NEW PREACHERS, NEVV. Greene the Feltmaker, Spencer the Horse rubber, Quartermine the Brewers Clarke, with some few others, that are mighty sticklers in this new kinde of talking Trade, which many ignorant Coxcombes call Preaching. Whereunto is added the last Tumult in Fleetstreet, raised by the disorderly preachment, pratings, and pratling of Mr. Barebones the Leather-seller, and Mr. Greene the Feltmaker, on Sunday last the 19. of Decemb.
Greene the Feltmaker.
Barebones the Leather seller.
An Epistle written by a private friend to Iohn Greene, a Hat-maker.
MAster Greene, you would be taken to be a man fearing God, and not onely so, but a teacher in Israel, yea; say more, a teacher of Teachers; for you thinke that God hath made you wiser then your Teachers, and therefore you take upon you not onely to reprove them for some things that you judge amisse, but also to instruct them how to preach the word, not the Law nor legall preparation for the receiving of Christ, that in your opinion is not Gods way. Now truly sir I thinke best that you let this question alone, till you (as those tradesmen which Christ did call) bee sent to convert the Infidels; but it is like as you preach, so you thinke that all such as meet not in private Conventicles, as you doe, are Infidels, without Christ in the world, and therefore you thinke it as great folly for Ministers now to preach legall preparations to these English pagans, as for the Apostles to have preached it to the Gentile pagans. S [...]r said, that when he tooke a text to preach on, that he [...] le [...] he should fall upon somewhat that others had beene preaching on, and so printed, fearing if he should so doe, it would scandalize his Ministery. Doe not these things come from proud spirits, that he, and you a Hatmaker, and a Horse-keeper, will ta [...] upon you to be Ambassadours of God, to teach [...] or teachers, and take upon you to be Ministers of the Gospell in these dayes of light, in these times, when (thankes be to God) wee may lay, Great are the company of Preachers, yea and such Preachers that are able out of originall tongues to divide the word aright, who in learning and godlinesse of lives are not inferiour to the Min [...]sters of any Churches in Europe, and you wil reprove them and [...]nstruct them, [...]nd teach them h [...]r to teach others.
O Mr. Greene for shame blush, I say againe blush, and say in these words of holy Iob, Iob 40. [...], 5. I will lay my hand upon my mouth: Once have I spoken, but I will not answer [...]ee twice. But I will proceed no [...]. But put the [...]a [...]e [...] you are resolved to goe on in this way; which indeed I too much feare, let us reason the matter a little what ground you have for so doing▪ calling from man I am sure you have none, for it is not the custome of any well setled Church in Europe to ordaine such as you, I meane Hatmakers, Coblers, Taylors, Horsekeepers, upon one and the same day to be plancke and the Pulpit, in the forenoone making a hat, or rubbing a horse, in the afternoone preaching a Sermon. But you will say, though you have not a calling from man, yet from God you have an inward calling. Who shall be judge of that Mr. Greene? your selfe? Thinke of what the Apostle saith, 2 Cor. [...]0.12. Such as measure themselves by themselves, are not wi [...]. But consider I pray you that our Lord would not have had the Asse, Matth. 21.3. if he had not stood in need of him. Now the truth is, our Church hath no need of such as you, unlearned, a selfe-conceited hatmaker; Spencer, a wavering minded fellow, a stable unstable companion in all his wai [...], having beene a Serving man, a Porter, a Groome to a Stable, a Chandler, a Weaver, yea more, of as many trades almost as religions: but the Church hath need of him, so he saith. But I say it is a proud speech. It is true, that in the beginning of Queene Elizabeths reigne, the Popish Priests and Friers being dism [...]ssed, there was a scarcity for the present of learned men, and so some tradesmen were permitted to leave their trades, and betake themselves to the ministery; but it was necessity that did then constraine so to doe: but thankes bee to God we have now go such necessity, and therefore this practice of you and your comragues casts in ill aspersion upon our good God, that doth furnish our Church plentifully with learned men; and it doth also scandalize our Church, as if we stood in need of such as you to preach the Gospell. But you will say that our Lord chose tradesmen, fishermen, and others, and Paul was a Tent maker, &c, t [...]e [Page] [...]ame God that chose them, hath called you. Your wisedome is great, and it is wittily said: but the tree is knowne by the fruit, and if you can doe the like workes as they did, wee will beleeve that you have the like calling as they had. Can you speake with strange tongues, and worke miracles? When our Lord chose mechanicks to be his messengers and ministers, it was to shew his power, that very babes should perfit his praise, and confound the wisedome of the world, when such mighty workes should be effected by such weake instruments. And indeed it was said by Moses, that God gave the Law in such wonders, that Moses law might for ever be beleeved: so of