tenings and banquetings, by which means surfeits and diseases drive them to the physicians, who wait for their prey, to get money to purchase lands and houses, that they may let it out to them again. Thus, you see, that the body of England is become a monster: God hath created eyes in us that are the feet, to discover her nakedness as far as the middle; we have a little light of her arms, and her head, which keeps her pomp by sword and violence; but our sight being weak, and most work to do at home, and most convenient for every man to pull the beam out of his own eye, according to the Scriptures, Matth. vii. 3. that we may see clearer, and justly judge the tree by its fruits, we shall try the inferior and lower sort of feasting among women, called by the name of christenings, which are these: First, to exchange upon some body that is silly, or foolish, sluttish, or covetous, or an ill husband, or a drunkard: Others be condemned for often feasting, and wearing fine cloaths, swearing and lying, so that all sorts are laughed at, and judged, but ourselves, whilst we ourselves are doing the very same things. And this is the fruit that grows upon the tree called christening, or baptizing the child into the father's faith; which is an admirable tree, if it be true, that the child can be in Christ by the father's faith, and no falling from grace. Then let us consider, whether Adam did believe in Christ; and, if it be found he did, then this baptism would have saved all the people from Adam to this day, and will do from this day forward; for the child, being baptized into the father's faith, groweth up, and begetteth children, and cannot fall away, baptizing children into their faith, and so forward. So that, if God had been as wise as we in our own conceit, he might have saved the lives of all his prophets, and apostles, and people too; but the most High is now once more beginning to break through the clouds of darkness in poor innocent forms of earth, raising them up from carpenting, fishing, and tent-making, to confound the High and Mighty, for the wisdom of man is foolishness, 1 Cor. chap. i. Now let us compare this inferiour feast, called christening, with the feast of Christ among the multitude, and see which was most exemplary to the people, and which produced most good to soul and body; and consider the example of Christ's birth in a manger, with the pomp and pride of children's births in our days. Again, consider what feast there was when Christ was baptized of John, and, I think, we shall find none at all. Then let us see what Christ had at his feast with the people; he being able to command stones to be bread, or water to be wine, was also able to command roast beef or pig; but he was to be exemplary to all people on earth, in all his actions and doctrine; made an innocent feast for the people with barley loaves and fishes, Mat. xiv. But some will object and say, he was able to work miracles, and we are not. To which I answer; if we, as he, were able to command all things, and yet would have nothing at our feast but barley loaves and fishes, what advantage would our power be to this feast? The feast being innocent, without hurting any creature on earth; but, on the contrary, he endeavoured to preserve, and to reconcile the people to God with sound words of instructions, uttered with love, peace, and meekness, with motions of healing all people that were brought to him: So that you may see a great difference betwixt his feast and the other,

Again, he often went to the feast of the Jews, and to a wedding, to shew forth the power of his Father, in turning water into wine; but we never find that ever he was drunk, or eat a bit of flesh at any of their feasts, or weddings. The passover was his own feast, and did belong to the fulfilling of the law of the Father in his flesh, even for a disobedient people, which the Lord, by Moses, brought out of Egypt from their flesh pots, into the wilderness, to purify their bodies with angels food, called manna, which they ground in mills, or beat in mortars, to make in cakes: Bnt they, losing their grossness, grew lean and hungry, and murmured, and rebelled against the Lord, lusting after the flesh-pots of Egypt. Their desires being much and strong, the Lord granted them flesh, even as he granted them a king, and his wrath and plague came with it, as you may see in Numb. xi. 33. and Psal. Ixxviii. 31. While the flesh was yet between their teeth, before it was chewed, even then the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with an exceeding great plague. Thus, you see, what miserable creatures we are, being bred up with flesh and blood, onions and garlick, all under Mars, whom God hath made governor all over that humour that lusteth after flesh and blood, which is made strong in us, by feeding of it, as I myself may speak by experience. For, if God had commanded me to forbear flesh before I had knowledge of this my discourse, although he had sent an angel, or a man working miracles, I doubt I should have judged all to be of the devil, for the lust had after the sweetness of flesh; even as the rich men, in these our days, will deny the Scripture, wherein Christ commanded the rich man in the gospel, to sell his goods, and give to the poor. But they will say, it reached no farther, than that one rich man should; for, say they, if we should believe this Scripture extended to us, we should make the poor richer than ourselves. So it seems by this, that they had rather deny this Scripture, and many more that speak to this purpose, even Christ and all, rather than to part from their riches; this would have been my condition in ignorance.

Therefore let not the rich men mistake me, and think that I would have them sell their goods, before God hath enlightened their understandings, and let them see the danger of keeping it, for then they would play the hypocrites, and do as bad to themselves, as if they had kept it, although good to others. This would be the condition of every one that shall forbear flesh, or beer, as in relation to God, because it is a sin against the body, or bodies and souls of men: Except any man think he sins against God in eating, to him it is sin, because he is weak and doubteth: So he ought to forbear, because of his scruple; as you shall see in Rom. xiv. 8. 1 Cor. viii. 10. For if any man see thee, which hath knowledge, sit at table in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak, be imboldened to eat those things which are sacrificed to idols? You may observe from this, that he that walketh by another man's light, before he is fully convinced in himself, if he buildeth on sand, he will fall in the tempest, because he hath lost his tender light of his scruple, which Paul endeavoured to strengthen in every one of his brethren, let them be of what opinion they would in matter of conscience. It is very plain in Rom. xiv. and very few

