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ing of Reformation it felf: what does he then but reveal Himself to his fervants, and as his manner is, first to his English-men; I fay as his manner is, first to us, though we mark not the method of his counsels, and are unworthy. Behold now this vaft City; a City of refuge, the mansion house of liberty, encompast and furrounded with his protection; the shop of warre hath not there more anvils and hammers waking, to fashion out the plates and instruments of armed Justice in defence of beleaguer'd Truth, then there be pens and heads there, fitting by their ftudious lamps, mufing, searching, revolving new notions and idea's wherewith to prefent, as with their homage and their fealty the approaching Reformation: others as fast reading, trying all things, affenting to the force of reason and convincement. What could a man require more from a Nation so pliant and so prone to seek after knowledge. What wants there to such a towardly and pregnant foile, but wife and faithfull labourers, to make a knowing people, a Nation of Prophets, of Sages, and of Worthies. reck'n more then five months yet to harvest; there need not be five weeks, had we but eyes to lift up, the fields are white already. Where there is much desire to learn, there of neceffity will be much arguing, much writing, many opinions; for opinion in good men is but knowledge in the making. Under these fantastic terrors of sect and schism, we wrong the earnest and zealous thirst after knowledge and understanding which God hath ftirr'd up in this City. What fome lament of, we rather should rejoyce at, fhould rather praise this pious forwardnes among men, to reaffume the ill deputed care of their Religion into their own hands again. A little generous prudence, a little forbearance of one another, and fom grain of charity might win all these diligences to joyn, and unite in one generall and brotherly search after Truth; could we but forgoe this Prelaticall tradition of crowding free confciences and Christian liberties into canons and precepts of men. I doubt not, if some great and worthy stranger should come among us, wife

to difcern the mould and temper of a pecple, and how to govern it, obferving the high hopes and aims, the diligent alacrity of our extended thoughts and reafonings in the pursuance of truth and freedom, but that he would cry out as Pirrhus did, admiring the Roman docility and courage, if fuch were my Epirots, I would not despair the greatest design that could be attempted to make a Church or Kingdom happy. Yet these are the men cry'd out against for schifmaticks and fectaries; as if, while the Temple of the Lord was building, some cutting, fome fquaring the marble, others hewing the cedars, there should be a sort of irrationall men who could not confider there must be many fchifms and many difsections made in the quarry and in the timber, ere the house of God can be built. And when every stone is laid artfully together, it cannot be united into a continuity, it can but be contiguous in this world; neither can every peece of the building be of one form; nay rather the perfection confifts in this, that out of many moderat varieties and brotherly diffimilitudes that are not vaftly difproportionall arises the goodly and the gracefull fymmetry that commends the whole pile and structure. Let us therefore be more confiderat builders, more wife in fpirituall architecture, when great reformation is expected. For now the time seems come, wherein Mofes the great Prophet may fit in heav'n rejoycing to fee that memorable and glorious wish of his fulfill'd, when not only our fev'nty Elders, but all the Lords people are become Prophets. No marvell then though fome men, and some good men too perhaps, but young in goodnesse, as Joshua then was, envy them. They fret, and out of their own weaknes are in agony, left those divisions and fubdivifions will undoe us. The adversarie again applauds, and waits the hour, when they have brancht themselves out, faith he, small anough into parties and partitions, then will be our time. Fool! he fees not the firm root, out of which we all grow, though into branches: nor will beware untill hee fee our small divided maniples cutting through at every angle

of his ill united and unweildy brigade. And that we are to hope better of all these fuppofed fects and fchifms, and that we shall not need that folicitude honest perhaps though over timorous of them that vex in his behalf, but shall laugh in the end, at those malicious applauders of our differences, I have these reasons to perfwade me. First, when a City fhall be as it were befieg'd and blockt about, her navigable river infested, inrodes and incurfions round, defiance and battell oft rumor'd to be marching up ev'n to her walls, and fuburb trenches, that then the people, or the greater part, more then at other times, wholly tak'n up with the study of highest and most important matters to be reform'd, should be difputing, reasoning, reading, inventing, difcourfing, ev'n to a rarity, and admiration, things not before discourst or writt'n of, argues first a singular good will, contentedneffe and confidence in your prudent forefight, and safe government, Lords and Commons; and from thence derives it self to a gallant bravery and well grounded contempt of their enemies, as if there were no fmall number of as great spirits among us, as his was, who when Rome was nigh befieg'd by Hanibal, being in the City, bought that peece of ground at no cheap rate, whereon Hanibal himself encampt his own regiment. Next it is a lively and cherfull prefage of our happy fucceffe and victory. For as in a body, when the blood is fresh, the spirits pure and vigorous, not only to vital, but to rationall faculties, and those in the acutest, and the pertest operations of wit and futtlety, it argues in what good plight and constitution the body is, so when the cheerfulneffe of the people is fo fprightly up, as that it has, not only wherewith to guard well its own freedom and safety, but to spare, and to bestow upon the fsolidest and fublimest points of controversie, and new invention, it betok'n us not degenerated, nor drooping to a fatall decay, but cafting off the old and wrincl'd skin of corruption to outlive these pangs and wax young again, entring the glorious waies of Truth and prospe

