Peace as we desire yet to rejoyce in it and to be heartily thankfull to God for it The Motives hereunto are many but I shall onely and briefly declare Six Motives Motive 1 BEcause of the Effects which Thankfulnesse produceth viz. it doth not onely retaine Gods favour for the present but also moveth him to bestow his Blessings upon us for the time to come So that Thankfulnesse for present Peace may not onely continue it to us as it is for the present but also for our greater comfort increase it for the future You know beloved that Thankfulnesse even Inter homines amongst men is not onely a meanes still to retaine their former Favours but also to purchase the fruites of their future Affections Now if Policy amongst men produceth this gratefull Effect ought not then Religion towards God to work it in us much more Certainly yea Oh then let us not be like those nine unthankfull healed Lepers in the Gospell who returned no thanks unto Jesus for healing their infirmity But let us be like the Tenth of that company that good Samaritane who thankfully for his cure turned back and fell on his face at Jesus feet and with a loud voice praised God Luke 17.15.16 Motive 2 Because it is Gods owne Injunction to his people Deut. 8.10 When thou hast eaten and filled thy self thou shalt blesse the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee And Psal 50.15 Call upon me saith God in the time of trouble so will I heare thee and thou shalt praise me Then contrarywise not to be thankfull is to disobey God and consequently to contemne his Command What Doth God Command and shall not man Obey Oh what is Impotent Man the Creature that he should oppose the Omnipotent God his Creator The Larkes and other little sensitive Birds that fly in the Aire doe after a sort in their language sing praises to their Maker And shall rationall Men whom God hath indued with understanding be more remisse in performing their Duty then they Let all Ingratefull men then blush for shame that those little sensitive Creatures should transcend them And learne to be more thankfull for blessings received and to make God the Object of their praises for the time to come Motive 3 Compare our present condition in this Land with other Countries beyond the Seas which have been visited with greater desolations and destructions then we our selves as yet have been So that their Wives like those of this Land are not onely Widdowes and their Children Fatherlesse but also their Cities Townes and Villages sacked and burned their Women ravished their Virgins defloured their Infants rosted their Goods plundred their Cattell destroyed and Country wasted So that by reports a man may travell many miles before he shall meet with any person for his travells farther direction or visibly discerne for his hungry and thirsty bodies repose and present refection a place of repast and supplying Habitation So that those places that formerly have been habitations for Christians are now become Nests for wild Birds Dens for favage Beasts and Receptacles for Toads Adders Snakes Serpents and such like Vermine Oh then what great cause have we to magnifie God that we are not as yet in their condition Motive 4 Consider what we are in our personall walking towards God even dissolute in our deportments and desperate Rebels against his Lawes Alas Beloved what are we but the spurious off-spring of our unhappy Progenitors from whose loynes we are polluted with originall cursed corruption which hath contaminated all the powers and faculties of our soules and defiled all the parts and members of our bodies and we have and still doe daily bring forth the fruits thereof in our conversations So that we justly deserve even present destruction And there is nothing but the free bountifull goodnesse and the admirable unparalleld longanimity of our gracious God that restraines his destroying Angel from seizing upon us to our utter confusion And have we not great cause then to praise him for our peaceable Preservation Motive 5 Let us reflect into our selves recollect our thoughts and seriously consider what we have deserved at Gods hands if he should enter into Judgement with us and deale in Justice against us Loe then we could looke for nothing but all manner of temporall punishments in this World and everlasting burnings in the World to come In which never-dying flames Cursings should be our Himnes and Howlings our Tunes Blasphemies our Ditties and Lacrymies our Notes Lamentations our Songs and Shreekings our Straines These should be our morning and evening yea mourning Songs there Moab should cry out against Moab Father against Sonne and Sonne against Father that ever he begat him And those infernall Torments should be unto us both Endlesse Easelesse and Remedilesse not onely for a Thousand yeares but also unto all Eternity Oh let us all then consider the mercifull dealing of our gracious God towards us in this