1.

Polver. State.

HERE is no ftretching of Power; 'tis a good

your Commiffion.

2. They that govern moft make leaft Noife. You fee when they row in a Barge, they that do drudgerywork, flafh, and puff, and fweat; but he that governs, fits quietly at the Stern, and fcarce is feen to ftir.

3. Syllables govern the World.

4. [All Power is of God] means no more than Fides eft fervanda. When St. Paul faid this, the People had made Nero Emperor. They agree, he to command, they to obey. Then God comes in, and cafls a hook upon them, keep your Faith; then comes in, all Power is of God. Never King dropt out of the Clouds. God did not make a new Emperor, as the King makes a Juftice of Peace.

5. CHRIST himself was a great obferver of the Civil Power, and did many things only juftifiable, because the State requir'd it, which were things meerly Temporary for the time that State food. But Divines make ufe of them to gain Power to themselves, (as for Example) that of Dic Ecclefiæ, Tell the Church; there was then a Sanhedrim, a Court to tell it to, and therefore they would have it fo now.

6. Divines ought to do no more than what the State permits. Before the State became Chriftian, they made their own Laws, and those that did not obferve them, they Excommunicated, [naughty men] they fuffered them to come no more among them. But if they would come amongst them, how could they hinder

them?

them? by what Law? by what Power? they were ftill fubject to the State, which was Heathen. Nothing better expreffes the Condition of Chriftians in thofe times, than one of the meetings you have in London, of Men of the fame County, of Suflex-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 fhut 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 Chriftian, all Power was in them, and they gave the Church as much, or as little as they pleas'd; and took away when they pleas'd, and added what they pleas'd.

7. The Church is not only fubject to the Civil Power with us that are Proteftants, but also in Spain; if the Church does Excommunicate a Man for what it fhould not, the Civil Power will take him out of their Hands. So in France, the Bishop of Angiers alter'd fomething in the Breviary: they complain'd to the Parliament at Paris, that made him alter it again, with a [comme abufé.]

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 fervus naturâ, of a servile base Spirit, and the Subjects liberi, Free and Ingenuous, ofttimes they depofe their Prince, and govern themfelves. On the contrary, if the People be Servi Naturâ, and fome one amongst them of a Free and Ingenuous Spirit, he makes himself King of the reft; and this is the Caufe of all changes in the State, Commonwealths into Monarchies, and Monarchies into Commonwealths.

10. In a troubled State we muft do as in foul Weather upon the Thames, not think to cut directly through, so the Boat may be quickly full of Water, but rife and fall as the Waves do, give as much as we conveniently

can.

Prayer.

1. F I were a Minifter, I should think myself most in wy Office, reading of Prayers, and difpenfing the Sacraments; and 'tis ill done to put one to officiate in the Church, whofe Perfon is contemptible out of it. Should a great Lady, that was invited to be a Goffip, in her place send her Kitchen Maid, 'twould be ill taken; yet she is a Woman as well as fhe; let her fend her Woman at least.

2. [You shall pray] is the right way, because according as the Church is fettled, no Man may make a Prayer in publick of his own Head.

3. Tis not the Original Common-prayer-book ; why? fhew 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 moft merciful Father:] Is it then unlawful in the Minister, but not unlawful in the People?

5. There were fome 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 reafonable to banish all ufe of the Compaffes? Set Forms are a pair of Compaffes.

6. [God hath given gifts unto men.] General Texts prove nothing: let him fhew me John, William, or Thomas in the Text, and then I will believe him. If a

Man

Man hath a voluble Tongue, we fay, he hath the gift of prayer. His gift is to pray long, that I fee; but does better?

he pray

7. We take care what we speak to Men, but to God we may fay any thing.

8. The People must not think a thought towards God, but as their Paftors will put it into their Mouths; they will make right Sheep of us.

9. The English Priests would do that in English, which the Romish do in Latin, keep the People in Ignorance; but fome of the People out do them at their own Game.

you

10. Prayer should be fhort, without giving God Almighty Reasons why he should grant this, or that; he knows best what is Good for us. If your Boy should afk you a Suit of Cloaths; and give you Reasons (otherwife he cannot wait upon you; he cannot go abroad but endure it? know it he will difcredit you) would you better than he, let him afk a Suit of Cloaths. 11. If a Servant that has been fed with good Beef, goes into that part of England where Salmon is plenty, at first he is pleafed with his Salmon, and despises his Beef, but after he has been there a while, he grows weary of his Salmon, and wishes for his good Beef again. We have a while been much taken with this praying by the Spirit, but in time we may grow weary of it, and with for our Common-Prayer.

12. "Tis hoped we may be cured of our extemporary Prayers, the fame way the Grocer's Boy is cured of his eating Plums, when we have had our Belly full of them.

Preaching.

N

Preaching.

1. OTHING is more miflaken than that Speech [Preach the Gofpel] for 'tis not to make long. Harangues, as they do now a-days, but to tell the News of CHRIST'S coming into the World; and when that is done, or where 'tis known already, the Preacher's Work is done.

2. Preaching in the first sense of the Word ceased as foon as ever the Gofpel was written.

3. When the Preacher fays, this is the meaning of the Holy Ghoft in such a place, in fenfe he can mean no more than this: that is, I, by ftudying of the place, by comparing one place with another, by weighing what goes before, and what comes after, think this is the meaning of the Holy Ghoft; and for fhortnefs of Expreffion I fay, the Holy Ghoft fay thus, or this is the meaning of the Spirit of God. So the Judge speaks of the King's Proclamation, this is the Intention of the King: not that the King had declared his Intention any other way to the Judge, but the Judge examining the Contents of the Proclamation, gathers by the purport of the Words the King's intention; and then for fhortnefs of Expreffion fays, this is the King's Intention.

4. Nothing is Text but what was spoken in the Bible; and meant there for Perfon and Place, the reft is Application, which a difcreet Man may do well; but 'tis his Scripture, not the Holy Ghoft.

5. Preaching by the Spirit (as they call it) is moft efteemed by the Common People, because they cannot abide Art or Learning, which they have not been. bred up in. Juft as in the Bufinefs of Fencing, if one

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