deserued this honor and hath this office to make us and our prayers to be accepted and therfore that we may in faith cry unto thee evermo◅e thorow him Amen Amen Good Lord helpe us and all thy people that by all these markes and the like wee may thoroughly try and examine our selves whether we be thy children or no and that wee may never give ouer crying unto thee untill we finde every one of these lively and sensibly in us Cause us rightly to understand and to bee fully perswaded heereof that in what measure we finde the former change wrought in us and every one of these marks in the same we may know our selves like wise to bee in thy favour and accepted of thee and that contrarily vvithout every one of these at least begun in us in some measure a sound resolution with an earnest desire and longing of our soules to increase and grow heerein vvee cannot assure our selves to bee any better then Hypocrites and that wee shall never finde sound comfort that thou wilt acknowledge us for thine untill we finde these evident markes upon us Grant unto us therefore Oh tender Father all the peculiar marks of thy Children and all other that hereby we and all thine may know our selves infallibly to bee thine owne deere Children for thy beloved Sonne our blessed Lord and Saviour Amen VI. A prayer for knowledge and right use of the meanes whereby wee may bee made Gods Children and grow up in the assurance thereof and so b◅ established in grace continually OH most gracious God and mercifull Father the onely fountaine of wisedome and grace forsomuch as every one who hath any sparke of grace or true wisedome desires to bee in the blessed estate of thy Children to have thy love and favour to grow up in the assurance thereof as the chiefest happinesse in this world perswade us and all thy people aright what are the ordinary meanes whereby thou begettest thy Children to a lively hope That thou dost it ordinarily and usually even by the same meanes whereby thou diddest first gather thy Church in the daies of our Saviour and after that so wonderfully and speedily spread it over the face of the earth even by the sincere preaching of thy heavenly word and namely of thy sacred Gospell That howsoever the world accounts that foolishnesse yet thou hast ordained it to be the immortall seede whereby thine are begotten anew and thus made thy Children by grace and to be thy mighty power unto salvation to make all thine to beleeve and in beleeving to make them partakers of thy favour and love and so to give them eternall life And that this saving kinde of preaching stands as the preaching of Paul did not in the intising speech of mans wisedome but in the plaine evidence of thy Spirit of power That so our faith may bee apparant to bee wrought not by the wisedome of men but onely by thy divine and mighty power alone Perswade all thy people moreover that as thou doest beget all thine a-newe by this thy heauenly voyce the sincere preaching of thy Gospell and in calling them makest them thy Children so thou feedest and nourishest them and all thy Graces in them by the same principally and next therunto by the right use of thy holie Sacraments the reuerent reading of the same blessed word and other holy bookes grounded thereupon with sacred Meditations conference with the godly practise of all holy duties carnest supplications and prayers for a right and sanctified use for thy blessing upon everie one of these meanes and the like to make them all effectuall heereunto Good Father perswade ◅ll who thus desire to bee thy Children and in thy favour and to have all others likewise partakers with them of the same mercy to seeke by all holy meanes the establishing and advancement of thy sacred Ministery that them selves and all others may depend upon the conscionable faithfull and sincere Ministers Pastors and Teachers whom thou hast ordayned in this respect to succeed in the place of holy Paul and the other Apostles for the gathering together of the Saints for the worke of the Ministry and for the edification of the body of Christ and bee wholly affraid of all Anaba ptisticall fancies or separations or of any way vvithdrawing themselves from under the meanes ordayned by thee for their salvation to lye open to Sathan and his delusions Oh gracious Father who so tenderest thy Children and chosen flocke as thou hast set Kings Princes in thy place for the care and comfort of them above all other of the earth perswade and move effectually the heartes of all those whom thou hast appointed to be thus as Fathers to thy children as namely all Governours and principally the cheefe whom thou hast specially ordayned to bee the prime foster-Fathers unto those thy deere Children in al the parts of the world That they by all the meanes power that thou shalt ever vouchsafe to put into their hands may looke to see thy people committed to their charge to be furnished with such conscionable sincere faithfull Pastors and teachers as by whom they may be first begotten and after nourished and fed so as they may grow up to the measure of the age of the fulness in Christ and be provided likewise for all other gracious meanes helps belonging hereunto Thus in like manner wee humbly intreate thee most mercifull God and tender father that by the mighty operation of thy heavenly Spirit thou wilt thorowly perswade and move all those whome thou hast in a peculiar manner separated unto this worke of winning of soules unto thee or who have or shall any way enter heereupon that they may wisely consider that principall part of their Vocation and Function namely to endeavour to make al their Congregations to bee thine owne Children carrying lively thy image and bearing upon them the markes of thy Children Cause them to seeke tenderly to nourish and comfort them as in thy place and presence and ever to preserve keepe them from Sathan and all his cursed agents and instruments as from all seducing Iesuites and Seminaryes who compasse sea and land to make all sorts the children of the divell worse then themselves and so from all other deceyvers and all the delusions of this evill world Grant that thus they may study to be able each according to their places at all times whensoever thou shalt call them to an account and chiefly at the great day to present them with all confident boldness and joy before thy heavenly Majesty saying vvith the Prophet Lord heere am I and the children thou hast given me by my Ministry or any way cōmitted to my charge Hearken unto us Oh gracious Father in these our humble supplications all other things which thou knowest to be
