praying believing Servants and also for all them that Sayled with them O who would not Pray at Sea and trust in him who raises the dead in the saddest of their Extremities and distress and speaks forth much of the power and goodness of God calling upon all to trust in him let the dangers and straits be never so great 3. A Vessel of ours about the year 1636. being at New-found Land a Fishing being somewhat of the latest in the year until the Ice came in great flakes and being ready to hoise Sayle for the return home they sent out in the Boat six of the men to weigh their Anchor but while they were about it a sad Providence prevents them a great flake of Ice interposes between them and their ship and carryes them adrift so that by all means that they and the ship could use they could not recover their Vessel again whereby they were exposed to an inevitable ruine neither having Food nor any other Accomodation to keep them warm they having continued thus three days three nights they began to be Hunger-starv'd and accounting themselves all dead men they began to consult one with another what course to take they at last though with great regret and grief they resolve one of them must dye to become Food for the rest each person begg'd to have it his Lott to dye first to be freed from that torment that they languished under so that they were forced to determine it by Lott He upon whom the Lott fell desired to go to the end of the Boat there to recommend his soul to God by Prayer before he dyed the rest being in a deep Agony upon apprehension of shedding the blood of one of their Comerades But while they were sate together lamenting and imploring God's favour to prevent such a fact according to that they wished and desired The person separated by Lott for death dyed upon the place where he was praying which in their deplorable Condition occasioned great Joy to the rest that hereby they were not forced against their wills to take his life so looking upon this as a good Omen they proceeded to satisfie their Hungers upon the dead body the Boat was still A-drift not frozen up so that by that time their Food was spent they were brought ashore many Leagues to the Norward of New-England where the five landed alive where the poor Barbarians did commiserate them and help them as they could three of them dyed with the distress they had been in the other two made a shift to get to New-England and so at last by a good hand of God upon them came to their Habitations in the West of England having both lost their heels with the extremity of the cold in the Boat This Relation my Author had from one of these two Sea-men with whom he came afterwards a Passenger from Ireland to whom he shewed his heels so lost 4. A small Vessel about 45 Tun the Masters name Phillip Hangare coming upon the Coast of New-England they suddenly sprang a leak and so foundred There were in this poor miscarrying Vessel 18 Sea-men and Passengers 12 of the men got into the Long-boat and as that was suddenly brought to their minds in this surprise they threw into their Boat also some small matters of Provisions but they were wholly without fire These 12 men at that time of the year about Michaelmas and as Paul said in his Voyage Sayling was become dangerous Sayled five hundred Leagues and were to a Miracle preserved all that time in this small Boat five weeks but it pleased the Lord who appears in our straits most to send them great relief by causing some flying Fish to fall into the Boat which they eat raw and were unto them more acceptable than the greatest rarities and dainties at another time God's Providence now proving the Caterer they catch'd a Shark and that Ravenous Fish that uses to prey upon men now becomes a prey to these poor distressed Creatures but they were glad of food in the want of fire and have an heat in their Stomacks to eat that raw and digest at this time what would have made them sick at other times but alas another want they had was drink as well as fire but they were forced to open the belly of this Shark and suck his blood for drink at last that God who hath a desire to the work of his own hands gives them hopes to release them out of this insupportable misery by letting them come to a discovery of Land in the West-Indies but alas they were so weak that when they came ashore one or two of them dyed but most of them lived to declare the works of the Lord. This the Author had from one of the 12 that were thus miraculously preserved but since cast away at Sea 5. Captain Ionas Clark of New England going for Virginia the Vessel was Cast away in a strange amazing manner about two hours before day among the Indians where the Ship-wrackt men lay ashore in great fear but three days after they thought to get their ship off again to which end the Master with some others went into the boat they came threescore Fathom from the shore where there arose a great Sea and broke in upon them but the second Sea came and turned the boat up four men under water all were drowned but Captain Clark who was kept under water by one of the men until his breath was gone but then God appeared and set him at liberty from him in a most Miraculous way and inabled him to swim to the shore they that were alive now were in great straits and perplexities not knowing what to do but yet some of their eyes were up to God at last they Unanimously resolve to Travel and when they had Travelled one night and part of a day meeting with many Suamps and thick places so that all hope failed them of going along so they stood still as wayfaring men astonish'd not knowing what course to take and though before they were afraid of any Indians now they were glad to pray to to the Lord for the sight of an Indian which in this extremity and perplexity within half an hour the Lord was pleased to grant The Indian was all alone which was observable also when they got to him they asked the way to the English and they did perswade him by entreaty to go along with them but within one hours time he carryed them to a Town of the Indians which did sadly fright and amaze them but they still looked up to the Lord to help and save them but at last they got to the English and so were preserved This Relation the Author had from Captain Clarks own hand a person of known Godliness and Integrity 6. The last Providence called to mind a strange and stupendious passage of a Godly Gentlewoman who in the first breaking forth of the Rebellion in Ireland was forced to fly for her life with