Condition who still suffers us to live in this time of Grace and also in the bosome of the Church from whence the light of Truth shines most splendidly unto us and doth out of his goodnesse toward us suspend his Judgements from us and gives us time to repent of our Wickednesse and to cry unto him for the pardon of our Sinnes that so we may escape those intollerable Punishments which by our sinnes we have deserved Whereas it had beene just with God that our Bodies should long agoe have beene laid in their Graves and the Wormes gnawing upon them and our Soules cast into Hel-fire and the Devils tormenting of them What great cause then have we to magnifie God for giving us so gracious an Opportunity untill this Moment whereby we may endeavour our selves by Humiliation to pacifie Gods displeasure and have him become a reconciled Father to us in Jesus Christ Motive 6 Thankfulnesse to God hath ever beene the Practice of the Saints of God for all the Benefits he hath bestowed upon them whereof our selves can speake experimentally the blessng of Peace is not the least Noah after his deliverance from the Flood Gen. 8.20 built an Altar to the Lord in thankfulnesse and offered burnt offerings upon the Altar Abrahams servant when he found experimentally that the Lord had prospered his journey Gen 24.48 blessed the Lord for guiding him in his way Isaack Gen. 26.25 built an Altar to the Lord in Beersheba for his Blessings and there he called upon the name of the Lord. Moses and the people of Israel sang praises to God for their deliverance from Pharaohs fury And the Forme of their Thanksgiving was this Exod. 15.1 2 3. I will sing unto the Lord for he hath triumphed gloriously the horse and his rider hath he overthrowne in the Sea The Lord is my strength and praise and he is become my salvation He is my God and I will prepare him a Tabernacle He is my Fathers God and I will exalt him
A REMEDY FOR THE WARRES OR Certaine Deplorable Expressions of the great Miseries and wofull Effects which the Horrid Bloody Cruell Domestick and Intestine Warres have lately produced amongst us in this our Kingdome of England Together with Spiritual Salves for the Cure thereof By JOHN TARLTON Preacher of GODS Word and Minister of Ileminster in the County of Somerset 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 LONDON Printed in the Yeare 1648. TO The Right Honourable RALPH Lord HOPTON Baron of STRATTON Grace and Peace from the Father Prince and Spirit of Peace Amen Right Honourable THe infallible mouth of the Arch Doctor of all truth hath told us that every Scribe which is taught unto the kingdome of heaven is like unto a housholder which bringeth forth out of his Treasure things both new and old Mat. 13.52 Answerable hereunto there hath beene in former ages of the Church and are also now in these latter times many able and Orthodox Divines whose hearty desire for the good of others have stirred them up to write for the advancement of true Religion and the benefit of the Church of Christ that through Gods blessing upon their writings they might win many soules unto God whereby being dead themselves they might still speake to those that are alive that so their holy DOCTRINE might be transmitted and propagated unto posterity after them Of which number my selfe being one although the meanest of all the rest labouring in the same Vineyard have thought it necessary to gather one handfull of Grapes and carry them to the Presse thereby to increase the water of life wherewith to refresh the Church of Christ when she is either sick or sorrowfull The which as the poor widdowes Mite will adde somewhat to the Churches treasury according to that Talent which the Lord hath lent me And in this Age there was never greater cause for Spirituall Physitians to provide restoring comfortable Cordialls for sick cast downe and dejected soules then in these present deplorable and calamitous dayes Naturall experiment tacitly tels us that the sad expression of woefull calamity can never be welcome to a truly Christian and sympathizing heart This Ioab the Generall of King Davids hoast knew right well and therefore he would not suffer Ahimaaz whom he loved to carry tydings to King David of Absaloms death 2 Sam. 18.20 The Sword of the late domestick unnaturall and intestine Wars hath eaten up many thousands of our English Nation yea hath swiftly snatched them away even as the Oxe licketh up the grasse so great have Rubens divisions beene in our Land My self also having borne a great share thereof almost as bitter as death it self For divers of us of the Tribe of Levi were imprisoned in one roome in the Metropolis of this Kingdome in which Prison they all ended their dayes And about one month after all their deaths my selfe onely and that by way of exchange escaped alive like one of Jobs messengers to declare somewhat VIVA VOCE concerning those that are in their graves And as an