whatsoever might any vvay offend thy most holy eyes Though I be weake and unworthy and have had exceeding many slips wants and faylings yet for the worthyness of thy Christ admit of those though so feeble desires which thou hast vouchsafed me Giue me my press-money the earnest and seale of thy holy Spirit My heart is prepared to doe thee the faithfullest service that ever thou shalt enable me Lord by such poore weake Wretches and at their praiers thou hast bin wont to get thy selfe the victorie that no flesh should rejoyce in thy presence but that all glorie honour and praise may be given to thee alone for evermore Reasons to be seriously weighed that onely such can looke or hope to have acceptance here 1. THat these onely are in a true League Covenant with God and thereupon are such as his heavenly Majestie doth not disdaine to call his Friends as Abraham was called the Friend of God And therefore they though they be but dust and ashes may presume through the merit of the Lord Iesus to intreat even for filthy Sodom yea to importune his heavenly Majesty and expect to obtaine of him that if there bee but ten righteous persons in five wicked cities he wil spare all for ten sake These onely are fit men to helpe by their prayers to rescue their Brethren out of the hands of Sathan and of all their cruell enemyes vvhich have carried them away Captives and who do so insult triumph over all and over the Lord himself as thinking that they have already made a conquest of all These are the men and these alone vvhich can with Moses stay the lords hands that he should not destroy his people These are they to whom God can deny nothing Onely these who having thus put their shooes off their feet are fit with that holy Moses to stand before the Lord to be sent to fetch his people their brethren out of Egypt from the Tile-killes and to pull them out of the middest of the fire These are with Aaron thorow the continuall intercession of our great High-Priest meete to helpe to pacifie the Lords displeasure towards the remnant of his people to stand betweene the living and the dead These being supported by Aaron and Hur can holde up their hands till God have got himselfe a glorious victory against Amalek These and these alone are able with Iosuah to cause the Sunne to stand still so farre as the Lord shall see it best for his owne glory until he shall be avenged of all his enemies and therfore much more may they be confident in matters of less moment For vvhat cannot the prayer of Faith bring to passe These men are able with Eliah to moove the Lord so farre as in his divine wisedome he shall see it best to send fire from Heaven to consume their Sacrifices and to make knowne to all that he hath accepted them And moreover to move the Lord to manifest to all the World and that as clearely as if hee spake from Heaven who is the Lord which is his true religion and which the false who they are that are the true children of Iesus Christ and who they are of the otherside that are the Servants of Sathan and Antichrist who are with him who against him These are they who vvith Mordokey and Hester and the rest of the faithfull amongest the Iewes are able to obtain the reversing of that most bloody decree procured by wicked Haman against Gods people although it be to doe all the decrees of the Medes Persians such as to man seemeth impossible euer to bee reversed and to cause Haman to be hanged upon his owne Gallowes To turne the plot devised agaynst Gods people to their joyfullest day a day to be remembred for ever a day of shame and confusion to all Gods enemies These are they whose praiers come up before the Lord as the prayers of holy Daniel Cornelius and Peter and who may looke for an answer from heaven at the evening Sacrifice above all that they can imagine even by the ministery of Gods blessed Angels so farre as shall be best These are they that in the greatest perils of the Church may hope through their praiers with holy Paul to save themselves and all in the Ship with them in such sort as the heavenly Wisedome shall see it best that at least they may swimme out though for not hearkning unto the Lord in time they may all first suffer shipwracke and be 〈◊〉 into the Sea These are they with whom at their cryes our Lord Iesus will be as he was with those three Worthies of the Captivitie in the middst of the hot fiery Furnace and in the verie Lyons den with holy Daniel to stop the mouthes of those hunger-bitten Lyons that the least hurt shall not come unto them more then shal be for his eternall glory with the greater good of his Church People and by whose trialles our blessed God and tender Father hath made knowne the truth of his Religion and of his causes with the innocencie of his people to Kings Princes and Rulers and to cause it by them to be published as it were to the world like as he did when it was commanded by them to bee spred and divulged in all the Dominions of the mightie Monarchs and so from them to goe to all other Nations with whom any of them had any trafficke or familiaritie And by whom he hath beene wont to effect accomplish his owne glorious workes as he hath foretold above all that any of his owne deerest Servants could ever imagine oâ—… could have beene perswaded of by any humane reason that they could ever haue bin brought to pass And thus much for this generall Meditation viz who they be that exclude themselves and also who they are and who alone that can ever looke to be committed as approved of the Lord for this blessed and glorious worke And how wee must strive to passe thorow all the difficulties before wee can approach with any true confidence and assurance to put our hand hereto and much more so as to bee able to preuaile with our God to bee made as his Israel and what confident boldnesse we may houe herein for that if wee bee such as these our God is stil the same hee is not changed neither is there with him any variablenesse or shadowing by turning The seuenth generall Meditation That the Lord notwithstanding graciously cals all sorts to be his helpers herein and therefore every one who will not strive to bee of this number and come to bee on his side must perish and doth iustly bring upon himselfe swift damnation IN this seuenth place the Lord would have us seriously to lay to heart out of all these Meditations the blessed estate and honour of them who are called and admitted to
Children in him being so begotten by that lively word and having upon us all the evident markes of thy Children Grant us therefore Oh gracious Father now in these our daies of peace whilst thou vouchsafest us the meanes of thy heavenly Gospell to give all diligence to make it sure that we are thy Children thy deere Children yea thy Children to whom thy heavenly kingdome appertaineth having and bearing upon us all the lively markes and badges of thy Children Above all grant us this heavenly mindednesse that our chiefe thoughts may bee upon thee our heavenly Father our care may bee above all things how to please thee doing in the meane while only the things which thou requirest casting all our cares for those daies and for whatsoever the enemie can do upon thy Majesty alone and into thy bosome learning every day more and more to waine our affections from this world and the things of this world and to set them wholly above where thy Sonne sitteth at thy right hand Lord perswade our hearts and make us able to perswade one another that by all the power and liberty that thou hast permitted unto Sathan to all his instruments and by all the persecutions and afflictions that are upon all the Churches and also by whatsoever threatnings of thine against thy Children yea whatsoever mischievous designes are intended against thy poore Church or what danger soever it is in thorow that extreame fury of Sathan and Antichrist and all their instruments thou art yet still preparing all thy Children to meete thee in a sound humiliation with strong cries and teares for all our offending thee and for grieving thy holy Spirit by all our former security and neglect of thee and of the riches of thy favours vouchsafed unto us Grant us all this grace therefore as thine obedient and loving Children in all things to submit our selves under thy Fatherly hand to turne joyntly to thy Covenant and renew the same in all faithfulnesse to take away all the divisions that have bene amongst us which thorow our long peace and wantonnes Sathan hath wrought to the destroying of us all if it were possible Vouchsafe good Father that we may doe this so effectually that thou maist be as much pleased in reuniting us againe and in our Brotherly love and agreement as ever thou hast beene displeased in our divisions and dissentions and Sathan and his instruments in seeing our holy unity and agreement may bee as much dismaied and put out of heart for ever prevailing against us as by the contrary and by all their prosperous successe as they imagine they have bene animated and incouraged to our ruine and destruction That so wee may all sing with one heart and voice Behold how good and happy a thing it is Brethren to dwell together in unity Lord manifest thy glory even the glory of thy wisedome power mercy and truth heerein in making us joyntly to looke and cry to thee for all these things and whatsoever thou in thy infinite wisedome knowest necessary for us in this behalfe or for any member of thy whole Church for Iesus Christ his sake our only Lord and Saviour IX A Thanksgiving to God according to the first petition of the Lords prayer for causing his glorie to breake forth so wonderfully now in this last Age of the world in delivering his Churches thus farre out of Egypt and Babilon with a confession of our unworthinesse and an earnest prayer that wee may never dishonour him by locking thither againe nor provoke him by our sinnes to give us up to that heavie iudgement and likewise for the diliverie of all the rest of his Israel in his due time and that he may never leave us untill hee have brought us all into his heavenly Canaan OH Lord most holy and most glorious open our blinde eies touch our hard and stony hearts and the hearts of all thy true Churches and people in all the world whom thou hast called forth to bee thy people that wee may bee able to see and consider aright the exceeding honour and dignity which thou hast laid upon us and to shew forth our thankfulness to thy heavenly Majesty accordingly Make us able to consider show thou hast vouchsafed to take us so nere unto thy selfe as to make vs thine owne peculiar people of all the people of the earth to set and confirme the Covenant with us of life and glory and how to this end thou hast brought us out of that spirituall Aegypt and Babilon from that bondage and tyranny of Sathan and Antichrist Make us to consider and rightly to understand how by great deliverances and iudgements thou hast carried us thorow the sea and thorow the wildernesse and shewed thy selfe unto us in thy glorious ordinances leading us by thy statutes and commandements and by the workes of thy providence protection direction chastisement blessings as thou diddest thy people Israel by the pillar of the fire and the pillar of the cloud Give us hearts ever to remember how thou hast sought for us from heaven so as all the earth hath sâ—…ene and heard of thy glory and hast carried us as upon Eagles wings and now brought us to the very frontiers of thy heavenly Canaan and made us to see tast of the riches happinesse and glory of it in thy sacred Gospell Oh our blessed God most gracious and most dreadfull make us and all thy people to bee afraid of ever having any thought of turning backe so much as in our hearts or of ever having a looke towards Aegypt or Sodome againe towards any part of that Popery or Popish superstition and Idolatry that abhominable drudgery under Sathan and Antichrist from which thou hast so graciously delivered us Oh never suffer us to admit of any imagination or so much as one motion of comparing the Leekes Onions Garlicke of Aegypt with the hid Manna of thy sacred Law and heavenly Gospell Albeit we heare and see their â—…age and fury and the power of all their armies banding themselves against us either to swallow us up at once or els to persue us into the heart of the sea yet keepe us that wee never rebell against thee thinking to turne backe from thee to goe into Aegypt againe distrusting thy truth thy presence and power Cause us Oh gracious Father wisely to consider of and ever to have this as before our eies that of all dishonors done unto thy heavenly Majesty thou canst least indure this chiefly after so long triall and experience which thou hast given us of thy power goodnesse and mercy towards us That this sinne alone may justly make thee sweare in thy wrath that wee shall never enter into thy rest Make all them that have dishonoured thee in this high kinde sinning thus against thy glorious Majesty to know for certaine that without
