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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93348	Great Britains misery; with the causes and cure. Described first, as it is from the justice of God the authour, who is now in controversie with the inhabitants of the land for sin: especially for eight capitall crimes, all which are aggravated by sundry circumstances. Secondly, the injustice and malice of the instruments of this misery, Satan and his agents: their main aime, and particular ends, moving them therunto. Vindicating, plainly and fully, (by way of answer to severall objections) the lawfulnesse and necessity of raising arms by the Parliament, and kingdom; for the defence of the King, kingdom, religion, laws, and known rights of the subject: against that viperous generation of papists, atheists, delinquents, and licentious men, who have at once invaded all. ... / By G.S. Gent. Imprimatur Ja. Cranford.	Smith, George, 1602 or 3-1658.	1643 (1643)	Wing S4037; Thomason E250_4; ESTC R212534	90,980	68

slaughter or banishment not onely for their Idolatry but for their bloodie Treason But contrary we have cherished them made Leagues and Matches with them and mixed more of their Idolatry with the pure worship of God then ever before to the dishonour of God therefore they dishonour and ruine us When Ahab spared a people appointed to slaughter God told him His life and the lives of his people should go for theirs and it was so And is in part already made good upon us and is but the same that is threatned That if the people make graven Images and do evil in Gods sight he would soatter them among D●●● 6. 25 2● the ●●●ions When Israel served other gods of the nations God made the people of the nations rule over them Secondly for prophaning the Lords Day God hath shewed his displeasure Prophaning the Lords day continually by many particular Judgements as some writers observe the fall upon the Beargarden on that day is remarkable January 13. 1683. where See Stubb in Annatomy of abuse were slain and hurt many prophane Sporters Wee have had many warning Pieces of Gods displeasure now we have Volies of Musket and murdering Canon the execution of Gods wrath As we have sli●hted holy Ministers so are they justly driven from us into corners we have gadded from place to place after vaine sports and recreations on that day to Court Maskes and Playes all inventions either of profits or pleasure to Gods dishonor in prophaning the day of holy rest therefore it is just that the Land be layd wast left without men or cattle to till it That whiles it keepes such unhappy rest the people are driven to as unhappy wandring and heare no word behind them to tell them the Esay 30. 21. way That blessed day of Peace is become a bloudy day of Battle and Slaughter our Churches for holy Assemblies are become either recectacles of wicked seditious men or prisons of durance and misery to the godly and most justly for the irreverent contempt of the use of Churches by erronious Anabaptists suffered amongst us who esteem Churches no more necessary for prayer Vid. D. Wil●●● in Levit. 26 Conf. 3. then a Hogsty and say Christ may be better worshiped in Woods then in Churches Thus as we have all wandred from duty by disorder and sin God will drive us into order by punishments As we have erred from the way of mercy God will reduce us by way of Justice as is threatned I will do to them Ezek. 7. 27. after their wayes and according to their desires I will Judge them Pride is justly punished Thirdly for our pride rais'd up to the height of swelling ambition and disdainfull carriage in all apish behaviour imitating all Nations in fashions and sins God is now by the sword justly pulling it us down to the lowest humiliation or misery Gods blessings in plenty and peace made us fatt and wanton and we have like Jesurum kicked against God glorying in our abundance in all profussenesse Deut. 32. 15. and expence upon vanity in Buildings Furniture Ornaments Plate Jewels Apparrell Feastings c. every one above his degree to the dishonour of God Now God by answerable judgements afflicts the Nation and meets with this very sin in every one of us to punish us and spoyle our pride Our eyes see our stately buildings demollished the Monuments of our Ancestours in which we gloryed are spoyled before our faces our Plate Jewells Money costly Furniture and apparrell taken away by force God hath stirr'd malignity from the pride of our spirits to kindle a fire of contention to consume and destroy one another like those bloudy seditious Jewes who would See Jos●p in war Jews lib. 3. Chap. 14. have killed their Captain because they might not kill one another He that destroyes to day is himselfe destroyed to morrow pride and excesse saith Plato is the destruction of Kingdomes Pride is like a wild man whose hand is against every man and every mans hand against him It is the son of the Gen. 16. 