Aggravation to my Affliction I have beene a long time and still remaine under Sequestration being deprived both of Living and Goods whereby my selfe and family are at this present destitute of the means of subsistence So that the premises maturely and seriously considered I thought it therefore my duty both unto God my heavenly Father and also to the Church of England my Spirituall Mother in this her present and sad condition to expresse to the world her wofull calamity together with a Remedy for the same For which cause I doe here humbly present unto your Honours this ensuing Treatise the which may not unfitly be termed A REMEDY FOR THE WARS Which through Gods blessing upon the holy Endeavours and Religious Practises of those persons unto whom it shall come there may be a present surceasing of these bloudy unnaturall and intestine English Wars and both Church and Common-wealth even speedily and happily enjoy their pristine condition Many thousands of us English Natives since these troubles arose amongst us have deeply suffered and still doe by a stupendious kind of dispersion in Opinion and Practice and yet how few there are who in lowlinesse of Spirit and humblenesse of heart truly repenting them of all their wickedness smite their breasts saying What have I done Jer. 8.6 And yet I hope the deep apprehension of these present Distractions amongst us doth exercise and that not unworthily the heads of many that are of great Wisdome and Policy to thinke how this distracted Church and Common-wealth may againe be re-united If ever we would have a wel-grounded firme and permanent Peace in this our Kingdome then must we sincerely performe these three particular Duties 1. Aversion from Sin 2. Conversion to God 3. Humble hearty and constant Prayer unto God to inable us by the power of his grace and blessed Spirit for the speedy and constant performance of both At the request and importunity of some who are more able both in gifts of Nature and Learning then my self who having had a sight of this Booke privately in my Study before it was fully finished I was prevailed with to present it to the publike view and at their instance being resolved so to doe I called to mind your Noble Lordship as in duty I am obliged who so willingly freely and speedily condescended to my Enlargement by the way of Exchange when I was in Prison humbly craving the peaceable Passage of this my Booke under the shelter of your Honourable Patronage and Protection being well assured that your Honourable Name and Noble Aspect casting an approbatious and indulgent eye upon it have such attractive power in them as that by vertue thereof they will set such a splendid luster upon this my weake Worke that thereby as by the efficacy of a Load-stone the eyes and hearts of many thousands will be drawne unto it whereby also it may take the deeper impression in their hearts for the reformation of their lives and the conversion of their soules unto God through Jesus Christ the which through Gods blessing upon it may greatly conduce to the glory of the God of Peace and the benefit and comfort of many poore disquieted soules I humbly intreat your Noble Lordships charitable and candid censure for my Super-audacity in this nature For through the fervent zeale which I have for the glory of God and hearty desire for the salvation of his childrens souls wishing also both the present permanent Peace and the speedy continuing Comfort of his distressed Militant Church in this our disquieted perplexed and distracted Kingdome I have in imitation of Saint Paul to his Romans somewhat boldly after a sort written for the benefit of the English Natives as one that putteth them in remembrance through the grace that is given me of God Rom. 15.15 I doe ingenuously and submissively confesse my great and over-boldnesse to Dedicate this weake worke unto your Honour yet I humbly beseech your Honour both to pardon this
sorrowfull sowrenesse When the Lord by his Prophet Ezekiel declared the Swords comming upon the Jewes for their sins He commanded him to say A Sword a Sword Ezech. 21.9 10. both sharp and furbished It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter and it is furbished that it may glitter How shall we rejoyce So in like manner our present wofull and hearts-convincing condition tacitely tels us that we have little to do with this Davids joy now in these sad times of War and Sorrow Can there be joy in our hearts whilst there is War in our gates Sackcloth and ashes becomes us better Davids case in the next Psalme before this save one suites better with our condition where he complaines Woe is me that I am constrained to dwell with Mesech and to have my habitation among the tents of Kedar Psal 120.4 5 6. My soul hath long dwelt among them that be enemies unto Peace I labour for Peace but when I speake unto them thereof they make ready to battell Loe This perverse practice