say, it was their order, that kept up so much order in the Churches and when they have put Princes to that trouble, will assume to themselves the praise.

123. The devil will set in, and do his utmost, to make both Rulers and people believe, that all this confusion is long of the Christian Religion, and the strict principles of the sacred Scriptures; and so to make men cast off all Religion, and take Christianity to be contrary to their natural and civil interests.

124. And the Papists will every where persuade high and low, that all this cometh by meddling so much with the Scriptures, and busying the common people with Religion; and leaving every man to be a discerning judge of truth and duty, instead of trusting implicitly in the judgment of their Church and so they would tempt Princes tamely to surrender half their government (that is, in all matters of Religion) to the Pope; and persuade the people to resign their reason or humanity to him; (that he who is so far off may rule it all over the world, by his missionaries and agents, who must live upon the prey ;) and then he knoweth that he shall have both swords, and be the Universal King.

125. To this end, they will strive to make some Rulers as bad as they would have them, to do their work, and to make the rest thought worse of than they are, that they may have a fair pretence for their treasons and usurpations; which was the case of all the writers, that plead for Pope Gregory the Seventh, against the German Emperors; who took that advantage, to settle the Cardinal's power of elections; and, in a Council at Rome, to declare the Pope to be above the Emperor, and to have power to depose him: and as bad was done in the General Council, at Lateran, under Innocent the Third. Can. 2, 3.

126. Concerning Princes, I shall give you no Prognostics but Christ's; that it will "be as hard for a rich man to enter into heaven, as for a camel to go through a needle's eye:" And therefore, you may know what men the rich will be, in most countries of the world.

127. And the rich will be the Rulers of the world; and it is meet it should be so not that men should rule because they are rich, but they that rule should be rich; and not exposed to contempt, by a vulgar garb and state.

128. But some wise and good Princes and Magistrates

God will raise up, to keep the interest of truth and justice, from sinking in barbarousness, and diabolical wickedness.

129. And where Princes and Magistrates are bad, they will seldom do so much hurt as good, or prove very cruel, where the worldly and corrupt Clergy do not animate and instigate them: their reason, their interest, and their experience will lead them, by manlike usage, to seek the people's love and quietness, and their kingdom's unity and strength. But bloody persecutions (such as that of the Waldenses, Piedmont lately, France, Ireland, Queen Mary's, &c.,) are ordinarily the effects of Clergy interest and zeal.

130. The grand design of the devil, through the world, will be to corrupt the two great Ordinances of God, Magistracy and Ministry; and turn them both against Christ, who giveth them their power. The instances of his success, are most notorious in the Turkish empire, and the Papal kingdom, called by them, the Catholic Church: which Campanella, de Regno Dei, doth labour to prove, by all the Prophecies cited by the Millenarians, or Fifth Monarchymen, to be the true universal kingdom of Christ; in which, by his Vicar the Pope, he shall reign over all the kings and kingdoms of the earth.

1. BECAUSE it is made part of our prayers, "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven;" and, " we look for a new heaven, and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness:" I hope their opinion is not true, who think that the earth shall still grow more and more like to hell, till the general conflagration turn it into hell, and make it the proper seat of the damned. Yet, lest this should prove true, I will place my chief hopes in heaven; remembering who said, "Sell all, and follow me, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven;" (and not on earth.) But supposing that ever the world will come to full reformation and concord, (of which I am uncertain, but do not despair of,) I proceed to my Prognostics of the way.

2. God will stir up some happy King, or Governor, in some country of Christendom, endowed with wisdom and consideration; who shall discern the true nature of Godliness and Christianity, and the necessity and excellency of seri ous Religion; and shall see what is the corruption and hindrance of it in the world: and shall place his honour and felicity in pleasing God, and doing good, and attaining everlasting happiness: and shall subject all worldly respects unto these high and glorious ends. And shall know, that wisdom, and godliness, and justice, leave the most precious name on earth, and prepare for the most glorious reward in heaven in comparison of which, all fleshly pomp and pleasure is dross and dung, and worthy of nothing but contempt.