Watch and to doe all things which may tend not onely to the saving of your selves but also of our native Countrey and to make us a happie people so I assure my selfe that you will not disdaine these poore helps though they bee composed in a plaine easie and homely stile so as to leade the poorest by the hand and to support their weaknesse to helpe to confirme weake hands and wearie knees that all herein may helpe together It is not any painted much lesse Players eloquence that will pacifie our blessed God and defend us or put to flight our proud Adversaries Wee have had a great while too much experience of that in too many both of our Sermons and Prayers no no it must bee the evidence and power of the word of the Lord sent forth by the sighs and groanes of his holy Spirit though all heavenly eloquence rightly used be his most gracious gift and if ever now specially to be wished Thus have I studied to fit weapons as hee hath enabled mee against this time of need meet for all sorts that old and young noble and ignoble yea our most honourable Ladies may have their weapons from his Armourie so as all from the chiefe of them to the verie poore woman that grindes at the mill may in this battle helpe the Lord against the mightie and so keepe that bitter curse from all our land That Iael may strike the naile into the temples of Sisera And that thus in the â—…ud shee that sits at home may have part in the spoile and all of us ioyntly together when we shall see the Lord to have got himselfe the victorie with his owne right arme may sing the song of Deborah and of Miriam yea of all the host of heaven saying Praise and honour and glorie and power be unto him that sits upon the throne and unto the Lambe for evermore Pardon me worthie Ladies I humbly againe beseech you if so much presuming upon your Ladiships patience according to my assurance of your tender commiseration and true Christian humilitie I have so farre passed the bounds of an ordinarie Epistle in this matter of such extraordinarie moment and importance so nearely at this present concerning the safetie and happinesse of your Honours and of all the people of the Lord. If I may by the worthy ensamples of your honourable Ladiships provoke other of your noble ranke and condition as who have most leisure and best opportunitie and so others of his servants and children to a holy emulation seriously to meditate hereof and to put all these in practise onely so farre forth as his heavenly Maiestie cals all hereunto and expects these duties at the hands of everie soule I shall have an abundant reward of all my poore travels Or if I may but helpe to awake such of his servants as to whose view they shall be presented to labour to be for all the rest as the Angels for Lot to pull all from Satan to our Lord Iesus Christ and chiefly those of our owne native Countrey who are so seduced by Antichrist and by those who are sent abroad by him into the world to deceive and to draw all to his part Reade and consider and so farre as your Ladiships shall clearely see our Lord Iesus Christ leading you by the hand so farre follow him doing as he directs you So you shall not onely be sure to save your owne soules but also helpe to save all sorts and more specially all the Honourable and others who either shall looke at or heare of your worthie ensamples yea your native Countrey as was said before and all the true Churches of Christ and shall in like manner be helpers to gather in all the remainder of his Elect both Iewes and Gentiles so to prepare the way to his most glorious comming Thus shall you increase your owne eternall honour and happinesse and shall shine more and more in all heavenly graces and good works and in greater glittering before the Lord his Saints and Angels than by being adorned with all the gold pearles and diamonds which the whole earth can afford In which humble desire I take my leave and commend your Ladiships unto that Celestiall grace which performeth all the holy desires of them that feare him and trust in his mercie and so shall ever remaine Your Ladiships in all service and intire affection Iohn Brinsley TO ALL THE PLAINE AND simple-hearted people of our Land seduced by Poperie that they may forthwith bethinke themselves both from whom they have departed and also upon what grounds and to let them know that they must either returne to our Church againe or professe themselves to be of Satans Religion and so will remaine to fight under his banner against our Lord and Saviour BEloved in our Lord Iesus Christ so many of you as of whom we may hope that you belong to the election of grace for whom my hearts desire and continuall prayer to our God is that you may be saved give me leave to shew my unfained affection towards you in performing that service for you all which hath beene requested at my hands by such as wish much better to you than you doe unto your selves And that but only in these two things First in manifesting in what an estate and condition you presently stand and so your danger eternally and after in helping to procure that all the people of the Lord may cry instantly and joyntly for you that he may shew you mercie in opening your eyes to see how palpably you have suffered your selves to be deluded and in plucking you out of the verie jawes of that old Serpent Howsoever for the present you take it at my hands yet yâ— time will come as I certainly assure my soule that you will either blesse yâ— God of Heaven for the endevour of my ardent affection towards you if it shall be available for you or cry out against your selves with wringing of your hands and tearing of your haire when it will be too late and no more place found for your repentance Vouchsafe me this favour that being amongst the weakest of all my brethren I may leave all matters of higher dispute in maintaining the truth of Christ against the Iesuites and other Seminarie Priests by whom you have beene so inchanted and abused unto my more learned and reverend brethren who have alreadie entred the lists with them and to others exercised in that kinde whose bookes I acknowledge my selfe unworthie to beare and that sith what spare thoughts God hath vouchsafed mee from my necessarie calling I have specially employed in this kinde to helpe his people in holy meditations and other like devotions I may thus farre onely presume without offence First to put you in minde of your Baptisme vow and Covenant made with our blessed God from which you have so farre departed And in the second place to advertise you that you may consider well upon what grounds you have
all the threatnings in Gods booke for adding to his word and detracting from it in matter of his worship and service and for rejecting his Commandements setting up mans in stead thereof and so placing sinfull man in the roome of our most holy blessed and glorious God the creature above the Creator yea in truth Satan above God like as in all their devillish and lying doctrines 11. Ours teaching working by the practise of them full assurance of Gods favour and love in Iesus Christ which onely brings with it joy unspeakable and glorious theirs teaching and bringing but onely hope without any ground of true faith and therefore teaching doubting continually which when the conscience is awaked brings the very flashing of hell fire with it So that ours in the right use of them are heaven upon earth theirs when their consciences shall be awaked or when they but see what they have done in them all a very hell upon earth 12. Our devotions are in the end the sweetest in the remembrance of them and of all the time before that ever we have spent in them since we beleeved in Christ so as every one of our devotions made in faith as our Religion directeth and every moment of time so spent in them hath a certaine reward their 's being done without warrant of the word yea contrary to the word and therefore superstitiously and sinfully not onely wanting all such expectation of reward for who required the best of those things at their hands but also having an expectation of vengeance when the conscience beginneth to be a little awaked So that experience teacheth that then they are faine to renounce all but Iesus Christ and so all confidence in these things and to wish then with Balaam to die the death of the righteous toward which death of the righteous we are alway going forward and which life we striving to live shall be sure to die the death thereof and our last end to be like to our life 13. Our devotions in so many of us as practise them aright are as our Religion viz. that pure Religion and undefiled before God even the Father which Iames speaketh of directing and helping to visit the fatherlesse and the widow in their adversitie and namely those of them who are of the houshold of faith and the members of our Lord Iesus Christ and to keepe our selves unspotted of the world So as we practising rightly out devotions there cannot be a lying tongue found in our mouthes nor a hand or heart defiled with bloud but we shall seeke by all meanes to save both soules and bodies of all sorts even of our wickedest enemies and the most bloudily-minded against us Their Devotions contrarily are in truth as their Religion to devoure widowes houses under a pretence of long prayer and to destroy all the innocent the fatherlesse widow even al who are of the houshold of faith the members of Christ which are indeed the Innocents that save all the rest And by these they make themselves notorious and infamous to all the world to be the most polluted with execrable lying and the murder of innocents of all other religions that ever were in the world before as will further appeare after whereby all their chiefe professours and namely their bloudy Iesuits have made themselves odious even to all Nations 14. Yea and to passe by many other our Devotions are as our Religion to make us faithfull and loyall subjects and not to be so bold as to have an evill thought in our hearts against him whom the Lord sets over us but to be as David whose heart smit him for touching but the lap of Sauls garment and so with that holy servant of God and with the children of the Captivity and with Daniel yea with all the holy Martyrs to be content to endure whatsoever from them and from all in holy and lawfull authoritie under them that in our patient sufferings Kings Princes and Rulers may see the truth and what is pleasing to the Lord and also what they ought to maintaine and doe for their owne salvation and of their Royall Progenie and Dominions their 's in all these things to make all to be contrarily affected viz. to arme and flesh all to rebellion and the murdering of Kings and Princes when they can do it cōveniently After that those their ghostly fathers have made them to drinke deepe enough of this cup and to be truly devout in the manner of their devotions though I hope better things of you to whom I write yet it cannot hurt you to be warned 15. Moreover for the māner forme of our devotions All our devotions which are agreeable to our doctrine are sent forth from understanding hearts and so with a holy zeale inflamed by the spirit of judgement and the spirit of burning mixt with the sweet perfume of Christs merit and so offered up to our heavenly Father as they may be most pleasing comming to him as out of the hand of our Saviour yea offered also in order without any vaine babling or idle repetition Theirs contrarily are for most part and usually without any understanding at all like as all the devotions of their ignorant sort are especially those which are in an unknowne tongue and so without all holy affection For all holy affections must of necessitie be grounded upon knowledge without which the heart cannot be good neither can there be any faith in such nor any thing but sinne for whatsoever is not of faith is sinne And not onely so but also theirs are full of vaine and idle repetitions in that blinde manner a matter directly condemned by our Saviour as hypocriticall and heathenish when men thinke to be heard for their much babling Finally for that theirs are usually sent forth in a proud opinion of their owne merit and worthinesse to be heard or as they come out of the hand of some Saint or Angell to whom therein they give this honour and prerogative which solely belongs to our Lord and Saviour viz. of presenting our praiers and supplications unto his Father alone I might prosecute these comparisons in many other instances as namely that our devotions make us still better the more they are practised by us and more like to Christ Iesus theirs as they are their 's properly as those which I named make them still and ever worse and worse and more like to Satan as he is transformed into an Angell of light as namely in all their Iesuits their chiefe professed holy men being indeed deuils in carnate and so accounted to all States and specially for those chiefe works of their lying and murder which are manifest to all to be their principall studie Ours to repeat it againe that it may leave the deeper impression in every soule tending to save all both soules and bodies theirs to destroy all not onely us whom they terme Heretiques but themselves eternally