the Nobilitie Gentrie and principall professours in France And likewise to omit that intendment 88. in a like treaty and all other their stratagems of the same nature by which they have so much promoted the Catholike cause as they call it and still doe to this very day and so farre surprized the Church of Christ and prevailed against us all all of them being of the same nature and from the same Author To passe over all these and to leave them all as rightly due to Popery for that lying and murder the two chiefe workes of the Deuill are now well knowne to all the world even to all that will not wittingly put out their owne eyes to be the tâ—…o principall pillars which have alwaies supported and promoted Popery and the kingdome of Antichrist and must now specially if ever heretofore stand him in stead And to come briefly to shew the palpablenesse of this first delusion and that it is of the very same nature with all the former mentioned namely when they say That they have moe holy devotions that is moe bookes and helps for devotions viz. moe holy directions for a true Christian life for the right practise of Christianitie and piety moe helps for holy meditations and contemplations for examining our hearts and lives soundly according to the word of the Lord so for true humiliation repentance for holy praiers thanksgivings and the like than we have I refer all who are willing to know the truth to that catalogue of our devotions even of those which are extant in Print and may be had by all who will use or see them as it is set downe in the end of this booke as it is gathered out of Master Maunsels catalogue dedicated to Q. Elizabeth printed anno 1595. and of those which have beene since Which Catalogue alone to compare it with all the English devotions of the like kindes that they have in the world much more of these which their common sort can come by and make vse of will I hope quite smite off this first head of this killing serpent And especially when the works of some one of our men there mentioned alone being well applied and practised may afford sufficient matter in that kinde to any poore Christian for his whole life to make him a blessed man yea much more blessed than all the devotions of Popery can as will appeare after and what may we thinke then of all the rest of them together And thus much briefly may suffice for the cutting off this first head of this Hydra But the second head of this subtle serpent may seeme more dangerous as it is indeed and more full of deadly poyson to wit that their devotions viz. those commended most unto you by your Church and Iesuites are more holy and better than ours To cut off this therefore likewise as it is a thing more necessarie so it may seeme more difficult But that this may be as easily and surely effected we are wisely to consider wherein the holinesse and goodnesse of all true devotions doe consist This we may doe specially by considering the matter ends and fruits of true devotions For the generall matter those must needs be the holiest and best which are most directly grounded upon the sacred Scriptures that sure foundation of the Prophets and Apostles whereof Iesus Christ is the chiefe corner stone upon which as all the true Church is built so all her devotions against which foundation the gates of hell shall never prevaile more than against Christ himselfe they being holy as his owne Maiestie and heaven and earth may passe but not one jot or tittle in them till all things in them be fulfilled for that such devotions in regard of their matter are the Lords so far forth as they are siâ—…mely grounded upon that sacred word For the more particular matter likewise those must needs be the best which tend most to advance the glory of our God and the scepter and kingdome of our Lord Iesus Christ which most magnifie him giving all our salvation to the rich mercy of our heavenly Father in and through our Lord Iesus Christ alone and so which are most powerfull and effectuall to pull downe all the pride of sinfull man and to make us to renounce all but Christ Iesus alone to account all but losse and dung in regard of any reioycing in our selves of any iustification or merit but onely in Iesus Christ and to be found in him alone not having our owne righteousnesse but the righteousnesse of God in him So those which most serve to cause us wholly to deny our selves thereby to be made fit to come unto and follow him as his true subiects and disciples and which make most to the saving of all his Church and chosen flocke by him alone and to leave all who will not so receive and follow him and heare his voice onely as his enemies more without excuse And as these so those in like manner which give most full assurance of Gods favour and love and of true pardon of sinne and eternall life by Iesus Christ alone and which thus give most strong and most abundant consolation onely in him Those likewise which are most powerfull and effectuall to increase our faith in him and therewithall our love and all the rest of the graces of God even all parts of true sanctification and repentance which are nothing else but the fruits of our holy faith in him wrought in us by his blessed Spiriâ—… when that we truly beleeve in Christ. Or to speake all more shortly those devotions must needs be best which most frame all to the lively image of our Lord and Saviour and so doe most forme Christ in us to wit which most fashion us to that absolute patterne of true holinesse which is commanded in his blessed word and not to superstition contrary to it and condemned in it And also those whereby we may be best assured to receive most power to prevaile with the Lord and to obtaine all good things from him alone Or yet more for the understanding of all Those must needs be best which doe best direct and help us to performe all our vowes promises made to him and so to walke with him all our daies doing onely that which he requires in all things that so we may be assured of all his promises both for this and the better life to be fully performed to us for the saving our selves and all the people of the Lord. Or most briefly according to our Saviours direction which stands sure for ever in the three first petitions Those which most tend to advance his glory and kingdome with the accomplishment of all his heavenly will alone and not the will of sinfull man must needs be the best of all The reason is for that these three first being obeyed and sought first aright will certainly bring the three latter petitions and
