PENRY. 57 prince to keep covenant with them ? Where do you find this warranted in scripture ? P. The subjects are in a most lamentable state, if they may not allege their prince's laws for what they do; yea, and spew what their prince hath promised to the Lord, and to them, when this is done to prove their own innocency. It is the honour of princes, so to hold and be in covenant with their subjects, that they will preserve them from violence and wrong. And I am assured, that, if her majesty knew the equity and uprightness of our cause, we should not receive the hard treatment we now sustain. We and our cause are never brought before her, except in the" odious names of sedition, rebellion, schism, heresy, &c. It is, therefore, no wonder to see the edge of the sword turned against us. F. Hath not her majesty, by her laws, established the offices and order now in the church of England ? P. I grant her laws have, but of oversight ; taking them for the true offices and order of the church of Christ. And becausewe see this oversight, we therefore fly to her farmer"promise and act, by which she granteth all the pri- vileges of the church of Christ. F. Why go you about then to pull down bishops ? P. Alas ! be it far from us, ever- to attempt any such thing. We only put her majesty and state in mind of the wrath of God that is likely to come upon the land, for upholding many popish inventions. We labour for the salvation of our own souls, and all those who will be warned by us, by avoiding all corruptions in religion, and practising, so far as we know, the whole will of God. Further than this, we cannot go ; and, therefore, dare not so much as in thought, attempt to alter or pull down any thing established by her laws. F. Why then do you meet in woods, and such secret and suspicious places, if you purpose no insurrection for pulling down the bishops ? P. I told you the reason already. Our meetings are for the true worship of God, and there is not so much as one word or thought about bishops in our assemblies, except in praying for them as we do for our own souls. We hold our meetings in secret, because, as I before told you, we cannot have them in public without disturbance. We do not wish to withdraw ourselves from the sight of any creature ; but we are bound to observe the pure worship
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