Page:The reason of church-governement urg'd against prelaty - Milton (1641).djvu/69

 continue so long to them, as by pleasing him they shall deserve, whence it must needs be they should bend all their intentions, and services to no other ends but to his, that if it should happen that a tyrant (God turn such a scourge from us to our enemies) should come to grasp the Scepter, here were his speare men and his lances, here were his firelocks ready, he should need no other pretorian band nor pensionry then these, if they could once with their perfidious preachments aw the people. For although the Prelats in time of popery were sometimes friendly anough to magnacharta, it was because they stood upon their own bottom, without their main dependance on the royal nod: but now being well acquainted that the protestant religion, if she will reform her self rightly by the Scriptures, must undresse them of all their guilded vanities, and reduce them as they were at first, to the lowly and equall order of Presbyters, they know it concerns them neerly to study the times more then the text, and to lift up their eyes to the hils of the Court, from whence only comes their help; but if their pride grow weary of this crouching and observance, as ere long it would, and that yet their minds clime still to a higher ascent of worldly honour, this only refuge can remain to them, that they must of necessity contrive to bring themselves and us back again to the Popes supremacy, and this we see they had by fair degrees of late been doing. These be the two fair supporters between which the strength of Prelaty is born up, either of inducing tyranny, or of reducing popery. Hence also we may judge that Prelaty is meer falshood. For the property of Truth is, where she is publickly taught, to unyoke & set free the minds and spirits of a Nation first from the thraldom of sin and superstition, after which all honest and legal freedom of civil life cannot be long absent; but Prelaty whom the tyrant custom begot a natural tyrant in religion, & in state the agent & minister of tyranny, seems to have had this fatal guift in her nativity like another Midas that whatsoever she should touch or come neer either in ecclesial or political government, it should turn, not to gold, though she for her part could wish it, but to the drosse and scum of slavery breeding and setling both in the bodies and the souls of all such as doe not in time with the sovran treacle of sound doctrine provide to fortifie their hearts against her Hierarchy. The service of God who is Truth, her Liturgy confesses to be perfect freedom, but her works and her opinions declare that the service of Prelaty is perfect slavery, and by consequence perfect falshood. Which makes me wonder much that many of the Gentry, studious men, as I heare should