the year 1616 a flemming named Pickman well known in England and Holland for the art he had in getting out of the Sea the great Guns of that Spanish Fleet that was forced upon the Coast of Ireland and Scotland in the year 1588. coming from Dronthem in Norway laden with Boards was overtaken by a Calm during which the current of the Sea carryed him in a Rock or a little Island towards the extremity of Scotland where he was in some danger of being cast away to avoide a wrack he commanded some of his men to go into the shallop and to tow of the Ship these having done so would needs go upon a certain Rock to seek for eggs but as soon as they were got up into it they espy'd a man whence they imagine there were others lay there about and that he had made an Escape thither to avoid some Pirats which might Surprize their Ship so that they made all the hast they could to the Shallop and returned to the Ship but the Calme continuing and the current of the Sea driving the Vessel against the Island they were forced to get into the Long-boat and Tow her off again the man they saw before was in the mean time come to the brink of the Island and made signes to them with his hands entreating them to come nearer and falling on his Knees and joyning his Hands together he beg'd Relief from them at last coming near the Island they saw somthing more like a Ghost than a living Person a body stark Naked black hairy of a meager and deformed Countenance hollow and distorted Eyes which raised such Compassion in them that they proffered to take him into their Boat at last with some difficulty they took him in they found upon the Island no Grass nor Trees nothing for Food nor any shelter but the ruins of a boat wherewith he had made himself an Hut under which he might be covered from Rain and injuries of the Weather when they came to ask him who he was and how he came into that un-inhabited place he replyed to them he was an English Man and that a year before he was to go from England to Dublin in Ireland in the Passage-Boat and that they were taken by a French-Pyrate who by a Storm that immediately arose was forced to let go the Passage-Boat left us to the mercy of the Waves which carryed us between Ireland and Scotland into the main Sea expecting to be cast away every minute as at last we were For the Bark being split against the Rock where you took me in I escaped with one of my Comrades into the Island in a more wretched condition than if swallowed up by the Sea who had been delivered out of the Extremities we were in for want of meat and drink of some of the boards of our Boat we made a Hutt you saw and we took some Sea-mews which we set a drying in the Wind and Sun and so eat them raw we found also in the crevices of the Rock by the Sea-side some Eggs Thus were we kept from starving but what we thought most insupportable was Thirst for there was no Water but what fell from Heaven we lived thus six weeks comforting one another and finding some ease in our common misfortune till that being left alone it began to grow insupportable to me for one day awaking in the morning and missing my Comrade I fell into such a Despair that I had some thought of casting my self head-long and so put a final period to that Affliction whereof I had but endured the one half while I had a Friend suffering with me I know not what became of him but I am of that opinion that he fell into the Sea seeking for Eggs I left with him my Knife with which we kill'd the Sea-Doggs and the Mews upon which we lived so I was forced to get out of my Hut a great Nail which I made a shift to sharpen upon the Rock that it served me for a Knife I was also forced to lade a little slake with a little Sea-dogg fat and put it out of a crevice of my Hut and so got some Mews to keep me from starving I liv'd in this condition and solitude Eleaven Moneths and was resolved to end my days in it when God sent you to deliver me out of the greatest misery that ever man was in and this Sea-man after this misery and miraculous preservation lived to return to England A Remarkable Providence of God in wonderfully preserving of Eleaven or Thirteen poor distressed mens lives 11. In the year 68. a Ketch Sailed from Salom in New-England for the Barbadoes and when they came into the Latitude of 35. it began to look like foul weather so they took in their Top-sail and because it was towards night they struck down the Main sail and Rafed it and all this time there was but a little wind which was remarkable if the ensuing story be observed but still it looked like bad weather so they sent up one to Tallow the Mast and made no great hast to set Sayl the man at the Top thinks he sees some black thing float upon the Sea and looking upon it very fixtly he conceives it to be a Boat and so calls to the men below so they hasten'd to hoise Sayl and make towards it and when they came to them there was a Long-boat with a 11 or 13 men my Author could not absolutely remember the just number which poor distressed Creatures had been bound for Virginia and the ship in which they were proved very Leaky and so exceedingly encreased that in a very little time she was ready to sink so all hands hastened to get out the boat but the Master stept into the Cabbin to fetch a Compass and took some Canvas a Sayl-needle twine which he thought might be useful to them in their Need and Extremity but while this poor industrious man was endeavouring to be useful to some other mens lives he was in danger to lose his own for the boat was put off and the ship sinking so he crys to them in this distress if they would leave him and let him there Perish so they came back and took him in they had in their boat a Capstone-bar which they made use of for a Mast and the piece of Canvas for a Sayl and so Sayled afore the wind and had no kind of Food and now comes dreadful and inexpressible distress upon them making them wish for death it self to give them a deliverance now all hopes of Relief failed them thus they continued five days some grew Lame others Feeble and all much disheartened by despair of Life and now upon the 6th day they had concluded to cast Lotts for their lives who should dye to preserve others and they put their Resolution into Execution and that poor Creature upon whom the Lott fell begs for time but alas what will a Reprieve be in this case where there is no
