all these things be forgotten and spilt as water on the ground is there nothing of glory sparkling out through these manifestations that may convince us of our opposition and disaffection to these proceedings It cannot be but some men conquer their convictions as the Army hath done malignant persons who yet hate them because of their owne interests But to goe on how gloriously hath God appeared ever since while the enemy beyond the water have been studying with what solemnity to Crowne their Kings God hath crowned our cause with many Diadems of his glory and mercy for after that Battel at Dunbar and the strangenesse of the issue contrary to all their faith and assurances and many who were accounted the honest party began to reflect on their former principles and carriages and having rallyed in the West by their friends adde more strength and remonstrate against the State for their tampering so much with the King and their juglings among themselves which they have largely exprest in print whereby they show some sence of Gods hand against them yet neverthelesse what ever thought they had of their owne party at home they continued their enmity against us and not withstanding all overtures made to supple their spirits and improve these convictions which if truly weighed are from the same principles with ours and no more difference then of a Scots and English interpretation of the same thing notwithstanding all these faire and cordiall affections we to the utmost exprest to them yet they cunningly watched their opportunities First to slip into England of which they were prevented and then Secondly to fall upon a part of our Army in their quarters where God appeared againe and both took their chiefe Leaders and â—cattered their whole party this great and further appearance of God wants not its circumstances to make it an eminent mercy and to strike deep into our spirits for First they were the Army which had most of the hearts of the godly with them as being separated from the grossnesse of the royal principles protesting with more zeale and honesty for the Kirkes interest and so would have gained more then ordinary on mens spirits and againe they had the great command in the West whereby they did great damage to our Army and had advantages of stealing into England both to withdraw part of our Army from them and stirring up new fires among us which would too soone have been effected by their Covenant pretences besides the manner of their overthrow is as remarkeable God striving in all this war to leave signal characters of his own hand in every of our mercies for when the General had marched a great way from Edenborough towards the West and sent expresse orders to the Major General to meet him without fail at such a time in such a place where the General came according to his appointment with a great body of Horse and foot they could not hear any newes of the Major Generals approach the weather being so bad and provisions so scanty both for horse and man his Excellency was forced to march back with all his forces and frustrate his own intentions the Countrey people hearing of the Generals retreat run to Kerr and his party tell them of the estate of things and how his Excellency was returned to Edenburgh and that Major Generall was left alone Kerr seeing his advantage which he had long waited for presently fals on his Quarters promising himselfe a full defeat of that party But they being in readinesse received them valiantly with some few Troops and quite routed him and pursued and took and shattered all his confidents whereby we may see how every deliverance and victory is circumstantiated with some beame of peculiar glory and providence And if the delivery of Edenborough Castle that impregnable Fortresse were added and the manner of obtaining it it would bring forth a new matter both for praise and conviction but I intend not this for an exact history Thus it hath been from first to last and every victory like one star that differs from another in glory and however there may be a difference between persons and parties in respect of profession or holinesse as there was between the Army under Kerr and that under Lieut. General Leslye the former being more purged and professing of principles with more zeale and indeed we may justly call them a Sectarian Army opposing and divided from the publique proceedings of Kirke and State yet they are all one looked on by God as to helpe and prosperity when they either with others or by themselves have lifted up their hands against this cause a consideration which is not slightly to be rejected and which may well make men wary of second actings against them God hath yet made that good in these Nations to this Common-wealth and Army so farre as they have had sincere intentions in the management of this warre which he did once to Israel No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper though carved and whetted by the fairest glosses and religious instruments Wee have hitherto in summe and as in transitu given the Reader an account of the series of Gods workings for us since he thought fit to make use of this Army against the common enemy Let us now reflect with wonder and astonishment at the dulnesse of our apprehensions and strangenesse of the opposition and inward murmurings of many otherwise observant and godly against this Common-wealth and Army for which God give us leave a little to expostulate with their spirits with whom are you angry who hath done all these things is there nothing of the image of Gods mercy power and wisdome written on any of these victories could so small a bulke of flesh and bloud destroy such potent Armies storme such brasen walls clime such high places with so little losse if the Almightie had not seconded and engaged his right hand with them These are farre from Rhetoricall but they are reall expostulations Are wee angry that God hath heard our prayers which wee so long time put up to him for subduing the common enemy in the three Nations or that he hath done his own worke without our mediums What shall be said shall all these actions of Gods power in and so much goodnesse be buryed in a discontented humour and the glory of them blasted by a designed prejudice God forbid the ages to come shall remember our insensiblenesse with teares of bloud and owne themselves to be our children as high-raised up-starts doe their poore parents who blush when they are named But if any spirit be so sleight as to say all these are but events and no proper declarations of the truth of a good principle they being oftentimes occasionall and permissive by God to a bad as a good cause I answer in generall that its true that commonly and ordinarily God keepes such an even course in the universe that all things fall alike to all and the same event unto both the bad and the good cause thus
