because we are ripe for Judgment coming upon us like an Armed man that cannot be resisted 2 For our Miseries fears of Want of War Pain and Confusion for Distraction in our understandings Perplexity in our Wills Madness in our Passions boyling over in Dispair Which makes the Wicked Raging Forlorn Desperate Cursing and Blaspheming Foaming and Tearing like a Wild Bull in a Net 3. For our Deliverances from Sin and Miseries a Harbour out of a Raging Ocean a Calm in a Storm an Anchor a Rest a Rock in a dry and weary Land In a Tempest every man cries to his several God In Distress every man takes care for his Body and for his Soul pities himself should pity others helps himself and should help others prays for himself and should for others labours for himself and should for others Shifts for himself at last We know not what to think speak or do but look one upon another and all upon God SECT IX All Experiments Cordials 1. If ever there was a time of trial surely it is now Behold and see O all ye that pass by was there ever any Sorrow like unto my Sorrow wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger For these things I weep my eye my eye poureth out tears because the Comforter that should relieve my Sorrow is far from me Can we believe and will we believe now Do we dare to be honest still If ever Faith be found faithful it will be now If we cannot be happy now we shall be sure to be happy hereafter Veniet aliquando dies Time will end in Eternity All tears shall one day be wiped away from our eyes We have cause to be taken off from things below and to fix upon things above If there be deliverance it will come if none God's Will be done Sit down under the Judgment If we perish we perish Ly prostrate at the Footstool of God's Grace we cannot everlastingly perish Faith and a good Conscience will bring us peace at the last We know the worst 't is but a Temporal Life We can loose Great heart akings fear not them that can kill the Body and go no further but fear him that is able to destroy both Soul and Body in Hell fire The Lord can find away to deliver us which we cannot think of if he have any heart towards us or if we have any heart towards him He will seek to do us good if we will seek to do our selves good We have studied to do our selves good and our labour is in vain without God but our labour shall never be in vain in the Lord. Wo be unto them by whom the offences come it had been better for them if they had never been born or that they had been like the untimely fruit of a Woman which never saw the Sun 2. Is this a time to contend about Trifles Parties We had more need unite them and not Scratch and Devour one another as we do We must live and die together then let us live and die in love together Seek to reconcile all Parties at least bear with them and love them then look up to God and try if we shall be heard otherwise if we make many prayers he will not hear know this for certain the Party that is bloody and false shall be destroyed A Kingdom divided against it self cannot stand There will be Parties as long as the World lasts and those Parties will be of several Judgments as long as the World lasts These may instruct one another whither they will hear or whither they will forbear they must not devour one another therefore if they do both parties are guilty the innocent party may complain and defend themselves Is this a time to hunt after Honours Riches Pleasures till the Flood come and sweep us all away Throne of Grace 3. The last Refuge is the Throne of God's Grace never to depart from that is to be sure of Glory We know well what to do for our Eyes are upon God Signs of good 4. There are signs of fair Weather God remembers that we are but Dust and that the Breath is in our Nostrils and therefore he will not be always chiding lest the Spirits of men should fail before him and the Souls should die and perish which he hath Created God propounds the way of Peace 1. By opening unto us the Danger and discovering the Contrâ—vers of it 2. By raising up the Spirits of men to that pitch of detestation and utter abhorrence of those damnable Doctrines and Practices as are so universally destructive to the Church and Commonwealth 3. By offering ways and means to recover if we will take them God hath done his part but our business will not be done except we do our part What could God do more for his Vineyard which he hath not done but still we bring forth Wild Grapes God can and will save us if we will be saved 4. By giving us a Seed of Rare Champions Giants for Piety and Learning 5. If God had no delight in us Why hath he done so much for us already And why is he so ready to do for us still If we will yet repent we shall not perish Preparation for the worst 6. Prepare for the worst Hope for the best If we must die let us die together In Love in one anothers Arms. 2. In Faith in the Arms of God 3. In Justice doing no harm to one another in Righteousness having a good Cause and a good Conscience free from presumptuous sins and from blood guiltiness The will of the Lord must be done whither we will or no 't is best for us to be willing even against our Will we sin but God suffers and we