The happiness of the church, or, A description of those spiritual prerogatives wherewith Christ…The happines of the church, or, A description of those spirituall prerogatiues vvherewith Christ…

I come to him last, whom I have not least cause to think upon, the Church-defrauder; that rides upon a winged horse, as if he would fly to the devil, called Sacrilege. He may appear in the shape of a Protestant, but he is the most absolute Recusant; for he refuseth to pay God his own. He wears the Name of Christ, for the same purpose the Papists wear the Cross; only for a charm. These are the Merchants of souls, the Pirates of Gods Ship the Church, the underminers of Religion; that are still practising trains to blow it up. They will not pay their Levites, their Levites must pay them. They will not part with their Cures, whereof they have the donation, but upon purchase. But it is no wonder if they sell the Cures, that have first sold their souls. The charitable man dreams of building Churches, but starts to think that these men will pull them down again.

I come to him last, whom I haue not least cause to think vpon, the Church-defrauder; that rides vpon a vvinged horse, as if he would flie to the diuell, called Sacriledge. He may appeare in the shape of a Protestant, but he is the most absolute Recusant; for he refuseth to pay God his owne. He weares the Name of Christ, for the same purpose the Papists weare the Crosse; onely for a charme. These are the Merchants of soules, the Pyrats of Gods Ship the Church, the vnderminers of Religion; that are still practising traines to blow it vp. They will not pay their Leuites, their Leuites must pay them. They will not part with their Cures, whereof they haue the donation, but vpon purchase. But it is no wonder if they sell the Cures, that haue first sold their soules. The charitable man dreames of building Churches, but starts to thinke that these men will pull them downe againe.

There is yet one other Rider, though he spurs post, must not pass by me un-noted: the Truth-hating Jesuit, that comes trotting into England on a read horse, like Murder; dipped and dyed in the blood of souls; and if he can reach it, in the blood of bodies too. Neither doth he thirst so much after ordinary blood, that runs in common veins, as after the blood-Royal. There is no disease, saith one, that may so properly be called the King's evil. He is the devils make-bate, and his chief Officer to set Princes together by the ears. He sits like the Raven, on a dead bough; and when the Lyon and Leopard come forth to fight, he sounds out a point of war; hoping which soever falls, his carcass shall serve him for a prey to feed on. His main study is to fill the Schools with clamours, the Church with errors, the Churchyard with corpses, and all Christian states with Tragedies. The Seminaries were once, like that strange weed, Tobacco at the first coming up; but here and there one entertained in some Great mans house; now you may find them