THe soul of man being so excel­lent piece of workmanship of the Almighty Creator, and then so dearely ransomed by his onely Son; she must needs be more tenderly loved, che­rished and preserved by al the friends of God, then the rest of the Creatures; and consequently more hated, envyed and chased by his enemies. Hence it is that the Devill and his Angels, (her old professed enemies) Ambit quasi Leo rugens. Goes about her like a roaring Lion, traceth her steps, and by a long practice in temptation and a deadly rancour, by so much the more cruell, by how much it grows inveterate, doth continually lay traps and ambushes for her destruction; takes all occasions and inclinations to worke upon; and together with her other con­federate foes make continuall warre against her. Now this warre being onely visible to the intelle­ctuall sence, or inward eyes of the soule, and those eyes bleared and dimmed with mortality, bodily corruption and frailty; Shee is often beguiled, misled with illusions and false lights in her earth­ly pilgrimage: And the Devill being all Spirit, and (as our Saviour faith) transforming himselfe (by permission as hee had to tempt Iob) into the shape of an Angell of light to deceive us; our poore Soules are thus apt to bee induced into ma­nifold errors and schismes.

By which meanes doubtlesse it cometh to passe that in this long liberty wee have enjoyed of the Gospell (when most reformed Christians take leave to make their owne way, in point of exposi­tion of Scripture, aswell as in other points of Christian duety) there are sprung up so many strange heresies and opinons. For as in the Primi­tive Church when the Laiety & unlearned sort were contented with the plaine rule of faith set downe in the Apostles Creed without further peeping into mysteries, or comparing partes of Scripture, to trye or question the truth of other parties; the lives and conversations of humble and devout Christians, and especially of their Pastors; were the bright lamps that lighted them in their way to God: So in these later times, through an un­confined liberty of expounding, and over pub­like and unseasonable reasoning and disputing up­on that subject; every one presuming of his own Talent either of wit or grace; the sacred Text is so abused and mangled with variety of Opinions that it is become the common subject of discourse, aswell in tavernes and upon Alehouse benches, as, in private houses and out walkings. No marvaile then that there are now well-nigh as many Sects and different opinions sprung as there be profes­sors. But this redounds to the great disparagement of the reformed Church in generall; especially to ours, which hath so long flourished and shined in the worlds view in an Orthodox and setled disci­pline, without any materiall interruption, and still would flourish, but for a crew of Hypocrites and Round-Heads, who taking the advantage of [Page 5] these late unlucky differences betwixt the King and his great Councell, have partly by their lowd whispers, and libellous Pamphlets, and partely by their mutinous assemblies, not onely sent his Highnesse a dangerous voyage into the North; and thereby deprived the whole Kingdome of that happie union betwixt him and his Parliament, which might otherwise have beene expected: But by poysoning the hearts of many a thousand good Protestants, have new made a wide overture a­mongst many of the illiterate People (of London especially) to let in Innovations, both of doctrine and discipline into our Church: which cannot chuse but produce some sad effect of a civill dis­sention amongst us: forasmuch as there is nothing that so much urgeth mans patience, as to be thrust out of a long continued possession upon new-found pretences, and principally of a setled form of Di­vine worship; which commonly forerunnes a change of Religion it selfe. But because wee are not yet (thankes be to God) come to that; I will breake off from this tender point, to fall in­to the description both of that Zealous sort of Christians, which the Papists have long distin­guished from the colder, and more remisse sorte of Protestants, by the name of Puritans: And of that other sorte who for their hypocrisie may be termed Anti-Puritans, or Round-Heads.

For the first, as it was given them by that cōmon Adversary the Papists, but by way of mockery for their zeal in Gods cause against them, so in regard the word Puritan carries no sence of disgrace, I could wish them to accept of it, & by making good [Page 6] the Title (as our late Protestant Princes have done that of Defendor of the Faith contrary to the Popes intention) to confront and beat downe their specious Title of Universality and Superstition, with Chri­stian purity and plainnesse, and the onely way to be pure indeed.