Christ, that his Gospell might for ever bee beleeved. Hee chose such as knew not their letters, ignorant men, Act. 4.13. which made the world to wonder how they could doe such things. God gave testimony both with signes and wonders, and divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, Heb. 2.4. but we see none of these things in you master Greene; what is that which you can doe more then any b [...]ffling Sectary? you tell us you have the Spirit, so doe they, but shew us no works to evince us, but as common Mountebanks boast it out of themselves, so doe you: and as men learne trades, so you have private meetings, in which you learne to preach, at which for a time you are onely auditors: ye be at first like birds in the shell: silly discontented zelots: they onely are the fish that bite at the seducers b [...]it, which being once caught and perve [...]ted, then is the sh [...]ll broke, and the bird crept forth, and the simple one is become a schismatick; and then at their meetings beginne to talke, and sometimes thinking himselfe to understand such or such a Scripture, he will then take upon him to expound Scriptures, the which they call prophesying or preaching; and thus as one of them told the Lords in the Parliament, that they were all preachers, for so they practise and exercise themselves as young players doe in private, till they bee by their brethren judged fit for the pulpit, and then up they goe, and like Mountebankes play their parts, making some of their old honest acquaintance beleeve that all they doe is by the Spirits immediate infusion, and that it is so, they cunningly apply that Scripture of [Page] a promise by Christ, that saith, Take no thought what yee shall say, for it shall be given in the selfe same houre: so these men will professe that they speake by the Spirit, and that they pray by the Spirit, for which they will cite 1 Cor. 14.15. where the Apostle speaketh of praying with the spirit, and praying with understanding also: but let them take the latter end of that verse with them, and let them sing with the Spirit, and sing with understanding also, and let the cunningest Mountebank of them all play his part, let him sing Psalmes ex tempore by the spirit, and I will say hee is a gull indeed that is seduced by them. But the Apostle there speakes of those divine men that had the Spirit of prophesie given for the planting of the Church: for the Apostle saith, 1 Cor. 14.21▪ That if an unbeleever come in when they are prophesying, he is convinced, that the secrets of his heart is manifested, and falling downe upon his face worships God, and saith, Of a truth God is in them. So it w [...]s with the woman of Samaria, Ioh. 4.29 when hearing our Lord Christ, sh [...] ran and told her neighbours, saying, Come see a man that told mee all things that over I did, is not this the Christ? These were those that could then pray by the Spirit, sing by the Spirit, and without studying preach by the Spirit: and now every proud sect [...] rie takes upon him to doe the like; Greene, Spencer, Robinson, yea all Brownists, Anabaptists, Familists, Arrians; can all pre [...]ch by the spirit, pray by the spirit, but they cannot sing by the spirit; then t [...]me required it, the worke required it; it was the time of which the Prophets foretold, that God would poure out the Spirit upon all flesh, and their sonnes and their daughters should prophesie: and dare our proud sectaries assume unto themselves the like gifts: there is not in our dayes that occasion and necessi [...]y for men to be so gifted: have you new Gospels or new doct [...]ines to publish to the world? I feare indeed you have many strange whimsies, and though you have not the like gifts as the Primitive Christians, yet you have many juggling trickes to deceive the simple; in th [...] you come not much behinde the Iesui [...]s, but like Iannes and Iambres, ye have cunning sl [...] his to bewitch and deceive the simple. Away with these trickes, put off your [Page] vizards, and turne honest men, follow your trades painfully pay your debts honestly, releeve the poor charitably, beare burdens with your neighbours willingly, obey your governors readily, if you would doe thus, wee should not have so many sectaries and beggers about the towne. I tell you I am angry with you, my very purse feeles it, it is your enticing to Conventicles and private meetings that makes men and women to neglect their callings and trades two or three dayes a weeke to follow your heeles; and though they doe not follow you so o [...]t, yet they spend away that precious time that they should work for themselves and families, and be able to releeve the pop [...]e, to p [...]ate of your doctrines, and to set other upon admiring what strange gifts and abilities you have given of God. If this be not so, how comes it to passe in such a City as this, neere the one halfe of men that breakes are biased your wayle and how many poure families in every parish receive almes, and runne in debt, and make no conscience of paying, and yet they must bee at your meetings, like busie-bodies, spending away their time in chatting one with another, censuring those of their neighbours that are not as foolish and factious as themselves. Mr. Greene, Mr. Greene, leave off these wayes, bring home such as you have caused to stray. It is such as you that vent your venome against our godly Preachers, and the divine Prayers of our Church, yea, ag [...]inst all solemne set forme of prayers, all is from Antichrist, but that which you preach is most divine, that comes fresh from the spirit, the other is an old dead sacrifice composed (I should have said killed) so long time agone, that now it stinkes. It is so that in the yeare of the Lord 1549. it was compiled by Doctor Cranmer, Dr. Goodricke, Dr. Skip, Dr. Thrilby, Dr. Day, Dr. Holbecke, D [...]