Chriftian blood. с blood. King James complain'd at Newmarket, ‹ A.D.1620 (upon occafion of Mr. Haddock, who was wont to preach in bu fleep, as he pretended, that he might vent his own Inventions as the Oracles of God) of his Troubles which in his Kingdome of Scotland be bad received from that Sect; profeßing his inability to fuppreffe thofe Minifters from open flandering in their Sermons: In fo much that many times be was conftrained to interrupt them in the midst of their Declamations, whereby they did not only prefume to raile by name at his Servants, but against his own Royal perfon before his face, and all this out of the Pulpit, and in perfect digression from their Text. For twelve intire years together, during his Refidence in Scotland (for bu Reign we can hardly call it) he prayed to God upon his knees before every Sermon he was to heare,that he might hear nothing from the Preacher which might afterwards grieve him; but after his comming into England (be faid) his cafe was fo well altered, that his Prayer was to edefie by what he heard. Indeed whoever hath but dip't into the Scotifh Story, and remembers what he hath read concerning Mr. James Gibson, or David Blacke, Mr. Robert Bruce, Mr.VValter Balcanquall, Mr. Andrew Melvill, Mr.John VVelch, Mr.Robert 'VVallis, and Mr. Dalgleish, Mr.John Davidson, and Mr. John "Dikes, befides the Buchanans and Knoxes, and many others of the fame Peft, fome declaring out of the Pulpit, "That all Kings were "the Devils Barns; That the Devil was in the Court, and in the guiders of it; That King James k m d h "in d Hift. Scot.l.6. e Idem ibid. 419 420 421 41744 as far as p. 426. fibid.p. 4:6. 417.451. g Ibid. p. 455. 111bid p 446. 447. m Ibid. p 450. 451. n Ibid. p. 456. Loc. CHAS. lib.2.8.41.42. are ; " in particular, was poffefst with feven Devils ; That "bis Queen was only to be prayed for for fashions fake That Queen Elizabeth was an Atheist; "Thit the King (then over them) had discovered "the treachery of his heart; That the Subjects might lawfully rife and take the word out of his hands "That the Fudges, Nobility, and Lords of the « Councel were Mifcreants and Bribers, godleffe r Diffemblers, enemies to the Church, holy Glaffes, "Cormorants, and of no Religion:) I fay, whoever hath read fuch things as thefe, will not wonder at that hatred which the learned and orthodox King James conceived of them; nor at that advice which • Brak. Dap. he gave his fonne, "To take heed of fuch Puritans, "very Pests in the Church and Commonweale (they the Kings own words) whom no deferts can oblige, nor oaths or promises binde; breathing nothing but Sedition and calumnies, afpiring without meafure, rayling without reason, and making their « own imaginations the fquare of their Confcience. P.K. J. bis letter Nor will any man wonder that fo much care was tathe Archbishop ken by him for the giving of Laws to the Pulpit, and Aug. 4.4.D. more especially for the regulating of Lectures, that there might not be "broached by the reading of late "Writers and ungrounded Divines) any unfound, "feditious and dangerous Doctrins, to the fcandall of the Church, the difquieting of the State and prefent Government. I will conclude what I have spoken of the corruptions of the Pulpit with the complaint 9 Epp. Andrews and Prophecy of our incomparable Author, which he delivered to all the Bishops of a Provincial Synod. First of all be complained, from windfor,to of Canterbury, 1622. Opufc. p.31.32. 33. tr P "That re . apud nes muti,animos doctiffimus vit in locum clepfydram TE, cobaren tia, fcabra, putida,infulfa,rec cone cons ta præcipitavit adnaufeam ufque, & boc falidicitur. Ex quo Concionari prurigino carg quic aditus patefabit quid libet effutiTonstrinam verfa eft, zon end, Ecclefiain ibi ineptaTheologia in Canes on rum quàm bic. « That fince the dumb Dogs were lately beaten, eve- xx quo nuper "ry Dunce took upon him to ufurp the Pulpit, where bied Nes talking by the hour glaffe, and throwing forth head-fibrumpfit inlong their incoherent, mishapen, and flinking crudi- quifque, invola"ties, to the very glut and furfeit of allwife bearers, bu, bic ad they have the luck forfooth to have it call'd by the X "name of Preaching. He further added, That tia non coheren"Since unlearned and itching tongues had invaded the liberty of speaking their pleasures from the Pulpit, "the very Church was infefted with as many fooleries e of aifcourfe as are commonly vented in the places "where men fheere sheep By which means (faith our Author) Theologie was turn'd into meer Bat tologie, and the dumb Doggs into barking Whelps; crying out against them who improve their Sermons "with any unvulgar and choyce parts of learning, "thofe that corrupt and adulterate the word of God. VVhilt they themselves (who thus rail against the things they understand not) " are the most "difboneft Hucksters and corrupters of it; the crude "andraw trifles of their own fick brains are as unfa"vory as spittle, as tastlesse and infipid as the white an Egge. This is the upfhot of this great mans complaint: And his Prophecy upon it was briefly deed pro this, That unleffe the Synod then affembled would ugasenitake heed unto themselves, and to all the Flock, buva, to the Church of God,to the Doctrin of the Church, magis aut jejuand to the Difpenfers of the Doctrin, "There fumet. "would shortly come a time when nothing of these * as of Βατιολογίαν, trantes mutati in Catulos oblatrantes. Siquis quincea fee stain recondita eruditionis proferre. Statim Corruptorem fi adulterantem verbum Dei: ita reum peragunt co fomnium co ponesequili ruptores & cau mi, qui non eruditionem immi as, cerebri non albumen ovi num aut injul * Nifi Doctrina rè attendatis, hould be left to be taken beed of; Anda Babel Vocids, mat fhould be erected instead of Sion. Now that this brevi nulla fu tura eft ommino, cui (fi maxime velutis) poffitis attendere. In conc. ad Clerum in Synod. provinc. Cantuar. prov. 1593. rp. 40. f moft learned and pious Prelate was most impartially fevere in every part of that Sermon, and fincerely aimed (in his feverity at the peace and welfare of Church and State, (to which be was carried Scias men by nature as well as by defigne) and that he meant weighs pa the fame Faction or Sect of Preachers to whom his diofam fuiffe beloved King James was fo defervedly severe (as Molinei p.172. being alwaies infefted by them) will undeniably appear to every intelligent and boneft Reader, who φύπως κι εκ cis femper flu Idem in Refp.ad Pair. t * Confer opufc. will compare that Latin Sermon with his three Epiftles to learned Moulin. P.39.40. ut & P.32.33.cum p.165.166. Teq. What the admired Bishop Andrews, and the judicious Mr. Hooker, and many other wise men of the age laft paft,did only feare and forefee, we, the first of their Pofterity,have liv'd to feel: I mean the lamentable effects which are wont to follow(I say not the liberty, but) the licentioufneffe of the Pulpit. What comes too late to be prevented, may yet, in time, be capable of fome redreffe. Be our condition never fo ill,we cannot hope to make it better by meerly defpairing of our Amendment. What I have hitherto premifed concerning the nature of our Difeafe, is not intended to deject or afflict any Reader, but only to make him the more attentive to what is offer'd in this Volume (at least) as one means of Cure and Restauration. Where there are too many Sermons, I apprehend there are too few. And the more numerous they are who preach up Herefie and Schifme and Difobedience, the greater number is needfull to preach them down. The more *Tit. 1. 10. unruly and vain Talkers, efpecially they of the Verf. 11. Circumcifion (these doet fubvert whole |