them to any conscience in all the world if it be not altogether seared and starke dead whether are more agreeable to the former rules and so the better But to come more particularly to set them opposite that thus they may the better appeare as when white and blacke are set to be beholden light and darknesse both together and to doe it so as the simplest in all the land may see it plainly and be able to iudge and therefore with some little repetition 1. Ours directly grounded upon the word of the Lord theirs more than for a shew grounded onely and professedly vpon the doctrines and traditions of men yea in deed on the doctrines of that man of sinne 2. Ours tending wholly to advance the glory of our God and giving all glory to him alone excluding all rejoycing in our selves that he that rejoyceth may rejoyce onely in the Lord theirs robbing him of his honour giving it to creatures 3. Ours tending onely to magnifie our Lord Iesus Christ and his merit alone with the all-sufficiency of it for our salvation and for whatsoever else wee stand in need of wee comming onely to our heavenly Father as it were with his beloved sonne Christ Iesus in our armes presenting him for us as all-sufficient that we may be accepted in and for him so making him our alone Saviour Mediatour and Intercessour they come putting many other things in the place of him and of his alone merit and intercession as namely the Virgin Marie and other Saints with their Merits yea Crucifixes Masses Indulgences Reliques and a number of other things which being in any sort put in the place of Christ Iesus of his satisfaction or merit and having his honour given to them in whole or in part make all 〈◊〉 devotions to be most abominable 4. Ours tending altogether to humble man in regard of any thing in himselfe and wholly to beat downe all the pride of sinfull man to make him utterly to deny himselfe and all conâ—…dence in himselfe thus to make him fit to fall downe with the poore Publican and with Marie Magdalen at the feet of our Lord and Saviour to lay fast and lively hold on him to present him only for us to God his Father theirs tending to puffe and lift up sinfull man like Lucifer to cause him to be utterly thrust downe to hell 5. Ours teaching and helping us in all things fully to vnderstand yea to observe and keepe our Baptisme vow and Covenant made with our blessed God according to his heavenly word theirs to keepe all in blindnesse and ignorance of that their Baptisme vow in regard of any true vnderstanding or holy performance of it 6. Ours teaching and assisting us to fight manfully under the banner of our Lord Iesus Christ against sinne the world and the devill and so to continue Christs faithfull souldiers and servants to our lives end according as we have vowed and bound our selves their 's to fight Giant-like or as the Angels of the Dragon under the banner of Satan and Antichrist against our Lord and Saviour Christ Iesus and against all his true Church to maintaine all their abominable Idolatry and superstition and all the bloudy and filthy sinnes of Sodome To fight for all the worldly pompe and tyranny of their Popes and Cardinals and of all the rest that persecute Christs Church Thus to continue Sathan and Antichrists faithfull souldiers and servants to their lives end to fight ever against us untill they have utterly destroied us or themselves and all indeed because wee will not falsifie our vowes and sacramentall oathes made to our Lord Iesus Christ like as they themselves doe 7. Our devotions teaching and stirring us up all our daies to observe every particular part of our Covenant both for Law and Gospell their 's not onely to hold all in ignorance of their Covenant and so altogether in an unpossibilitie to keepe it when they know it not and every one of them necessarily liable to the wrath of God but also in effect teaching the violating of all both Law and Gospell thrusting ouâ—… some parts wholly as the second Commandement in many of their bookes adding and detracting at the Popes pleasure and that nothing is to bee taken for Scripture and for Gods Word but onely as it hath warrant and authority from him in so much as a Papist dare not beleeve the Trinity from the infallible Testimonie of the written Word of God without the authority of their Pope 8. Ours teaching helping to walke in the narrow path that onely leadeth to life prescribed by our Lord and Saviour theirs drawing from this narrow path into by-paths devised by man and so into the broad way leading to destruction seeking to kill all who resolve to obey our Saviour in labouring to keepe the narrow way and who will not runne those by-paths and the broad way with them 9. Ours directing helping us to live the life of faith living onely by the word of God which together with the Spirit can alone give faith their 's the life of unbeleefe grounded meerely upon the word of sinfull man for that they beleeve the word not for it selfe but onely so farre as it hath authoritie from the Pope as was said which in truth can never give any sound faith Yea ours directing and assisting to live not onely the life of faith in generall but of the true iustifying and saving faith which is wrought onely by the particular applying of Christ and all his promises to our selves from which particular applying of Christ proceedeth all true confidence and every part of sanctification theirs directing to beleeve but without any such particular application and onely in generall and as the wickedest and the very Devils beleeve for they beleeve there is one God and quake and tremble Now that this generall beleefe of theirs and this implicite faith can never breed the true justifying sanctifying and saying faith I appeale to the consciences of all any more than the most soveraigne plaister can heale if it be not particularly applied and kept to the sore or more than meat can nourish and strengthen if it be not eaten and digested and even turned into our nature or yet any more than a graft can grow by the stocke if it be not grafted into the stocke by speciall application conjunction and union to take sap from it 10. Ours directing helping to live the life of true godlinesse being guided onely by his word and Spirit which life alone hath all the promises both for this and the other life their 's for most part in stead of this true godlinesse so guided by Gods word directing to live the life of bodily exercises as Paul cals them in superstitious penance fastings whippings with other will-worships devotions and workes devised â—…eerely by man which bodily exercises and devotions have only a shew of wisdome from men vainely puffed up by their fleshly mindes no promise at all but contrarily
