THE third part of THE TRVE-WATCH or The Call of the Lord to awake all sorts to meete him speedely with intreaty of peace to turne vnto him by true repentance shewing what causes we haue forthwith to betake orselu's to watching prayer Taken out of the vision of Ezekiel Chap 9. BY IO BRINSIEY The secâ—und edition Imprinted at LONDON for Thomas Pauier 1623. THE THIRD PART OF THE TRVE VVATCH Containing the call of the Lord to awake all sorts to meet him with intreatie of peace and to turne unto him by true repentance shewing what causes we have forthwith to betake our selves to Watching and Prayer Taken out of the Vision of EZEKIEL Chap. 9. By IOHN BRINSLEY IER 36. 2. Take thee a roule of a booke and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel and against Iudah and against all the Nations from the day I spake unto thee from the daies of Iosiah even unto this day VERSE 7. It may be they will present their supplication before the Lord and will returne every one from his evill way for great is the anger and the furie that the Lord hath pronounced against this people HAB. 2. 2. Write the vision and make it plaine upon tables that he may run that readeth it EZEK 18. 30. Repent and turne your selves from all your transgressions so iniquitie shall not be your ruine VERSE 32. For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth saith the Lord God Wherefore turne your selves and live you LONDON Printed by IOHN HAVILAND for THOMAS PAVIER and are to be sold at his shop in Ivie lane 1622. The summe of the whole Booke 1. How the Lord did long forewarne his people of Iudah calling them to repentance sundrie waies before he brought upon them the seventie yeeres captivitie in Babylon And withall the pâ—incipall abominations which provoked him to this heavie judgement 2. The wofull miseries which all sorts endured in that Captivitie when no warnings would preuaile to bring them to unfained repentance and more specially the plagues which came upon the wicked and impenitent 3. Particular application hereof unto our selves and of the manifold forewarnings which we have received chiefly from Babylon above all in the powder treason shewing evidently that the Lord is angrie with us for our sinnes and what use we are to make as of all our forewarnings so chiefly of that Powder-treason 4. How to appease the Lord so as to prevent the like judgements and all other plagues â—nd ever to â—emaine a most happie people unto the comming of Iesus Christ. Also how very one of us may attaine to true Christian boldnesse to be alwaies readie to appeare beâ—ore his Majestie See the more particular contents of the severall Chapters and heads after A Commendatorie Epistle THis Author Christian Reader having desired first my censure now sundrie yeeres agoe and since my joint testimonie touching this worke that by the mouth or two or three witnesses God might make it more effectuall for accomplishing all the good his heart desireth I could no way justly denie the same seeing as the ends which it propoundeth and wholly aimeth at are only to helpe to further the way to our unfained repentance for the generall happinesse of us all yea even of every soule and that our glory may be continued to us and to our posteritie so he hath long travelled in the same and used all holy meanes of triall and examination that there might be nothing in it but that which is necessarie to these ends and which might stand before the Lords Tribunall For the Author himselfe though I have knowne him from my childhood being borne neere unto him brought up in the same Grammar Schoole and after in the same Colledge in Cambridge and ever since beene most familiarly acquainted with him and therefore could speake more in this case then I take to be convenient yet I may wholly spare that paines seeing his owne faithfull and happy labours have so long agoe commended him and made him and his holy affection for the good of all so well knowne to the Church of God As first the first part of this True watch the Rule of Life so much approved of all religious Christians to whose hands it hath come that it hath now the ninth time seene the Presse and gone thorow the triall Wherein he hath set out to the view of all the holinesse and integritie of that way of life which we all jointly professe according to Gods sacred word and the good Lawes of our Christian Commonweale to the justifying of our Church against the Separatists to be the true Church of Iesus Christ and that whosoever so walketh shall undoubtedly finde eternall life and in the meane while all heavenly boldnesse peace and joy And not only against them but also against the superstitious and clamorous Papists who herein slander our Religion affirming it to be a religion of carnall libertie theirs of holinesse ours full of divisions and uncertaintie theirs of perfect unitie thereby to draw our people to a dislike of the eternall truth of our blessed God and to a liking of that popish way which is nothing but meere superstition in outward shews of devotion according to mens inventions and such as God never commanded or required nay such as God hath most expresly forbidden as tending to utter perdition both of soules and bodies So secondly the second part of this True watch the Rule of Praier in which he hath manifested his holy desire and unfained love to the Church of God and his native Countrie for a perfect peace and unitie with all happinesse in the same and hath so laboured to trace out the most sure and plaine way following the direction