POPERY.

1. THE demanding a noble, for a dead body passing through a town, came from hence in time of popery; they carried the dead body into the church, where the priest said dirges; and twenty dirges at fourpence a piece comes to a noble, but now it is forbidden by an order from my lord marshal, the heralds carry his warrant about them.

2. We charge the prelatical clergy with popery to make them odious, though we know they are guilty of no such thing. Just as heretofore they called images Mammets, and the adoration of images Mammettry; that is, Mahomet and Mahometry, odious names, when all the world knows the Turks are forbidden images by their religion.

1. THERE is no stretching of power. It is a good rule; eat within your stomach, act within your commission.

2. They that govern most make least noise. You see when they row in a barge, they that do drudgery-work, slash, and puff, and sweat;

but he that governs, sits quietly at the stern, and scarce is seen to stir.

3. Syllables govern the world.

4. All power is of God, means no more than fides est servanda. When St. Paul said this, the people had made Nero emperor. They agree, he to command, they to obey. Then God comes in, and casts a hook upon them, keep your faith; then comes in, all power is of God. Never king dropped out of the clouds. God did not make a new emperor, as the king makes a justice of peace.

5. Christ himself was a great observer of the civil power, and did many things only justifiable, because the state required it, which were things merely temporary for the time that state stood. But divines make use of them to gain power to themselves. As for example, that of dic ecclesiæ, tell the church; there was then a Sanhedrim, a court to tell it to, and therefore they would have it so now.

6. Divines ought to do no more than what the state permits. Before the state became Christian, they made their own laws; and those that did not observe them, they excommunicated, (naughty men) they suffered them to come no more amongst them. But if they would come amongst them, how could they

hinder them? By what law? By what power? They were still subject to the state, which was Heathen. Nothing better expresses the condition of Christians in those times, than one of the meetings you have in London, of men of the same country, of Sussex men, or Bedfordshire men; they appoint their meeting, and they agree, and make laws amongst themselves (He that is not there shall pay double, &c.); and if any one misbehave himself, they shut him out of their company. But can they recover a forfeiture made concerning their meeting by any law? Have they any power to compel one to pay? But afterwards, when the state became Christian, all the power was in them, and they gave the church as much, or as little as they pleased, and took away when they pleased, and added what they pleased.

7. The church is not only subject to the civil power with us that are Protestants, but also in Spain. If the church does excommunicate a man for what it should not, the civil power will take him out of their hands. So in France, the bishop of Angiers altered something in the Breviary; they complained to the parliament at Paris, that made him alter it again, with a comme abuse.

8. The parliament of England has no arbitrary power in point of judicature, but in point of making law only.

9. If the prince be servus natura, of a servile base spirit, and the subjects liberi, free and ingenuous, oft-times they depose their prince, and govern themselves. On the contrary, if the people be servi natura, and some one amongst them of a free and ingenuous spirit, he makes himself king of the rest; and this is the cause of all changes in state. Commonwealths into monarchies, and monarchies into commonwealths.

10. In a troubled state we must do as in foul weather upon the Thames, not think to cut directly through, so the boat may be quickly full of water, but rise and fall as the waves do, give as much as conveniently we

can.

PRAYER.

1. If I were a minister, 1 should think myself most in my office, reading of prayers, and dispensing the sacraments; and it is ill done to put one to officiate in the church, whose person is contemptible out of it. Should a great lady, that was invited to be a gossip, in her place send her kitchen-maid, it would

be ill taken, yet she is a woman as well as she; let her send her woman at least.

2. You shall pray, is the right way, because, according as the church is settled, no man may make a prayer in public of his own head.

3. It is not the original Common Prayer Book; why, show me an original Bible, or an original Magna Charta.

4. Admit the preacher prays by the spirit, yet that very prayer is common prayer to the people; they are tied as much to his words, as in saying, Almighty and most merciful Father. Is it then unlawful in the minister, but not unlawful in the people?

5. There were some mathematicians, that could with one fetch of their pen make an exact circle, and with the next touch point out the centre; is it therefore reasonable to banish all use of the compasses? Set forms are a pair of compasses.

6. God hath given gifts unto men. General texts prove nothing: let him show me John, William, or Thomas in the text, and then I will believe him. If a man hath a voluble tongue, we say, he hath the gift of prayer. His gift is to pray long, that I see; but does he pray better?