rest of it much more polished for his owne gloryâ—… and for the good of all his people whereunto I trust during life I shall not be wanting as his goodnesse shall vouchsafe to assist me PAg. 7. l 7 put out those 7 lines twice repeated p 8 l 10. for our read this p. 10 l 16. p. 91 l. 5. unto p 99 l 3. but moreover l 7 third general p 103. may 109 l. 1. seeke all p 157 marg for Deut reade Genes p 161. l 2. for to do â—… as p 164 l. 1. admitted l 4. these pag 189. l 5. as at Marg l. 17 Deut 30 29. p 220. marg lin 1. That p 291 l. 15. not onely p 300. l. 20. for 〈◊〉 read may est p 306. l. 10. run on p. 3â—…6 l. 18. for best most pag. 348. l â—…9 and. p. 384. l. 2. have A PREPARATIVE to instant Prayer according to the necessity of the Times by thinking day and night of these things following untill wee have gotten them or the summe of them into our hearts and can have them ever as it were before our eyes to cry instantly to our holy God like as he hath directed vs. The first general Meditation How our Saviour lookes for some to helpe him in the delivery saving of his Church FIrst we are seriously to meditate and to bring our hearts to a due consideration how our blessed Saviour like aâ—… in the redeeming and saving of his chosen slocke from hell so in all the greatest extreamities of his poore distressed Church mentioned in his Sacred word hath beene wont to looke long for some that wold offer themselves to helpe it and when he hath found none to uphold or succour it in his tender pitty and compassion his owne arme hath saved it his righteousnesse it selfe hath sustained it in what sort hee hath seene it best And although he hath suffered it oft-times to be greevously afflicted yea somtimes almost utterly consumed yet how evermore when he would deliver and save it from the violence and rage of the wicked enemies or other imminent calamitles by some great and glorious deliverance his usuall manner hath bene to seeke and finde out some one at least that should stand up in the gap before him in more special manner for it that he might not destroy it by whom he might shew himselfe wonderfull for his people and chosen Flocke Thus he found out Ioseph Moses Samuel Dauid Iehosaphat Ezekiah Daniel Hester Mordecay Ezra Nehemiah and others Yea how he hath moreouer euer sought found out some few whom hee hath vouchsafed to be his helpers at least by their prayers and teares for saving the rest such as of whom he hath saide The innocent shall deliuer the yland These he lookes and cals for at this day And of this little number every true beleeving soule must needs desire to bee one if hee love the Lord Iesus Christ and his Church yea if he but love his native country or his owne soule or if he but onely feare that dreadfull curse denounced against Meroz Curse ye Meroz said the Angell of the Lord curse the inhabitants thereof because they came not to helpe the Lord against the mighty And much more must hee needs contend for this if hee rightly consider what a high honour and happinesse it is to be one of that little number chosen and singled out hereunto to bee if it were but as any one of Gedeons three hundreth Howbeit every one having some few good desires is not fit to serve under and to helpe our Lord Iesus in thâ—… great work He himselfe hath taught and directed us plainely both whom we must bee and how we must be qualified and fitted every way if we will bee his Souldiers and so fight in this spirituall battaile as that wee may hope to prevaile That every one of us must learne and have in our hearts these instructions and directions following which our Lord and Saviour hath in his infinite Wisedome set before our faces in that absolute forme patterne of prayer which for this end and for every occasion of supplication to bee made to him and to his Father in his name he hath giuen as a perpetual direction vnto his Church unto which patterne as of all other the most effectuall sufficient and certaine to this purpose I haue heerein still wholly tyed my selfe He then that desires to bee any one of those whom hee lookes for to helpe him heerein and that will so pray as that he may be sure to bee accepted and prevayle must know as first Gods usual manner of proceeding in the deliuerie of his Church so secondly the necessity of servent prayer at this time above all former times in what need the poor Church and euery particular member of it stands thereof and must labour to have a true and lively feeling in his heart of the miseries and dangers which the Churches are in Thirdly what a one himselfe must be how qualified in all things that his person may be accepted if ever he looke to be heard Fourthly how our prayers must bee framed that they likewise may be sure to be pleasing and avayleable with the Lord. Fiftly what power and assurance our prayers so sent forth have to prevayle with God and to overcome Sixtly that all other but these are unmeete and unable to help and after a sort excluded from this service and much more all that are of contrary dispositions Seventhly how every one that lookes to bee saved by Iesus Christ and to stand at his right hand must endeavour by all possible meanes to be fitted for this seruice to be a helper to Christes poore Church heerein The second generall Meditation concerning the present necessity of this worke and the liuely feeling thereof How euery one that lookes to be saued by Iesus Christ to stand at his right hand must endeavour by all possible meanes to bee fitted for this service to bee a helper to our Saviours poorâ—… Church heerein THat wee may know the present necessity of this duty and bee able to cry more instantly the Lord cals vs seriously in the second place to meditate day and night according to every part and petition of that heavenly prayer of our Saviours concerning the distressed estate of his poor Churches at this day and of all other poore soules belonging to his eternall election living under the captivity bondage of Sathan and the tyranny of his cursed and crucll Instruments And withall he would haue us wisely to consider how he even our Lord Iesus Christ himselfe calles for our duty by this very prayer amongst many other meanes teaching us heere to cry unto him for the rescuing and delivery of all hiâ—… Children Our Father which art in heaven And to this end how we are to labour to bring our owne hearts and the hearts of all
other the people of the Lord to a lively sense and tender feeling hereof so farre as God enables us and offers uâ—… opportunity The first particular Meditation of this second generall point concerning the calamities dangers of our bretheren in all places and those threatened towards our selves and the chiefe meanes of deliverie and preservation from them FIrst wee are to lay to heart how many of our Bretheren the deare children of our heavenly Father for whom our Lord and Saviour hath taught us thus to cry as for our selves Our Father are now in grievous calamities of all sortes that many others of them are in extreame perill to bee forthwith utterly destroyed and devoured by the rage and power of Sathan and of his bloudy instruments That we also our selves with all the rest of the Churches and sincere Christians in all the world are in extreame danger every moment of time as any of the designes of the Iesuits or other mercilesse enemyes take place if our heauenly Father doe not still protect and preserve us And therefore as very many of our brethren abroad are in continuall feeling of their miseries and of our heavenly Fathers most heavy displeasure against them for all their undutifulnesse crying at his feet for his Fatherly pitty love compassion to deliver and saue them so we ought likewise to doe for them even so many of us as are alreadie assured or ever will assure our owne soules that wee are his naturall children and hereby doe desire to declare our naturall and childlike loue and feare in seeking to appease his displeasure that hee may spare his people And much more are wee to seeke to prevent or mitigate the same heavy displeasure kindled against our selves and hereby to stay the â—…age of Sathan Antichrist all of us being hated and devoted alike to destruction by the malice of the Serpent and his cruell instruments all of us having provoked our heavenly Father alike yea we more then any other to leave us into their hands to be so tried by them untill we be truely humbled in feeling our disobediences and be sensible of our provocations of him by our want of commiseration towards them and of not taking warning by their example That thus wee may lift up our cryes to heaven that hee in the tender bowels of his compassion may both succour and rescue them and also save us from the liâ—…e miseryes which seeme ready to rush upon us for all our sinnes and provocations Wee are withall to labour to bring our hearts to a right consideration that our heavenly Father hath in the riches of his mercy ordained Rulers Governours and all in lawfull and holy authoritie especially Kings and Queenes to bee in his place as nursing Fathers and nursing Mothers to his poore children to deliver and pull them out of the iawes of the dragon to carry them in their armes and in their bosomes from the fury and violence of the Serpent and to preserve and protect them that they may profess his name in peace and safetie and that therefore Sathan must needs maligne them above all other even for this especially And likewise that hee hath ordained the prayers of his people and children to obtayne this at his hand so to incline the hearts of all Kings and Princes and all in authority to pitty them The second particular Meditation of the second generall How he hath beene wont principally to get himselfe glory in saving his Church by Princes and Governors SEcondly wee are to labour to bring our hearts to a true understanding and feeling hereof that as the Lord hath been wont to glorifie his great name in former ages thus in his pittifull compassion saving his Church and Children by Kings and Princes and other deliverers raised up for them and like as hee hath magnified his power and Fatherly care so oft before our eyes in such miraculous and gracious preservations of us of this nation and other our brethren abroad unto this day especially when wee were in the midst of the fire so hee can and will magnifie it againe in a most wonderfull manner if we that are his children can but give him glory in being unfainedly humbled for our owne sinnes and the sinnes of his people and can meete him in faith by intreaty of peace crying instantly unto him Glorifie Lord thy great name doing onely as he commandeth And seeing all the bloody enemyes of Christ and his Church seeke to trample his glory under foote he will therefore the rather get himselfe glory upon them as upon Pharaoh before all the world when we shall be rightly prepared for the same The third particular Meditation of this second generall That as Sathan and Antichrist haue set themselves to fight against Christ his kingdome so our Saviour hath ordained Kings and Princes to hold up his Scepter and to defend and protect his Subiects and Gospell THirdly wee are to bring our hearts to a due consideration and deepe pondering hereof how as the Gyants before the floud so Sathan his Souldiers haue set themselves to fight against heaven and the hoast thereof yea even against Iesus Christ our Lord King and how they have cast downe his Scepter Throne and Dignitie and trample his crowne under their feet in all the places where they have prevailed and where they beare rule over Gods poore heritage And that as they haue begunne and fearefully prevailed in manie places so they haue resolued to proceed throughout the earth to set up Sathan and Antichrist in the very Throne of our Lord Iesus Christ to defile again his Temple to make his house againe a den of Theeves That Antichrist may fit againe as God in the Temple of God yea in those very places where he hath beene formerly long cast forth so that the zeale of his house euen in this behalfe should eate us up And also wee are to bring our soules to a true sense hereof that as they thus seeke to tyrannize over his people and children to leade in triumphes as captives both our Lord Iesus himselfe and his armies and to keepe under all that belong to the Lord Iesus as slaves for ever so our Saviour hath on the other side ordained and appointed Kings and Princes under him to hold up his Scepter even his heavenly Gospell and that he hath likewise decreed and ordained that even those of them which before had given their power unto the beast to fight against his Soveraigne Majesty and against his people should againe withdraw all their power from the beast when they shall see his wickednesse fully discovered and give it wholly unto his heavenly Majesty to accomplish all his will in making the Whore desolate and for the aduancement of his euerlasting Gospell when they shall truly behold the power and glorie thereof The fourth particular Meditation of the second generall How
