C .A P. 3. if/Ode:604 theApocalypfe. 137 the honourofour Church,to haveourbraveflken MiniJters to glifter Ltikc- as they go,andto Jet through the ftreets with troupes like Noble-men, v is o- and by this rneanes to driveawaycontempt far from the Miniftery ? rious- Wherecan ye fee any Church, and Church-men, finte the 'pope was od.cua. turnedout, fo fat and flourifhing in worldly profperity ? No where indeed; neither do I envie at this,onely this vain-glory of ours is not good. And I would to God that our wealthdid rather ferve to pro- mote Gods glory,then to hinder and deface ir. But this I am foreof; our riches have brought in this wofull Luke-Warmmffe, while We make no reckoningof true piety, to hold them fait. The fecond brag is, of the long continuance that our profperity hathhad. For it is not any vefterday-abundance, that came in like a land flood, which is fuddenly come and gone, but fuch as hath now for thefe fourty and two ycers been eftablifhed amongft us; and that withhow great peace and plenty ofall things ? Who dare now go about to convince the eftate of our Church to be lame and impeded, which theexperience of fo long timehath approved to be abfolutely happie ? Trudy I wouldnot be the man that fhould accept this chal- lenge, unleffeI had this truth in Readof a ftrong batteringPeece, to beat down all this flourifh withal], namely, that worldly profperitie, yea, and 'hat offo long continuance, is an argument rather of Gods patience and longfüfferance towards thewicked, then ofmans righ.. teoufneffe and acceptance with God. In the third place he boaftethof himfelfthat he *anteth nothing: what tell ye me (faithhe)of other Reformed Churches, I fee no caufe, why other ReformedChurches fhould not ratherimitate ours, then we theirs, feeingwe are nowaies inferiour to them. In the Anfwer to the Admonition made to the Parliament, Page. 226. Tea, Why do you call meback.to the Primitive Church ? As if We are to be tyed to the firfbeginnings ofthings, as ye Would binde little infants in their blan- k:is Withfttadling bands ? And eu ifit Were not la1tfullfor us tochange thofe PrimitiveRudiments, Which Were not then fo profitable in their firfi Originafl, as theyfeem to bepernicious at this day. In a certain Apologymadefor our Church-government, Pag. 81. This isa bold af- fertion, not to fay more, and to call it impious, for a man to avouch and avow it : That there Wasfomething ordained by the Apofles,E'hat is noleffeburtfull for ourChuches,then itWas behooffuilfor thofe to Whom it Was appointeci Bat I do willingly pardon the offence ofthefe words, fpoket rather inheat ofcontention, then in advifed malice. In the mean time , let fuch anone that fo fpeaketh know , that the Church
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