Mr. Iames Ianeway's LEGACY TO HIS FRIENDS Containing Twenty Seven Famous Instances of Gods Providences in and about Sea Dangers and Deliverances with the Names of Several that were Eye-witnesses to many of them Whereunto is Added a Sermon on the same Subject Go up now look towards the Sea and he went up and looked and said there is nothing and he said Go up seven times And at the seventh time he said behold there ariseth a little Cloud c. 1 King 18. 44. Come and Hear all ye that fear God and I will declare what he hath done for my soul Psal. 66. 16. London Printed for Dorman Newman at the Kings Armes in the Poultry 1674. THE EPISTLE TO THE READER THe Author of this Treatise now put into thine Hands needs none of my Praises he being lately gone to make one in Consort with that Heavenly Chore above his Works praise him in the Gate only I could not but lend my hand a little being desired to give it a lift into the World and tell thee the Author was a man of Designes for God and more of them he had in his Heart and Head then his Lord and Master whose he was and whom he served did give him time to Finish that his Master might be Honoured and souls Edified he tryed several Ways and that with several sorts of persons leaving no stone unturn'd no means unattempted that the Work of the Lord might Prosper in his hand One while he designes sinners might be helped in getting Acquaintance with God and that Saints might improve their Best Friend in the Worst of Times and to that end he appears in the world to drive on a good Acquaintance betwixt Christ and Souls And another while feeling warm Compassions and Affections bubbling up in his Soul to poor Young Converts he carries on a design of strengthning their weak hands by appearing once again upon the Stage in printing the Comfortable Death of a Young Convert And another while he had a design of preventing the ripening sinnes of youth witness his bowelly and tender-hearted Sermon upon the occasion of the Penitent Murderer in which he Cautions poor enticed Young men to take heed of the Baits that the great Angler for Souls layes before them But lest this man of Designes for God should miss his great aime he shoots lower that he might hit his Mark he stoops and sweetly condescends to send Tokens to Children to bespeak their Hearts betimes for Christ his Master he labours to Teach the Children to cry Hosanna to his Lord And now in the last place he casts about to meet with Sea-faring Men whose Souls he alwayes had bleeding and melting bowels for Oh how would he Weep Pray Mourn Sigh over them entreat them Affectionately beseech them importunately that they would not forget the God of their Mercies and Deliverances nor the Mercies and Deliverances of their God Upon this Occasion of Sea-mens receiving the greatest Deliverances of any men in the World from God and so soon playing the Old Israelites with Gods Wonders viz. soon forgetting his Works Some Friends speaking to him upon this subject and Acquainting him with a Taste of some Memorable Passages of Providences he readily upon desire sets his hand to this work of Collecting several Famous Deliverances from Friends and took pains to get their Papers into his hands but had not time to pollish and adorn them in his sweet and taking Style as he did other things These lay upon his hand above a Year and a half still waiting for more Observable Providences to come to his Cognizance But here thou hast them as they are if thou hast an Heart to improve them to thy further strengthening of thy Faith in future Straits Whether at Sea or Land here thou mayst see the Lord setting his Right Foot upon the Sea Here thou mayst see the Lords Royalty and Soveraignty extending it self to the great Deeps Here thou mayst see the Winds Seas obeying of him Here thou mayst see the Lord giving a literal Com̄ent on that Text When thou goest through the Waters I will be with thee Here thou mayst see Hopeless and Helpless men in their greatest Distress at their wits end sav'd and deliver'd by the great God which is enough one would think to make any Reader cry out with the Psalmist O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the Children of Men. Here thou mayst see the prevailing Power of Prayer the Wonder-working Power of God the unspeakable Bowels and tender Mercies of God to poor Perishing Sinking Drowning Starving dying Men that thou mayst Pray to this God more Love this God better and dread to sinne against him who is the God of such Miraculous Salvations and Deliverances And that this Treatise may promote that work in thy Soul is the Desire of Thy Cordial Soul-Friend Iohn Ryther Wapping 14 Apr. 1674. There are these Books of Mr. Iames Ianeway'es printed for Dorman Newman at the Kings Armes in the Poultry HEaven upon Earth or the best Friend in the worst of times The 3d Edition enlarged 2. Death Unstung A Sermon Preacht at the Funeral of Thomas Mousley an Apothecary With a brief Narrative of his Life and Death also the manner of God's dealings with him after his Conversion 3. A Sermon preached at the Funeral of Tho. Savage 4. Tokens for Children the first and second Part. 5. Mr. James Janeway 's Legacy c. REMARKABLE SEA DELIVERANCES ONe Major Gibbons a man well known in new England a Gentleman of good education good parts and of good Conversation as the Author hath been credibly informed by them that knew him was bound upon a voyage to Sea himself being Suprà Cargo with such commoditys as those parts of America doth afford after going out from Boston several days by hard weather and contrary winds the Ships company were much distressed and through the Continuance of the Contrary winds Provisions now begin to faile them and O how feeble doth Spirits grow when Bread the Staffe of life taileth now Hunger becomes more dreadfull to them then the every moment threatning Billows of the devouring Ocean and they that one while feared drowning now fears Starving they are brought to the last meal in the Barrel and the last oyl in the Cruse and say as she did We will Eat this litle that is left and dye and now when they thought they had eaten the last what conflicts must they needs have within themselves who knew not where to have another morsel to fortify the tyred and spent Spirits with the constant toyle and hard labour how they look one up one another as men already under a Sentence of death and by one anothers looks Strike terror to one anothers Hearts They look on every side as David says I looked on my right hand but there was no man that would know me Refuge failed me or perished from me They look downward they seeing nothing