Sathan and Antichrist set up themselves to be obeyed and to destroy out of the earth all that seeke to obey the Lord. FOurthly we are to endeavour to bring our hearts to a lively meditation and weighing hereof How Antichrist all his limbes who persecute Gods Church all other wicked and vngodly men are so farre off from obeying his heavenly wil and commandement that they haue set themselves to satisfie onely their owne wicked lusts and willes and to disanull all the commandements of our blessed God both of his Law and Gospel and all his holy and blessed will revealed in the same and with them to destroy out of the earth all those that desire to obey him according to his heavenly word or that make any true and right conscience of his wayes and wil yea to put out all the true saving knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ to set up their owne wicked inventions in place thereof and how they are in a dreadfull manner proceeding heerein That as was touched before there is nothing but the mightie hand and power of our Lord Iesus Christ and the holy care and vigilancie of his Vicegerents whose hearts he shall in mercy raise up for himselfe and for his poore Church together with the prayers of his owne Children to prevent the same And withall we are to strive to bring our hearts to a true feeling how hard a matter it is for Gods owne deere people and children being free from these trials to lay these things to heart as they ought to doe and as his people haue beene wont and also how difficult it is for them which are tryed by these greevous afflictions which they undergo to submit themselves to Gods will and to make a right use of them all ◅nd to cry with our Saviour Father if it be thy will let this cup passe from us yet not our will but thy heauenly wil be fulfilled Blessed be thy holy name That so we may the more commiserate their estate and help them crying heerein The fifth particular Meditation of the second generall Concerning the innumerable miseries which our Brethren indure deprived of the outward comforts of this the better life how neere the like may be to us WEe are yet further in the fifth place by continuall and serious pondering of thē to bring our hearts to a more right fellow-feelling of those innumerable miseries mentioned before which our poore bretheren the deare children of the Lord do indure in every place where Sathan and Antichrist have prevailed especially by this late bloody sword wheresoever it hath come how they have been and still are in so many places deprived of all the comforts of this life of food raiment harbour libertie meanes of health and peace lying under famine nakednesse slavery sicknesse perill sword and all the miseries that follow upon them where the mercilesse idolatrous souldier is made drunke with the blood of Gods Saints having none to flie to to succour them but onely to cry unto the Lord. And more also enduring the famine of their soules having none to feed them with the word of life none to minister a word of comfort to refresh their fainting hearts And withall wee are wisely aforehand to lay to heart how nere the like miseries may be unto our selves how we have deserved to drinke of the same cup in a deeper measure for that wee haue not knowne the day of our long visitation which hath been in so much mercie but have abused these and all other our Blessings so as never Nation more And finally that wee are the faster haling and pulling these evils upon us for our want of commiseration for that our bowels have not nor yet doe earne over them for their innumerable miseries which they abide and that we have and doe so generally by our impenitency and induration fat our selves as against the day of slaughter How by those principally whom the Lord hath set over us for our foster fathers and mothers wee have hitherto been preserved from these thus farre forth through the tender mercy of our heavenly father and may hope that hee will so preserve us still i◅ we shall once be awaked to make a true and right use hereof The sixt particular Meditation of the second generall concerning the sinnes of the Churches and namely the generall abuse of the Gospell and the blessings which accompany it and that our sinnes are most heynous for our unthankefulnesse SIxtly wee are moreover to travell with our owne hearts to bring them to a right sense and feeling of our owne sinnes and the sinnes of other Churches and chiefly the most heynous and crying sins thereof which have provoked the Lord to so heavy displeasure thus to begin to proceede against so many of his own deer children abroad and amongst other that carnall Gospelling of barely professing the name of the Gospell but without any power or life thereof so much complained of in all the Churches That our blessed God having committed unto us the hidde treasure of his heavenly Gospell wee have not esteemed of it accordingly that we have onely professed it i◅ word for the most part but have not shewed forth any power of it as we ought That wee have not caused our light to shine so before others that yet sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death as that they seeing our good works might come from the kingdome of Sathan to God and glorisie our Father which is in heaven That thus he hath now alreadie so fearefully proceeded against so many of our brethren in forreigne parts for these and other sinnes according to the threatnings denounced in his Law and is so still going on forward in the heighth of his displeasure and yet wee for the most part remain without any true sense hereof and the best of us without that which we ought to have Then from them abroad we are to come home unto our selves and to our owne sinnes and heerein to consider seriously that our sinnes of this Nation may justly s◅eme more heynous then theirs or of any other people under heaven and therefore cry lowder for vengeance both in that the Lord hath so long called us to repentance not onely by the voyce of his Spirit in his heavenly Gospel and by as many of his worthy Messengers as euer he sent to any Nation before but also so long warned us and striven with us that he might spare us by all the other meanes that ever he used to reclaime any people both by mercies and iudgements and by his fatherly rods corrections more especially by such wonderfull preservations of vs from our just feares and so admirable deliverances when we were in the middest of the fire and when yet wee were without any sense or feare thereof or power to helpe or save our selves Also for that our outragious
so gloried and triumphed long agoe as if it had beene already fully effected and dispatched That some of these must of necessity come to pass if wee judge according to the word of the Lord or but to common reason wee haue just cause to fear for want of performance of our promises of repentance For that here unto we have so oft and so solemnly bound our selves every one at least by those in our places I meane by our Magistrates and Ministers as namely we did in those sundry and solemne Fasts by commandement in the yere eighty eight when therupon our God shewed himselfe from heaven to fight for us as accepting our vowes and promises of true repentance and amendment and upon that condition â—…aring us to prove and tâ—…ie us what we would do and still from time to time yea from yeare to yeare and even from day to day expecting the true and unfeigned accomplishment thereof And more also by renewing our promises and vowes in all the Fasts which were after in the dayes of our gracious Deborah while we lived in feare of the time when she shold be taken from our head and of the many evils to follow thereuppon even that whereof our enemies were wont so to bragge that there would come a day and concerning which wee were still crying to our tender Father to save us from the danger and dread thereof Yea and yet more since that time when our God brought in our dread Soveraigne and set him so over us as if there had beene no change but all had beene done for the perpetuall establishing of us our posterity at what time he cast such a feare upon all the enemies that not a dogge wagged his tongue against any of the Israel of God What promises of thankfulnesse everie one of us did make who in any sort layd these things to heart by promising repentance and amendment of all our wayes and for ever to honor and obey our Lord Iesus Christ. And most of all when of al other times hee did most apparantly shew himselfe from heaven as reaching down his hand and plucking us all out of the very jawes of the devil and out of the middest of the Furnace where of all our holy and franke acknowledgments in our many Thankesgivings and Prayers extant in Print and commanded to be used practised generally and most solemnly once every yeare and all our good Lawes made thereupon shall ever beare witnesse against us before the Lord besides every one of our Covenants at our Baptisme wherewith we all stand obliged and multitudes of other promises whereby wee have also renewed our bonds unto this day So that wee are wisely to ponder how now at length all these must either worke to bring us to a sound and unfeigned performance of whatsoever wee have so promised and to a true submission to our Lord Iesus Christ or else arme him to come against us in his terrible vengeance for all our falsiâ—…ying of our vowes promises unto him and thus dallying with him and most heynously abusing his sacred Maiestie We are therefore never to rest untill wee have brought our hearts to a lively sence and true meditation of these things and how wee have indeed dissembled with his greatnesse and holinesse as our forefathers did which the Lord so complaines of so oft repeating it Then they cryed unto the Lord in their troubles and he delivered them from their distresse but they kept not his great goodnesse in remembrance but presently forgot his wonderous works and with them all their vowes and promises and did worse then their forefathers yea then ever they had done before And yet more then all the former this ought more deeply to pierce into our hearts that as wee have alwaies thus dealt with his heavenly Majestie so wee are now instead of repenting farre worse in every kinde and much further off from any hope of repenting or turning unfeignedly or so much as of humbling our selves in any such publick manner any more that the most godly and religious beginne to make doubt nay extreamely to feare and to be as it were out of all hope of any sound humiliation whereby to turne away the vengeance threatâ—…ned and each almost onely seeking to save his owne soule Together with all these and above all of them we are seriously and wisely to lay this to heart how the people of Iudah went farre further in performing their vowes both in the daies of that worthy Hezekiah and that holy Iosiah and in taking away all the abhominations whereby the Lord was provoked and also in restoring and performing all things which hee required in his Law and which they had promised for pacifying of his wrath even to a generall renewing the Covenant amongst all the people outwardly at least consenting thereto yet when the hearts of the people consented not so as did the hearts of their Kings and namely as did the heart of Iosiah which melted into teares for the abhominations and plagues nor yet continued but started backe from the Lord ever anon and fell to their ancient sinne againe the Lord after all their warnings brought upon them that terrible Captivitie for 70. yeares without any further sparing or remedy This he did unto them notwithstanding their good Kings and some worthy Rulers yea all their holy Prophets namely Ieremy so importuning him day and night Ezekiel falling upon his face and even expostulating with his Majestie for Ierusalem his owne Citty and for his people being as a brand pluckt out of the burning and notwithstanding their mourners mourning and crying for all the abhominations and lifting up hearts and hands day and night unto the Lord yea notwithstanding all his former indulgences and mercies all their priviledges and prerogatives and his covenant onely with them and all his gracious promises made to them above all the people of the earth Finally wee are ever to bee beating heereon what just cause wee have to thinke that he having remooved the Candlesticke from other Churches so sinning wee cannot escape but the longer his wayting and forbearing is the severer his vengeance must needs bee when it comes And above all these we are to labour to bring our hearts to a due consideration and wise fore-sight hereof that howsoever it goe for the generall that the Lord shall save us which wee still and ever pray for or doe still deferre his wrath at the cryes of his owne deare children who stand in the breach and though he may spare us in the bowels of his compassion thus earning over us as sometimes hee did over Ephraim in like caseâ—… O my people how should I leave thee up to so many miseries as thine enemies are devising and practising against thee how shall I leave my great name to be blasphemed amongst my proud enemies or though he doe still save us like as