12. Bond-woman envious at his brother and by it we find as judit●ous Seneca saith there is but a moment of time between Royalty and Captivity take notice Sencca in Tranq cap. 11 of it for God justly meets with this sin and makes pride the punishment of pride we have by pride fought against God and God by proud men fighteth against us and will assuredly before he sheath his sword destroy our pride or us As God made the rich and the poore of one mould So he is by these judgements bringing them into one condition as is threatned I Will marre the pride of Israel and the great pride of Jerusalem ●●r 13. 9. Fourthly Oppression we know this sin hath cryed long for judgement the cry hath been loud against this Nation and is now answered As the sinne Oppression justly punish'd hath been generall so the punishment is generall all feel it from the King to the Plough-man Naboths Vineyard hath been taken by force and fraud by the one the covering of the poor by the other and the Law that should relieve the oppressed was tyed up by money Law it selfe was but a Cypher and so nothing if more it was but a figure and so any thing our Judges were made on purpose to do injustly and unmade for doing justice They as all Officers of Judicatory bought their places deer and sold their attendance deerer They bought oppression by grosse sold it out by retail as their brethren the Patentees and so grownd the face of the very poor Now God by his judgements payeth us in our own coyn observe how the monyes received by oppression are spent in oppression and by that which men payed against Law they are oppressed to destroy Law those that gave monies to oppresse are themselves oppressed the Oppressor is oppressed the Spoyler is by spoyling spoyled The just oppressing sword of Gods wrath for unjust oppression is now in the Land and oppresseth all They that made the Law uselesse that they might destroy others have no Law to secure themselves from ruine We must needs acknowledge that the Lord is righteous in all his Wayes and holy in all his workes and I will with confidence beleeve that when God will in pitty sheath his sword that law which wicked men seek to destroy shal by the ministration Psal 145. 17. of Justice cut them off for their oppression and murder God will plead his peoples Cause and will spoyle the soule of the Spoyler And Prov. 22. 23. Ier. 51 48. Esay 14. 2. in the end make his restored people to rule over their Oppressors as hee hath promised Fiftly the Sin of Murder we know is the sin of Brittain The bloud unrevenged Murder is justly punished hath cryed to Heaven a long time and now God sheddeth the Kingdoms bloud by cruell murtherers because by foolish pitty the bloud

sins that do provoke more wrath then others do whether against kingdoms or particular men Touching those sins that most provoke God to wrath and hasten judgements Among many I will name eight all which have long and do still Eight sins that hasten Judgements upon England rage in this Kingdom Idolatry Prophening the Lords Day Pride Oppression Murther Drunkennesse Whoredome Lukewarmnesse in Religion First for Idolatry This is a grievous sin immediately against the person The first is Idolary 1 Sam. 2. 25. of God If a man sin against God who shall intreat for him This sin is committed either when we worship a false God or the true God in a false manner and is a denying of God to be God Sets up something created in the room of the Creatour which is the greatest dishonour that can be to God being committed by any that have ever known God and God is most tender Isa 42 8. and jealous of his honour he will not give his glory to any other but will surely make that man or that nation miserable that thus dishonour him He commanded his people Israel If any man or woman did worship any Deut. 17 3 5. other God he should be stoned to death if a whole city it was to be destroyed And when the two Tribes and half beyond Jordan erected an Altar Deu 13 12 15 supposed by the other nine Tribes and half to be for Idolatry they all with Josh 22. one consent took arms to go against them but being assured by enquiry that no such thing was intended they desisted But when all Israel fell to Idelatry for it is a sin to which nature is very prone and began to chuse new Gods that is to mingle with the pure worship of God the superstitious Ceremonies of the heathens presently war was in their gates and God Judg 5. 8 Judg. 2. 14 gave them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them and into the hands of their enemies See the same sin in Solomon and the punishment of it in his 1 Kings 11 11. 