all the threatnings in Gods booke for adding to his word and detracting from it in matter of his worship and service and for rejecting his Commandements setting up mans in stead thereof and so placing sinfull man in the roome of our most holy blessed and glorious God the creature above the Creator yea in truth Satan above God like as in all their devillish and lying doctrines 11. Ours teaching working by the practise of them full assurance of Gods favour and love in Iesus Christ which onely brings with it joy unspeakable and glorious theirs teaching and bringing but onely hope without any ground of true faith and therefore teaching doubting continually which when the conscience is awaked brings the very flashing of hell fire with it So that ours in the right use of them are heaven upon earth theirs when their consciences shall be awaked or when they but see what they have done in them all a very hell upon earth 12. Our devotions are in the end the sweetest in the remembrance of them and of all the time before that ever we have spent in them since we beleeved in Christ so as every one of our devotions made in faith as our Religion directeth and every moment of time so spent in them hath a certaine reward their 's being done without warrant of the word yea contrary to the word and therefore superstitiously and sinfully not onely wanting all such expectation of reward for who required the best of those things at their hands but also having an expectation of vengeance when the conscience beginneth to be a little awaked So that experience teacheth that then they are faine to renounce all but Iesus Christ and so all confidence in these things and to wish then with Balaam to die the death of the righteous toward which death of the righteous we are alway going forward and which life we striving to live shall be sure to die the death thereof and our last end to be like to our life 13. Our devotions in so many of us as practise them aright are as our Religion viz. that pure Religion and undefiled before God even the Father which Iames speaketh of directing and helping to visit the fatherlesse and the widow in their adversitie and namely those of them who are of the houshold of faith and the members of our Lord Iesus Christ and to keepe our selves unspotted of the world So as we practising rightly out devotions there cannot be a lying tongue found in our mouthes nor a hand or heart defiled with bloud but we shall seeke by all meanes to save both soules and bodies of all sorts even of our wickedest enemies and the most bloudily-minded against us Their Devotions contrarily are in truth as their Religion to devoure widowes houses under a pretence of long prayer and to destroy all the innocent the fatherlesse widow even al who are of the houshold of faith the members of Christ which are indeed the Innocents that save all the rest And by these they make themselves notorious and infamous to all the world to be the most polluted with execrable lying and the murder of innocents of all other religions that ever were in the world before as will further appeare after whereby all their chiefe professours and namely their bloudy Iesuits have made themselves odious even to all Nations 14. Yea and to passe by many other our Devotions are as our Religion to make us faithfull and loyall subjects and not to be so bold as to have an evill thought in our hearts against him whom the Lord sets over us but to be as David whose heart smit him for touching but the lap of Sauls garment and so with that holy servant of God and with the children of the Captivity and with Daniel yea with all the holy Martyrs to be content to endure whatsoever from them and from all in holy and lawfull authoritie under them that in our patient sufferings Kings Princes and Rulers may see the truth and what is pleasing to the Lord and also what they ought to maintaine and doe for their owne salvation and of their Royall Progenie and Dominions their 's in all these things to make all to be contrarily affected viz. to arme and flesh all to rebellion and the murdering of Kings and Princes when they can do it cōveniently After that those their ghostly fathers have made them to drinke deepe enough of this cup and to be truly devout in the manner of their devotions though I hope better things of you to whom I write yet it cannot hurt you to be warned 15. Moreover for the māner forme of our devotions All our devotions which are agreeable to our doctrine are sent forth from understanding hearts and so with a holy zeale inflamed by the spirit of judgement and the spirit of burning mixt with the sweet perfume of Christs merit and so offered up to our heavenly Father as they may be most pleasing comming to him as out of the hand of our Saviour yea offered also in order without any vaine babling or idle repetition Theirs contrarily are for most part and usually without any understanding at all like as all the devotions of their ignorant sort are especially those which are in an unknowne tongue and so without all holy affection For all holy affections must of necessitie be grounded upon knowledge without which the heart cannot be good neither can there be any faith in such nor any thing but sinne for whatsoever is not of faith is sinne And not onely so but also theirs are full of vaine and idle repetitions in that blinde manner a matter directly condemned by our Saviour as hypocriticall and heathenish when men thinke to be heard for their much babling Finally for that theirs are usually sent forth in a proud opinion of their owne merit and worthinesse to be heard or as they come out of the hand of some Saint or Angell to whom therein they give this honour and prerogative which solely belongs to our Lord and Saviour viz. of presenting our praiers and supplications unto his Father alone I might prosecute these comparisons in many other instances as namely that our devotions make us still better the more they are practised by us and more like to Christ Iesus theirs as they are their 's properly as those which I named make them still and ever worse and worse and more like to Satan as he is transformed into an Angell of light as namely in all their Iesuits their chiefe professed holy men being indeed deuils in carnate and so accounted to all States and specially for those chiefe works of their lying and murder which are manifest to all to be their principall studie Ours to repeat it againe that it may leave the deeper impression in every soule tending to save all both soules and bodies theirs to destroy all not onely us whom they terme Heretiques but themselves eternally
