TO THE

HONOURABLE

THE

COMMONS

Affembled in PARLIAMENT.

Honourable and Worthy,

A

S the Lord reprefented thefe Truths to you before, in the Ministry of the Word; fo now again, He offers them to your fecond Confideration, in this Printed Book; becaufe he hath a mind, you should take notice of them. And I must needs fay, it is the Lord's voice to you; and I hope he will move your hearts to regard it; though Satan hath mightily beftir'd himself, by cafting an ill Vizard upon the Truth, to make you diflike it. But if you like Chrift the worse for a Face fpit on and buffeted, you may want a Saviour. And if you like the Truth of Chrift the worse for a fcratcht Face, you may make your dwelling place, with Error and Humane Doctrines, which are all one. Micajah had no fooner delivered the Truth of God, but there was a False Prophet to fmite him on the face; the Lord no fooner prepares Inftruments to reveal his Truth, but Satan hath his Inftruments ready, to turn the Truth of God into a Lye. And this God fuffers to be done, to exercise your skill and wisdom, that you might learn, not to be offended at the Truth with the World; but to receive and love the Truth, notwithstanding

withstanding all the indignities and reproaches of Men. When you read what you have heard, you muft needs acknowledge it to be the mind of God, if you have received the anointing of the Spirit; and the Truth herein contained, fhall prevail with all that belong to God. For my part, I am not careful touching the fuccefs of it, I can trust God with that, whofe Word it is. For, as the Doctrine of the World, hath the weak power of the World to carry on that, fo the Doctrine of Jefus Chrift, hath the mighty power of God to carry on that; and the power of God in the World fhall as foon be made void, as the true DoArine of the Gospel, though called Error, Herefie, and Schifm, and have all the mifguizes of Hell put upon it. The Truth you then heard delivered, and may here read again, fhall carry all oppofition, and oppofers before it, and none fhall be able to ftand against it, that engage against it; and of this, both your felves and this Generation fhall be Witnesses.

If any think that I gave too much power to Chrift, in the Reforming of the Church, his own Body, let them confider again, that too much cannot be given to Chrift in God's Kingdom, feeing he is all in all in it. Neither is that exaltation the Gospel gives to Chrift in this Bufinefs, any diminution to your felves; neither by making Chrift all in the Kingdom of God, are you made ever the lefs in the Kingdoms of this World. But whatever power the word of God hath given you, I will deny you none of it; nay, I will be among the firft, that fhall attribute it to you. And do defire, you would no more, any of you be difpleafed, for attributing the Reformation of the Church to Chrift alone, than the Redemption, Juftification, Sanctification, or Glorification of it, to Chrift alone: The former being every whit, as

great

great and glorious a work of Chrift, as the latter. I do moft willingly allow you, your Thrones in the Kingdoms of this World; but only defire to reserve to Chrift his own Throne, in the Kingdom of God.

There are thofe indeed, that would lift you up to this Throne, not because they would have you fit there, but place them there; they would af cribe to you, the power only due to the Son of God, not because they would have you ufe it, but would use it themselves; they would derive power from you to do that, which they fay you cannot do; and the power they attribute to you in the things of God, they fay, is not well in your hands, but in theirs.

And here I would defire you, to take notice of the working of the Myftery of Iniquity, from the Head, to the very Little-toes of the Man of Sin: At first you know, the Pope interested himself in the Emperor, and Powers of the World (for his own advantage and fupport no doubt, rather than for theirs) after, the Prelates fucceffively, faid to worldly Kings, lend us your Power, and we will lend you ours; let our Spiritual Power deal in Temporal things, and your Temporal Power shall deal in Spiritual things; and ftill the Clergy-power (which call'd it felf Spiritual) fo linkt it felf with the Temporal, that the Power that was not of God, might be upheld by the Power that was of God; and (having got this advantage) they cried, Destroy one, Destroy both; and fo the Prelates were wont to fay, No Bishop, no King. And their Succeffors in the Kingdom of Antichrift ftill cry, No Minifter, No Magiftrate; and fo ftill mingle Interests and Powers with the Civil Magiftrate; that under the Magiftrate, the Power of God, they might cunningly fhrowd that Power that is not of God. And thus they ftill, under

the

the Name of the Magiftrate, feek themselves, and the drawing off that Power that is only his, from him to themselves, to whom it doth not belong : Being, in the mean time, really against Magistracy, further than is ferviceable to their own ends. Whereas, we reckon Magistracy, not lefs Magiftracy, no lefs the Ordinance of God, though we fuffer under it, and by it.

This

Clergy-Antichriftian power wherever it is, will still fit upon the power of the Nation, the power of Antichrift, fo domineering over the powers of the World, that none but the power of Chrift can caft it off; that will still be uppermoft, what power foever is fupream. Befides, all the experience of former Ages (which is the greatest wonder in the World, that Men confider not) God gives you sparklings enough of it in this Age; fome preaching, That the Government of the Church (which they make outward and vifible, and over Mens Eftates, Bodies, and Lives,) belongs not to King nor Parliament, but to the Ministers and their Elders; and better it is, there fhould be no Government at all (fay they) than not in their hands by whom it should be. And here lies the Mystery of Iniquity in this, That they make the whole Kingdom a Church, and then require a Power, Authority and Jurifdiction in their Church-Kingdom, which the Magistrate is not to deal withal, but themselves. Whereas we acknowledge the whole Power of the Kingdom, to belong to the Magistrate, and only give unto Chrift the Power of his own Kingdom, which is not of the World, but Spiritual and Heavenly.

And here alfo, fully to deliver my felf from mifapprehenfions, I understand not by the Church of Chrift, any Company of Men whatsoever,

who

who under the Notion of a Church or Saints, or any other Title, may plead Privilege or exemption of their Lives, Liberties, or Eftates, from the power of the Civil Magiftrate, for that were to justifie the Papal, Prelatical, or any other Government of a newer name, which under pretence of Jus Divinum, fhall fet up and exercise an outward and visible power and jurisdiction, free and exempted from the Authority and Power of the Civil Magiftrate; which I utterly both deny and deteft, as Antichriftian.

And therefore, I humbly reprefent, how prejudicial this may prove to you in the end, to fuffer a Generation of Men in the Kingdom, under the name either of Church or Clergy, whose Power, Preferment, and Intereft is different and excentrical from the Power, Welfare, and Intereft of the Kingdom; and what a Ballance they may prove against the State where they live, in turning and tumultuous Times, as they themselves know, fo (I hope) you clearly perceive it, as well as they. How they already dare lift up the Head against you, who fees not? How do they manifeft their difcontents against you in Pamphlets and Pulpets, in their Sermons and Prayers, because you have not fetled the Government, they have studied out for you, as Jus Divinum, and the certain and unchangeable mind of God, though they can neither make it out, to your felves, nor to any body else, by the Word, that it is fo? And how do they labour to inftill into the People their own difcontents, perfwading them, you have done nothing at all, because you have not done all that ever they would have you do, though you can fee neither Scripture nor reafon for it? And for this Caufe, rendring you every where odious to the People. Many other things befides, do they fcramble up, and ufe against