suffer and God suffers we suffer altogether take heed we do not sin altogether We are not alone in sufferings let us not be altogether in sinnings God is with us in sufferings God is not with us in sinnings God is with us if we live not nor die not in sin this is comfort but God is far from us if we live and die in unrighteousness this is sorrow Look to Thoughts Words and Deeds that they be good now They that are profane and wicked as they were in times of safety are worse now in times of danger 'T is a bad sign to be bad still Will nothing do Then if your Sons and Daughters commit whoredoms and other Abominations let them alone for why should they be punished any more they will revolt more and more they that are wicked shall be wicked still But they that have fear'd the Lord and do fear the Lord and speak often one to another a Book of Remembrance is written of those men and God shall make up these Jewels carefully these have done what they can and can do no more they have satisfied themselves and shall satisfie God through Jesus Christ their Lord who hath satisfied for them because they have
and asked for them often And except they had Signs and Wonders they would not believe In the broad Day-light of the Gospel we have no need of these things nor want we awakening by Monitors in Heaven or Earth into a Sense and Awe of the Divine Majesty We must now believe without a Sign and derive our Repentance not from mighty Earthquakes and Prodigies but from the ingenuous understanding sense of Sin Representation of God Terrible Among all Nations Christian and Heathen the Sweetness of Divine Goodness hath been too much sowred with this Leaven and disgusted by this Gall of Bitterness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 said Herodotus taxed justly therefore by Plutarch God is represented as envious and dreadful to Mankind As if his Counsels were taken up with contriving nothing but Plagues and Thunderbolts forged in the shop of Torments perplexing Mortals from living a quiet life here for the short moment of time which they have to live A Pestilential Air breathed from Hell eating out the Vitals of the Soul of Devotion The quite contrary is to be believed of God that he doth not willingly grieve the hearts of the Children of Men. That he delights not in the death of any Sinner but rather that he should turn from his Sins and live Judgment is his strange work Mercy is that in which he most delighteth above all his other Works Blessed be God The more the heart of Man out-grows the Joys and Fears of the World the less Prodigies for futurities are esteemed Divination by Heathens The Gentiles that lifted not up their minds sufficiently unto Heaven invented and practiced most the Arts of Magick and Divination by Augury Sorcery Magick Guts of Beasts c. The Jews that were promised a Heaven on this side thereof looked after the Signs of the Times here below But the Introduction of a better Hope hath few Intimations of future Events except in the Revelation which most Learned men do judge to be already accomplished as looking after another World The Devil is not of God's Counsel Christ's coming hath put our all the Fires of his Altars silenced all his Oracles Even the Temple and Ceremonial Services of God are all abolished to bring in a Spiritual Worship every where And as for Judgments and Calamities they are changed into the nature of Mercies and are as a launcing of a corrupt Member to save the rest that are sound A true Son of Wisdom doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 kiss and embrace all the Issues of Divine Providence and Goodness and they are welcom by the Grace of God and God is above the Devil Ergo We look not to Prodigies but to Providence not downwards upon Earthly Judgments and Deaths but upwards to Heavenly Hopes and Comforts We take most care for the Inward Man We count our selves secure in God who hath freely given us Christ and will with him also freely give us all things Freedom of Spirit and Love secures us from Bondage and Fear All Jewish and Paganish Expiations are weak Holy Hearts and Lives are the best Sacrifices Spiritual Weapons overcome Carnal and this kind goeth not out but by Prayer and Fasting Agents free and not free As for Prodigies so long as God is a Free Agent so long as Natural Causes are Necessary Agents not knowing what they do So long as Men are Free Agents knowing what they do so long as Providence directs and rules Necessary Agents to produce or not produce Plagues Deluges or Droughts Plenty or Famine c. which are not in their own power and much less in our power So long as Providence orders Free Agents in their own power to do or not to do what is in their Sphere Agents free and not free So long as Peace and War Love or hatred depends upon those Free Agents in their Counsels and Elections under God and 't is their own fault if they miscarry otherwise then God would have them because not rightly chosen according to the Will of God So long Comets and Meteors point not directly nor indirectly at the voluntary Changes and Chances of this Moral and Mortal Life Comets are from Natural involuntary Causes and may produce Natural and Involuntary