together with his Defence thereof in his Encounter against Parsons In which he doth manifest this to be their plaine and direct doctrine setting downe their places out of sundry of their chiefe Authors 3. The Lord hath moreover caused it to be published not to our Nation alone but as it were to the whole world in that booke which is called Revelatio Consâ—…iorum quâ—… 〈◊〉 Synodâ—… Tridentinae â—…ant inita in hunc usquâ—… diem continuata viz. I he revealing of Popish conspiracies betweene the Pope the Emperour and other Popish Princes and States of the Christian world from the beginning of the Councell of Trent untill this day for the utter rooting out of the Gospell of Christ and destroying the professors thereof either by fraud under pretence of peace or other leagues or by open hostilitie and cruelty whensoever their time and opportunitie serves which booke hath sundry of the Popes Buls annexed to it to the same purpose And likewise the Lord hath caused it to be thus divulged by sundry other bookes and meanes But this I have already set downe in the third part of this Watch and namely in the Idolatry of Iudah hastning the Captivitie which matter if ever heretofore concernes our whole Nation and even all the Churches seriously to lay to heart Now this one very fact of theirâ—… alone might have beene fully sufficient to have caused all of them to have acknowledged the truth of that Assumption and thereupon to have utterly renounced Popery and embraced the Gospell againe if God had beene so pleased to have opened their eyes oâ—… touched their hearts to have considered of it as in his presence and much more those mentioned bookes and many such like discoveries But sith that notwithstanding all manner of convictions by such notorious practises formerly such manifestations by writings and even from their owne bookes most of them in stead of renouncing Popery and joyning to us againe are much more obstinate and the number of them is increased and that they doe daily grow in their induration against all the Lords most gracious warnings of them and that all the Iesuits and Iesuited doo set themselves as Pharaoh and Egypt to pursue all his Israel at this once into the very heart of the sea and also seeing that all their simpler sort are so farre inchanted by their Iannes and Iaâ—…bres those their Iesuits and other Seminarie Priests through their illusions and hopes at length to prevaile at least by these their practises of equivocations and murders I have thought it my dutie yet once againe to manifest here still further the evidence of this Assumption viz. That Popery practiseth and teacheth lying and murder to support and advance it selfe and therefore is undoubtedly of the Devill Who can tell if yet at length our blessed God wil not be pleased to awake that Honourable Ladie and that devoted Gentleman with others of them which I beg of his sacred Majestie even upon my knees to consider better of their estate and courses and get themselves out of the power and paw of Satan At least my certaine hope in the Lord is that it may bee a meanes to helpe to keepe many others from ever so comming under Satans banner And here I cannot but againe wonder at the goodnesse of our God and of his speciall providence answering for me and performing also my poore desire herein likewise above all that I could ever expect at this verie instant of time now that this my hearts desire towards them and our prayers to God for them are to come into the presse and into the publique view of all and but even as it were immediately before Which thing I cannot noâ—… dare otherwise expound but because hee would have all sorts to take notice of his love and care for us and for all that are his people to warne and save us all and also of his infinite mercie even to them if any warning may yet serve to prevaile with them or else of his most just vengeance if they will suffer themselves still to be so wilfully blinded and carried against him his truth and servants in such a furious rage to their owne certaine perdition and will not yet turne and betake themselves unto the colours of our Lord Iesus Christ. First hee hath manifested it anew in discovering againe even as it were to all the world the wickednesse of that Religion in this behalfe in causing our whole nation not onely to take more full and certaine notice of their dealing and to bee enforced to seeke by all meanes to prevent the mischiefe and danger by it but also all the Churches even all the earth to see how by delayes and faire pretences which have indeed beene nothing but meere untruths and guls to speake plainly of them they have devoured so great a part and are readie presently to swallow up all under pretences of mariages of more strong leagues and more firme peace according to their ancient devices and practices agreeably to their holy Councels at Trent in the booke mentioned before so as even all the world rings and cries out of it 2. In the new French practice of the Iesuites confirmed both in print and also by letters to sundrie Merchants from men of credit whereby they sought to make our Religion odious to Kings Princes and States for treasonable plots and so to set them all to band themselves to root it and us utterly out of the earth and specially to make France once againe to flow with Christian bloud for that such as they are have not yet drunke bloud enough though all their Iesuited sort are made drunke alreadie with the bloud of the Saints and Martyrs of Iesus 3. By causing at this time their Art of equivocating and lying to come to light and to bee published to the view of all sorts amongst us How these Iesuites have beaten their braines and even gone beyond Satan himselfe in devising maintaining and practising this devillish Art which wee may well call their new Blacke Art for which I referre all to Mr. Masons booke of The new Art of lying covered by Iesuites under the vaile of Equivocation That all may see and bee for ever fully satisfied that these are their doctrines the verie chiefest of them in the refining and perfecting whereof they bestow most paines 4. By that late and notable Discoverie out of their owne bookes by Mr. Gee who was one of them wherein he hath set downe such impious tricks and devices of their Priests and Iesuites that as hee there saith all may justly hoot at them for most abominable impostors and liars The reading but of some of which will manifestly cleere whatsoever I have spoken in this behalfe and this Assumption This likewise comming forth in Gods speciall providence at this verie instant for the more full conviction of all or leaving all more without excuse and to stop everie mouth that shall plead for them Yet to