1 Kings 12 25. 16. 2 Chron. 4 23 24. Ant. l. 9 c 2. 2 King 21 18. son Rehoboam Also in King Joash for this sin God gave him into the hands of the King of Assyria by a sinall and weak army So Joram who had married with Ahabs daughter who drew him as Josephm relates to execute divers mischiefs and amongst the rest to adore strange gods God punished him by the revolting of the Idumaans and smote him with a grievous disease of which he died and afterward was not suffered to be lamented nor buried in the sepulchre of the Kings The examples of Gods high displeasure against this sin are many both in Sacred and humane writings Secondly The prophaning of the Lords day This is also a sin immediately The second is Sabbath breaking l sa 58. 13. Lev 24 11. Jer. 17 25. Vers 27. against God and is committed either by the neglect of Spirituall Worship or by doing any bodily works of our callings Also by Sports Pastimes idle words or vain thoughts on that day The man that gathered sticks was by Gods command stoned to death Great blessings are promised to the keeping of that Day holy And great Judgements threatned if it be by any means prophaned God threatneth that he would kindle a fire in the gates of Jerusalem that should not be quenched And for this sin in the reign of Zedekia● ● Chro. 36. 21. Jerusalem was destroyed and the people carried captive into Babylon till the land for the space of threescore and ten yeers lay waste to keep her Subbaths for so long they were in captivity of which sin and punishment good Nehemiah puts the people in minde after their return when they began again to prophane the Sabbath day saying Did not our fathers thus And Did not our Neh. 13 18. God therefore bring all this evil upon us and upon this city Thirdly Pride This was one of the sins of wicked Sodome that cryed to heaven for judgement It is a sin very hatefull to God and not pleasing to men The third is pride In other sins men agree together in the sin but one proud man hates another that is as proud as he This sin ingageth God in war against men God resisteth the proud The Lord threatneth that he will destroy the house of the Jan. 6. 4. P. o. 15 26. proud Proud men are great enemies to a State If a people their affliction pray unto God and are not 〈◊〉 it is because of the pride of evil men Job 35. 12. God will marre the pride of Judeh and the great pride of Jerusalem The prophet tells us That because the daughters of Zion were haughty Walked With out-stretched necks Jer 13. 9. and wanton eyes mincing as they go c. The Lord will smite Isa 3 16 25. them and the men shall fall by the sword and in the war The pride of the women shall be punished by the death of their husbands Israel for her Pride Hos 6. 5. 2 Chro. 32. 25. shall fall and Judah shall fall with her And because Hezekiahs heart was lift up with pride therefore there was wrath upon Judah and Jerusalem Fourthly Oppression This is one of the crying sins that hasteneth Judgement against a nation or private men Ye shall not appresse one another but thou The fourth sin is Oppression Levit 25. 27. shalt fear thy God This fear of God and Oppression are contraries Where the fear of God is there is no oppression and where dppression is there is no fear of God These cannot dwell together in one heart nor in one kingdom This is a sin contrary to the nature of God who is Mercy it self Therefore he heareth the cry of Labourers servants and strangers when their hire is kept back and it entreth into the ears of the Lord If the cry of the lesse be so displeasing Deur 24 15. Jam. 54. much more of the greater When the whole kingdom crieth as the cry of the Israelites in Egypt A people oppressed by authority cries loud Exod. 2 23. This was in the dayes of Solomon as well as Idolatry and was as sevearly punished in his son Rehoboam This is a sin as well against the Gospel as the Law condemned by both The Law commands to shew mercy and compassion Oppresse none But saith the Prophet They the Kings Princes and People Zech. 79 10 11. hearkned not they stopped their ears that they should not hear this command but made their hearts as an Ademant stone c. Therefore came great wrath from the Lord of hosts and afterward when misery was an them they cried but God would not bear because they would not hear when the Prophet of God cried to them in his Name but they were scattered with a whirlwinde among all nations The Scripture sets forth oppressours by the names and nature of