but the Belly of destruction opening for them they look upward the onely and last refuge and remedy in this deplorable estate was out of the depths they cry'd to the Lord. But though they look out of the Ship as Noah did out of his Ark upon the waters and send forth the Dove of Prayer that winged Messenger to Heaven yet she brings no Olive branch no Answer the waters asswage not the winds calm not they are like the Prophets Servant when he bid him go up now and look towards the Sea and he went up and looked and said there is nothing and this strikes them into dolefull and dismall Lamentations out of which Lamentations at last Springs up a tragical and sorrowfull Motion The Motion is that which the Marriners in Ionahs Vessel put in execution Come let us cast Lots c. onely with this difference they cast Lots to find out the delinquent and these which of them should dye first to be a Sacrifice for ravenous Hunger to feed upon Concluding as he in that case It is expedient for us that one man should dye for the People and that the whole Ships Company perrish not Life being sweet Skin for Skin and all a man hath will he give for his life they at last bring it through many a sad debate to a result they cast the Lott th disposing of which is of the Lord one of the Company is arrested by the Lott here here is the Condemned Prisoner O but where is the Executioner to be found to act his office upon a poor Innocent is it not death to them now to think who shall act this bloody part in the Tragedy But before they fall upon their involuntary Execution Major Gibbons calls them to Prayer considering that in the Mount the Lord is often seen and that many times our extremity proves Gods opportunity he also askes the poor man if he was willing to dye but O what a hard Question is that to Answer He replys if it might preserve the rest of the lives he could be the more willing to which he hath this Answer All events are in the hands of God we must not dispute them to Prayer they go and O sure these Prayers must melt hearts of Adamant and Behold while they are at it God doth send a visible commentary upon that Scripture Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall Answer thou shalt Cry and he shall say here I am For while they were calling God was Answering there leaps a mighty Fish into the Boat and as it is of the Whale swallowed up Ionah God prepared a Fish for the Lord here prepared or provided a Fish that a poor creature might not be swallowed up but O what joy was here at such a token for good not only it at present releiving and refreshing their hunger which no Question made them quick Cooks but when they looke upon the Finger of God in it sending it as an answer to prayer they conclude it an happy Omen of their deliverance and a pledg of approaching mercy but alas it is not long before their hearts grow faint again their Countenances pale their Spirits sink now as low as they were lifted up high and now the poor Sea-men are like their Ship one while mounted up in the hopes to Heaven and another while they are sunk down again in despair as low as hell they know not now of another cake another Morsell they are reduced to their former exigency which brings them to a resolve to steer in this strait their old course to Lotts they go again the Second time only they have such an honour for the Providence of God they will not put him into condemnation that God hath acquited the Lott now falls upon another person and O now they receive the old trouble and intestine Combats how they shall find in their Hearts to punish one that never had offended any of them and while one thinks of it sayes he Alas poor man what hath he done to deserve this sentence another crys Will not this blood cleave to my Conscience another day though I went to this expe-expedition a Prest-Souldier another says for his part he sees no way but death therefore he cannot take away life when he sees not any life can be preserved by it but they are called again to look upward before they put the Knife to the Throat of this Sacrifice and they remember the last encouragement to put life into the almost dead-mens Prayers they pray now with a pledge in their hands and are ready to tell God the last time he gave them a Pawn an Earnest and O it is not vain to seek the Lord for loe while they are seeking to him he is sending to them as the Prayers flye to Heaven Mercy is dispatched upon the wings from Heaven O turn aside and see this great sight while they are praying Behold a second Answer from above A great Bird lights and fixes her self upon the Mast which one in the Company espies and up he goes and there she stands until he took her with his hand by the wing brought her down to the Company and O what life from the dead is this to them a second time Sure they will hearken to the voyce of the second Sign if not to the voyce of the first and now that which they hoped by the first Providence viz. that it was a fore-runner of the compleat deliverance Now they are by this second confirmed in the Faith and now they begin to think as I can easily imagin if God will save them out of this distress O what manner of persons they will become what manner of lives they will live what Sacrifices of Thanksgiving will they offer up to God! but while they are thus thinking they have no visible hopes but that it must be a third Miracle that brings them out of this their miserable condition they have the same disappointments upon them still only now they divert their Hunger all they can by telling of and remembring the Loaves as I may say their experiences in this extremity of theirs and comforting themselves that if they come to a third strait it would they hoped be an outlet from their present misery and calamity They are reduced the third time to the former course and strait to cast Lotts and when they were to go to the heart-aking work to put him to death upon whom the Lott fell they go to their Old Friend in a day of Adversity to God by hearty and humble Prayer And O now they do as the Prophets man at the Sea-side look again and again but alas Master they cry there is nothing Prayer is done concluded nothing appears O but as the Prophets Man looked seaven times so says this good man Major Gibbons look again as Ionah I will look again towards his Holy Temple says he to one of the Company Go up to the top and see what you can espy and