hee so oft saved and delivered his people for Moses alone thus importuning him albeit hee have over-just cause to say to us as hee said to Iudah before her Captivitie though Noah Iob and Daniel were amongst us yet they should neyther save sonne nor daughter but even their owne soules yet I say howsoeuer he shall deale in mercy for the generall wee must notwithstanding know undoubtedly that every particular soule that turnes not to God by unfeigned repentance and that prepares not himselfe to come thus to help by his prayers for pardoning the sinnes of the Land and pacisying of the Lords wrath must certainly perish And to conclude this point wee are to meditate likewise seriously how GOD hath principally ordayned and ever used when he would save his people and call and bring them to true repentance to do it in like manner by Kings and Princes or other Rulers stirred up extraordinarily and by the voyce of his true Prophets calling them and his people by them thereunto as by Moses Ioshua Iehosaphat Hezekiah Nehemiah the king of Nineuy and others even when he wold but save them from the present temporall destruction And therefore as we are to pray instantly for all the Rulers in the severall Churches so above all for our dread Soveraigne to whom hee hath given such excellent understanding of his heavenly will and whom he hath bound unto himselfe by so many bonds of such great deliverances the like mercies and favours above all the Kings and Princes of the earth that they may all yet whilst there is time now the Lord calles so lowd vpon them set themselves to enquire wisely into the true causes of the evils already upon the Churches and of those which are further threatned That they may truly consider that all this is from the Lord in his everlasting commiseration and fatherly pitty tendering us as his deere children thus calling us all to a generall and unfeigned repentance that he may spare us and that himself may take our cause in hand against his own and our bloody enemies That they may with holy Iosiah first inquire rightly into all the crying sins in every state and degree within their Dominions and into all the provocations of the wrath of God and see how the sinnes of our time seem to be above the sinnes of Iudah before the Captivity our glorious light and all other meanes which he hath used to reclaime us being rightly weighed And secondly that they may consider wisely of the danger which both themselves and all theyrs yea all their Dominions stand in for the same according to all the Lords most terrible warnings and denounciations And thirdly that they may thinke seriously as in the presence of the Lord and inquire from his mouth of the meanes yet left to pacific and prevent the same And finally that they may set themselves forthwith to put all the same in execution with holy Iosiah and do in all things belonging thereunto as the Lord himselfe directeth and commandeth for that this alone can bring comfort and boldnesse to them and theyrs in assurance of the Lords mercifull love and favour and that they and theirs shall abide still and ever before the presence of the Lord. Thus are we to labour to prevaile espcially for our Soveraigne Lord and his that our God may yet by him magnify the riches of his mercy above all former times bringing thus to us all his Churches a third greater deliverance and cause of rejoycing by his hand through our unfeigned repentance and the like repentance in all the Churches then ever heretofore And thus wee are earnestly according to our bounden dutie to stirre up our hearts by our due meditations to cry for him and to doe what we can both by our prayers and all other holy meanes that all other may ioyne with us herein and that we may never rest wrestling with him weeping untill he have heard us even in this behalfe for the pardoning and taking away our sinnes in what sort soever shall seeme best to his heavenly Maiestie to answere us And thus much for this Meditation The seuenth particular Meditation of the second generall how Sathan exerciseth all his power and tyranny against all the Churches spiritually SEuenthly wee are withall to betake our selves to a serious Meditation and to bring our hearts likewise to a right feeling hereof That as the Lord hath in his iust and heavy displeasure left his poore afflicted Churches and children to be thus pursued by Sathan and driven into the wildernesse so Sathan having gotten them thither he there principally exerciseth his power tyranny against them even spiritually against their seules and consciences so farre as God permits him as well as against their bodies How hee thereby bestirres himselfe to bring them into all spirituall miseries to cause them either to fall away from the Lord Iesus Christ and the soundnesse and sincerity of his heavenly Gospell which they have received professed or to vse dissembling even to deny the Lord Iesus or other vnlawfull meanes for their reliefe and succour thus to wound their weake cōsciences ◅o get more advantage against them both to accuse them before the Lord and so to provoke his Maiesty to leave them up into his hands and even to drive many of them to utter and endless despaire of the Lords helpe succour which is the height of miseries and the very entrance into the lake Or at least which is his usuall manner with every one of us and wherein he can and doth oft prevaile with manie of the deerest Saints and Children of the Lord he settes on them day and night to cause them to doubt of the Lords favor and love of the truth of their Religion the goodnesse of their cause the soundnesse of their Faith and repentance or whether they have any Faith or no seeing hee so leaves them to so many miseries which if hee loved them he would not doe Then hee makes them possess the verie sinnes of their youth setting all of them before their faces which ever they fell into in their whole lives so much as he is able and aggravating every least slip or fayling as if it were the most heynous sin that ever was committed Then through melancholy passions and distempers into which hee can driue thee best by long affliction and by still urging his temptations terrors hee can and useth to cause them to accuse themselves falsely and for those things wherein they are most innocent or for the best things that ever they have done and so can increase their miseryes both bodily and spirituall The right meditation of these and other like miseries which he drives them into m◅st needs cause us to commiserate their poore and wofull estate and the due consideration of the present danger to our selves of the like
the words of God be fulfilled so that they shall thus fight with the Lambe yet the Lambe shall overcome them for he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings and they that are on his side are called faithfull and chosen And then even those same Kings the remainder of y◠ten hornes which have so long before and some of them do still fight against the Lambe some more furiously others less shall all in the time appointed hate the whore make her desolate and naked and eate her flesh and burne her with fire for that God will put into their hearts thus to fulfill his will And yet more also for our further assurance of this and to provoke our soules to loud and instant crying unto the Lord in this behalfe for the accomplishment hereof wee are to bring our hearts to a ioyfull Meditation and remembrance how our blessed God hath discovered that scarlet-coloured Whore to all the world and more now then ever heretofore both in all this bloody rage against him and against all his poore Churches and Children and their cruell intendments against all the rest even against every soule of us truly professing his name And also how he hath laide her forth to bee visibly beholden of all in all her filthy whoredomes and inticements to wit all those abhominable doctrines devices slanders and blasphemies against him and against his heavenly word and above all in the Powder-treason wherein Sathan shewed himselfe in his cheefest workes both of lying and murther in a speciall manner to all the world and above all former times wherein wee are to hope that Antichrist received his deadly wound which all the power of hell shall never cure againe and that in Gods due time hee will fall downe of a sodaine as a Deere or other like beast deadly smitten when he hath by his owne violence spent himselfe That our Lord Iesus Christ hath clearly foreshewed the destruction of that Whore of Babylon that childe of perdition than man of sin and of all his followers yea of every one that receives his marke on his forehead or in his right hand or that is any way on his side to fight against him That hee hath not onely made all the hoast of heaven even al his holy Angels and Saints both in heaven and earth to reioyce and sing Hallelujah for the condemning of the great Whore the victorie given unto the Saints but also hath made proclamation with a loud voyce by the Angell in the Sunne and this to all the Fowles that fly through the middest of heaven viz. to all the Kings and Princes Captaines and Souldiers that shall fight under his glorious Maiesty and for him That they should come eate the flesh of Kings and of great Captaines and of all mighty men and even of all those both great and small that followed the Beast that is to be enriched with their spoyles That he will destroy every one that hath not his name enrolled in his booke to bee on his side that is every one who is not of his called chosen and faithfull flocke yea every one that doth not so strive to prepare himselfe thus to fight for him and under him so as he may be sure to prevaile and overcome and remaine with him faithfully fighting unto the death untill hee have the crowne of life The ninth particular Meditation of the second generall how our Lord Iesus Christ is that everlasting Amen and comming quickly FInally we are never to rest untill wee have brought our hearts to a comfortable reioycing that our Lord Iesus Christ is that everlasting Amen that faithfull and true witness who will performe every word that hee hath spoken in his due time and in such sort as he hath revealed the same though the particular manner bee yet unknowne to us That hee is comming quickly to render to every one according to his workes That wee are not to give our hearts any rest untill we are able thus to cry in faithfulness with all the Saints and all the hoast of heaven Amen Amen Our Lord Iesus Christ onely reigneth for evermore Amen Amen The third generall Meditation Thirdly what manner of ones we must bee whom the Lord so calleth and whome hee will admit and accept to bee his helpers herein and whose prayers shall be available with him according to the same heavenly direction in Lords praier THus have wee done with these first points for our preparation by bringing our hearts to a right consideration of the course which the Lord is wont to take in saving his Church and a true feeling of the necessity of our prayers at this time Now whēby our due pondering of all these things and the like and never resting untill by our deepe Meditation of them we can have them as it were before our eyes continually so to see lively the urgent necessity of these our Prayers and that we can thereby heare the Lord crying loud unto us to helpe him and his Church herein we are in the next place as carefully to see that we be such as he calleth being qualified in all things accordingly if ever wee will get sound assurance to our owne soules to prevaile or to be accepted And this wee may learne likewise out of our Saviours direction in that heavenly patterne for prayer then which all the wisedome of the world can never give us a more sure and plaine rule To which end also as for all the other before mentioned we ought the more diligently to looke unto it and to Meditate of it and that in this manner The first particular Meditation of the third generall To make sure that wee bee the true children of our heavenly Father Here wee are to stirre up our selves to this dutie 1. That having the former view ever before our faces as much as we are able and this true feeling ever also in our hearts and withall this lively voyce of Christs loving call to helpe him and his Church stil sounding shrill in our eares wee labour day and night to make sure that we be the true Children of our heavenly Father full of Child-like and naturall affections to his heavenly Majesty That wee have thus put on the Image of our Lord Iesus Christ and are hereby as holy Peter speaketh partakers of the divine Nature not earthly but heavenly minded burning in the love of his Majesty of his word ordinances and Children full of faith in Christ Iesus and of all dutie and holy obedience that in all fulnesse of assurance through our Lord Iesus Christ wee can by the power and witnesse of his holy Spirit cry unto him Abba O Father and seeke to bee as instant for all our Bretheren as for our selves labouring ever to grow herein and in the acknowledgment of our owne vilenesse by nature and of our unworthynesse either to bee called his children
