Page:The reason of church-governement urg'd against prelaty - Milton (1641).djvu/73

 broke out to such a bold affront, as hath justly immur'd their haughty looks within strong wals. Nor have they done any thing of late with more diligence, then to hinder or break the happy assembling of Parlaments, however needfull to repaire the shatter'd and disjoynted frame of the Common-wealth, or if they cannot do this, to crosse, to disinable, and traduce all Parlamentary proceedings. And this, if nothing else, plainly accuses them to be no lawful members of the house, if they thus perpetually mutine against their own body. And though they pretend like Salomons harlot, that they have right thereto, by the same judgement that Salomon gave, it cannot belong to them, whenas it is not onely their assent, but their endeavour continually to divide Parlaments in twain; and not only by dividing, but by all other means to abolish and destroy the free use of them to all posterity. For the which and for all their former misdeeds, wherof this book and many volumes more cannot contain the moytie, I shal move yee Lords in the behalf I dare say of many thousand good Christians, to let your justice and speedy sentence passe against this great malefactor Prelaty. And yet in the midst of rigor I would beseech ye to think of mercy; and such a mercy, I feare I shal overshoot with a desire to save this falling Prelaty, such a mercy (if I may venture to say it) as may exceed that which for only ten righteous persons would have sav'd Sodom. Not that I dare advise ye to contend with God whether he or you shal be more merciful, but in your wise esteems to ballance the offences of those peccant Citties with these enormous riots of ungodly mis-rule that Prelaty hath wrought both in the Church of Christ, and in the state of this Kingdome. And if ye think ye may with a pious presumption strive to goe beyond God in mercy, I shall not be one now that would dissuade ye. Though God for lesse then ten just persons would not spare Sodom, yet if you can finde after due search but only one good thing in prelaty either to religion, or civil goverment, to King or Parlament, to Prince or people, to law, liberty, wealth or learning, spare her, let her live, let her spread among ye, till with her shadow, all your dignities and honours, and all the glory of the land be darken'd and obscurd. But on the contrary if she be found to be malignant, hostile, destructive to all these, as nothing can be surer, then let your severe and impartial doom imitate the divine vengeance; rain down your punishing force upon this godlesse and oppressing government: and bring such a dead Sea of subversion upon her, that she may never in this Land rise more to afflict the holy reformed Church, and the elect people of God.The end.