cruell beasts Bulls Bears Wolves Dogs Kine of Bashan c. And the Prophet Amos tells them That the Lordhath sworn by his Ames 2. 4. holinesse that he will take them away with hooks and their posterity with 〈◊〉 as such devouring beasts and fishes are taken that bite and devour one another The stronger devour the weaker and greater eat up the lesser So the Prophet J●remiah complained That among the people there were wicked appressing Jer. 5 26. men who set traps to catch men Deceit was in their houses by it they became great and were waxen rich Therefore the Lord will be avenged on such Vers 28. 29. a nation as this Fifthly Murther This is another crying sin And this is committed either The fifth sin Murder by shedding innocent blood or by withholding judgement from the shedders of blood The blood that is shed cryeth loud against both these and ascends into the ears of God It is a sin against nature forbidden long before the Law was given by Moses and it was punished in the first age of the world The Gen. 9. 5. 6. voice of Abels blood cryed upto God from the earth It is expresly commanded Gen 4 11. That the blood shedder shal be delivered to the hands of the avenger of blood the reason is given in Verse 10. That the guilt of innocnet blood lie not upon Deut. 19. 12. the Land If blood lie upon a nation it leaves a stain that cannot be put out except Judgement be executed The guilt of blood may die long upon a nation till men seem to forget it but the Lord will not let it escape punishment If the Magistrates of the Nation do not punish it God will punish the Magistrate and the Nation too Saul slew divers of the Gibeonites causlesly contrary to Josh 9. 15. the Covenant and Oath which Joshua and the Princes of Israel made with them And long after in the dayes of David God sent a famine in the Land 〈◊〉 Sam. 21. 1. three yeers for that sin Till David executed Justice upon the sons of Saul the Gibeonites were but slaves to Saul and all Israel Yet see Gods Justice Sauls sons though of the Royall blood they must die for it God is no respecter of persons Where Judgement is not duely executed by man God will do it with his own hand some other way on whomsoever are guilty Now if Great Britain be guilty of such blood as surely it is then no marvell that God hath whet his glittering sword against us and made his arrows drunk with Deut. 32 41. blood to avenge the bloods of the innocnet and to destroy the withholders of Justice for he will avenge the blood of his servants and render vengeance Verse 43. 2 Kings 24. 4. to his adversaries The Lord sent the Caldecs Syrians Moabites and the children of Ammon against Jehoiakim to avenge the blood that Manasseh had shed in his dayes Though God be patient yet he is just God in Scripture is Psal 9 12. said to make inquisition after blood we see he did for the blood of Naboth which Ahab by Jezebel had shed and made the Dogs to lick the blood of Ahab ● Kings 21. 19. 2 Kings 9. 7. in the same place where they had licked the blood of Naboth and of Jezebelt by the wall of Jezreel and cut off the bloody house of Ahab by the bloody sword of Justice Sixthly Drunkennesse This sin is of a double provocation First it provokes The sixth sin is Drunkennesse Isa 5. 22. 1 Cor. 6. 10. God to wrath as it is a transgression of his law and is by the Apostle excluded from the kingdom of heaven Secondly it provokes men to the breach of every Commandment of God either to the act or guilt of all grosse sins as Murther Whoredom Stealing Lying and Swearing a sin under which the Land mourneth it takes a way the heart from God and inclines it to all wickednesse Wo is the portion of them that follow after strong drink Hos 4. 11. Prov. 23. 29. Isa 5. 11. Verse 22. Joel 15. Deu 29. 19. 20 and to them that are strong to drink strong drink The Prophet Joel awakes the drousie Drunkards and bids them weep and howl But the Drunkard is of all men most fearlesle till the Judgement be upon his head The Drunkard blesseth himself in his sin and sayes he shall have peace though he adde Drunkennesse to thirst Therefore the Lord will not spare us but his Wrath and Jealousie doth sinoak against us at this day God commanded that the father Deut 2● 20. of a Drunkard should bring his son to the Elders and stone him to death The whole nation of the Jews for this sin was carried into captivity and the Prophet Isa 5. 13 14. Neh. 1. 10. speaking of the destruction of Nineve saith While they were drinking as Drunkards they shall be d●●oured as stubble fully dry Belsbazzars kingdom Dan. 5. ● Kings 20. 16 was given from him while he was Drinking and Carousing before a thousand of his Lords Benhadad and thirty two other kings his consederates were all put to flight while they were drinking drunk in their Pavilions Seventhly Whoredom This is a very grievous and an unnaturall sin for The seventh sin is Whoredom 1 Cor. 6. 18. Heb. 13. 4. by it a man sinneth against his own body In all other sins of the second Table a man sins against another but by this a man sins against himself and others too This is a double sin not actually committed but by two as Zimri and Cozby The whoremonger destroyeth two bodies and two souls at once Whoredom Prov. 6. 