But here let me pause a little, to give some of the unlearned sorte of them, also this Christian Caveat; That whilst they condemne the Papists for replying too much on their own merits, they give them not as just occasion to condemn them for as great a pre­sumption; which is to trust to their own sence in the exposition of mysterious points of Scripture: But rather to reade and practice those other parties that conduce to a good and vertuous life, without expence of their feable faculties, or perplexing their mindes with things above their reach, as if they studied the Philosophers-stone.

For though it be graunted that Gods grace is ne­ver wanting to a devout soule, yet is it a question whether every mans selfe seeming devotion bee gui­ded by a right spirit. Therefore it is that St. Paul bids us worke our Salvation with feare and trem­bling. For Satan is a cunning Cheater, and like a Hocus Pocus, spies now and then occasions to throw in his false flashes into the soul, upon the sudden extin­guishment of those true lights of grace, which some­times are as soon put out as kindled, by the stinking dampe of some odious, unrepented sin, which pas­sing for currant, and imbraced by presumption, for want of a right examen and triall of the heart, the minde is led awrie with an ignis fatuus, or a Will with the wispe towards some dangerous precepice.

And it is upon the most spiritual and inaccessi­ [...] [...] that the black Enginier practiseth most [...] wi [...]d-fires or illusions, such as make con­ [...] [...] their wayes, and are impregnable by the shot of Worldly and Fleshly provocations.

Is it not therefore pity that the weed of false zeal should be so firtile in these our times, and so pre­valent, as to overrun the wholsome herbe of Inte­gritie? Is it not indeed a lamentable case that by meanes of this Gallimaufry of strange new Sects (united onely in unitie of mischief) our Book of Common Prayer (being every word Scripture) penned doubtlesse by the finger of God, and our decent and our orderly discipline in the House of God, should be thus shamelesly questioned and controverted, not onely by a few of our over sin­gular Divines, but by the Rable of the illiterate Laietie: who under the specious pretext of op­posing Popery, and apprehensions of dangers to the Religion and State of England, doe hazard by these uncontrol'd disorders the ruine of them both?

Is it not pitie (I say) that our eminent English Church after this long prosperitie, should (like a faire ship at Sea) be overwhelmed by a shole of Herrings: a swarme of buzzing Round-heads; a flock of stragled sheep, who misled by some scared Bell-weathers, do thus leap & friske all after each other, over their lawfull bounds into unknown dangers.

For admitting the State or Religion were in perill, would it stand with honour of either of them to accept of their preservation from an un­mershalled and disorderly Rout of Round-heads? such who for the most part, for their unconformity [Page 8] in Religion, are as maligne and dangerous as the common Enemy? God forbid. There be regular men enough, and true-hearted to the State and Religion here established, to be intrusted with the defence and conservation of the publike liber­ty and Priviledge of Parliament without them.

It is a wonder to me how these Round-heads (un­lesse perhaps there be many of them Turners or Wheelers) have thus with their whimsies & devices turned the head of many a good Protestant as round as their own. And though I believe the name of Roundhead was invented by some maligner of Par­liamentary Priviledges. Yet is it evident, by the time of its first raising, that it was upon occasion of their mutinous clamours and assemblies to the no small disturbance of the King and Parliament.

But this terme is grown too general, for though all Citizens and many other civill persons that wear no lockes are by most of the Cavaliers and Souldiers of this time (for antipathy sake) com­prised in the number of Roundheads, yet am I of opinion, that in judgement of few wise and impar­tiall men they will be so esteemed.

For conclusion, I will onely admonish my Reader (who ever he be) to refrain siding, or to blow the already too much glowing coal of Sedition on ei­ther side, and with Christian humility to resigne all to Gods Providence, and to the mannaging of the superior Powers. For that can be no right spi­rit (without doubt) which delights in aggravation of offences, especially in this weighty cause be­twixt our Soveraigne and his highest Councill the Parliament.