Effects of Fires and Waters Plagues or Famines c. as do more afar off the Sun Moon and Stars or may be hindred from producing them by the Arbitrary Will and Power of God So long we will lay no stress upon such things Astra regunt homines sed regit Astra Deus But for Arbitrary Effects they spring from Arbitrary Causes free to be produced or not to be produced according as the Wills of Men are pleased or not pleased to determine themselves one way or other as God hath ordered them that they should depend upon Mens free Will altogether as God hath ordered them that they should depend one way or another such as Coelibates Mariages Degrees Covenants Leagues Gifts Deprivations Degradations Releases Charges or Discharges c. depending upon the Will of Men as it is impowered under the Will of God Besides who can read in Stars or Meteors such Contingencies under God depend only upon mans free Will Obj. Josephus reports strange sights in the Aire before Jerusalem was taken Sol. The Synagogue was but newly buried and not yet setled in its Grave It was but early days yet and besides Comets must happen at one time or other and therefore either before or after fatal Contingencies if before then they are vulgarly accounted Causes if after What are they then All Causes must be before their Effects and not at the time of the effects nor after them If there be Characters of such effects which as yet lie fast asleep in their Causes and God knows how long if shall be before they shall be awakned Who shall dare to rouze them up before their time And how angry would such effects be to be disturbed or hastned to their birth by any but God their Master How can it be I say if there be any such Characters Of what kind are those Characters then Are Comets the Finger of God Or the Pen in his hands We are sure his Will is written in his word by his Spirit The writings of the Old Testament we know and the writings of the New Testament we know But what are these Thus far we read in great letters that he that runneth may read them The Heavens declare the glory of God and the Firmament sheweth his handy work and every Herb speaks a God look upon the Sun and praise him that made him whose eyes are Ten-thousand times brighter than the Sun in his full clearness But in future Contingencies God only knows them it is not for us to enquire after them And what eye of an Astrologer can discern them more than another mans or who brought them a Ladder to climb up so high and what skill have they to read them more than any other Man or to understand when they have read
impossible to be done Elijah prayed for Rain and had it Manna came down from Heaven The Syrians Army smitten with blindness at the Prayer of the Prophet Elisha The Thundring Legion by Prayers got Rain when the Romans fainted for thirst Jobs latter end was greater than his beginning Jeremiah was drawn out of the stinking Dungeon The Israelites were saved in the Plagues and brought out of Egypt with a strong hand and a stretched out Arm and walled on both sides in the Red Sea while their Enemies sank like Lead in the mighty Waves They were secured by a Pillar of Fire by Night and a Pillar of a Cloud by Day The Jews returned from Seventy years Captivity Christians secured at Pella and elsewhere from the Destruction when Jerusalem was taken The Ten Persecutions ceased and the Blood of the Martyrs was the Seed of the Church Satan bound for a Thousand Years Hitherto he must go and no further Manna and Quails rained from Heaven Water gushed out of the Rock and God prepared a Table in the Wilderness David was delivered from Cruel Saul and overcame Goliah with a Staff and a Sling Isaac was snatcht from the sharp Knife ready to cut his throat Noah c. escaped from the Flood Elijah was left alone and preserved from them that sought his life to take it away was fed by Ravens Hezekiah was healed of his Plague Sore and his days lengthned The Widdow of Sarephath had but a little Cake and a Cruse of Oyle and two Sticks all multiplied to save her life and to pay her debts Nebuchadnezar from a Beast became a man again The Shunamit's Son was raised to life Jonah was delivered out of the Whales belly Nineveh to be destroyed at Forty Days end was saved Lazarus after four days raised from the Grave Paul was let down in a Basket to save his life and many times saved beside both at Land and Sea especially from false Brethren Christ in his Agony was strengthned in the Garden as the Angels of God had ministred unto him in the Wilderness after the Devils Temptations Christ commended his Spirit into the hands of his Father after he uttered that bitter cry My God my God why hast thou forsaken me He trod the Winepress of God's Wrath alone and when he looked round about him and saw one to help him he wondred that there was none to uphold therefore his own Arm brought Salvation to himself and all his People The Invincible Navy of Spain in 88. was scattered with the Winds and broken in pieces after they had divided the Lions Skin before he was dead Twenty years Rebellion and Murder of Charles the First and the greatest and best of his Subjects and Devastation of Church and State was Seconded by