of our blessed Saviour as that whosoever striveth so to watch pray shall undoubtedly be amongst them that are as the Chariots and horsemen of Israel and helpe to save the Iland And in the third place in his Schoole labours for the benefit of our children and posteritie he hath fully witnessed his longing desire of the perpetuall flourishing of this our Church and Nation concerning which travell to omit all other that one testimonie of the learned Doctor Hall that worthie Deane of Worcester in his Commendatorie Preface before his booke called Ludus Literarius or the Grammar Schoole dedicated to Prince Henrie and Duke Charles speaking out of his owne experience and of sundry other learned many yeeres agoe may fully suffice And much more now of late that more then ordinarie witnesse by that learned Mr. Butlour of Oxford in his fourth Edition of his Rhetoricke who in stead of the commendations of many other of principall note which especially in Oxford are wont to be prefixed before any worke of speciall worth as that is taketh only the testimonie of this Author in a place or two in his Grammar-Schoole and sets it before his booke instead of many there commending him
fasts in such cases and to see them practised by all and give ensample hereof p. 443 The Ministers to call upon the Magistrate to this end and to warne all the people p. 444 Otherwise the bloud of every soule must be required at their hands p. 444 A generall president for all posteritie p. 446 The Lord then cals to fasting when his vengeance is comming for the abominations increased p 446 2. Gods Ministers are to labour that the humiliation of his people may be unfained and availeable and to set before their faces the meanes hereof p. 447 Fasts performed hypocritically more increase the vengeance p. 447 Nature of hypocriticall fasting p. 447 The outward humiliation availeth nothing without the inward and without the other parts of a true fast p. 448 The true humiliation must be both outward and inward p. 448 The outward humiliation and wherein it is p. 448 449 Exercises of Religion to be adjoined to the outward humiliation p. 449 The publike humiliation must be in a great assembly p. 450 The people are to be warned hereof and called on to prepare themselves p. 450 Meanes to be used in these assemblies for working sound humiliation with faith and repentance p. 450 451 The inward humiliation and wherein it is p. 452 Time of the continuance of such solemne humiliations p. 453 Things to be done after our humiliation as reforming all the abominatiâ—ns p. 454 The fruit and happy successe of such humiliations p. 455 Particular experiences of the power and fruit of such like humilâ—ations in Gods servants privately 456 If God be so easily intreated sometimes by one of his poore servants only how much more at the cries of so many of his children at once p. 457 Till the time that the meanes be used for appeasing Gods Majestie we can never have any comfortable hope of escaping a more terrible judgement p. 457 Publike humiliations failing Gods messengers are to stirre up his owne servants to seeke him privately p. 457 What manner of men they are who must be called on to seeke God privately when the publike meanes faile viz. meeke ones and who have wrought his judgements p. 458 These in all ages have beene the only men in favour and preservers of the rest p. 458 In such desperate casâ—s all are to intreat the meeke ones to cry unto the Lord for them p 459 The Lord seekes such to stand in the breach and when he findes none viz. very few in respect of that they ought then comes the vengeance p. 459 The godly in such times must labour to be more righteous and so more meeke that their praiers may more prevaile and so must seeke the Lord privately as Moses Nehemiah and Daniel p. 459 460 The manner hâ—w to importune the Lord. p. 460 The godly shall thus helpe either to pacifie the Lord for all the people or be hid themselves p. 461 The cry of the Prophet Zephany to the faithfull is ever to sound in all our eares when all other meanes faile p. 461 462 1. Complaint of the weake Christian for his unabilitie thus to seeke the Lord privatâ—ly answered p. 462 To follow the example of Daniel in our private fasts p. 462 We are to be provoked to this dutie by these holy men viz. Daniel Nehâ—miâ—â—â— c. the acceptance and successe which God gave them p. 463 The second complaint of the weake Christian of unabilitie to confesse our sinnes and beg the things which concerne our peace answered and so how to seeke God thus privately p. 464 The fruit and blessing of this labour p. 466 Gods messengers are not only to be carefull to save and pull a people from Gods wrath but also to keepe them from comming under it againe p. 468 The meanes to preserve a people from backesliding and to keepe them ever under Gods favour p. 469 The causes of the evils being removed so will also the evils flowing from them p. 470 The fountaines of obedience and grace to be heedfully looked to to be kept pure p. 471 The happy estate of a people living under a holy Ministerie countenanced by a godly Magistracy and contrarily the miserable estate of people destitute thereof p. 471 Experience of both amongst our selves p. 473 The schooles of good learning to be regarded above all things for a perpetuall supplie and succession of such Magistrates and Ministers p. 473 The best meanes of learning to be sought out established and strictly put in practise in them p. 474 A last dutie of the faithfull messengers of God to comfort and