of preposterous persons must needs greatly afflict a truely charitable and Christian-sympathizing heart who heartily desireth and earnestly endeavoureth both for himselfe and others to have the blessing of Peace The like also our Kingly David in these late times of our wofull War hath often solicited the sons of Mortals for a speedy setled firme and wel-grounded Peace not onely for Himself but also on the behalfe of many thousands more of our English-Natives yea even the whole Kingdome but alas the birth of all those His Solicitations as yet hath proved abortive Eminent and publique Persons placed in Authority above others ought above all others to make the Word of God the Rule and the Glory of God both the Aime and End of all their Actions But woe and alas may we at this day justly cry out that too many such persons of our English Nation have of late years wilfully rejected the holy Commandements of the righteous Lord and greedily followed the sinfull lusts of their owne gracelesse and wicked hearts for their Self Sinister and By-ends whereby utter ruine hath been wrought to the lives of many thousands that are already dead and also great detriment brought to this English Church and Common-wealth wherein still we live to the great grief and prejudice of our Gratious and Dread Soveraigne His Majesty and all His wel-affected obedient dutifull and loyal-hearted Party both in and also of this our divided and distracted Kingdome How many thousands of poor distressed destitute desolate disconsolate Women and almost hunger-starved Children have often submissively Petitioned and that according to the severall Ordinances pretendingly extant on that behalf with grieved hearts and watry eyes for some relief out of their owne Estates wherewith to preserve their languishing lives But alas their Petitioning hath been to no purpose insomuch as that they have not onely been perfunctorily neglected but also scornefully rejected Oh that those poor distressed creatures violent Adversaries might not too truely be termed Viri inexorabiles inflexibiles implacabiles immisericordes qui nullius precibus flectuntur I blush to expresse to the Vulgar in English the condition of such persons and the rather for the preservation of the Gospels purity because they have put upon their shoulders the Cloakes of Religion and yet deale thus cruelly with their Native Nationall and Christian Brethren The Orders Ordinances which have been made for the relief of such distressed persons are repealed at the pleasures of the Authors thereof and thus they practise Penelopes telam retexere viz. Doe and undoe assoone as they apprehend that their so doing will conduce to their owne advantage O Heav'ns be pleased in mercy towards us to helpe us speedily Or else the Kings Loyall-hearted party will perish suddenly The Scripture tels us For the Divisions of Ruben there were great thoughts of heart and for the Divisions that lately have been among our selves there have been great searchings of the heart Searchings indeed when the Sword point hath been imployed as the Instrument like a bloody inquisitive revenging Searcher to rip up the bosome and to make the scrutiny digging there untill the last drop of the heart-blood issued to the great griefe of heart and disturbance of the peace of Jerusalem the Church our Mother that her Children should deale thus unnaturally one with another Oh how justly may the Lord in these troublesome times complaine of England as once he did by his Prophet Jeremiah concerning Jerusalem As the fountaine casteth out her waters Ier. 6.7 so she casteth out her malice cruelty and spoile is continually heard in her before me with sorrow and stroakes So that England for the present in these particulars may undeniably be parallel'd unto Jerusalem And not onely so but also what great and just cause at this day hath our distressed Militant Church of England to complaine of her calamity with the church of Jerusalem expressed in the Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah She findeth no rest Lam. 1. all her Persecutors tooke her in the straits The Adversaries saw her and did mock at her Sabbaths Her Princes are become like Harts that find no pasture and they are gone without strength before the Pursuer Her Priests sigh her Virgins are discomfited and she is in heavinesse Yea Mat. 2.18 She mourneth like Rachell for her lost Children and will not be comforted because they are not In so much as that not onely many thousands of the Vulgar sort of our English Nation have been lately slaine but also many Noble Worthy and Valiant Champions who were Loyall hearted Subjects have in the behalf of their King Country and Religion willingly exposed themselves not onely to the bloody pangs of uncertaine hazards receiving dangerous wounds in their Bodies but also to the mercilesse jawes of cruell Death whereby they have been deprived of their pretious