32. is of two sorts Adultery and Fornication Both are hatefull to God and God hath excluded both from him in heaven and excludeth himself from them upon the earth by separating his servants from them as the Prophet witnesseth O faith he that I had a lodging place in the wildernesse that I might leave Jer. 9 2. my people and go from them for they be all adulterers c. God is far from them as a protectour he will come neer to them in judgement as he threatneth by Mat. 3. 5. the Prophet Josephus saith There is no greater filthinesse then the unlawfull mixture of our bodies The adulterer and the adulteresse were both to be put to Deut 22 22. death by Gods command but this sin reigns by custome and is practised by authority in England as was described by Seneca What woman saith he so Sentc benif l. 3. c. 16. miserable or loathsome that will content herself with one pair of adulterers they are carried to one friend and they dine with another for every day they have one and count the keeping of one Lemman good Wedlock We read that the least punishment that the Egyptians inflicted upon adulterers was to cut off the nose of the woman and the privy parts

of them that wickedly shed bloud was not shed God punisheth the impunity of murder by murder As Jacobs sons stain'd the coate of their brother Joseph with the bloud of Kids so Brittains sonnes unnaturall brethren stain the garment of the earth with the bloud of men in every place God is provoked to use the sword of wicked men to punish these guilty Kingdomes The sin is made the punishment of the sin and the punishment will turne to sin upon the heads of the Punishers Absoloms sinne of Rebellion and defiling his fathers bed was the punishment of Davids sin yet it was not lesse then sinne in him The The blood of Queen Maryes dayes cry bloud of Queen Maryes dayes is now required which we have not lamented and therefore hath since then cryed against us The bloud of Queen Elizabeths time is not forgiven though some of those bloud-shedders were by Gods hand cut off shortly after who were guilty for the bloud of guiltlesse Essex and at their end some of them acknowledged Gods hand justly was upon them Other blouds of latter times are fallen in with the complaint of the Marian bloud and now must be avenged together The bloud of Germany puts in an Indictment against us for our neutrality the bloud of France pleads accusations The blood of latter times in the three kingdomes cry of treachery the bloud of all the three Kingdoms joyn in one complaint for impunity and treachery Some spilt in wrath others by conspiracy and false accusations some by poyson and other secret plots and some by causelesse Imprisonment c. The blouds of all thus shed complain with one voice that Justice hath been stopped corrupted and prevented The Avengers of bloud roughly dealt with beaten accused and wholly suppressed false evidences hath been admitted and true Testimony cast out The bloud of the poore is heard cry in Gods eares as well as the bloud of the rich the bloud of Princes and people cry and God is come down to see if it be according to the cry and will not respect the persons of men He is come to judge the earth and will do right to all men And now the bloody and deceitfull men shall not live Psa 58. 11. Gen. 18. 25. out their dayes This is the day of the God of Hoasts the day of vengeance in which he will be avenged on all his enemies He now makes inquisition for bloud Psal 55. 23. Ier. 26. 10. Eccle. 8 12. and will spare none when he hath used the rod to correct his people he will cast it into the fire to be burnt Sixtly Drunkennesse the English mother sin and master destroyer of souls The cause of Gods displeasure upon particular men and the whole Kingdom Drunkennes is justly punished and ye● more is threatned as have formerly been observed by many among other judgements upon the grain Barly severall times smitten by drought and wet lesser judgements are warnings and threaten greater if the cause remain but the sin remaines and still raigns and is at this day threatned with greater judgements just answering to the sin Famine is the companion of War and is now entring into the Land hasted forward by an Army of Spoylers worse then the Locusts of Egypt to devour and eat up the fruits of the Land as is threatned for this sinne Weepe and houle ye drinkers of wine the field is wasted the Land Exod. 10. 12. Ioel. 1. 5. 