. Ridly, Dr. Cox, D [...]. Tailor, Dr. Haines, Dr. Redman, Mr. Robinson Archdeane of L [...]ce [...] but what are all these? they are not to be compared to Iohn Greene a Hatmaker, for hee thinketh what he blustreth forth upon the sudden is farre better then that which these did maturely and deliberately compose. Now truly I will say no more of Iohn Greene but this, I think he hath more fellowes about the towne, such as Salomon speaks of, [Page] Prou [...] 26. [...] wiser [...] their [...] w [...]e conceits, the [...] men that can render E [...]a [...]o [...]: a [...] [...]e [...] the [...] [...], truth saith, Prov. 10. & such prating fooles sh [...]ll fall: and as for such as will suffer themselves to be seduced and led by Greene, or such like, I will say to them, Much good doe it them, that have got a proud Vicar o [...] fooles for their ghostly father. But some will say, Greene is a very honest man and what he doth is in sinceritie of heart. I answer, So did the Hereticks of old and all sectaries in our dayes, in si [...]c [...]ritie of heart: judge all but themselves to be out of the right pathway to heaven; and this is the cunningnesse of the old Serpent, if he cannot hold men in one sn [...]re, he will lay ano [...]her for them, if he cannot keep Iohn Greene a p [...]tting companion, he will make a schismatick of him, and he shal nor feare to take the Priesthood and Ministerie upon him, and to tell Moses and Aaron to their faces, That you take too much upon you ye sons of Levi. Are not all the Lords people holy as well as you? Hath not H [...]tmakers, Horsekeepers, Coblers and Weavers as great abilities of the spirit, and as much holinesse, as any Doctor of them all, that is br [...]d up in learned Tongues and Arts? Thus Satan transformes himselfe into an Angell of light, to deceive the simple; for if the Devill in his instruments should come in his colours, who then could have [...]ene seduced by him; if Greene had beene a potting in the forenoone, and preaching in the afternoone, hee could hardly have perswaded a man to have given credit to his doctrine, neither to his words, as to have given in a hat 5. shillings in 20. more to him then to another. But both hee and many of his fraternity know very well how to get mony, can they but turne non-conformists, or deliver strange doctrines, or become a leader of some sect, then who but them, both for rich wives, and many customers. Full truly doth Iude in his Epistle speake of such, saving, These filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evill of dignities. Woe unto them, for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
A briefe touch, in memory of the fiery zeale of Mr. Barebones a reverend unlearned Letherseller, who with Mr. Green the Feltmaker, were both taken preaching or prating in a Conventicle amongst a 100. persons, on Sunday 19. of Decem. last, 1641.
AFter my Commendations Mr. Raubones (Barebones, I should have said) in acknowledgement of your too much troubling your selfe, and molesting of others: I have made b [...]ld to relate briefly your last Sundayes afternoones worke, lost in time your meritorious paines-taking should be forgotten, (for the which, you and your Associate Mr. Greene, do well deserve to have your heads in the custody of young Gregory to make but tones for hempen loopes) you two having the Spirit so full that you must either vent or burst, did on the Sabbath aforesaid, at your house neere Fetterlane end in Fleetstreet, at the signe of the Locke and Key, there and then did you and your consort (by turnes) unlocks most delicate strange doctrine, where were about thousands of people, of which number, the most ignorant appl [...]ud [...]d your preaching, and those that understood any thing derided your iggnorant prating; but after foure houres long and tedious ta [...]ling, the house where you were was beleagured with multitudes that thought it fit to rowse you out of your blinde devotion; so that your walles were battered, your windowes all in fractions torne into ratling shivers, and worse the hurly hurly might have beene, but that sundry, Constables came, in with strong guards of men to keepe the peace, in which conflict your Signe was beaten downe and unhang'd to make ro [...]me for the owner to supply the place: all which shewes had never beene; had Mr. Greene and Mr. Barebones beene content (as they should have done) to have gone to their owne Parish Churches. Also the same day a mad rusticke fellow ( [...] Prophet Hunt) did his best to raise the like strife and trouble [...] Sepulchres Church.
Con [...]ider and avoid these disorders, good Reader.