at last he makes a Sayl viz. espys a Ship this puts new life into all their spirits they bear up with the Vessel they Man their Boat they desire in the manner of perishing humble Suppliants to Board them which they are Admitted the Vessel proves a French Vessel yea a French Pyrate Major Gibbons Petitions him for a little Bread to sustain their lives who had been several days wishing for death but could not find it in their Extremity and take the Ship and Cargo So sweet is life that all that a man hath will he give for his life and now behold God draws forth to these Poor Perishing men his best Wine to the last nay turns the Water of Affliction into the Wine of Consolation The Commander of the Vessel knows the Major and replys readily and chearfully Major Gibbons not one hair of your head shall perish nor any of your Ships Company if it lye in my power either to supply you or preserve you O the Wisdom of God that hath ways we know not of to Relieve in the greatest straits and cause himself to be seen in the Mount The Commander of this French Pyrat was one some years before that Major Gibbons had shown signal Kindness to when his life was in danger at Boston in New England Thus the Lord appeared a God hearing Prayers in Extremitys which appearances are not to be forgotten in succeeding Generations O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the Children of men Secondly About the year 1636. there arising a storm and tempest of troubles in the Church of Scotland five Ministers eminent for Piety Learning and the Honourable success in the Ministry were so hard born under by a prevailing Party imposing upon their Consciences that they were forced to Embarque themselves for America three of their names were Mr. Levinston Mr. Mackleland and Mr. Blaire with two more whom my Author could not call to mind These good men Sayled half the Channel over about 500. Leagues where they met with great distress of weather which broke off the Rudder of their Ship and occasioned a desperate leak to spring in her which exposed them to eminent danger but they in this distress endeavour to hang on their Rudder again but often were they frustrated in their attempt to a total despair of effecting it They also laboured with the like unsuccessfulness to find out and stop the leak this poor Ships Crew had laboured also by pumping to keep the Ship above water until all their few hands were feeble and all their hearts faint so that as so many dispairing persons of life they cease all endeavours and yield themselves to death expecting every moment to be Entombed in the belly of the devouring deeps during the time of this their great distress the Ministers kept on their course as at other times of Worship viz. the reading of a Chapter in course and taking observations from it with Prayer and Preaching which they did by turns at the crisis of this deplorable case it fell to be the Lott of Mr. Mackleland to perform this Exercise a man Austeer in his life reserved in his speech and of great Piety who was often observed to let fall many remarkable Prophetical Expressions of future events the Chapter that at that time came to be read in course by him was the 32 of Exodus which he had read all along until he came to the 12th vers where he made a full stop the verses run thus And Moses besought the Lord his God and said Lord why doth thy Wrath wax hot against thy people which thou hast brought out of the Land of Egypt with great Power and a mighty hand Wherefore should the Egyptians say for mischief did he bring them out to slay them in the Mountains and to consume them from the face of the Earth Turne from thy severe Wrath and repent of this Evil against thy People upon the reading of these verses over again he declared to them the Case which Moses was here interceeding for compared with his Expostulation in the 12 verse did parallel the case and considering the happy event of that Argument which Moses used mentioned in the 14 verse which runs thus and the Lord Repented of the Evil which he brought to doe unto his People he could not but comfortably hope that they might have the same Effect Nay he goes further and his Spirit raised into a peremptory prediction that he durst assure them from his great Lord and Master that not one hair of their heads should fall to the ground after this he went to Prayer urging God with the same Argument and then rose up comfortably assuring his stedfastness in believing the same he advises the Sea-men and the Company in the Ship to refresh themselves by taking some meat the long fasting and hard labour having much infeebled them Then he encouraged them to make another Attempt to fasten the Rudder without which they could not possible make towards any point for shore He after advised them to clear the ship as well as they could from water by pumping which they did happily Effect the Leak being stopt providentially of it self whether it was some noak of a plank started by the destress of weather which occasioned the Leak and by the surges of the Sea clapt into the place againe or what it was else could not be known But however this lookes like life from the dead to these poor men who had received but a little before a sentence of Death in themselves that they might trust in him who raiseth the Dead Soon after this God who had heard in Heaven great Tears and Prayers Commands the Wind Tack about to the West and to blow so strong a gale that they were forced to bear up before it and it continued so long that it brought them back to the North of Ireland where they continued some time although but short they were very instrumental in the Converting of many souls which seed-plot remains to this day and soon after they passed into Scotland This Relation was given by several Ministers of the North of Ireland also the Reader may take notice the Author of that Book called the fullfilling of the Scriptures mentiones this remarkable Providence though not so largely with these two additional but very considerable circumstances first That a poor Sea-man was made the instrument to preserve the same Vessel by fastening the Rudder whose company they had all shun'd others having given it over Secondly Several Passengers being Aboard who shipt themselves for America upon only external accounts expecting a fat soyle and outward advantage in that place and not as the others upon the account of Conscience to enjoy the purity of Ordinances they did all dye upon the Sea save one being five in number And who is so blind as cannot see here the out-stretched Arm of an Omnipotent God commanding deliverance for his poor distressed persecuted