in these days believeth it; for we all cry out against many opinions, yet every one would have his own opinion justified. We may as well cry out and condemn every one his neighbour, because they differ in physiognomy, and so condemn the work of God without us, as well as within us; but this is rebellion against our Maker: for the Scripture commandeth us not to judge one another in matter of conscience towards God, but for the sin against our brethren and neighbours. We ought to know the tree by its fruits. So that any man or men in countries, towns, or cities, that shall defraud their brethren, and shall advance themselves in pride by oppression and tyranny, imitating Sodom and Gomorrah in all manner of abominations; if any see this imitated in England, it is high time for us, or them that do so, to become imitators of Christ and the prophets; first, in order of the prophets that came before Christ, who were ordered by their practice to shew Israel their transgressions, in drinking water by measure, and in making bread; for Ezekiel took of wheat, barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and fishes, and put them in a vessel, and made bread thereof; and, instead of butter and spice, he was to take cow's dung instead of men's dung, to prepare his bread with, and he was to have his portion by weight, Ezek. iv. 9. Thus, the prophet was to shew them their error in matter of food; and for cloathing, you may see in Isa. xx. who was a prophet of God, ordered not only to wear sackcloth, but to go naked, and without shoes three years. If these Scriptures are written for our learning, imitation, and practice, then we are to judge which are the prophets of God, by this practice in Scripture; and if So, where shall we find prophets of God? But some will say, we are to follow Christ and the apostles, in the New Testament; and, if you will have it so, then we must exactly see what orders they had in their commission, that we know them from hirelings. We find in the commission, that they were to go and preach without money, or scrips, or shoes on their feet, but to be shod with sandals, Mark vi. 8. So we may doubt whether we shall find any apostles too, if we shall judge by Christ's commission; but, if you will not own these Scriptures, neither let us try them that mark out the false apostles and teachers, namely John x.. where he saith, the hireling is not his shepherd; and Mat. vii. where he saith, ye shall know them by their fruits, inwardly they are ravening wolves. Many more Scriptures to this purpose there are; but, if you have a mind to your hireling still, you will believe no Scripture that is against him, neither is there any for him; so that all true practical part of Scriptures must be laid aside; only talk of it and dispute of it a little, and pick out of it a few places to preach out of, and to write, to get some money to uphold their pride and honour in this world, to please the old man in the flesh. Surely if John the Baptist should come forth again, and call himself leveller, and take such food as the wilderness yielded, and such cloathing, and preach up his former doctrine, He that hath two coats should give away one of them, and he that hath food should do likewise;' how scornfully would our proud gentlemen and gallants look on him, that hath gotten three or four coats with great gold and silver buttons, and half a score dainty dishes at his table, besides his gallant house, and his furniture therein;

Mortal form, what dost thou mean,
To make such long delay;

Keeping thy soul so poor and lean,
Against the dreadful day?

To which we all must once appear,
To receive our sentence deep;
The sorrowing heart, and terrible fears,
Making our souls to weep.

Two things there are to us propos'd,
Whilst we on earth do dwell;
In chusing one, the other's lost,
Let it be heaven or hell.

Then must our choice be circumspect,
Without a worldly mind:

Lest God one day do us reject,

And we no mercy find.

If heaven we choose, then hell is lost,
We cannot it embrace;

But to the glory of joy we must,
Swallowed be in endless grace.
If hell we choose, the world is gain'd,
Which is that flesh desires:
Then need we nothing to refrain,
That pride and lust requires.
Such are our lusts and covetousness,
The belly and back to please;

With selling and buying, dissembling and lying,
Yet we cannot live at ease.

But still in discontent abide,

Desiring after more:

Our envy would that all had died,

That loved not the whore.

Her merchants they do howl and weep,
Their traffick none will buy:
They wishing now to sow or reap,
One year before they die.
In Revelation, Chap. nineteen,
In truth there you may read;
Who 'tis shall bear the scepter,
When the old whore is dead.
Thus to the wise in their conceit,
As I myself have been:

They now shall know that once they might,
Have left the greatest sin.

O England then repent

For the misery thou art in,
Which have all, by consent,
Liv'd on each others sin.

If pride should banish'd be away,
Then tradesmen out would cry,

Come let us kill, eat, and slay,
Or else for want we die.
Then would the gentry mourn,

Without pride they cannot live;
And slaves to get them corn,
Whilst they themselves deceive.
Thus pride becomes our God,
And dear to us as life;
Whose absence makes us sad,
And cannot please our wife.
If the poor labouring men,
Live of their own increase;
Where are your gentry then,

But gone among the beasts?
If any would know who is the author,
Or ask whose lines are these,
I answer, one that drinketh water,
And now a liver at ease.
In drinking cannot be drunk,
Nor am I mov'd to swear:
And from wenching am I sunk,
My bones are kept so bare.
For it is the grossness of the flesh
That makes the soul to smart,
And is the cause of his own lust,
That commits adultery in his heart.

A

CENTURY OF THE NAMES AND SCANTLINGS

Of such inventions, as at present I can call to mind to have tried and perfected, which, my former notes being lost, I have, at the instance of a powerful friend, endeavoured now, in the year 1655, to set these down in such a way as may sufficiently instruct me to put any of them in practice.

Artis & natura proles.

London, printed by J. Grismond in 1663. Twenty-fours, containing ninetyone pages.

SIR,

To the King's most excellent Majesty.

Scire meum nihil est, nisi me scire hoc sciat alter, saith the poet, and I most justly in order to please your majesty, whose satisfaction is my