Lives in this bloody English and unnaturall Quarrell If but a little while we recollect our thoguhts and imploy them in these Tragicall passages we shall coactedly conclude that we have all just cause joyntly to pray for the peace of this our Jerusalem For listen either East West North or South and you shall hear not only private whisperings of Multitudes who hastily fled from their lawfull habitations to escape the inraged Violence of outragious Souldiers in their fierce fury fearfully affrighting their disconsolate families left behind them and violently Plundering their lawfull goods unlawfully from them but also publique complaints of those that have lost their nearest and dearest friends whose dearest heart-blood hath been spilt like water on every side of Jerusalem Thus Death and Desolation have of late rid tryumphantly through many parts of our Kingdome and also made both visible and tragicall Expressions of their puissant and successefull Valour and magnanimity maugre all malignancy in their desperate attempts against all their Opposers swiftly cutting downe with their fatall swords of War divers of all sorts from
and as a bride tyreth her selfe with her jewells Beloved the serious consideration of this may serve as an Antidote to keep the Church of Christ from despaire for the yeare of her everlastaing Iubile will certainly come Oh what unspeakable joy and ineffable comfort doth this afford unto all the distressed Members of the Church of Christ considering that although the Church of Christ be subject to sorrows yet the Lord bestoweth upon her proportionable comforts Whereupon the Psalmist in the person of the Church experimentally confesseth In the multitude of the sorrowes that I had in my heart thy comforts have refreshed my soule Psal 94.19 And therefore let the Church continually comfort her selfe with this infallible confidence of Gods love and mercy towards her that as Christ put forth his hand and preserved Peter when he was in danger Mat. 14.31 So in like manner the Lord will never suffer those that are his to sinke in the bitter waters of Marah and sorrowfull Seas of this turbulent life so farre as to perish but will sanctifie all the dispensations of his providence unto them and sweeten all their sorrowes with the comforts of his blessed Spirit 1 Cor. 10.13 and will also give an issue in all their afflictions that they may be able to bear them And therefore let them comfort themselves together and mutually pray one for another O pray for the Peace of Jerusalem Exhortation Vse 5 THe last Use is for Exhortation and that is three-fold 1. To pitty the Church when she is in calamity 2. To labour to become true Members of the Church of Christ 3. To use the meanes to attaine the end for procureing the Churches Peace 1. To pitty the Church when she is in calamity And herein I shall speak 1. Generally 2. Particularly 1. Generally and that shall be concerning this whole Kingdome whereof we are all Members and wherein also we live And of that I say Be thou exhorted O England and seeing the Lords Judgements are now in our Land Let the Inhabitants thereof learne righteousnesse Esay 26.9 And speedily be reclaimed from all thy wickednesse and frequently faithfully and fervently pray unto the Lord to fill thy heart full of the rich Graces of his blessed Spirit and endeavour by the power of his grace and blessed Spirit to live the life of grace to subdue all thy naturall corruptions to resist all sinne and wickednesse whatsoever to deny all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world Tit. 2.12 And heartily lament all thy sinnes fully forsake them and speedily turne unto the Lord our God Come thus to the Lord with confidence that he will receive thee and for his mercy and promise sake thou shalt be received for there is still mercy with the Lord Psal 130.4 that he may be feared and we are not as yet consumed because his Compassions faile not Lam. 3.22 And though our Sinnes have abounded Rom. 5.20 yet his Grace doth Superabound And therefore to us he will certainly be mercifull if we can be truly sorrowfull For although every sinne be damnable yet no sinne actually condemneth but the sinne of impenitency Therefore let my councell now be acceptable to thee O perplexed England Esay 55.6 Seeke the Lord while he may be found And call upon him while he is nigh at hand Draw neere unto God in Prayer in Faith and in humblenesse of heart that thou mayest be healed Come to the Lord prayingly confidently and humbly that thou mayest finde mercy Lest the righteous Lord in displeasure against thee suddenly depart from thee and so thou becomest both ruinous and desolate to thy utter Confusion 2. Particularly Beloved we know experimentally that in the Naturall body if any Member be wounded all the rest joyntly doe their best endeavours to succour and helpe it The Eare is open to hearken after a remedy for it The Eye looketh