some other persons in her Company especially three Children one of them upon her Breast But alas these poor trembling Travellers had not gone long before they were striped Naked by the Irish who to admiration spared their lives but passing on to the foot of a River others met them and would have cast them into the River but this Godly Woman not being dismayed asked a little liberty to Pray and as she lay on frozen ground Naked she got a little resolution not to go on her own feet to so unjust a death upon which having called her upon her resolution they drag'd her by the heels along the ground with the rest of the Company she turns upon them and on her knees says You should I am sure be Christians and men I see you are in taking away our miserable lives you do us a pleasure but know as we never wronged you nor yours you must dye also your selves and one day give an account of this Cruelty to the Iudge of Heauen and Earth Suddenly upon which an Irish Priest says Let us not take their lives but we will put them in this Island of the Lake a Boat being at the River all the eight Naked and without Meat are turned into that Island where after four days staying some of the Company dyed with Hunger and Cold but not this Woman nor any of her Children a day after the two Boys found the Hyde of a Beast which had been kill'd at the root of a Tree which they and the Mother endeavoured to cast over them then lying upon the Snow the next day a little Boat goes by to whom she calls for God's sake to take her out but they refused being Irish she desired a little Bread but they said they had none she begs a Coal of Fire which she obtained for she had some fewel in the Boat and thus with some fallen Chips made a fire and the Boys taking a piece of the Hyde layd it upon the Coals and began to gnaw the Leather but alas without an extraordinary Divine support what could this do Thus they lived ten days without any visible supplies and that good Woman profest it was by Faith and Joy in God she lived nor had she any Bread but Ice and Snow nor any Drink but Water but she thought God put more substance in it and found it as it were clammy The next day a Boat carryed her out to the side of the Band-water where yet she had been lost but that she could not suffer to see her Children dye in her sight and therefore though the two Boys were young and so Starved that they had no strength she pressed them to go out of her sight under pretence of seeking som fire the poor Children had not gone far until they saw two or three great Doggs eating a man who had been killed the Children were afraid the Doggs who needed not fear any thing but to live in such a Condition and one of them came running and leaped upon one of the Children without doing him the least hurt and would run a little before and then tarry until the Children come up and so led them on where an House whence Smoke appeared which was an Irish mans Protected by the English in Antrum by which means they were marvellously pleased and the Mother sent for and succoured by a party from Antrum Although this Providence be not a Sea-deliverance yet it is a remarkable preservation from danger by Water and Hunger at Land 7. In the first setling of the Bohemia Islands off the Cape of Florida about the year 1642. there were at that present great troubles in the Burmoudas one Captaine Sale who had been Governour the year before comes for London and here informing some of his Acquaintance and Persons of Worth and Estate how things then stood they undertake for him and got him a Ship and all things necessary for the discovery of these Islands which he had informed them of so they proceeded to Burmoudas where they took in several Passengers Captain Sale being Cheif and Captain Lane and his Family which came from London with him as his Assistant in the management of the Designe so they in pursute of the Voyage came to an Island called Cicatra he lay down in the Platts where they could not at present find an Harbour So they sent out their Shallop upon a discovery which upon Return informed them of a better place to Ride in But sending out the Shallop again upon a discovery before she Returned there arose a dreadful Storm that carried her immediately upon the Rocks and staved her with very much difficulty most of the People were saved and some Provisions Then were they Reduced to very great straits formidable to flesh and blood a Barren Island no inhabitants no likelyhood of Releif little Provisions left in this great strait most of them resolved to travel up to the wester end of the Island and there to abide Captaine Lane and his Family and his Son who was his Leiutenant theye Rsolved to seek for some kind of Provisions and so stayed on the Island But Captaine Sale and one Mr. Bounly who had been Master of the Ship and some other Sea-men and one Mr. Shadwel in all eight Resolved to go to Virginia and took what Provisions they could get which was one Shark but before they made to the Land they were in very great wants For from this Island from whence they departed to Virginia was three hundred Leagues in their now great Extreamity Providence cared for them so that they got another Shark and were glad to eat him Raw. They were a 11 dayes going to Virginia and the Boat a very little one that they could scarcely Steer in her for fear of danger Yet the Lord in this deep Distress made his Arm bare for their Salvation and brought them safe to a place called Nuse-mum to one Mr. Richard Brunkets House where they were curtiously Entertained and after the Relation upon what account they were put to these Hardships and Necessities Captain Sale had a Vessel provided laden with necessaries to go for Cicatra to Relieve those they had left there in such Distress and they arrived there And O now what Comfort must this be after such long wishing and gradual Dying to see that there was now Hopes of Life brought to them but several of them were starved to Death before their Arrival Captain Lane is now sent to fetch some Provisions who had been in unspeakable Extremity He came down in a little Boat his Son also the Lieutenant and two Servants but when they had gotten in their Provision and going home with hopes of a new Life Behold the stupendious providence of God all of a sudden Death creeps in and Arrests them For in a narrow place where the Tyde runs swiftly the Boat is sunk all are drowned but one man who carried the desolate Widdow the sad Tydings what an unwelcome Messenger this was you may
