humour which he finds most advantageous to his designs." Therefore neither our deceased brother, nor any of his faithful brethren the triers, would advance those whom the heathen called the grave, learned, and wise, but the meanest of the people, that were of the simplest and weakest capacities. There came a learned man, and one of the weak brethren, and contended for a place; saith our deceased brother to him that was learned, "What is faith?" Who answered him discreetly, according to the learning of the schools. Then he demanded the same question of the other, who replied, “That faith was a sweet lullaby in the lap of Jesus Christ:" At which words our deceased brother, lifting up his hands to heaven, cried, "Blessed be the Lord, who hath revealed these things unto the simple;" friend, thou, according to thy deserts, shalt have the living.

The next thing important is the gift of cousening: for you know, my beloved, the common people are a simple sort of creatures, who must be deluded into their own good: Now their good is the good and safety of their governors: Do we not deceive children whom we would give physick unto, by anointing the brim of the cup with honey? So do we sweeten the bitter purges, which are the people's taxes and impositions, with the delicate allurements of liberty and religion. So our late Reverend Lord Oliver, of bles- | sed memory, for whom our dear brother, the Lord reward his soul, hath pimped full often, as you may read in our dear sister Brisco's book of Divine Truth; so I say he, by cousening every body that he dealt with, by the right management, or the seasonable taking and breaking of his oaths and protestations, became a monarch. Thus did the devout Lazarillo cousen the priest his master of his bread: I shall give you his own words, L. I. c. 3. v. 11. I pray, my beloved, turn to the place and mark it, for it is a very precious text: Saith he, "as I was musing how to get victuals, and feeding upon the sight of the chest wherein my master's bread was locked, there came a tinker to the door with a bunch of keys, who seemed to me to be an angel in disguise; said. I to him, have you a key that will open this chest?' he assayed, and opened it, by which means I made many a fair loaf invisible, that my master never knew of."

Another thing, mainly conducing to him that would make use of his time, is the gift of covetousness. Therefore, saith the text, of that blind hermit who was Lazarillo's master, that, for all his gains, there was never a man so wretched a niggard. The reason thereof is, that there may come changes, and that the professors may be forced to fly; it behoves them therefore, while they may, to make use of their time, that is, to hoard up and save against the day of adversity. You have the examples of most professors for it, whose doors we find continually shut, and never opening to the least expence of a crust, though a poor man should beg his heart This makes us not to be content with our livings, but to set up lectures and private congregations, which bringeth in unspeakable profit: Not content with this, some of our brethren sitting in

out.

the triers chair, which is the seat of authority, have privately taken to themselves the rewards of well-doing, loth to spoil the charity of men, by receiving tankards of silver, rundlets of sack, and sometimes ready money; the Lord of his mercy make them thankful. Our deceased brother was a mighty admirer of canes with silver heads, and, making his admiration known, he profited exceedingly.

The last important gift is the gift of hypocrisy. The reason hereof is, that he, who will compass a design, must go the best way he can to do it. Now he, that cannot get his ends by force, must seek to attain them by cunning; but it is found, that, in these days, there is no cunning like that of seeming godly, as Mr. Sedgewick hath well observed, in his book of Spiritual Experiences; therefore is this gift very necessary: For which cause saith Tiberius, the best of christian emperors, that he, who knows not to dissemble, knows not to rule; and with him accords our brother Spurstow, in his book of The Privileges of the Saints.' All the world knows how conducing it was, both to our deceased brother, and his dear Master, and what advantages they got thereby; I shall not, therefore, insist any more upon further examples.