10. mourneth for the Corne is dryed up the abuse of Pl●nty must be punished with want Seventhly Whoredom a common sin of these Kingdomes secretly committed and openly known but not punished if punished it is the poverty of Whoordom is most justly punished the whoremonger not the sin The Noble so by Title have a tolleration by their greatnesse the rest by their money a sin punishable by Gods Law with death yet suffered by men to escape without correction It hath contracted a double guilt upon the Land the guilt of the sinne and the guilt of Impunity God sent the plague of pestilence among the people of Israell for this sinne and 1. Cor. 10. 8 for it he hath sent severall plagues amongst us and smitten many thousands by death but no Phinehas hath stood up to execute judgement Adulterous marriage have been suffered and connived at and strange marriages with strange Numb 25. 7. Nations and strange religions and strange rebellious broods have followed and likely are crept into some of our greatest Families who usurp the names Strange and Adulterous Marriages are like to be some cause of our presens milery and inherit the Lands of those that never got them The old world was condemned for this the sonnes of God took them wives of the daughters of men of all that they would choose and there were Giants in the earth They made strange marriages such as we in England as that between Lord Mount-Joy and Lady Rich that between Lord Car and Countesse of Essex also secret whisperings of unnaturall Sodamy never questioned The sins conniv'd at in this Nation are such as Abimclech durst not commit nor suffer although he Gen. 20. 7. were a man subject to behold beauty with desire What absurdity were it to believe that the Off-springs of such kind of Matches and Broods have produced a generation to punish the Kingdom for this sin of Whoordom and that God should make them Instruments and Actors to aggrivate our misery at this day who set themselves to do mischief and are mocking Ismaels haters of the children of promise as unnaturall as Absolon who abused his fathers bed and Gen. 21. 9. 2. Sam. 16. 22 3. Sam. 13. 14. as Ammon who d filed his halfe Sister We see in nature that the creatures that generate by couples are tender of the good and preservation one of the other the young own the Male and the Male take care of them whereas among those that generate promiscuously the Male never ●●reth for the young or the yong never own him But we worse and more unnaturall then the bruit beast seek to ruine one another the father the son the son the father c. Surely Gods hand is plainly seens in the miseries now upon us answerable to this sin of Whoordom besides the former warnings we have had by lesser judgements That is ●ot he least that God hath a long time been silent which presaged great wrath as he said of Israel I will not visit your daughters when they commit Whoordom nor your Spouses when they commit adultery Impunity betokeneth Hosea 4. 14. destruction and now the dayes of visitation are come these are the dayes of rec●m●ence and England will know it and acknowledge it is justly punished Hosca 9. 7 Fightly Lukewarmnesse in Religion England above all Nations is guilty of this sin never people enjoyed so glorious means of knowledge nor never Lukewarme a great sinne and justly punish'd had any people more

encouragement to be zealous for God then England yet England blind naked poor miserable England is grosly ignorant or carelesly formale How shall God but spue thee out of his wouth for thy Lukewarmnesse that art neither hot nor cold for this sin the wrath of God is gone out against Rev. 3 16. us we have revolted from him We have pleaded for Popery as Israel for Baal we have swarved from the Covenant of our God and are not zealous for his Truth nor will not contend for the faith once given to the Saints And therefore because when wee knew God we glorified him not as God Rom. 2. 12. c. Therefore God hath given up our Lukewarme Gentry in every County with their Followers to vile affectious and a reprobate minde to be deluded and beleeve a Lie that while they professe to defend the Protestant Religion they 2. Thes 2. 7. c. lose their lives in the offensive War against it It is a strange mistery that Papists should Jeopard their lives to defend that they most hate but such is the mistery of iniquity that now worketh with the deceivablenesse of unrighteousnesse in our Lukewarm though Learned Centry God hath for this sin given them up to a reprobate mind filled with all unrighteousnesse fornication Verse 10. wickednesse coveteousnesse maliciousnesse envy murdering debate deceit malignity haters of God c. to their own ruine and their lasting infamy to Rom 1. 29. 