confirme the hearts of all the godly living amongst the wicked in such times p. 474 The Prophets never to leave importuning the Lord all other meanes and hopes failing p. 475 Application to all who succeed in the place of the Prophets to trie whether we finde at this day the same affections in us which they had p. 475 476 Our sinnes as great as theirs all circumstances considered and Gods anger accordingly p. 475 Our wonted humiliations in pestilence dearth and other signes of Gods anger p. 476 What we have done lately for our so many and 〈◊〉 of Gods anger kindled against us p. 477 Why God hath so tried many of his faith full servants by 〈◊〉 and the like extremities and temptations p. 477 478 The dolefull harvest An. 1609. p. 478 The Lords complaint and threatning against us for our sensâ—esnesse and not hearkning to his call neither by his word judgements nor mercies p. 481 If God by such things called Iudah to fasting and praier then he hath and doth so to us p. 481 He needeth no other witnesses but our owne consciences p. 482 CHAP. XV. The sinne of Gods people may be so great that he will not spare them no not at the praiers of his dearest servants though their presence and praiers may wonderfully prevaile p. 484 485 c. Quest. Whether the Lord will not ever spare his people upon a generall humiliation and repentance rightly performed answered p. 486 487 How publike fasts may be made uneffectuall to save viz. when men turne not from their evill way or are not soundly humbled p 488 We have no one example to the contrarie in Gods booke but all witnessing hereunto that Gods people humbling themselves and turning from their sinnes God will turne from his fierce wrath p. 489 The Lord proclaimes his mercy herein to all the world p. 489 The servants of God humbling themselves though severally and at the same time may much prevaile as in the daies of Hester p. 490 If one Moses may doe so much much more so many p. 490 Objection answered concerning the feare of the Lords decree come forth and then too late to seeke p. 490 So long as the Lord gives a people hearts to use the right meanes to pacifie him so long there is great hope that he will be appeased p. 491 Objection answered concerning David who feeles the temporall scourges notwithstanding his unfained repentance p. 491
brought upon the world mentioned in his booke In all which he hath left this carefully recorded because he would have all his people to be well acquainted with it As first before the destruction of the old world besides the plaine evidence of Gods vengeance at hand being apparant and almost visible in the strange increase of the iniqvity many of them being become Gyants to set themselves impudently to fight against his Majestie and against all godlinesse contrary to the light of their owne consciences and for that all flesh had corrupted their wayes so as the earth was corrupted and filled with crueltie he also warned them himselfe in a speciall manner by the making of the Arke and by the preaching of Noah And this he did by the space of an hundred and twentie yeeres before which time he gave them to repent striving with them by his Spirit chiefly in the Ministerie of Noah to bring them to amendment Secondly before the Captivitie of the ten Tribes which were caried away by Salmanasar into Assyria from whence they never returned besides many other threatnings dangers warres overthrowes and plagues he also forewarned them long by sundry of his holy Prophets as Ahiah Iehu Eliah Michajâ— Elisha but more specially but even hard before by Obadiah Hosea Amos Ioel Ionah and others By all whom he foreshewed that judgement evidently unto them though they would not obey but hardned their necks and were worse and worse untill the vengeance caried them away Thirdly before this lamentable captivitie of Iudah besides this vision and many others he forewarned them likewise by sundry of his most worthy servants the Prophets raised up extraordinarily and sent unto them crying unto them early and late Prophet after Prophet and that for a long time togither But most plainely by the space of threescore yeeres and more by Esay Ieremie Mica Ezechiel Zephanie and others still proclayming this terrible desolation Although they likewise mocked his servants misused his messengers growing daily worse and worse untill there was no remedie Fourthly before that last and utter subversion of the Iewish nation he forewarned them sundry wayes but in a more speciall manner First by the preaching of Iohn the Baptist threatning them That the axe was then laid to the roote of the trees Afterwards by our Saviour himself over and over most evidently setting downe in plaine termes the manner of their destruction and the grievousnesse of it And to omit all other admonitions by the Disciples of our Saviour and his Apostles Iosâ—phus in his storie records That besides many terrible signes from heaven and earth strange lights in the nights a dreadfull blazing starre over the Temple fearefull sights of chariots and horsemen of fire and an Armie marching towards Ierusalem a hydeous voyce was also heard in the Temple at one of the Feasts saying Let us goe out of the Temple and depart hence There was moreover in a time of their greatest peace plenty foure yeeres before their warre began one of the ruder and meaner sort whose name was Iesus the sonne of Hanani who being come forth of the country to Ierusalem at the Feast of the Tabernacles and going into the Temple began of a sudden to cry out with a loud voyce in