forgotten by us harden us either they soften or harden These Providences are like Gods Ordinances in this respect they either harden or soften Oh! what a dreadful thing it is to be hardned by Deliverances and Preservation and yet many are Sentence not being speedily executed the hearts of men are fully set in them to do evil 4. Such Deliverances will be great aggravations both of mans sin and misery if forgotten by them The goodness of God was the aggravation of the sin of David says God When I had done so and so for thee nay and I would have done more wherefore hast thou despised the Commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight What for you that had such deliverances as these to break his Commandments as Ezra says O this is an high aggravation 5. Deliverances and Dangers forgotten will cause the Lord to pull in his hand in a way of Mercy will cause God to give up Persons and take his Protecting presence from them take them from the shaddow of his Wings Souls by forgetting past dangers and deliverances may put themselves from under Gods Protection for the future Vse 2. Is it so that we are to Remember our Sea-Dangers and Deliverances then it is a word of Exhortation be exhorted then to call to mind and keep in mind what God hath done for you and in this Exhortation I address my self to Sea-faring men whose lives are a course and series of Wonders in their frequent Salvations and Preservations witness this Treatise as you see the wonders of God in the Deeps viz. The wonders of his Creation so do you see the wonders of his Salvation How often may Wonderful be Written upon the Head of Salvations that you are every Voyage receiving from God you never go out and come home but God works Wonderfully and appears Wonderfully for you Is not he a Wonder-working-God for you every Voyage The Exhortation is to call to mind and keep in mind to Record and Register your Dangers and Deliverances and not to do as Israel is said to do who soon forgot his works How often doth God bring in this sin of theirs in one Psalm They forgot his works and the wonders he had shewed them 1. Keep them in mind for they are wonderful Dangers and Deliverances They are Wonders these are to be remembred Marvelous things did he for them in the sight of their Fathers c. He devided the Sea and caused them to pass through and he made the waters to stand as an heap and it is brought in again in that Psalm They remembred not his hand nor the day when God delivered them out of the hand of the Enemy c. And in another place They forgot God their Saviour which had done great things in Egypt Wonderous works in the Land of Ham. This heightens the sin exceedingly to forget such great and wonderful Dangers and Deliverances 1. Your Dangers are Wonderful in this Respect they are often such as threaten a sentence of Death to be executed upon you May it not be said of poor Sea-men as was of them For we would not Brethren have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia that we were pressed out of measure above strength insomuch that we despaired of life but we had the sentence of death in our selves that we should not trust in our selves but in him that raiseth the dead who delivered us from so great a Death and doth Deliver O how many Sea-faring men may say thus Our dangers have been such as we have often despaired of life there hath but been a little betwixt us and Death nay betwixt us and Eternity and shall we forget such Dangers when we have been so near Death in them As he said to David As the Lord lives there is but one step betwixt thee and death O how often have you been near sinking near drowning and yet God hath then appeared for you with an outstretched Arm and in the Mount hath been seen and will not you Remember this 2. Your Dangers are Wonderful in this Respect they are sudden and surprizing they are wonderful sudden how are you often all on a sudden threatned with nothing but present Death and Destruction It may be said of Sea-men as of those in Iob Snares compasses them about and sudden fear troubleth them It doth not only trouble them but all on a sudden trouble them before they know almost where they are as we say We read of some whose Calamity shall come suddenly Suddenly shall he be broken without Remedy O how terrible is such a case or such a danger and hath not God often threatned to make this your case and condition O then do not forget such dangers that have so suddenly lookt you in the Face 3. Your Dangers are Wonderful in this Respect they are not Dangers in which your Bodies are concerned only but they are dangers in which your Souls are concerned It is not only the danger of a Ship-wrack'd Vessel and a Shipwrack'd Estate and a Shipwrack'd Body but a Shipwrack'd Soul Here is the great danger lest thou make a lost Voyage for thy Soul If thou had died in such a Storm or died in the Terme of such a Voyage Oh! what would have become of thy Soul Thy precious thy immortal Soul Had not thou died in a carnal in a Christless state and condition Had not thy poor Soul perished to all Eternity if thou then had miscarried Was not thou then a stranger altogether to Christ and a work of saving Grace upon thy Heart Had not thou then the guilt of all thy sins upon the back of thy Soul unpardoned And ô what danger was this And wilt thou forget such dangers 4. Your Dangers are such at Sea as none but a God can deliver from all your skill cannot Oh then is the greatest Artist at his Wits end The Psalmist tells us the Marriners in their Storms are at their wits end or as some read it all their wisdom is swallowed up they know not what course to Steer the Dutch Annotators carry it Now their very Pilots are at a loss Now all their courage cannot contribute to their deliverance though men of the greatest natural courage and magnanimity in the world Yet now their hearts melt because of troubles as it is said of the Marriners in Ionahs Ship The Marriners were afraid O now when Death and Eternity the Grave and Judgment to come looks them in the face Then they are Magor-Missabibs terror to themselves and to all about them O now the danger is such it must be the only finger of God that can help I have heard of a Ship in Yarmouth Road that in a great Storm they feared the Anchor would come home and the Master discoursing with a Youth in the Ship that God had begun lately to work some Convictions upon O says his Master if God do but lay a Finger upon