thou hast caused the glorie of thy wisedome power and goodness to shine in all thy works even in every creature of the world to convince all the earth that every soule that will not give thee thy glory may bee left utterly without excuse and all the disobedient may have theyr mouthes stopped and be forever confounded before thy Tribunall Above all make all thy people to understand and know that thou hast caused this thy glorie to be more visibly uppon the Churches which thou hast so mightily rescued and delivered from the power of Sathan and Antichrist and whom thou hast taken into so neere a Covenant as to bee thy onely people to whom thou hast committed thy heavenly word and ordinances then it is upon all other people and places of the world besides and that this thou hast done chiefly to this end that wee might set forth thy glory in this by keeping all thy Statutes and observing all thy Lawes Lord cause all to know moreover that to this end thou hast not delivered us set us out of that bondage to serve thee in holiness but hast set before us also life death blessing and cursing and hast bidden us to choose life that we and ours may live and hast assured us heereof and that onely by loving thee the Lord our God by obeying thy voice by cleaving fast unto thee because thou thorow thy Christ art unto us our life and the length of our dayes and whatsoever thou bidst us thou wilt enable us to doe we onely beleeving in thy beloved Sonne and using the holy meanes which thou hast appointed Make us all to this purpose ever to remember how thou hast charged us all that the booke of thy Law thy sacred word should never depart out of our mouthes but that we should meditate in it day and night that wee may all observe and doe according to all that is written in that booke for that then thou wilâ—… make all our wayes in this our journey prosperous no enemy shall bee able to withstand us much lesse to surprize us of a sudden but thou wilt bee with us and thou wilt then give us good success Yea good Lord let this ever be before our faces how to incorageâ—…s better hâ—… 〈◊〉 to thou hast assured us that if wee will thus thinke and meditate of thy Lawes and Commandements day and night to observe do them and honour thee thereby thou wilt honour us herein that wee shall bee a blessed people and like the trees plainted by the rivers of water that we shall bring forth our fruite in due season and that so as our leafe shall not fade but looke whatsoever we do shal prosper How then we shall be wiser then our enemies yea wee shall have more understanding then our teachers and then all the auncient when wee can set our selves thus to honour thee by keeping all thy Commandements like as thou diddest veryfie thy gracious promises in this â—…alfe to thy faithfull servant David to Daniell to those worthyes of the Captivitie whom thou diddest so highly honour for that they so honoured thee as that they would rather chuse to bee cast upon all miseries yea the cruellest death then voluntarily to defile themselves by transgressing but the very least of all thy holy Commandements Make us all therefore that are thiâ—…e rightly to understand that whilest wee thus honour thee in being thus with thee in faith and all holy obedience to these thy blessed Commandements thou wilt likewise honour us in being with us in mercy and truth thy good hand shal bee so sensibly upon us that we shall live by faith in assurance and experience that thou wilt accomplish unto â—…s every one of thy 〈◊〉 promises and that thus persevering in faith and obedience we shal be saved eternally Make us to know for certayne that so long so long onely as we watch and strive heereunto seeking cheerfully to receyue the Law of thy mouth and to lay uppe thy words in our soules we shall be able to lift up our heartes with our hands in undoubted assurance that wee shall be heard in whatsoever shall be best for us and for thy Church Cause us to know and beleeue for certayne that so many of us and so many onely as thus seeke to make keep peace with thy Majesty in turning and submitting ourselves thus wholly to thy Covenant as holy Noah Moses and Abraham did are those whom thou accountest the innocent and to whom thou hast promised that they shall deliver the Iland Lord at length perswade us all that are thine and make every one of us to seeke to perswade all others that unto this intire endeavour of obedience to all thy Commandements both of thy Law and Gospell are all thy promises made and that contrarily against all contempt and despising of the heavenly Commandements yea against every wilful disobedience thogh it be but to one Commandement thy cursings and thâ—…e tâ—…ings are denounced which thou dost dreadfully execute accordingly because men will not thus give thee thy glory Good Lord awaken all the Churches and open the eyes of all thine own people rightly to conceyue understand these things and how Sathan that old Serpent that arch bloody enemy of thy Church knowing all this wel enough hath sought in all the prosperity of thy Churches to cause thine owne people to dishonour thee by making onely a bare outward profession of honouring thee by receyuing and setting up thy heavenly Religion Commandements to obey them in word but trampling them all under foot generally according to the evill customes and manners of the Countries and places where they live that thou mightest leave thy people into his hand into the hands of all his cruell instruments as thou hast most righteously done in so many parts of thy Church already and threatnest all the rest of thy people for the same Oh deere Father how many of thy faithfull servants who have lived in those parts of thy Church which are now left into the enemyes handes do heerein iustifie thy proceedings acknowledging thy righteousness in all that thou hast brought upon them even for this very cause of carnall Gospelling and loose profession Oh tender Father make us all able likewise to iustifie thee in this behalfe and never to rest crying unto thee for them untill thou shalt open their eyes to see and acknowledge thy righteousnes and that they shall unseinedly repent of their most heynous dishonour done to thy sacred Majesty herein in causing thy name heereby to bee blasphemed amongst thine enemyes Yea cause us good Lord by their fearfull ensample even us specially of this sinfull Nation to meet thee speedily by our unfeigned repentance for this dreadfull sinne whereof we are generally no less guilty then any
