Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: I zealous Kings Ezechias and Josias had reformed Religion, the people were so prone to the contrary, that, immediately upon their decease1, they returned again to their old vomit. Yea, when the ten tribes were brought to captivity, for serving God otherwise than He would2, the tribe of Judah was not, by this their brethren's plague, amended3; nor, when they were brought under yoke themselves, they considered any whit the cause of their distress5, which was the forsaking of their Lord and God. For, being in Babylon, they went as near as they could to the rites of Gentility6; and, restored again unto the land of promise7, under Antiochus they fell again8. Such is the violent persuasion of error ; such is the force of superstition; that, as soon as ever occasion is ministered, our corrupt nature inclineth to it. Whereof we need to fetch no further proof than our own days. That idol of Winchester, Stephen Gardyner, subscribed, in King Edward's reign, against the use of Images; comparing them to a child's book, that ought to be taken from him, if he only delighted in the golden cover: yet, in Queen Mary's days, he forgat himself, and commanded them every where to be erected. For fourteen year together, as by good depositions it is to be seen, he preached against the Pope's supremacy, vehemently, pithily, earnestly, very earnestly, forwardly: but, as soon as ever opportunity served him, he brought, (in the Devil's name,) the idol in again9. What shall I speak of men's private doings? Generally we heard, in our Josias' reign, when he had pulled down the high places, that our affections had been laid too low; that we had been deceived. And as for pilgrimages, pardons, and such idle toys, who would defend them ? who would not confess that they had been abused by them ? Yet, in that terr...