God suffers it for a long time for the hardening some and destroying others and to draw off the hearts of his front depending on these injoyments or advantages in this world yet at the same time he would not have his people put the right of their sufferings or his enemies prosperity on â—o large and indifferent a supposition but to look into the Will of God in thus disposing of their states and to find-out the particular end of God to them in it But as there is a general and special providence of God in the World so there are events sutable these special Providences of God call on all men for serious observation for in them God goes out of his ordinary course and they do show either his special owning or dis-respect whether to a person or party and are ofteâ— distinctions of the truth of Principles and Actings and if there were nothing to be seen of God more by these then other manifestations the World might grow careless and secure from expecting any evil from the hand of God or any punishment for iniquity more then what a godly man himself may have by the same strokes And if this principle should be true what reason have the Malignants or Papists to look any more into Gods hand on them or tò think their cause the worse because Providence overthrows their Armies why should any cry out on them for hardned and obstinate persons saving they have no more but events to convince them being still confident of the justness of their cause And to what end have we kept so many days of Thanks-giving for Victories if there be nothing in the issues of affairs restifying to the Truth of things it can be nothing else but a mocking of God to give him solemn praises for that which can neither shew us the goodness of our cause or Gods peculiar respect to us more then our enemies for we have no more witness to the Truth of our Principles then they have save our confidence which is as firm and stablished in them as us Let our Brethren look and remember what expressions they used formerly in their thanks-giving sermons both before the Parliament in the City and up and down all the Kingdom for any show of a Victory when the Army was commanded by the Lord of Essex when any party was routed under Sir William Wâ—ller or any of the first Commanders though we lost it as soon as we gained it and they were far from the Victories are now despicably called Events of War with what affection and zeal did they prove the equity of our fighting against the King by these mediums it became a common expression at such days That our God was not as their God our enemies themselves being Judges and by what should our enemies be judges against themselves for us but by Gods appearing against them and ordering the issue of things beyond all their height of confidence and expectation Many other such like expressions have been with much heartiness exprest in such days blessing God for owning his people in a day of need and making a difference between them and their enemies the testimony of all which they gathered from particular succesâ—es But why trifle we in a matter of such consequence are all these actings in England Scotland and Ireland for these many yeers so negâ—igently to be taken notice of only as Events of ordinary actings What can then be called Glorious Appearances of God in this World or what Victories can we have so much câ—nscience as to write Gods Name as on these How can a model of the workings of God for his people be drawn in fairer and clearâ—r colours Had God acted with these that dissent and by these instruments which they had sanctified for the work though far lower than he hath dore wiâ—h these whom they despise the world should have another account and these providences should have been proclaimed in other names then accidents and events if not the persons canoniz'd long ere this in every Church and Chappel and if God had permitted such an overture that the Scots had beaten and overcome our Army at Dâ—nbar which would have been the saddest day that ever Englishmen saw we need not question but the name of all these former eminent and conâ—icued Victories both in England and Ireland would be blotted out from the earth except these hearâ—â— in whom the glory and mercy of them were engraven with the same finger that wrought them and nothing else but the just judgements of God declared to be executed against the Sectarian Parliament and Army by Gods faithful and Covenant-keeping people who can imagine that tryumphant conclusion that would then be made of the wickedness of our Cause Principles and Persons of the truth of mens railings and the reason of their discontents how would all men be exhorted from henceforth to beware upon penalty of the like judgements of God to withdraw from any complyance or conjunction with these who were the declared enemies of God against whom he had bent his Bow utterly to destroy telling all men to consider â—ow God had at last found his secret enemies and vindicated the cause of his Covenant especially in Scotland where it was made and preserved we may easily without uncharity guess that a thousand such inferences would soon be drawn from such an event But seeing God hath given us the use of such an argument and added that mercy to all the rest with a cleerer representation of his face towards us than ever before why shall we think them common or unclean are our Victories less precious to us than theiâ—s would be to them are we more glad to see another Nation conquer us than we to defeat them in their Designs against us or can we rejoyce that God useth forraign Instrumeâ—ts in his work rather than these of our own Nation How are we degenerated how surpris'd in our affections that we should desire more for the Scots to conquer us than for the English to preserve us from them If we have lost our consciences yet let us retain our natural affections and if this Government be evil in our eyes yet let us have so much wisdom and self-love left as to prefer it before a Scottish Tyrannie if our mercies be not in every point and circumstance fashioned according to our model let us not throw away the substantialls of our Liberties by maligning and opposing those which are the visible preservers of them Let us once again look back upon Gods providences for us and mind the series of them with the variety and manner of bringing them forth and study more the nature of them for they deserve the most refinedness of our thoughts to be set on them and the purest place in our hearts to have them registred if every fly and gnat every piece of dung and filth shews forth somthing of God to be observed by us what do these