14 15. Matt. 6. 7. Our devotions what in generall Their devotions of what sort a See their bookes of their chiefe devotions as they are called by Master Gâ—…E who was best acquainted with them b See their Letanies to our Lady in that booke and namely that sung at the intended â—…panish invasion Their more profound meditations and devotions 2 Thess. 2. 4. 2 Thess. 2. 4. Apoc. 13. 11. c. 14 15 16 17. Scope of all their dâ—…votions Esa. 1. 13. Comparing of them together Particular comparing of them for more evidence 1 Tim. 4 8. Col. 2. 23. Deut. 4. 2. 22. 32. Prov. 30. 6. Apoc. 22. 18. 1 Tim. 4. 1. Iam. 1. 17. Iob 22. Esa. 4. 4. Apoc. 8. 3. Matth. 6. Prov. 19. 2. Rom. 4. end Matth. 6. 7. Rom. 8. 34. 1 Tim. 2. 5. Apoc. â—… 3. Conclusion of this second point 2 Thess. 2. 11 12. The third part of the delusion that they spend more time in their devotions than we in ours Rhâ—…m on Rom. 3. vers 22. sect 7. Mat. 12. 33. Esa. 1. 15. 1 Ioh. 3. 15. Esa. 1. 12. Psal. 50. 16. Iam. 16. 7. Iust complaint against the greatest part of those who prosesse the Gospell Conclusion The further manifestation of that assumption which fully demonstrated all must renounce Popery or be professedly of Sathans Religion Seâ—… Watch Part 3. pag. 340. The Syllogisme grounded upon our Saviours owne words How the Lord manifested the truth of this Assumption that this is their doctrine * Now L. â—… of Licâ—…field Part 3. c. 11. p. 340 341. The Lord himselfe also daily more and more manifesting the truth of it to leave all the obstinate more without excuse Seâ—… the book intituled An admirable discoverie of an horrible attempt standerously â—…hered upon them of Rochell See Foot out of the Snare pag. 25. All their Doctrines lies in hypocrisic 2 Tim. 4. 2. Appeale for the truth of the Assumption Appeale for the evidence of sundrie Consectaries Luk. 11. 23. Ezek. 33. 7 8. * I could wish them all other of the simpler sort to read such little treatises as shew how Popery is against the main grouÌ„ds of Religion and first principles of the Catechisme as namely a little booke called a pill to purge out Popery with the shifts of the Iesuits by Master MVLLâ—…N and the like Request to all opponents Acts 9 5. See Peters enlargement concerning the power of faithfull praier 2 Thess. 1. 7 8 9 10. Psal. 34. 15. Psal. 10 17. 18. Esay 65 24. Iames 1 6. Iames 5 16. 17. 1â—… 2 Kings 2 12. 2 King 13 14. Iob 22 21 22. 3â—… Psal. 9 16. Psal. 50 16 17 To meditate Esay â—…9 26 c. 63. 3 4 5 How our Saviour hath bene wont to look for some to helpe his Church in all her extremities His usual maner then to find out some to stand in the breach and by whom he migat shew himself gloriously for it As Ioseph Some to bee helpers by their prayers and teares Iob 22. â—…0 These henow lookes for Euery one must needes desire to bee of this little number Iude 5 23. Iudg. 7 7. Yet everyone is not fitted for this service Our Saviour hath taught whom they â—…ust be To mediâ—…ate in the second place of the necessitie of seruent prayer at this time aboue all former 3. What a one hee must be 4. How his prayers must be framed 5. The power of such prayers 6. All other unmeet 7. How yet every one must endevour to be an helper To see the necessitie of this dutie by considering 1. The estate of the Churches 2. How the Lord cals for our helpes in teaching us to cry Our Father Our Father which art c. 1. To lay to heart the calamities aud perils of all the churches and people of God at this instant 2. Pet. 1. 4. 2 To seeke to prevent or mitigate the displeasure of our heavenly father To consider how God hath ordained Kings Queenes for nurses to his church Esay 49 23. And the praiers of his people so to incline their hearts 2 Tim. 2. 1. 2. 3. 4. Hallowed be thy name As the Lord hath been wont to glorifie his name by Kings and Princes saving his Church so we may now expect If we can give Christ glory in our repentance And the ra ther for that the enemie seeketh to trample his glory under feete Thy kingdome come How the enemies set themselves against Christ. How they have prevailed Resolued to proceed That Antichrist may fit again as God in his Temple That as they thus seeke to lead Christ his armies captives That he hath ordained Kings to hold up his Scepter Apo. 17. 16 17 And to make the whore desolate 4. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen How Sathan Antichrist seeke onely to be obeyed To destroy out of the earth all who obey the lord Nothing but the power of our Lord Iesus Christ of his Vicegerents to hinder it How difficult for us to lay these things to heart And for them who are vnder the triall to submit themselues That we may more commiserate them Giue us this day our daily bread To bring our hearts to a feeling of their miseries Both bodily To thinke how neere the like may be to us How we have deserved to drinke more deeply then any other How we hale on these How the Lord hath hitherto preserved us by Kings and Princes Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespasse against us To bring our hearts to a sense of the sinns so provoking the Lord. Chiefly carnal gospeling That the Lord hath is stil so fearfully proceeding for these sins according to the denunciation in his blessed Law Leuit. 26. Deut. 28. Our sinne in not submitting our selvs and seeking to pacific the Lords wrath who hath so 〈◊〉 and so many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉 that hee might spare us By his Messengers By mercies iudgements Wonderfull preservation deliverances That our sins are so overspred committed with so high a hand Wee worse notwithstanding so many tokens of Gods displeasure No warning serving us To take their miseries oâ—… our owne perils to heart To labor for a feeling That wee are the men prin cipally devoted to destruction Most enâ—…yed by the enemies of the Church Our sinne of carnall Gospelling greater then of other Churches not onely shewing forth But so much denying all power of godlinesse Ashamed to be noted for more carefull profession Causing gods enemies to blaspheme Our sinne increased to the uttermost by our turning against Christ Iesus as against our greatest enemy Though hee haue so uiâ—…ibly protected us This 〈◊〉 apparent that we so many of us seeme deadly to hate all power of godlinesse Manifest in all the odious names wherewith it is branded Not to rest till we have brought our hearts to a seeling of our sins and hovv they are encreased That nothâ—…g keepes bâ—…ck his vengeance but his inâ—…init