or to make any petition to his heavenly Majesty More particular Meditations hereof MOre particularly for the better help and direction of every yong and weake Christian because this is that whereupon all our hope for our prayers doth principally relye that we in the first place meditate and ponder carefully of these things To the end that we may be able to cry thus in Faith O our Father which art in heaven we must make sure that we be his children indeed that we do not deceive our selves as the greatest part do even of those that live in the bosome of the Church And therefore 1. Wee must seriously bethinke our selves what wee were by our naturall estate from our first Father Adam not heavenly but all earthly wholly corrupt both in our nature in all our thoughts words and deeds Children of disobedience yea Children of Sathan and even of the wrath of God 2. What we are already or must bee by grace before we can have the favour of our heavenly Father or can helpe in this worke that wee must bee changed throughout borne againe made new Creatures so as was saide Children of our heavenly Father heavenly minded that is minding heavenly things obedient Children indeavouring to walke in all holy obedience before him so declaring our selves hereby to bee ordayned not to wrath but to the inheritance of the Saints in light 3. If wee doe not fully and plainly finde our selves in this happy estate of Gods Children but still remaining as we were borne and therefore Children of wrath the Lord cals upon vs loud that wee never rest day nor night untill we finde our selves certainly delivered out of that fearfull and wofull estate and that we are made by grace the very Children of our heavenly Father and are received into his favour and love And this cheefly he cals us to seeke to attaine by a deepe and continuall Meditation of the miserable estate in which wee stand even for the present untill this time as was saide before and morespecially for that extreame horrour misery which will certainly come upon us when our consciences shall bee throughly and soundly awaked which will be undoubtedly either in his life or so soone as ever we shall be taken hence And of the other side by a due and serious Meditation and consideration of that blessed estate wherein every one is that findes himselfe indeed in this manner the true Child of his heavenly Father and can thereupon by the spirit of Adoption cry thus unto him Abba O Father And to these ends that wee never rest seeking to be in this happy estate and that wee finde wee are in it undoubtedly by using conscionably and constantly all the meanes which God hath ordained thereunto chee◅y hearing of his blessed word and earnest prayer for obtaining these two generall and principall graces and ◅arkes of our regeneration to wit True repentance of all our sinnes and a lively Faith in Christ Iesus And in our repentance that wee find a chang first in ou◅ whole nature and after a change of all our courses and conversation from earthly to heavenly not walking thenceforth according to carnall reason but by faith in the word of the Lord. 4. If wee finde our selves such yet the Lord cals on us still to labour daily to encrease our assurance by increasing in our conscionable walking before our heavenly Father and as in his presence that so wee may receive more favour in his eyes to bee accepted in our prayers for his Church and to approach neerer and neerer unto him with faithfull Abraham Remembring ever these two lessons 1. That there is but onely one narrow way of life by our cōscionable walking wherein we can onely assure our selves of Gods favour and love but almost ten thousand leading out of the same all of them tending to hell and destruction The impenitent walking in any of which paths provokes his displeasure especially if we walke in it wittingly or carelesly thorow lacke of examining and trying our wayes 2. That all this way is directed and chalked out for the generall in the doctrine of our Catechisme both for our Faith and for our repentance or obedience to bee continually renewed and increased more particularly for every step as it were in the whole body of the Sacred Scriptures the blessed word of the Lord. 1. For our Faith by which we must live and walke that it is briefly comprized in the Articles of our Faith 2. For our life and conversation and the ordering thereof in the Ten Commandements written by the Lords owne finger in each of which and every part whereof wee must walke on forward in performing all duties to his heavenly Majesty and also to our Brethren 3. ◅or other helpes in this our journey and stayes to our Faith the right use and knowledge of the Sacraments 4. to the end to obtaine more strength so to walke in Faith and obedience that wee are to use earnest prayer the heavenly patterne whereof is set before us in that most exact forme prescribed by our Saviour called the Lords prayer That wee may all learne to pray as with one heart and soule according to that generall direction being used and applyed particularly as occasions times and seasons require 5. The Lord would haue us all to know and ever to keepe in fresh memory that he cals on us continually in the use of this prayer to strive not onely for our selves so to walke but for all our Brethren even all the Children of our heavenly Father dispersed over the face of the whole earth both already called and also all other of whom wee may hope that they doe belong to Gods eternall election whether of the Iew or of the Gentile Pagans Turkes or Indians That these being gathered forth he may speedily hasten the accomplishment of our happinesse by the glorious appearing of our Lord and Saviour And that wee never test vntill wee shall attaine heereunto to remember all these jointly in all our prayers in some good measure as being of the same mysticall body of Christ with us for that otherwise we cannot rightly pray Our Father And further also amongst them he would have us to pray in a more speciall manner for all those whom hee hath set in his owne place heere in the earth for our succour and comfort the aide and the comfort of all the rest of these our Brethren and for our joynt injoying of all these blessings which he hath promised to his Church and chosen flocke and which he hath beene wont by them to performe unto it To whom for this cause hee hath giuen his owne name calling them Gods and hath promised that to this end they shal be made foster Fathers nursing Mothers to his poore Church when he will be gracious
unto it in delivering restoring and beautifying of it like as hee hath done in all former Ages And therefore wee are never to rest travelling with our owne hearts in this untill we can principally labour with the Lord for them that they of all other and so all in their places may be indued with all excellent graces not onely to manifest themselves in the first ranke according to their high dignities the true Children of our heavenly Father thus shining before all the rest of their Bretheren for the better prouoking and encouraging of all the rest and the greater glory of the Lord but also with those guifts which are proper and peculiar unto their places and callings And that wee likewise may all of us be very carefull to performe unto them the duties belonging to them in regard of those high places and callings like as the honor and obedience of right appertaining to them so with all true thankfulnesse for all the blessings which wee injoy by them And in our thankfulnesse we â—…e never to rest untill wee can from our soules performe unto them these three specially 1. Acknowledgment of their authoritie from God and that they are in his place 2. Hearty affections as to Gods Lieutenants for his cause 3. Above all instant prayers for them day night And in these our prayers that we can cry for them not onely as for every common member as was saide to bee able to walke before all their people as living Lawes in all holy duties of Christianitie but in those of their particular places and callings and bee furnished with all excellent giftes and endowments of Gods Spirit for their happy managing of the same As first and principally that they may bee made able and resolute to promote the Religion of the Lord alone and all true godlinesse and that with all their power defacing the contrary and destroying all ungodnesse in all their Dominions as did those Worthyes David Iehosaphat Hezekiah Iosiab and Nehemiah being thereby so renowned and set out for such blessed examples to all succeeding Ages And in the second place that they may procure each way the good of the people committed to them as tender Foster-fathers repressing the wicked being careful that all holy meanes be used every where for the reclaiming and saving every soule in their Dominions and of bringing them in their armes to the Sion and Sanctuary of the Lord and all hinderances thereof removed And that to these ends they may be all as 〈◊〉 Magistrates men of courage fearing God dealing truely hating covetousnesse no respecters of persons And next unto these that we rest not till we bee able to pray likewise for all excelling in any eminency either outward or inward whereby they may doe any speciall service to our Lord Iesus Christ to his Vicegerents or to his poore Church and people As namely That their hearts bee not lifted up by their guifts favours or places as is ordinary in each estate and so wrath come upon them as it did on that good Hezekiah for this very sinnâ—… but that contrarily they may both ever remember and acknowledge all their preferments to be from his heavenly bounty and so to be more humbled by them as having more to answere bee accountable for giving to his divine Majestie alone all the glory thereof And secondly that they may bee inabled as thy deare Children to employ all those guifts carefully as their talents committed unto them by the Lord to that end and purpose as may make most for his glory the furtherance of his Gospell with the greatest benefit and good to our selve and to all the people of the Lord. The second particular Meditation of the third general That we can and use to seeke his honor above all other things SEcondly we must never give the Lord over untill we have brought our harts in order not to seeke our owne honour or greatness nor our selves any way for our selves alone but onely in all things to seeke the honour of our heavenly Father being zealous of his glory And that wee can pray earnestly that our selves and all other may studie to set foorth his glorie before all the sonnes of men euen the glory of his Wisedome Goodness Mercy Iustice Power and Truth shining bright in all his workes both in every creature and also in all his judgements and mercies and chiefely in his heavenly word admiring and extolling his great name in every one of them That we can mourne with holy Moses for all the dishonours done unto him and for all the provocations whereby he is provoked choosing rather to have our names put out of his booke then that his great name shold be blasphemed by his malicious enemics especially in their triumphes for the destruction or miseries of his people The third particular Meditation of the third generall That we seeke his honour chiefely in the aduancement of the Scepter of Iesus Christ. THirdly we are never to rest untill we can rejoyce in the truth of our hearts that we have seâ—… our selves to seek by all our might the advancement of the Scepter of his heavenly kingdome even of the heavenly Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ and so the comming of his kingdome thereby with power first the kingdome of Grace and after the kingdome of Glory desiring earnestly to that end the propagating and spreading of his Gospel over all the world the gathering forth of all his elect from al parts with the saving of all his people seeking all other things onely for him and for his honour that he may reigne as Lord and King That wee never give him rest until wee feele him reigning in our hearts by his blessed Word and Spirit making us to mourne withall for all the despight done unto his heavenly Majesty in the contempt of that his glorious Gospel and chiefly for all the prevaylings of Sathan and Antichrist the setting up againe of their abhominable Idolatry in any place and so for al the outragious wickednesse committed agaynst our Lord Iesus Christ his crowne and dignity and also agaynst his poore people The fourth particular Meditation of the third generall That we seeke to honour him eâ—…er in the full accomplishment of all his heavenly will FOurthly that our hearts beare us witness that wee haue attayned to be such as are wholly set not to seeke the execution of our owne lustes or will but that the whole will and good pleasure of our heavenly Father may bee fulfilled by us and all other his Children especially in all things wherein he hath or shal reveale himselfe what his good pleasure is And that we have begun earnestly to indevor our selves to be as chearful in the right execution and accomplishment thereof in all parts as