this manner A voyce from the East a voyce from the West a voyce from the foure windes a voyce against Ierusalem a voyce against the Temple a voyce against the bridegroome and the bride a voyce against all this people This he continued day and night going thorow all the streets of the Citie And although he was rated and cruelly beaten yet he never gave over going up and downe thâ— Citie thus woe to Ierusalem and the Sanâ—tuarie thereof woe woe to Ierusalem And thus he cryed out especially on their feast dayes and that for seven yeeres and five moneths togither neither was he ever thought to be hoarse or weary but went thus up and downe being taken as a mad man untill in the time of the siege going about upon the wall and crying out lowder than ever before woe woe to the Citie to the Temple and people and at last having added this voyce woe also to me he was smitten upon the head with a stone shot out of an engine that he dyed And last of all when they had suffred most grievous miseries by bloodie dissensions amongst themselves murthering one another and by most pitifull famine as ever was before that they were inforced to eat such things as their soules did abhorre and which bred a most terrible pestilence amongst them immediately before the taking and sacking of the Citie and putting them to the sword a voyce was heard among the Christians which spake to them thus Goe forth to Pella which so soone as the Christians had done the enemie brake in upon them and slaughtered the rest with a most lamentable destruction Fiftly before the last and finall destruction to come upon the world by fire the Lord hath foretold sundry signes and tokens which shall come to passe that none can plead ignorance or have any more excuse Thus the Lord hath bin wont to deale with the wickedest places of all other especially if any of his owne deere servants have bin amongst them As before the destruction of Sodome because his servant Lot was there he will doe nothing untill he hath revealed it to his faithfull servant Abraham Lots uncle that he may intreat for them Afterwards he makes it knowne to Lot himselfe who forewarnes his sonnes in law and daughters to have gotten them all forth of the burning if it had bin possible This he did to Ninivie that proud Citie before he would destroy it for he pittying the great multitude of poore ignorant and simple people which were amongst them in the bowels of his compassion he sends his servant Ionah first to proclaime thorow their Citie Yet fortie dayes and Ninive shall be destroyed And to conclude this point as he forewarned Babylon and other the cruell enemies of his Church of their destructions so he hath as plainely proclaymed his vengeance to come upon the spirituall Babylon which now holding so great a part of his Church in captivitie strives to captivate all the rest that all his owne people may by all means get out of her the rest be left utterly inexcusable This may sufficiently manifest his truth to every conscience that we may boldly conclude this point with the Prophet Amos That the Lord will do nothing in his Church in bringing in any destruction or terrible plague but he will first reveale it to his servants the Prophets He will make his owne faithfull ones to foresee it by one meanes or other so far as shall be for his glory and their good The reasons of it also are most cleare why he will doe it 1. For his chosen sake
and partly at the instant intreatie of the dressers of his Vineyard who have obteyned of him to spare us yet one yeere longer to see if we will bring forth meete fruit in any time and if no time nor warning will serve then to cut us downe Now we in steed of amending by all these fore-warnings with all the admirable deliverances and blessings which this Land doth injoy waxing every day much worse and the cry of our sinnes with the malice and number of our bloodie enemies being daily increased how can we thinke but that his vengeance must needs be at the doores either that any peace can possibly be so much as hoped for from him so long as our heynous sinnes still remayne heaped up euery day more more What heart therefore having any feare of the Lord considering how his anger must needs be kindled and remembring that implacable hatred of the blood-thirstie enemies but wayting their day doth not tremble in a certaine expectation of some imminent and farre more dreadfull vengeance than ever we felt in former times unlesse our hearts be some way stirred up to pacifie his heavenly Majestie by turning unto him to prevent the same And therefore to conclude this point All these things being laid togither and set as it were in one view before our faces principally that above all other signes the Lord hath given us that our third so terrible and infallible an admonition in the hellish powder-furnace sith none of his warnings shall be in vaine who can denie but that he daily cryeth in the eares of every one of us with a loude voyce as he cryed to Ezechiel Thy visitation oh England draweth neere Therefore repent watch and pray lest I come upon thee of a sodaine and make thee as Ierusalem because no warning will serve neither wilt thou know the time of thy visitation nor be awaked out of thy deepe securitie But of this more fully hereafter when we shall come to see the sinnes of our Land written by the Lord himselfe in the abominations of Iuda before her Captivitie and that in such capitall letters that he that runns by may read them And how we doe iustifie rebellious Iudah living in these dayes of the shining light of the glorious Gospell of Iesus Christ under such a shelter as the Lords Annoynted and also under so good lawes commanding obedience thereunto whereby our sinnes must needes be farre more heynous and inexcusable than theirs or than ever they were in former time And this may serve for a first cause which we have to watch and pray because the Lord cryes so loud unto us all That our visitation draweth neere and that he will come on us suddenly unlesse we repent speedily CHAP. IIII. The withdrawing of the Lords glorious presence from his Church is both an euident signe of his displeasure and amanifest threatning of his departure And what cause we have thereupon to watch and to pray to pacifie his Maiestie and to hold him still amongst us Verse 3. