A sermon preached before the Honourable House of Commons at their late solemn fast…A sermon preached before the Honourable House of Commons at their late solemne fast…

You are now about the casting out of many corruptions, in the ¹government of the Church, and worship of God. Remember therefore it is not enough to cleanse the house of the Lord, but you must be humbled for your former defilements wherewith it was polluted. It is not enough that England say with Ephraim in ^lone place, What have I to do any more with Idols? England must say also with Ephraim in ^manother place, Surely after that I was turned I repented; and after that I was instructed I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed and even confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth. Let England sit down in the dust, and wallow it self in ashes, and cry out as ⁿthe Lepers did, Unclean, Unclean, and then rise up and cast away the least superstitious Ceremony, ^oas a menstruous cloth, and say unto it, Get thee hence. I know that those who are not convinced of the intrinsical evil and unlawfulness of former corruptions, may upon other considerations go along and join in this Reformation. For according to ^pAugustine's rule, men are to let go those ecclesiastical customs, which neither Scriptures, nor Councils bind upon us, nor yet are universally received by all Churches. And according to Ambrose his rule to Valentinian, Epist. 31. Nullus pudor est ad meliora transive; It is no shame to change that which is not so good, for that which is better. So doth ^qArnobius answer the ⟨p. 16⟩Pagans, who objected the novelty of the Christian Religion; you should not look so much, saith he, quid reliquerimus, as quid secuti simus: be rather satisfied with the good which we follow, then to quarrel why we have changed our former practise. He giveth instance, that when men found the art of weaving clothes, they did no longer clothe themselves in skins, and when they learned to build Houses, they left off to dwell in rocks and caves. All this carrieth reason with it, for Optimum est eligendum. If all this do not satisfy, it may be