one Strand of the Cable it will hold and in the Morning many Ships were lost near them and there was but one Strand in the Cable left O the finger of God only can sometimes save in dangers It was a good saying of a godly Commander of a Ship in eminent dangers None now but that God that saved the Children of Israel at the Red Sea can save us out of this distress and as soon as he had said it the Wind altered and saved them And will you forget such dangers as none but a God can save from 5. Your dangers at Sea are such as many thousands have perished in how many have gone to Sea that never returned more that have been swallowed up in the belly of the great Deeps How many have perished by the Sword at Sea how many by violent Storms and that God should put a difference betwixt you and others and you should forget it this exceedingly heightens and aggravates the guilt How many have lost their lives how many have lost their limbs and yet in such dangers God hath brought you off this is never to be forgotten 2. Your dangers are not only wonderful but your deliverances are so too and therefore should be remembred There is never a deliverance but you may read a wonder in it so many deliverances and salvations at Sea so many wonders God saves you in a miraculous way 1. Is not this a wonder that persons of such great sins and provocations should be persons of such great salvations and preservations that such as sin every Voyage nay it may be at an high rate sin every Voyage should be saved and delivered at such an high rate every Voyage is not this a wonder that men of such sins should be men of such salvations that men that sin against these salvations should not have these deliverances shorten upon them Oh what a wonder is this We should wonder if a person should be continually disobliging any of us and yet we should be still heaping up kindnesses upon him This made the Prophet Ezra say Shall we again break his Commandments after such deliverance as this O do not you provoke the Lord every time that you go out and still he delivers you still he returns you to your Relations to visit your habitations in peace and is not this a wonder 2. Your deliverances are wonderful if you consider your deliverances are great deliverances We read of such And the Lord saved them with a great deliverance or with a great salvation Thus said Sampson Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant Now any great transactions are remembred and recorded Your deliverances are great if we consider these things 1. They are commanded deliverances by the great God his word of command brings all our deliverances about whether at Sea or Land Which made the Church in distress pray Thou art my King O God command deliverances for Jacob. He commands every thing tending to deliverance at Sea in order to deliverance he commands the Winds He maketh the storm a calm He also commands the Seas he says to the proud Waves So far and no further You read of a decree set to the Sea that it cannot pass Though the Waves thereof toss themselves yet can they not prevail though they roar yet can they not pass over it It is the great God only that rides Lord Admiral at Sea to command the Seas and the Waves thereof God is said to shut up the Sea with doors and set bars upon it Hithorto shalt thou come and no further and here shall thy proud waves be stayed Xerxes presumed he could tame the Hellespont for attempting his Bridge of Boats but all this was in vain this is a flower in Gods Crown alone to command the Sea Your deliverances are a fruit and effect of Gods commanding Power therefore great 2. They are great deliverances as they are the curious workmanship as I may call them of the Attributes of a great God Deliverance is said to be wrought for us it is the handy work of God If God will work who can let as the Prophet saith And he seems to speak it upon the account of the deliverance of his People For your sake I have sent down to Babylon and have brought down all their Nobles and the Caldeans whose cry is in their ships In every deliverance there is the excellent work of the Attributes of God we may in such a deliverance say Here is the Power of God and here is the Wisdom of God and here is the Love of God and here is the Faithfulness of God c. For as God in the confounding of the Languages at Babel said Go too let us go down as if he derected himself to his glorious Attributes compassing about his glorious Throne Come let us go down So when God sends us deliverances in our distresses he sets his Attributes at work Go Power go Mercy go Love go Faithfulness go and act your respective parts in this deliverance and must not this be then an excellent and curious Piece that Gods Attributes bring forth 3. They are great deliverances if we consider the great sins and provocations they come over the heads of the great unworthiness of the receiver heightens much the mercy and favour received the reason why persons do not greaten their deliverances is because they do not greaten their sins in the deep sense and aggravations of them O sueh a Soul would say as David Is this the manner of men O God is not this a great deliverance for such a great sinner to receive 4. They are great deliverances if we consider the time and season of their coming in as this deliverance of the Ships Company where Paul was it was when all hope of being saved was taken away and so were many of the deliverances mentioned in this Treatise So Peter's Sea-deliverance when he began to sink Christ stretcheth forth his hand immediately he was now sinking and going but see how ready Christ was to save He stretched forth his hand and caught Peter Our sinking time is Jesus Christs saving time In the Mount is the Lord seen our extremity is Gods opportunity and are not then these great deliverances never to be forgotten 5. They are great deliverances if we consider they are not only deliverances of Bodies and Ships and Estates sometimes but Souls and where and where the Ship is lost and the Estate is lost yet for the life to be saved and the Soul delivered is a very great Deliverance a Reprieve when a Prisoner is under the sentence of Death is a great Mercy O when God Reprieves a poor Prisoner this is some Deliverance we read of some Deliverance God gave to Israel in the days of Shishak a Reprieve is some Deliverance but if it end in suing out the Prisoners Pardon then it is a great Deliverance If it be such a Deliverance in