upon it The Hand toucheth it The Tongue calleth for a Chyrurgion to cure it And all the Members of the same body in a sympathizing way are ready to relieve it And shall not the Members of Christs Mysticall Body be as ready to pitty one another and to relieve each other when they are in distresse That were not onely a Sinne but also a Shame unto them What shall the promptnesse and practice of the Flesh condemne the dulnesse and slacknesse of the Spirit Shall a Naturall Sympathy out-strip a spirituall Congruity And shall Naturall Pitty transcend spirituall Piety 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God forbid It was Saint Pauls Exhortation to his Galatians Gal. 6.2 Beare ye one anothers burdens and so fulfill the Law of Christ Intimating thereby that there is mutuall love betweene those that are true Members of the Church of Christ So that if one of them be grieved all the rest that heare of it are afflicted for that party till he be relieved An instance hereof we have in the Churches practice on the behalfe of S. Peter Acts 12.5 when Herod had imprisoned Peter the faithfull Members of Christs Church met together and earnest prayer was made of the Church unto God for him Oh how greatly doth this condemne the practice of all those unnaturall Persons who hearing that the Members of Christs Church are in distresse doe wholly shut up their bowells of Compassion from them and will neither relieve their Bodies with their Purses nor their Soules by their Prayers 2. To exhort all those that are as yet without to labour to become true Members of the Church of Christ without which there is no salvation And for this cause S. Luke reporteth that the Lord added to the Church from day to day Act. 2.47 such as should be saved The Church of Christ is most excellent in her selfe because in her alone salvation is to be found and no where else Answerable unto that preservative Expression of S. Paul to the Centurion and the Souldiers concerning the Mariners Acts 27.31 Except these abide in the ship ye cannot be saved When the Lord destroyed the Old World by the generall Deluge of water none were preserved but onely those that were with Noah in the Arke Gen. 7.23 Which Arke was a Type and Figure of the Church of Christ And beloved thus shall it also be at the end of the world when Christ shall come in the Cloudes to judge both the quick and the dead none shall be saved from everlasting burning in the fire of Hell but onely those sheepe that are of Christs fold Mat. 25.34 even those that are true Members of the Church of Christ Now lest any should be deceived thinking themselves to be true Members of Christs Church and are not I shall briefly lay downe some Markes whereby they may try themselves whether they be or not And for brevity sake I will but onely Hint at some of them Markes 1. Peace 2. Holinesse 3. Love 4. Regeneration 5. Obedience 1. Peace Concord
of God and therefore God threatned to visit the blood of Izreel upon the house of Jehu Hos 1.4 What Jehu That prosperous Valiant and victorious Conquerour Must He who did so much military Service and that also by Gods owne Injunctions and expresse Commands Must He I say be accounted as a Murtherer in the sight of God yea even Jehu himselfe must be reputed guilty of Murther and his Posterity must be responsible and suffer for the same And therefore deceive not thy selfe with the false Conception of war-like Prosperity for prosperous Successes in Military Services are not always infallible Arguments of the Favour of God Josiah for one man may perish in them and yet be in Gods Favour and another man may prosper in them Jehu and yet be in Gods Displeasure The prosperous Successe which some wicked men have in their evil Actions doth Dadulus-like make them Wings whereby they will mount so high towards the Sun untill the heat of God's just Anger shall melt the Wax which holds the feathers thereof together and then themselves Icarus-like must fall down into the deep Sea of God's Displeasuer to their deadly Destruction Prosperous Successe in evil Actions makes wicked men think that they are carried on as the Sun Moon and Stars are without any restraining Resistance Yea as long as there is a prevailing Ingredient the which with prosperous Successe answereth the Expectation of wicked men in their ungodly Enterprises so long they will endeavour to make all those their evil Actions justifiable because for the present they serve their turn being compatible with their own carnal Contentment and will continue mustering up their Forces marching still forward and John-like driving on furiously in their pestilent pernicious and perverse paths of rebellious Impiety though at the last their so doing should prove to the Destruction of themselves and many others Every Logician will rationally tell us that the Consequence will necessarily follow its undoubted Premises Hence then Syllogis the