ENGLANDS IOY FOR THE KINGS GRATIous Proclamation for the banishing Papists 1 KING 18.21 How long hault yee betweene two opinions If the Lord be God then follow him if Baall then follow him 2 KING 17.24,25 And the King of Assyria brought men from Babylon and from Cuthagh and from Ava and from Hamath and from Sepharvaim and placed them in the Cities of Samaria in stead of the Children of Israel and they possessed Samaria and dwelt in the Cities thereof And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there that they feared not the Lord Therefore the Lord sent Lyons among them which slew some of them Printed M.DC.XL ENGLANDS IOY for the KINGS gratious Proclamation for the banishing of Papists I Confesse that Prayer is so forcible that it openeth the gates of Heaven and as you read how the holy Ghost descended vpon the Apostles in the forme of fiery tongues so through the enforcement of Prayer all blessings spirituall and temporall are let downe amongst the children of God like Peters sheete Who would not then aske to obtaine seeke to finde knocke to have it opened and importune the father of mercy to have no deniall considering the Parable tells us That the wicked Judge who neither feared God nor man granted the widowes Petition to be delivered frō her clamors and her troublesome attendancy and thus are wee beholding to our God But now to make God beholding unto us were a secret out of the Treasure-house of heaven indeed wherein I will be bold to tell you how you may be proficient and invite you to wisedomes schoole to learne a cunning which the heart of the naturall man is uncapable of and that is to retribute thankes to God to give his glorious name the praise to bee gratefull unto him and to rejoyce in hymnes and spirituall Songs when a benefit is imparted and our soules are comforted What a story is the story of the Iewes being delivered from Hamans cruelty and persecution for the purpose in hand The Text saith Hester 9.17,18 That they rested the same day and made it a day of feasting and gladnesse a good day and sent portions and presents one to another but wherefore was all this For saving their lives and prevailing against their enemies But oh thou God of heaven that ridest vpon the wings of the wind and holdest the reynes of the kingdomes of the world in thy hand to let loose or restraine at thy pleasure Thou knowest that we haue more causes to rejoyce and bee glad then the Iewes in their Purim For if wee may compare the lesse with the greater they had but the preservation of their bodies and a slight tryumph against their corporall enemies we are in the way to save our soules and put our spirituall adversaries to flight the Flesh the World and the Devill What Papistry to be suppressed The Priests and Iesuites to be banished And the Gospell of Iesus Christ to flourish Psalme 45. My soule leapes for joy and my heart is enditing a good matter I speake of the things which I haue made touching the King my tongue is the pen of a ready writer Oh blessed be GOD for this alteration Doth not Ieremy tell vs that Ieremy 31. Math. 2. In Ramah there was a voyce heard lamentation and weeping and great mourning Rachell weeping for her children and would not be comforted because they were not Did not al England wring their hands for sorrow and begin to mourne and be affrighted when they saw the Papists so arrogantly mischievous to insult in every towne and shire and mocke us to our faces as if Sandolet and Tobiah were to scoffe and deride the Iewes when Nehemiah came to re-edifie the Temple And hath not God put into the Kings heart to dam vp this inundation and to keepe the raging Sea within limitation that it doe not overflow the lower and fruitfull grounds Marke but the progression of businesse tell it to your Children and write it in the Phylacteries of your garments Did not we determin some 16. years agoe to match with Spaine And did not Spaine resolve to overmatch us in the contract Did he not resemble an unmannerly and impudent guest who invited to some neighbourly meeting would not onely come himself but brought a whole rablement of Cormorants with him so Spain must not only condition for a daughter but the Papists through the kingdome have liberty of Conscience Masse in their houses Priests within their doores penalties remitted and the Pursevants and Officers restrained from their privy searches whereby the Spanish Ambassadour presumed on his meritorious service some Papists triumphed as if the wiser sort knew they were in the right And was not this a fearefull beginning and who knowes with what strength the strong man would have encreased in keeping his possession so have the Papists done within these 2. or 3. yeares and insolently bragged of their great forces and impudently threatned the utter overthrow of us all especially of our renowned City of London But was this all No no the severall shiers of England worse then the Iewes that poysoned the springs of sweet water in these dayes had malitious instruments to corrupt the youth of the Countrey and the Priests Iesuites and Fryers ranne from house to house and made them all amazed with crying out Great is Diana of the Ephesians But now Papistry shall be suppressed and the Priests and Iesuites banished O blessed alteration O blessed King oh blessed Parliament The Ambassadours houses were so many hives to which the drones resorted who not onely fed vpon the hony of the Bees but presumed to kill and beate them away which preserved them Thus these unconstant people not onely despised the Pastors of their own Congregations and under protection of the Prerogative of Kings railed on the Lord his annointed The Streets swarmed with ruffianly apparitions Priests in disguised apparell and Iesuites in Courtly vestments And what did they Not only watch the outward behaviour of men and government of the City but tooke advantage of the weake carnall Gospeller and set upon them with the outward glory of a visible Church The Cathedrall of Paules had her walkes mingled with a number of peremptory and audacious Romanists who not onely branded us for lukewarmnesse and unjustifiable actions but boasted both of and in their disputations that they had put the true and learned servants of God to silence as if Sidchiah should strike Machiah on the face and peremptorily aske him when the Spirit of God departed from him to be infused into such an underling The Court hath not onely every corner but publike walkes filled with Papists and Hispaniolized temporisers And what did they appeare in severall disguised formes and their corrupt hearts taught their tongues to vent forth blasphemy and notorious abuses For as you read how Ieremy was taken by his Enemies and brought before the Princes and Priests for weakning the hands of the men of warre