Having thus made out, by reason and example, that it is the duty of every professor, while he lives in this world, to make use of his time, and the means and ways how to do it, I shall now proceed to the application. Is it so then, that every professor ought to make use of his time? Then let this serve for an use of exhortation, to exhort every one of you to make the best use of your time; that is to say, get money, get estates, get friends at court, and labour to enjoy the promises; the fat of the land, my beloved, is your fee-simple, therefore let not Canaan be taken from you. If your rulers would have you worship them, and adore them, do so, beloved, for they are gods, and ye ought to do so: If they would have you preach false doctrine, and deceive the people, do so; it is their interest, and, if their's, your's also: Do not they feed you, and clothe you, and put you into fat livings? Be therefore obedient to them in all things. If they would have you procure, procure for them, as your deceased brother did before you, and went down unto his grave in peace. Aye but some will say, these things are unlawful. But hear what saith our dear brother Horace of sacred memory: In vetitum nefas ruimus: We ought to run into that, from which we are forbidden. To confirm this, I shall only give you two or three motives, and so conclude : First, from the inconveniencies following the neglect of your duty; and, secondly, from the conveniencies that hang upon it, even as pears hang upon a tree at the latter end of the summer. The inconveniencies, arising from the neglect of our duty, are poverty and necessity; therefore Gusman, being in great want, and finding that brickbats were too hard to feed on, and that the rafters of a house were not to be roasted, thought there was no better way to thrive, than by becoming a churchman; for, saith he, then shall I bave something to eat, knowing well, that a Dominus vobiscum

never tasted of hunger. Again, if thou wert married, and thy wife should see her neighbours go finer than she, and should complain, and thou not be able to supply her, would it not be a great trouble and vexation of spirit to thee to hear the clamours of thy dear consort? The next motive is the folly and indiscretion, that men would justly accuse you of, that, when it is in your power to make use of your time, you should be such wood-cocks-combs as to refuse it. The conveniencies arising are, first, the respect of men; secondly, the respect of women; and, thirdly, the certain gain and profit, which have always belonged unto us. For, if you make use of your time, men will respect you, worship you, and place you uppermost at their meetings, while you sit a-straddle upon their consciences, as Balaam rid upon his ass, without the least wincing, or contradiction at all. The women will feast you, and cram not only your bellies, but your purses; nor shall there be a good bit eaten at the table of their husbands, of which you shall not partake, to the great envy of the wicked. When you come down sweating from your pulpits, they will put you into warm beds, and rub over your weary limbs with their soft and tender hands; and, my beloved, these are precious. I say, precious enjoyments. Therefore I shall conclude, in the words of my text, Let us, while we live, make use of our time, taking for our pattern the life and manners of our deceased brother here before us; of whom, that I may make him a short encomium, I shall say thus much: That, from his youth, he followed the calling of the ministry; and, because then the wicked prevailed, and he was a sufferer, he went about, giving consolation to those that suffered for theft, and such-like criminal offences. Afterwards he travelled, and, as he found occasion, sowed his seed, sometimes in fruitful, sometimes in barren soils; and I may say this of him, that, while he lived, such was his zeal, he laid many a whore of Babylon on her back. When the faithful began to exalt their horns in this nation, he was a great fomenter of the quarrel, and gave occasion to the rest of his brethren to fish in troubled waters. To his prince he was a great assistance in all his designs, laying aside that notional impediment of a statesman, called Conscience, that he might be the more serviceable to his country. His charity was not unknown, he giving two notable examples thereof, in his relieving our two dear sisters, the butcher's wife and Mrs. Littleton, in both their afflictions. He died not without associates to accompany him to his last rest; for, as I am informed, on that night, that he departed, departed also a dear brother and sister of our's, the hangman and Moll Cutpurse. He was at first unwilling to die, knowing what comforts he left behind him; but, seeing there was no remedy, he leaned his head on the pillow, and peaceably yielded up the ghost. When Tyribazus, a noble Persian, was arrested, at the first he drew his sword and defended himself; but, when they charged him in the king's name, then he yielded himself willingly. So, when death arrested our dear brother, at first he started and struggled, as a man shrinks at his first putting his feet into the cold

water; but, when he recollected his thoughts, and considered, that death was sent to him as a messenger to bring him to eternity, he embraced it; and he went to his long home as willingly, as a young bride goeth from her friends into the country with her newmarried spouse. And thus, having tired your patience, before which time we 'never use to make an end, I shall conclude, still desiring you not to forget the example of our departed brother, and the words of my text: Let us, while we live, make use of our time; for the life of man is ended in a day.