gracious promise and remember their iniquities no more when they shall cry unto him by a lively Faith as to their heavenly Father burning with the zeale of his glorie and kingdome and that all his divine wil may bee so accomplished That then he will open all our blind eyes to see our natural pollution and uncleanness yea to beholde all out filthy sinnes whereby we are defiled and loathsome in the eyes of our heavenly Father and will withall make us to behold the fountaine of his Sonnes blood open to all the house of Israel for sin and for uncleanness Then vvill he make all sorts that are his even all his elect as much to long after that Fountaine as ever any did after the poole of Bethesda and most gladlie to do whatsoeuer he hath apointed for the purging and clensing of themselves and of all his Church from all her iniquities And how to the end that our turning and repentance may be no longer formall as it hath beene for the most part heeretofore when wee have cryed unto the Lord in our troubles to be delivered from our distresse and afterward have returned to our iniquities againe but that it and every part of it may bee sound and unfeigned he will make every one of his owne cry with persecuting Saul Lord what wilt thou that I should doe Then hee will put his Law into our minds and write it in our hearts according to his most gracious and blessed promise when hee intendes to save his Church in such sort as wee have just cause to hope hee is about to doe Hee will cause us tenderly to forgive and pitty one another the Wolfe to dwell with the Lambe and to desire to make all our very enemies partakers of the same mercies and will keep us all that are his that we may no more depart from him The seuenth particular Meditation of the fift generall How wee shall see him delivering his flock from Sathan and dissolving all his cursed workes SEuenthly wee are moreover to Meditate in faith how then he will restraine the rage and power of the Tempter reseuing his poore Lambs out of the jawes of the roaring Lyon How he will then destroy and dissolve all the cursed workes of Sathan discover his depthes and all the wickednesse of his InchaÌ„ters Sorceâ—…ers Charmers Witches aud of all the rest of his crafty malicious and accursed instruments making their madnesse manifest to all and what practises they have used against all even against Christian Kings and Princes Nations and people to harden turne them from the faith as Iannes and Iambres did to harden Pharaoh and as Elimas against the Deputy and Simon Magus against Samaria How these and the Locusts comming out of the bottomlesse pit have caused them to give their power to the Beast and to fight against our Lord Iesus Christ. And furthermore how then hee will cause all their witchcrafts inchantmeÌ„ts to cease as they began so to cease at yâ— first comming of our Saviour in the flesh and chiefly at the comming downe of the holy Ghost and at that powerfull and effectuall spreading of the Gospell in every countrey wheresoever it so came Yea how then all such deceivers shall curse their Gods and gnaw their tougnes for sorrow being inforced with that wretched Balaans who loved the wages of iniquity to acknowledge that there is no sorcerie against Iacob nor any divination against Israel How then wee shall see him whose name is Wonderfull to shew himselfe wonderfull in the saving of his poore Church and Children from the power and fury of the great red Dragon and in delivering us all in an admirable manner from all these innumerable evils which he all his instruments have so long practised so maliciously dreadfully intended do still intend against his poor Church whereupon he so castethout of his mouth all this huge flood of waters after her to cause her to be carried away of the same at once and by which the proud enemies have so cast lots upon all that truly love and beleeve in his name and as certainly determined and set downe our day so soone as ever their opportunity shall serve as Haman had against the Iewes The eight particular Meditation of the fift generall How then hee will declare himselfe sole Monarke and to whom all glory belongs EIghtly we are yet further to Meditate according to this heavenly direction how then he will declare himselfe before all the earth to be the onely absolute Soveraigne Lord and King the sole and mighty Monarch of all the world that all power is his and to him alone belongs all glory and honour when hee shall thus shew himselfe so gloriously for his Church in such a wonderful deliverance in such unexpected and even incredible mercies to her I mean incredible to all humane reason and when hee shall so get himselfe glory uppon his proudest enemyes and make all the world to see that hee hath overturned all their wisdome power and furie making it to serve hereunto and finally that hee hath in all things so farre forth accomplished whatsoever hee hath spoken ever since the beginning And likewise wee are earnestly to meditate to comfort our selves heerein That then he will make it manifest that the greatest enemies of the Church have in all their â—…age not fought agaynst his Children poore wormes dust and ashes for then they had surely prevailed long agoe to have destroyed his whole Church out of the earth but that they have fought even against our Lord Iesus Christ this great King of kings and Lord of lords Thus will hee cause all both men and deuils to acknowledge and â—…say For thine is the kingdome power glory and all the Children of God to sing with all the holie Angels and all the hosst of Heauen Hallelujâ—…h Praise ye the Lord for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth yeâ—… to fall upon their faces before the Throne and to worship our God saying Amâ—…n Blessing glory wisedome thanksgiving honour power and might be unto our God for ever and ever The ninth particular Meditation of the fifâ—… generall How we are never to rest till wee can reioyce and triumph in the assurance of Faith crying â—…oyntly Amen AND to conclude this poynt wee are ever to meditate seriously hereof and never to give our hearts any rest untill we can through the 〈◊〉 of our Faith rejoyce and even triumph continually with the Holy Angels That how impossible soever these things may seeme to flesh and blood and how incredible in the eyes of the world yet he will certainly accomplish theÌ„ all in what time measure and manner shal seeme best to his wisedome accordingly as he hath foretold And that even then when so many of us as have or can but unfeignedly begin to set our selves
in all things to walke hvmbly with him shall likewise bee stirred up by his blessed Spirite thus joyntly to cry unto him for that hee having taught and commanded us thus to pray and having given us so many assurances that being such praying thus he wil heare us and finally hee enclining and setting our hearts as with one accord thus to importune him heerein we can make no doubt of gracious audience and a happy answere from his heavenly Majesty even when we can joyntly crie in Faith Amen Euen so come Lord Iesus come quickely Amen Amen The Sixt generall Meditation How all but those that are thus qualified are excluded from helping the Lord and doe rather pull downe his wrath upon his Church SIxtly we are to bring our hearts yet further to a serious Meditation hereof likewise That all other who are not so qualified at least in the earnest desire and constant resolution of their hearts and much more all who are contrarily affected in any of these things thus necessarily required in our preparation and so all that beleeue not the word of the Lord in such manner as to be fully perswaded of the truth of his promises and threatnings are excluded by the Lord himselfe from being any meete helpers in this worke The First Meditation hereof to be seriously pondered 1 THat all such as live securely in theyr owne wayes without any due regard of the Lord and of his poore Church are excluded hence even all such as who albeit the Lord shewe such manifest token◅ of his heavy displeasure agaynst his owne people and children for their sinnes and although they see his Glory Gospell People to bee so generally trampled under foot our lord Iesus Christ to be ready utterly to be thrust frō his throne and his members in such miserable distress or imminent perill yet they care for none of these things but only mind their owne courses and seeke to satisfy their owne wils and desires as all our worldlings and all the prophane sort in generall do Yea all such are shutte out as unmeete who are not now in a tender commiseration of the wofull estate of all the Lords people de◅irous to obey our Lord Iesus Christ comming to helpe him and them all in what thing soever he shall make knowne unto them that he stands in need of their helpe and so calls for it at their hands and who endeavour not unfeignedly to doe whatsoever he requireth tending thereunto And that this must needs be so for these reasons following which are therefore every one of them to be seriously meditated of and pondered until we know our selves to have passed the danger of them The first reason to be seriously meditated of 1 FOr that al such who regard him not in his poore and needy members must be separated from these whom our Saviour calles The blessed of his Father and must stand at his left hand among the Goats and must then hear the wofull doome at that last dreadfull day Go ye cursed into everlasting f◅re prepared for the Divell and his Angels when I was an hungrie you gave mee no meat when I was thirsty you gave me no drinke when I was s◅ke and in prison you visited me not when I was naked you cloathed me not when I was a stranger and harbourlesse you tooke me not in c. And therefore if it shall be so with these at that day then certainely they must needs bee rejected by him as utterly unmeet for this service who now that he calles for these duties at theyr hands and that so lowd as all the world doth ring thereof yet are deafe in all in regard of any commiseration For what King General or Commander will ever willinglie have any admitted into pay to fight under them but onely such as they know to be loyally and faithfully affected towards them and which doe lay to heart their honours causes and quarrels as if they were their owne much lesse then can we thinke that the Lord of heaven earth who needes none of our helpe but can get himselfe the victorie over his enimies by the breath of his nostrils when it pleaseth him will admit of any other to be with him and to helpe him in this great work wherein he will so highly honour them but onely so many as shall bee loyally and heartily affected towardes his Majesty his causes and children The second reason to be seriouslie thought of SEcondly we are seriouslie to lay to heart and to bethinke our selves in time if we would be helpers herein That all such who live in any one gross sinne impenitently and much more in any one of those notorious abhominations which broght that dreadfull Captivity upon Iudah which the Lord hath caused to be set so lively before the face of all by y◠holy Prophets themselves together with the vengeance denounced for them are also utterly excluded especially if they live therein scandalously to the slander of the Gospell or the offence of others to harden them in their courses for that all such are both blinde and deafe and make others so Such cannot see the wrath and vengeance of GOD certainly rushing upon thēselves for their owne sinnes wherein they lye much less can they see that which is rushing upon all the Churches for theyr security and abuse of the gospell and least of all can they discerne of any wrath conceived agaynst our selves for that they consider onely that we yet live in peace but perceyve not at all the multitude and heynousness of our most odious and lowd-crying sins agaynst which the Prophets so thunder out the vengeance of the Lord and for which all who are wise-hearted indeed and whose eyes GOD hath rightly opened doe feare and tremble They can neyther see any tokens of the Lords displeasure nor yet discerne the enemies raging so furiously agaynst all the Churches abroad as by their most deepe and bloody practises threats and intendments they daylie manifest to all the world no not those enemies which bee in our very bosomes such as all those are who beare evill will against Sion They perceiue not the multitude of Locusts with such stinges in their tails sent out of the bottomelesse pit to all the Kings of the earth to draw them all if it were possible certainly every one of them so farre as ever the Lord shall permit them to take up arms against our Lord Iesus Christ and his poore Church They are deafe and cannot heare the cry of their poore brethren though sounding daily in their eares so as to take any true pitty of them how then should they heare the cry of the Lord calling to themselves and all other to repent so to prevent and pacifie his wrath Concerning these so continuing the holy Ghost oft declareth the heavy wrath of God that is upon them That he hath blinded their eies and made their eares
habitation for Sathan and as a den of Dragons And that thou wouldest seeke now to have thy soule conscience wholly clensed and purged in the blood of the Lambe and to wash the feete of thy deere Saviour with Mary Magdalen by the teares of thy unfeigned sorrow for all thy former unkindness and for thy ungraciousness in keeping out thy Lord and Saviour so long giving unto Sathan the whole possession of thy heart and so the very chiefe roomes thereof not vouchsafing unto Christ Iesus so much as entertainment within thy threshold Then will he come in to thee how unworthy soever thou art and Sup with thee and thou with him This shall be the joy fullest day that ever shone upon thee for hee being in thy heart will by his blessed Spirit not onely teach thee thus to pray but will certainly make thy prayers to piâ—…rce the very heavens and finde happy audience at the throne of Grace chiefly in all these causes which so highly concerne his Majesty his poore Church and people He will then bring unto thee that joy with him that goes beyond all the joy of all worldly men and farre beyond that which all things here belowe can ever bring unto thee That which eye never saw nor eare heard nor entered into mans heart to consider of Yea that which shall never be taken away from thee but be a continuall feast for evermore And contrarily if yet thou wilt not harken unto him but still harden thy heart against him the time shall come that every call of his which ever thou heardest before and hast contemned shall sound so shrill in thy eares when it will be too late as thou shalt have it affrighting thee perpetually That thou never shalt have rest day nor night for the dreadfull noyse of these many cals because thou wouldest not harken in time but didst put off the day of thy repentance and so of harkening to his sweet voyce of mercy thus calling thee stilto bee partakers of his mercy and even of this high favour and now at day in these dangers of the Church in a speciall manner above all other Wherefore let the counsel of the holy Ghost be now acceptable unto thee breake off thy sinnes by repentance be not as the deafe Adder any longer But whilst it is now called to day heare his voyâ—… Contemne