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3. This Prince shall have a discerning mind, to know wise men from foolish, good from bad; and among the Ministers of Christ, to discern the judicious, spiritual, heavenly, sober, charitable, and peaceable sort, from self-seeking, worldly men; that make but a trade of the Ministry, and strive not so much for heaven, and the people's salvation, as they do for worldly honours, power, and wealth. And he shall discern how such do trouble the Churches, and the world, and cause divisions, and stir up violence, for their own worldly interests and ends.

4. He will take the counsel neither of worldlings, nor true fanatics, and dividing persons; but of the learned, godly, self-denying, sober, peaceable Divines; with his grave and reverend senators, judges, and counsellors; that know what is reason and justice, and what belongeth to the public good, as well as to the true interest of the Church, and of men's souls. 5. He will know those men, whom he is concerned to use, and to judge of, as far as may be, by personal acquaintance and observation; and not by the partial reports of adversaries, behind their backs: and so he will neither be deceived in his instruments, nor disappointed by them.

6. He will call together the wise, peace-making persons; and with the strictest charge, commit to them the endeavours of reconciling and uniting the several parties; by drawing their differences into the narrowest compass, and stating them more correctly, than passionate men do; and by persuading them to love and peace, and to all such abatements and forbearances, as are necessary. And his own prudent oversight and authority (like Constantine's at Nice), will facilitate the success.

7. He, and his people will inquire, what terms of concord are meet, not only for some one corner or country, but for all the Christian world; that when he hath found it out, he and his kingdom may be a pattern to all Christendom, and the spring and leaven of an universal concord of all Christians.

8. Therefore, he will inquire of Vincent. Lerinensis, Catholic Terms of Quod 1. Ab omnibus. 2. Ubique. 3. Semper, receptum est.

(1.) What all Christians are agreed in, as Christians, in the essentials of their religion.

(2.) What all Christians did agree on, in the apostles' time, which was the time of greatest light, love, and purity.

(3.) What all Christians, in all kingdoms of the world, since then, to this day, in the midst of all their other differences, have been, and still are agreed in, as their religion.

For he will see, that there is no hope of agreeing the disagreeing world (at least, in many an age), by changing men's judgments from what they are, and bringing them all in controverted things, to the mind of some party; nor to agree them on any terms, in which they do not really agree. But that their concord must be founded in that, which they are indeed all agreed in: leaving the superfluities or additions of each party, out of the agreement.

9. The peace-makers will then find, that the Christian religion is contained in three forms.

(1.) In the Sacramental-covenant with God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, as the briefest formula.

(2.) In the Creed, Lord's-prayer, and Decalogue; as the summaries of the Credenda, Appetenda, and Agenda matters of faith, will (or desire), and practice, as the larger form. (3.) In that Canon of Scripture, which all the Churches receive, as the largest form or continent.

And that he who is understandingly, a sacramental covenanter with God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, was ever taken for a visible Christian. And therefore, baptism was called our Christening; and the baptized taken for Christians, before they knew the controversies of this Church, or that: and that the competent, explicit understanding of the Creed, the Lord's-prayer, and Decalogue, was ever taken for a competent understanding of the sacramental-covenant, and And that he that implicitly receiveth the commonly received Canonical Scripture, as God's Word (though he understand no more than as followeth), and that explicitly understandeth the Creed, Lord's-prayer, and Decalogue, and receiveth them, and consenteth to the sacramental-covenant, always was accounted, and is still to be accounted a Christian. On these terms therefore, the peace-makers will resolve to endeavour the union of the Churches.

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10. Therefore, they will pare off, and cast away (as the greatest enemy to unity), all those unnecessary controversies, or things doubtful, which Christians (yea, or divines), were never agreed in, `and which never were the happy and successful means or terms of any extensive concord; and which have long been tried, to be the great occasions of all the scru