impenitently for that they are both blinde and deafe They see not Gods wrath rushing on themselves much lesse can they see it rushing on others They perceyve not our sinnes Nor any tokens of Gods displeasure Nor the furie of the Churches Enemies Nor the multitude of Locusts sent out of the bottomless pit Nor heare the cryes of Gods poore children much lesse his call to repentance Gods wrath upon all such in blinding their eies hardening their hearts Esay 6. 9. 10. Rom. 11. 8. Rom. 11. 9. Esay 56. Esay 22. Especially upon all blind watchmen calling for all the beasts to destroy Psal. 14. 6. All the threatnings in the booke of God against such sins sinners are against them Not any one promise untill they repent Psal. 50 14. 15 4. Reason Every notorious sinner helpes to pull downe the vengeance on all Esay 5. 5. All excluded who have no compassion of their Bretheren in their miseryes If they doe not adventure themselve for their brethreÌ„ â—… Reason 6. None can be right helpers but onely those vvho can more lay to heart the causes of God and his people then their owne None mâ—…ete but they who indeavour to turne from every evill way Mat. 5. 29. And to receive the love of every part of Gods truth 2. Thess. 2. 10. Rom. 1. 21. Ezek. 14. 3. Though they flatter themselves God will not be mercifull to them Deut. 29. 19. Deut. 19. 20. But will give them up to be deluded 2. Thess. 2. 11. And in the end to a reprobate sense Rom. 1. 28. Ezek. 14. 14. That Gods owne Prophets shall helpe to deceive such Iohn 9. 31. Prov. 28. 9. Psal. 66. 18. None but they who in all things indeauour to be with our Saviour are true disciples Mat. 12. 30 Our danger in approaching neere to our God with out a warraÌ„t 2 Sam. 6 7. Numb 24 40 41 c. Deut. 1 41 45. Exod. 19 24. Math 22 11 12 13. Onely they who are so qualified as the Lord requires are the men whoÌ„ he cals Esay 6 8. â—… Cor. 1â—… 9. These only in a true league with God Deut. 16 17 18 19. These fit to helpe to rescue their Brethren from Sathan To stay the Lords hands Exod. 32. 20. â—…4 To whom he can deny nothing These fit to fetch Gods people out of Egypt Thesemeet to pacific the Lord and to stand betweene the living and dead To hold up their hands against Amalek To make all creatures to be for his people untill he haue got himselfe the victory Heb. 11. 1. King 18 38 39. To move the Lord to manifest the truth of his religion 1. King 18 36 37 38 39. Dan 3 6. To reuerse Hamans dedecree Hest. 8 5 6. Hest. 7 8. Hest. 8 18. The prayers of these ever come up before the Lord and they may surely expect an answere in his due time Acts. 10 10 11 12 c 30. Dan. 9 20 23 24. These may hope with Paul to save themselues and all in the ship Acts. 27 24. With these will Christ Iesus be in the fiery Furnace and the Lyons den Dan. 3 24 25. Dan. 6. 22 23. And in their greatest tryals make their innocency his religion knowen Dan. 3 29 30 31 c. Dan. 4 33 34 Dan 6 22 23. Conclusion of this generall Meditation Who meete How we must strives heereto And what confident boldness we may then have Iam. 1 7. The blessed estate and honour of all admitted to this worke and contrarily God excludes none but who exclude themselvess But cals all That all are iustly damned who come not to helpe Some reasons shewing that he cals all to helpe if ever they will see his face with ioy He cals all to be with him He cals all to regard him in his members Mat. 25. To repent turne from all their evill wayes that they may live Rom. 10. 20. 21. Ezek 18. 21 22 30 31 32 c. 33 11. The Lords protestation He calls all to his Covenant Lev. 26. Deut. 28. He calls all to pray as he hath directed God calls all to lay hold of all the promises of mercy Without limitation of time Ezek. 18. 21. 22. Psal. 95 7. Or exception of sinne Ezek. â—…8 Esay 55. 3. Or person Numb 21. 8. 9. Iohn 3. 14. 15. 18. And calls all to behold all the examples in his booke of receiving poore sinners Luk. 15. 10. The favour such are in upon their repentance Luke 7. 47. Never any such a one reiected Rom. 5. 20. Three things to be thought of ever untill we be of this number That the Lord hath ever stood still stands knocking at the heart of every impenitent sinner Chiefly of all in his Church By his word And Sacraments As Baptisme And the Lords supper And by the good motions of his Spirit And now at this time louder then ever By all the tokens of his displeasure Rage of the enemie Our favours This helpe More particularly â—…e stands at the heart of every one reading this or the like admonition That they would repent of their impenitencie To have their soules clensed Chiefly of ungraciousnesse in keeping out the Lord Iesus Christ will come to such a one Rev. 3. 20. 2. Cor. 3. 9. And contrarily to them who harden their hearts against Christ Iesus The sound of his calls shall ever be in their eares affrighting them Exhortation to all to heare now Dan. 4. 24. Psal. 95. 7. To thinke what it is to refuse Christs call to ioyne with Sathan and the damned Such to bethinke themselves what they will doe when Christ comes Apoc. 14 4. When all threatned against them shall be fully executed For the evidence hereof To behold the fearfull spectacles Of men tormented with horror of conscience in the Scriptures In daily examples How they are tormented in conscience for particular slips or failings How these 〈◊〉 indure the flashings of hell fire Iob. 7. 15. If it be so with these heere Though they be most deer unto the Lord. What shall become of all impenitent sinners And chiefly of all Christs enemies 1. Peter 4. 18. 19. If the righteous be scarsly saved how they If paine of a tooth be so great what shall their totall torment be These sufficient to convince all Deut. 30. 19. 20. How God sets before us life and death blessing cursing Life if we will harken to his call That we shall not need to feare Nor be dismaied for loosing all Mat. 19. 27. Mat. 10. 37. 38. Luke 14. 26. But contrarily have boldnesse Prov. 28. 1. Rom. 8 35. 36. Rom. 8. 35. 36. Be more then Conquerours Ron. â—… 37. Death and cursing in not yeelding to him Deut. 30. 19. 20. Our estate when feare shall come on â—…s of a sodaine Prou 1 27. Prou 28 1. Iob 15 20 21 22. Deut 28 63 c. 1 Sam 25 37 38. God bids us choose life Deu 30 25. 20 We cannot thinke that any one was ever reiected who