rours, he could not stoppe & subuerte the course of y^e
gospell, but that it speedily overspred with a wounderfull celeritie the
then best known parts of y^e world, He then begane to sow errours,
heresies, and wounderfull dissentions amongst y^e professours them
selves, (working upon their pride & ambition, with other corrupte
passions incidente to all mortall men, yea to y^e saints them selves in
some measure,) by which wofull effects followed; as not only bitter
contentions, & hartburnings, schismes, with other horrible confusions,
but Satan tooke occasion & advantage therby to foyst in a number of vile
ceremoneys, with many unproffitable cannons & decrees, which have since
been as snares to many poore & peaceable souls even to this day. So as
in y^e anciente times, the persecutions[2] by y^e heathen & their
Emperours, was not greater then of the Christians one against other; the
Arians & other their complices against y^e orthodoxe & true Christians.
As witneseth Socrates in his 2. booke. His words are these;[B] _The
violence truly_ (saith he) _was no less than that of ould practised
towards y^e Christians when they were compelled & drawne to sacrifice to
idoles; for many indured sundrie kinds of tormente, often rackings, &
dismembering of their joynts; confiscating of ther goods; some bereaved
of their native soyle; others departed this life under y^e hands of y^e
tormentor; and some died in banishm[=e]te, & never saw ther cuntrie
againe, &c._

The like methode Satan hath seemed to hold in these later times, since
y^e trueth begane to springe & spread after y^e great defection made by
Antichrist, y^t man of si[=n]e.

For to let pass y^e infinite examples in sundrie nations and severall
places of y^e world, and instance in our owne, when as y^t old serpente
could not prevaile by those firie flames & other his cruell tragedies,
which he[C] by his instruments put in ure every wher in y^e days of
queene Mary & before, he then begane an other kind of warre, & went more
closly to worke; not only to oppuggen, but even to ruinate & destroy y^e
kingdom of Christ, by more secrete & subtile means, by kindling y^e
flames of contention and sowing y^e seeds of discorde & bitter enmitie
amongst y^e proffessors & seeming reformed them selves. For when he
could not prevaile by y^e former means against the principall doctrins
of faith, he bente his force against the holy discipline & outward
regimente of the kingdom of Christ, by whi