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teaching, and the people for an untaught and irreligious gadding rout, what can be more fair, then when a man judicious, learned, and of a confcience, for ought we know, as good as theirs that taught us what we know, fhall not privily from house to house, which is more dangerous, but openly by writing publifh to the world what his opinion is, what his reafons, and wherefore that which is now thought cannot be found. Chrift urg'd it as wherewith to justifie himself, that he preacht in publick; yet writing is more publick then preaching; and more eafie to refutation, if need be, there being so many whose bufineffe and profeffion meerly it is, to be the champions of Truth; which if they

neglect,

neglect, what can be imputed but their floth, or unability?

Thus much we are hinder'd and difinur'd by this cours of licencing toward the true knowledge of what we seem to know. For how much it hurts and hinders the licencers themselves in the call

ing of their Miniftery, more then any fecular employment, if they will dif charge that office as they ought, fo that of neceffity they muft neglect either the one duty or the other, I infift not, bccause it is a particular, but leave it to their own confcience, how they will deeide it there.

There is yet behind of what I purpos'd to lay open, the incredible loffe, and detriment that this plot of licencing

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puts us to, more then if fom enemy at fea fhould ftop up all our hav'ns and ports, and creeks, it hinders and retards the importation of our richest marchandize, Truth: nay it was first establifht and put in practice by Antichriftian malice and mystery on set purpose to extinguish, if it were poffible, the light of Reformation, and to fettle falfhood; little differing from that policie wherewith the Turk upholds his Alcoran, by the prohibition of Printing. "Tis not deny'd, but gladly confeft, we are to fend our thanks and vows to heav'n, louder then most of Nations, for that great measure of truth which we enjoy, especially in those main points between us and the Pope, with his appertinences

the

the Prelats: but he who thinks we are to pitch our tent here, and have attained the utmost profpect of reformation, that the mortall glaffe wherein we contemplate, can fhew us, till we come to beatific vifion, that man by this very opinion declares, that he is yet farre fhort of Truth.

Truth indeed came once into the world with her divine Mafter, and was a perfect shape most glorious to look on: but when he ascended, and his Apostles after him were laid afleep, then ftrait arose a wicked race of deceivers, who as that ftory goes of the Egyptian Typhon with his confpirators, how they dealt with the good Ofiris, took the virgin Truth, hewd her lovely form into a thousand peeces,

peeces, and fcatter'd them to the four winds. From that time ever fince, the fad friends of Truth, fuch as durst appear, imitating the carefull fearch that Jis made for the mangl'd body of Ofiris, went up and down gathering up limb by limb ftill as they could find them. We have not yet found them all, Lords and Commons, nor ever fhall doe, till her Masters second comming; he fhall bring together every joynt and member, and fhall mould them into an immortall feature of lovelines and perfection. Suffer not thefe licencing prohibitions to ftand at every place of opportunity forbidding and disturbing them that continue feeking, that continue to do our obfequies to the torn body of our martyr'd Saint.

We

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