such a miraculous Restauration of all things as the World hardly ever knew the like and Posterity will as hardly believe it and the Authors of these mischiefs that survived are as little sensible of it though so much for the Glory of God and the good of the Kingdoms and the strengthening of the Protestant Cause is for their own safety if they had hearts to understand it The Gunpowder Treason makes honest mans hearts ake to this day to think of it and the Devil and the Pope were shamefully foyled on that day Black to them but Glorious to us and our Posterity for ever The last Plot was come to the Birth but wanted strength to bring forth It is gon back into the Womb of Hell where it was hatched and we trust it shall be condemned to everlasting darkness and never O never see the Light All these Comforts and Examples and many more were written for our Instruction that we through Patience and Comfort of the Scriptures might have Hope Wherefore seeing we are compassed about with so great a Cloud of Witnesses let us lay aside every Weight and the Sin which doth so easily beset us and let us run with Patience the Race that is set before us looking unto Jesus the Author and finisher of our Faith who for the Joy that was set before him endured the Cross despising the shame and is set down at the Right hand of the Throne of God for consider him that endured such contradiction of Sinners against himself lest ye be wearied and faint in your Minds ye have not yet resisted unto Blood striving against sin and ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto Children My Son despise not thou the chastizing of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuked of him for whom the Lord loveth he chastneth and scourgeth every Son whom he receiveth If ye endure chastnâ—ng God dealeth with you as with Sons For what Son is he whom the Father chastneth not But if ye be without chastisement whereof all are partakers then are ye Bastards and not Sons Furthermore we have bad Fathers of our Flesh which corrected us and we give them reverence shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of Spirits and Life For they verily for a few days chastned us after their pleasure but he for our profit that we might be partakers of his Holiness Now no chastning for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous Nevertheless afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of Righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby Wherefore lift up the Hands which hand down and the feeble Knees and make strait paths for your feet lest that which is low be turned out of the way but let it rather be healed Think it not strange concerning the fiery Tryal which is to try you as the same strange thing hapned to them But rejoyce in as much as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings that when his Glory shall be revealed ye may be glad also with exceeding Joy If ye be reproached for the name of Christ happy are ye for the Spirit of Glory and of God resteth upon you on their part he is evil spoken of but on your part he is glorified But let none of you suffer as a Murderer or as a Thief or as an evil doer or as a busy body in other mens matters for if any man suffer as a Christian let him not be asham'd but let him glorify God on this behalf wherefore let them that suffer according to the Will of God commit the keeping of their Souls to him in well doing as unto a faithful Creator We know not what to do one way and yet we do know what to do another way For the Divisions of Reuben there are great thoughts of heart For the Union and Communion with God there are greater thoughts of heart 1. For our sins we cannot expiate the guilt of them Divisions we cannot explicate our selves from the miseries of them we shall be left in the lurch for them we shall be taken in their snares be lost and be at our witts end Because our sins are ripe at the full height Because our Consciences do sadly accuse us and
will not believe upon such grounds and foundations as are laid in Reason and Religion from the Scriptures and Experiences of Faithful Men will never believe As for us that do believe if we be deceived as we are not God hath deceived us as he hath not nor cannot Therefore we hope we have taken the surest and safest side for God in the ways of Righteousness Because if we be delivered it is his Mercy if we be not delivered it is his Justice yet we dye in a good Cause and it is better to suffer for well doing than for evil doing We dye in a good Cause we dare venture our Faith is such For us to live is Christ and to dye is gain but whether we live or dye we are the Lords The Jews have a great Faith in their Messiah to come and they dye in it The Turks have a great Faith for their Mahomets coming and they dye in it The Millenaries have a great Faith for Christs Temporal Kingdom will the Saints alone for a Thousand years and they dye in it If these men have such hope upon such slender Grounds shall not we much more upon a surer word of Prophecy that hath hitherto come to pass and hath been fulfilled in every tittle This is our Comfort we will not let go our hold though Satan hath sifted us as the