rous vertue deftin'd to become great and honourable in these latter ages. Methinks I fee in my mind a noble and puiffant Nation rousing herself like a strong man after fleep, and fhaking her invincible locks: Methinks I fee her as an Eagle muing her mighty youth, and kindling her undazl'd eyes at the full midday beam; purging and unscaling her long abused fight at the fountain it felf of heav'nly radiance, while the whole noise of timorous and flocking birds, with those also that love the twilight, flutter about, amaz’d at what she means, and in their envious gabble would prognosticat a year of fects and fchifms.

What should ye doe then, should ye fuppreffe all this flowry crop of knowledge and new light sprung up and yet springing daily in this City, should ye set an Oligarchy of twenty ingroffers over it, to bring a famin upon our minds again, when we shall know nothing but what is measur'd to us by their bushel? Beleeve it, Lords and Commons, they who counsell ye to such a fuppreffing, doe as good as bid ye fuppreffe yourfelves; and I will foon fhew how. If it be defir'd to know the immediat cause of all this free writing and free speaking, there cannot be affign'd a truer then your own mild, and free, and human government; it is the liberty, Lords and Commons, which your own valorous and happy counfels have purchast us, liberty which is the nurse of all great wits; this is that which hath rarify'd and enlightn'd our spirits like the influence of heav'n; this is that which hath enfranchis'd, enlarg'd and lifted up our apprehenfions degrees above themfelves. Ye cannot make us now leffe capable, lesse knowing, leffe eagarly pursuing of the truth, unleffe ye first make your felves, that made us fo, leffe the lovers, leffe the founders of our true liberty. We can grow ignorant again, brutish, formall, and flavish, as ye found us; but you then must first become that which ye cannot be, oppreffive, arbitrary, and tyrannous, as they were from whom ye have free'd us. That our hearts are now more capacious, our thoughts more

erected to the fearch and expectation of greatest and exactest things, is the issue of your owne vertu propagated in us; ye cannot fuppreffe that unleffe ye reinforce an abrogated and mercilesse law, that fathers may dispatch at will their own children. And who shall then fticke closest to ye, and excite others? not he who takes up armes for cote and conduct, and his four nobles of Danegelt. Although I difpraise not the defence of just immunities, yet love my peace better, if that were all. Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to confcience, above all liberties.

What would be best advis'd then, if it be found fo hurtfull and fo unequall to fuppreffe opinions for the newnes, or the unfutablenes to a customary acceptance, will not be my task to say; I only fhall repeat what I have learnt from one of your own honourable number, a right noble and pious lord, who had he not facrific'd his life and fortunes to the Church and Commonwealth, we had not now mist and bewayl'd a worthy and undoubted patron of this argument. Ye know him I am fure; yet I for honours fake, and may it be eternall to him, shall name him, the Lord Brook." He writing of Epifcopacy, and by the way treating of fects and fchifms, left Ye his vote, or rather now the last words of his dying charge, which I know will ever be of dear and honour'd regard with Ye, so full of meeknes and breathing charity, that next to his last testament, who bequeath'd love and peace to his Difciples, I cannot call to mind where I have read or heard words more mild and peacefull. He there exhorts us to hear with patience and humility those, however they be mifcall'd, that desire to live purely, in such a use of Gods Ordinances, as the best guidance of their confcience gives them, and to tolerat them, though in some difconformity to our felves. The book it felf will tell us more at large being publisht to the world, and dedicated to the Parlament by him who both for his life and for his death deferves, that what advice he left be not laid by without perufall.

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