$ Note. Church in a great waste, which no body dare affirm our Church of England to be. Wherefore it feemeth that every step that I shall make herein, fhall be upon thorns, and therefore I am to fear pricking: Yet for all this I am not without hope, neither is the fame grounded but by good warrant. The end why I write unto you, is this, to intreat you to give thanks to thofe holy men all on my behalf, who are now in question. I have reaped much benefit from them, by their carriage. towards me, though they know it not: For I durft not (in regard of danger which might grow to them) vifit any of them, fince I found my felf carried with a zeal to do fomewhat in the fame Caufe, for which they fuffer. If by fome effects hereafter I may fhew it, that is it which I defire to do, and in the mean time do what I can to persuade the Saints, that in this Action I seek God's glory, and not mine own. I have been beretofore put back and diffuaded from attempting any thing (left I marred all) by the wifeft, the learnedeft, the zealoufeft and holiest Preachers of this City, great Caufes and weighty Reasons moving thereunto. But yet this will not make me leave it, but still 1 am enforced (by little and little) to labour to make my felf fit to take upon me the managing of it. Wherefore, if it please you to fhew the other Letter and this, and befeech them from me to lay them before the Lord, when they fhall meet and join together in prayer: And if the Lord's Spirit fhall affure their Spirits, that he hath been, is, and will be with me in this Action (how hard foever it feemeth to be) let me by their means be vouchfafed this favour, that I may be be allowed conference with the Preachers of the Coppinger incourageth the faid Gentleman to pera declares to him his Reve The effect of the Speeches which Coppinger had with him at their Conference (as the faid Gentleman himself reported ) was fevere in deto commend the Caufe of the Preachers fence of the committed, to incourage him to the defence Caufe. of it; adding, that it was the truth of God, He declares to and that in the end it would prevail. Then lations and the faid Coppinger began to declare unto him extraordinary his Revelations, his great fafting and prayer, Gifts and Caland how God had indued him with an ex- ling touching the Reforma traordinary grace of Prayer, Perfuafion or tion of the N Pro Church. tried and al Prophecy And that God had appointed him (as he was perfuaded) to reveal the will of God touching the reformation of his Church, that he had an extraordinary Calling to do good to the Church, and what several conflicts he had in himself before he yielded to this extraordinary motion or calling from He defires that God. Therefore his Requeft was, That by his Gifts and the faid Gentleman's means, his Gifts and Calling may be Calling might be tried and allowed by thofe lowed by the godly Preachers, &c. What the Preachers and others that were conferred with, anTwered to Coppinger herein, and whether more dutifully to the Eftate, than warily; fo as they might neither (as they thought) endanger themfelves, nor kill or difcourage the Zeal of that their Brother, in fo pretended holy a Caufe, may partly by that which is afore fpoken appear, and we may then believe them when they fhall tell us the whole truth thereof. Preachers. A cold answer from Some. 9 But how flender and cold difcouragement he found with fome Preachers of London (with whom he dealt) touching his fantaftical extraordinary Calling, and dangerous Plots, may alfo appear by these words found in a Letter of his, viz. Good Mafter L. as Mafter E's former carriage in this Action (which ftandeth me much upon to deal advisedly in) did fomewhat trouble me, fo bis Chriftian and loving Answer (delivered now by you from him unto me) doth much comfort me, though by reafon of fome particular business (which I must necessarily follow) I cannot attend till Friday in the After noon, noon, or Saturday any part of the day. And after in the fame Letter, thus: Satan by his Angelical wisdom (which he still retaineth) doth many times prevail with the bolieft to make them fear good fuccefs in the beft Causes, in regard of the lets and hindrances which himself layeth in the way. It cannot be denied but that the Caufe is good, which I defire to be an Actor in: But it is faid by fome, that it is impoffible that I should be fit to meddle therein. So that here a Chri- further ftian and loving Anfwer to his great com- Conference. fort is given, further conference by fpeech The Course not is offered, and the Courfe not fo much milli- misliked, but Success only ked, as the Succefs only is doubted by rea- doubted from fon of his unfitness that was to be an Actor kis unfitness. in it. But what Refolution herein was also returned from the Preachers of Foreign Parts to this Cafe of Confcience propounded by Coppinger, may hereby (not unprobably) be gathered. Arthington at one of his Examinations confeffed, that Penry fent a Letter unto him forth of Scotland, wherein he fig- Penry writes nified, that Reformation (for fo they speak) to Arthingmuft fhortly be erected in England: And ton from herein he faid, that he took Penry to be a that Refor Prophet. Now it is fure that Penry con- mation must be veyed himself privily into England, and was Jet up in Eng. lurking about London at the felf-fame time land. when these other Prophets arofe in Cheapfide, attending (as feemeth) the fulfilling of this his Prophecy alfo by their means. How dutifully and advisedly thofe that be Subjects have dealt, which (having intelli Scotland, gence hereof) did conceal it, till it burft forth of it felf, with apparent danger to her The concealing Majefty and the whole State, may thus be of this Defign gathered. For by this Conceit of Coppindangerous to ger's (you hear) it is pretended and furmithe State. fed, that a commendable Caufe, a Cause to be defended, yea the very truth of God, (which must prevail) is by the State fupproffed and kept under: That it is the will of God to have fuch a Reformation: That impeachment of it is offered by the Queen, Counsel and Nobles: That this is a great fin meet to be repented of by them: That they must be brought to this repentance: That the penalty against any of them that refuse to be brought, is to be detected as Traytors, an offence deferving death That this muft be done out of hand: That the will of God (in great favour for the good of his Church) was revealed to him in this behalf, being a man of much fafting, prayer, rare gifts, a Prophet, an extraordinary man, with an exTruth of God, traordinary Calling; fuch as was not to be which must go judged of, or difcerned by meer ordinary on, and to op- men, and whereinto he entred not rafhly, pile it is a Sin or on a fudden, but after many conflicts deferving with himself before his yielding to God's exThat this was traordinary motion and calling: But fubmitting himself nevertheless, to have his Gifts and Calling tried and allowed of, by the beft reformed Preachers, and therefore not worthy to be fufpected, or difcredited: That the way to bring them to this repentance was a fecret Myftery, fuch as thofe Preachers Coppinger calls it the Cause and death. revealed to him as a Prophet, and not to be difcredi ted. and |