thousands of other wayes at hand to determine them But in matter of war and the grand decisions of the justice and equity of taking up Arms and entring Nations or opposing persons in great power in the world where arguments are strong on both sides and parties violent if in such case Appeals be solemnly made to God the issue of such affairs are to be accounted higher then nature and truly to be judged as revelations of Gods will at least at present and to that affair which they appealed to God in as only righteous to give verdict unto by his own appearance since all other meanes of conviction failed Much of the same nature is that determination by lots though it be more mediate and not so solemn being but generally used and often without sense from whom the disposal of them are yet the issue is judged to be from God and an absolute express of his mind and will not of blind Fortune or Chance much more then may we say of the issue of that Appeal which was made with as much sense of unworthiness and vileness in themselves as confidence of their integrity and willingness to let God judge as also when it was made in dealing with these who had laid all the reproches that malice could invent or fiery zeal vomit upon both their Cause and persons what ever the secrets of God may be which are infinite depths or what ever he may permit in the generall rule of the world yet if men are put to such straits in actings their names so vilified that none but God can right them and men have at the same time so much sense of Gods justice and faith in his truth as to make him sole umpire God will not in justice condemn the righteous and spare the wicked for these appeals as they are extraordinary ejacusations of our spirits in the most difficult and doubtful cause so they are pressings of the Almighty to let forth the beams of his wisdom and justice to convince the sons of men after all experiments of nature and reason and God is so put to it if I may humbly express it to give forth righteous judgement that even the heathens and his enemies have found his appearance when they have appealed to him against the Christians who owned God and had not dealt justly with them I would not be thought to circumscribe the wisdom of God or his justice that it must of necessity alwayes be manifested immediatly on such Appeals but I affirm that it is Gods usual way and the events of them are to be weighed and remembred again and again as the most probable cleering up of hard and formerly questionable enterprises when the Army went into Scotland â—ow were they vilified by that Nation â—eâ—en with reproches of the highest scanâ—aâ— and infâ—â—â—y slighted with the basest contemâ—t as men given over by God hating his truth and people and now at last invading them to show their utmost malice to that Nation the Aâ—â—y fâ—y to heaven leave all to God and desire his 〈◊〉 power to determine whether these things were not quite contrary the Lord looked on their condition and hath helped them in the sight of their enemies what can we conclude on these things are these only acts of permission towards us and of meer paâ—ience and long-suffering what can be more apparent that we acted upon right and just principles and to honest ends seeing God himself who was made the Judge hath given the sentence We may remember and know the nature and ominousness of Appeals with trembling by Gods actings to the late King and his who to make his designes take the better with the people in every declaration Appeals to God so to deal with him and his as he was true to the Protestant Interest when he had Papists in his bosom as his cheif Councellors and that he never intended to raise war against the Parliament when all his end of with-drawing from them was to form an Army against them How hath God Judged both himself and his for it ever since never leaving to follow him with Judgements untill he had made himself a Publique spectacle of his justice and hath now laid aside all his Faâ—â—ily God may for some secret ends let his enemies prosper for a long time over his people to afflict and chastise them and make them partakers of his glory but he never or very seldom after manifold deliverances and absolute appeals to his righteousness hath afforded them assistance especially when it s among his own people in their controversies and truth is on the one side and prejudice on the other I could if I were a challenger dare all the world to show an instance after an immediate Appeal whether God hath not either eminently given the sentence on the right side or at least whether upon such isâ—ue all men have not so interpreted it hath God nothing to do with this world Hath he given over his Supremacy to Fortune and Chance Or when can God be seen in Determinations if not after such Addresses to his peculiar Moderation Where shall the Righteous fly when they are condemned Or how shall men know that Vengeance only belongs unto God but by such Divine Conclusions But we must leave the conclusion to God to confirm as the Determination in it self There was much to be observed in the Scots Answer to that Clause of our Appeal rather leaving us to do it and threatning us upon it than putting their Cause and Confidence on Gods approbation and issue for whereas they were positive and peremptory enough in their Charges yet they were very faint and staggering in the manner of Appeal to God as either fearing their Cause through inward conscience of carnal complyances or assurance of their own strength to do the work by themselves it is enough what God hath done he will in his time either convince or destroy men But besides all which seems to be more considerable than any yet after not only Appeals such yet may be too confident but after the contradicting prayers of his own people God hath cast the scale on this side and made answer according to the Requests of the vilified Party never was heaven so much troubled with interests and opprest with contrary Petitions if we may modestly express it then in these few yeers the Saints formerly have made but one publique cry How long Lord Jesus Come quickly and there hath been a pure harmony in their Addresses to God though in different conditions but now heaven suffers a strange kind of violence the violence of Truth and Error in the same Petitioners but God hath made the Heavens Brass and his Ear heavie to all the Prayers even of many of his own People in these Affairs and ordered Events contrary to their prayers I know in what causes God may do this but when Saints and Saints shall pray and God answer only the one the other may well look round about them If aay