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the Cherub whereupon he was to the threshold of the house A Second principall point which the Lord would have us all to obserue to this purpose is out of this third verse In which he revealed to the Prophet how the visitation of the City or the executioners of the vengeance determined upon it did draw neere this is given as an evident token thereof That the glorious presence of the Lord named the glory of God the God of Israel was gone from the Cherub that is from that place in the Temple where the Lord had promised to dwell for ever and from whence he was wont to shew his presence most sensibly for from thence he used to give answers and now it stood on the threshold of the Temple as ready to depart and utterly to leave that house and his people for their sinnes In this therefore God would have all men to take notice That it is a most certaine signe of his purpose to leave a people and of his vengeance hard at hand when he begins to withdraw the most lively and sensible tokens of his presence from those places where he was wont to dwell and shew himselfe most familiarly As heere for example Although the Temple remaine with the Arke and mercy feate from whence he was wont to speake immediatly from betweene the Cherubims yet the glory is removed the signes are there still but not the lively presence as had beene in former time which was indeed the true glory For further confirmation of this point This we may observe in the booke of God That when he hath beene well pleased with his people and purposed to remaine with them he then hath beene wont ordinarily to shew his presence and that under the law by some such visible or audible signes as whereby al might behold and heare him or at least perceive him some way As in all the iourny towards Canaan he went uisibly before them in the pillar of fire and the piller of the cloude But when they had angred him by the golden calfe he threatneth that he would not goe with them that is he would not goe before them in that visible manner as he had beene wont to bring them to the land flowing with milke and hony because they were a stiffenecked people He would send his Angell with them but in his owne glorious presence he would not goe before them as in former time whereupon Moses is importunate with him that he would never carry them thence if his presence went not with them And that it could not be knowne otherwise that he and his people had found favour in his sight but when he went visibly with them Thus Moses never leaves him vntill he hath prevailed that he will go with them as he was wont The same we may see in the dayes of Iosua where the Lord having withdrawne his lively preâ—ence and suffered his people to be overthrowne before the men of Ai Iosua falleth upon his face before the Arke fasting and mourning and after a sort expostulating with his Majestie for that he would suffer his great name to be dishonored Whereupon God telleth him plainely that he had indeede withdrawne himselfe from them because they were execrable for Achans sinne neither would he be with them any more unlesse they destroyed the excommunicate from amongst them So likewise when he was angry with Saul that he would cast him off he doth not only take his good spirit of wisdome and government from him and sends an evill spirit upon him to disquiet and to vex him but moreover when he asked councell of him in his extremity he answeres him not neither by dreames nor by Vrim nor yet by the Prophets Saul had the Priests with the Vrim before the Arke from whence the Glory was wont to appeare from the Cherubims
for that worke as having by it deserved worthily of all good learning Therefore seeing in all his labours his good affection towards the Church of God our dread Soveraigne with all his royall Progenie and dominions doth cleerely appeare seeking only the wealth of all and to unite all hearts as unto the Lord of heaven so to our Soveraigne Lord and King and to his royall seed for our happinesse for ever with what thankfull acceptation are all his labours to be received And this above all the former wherein he now only strives to helpe to awaken us out of our deepest securitie in the midst of our extremest perill and necessitie and when the times call us to watch and pray yea to fast and pray if ever heretofore First I say to rise up and watch that we may pray To pray for the distressed state of all the poore Churches and our brethren abroad who mourne and wring their hands by reason of their slaveries butcheries manifold feares and miseries both of their soules and bodies above all for them of Bohemia and the Palatinate the very chiefe of them a principall part of our selves and withall for our brethren