30. Posteritie to come consider it Oh ye Inhabitants of great Brittane for Gods hand is heavy at this day for this sin repent therefore and be zealous or God will spue us out of his mouth and seperate us from the Congregations of his people if for his own name sake he will preserve his Church yet he will dispeople the Land if we be not zealous in time Thus much of the second cause and of particular sins The third thing to be considered is the instrumentall cause of great Brittains Satan is the efficient cause of sin and the Instrumentall cause in punishment misery and that is either inward or outward The inward Instrumentall cause is the Devill working upon mens corrupt nature and drawing them to sin The Devill is the efficient cause of sin but the instrumentall cause of punishment He casts into mens hearts the seeds of all sins and sin as is before shewed brings all misery Why hath Satan filled thy heart saith Peter to Annanias Satan fills the heart with sin either by suggesting Acts. 5. 3. thoughts into the heart or bringing objects to the eye or eare By thoughts hee brought David to number the people and so brought misery 1. Chr 21. 1. hence it is that the Apostle bids that we give not place to the Devill that is to Eph. 4. 27. evill thoughts By objects to the eye he brought David to commit adultery and so brought misery By objects to the eare he tempted Eve by the voice of 2. Sam 11. 2. the Serpent and by the report of the Spies drew the people to murmour in the Gen. 3. 4. Wildernesse and so brought misery the Devill hath no power over the will of Num 13. 28. any man to compell him to sin his power is onely by such delusions to blind the mind and darken the understanding and his power is great by these meanes upon them that believe not the Gospell of Christ hence it is that hee is called 2. Cor. 4. 4. the God of this World and a Spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience Ephe. 2. 2. The Devill is the father of all Sedition the originall of Envy and all contention he is the tempter to all wickednesse first he set man at variance with Gal. 5. 20. lames 3. 15. his maker and so all the creatures one against another for this cause God hath put an everlasting enmity between him and the seed of the woman and the same Gen. 3. 15. enmity is between wicked men and the godly By the seed of the woman is meant Christ and his children therefore in Scripture those that are of Christ are called the Children of God and all wicked men they are called the children 1. Joh 1. 12. Iohn 3. 44. of the Devill and his works they do Wicked men are the Devills souldiers to make War against the Children of God against all the seed of the woman who keepe the Commandements of God and have the Testimony of Rev 12. 17. Jesus Christ So then the outward cause is wicked men the seed of that old serpent the The outward cause of our misery is wicked men Devill These are naturally stirred up to envy and hatred against the godly they hate purity and holinesse as that which is contrary to their very being there is a direct Antipathy between their practise and holinesse as contrary as darkenesse is to light They are therefore called the children of darknesse and Ephe. 5. 8. 3. Thes 5. 5. the godly Children of light then what agreement between light and darkenesse between God and Belial These are the Devills instruments that at this day warre against us and cause our misery some act by violence some act by 2. Cor. 6. 16. counsell all are doing and will do till God take them off some are like Achisopbell when he counselled Absolon to lye with his fathers Concubines some 2. Sam. 2. 621 like the counsellors of Rehoboam set the King against his people some like the Ziphits to flatter with Saul they make complaints and use treachery against 1. King 12. 20. 1. Sam. 26. 1. innocent David some by wicked actions as the Prophet told Ahab that he 1. King 13. 18. troubled Israel by forsaking the Commandements of God Thus Athalia the Queen daughter to idolatrous Ahab she insinuated into Joram the King and Vide Iosep an tiq lib. 9. ●ha 1. taught him to do many mischiefs among the rest to adore strange gods and afterward she her selfe slew all the seed Royall We see the words of Solomon verified the things that hath been is that which shall be and we see no ne● 1. King 11. 1 thing under the sun We cannot say this is new c. Besides all this the Devill Eccl. 1. 9. 10. hath other instruments to make Gods people miserable by robbing spoyling killing c. Thus the Sabeans and Caldeans were his instruments to afilict Iob Iob. 1. 12. 14. so soon as he had obtained Commission to afflict he presently hath his instruments to act it the Devill worketh in them at his will so he hath the winds Ephe. 2. 2. and the waters the ayr fire c. which he can use for his instruments to afflict Now that it may clearly appear who they bee that are the instruments of Britains misery I will divide them into seven sorts when devided they may be easily known First a woman it is pitty it