DEMOCRITUS TURNED STATESMAN:

OR,

TWENTY QUERIES BETWEEN JEST AND EARNEST,

PROPOSED TO ALL TRUE-HEARTED ENGLISHMEN.

Semper ego auditor tantum? nunquamne reponam
Vexatus toties?

Si natura negat, facit indignatio

Omne tulit punctum qui miscuit utile dulci.

London: Printed in the year 1659. Quarto, containing eight pages.

I. WHETHER it be not convenient that the doctrine of

Copernicus, who held that the world turns round, should be established by act of parliament, which our late changes, alterations, and revolutions, in part have verified; and that Tycho Brache, with the gang of the contrary opinion, be adjudged heterodoxal; and that from henceforth it be enacted, that what persons soever do profess, publish, or hold-forth any other tenent contrary thereunto, be adjudged Anathema, Maranatha, and that publick thanks be given to Vincent Wing, for the great pains he took in the composure of that excellent piece called Harmonicon Cœleste?

II. Whereas it is humbly conceived fit by Machiavel and his pupils, that all the gangrened members of the body politick be cut off, lest putrefaction of the whole should ensue: It is therefore worthy the consideration, whether it be not expedient to employ an ambassador to the man in the moon, to procure habitations for our new courtiers (greater antipodes to the present government, than the old constant cavaliers?) And, for the better effecting thereof, it is deemed necessary, that the great clerk, Doctor Wilkins, warden of Wadham college in Oxon, in regard he hath the greatest knowledge in that new plantation, be desired, with all speed, to provide his winged chariot for their convenient carriage,

1

1

and that he undertake the employment of a coachman to conduct them thither.

III. But if that design fail, whether it be not expedient to ship them all for Oceana, and that Mr. Harrington, our famous modern Columbus, discoverer of that floating terra incognita, be desired to be the pilot to conduct them thither; who for his pains deserves to be made Knight of the Sun, and that, in a grateful remembrance of his good service, it should always be called after his name, viz. Harringtonia?

IV. Whether it be not convenient, or rather necessary, to call all persons to an account, that have any way contributed their assistance for the establishing of the late deceased tyrant, as chief magistrate of this commonwealth? And whether any person or persons, who have any way abetted him, and endeavoured to confirm him in his tyranny, or acted under him in any places of trust, or power, or sat in any parliament, or convention, summoned by his writ, be fit to be intrusted with any office in the commonwealth, as it is now settled?

V. Whether it be not a great contempt of the law enacted by this parliament, that made it treason for any one person to aim at the sole government of this commonwealth, to suffer such person to go unpunished, in despight of the said law? And, whether it be not prudence to have such person brought to condign punishment, that hath transgressed that law, to terrify others for the future, from making the like attempt?

VI. Whether those apostate officers of the army, that were active, and grand instruments in suspending and disturbing this session of parliament, as well as secluding, imprisoning, and unjustly detracting several members of the same parliament before, that were eminent assertors of the people's liberties, against tyranny and oppression, conscientious propagators of the gospel, and establishers of the fundamental, municipal law of the land, and valiant cham. pions of the true old cause: And, by their declaration of August 22, Anno Dom. 1653; as also by a Pasquil called, The true State of the Commonwealth, An. 1654, declared this session of parlia ment to be actually and finally dissolved from being any more a parliament, by an extraordinary providence, but also branded the members thereof ignominiously for a corrupt party, carrying on their own ends, to perpetuate themselves as supreme authority, never answering the ends which God and his people expected from them, exercising arbitrary power, and swallowing up the ancient liberties, and properties of the people, and to perpetuate their miseries, vexations, and oppressions, through the multitude of unnecessary laws, and ordinances, concerning their own particular interest, as they there at large remonstrated, be fit persons to have any employment, either military or civil, within this commonwealth?

VII. Whether a weather-cock, a king fisher, a pliant willow, a piece of wax capable of all impressions, a time-server, a Persian still sacrificing to the rising sun, a lord president, under the late