of France now in great tribulation for the profession of Christs Gospell taking their case to heart as feeling members little knowing how soone it may be our owne and ever fearing that terrible curse from the Angell of the Lord Curse ye Meroz said the Angell curse the inhabitants thereof because they came not out to helpe the Lord against the mightie Secondly to watch and pray yea to mourne and crie for the fearfull viols of the Lords wrath in all likelihood so neerely readie to be powred downe upon our own heads unlesse we speedily meet the Lord in unfained repentance If in the yeere 88. all sorts so generally feared it when yet at our generall humiliation in fasting and praier by publike commandement and our promising amendment God heard our cries deferred the execution of his wrath upon us and contrarily fought for us from heaven arming the windes and waters for his Church amongst us how much more may we justly feare it now If then I say all joyntly confessed that if God had so dealt with us as he threatned we had most righteously deserved it for all our hainous abominations and for that no other meanes could prevaile with us and if in our severall acknowledgements praiers and thanksgivings upon sundrie occasions since we have againe and againe confessed as much how much more truly may we now at this present Seeing the Lord hath granted us since not one yeere more alone to see if wee would meet him truly with intreatie of peace and unfained submission but ten yea thrice ten yeere and more and also used all meanes to reclaime us both by abundant fatherly corrections and in his long patience and commiseration given us our third most dreadfull admonition at the powder treason never to be forgotten when he even plucked us out of the furnace and now that our sinnes are in stead of repenting ten times more increased through all those meanes in the judgement of all who rightly consider of them how can we expect any longer mercy What can we looke for now in that we see men so generally chiefly most of our Gallants to make but a mocke of sinne yea of all Gods admonitions at home and abroad hating all true pietie and scorning it under most odious names Or how can we thinke truly that our land is purged of any of our abominations but stands presently guiltie of them all having now filled up our measure seeing we commit most of those fearfull abominations so often confessed with an higher hand then ever heretofore Or how can we imagine that our land is out of danger seeing many amongst us begin to doat againe upon the bloudie Romish Idolatrie and that now our enemies are so increased in Malice Pride and Multitude and so many of the infernall Locusts feared to be in the midst amongst us My desire therefore is that as this labour hath beene undertaken for the saving of us all from such a vengeance as upon these grounds we have just cause to feare and for our perpetuall happinesse and must needs for that cause concerne us all that every one would take notice of it and consider seriously of every point as God gives him opportunitie especially they who have leisure and spend many houres yea many dayes and yeeres either wickedly or at least vainly which will bring them nothing but sorrow in the end to helpe hereby to turne away the wrath or at least to save their owne soules The worke is large I grant but too large thou canst not thinke it seeing the Author of it desireth to make all plaine to the capacitie of the simplest and truly to awake every soule and for that I know not of any point in it which doth not directly tend hereunto or can well be made shorter without hurt to the whole chiefly the generall good considered that every sinner that repents not turning from his evill way must die And therefore doubtlesse no man shall haue just cause to repent him of his labour spent in hearing or reading of it but if God give him an heart by the right applying of it to helpe to appease the wrath or at least to turne and to seeke to cause others to turne he shall have cause to blesse the God of heaven for it which that every one may doe and that we may all instantly set our selves to seeke his face and favour I humbly intreat his heavenly Majestie to grant and rest Thine in Christ Iesus Edward Elton B. in D. and Pastor of S. Mary Magdalens Barmondsey neere London AN ADVERTISEMENT TO THE CHRISTIAN READER FOr those who would read this book with comfort and reape the blessing desired by it in obtaining mercie and favour from the Lord for themselves and the whole land my humble request is that they would first correct these faults noted after then read and weigh these Contents in the beginning both generall and particular whereby they may see the summe and drift of all and have as it were a plaine view of the whole in their heads afterwards to read the praier in the end which is according to the same that they may better conceive and make a right use thereof and then to read the whole in order if their leisure and opportunitie serve or at least such parts of it as they shall thinke most necessarie and especially the last chapter which most neerely concerneth every soule That considering all as before Christs judgement seat like as I have endevoured to doe and so striving joyntly in faith and love for our selves and all other the poore afflicted Churches of Christ the Lord may fulfill all our holy desires turne away all evills from us and them and make us to continue a flourishing Church and a happie Nation to the comming of the Lord Iesus in the clouds