Argument may thus be framed viz. Whosoever shall rebelliously take up Armes Proposit and fight against that lawfull Authority unto which he ought legally to yield Obedience and Subjection though never so prosperous therein for the present doth thereby make himselfe liable to the Malediction and Wrath of God The guilty Consciences of too many thousands of this English-Nation Assumpt will hereunto at this day adde the Assumption And what subtill Sophister is there to be found in all this sublunary World Conclusion that without great absurdity can deny the Conclusion Furthermore for our fuller Satisfaction in this particular we must necessarily consider the Cause of wicked mens such prosperous Successe as it reflects upon God permitting the same The Primary Chief and Efficient Cause à qua res est causa causati sine qua non est Causa Upon which all other Causes with their concomitant Circumstances have their Dependance and from whence also all inferior Agents fetch their Strength and Action is The Eternall and Omnipotent Power of Almighty God as the onely Center from which all Operations first spring and the boundless Circumference into which all Actions run Nam Aug. Deus est in omnibus rebus causa essendi For all Powers have their being from God Answerable to that of the Apostle For whom are all things Heb. 2.10 and by whom are all things And also according to that Nominal Attribute of God used amongst the Grecians denoting his Essence viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being derived 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because by his Omnipotency he runneth through and compasseth all things whatsoever Ephe. 4.6 Who is above all in his Power and through all by his Providence Heb. 1.3 Psal 103.19 Mat. 10.29.30 Eph. 1.11 Whose powerfull Providence doth continually govern all his Creatures and all their Actions And in both Creatures and Actions at all times and in all places working all things after the councell of his own will And as alluding to this very Purpose the Naturall Philosophers themselves call God Principium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Effectivum primam Naturam primam Causam Causam infinitam primum Motorem primum Movens And farther also as by Philosophy we learn that the Soul of Man is the Originall Cause of all Motion in Man lame and impotent Motion onely excepted the which proceedeth from another Cause viz. some defect in the Body Even so by Divinity we are taught Gen. 2.7 that God is the Life of the Soul And without him we can have neither Life Act. 17.28 Moving nor Being Answerable to that Expression of Christ himself to his Disciples Ioh. 15.5 Without me ye can doe nothing And that acknowledgment also of the Church herself concerning the Almightie's Power Psal 74.13 God is my King of old the help that is done upon the earth he doth it himself So that we may truly collect from Philosophy that God is the Beginner and first Cause of Motion but not of defective Motion that is from our Selves And also safely conclude from Theology Amos 3.6 that God is the Originall and Author of every Action but not of any Evil in any Action that is from the Committers thereof themselves Hence then we may learn this infallible Point of our Christian Religion without the true Knowledge and right Understanding whereof it is not possible for us to preserve the Purity of Christian Doctrine in divers other Orthodoxall Points of our Protestant Religion viz. that the mercifull Concurrence of God's Power in all the good Actions of Godly men by his Providence working and the just Withdrawment thereof from all the evil Actions of Wicked men by his Permission suffering makes clearly for the full Justification of the righteous God and the just Condemnation of unrighteous Men. According to that condoling Complaint of the Lord himself concerning Israel's just Hos 13.9 and due deserved Self-Ruine O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self but in me is thy help And here for the farther clearing of this Point which to many Persons may seem somewhat abstruse we are inevitably put in mind of the Decree of God and the Will of Man and ought also therein seriously to consider of their joynt Concurrence in one and the same Thing and severall Orderings and Operations in particular Actions for to Order and to Act are two severall Things and may also be differently done by two particular Persons in one and the same Action and yet the One not compell'd by the Other either to Order or Act. As for Example God's Decree doth not enforce Man's Will but the Will of Man worketh and moveth of it self Yea the Will of Man hath in it self the beginning of evil Motion and sinneth willingly Therefore though the Decree of God imposeth a Necessity upon all secondary Causes so that they must needs be framed and disposed according to the same yet are they not coacted or compelled thereunto but are all