Wheat is sifted yet Christ hath prayed for us that our Faith shall not fail nor the Gates of Hell prevail against it and we will live and dye in this Faith by the Grace of God Obj. The Prophet is a Fool and the Spiritual man is Mad much Confidence as well as Learning hath made him Mad. What will this Babler say He seemeth to be a setter-forth of strange things and he speaketh of a Resurrection Sol. We preach Christ Crucified to the Jews a stumbling Block and to the Greeks Foolishness but unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks Christ the Power of God and the Wisdom of God Because the Foolishness of God is wiser than Men and the weakness of God is stronger than Men God hath chosen the Foolish things of the World to confound the things which are mighty and base things of the World and things which are despised God hath chosen yea and things which are not to bring to nought things which are that no flesh should glory in his Presence I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the Power of God unto Salvation to every one that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Greek Ob. Every Tub shall stand upon its own bottom Sol. Provided it have a good Foundation not else Ob. I must answer for my self take you no care Sol. Keep there but reject not a charitable care and see that your Cause be good SECT XIII I thank God I have such thoughts as these David had them in his low condition Apology when he was as the man that had been long dead lying in the Grave and out of the mind of others but full of hope in his own mind God's Rod and his Staff comforted him and so it does me and being thus filled with God's promises I find no room for the vain and empty things of this World And as David's hopes came to pass at last so shall mine and the hopes of all that fear God I have studied all I can to find Comfort in Sorrows but I can find none but in God and a good Conscience all the rest is vanity of vanities and vexation of Spirit The Sum of all is fear God and keep his Commandments for that is the whole Duty of Man and that will bring a man peace at the last What did all our Wit and Wealth and Power do us good in Twenty years War We ruined our selves at the last They that fought so long could never obtain their ends all ended in destruction but God bringeth all things to pass at the last When shall we be setled and how Never till we embrace and hold fast the true Religion Christians were persecuted but they conquered still by suffering Jews trusted to Egypt for Chariots and for Horses but all was a broken Reed Leave thy Fatherless Children to me I will preserve them alive and let thy Widdows trust in me We shall have the better of it at the last When you see it you will believe it but we believe it before we see it Ye have not so much Faith it seems as we have according to our Faith so shall it be unto us Lord we believe help thou our unbelief Lord increase our Faith What is contended for among us A Temporal Kingdom The Good Old Cause who shall be greatest who shall be uppermost This will not do but whosoever will be least among us he shall be greatest he shall be uppermost this will do I like the Praying People as they call themselves for their Prayer I should like them better if they would leave their fighting I dare not trust them in their long Prayers to devour Kings Houses and Priests Houses and Widdows Houses and Fatherless Houses and Strangers Houses Let them lay down the Arms of Flesh and take up the Arms of the Spirit and we will pray with them and if occasion be fight with them and for them in a good cause when lawfully called not against Lawful Powers but against unlawful Rebels and Invaders And for the other Party were it not for the palpable intollerable Errors of Papal Supremacy Infallibility Transubstantiation Truce breaking Assassination c. In other Truths we would gladly give them the right hand of fellowship But what essential Doctrine do we Protestants differ in if we can tell Let there be no strife between us for God's sake for we are Brethren What my Brother the Son of my Mother that sucked the same Paps together my Mothers Children were angry with me and wounded me in my Mothers House Quò non penetras livor improbe quidne scabrae malignitatum clausum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O this is hard Who can bear it What not all the Enoticows Interims Confessions Comprehensions Condescentions Will nothing do A wide Door is opened for all Christians to unite against the Common Enemy the Turks that are as Hanibal at our Gates but we do not stir a foot to agree among our selves because of Pride and Profit to put by the Plague and Shame of Christendom There wants not a great price in our hand if we had a heart to take it Now is the time now is the day of Salvation or never Thus I poor wretch strive to settle and comfort my self and you all I can but all is nothing without God When the Woman in the time of Famine cryed out to the King passing by upon the Wall saying Help my Lord O King He said if the Lord do not help thee whence shall I help thee Out of the Barn-store Or out of the Wine-press So we may cry our hearts out for help from