The Preface. friends they can-to get them ; And the more felt-denying men will not do fo, (but perhaps avoid them. ) 5. The diligent feekers are liker to obtain and find, than the negle ters and avoiders And fo the Churches to be ufually in the power of the worfer fort of men, and Reli- gion to beunder theGovernment of its enemies. 6. Men in power, and the Major rote, have great advantage to execute their ownwills, and toput Laws on others, and bring them under what Chara&ers they pleafe ; and fo to affix the names ofHereticks or Schifmaticks on them, ifthey fulfil not all their wills : yea, to filence them, and fupprefs their Writings, and make them to be little underflood in the World, yea, or by their neighbours round aboutthem. 7. The Vulgar (as they are for the Conquerour in the Wars, fo) ufually are for the upper and fironger fide in peace, that have Power to hurt them, and have the Major Vote ; And affo eafily believe them, and think men that fuffer, are like to be guilty of what they are accufed. 8. Godlinefs being againfl a worldly mind and interefl,' and theRabble ufually for it, hence arifech a Confpiracy of carnal Clergie -men, and the Rabble, againfi thofe that are moll feriouflyGodly, as if they were their enemies, and a fully, proud, intratable fort of people. As Sulpitius Sea verus defcribeth íthacius and his followers, ( and even Mr. Hooker out of him Eccl. Pol. Pr e fat. ) 9. Such men in Power never want flatterers at their ears, to praife all that they do, and to exafperate them by flan- derìng and reviling fufferers. to. The long poffeflion ((-once the dayes ofCon ftantine.) ofGreat Places andPower by the Clergie, within theRoman Empire ( now the Greek andLatine Churches,) Both feem to juflifie mens Ufurpations and Tyranny, and make all Jiff-en- ters feem fingular and Schifmatical, ( which was and is the Papal flrerigth againfl the Reformed. ) r+. Too many of the Secular Rulers of the World, have much of the fame. Spirit ; And find allo their interefls fo twilled in [hewwith.the Papal Clergies, that they dare, not crofs them. rz. The faults of thofe that fuffer by them (indoctrine and imprudent carriages) ufe togive themgreat advantage, andmake all their odious characters and names of them be- lieved and received, (as the cafe of the Walden ¡es and of the Lutherans and falvini is inGermany too fully prove. ) II. The
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