men. Now when' as by thefe and other like means, great multitudes of men, to the number of Forty thousand had taken up

Suevia.

Arms, throughout Franconia and Suevia, then Forty thousand he thought opportunity ferved him to fet arm in Franforward his purpofes, by adjoyning him- conia and felf unto them: and in this action one Phy- One Phyfer fer, a near Companion of his, and like af- joins them. fected to him, did alfo Joyn. But when the Rebellious Rout wanted Victuals, and many other Neceffaries, whereby their courages began to Fail; then he comforted them in his Sermons, and affured them (as from God) that their Caufe and Quarrel was fo good, that the Frame of the whole World fhould sooner be changed, than they should be forfaken, or left deftitute of him. And when the Prince's Army (gathered to fubdud them, being greater and better furnished than theirs were,) was ready to joyn in battel; he ftill moft refolutely affured them, of fome evident miraculous help, to be manifeft from Heaven, for the overthrow of their Enemies; faying, that God would fo enfeeble all their Enemies Shot, that Muncer himfelf would receive them all (without harm) into the Lap of his Coat, before they should Light. For a token hereof, it happened that they had taken the Sign of a Rain-Bow for their Enfign. He fhewed A Rainbow is their Enfign, a them (as it fell out the felf fame time) a true token of Vi Rain-Bow in Heaven, as an undoubted fign, &ory. that they fhould obtain the Victory. Whereupon they courageously at firft fet forward, U 3

fing

At his Execu

tion is deject

ed and perplexed.

They are rout finging a Song for aid by the Holy Ghost: ed. Muncer But being nevertheless all put in Rout and flies, is taken; difcomfited, Muncer fled away, and disguibe justifies the fed himself. Yet by means of certain Letters that were found with him, he was afterward in a House discovered, and taken. Being brought before the Magiftrates, he ftoutly defended his fact, affirming, that Princes, who refused to eftablish the purity of the Gofpel, were in that fort to be bridled. When he was brought to the place of Execution, and faw no hope of Escape (which before he hoped for) he grew to be very much dejected, and perplexed in Mind, infomuch as without help of a Godly Prince, which then flood by, he could not repeat fo much as the Articles of his Christian faith. I fhall not need to dwell long in the application and resemblance of these points unto this Ditciplinari late Tragedy; the very reading of them over Parallel alike giving fufficient Light unto the fame. For the in all particu- tharp and angry Zeal of fome unadvised Preachers, which pretend neither to like of the Pope, nor of the prefent ftate of the Church, for want of fome purity, as they fanfy, Hath it not incenfed, and made to boil over, not only the foul Mouths of Martinifts, but also the traiterous actions of thefe Confpirators? And albeit the common multitude (whom the Difciplinarians brag to be already inflamed with Zeal, ready to lend a hundred thousand hands for the advancement of their Caufe, and by whom they hope and fay fuch Reformation must at last be brought

The Story applied to our

ans, and the

lars.

in) did better keep themselves out of this Action than was expected; Yet the danger thereof was as great, and if it had once taken head, would (happily) as hardly as the other have been fubdued. Were not the Treaties of these men alfo in private Houfes at Night-Fafts, and the Confultations concerning it, at Claffical Conventicles, and like Affemblies? Did not thefe likewife shoot at the Overthrow of the whole State Ecclefiaftical, and at the difplacing of her Majesty's moft Honourable Council, and that under pretence of Reformation, and to advance the preaching of the Gofpel in every Congregation throughout this Land? Made not these the like Complaints of wicked Counsellors, Noblemen, and Magiftrates, for keeping out the Difcipline, for perfecuting fincere Preachers, and afflicting God's People, like Lyons and Dragons? And do they not pretend this to be a fpecial Grievance of theirs, That the common people of every Congregation may not elect their own Minifters? That the People are brought under the Yoak of the Law Ceremonial, by paying Tythes, &c. and is not the hand and head of Satan as plainly in this Action, to feek the overthrow of found Profeffors, by others of the fame Profeffion, under pretence of greater Sincerity? Do not these likewife almoft appropriate to themselves and their Favourites, the Terms of God's Church, of Chriftian Brethren, and of true and reformed Preachers? Is any Speech more rife

in their mouths, than that they will only be tried and judged by God's Book, and by his Spirit? Do they not tax all other men (not fo far gone as themselves) of loofe Lives, of Antichriftianism, of Hypocrify, and Idolatry; in the mean time never looking at theirown Treafons, Difloyalties, and other Vices? Make they not great Oftentation of Love and Fidelity to her Majefty's Perfon, and of Care of her Safety, even when they fecretly nourished a fancy of Forfeiture of her Crown, and fought to overrule her by Hacket their imagined Sovereign King of Europe? Had they not their Cabi net Preachers, their Table-end Teachers, their Guides of Fafts, c. that teach, pray for, and attend extraordinary Callings by Vifions, Dreams, Revelations, and Enlightnings? Was not Giles Wigginton and fome others unto them, as Thomas Muncer, and Phifer were to the Germans, men of suppofed great Aufterity of Life, Holiness, Favour with God, Refolutenefs in his Caufe, Singlenefs, and Uprightnefs of heart? Did not Wigginton refolve them, by Examples he gathered touching Extraordinary Callings in thefe days, by reafon of the great Wafte of this Church of England? Had not he and they likewife learned of the fame Devil (in the Prayers at Fafts) to ask Signs and Seals of God, for their extraordinary Callings? Doth not Arthington fay, that he importuned God in his Prayers? And Coppinger That he had leave given to talk more fami

familiarly with God than afore? Did not Hacket in praying for the pretended poffeffed Gentlewoman, fawcily expoftulate with God, and charge him with his Promife, as if he dealt not well with him? Did he not at his Arraignment and Execution fhew fuch Anger in his Prayers against God, thinking belike, as thofe did, to be excused by his Fervency of Zeal? Did not both he and Coppinger pretend Conference with God by fundry Revelations and Dreams? Do not they and the reft of the Difciplinarian Hu- Fenneri theol. mour, exact and feek to fquare out, even in Hypotheft, all Civil Policies and Judgments (in Caufes Criminal efpecially) unto the Judicials of Mofes, given for the People of the Jews? Is there any thing they stand more upon, or condemn the contrary deeper, than to have an Equality among all Perfons Ecclefiaftical? Do they not inveigh sharply against Prince and Nobles, for upholding the State Ecclefiaftical; and in this refpect intended to have them brought to Repentance, when their Opinions grew to a Ripeness? Was not this their principal pretended purpose, to plant the Gospel and their Reformation by rooting out wicked Magiftrates, and Counsellors (as they judged) and by fetting others in their places? Did Hacket's fancied Fan, instead of Chrift, to fever the good from the bad, import any thing else, or fhould it have ferved any other turn, than for the killing up of all that thought not well of their Difcipline and Reformation ?