it not now little knowest thou whether ever thou shalt heare it any more thus in mercy but onely in wrath and vengeance for despising his long suffering and all the riches of his compassion The second Meditation To thinke what it is for a man to forsake his owne happinesse in refusing Christs gracious call and to joyne with Sathan against him to his endlesse perdition SEcondly the Lord cals loud to every soule to bethinke him seriously in time what it is for a man not onely to refuse and contemne the gracious call and service of our Lord Iesus Christ yea all his favours all his sweet promises and mercies concerning both this and a better life all the glory and happinesse of the Celestiall Canaan the heavenly Ierusalem where is fulnes of joy in the presence of the Lambe and at the right hand of our heavenly Father pleasures for evermore but of the contrary to choose to joyne himselfe with Sathan and with all the damned to serve under him against our Lord and Saviour Likewise to thinke aforehand what such a men will doe when hee must appeare before his glorious Majesty when all the greatest proudest of the earth that have so set themselves against him shall cry to the Hils Mountaines to fall upon them and cover them from the presence of the Lambe so terrible shall his very presence be unto them then though a Lambe to all beleevers who have heere followed him in true obedience to all who yet shall harken to his voyce yea so dreadfull shall it bee when whatsoever torment and misery is denounced against them in the booke of God to bee inflicted upon them hereafter shall be most certainly and fully executed in that lake burning with fire and brimstone For the unfallible truth and undoubted certainty hereof the Lord cals every soule alwaies to behold with the eies of their minds not only those fearfull spectacles mentioned in his word of that wofull horror of conscience which hath so surprized and overwhelmed so many of the wicked whom God hath left for ensamples to all posterity even for their malicious wickednesse though but against some one of his Servants as namely in Caine Saule Achitophel Iudas and others when they did but onely consider the wrath of the Lord and his vengeance due unto them and which would overtake them or felt it beginning to seize upon them for this sinne but moreover hee cals them to thinke aright of the continuall examples that hee daily seteth before their faces in the miseries of so many of his deerest Children How they are tormented when their consciences are awakened with a right apprehension and feare of the wrath of the Lord for their sinnes wherein they have served Sathan though not taking part against his Majesty and Children no nor so much as in forsaking him or them or any his causes but onely for some particular slâ—…ps failings and infirmities as either for some spirituall pride or timerousnesse in fearing men more then God and thereupon omitting some necessary confession or other good duty or for doing some small thing against their conscience or for some unbeleefe in not being able to rest upon the Lord his love and care in the failing of outward meanes as it was with Moses at the waters of strifâ—… or for spirituall security for decaying in their first love neglecting the conscionable use of meanes of grace and saluation or the like How even these I say when their consciences are throughly awaked doe indure as it were the very slashings of hell fire and this so dreadfully as their miseries astonish all that behold them and that they themselves doe account all outward tortures nothing in regard thereof so that many a time with holy Iob they wish an end were made of them being oft ready through Sathans malice to lay violent hands upon themselves Also for that they indure this so long as that Gods hand pursues some of them throughout their whole life that they are usually uncapable of any comfort though the same be sent by a messenger of God even one of a thousand except it bee a little before their death wherein the Lord commonly vouchsafeth unto them much heavenly assurance and consolation And if it be so with these here while yet the day of salvation remaines and the accepted time and also whilst they have the most excellent meanes to comfort them yea though they bee such as have felt formerly the assurance of Gods love favour in Christ and many
may yet put some more life into all these Meditations and quicken us in our crying to him according to all the prayers following hee calls upon us all to have this specially ever in our hearts and his voyce in it sounding incessâ—…tly in our eares which was in part touched before That as the Spirit and the Bride doe call to our blessed Saviour to come so first all the distressed Churches yea all the members of Christ and all the elect of God which are under the power of Sathan or of any cruell Tyrants or under other miseries doe call and cry to every one of us as the man of Macedonia did to Paul come helpe us Come helpe us by your prayers helpe us by your teares And secondly as the Angell of the Lord said Curse ye Meroz because he came not to helpe the Lord so now hee saith Curse ye all and every one of them who come not to helpe our Lord Iesus Christ who come not to helpe him in his poore members And tell every one who wil not set himselfe at least in the full purpose of his heart to come that hee hath no part in that heavenly prayer of our blessed Saviour nor of the glorious priviledges and promises conteyned in it that hee hath no part or portion in the Brother-hood Inheritance Glory Kingdome Rewardes Promises of this and the better life Remission of sinnes Deliverance from Sathan from the evils which hee seeks to bring on all that hee can have no comfort in that everlasting everliving Amen to whom all Kingdome Power and Glory do onely appertaine but that he is contrarily stripped of each of these and that our Lord Iesus is comming quickly in all Majesty and Glory to give to every one according to his workes to all that come the happinesse of all these blessings to all now refusing to come when he calls the misery of all contrary curses Wherefore hee saith to all Come Come every one thou though be in thy filth loathsome ragges all Leprous worthy to be thrust out of yâ— campe of Israel excluded for evermore yet come strip off those rags by repenâ—…ance wash in the fountaine of my blood which is opened to all the house of Israel and be thou cleane Put on the garment of the righteousnesse of thy Saviour and be glorious put on all the compleat Arm our of my Spirit in the full resolution of thy soule be valiant come helpe me Though thou have no strength but meere desires yet come and thou shalt bee accepted I will not quench the smoaking flax therefore come Though thy desires be never so weake yet come my power shall bee manifested and perfected in thy weaknes Therefore come yea though thou have no grace at all yet come hee tels thee from heaven his Grace is and shall be sufficient for thee And finally though thou have no faith to apprehend this Grace of his but art full of unbeleefe yet ever remember him that said I beleeve Lord Lord helpe my unbeleefe and how he sped and then thou wilt come Yea though thou get others to carry thee thou wilt certainly doe it if thou canst but set before thy face the Palsy-man thou wilt bee glad thâ—…s to come Finally be thinke thy selfe if ever thou canst name but one who thus desired to come to our Saviour in the uprightnesse of his heart neglecting no meanes thereunto who was rejected of him but contrarily how every one so comming hath beene graciously accepted and imbraced of him as the Prodigall Son was of his Father and then try whether his blessed Spirit will not give thee Davids Eccho to answer to him in thy soule Lord I come I come I come to doe thy will Thy will is within my heart Accept the worke of thine ownegrace Amen enen so Lord Iesus I come I come Prayers according to our Sauiours direction chiefly for maintaining and advancing of his glory and kingdome against the râ—…ge of Sathan and Antichrist and for helping his poore distressed Churches with all the members of Iesus Christ scattered over the face of the whole earth and that the whole number of Gods elect may be speedily gathered forth I. A prayer for our preparation that wee may bee made meete to bee admitted and may bee accepted as helpers in this so great a worke AH Lord our most gracious and tender Father in Christ Iesus wee thy unworthy children heere prostrate beholding how thy heavenly Majesty is foughten against thy honour trampled under foote thy kingdome people sought to bee destroyed out of the earth and that by Sathan Antichrist other thy cruell enemies who carrying a mortall hate against thee and against thy Sonne Iesus Christ and so against thy Gospell and people for thy cause alone do seeke that they alone may raigne over us and over all the world in thy place seeing also how thou hast suffered them fearfully to prevaile and still to proceed because of our sins and the sinnes of all other that professe thy name and hearing withall how thou now callest us all who are thine and in any favour with thy Maiesty to helpe thee and the rest of our Brethren and Sisters thy poore children in these their extreame miseries by our prayers and teares doe humbly intreat thee so to prepare and fit us that through our Lord and Saviour wee may be accounted meete to bee admitted to this so great a service Lord open our blind eies that we may have a right view of all these things open likewise our dease eares that we may heare thee calling us unto this duty and touch our dead hearts that they may be truly affected herewith inable us that thus seeing hearing and seeling we may cry unto thee uncessantly untill thou shalt shew thy selfe from heaven to come downe maintaine and defend thine owne causes and children to rescue all thine every where both from that bodily and spirituall tyranny and from all other dreadfull miseries under which they groane and so to judge betweene them betweene thine and their enemies and to get thy selfe a gloryous name and victory in thy due time to thine owne everlasting prayse and glory Oh deere Father perswade our hearts effectually how now at this very day in these fearfull times and extremities of thy poore Church as thou hast beene wont in all former Ages thou seekest out a man that may stand in the breach and how thou lookest for some that may specially bee singled out hereunto to helpe thee and thy poore people Vouchsafe good Lord that every one of us may strive to bee if not that one man yet as some one of Gedeons three hundreth And to this end that all these holy Meditations following and the like may be in our hearts continually That we may never rest untill hereby wee may know assuredly that
thou hast called us hereunto that thou acceptest us and our service and that wee may never give thee over untill wee see the deliverance and felicity of thy Sion Grant that so many of us as unfeignedly desire to bee with thy Majesty may never give any rest unto thee nor unto our owne soules untill wee finde our selves so qualified in all things as thou requirest of all such in taking to heart the dishonours done unto thy heavenly Majesty the oppositions against thy most glorious Gospell and also in feeling the necessities of thy Church people more specially in considering aright and sensibly feeling the miserable estate of all them that are under the spirituall bondage Captivitie of Sathan worse ten thousand times then the Captivitie and slavery of the Turke or under the cruellest Tyrants in all the earth Grant likewise that wee may be such in all holy faith and obedience and so frame our prayers that heerein wee may thus farre prevaile with thy holinesse that thou maiest raise up for thy poore Church and Children in every part of the world some Iosephs or some that may be as Daniel Ezra Nehemiah or Hester which may obtaine favour with the Kings and Princes of the earth and by whom thou maiest prepare and incline the hearts of all Monarks Kings and Princes that they may all become Nursing-Fathers and Nursing-Mothers to thy religion and people and that all those of them who in thy mercy are such already by the power of thy heavenly Spirit may bee wholly delivered from all the power and delusions of Sathan and Antichrist and daily more and more inflamed with all holy zeale for thy glory and kingdome and all tender affection towards thy children and chosen flocke as the rage and malice of the Dragon is greater against them knowing he hath but a short time Vouchsafe Oh grecious Father that these all considering aright how thou hast set them up and given them all their dominions authority and power chiefly to this end and the great and dreadfull account they must all certainly make for the same they know not how soone may forthwith seâ—… themselves as thy faithfull Servants Moses Iosuah David Iehosaphat Hezekiah and holy Iosiah for thy glorious Majesty Gospell and people onely according to thy heavenly word and will Grant good Lord that thus thy great name may bee magnified by the powerfull comming of thy kingdome in all the world and by the full accomplishing of all thy heavenly will and good pleasure which in thine eternall counsell thou hast decreed for the speedy gathering forth of all thine elect and finishing of these daies of sin and so for preparing the way to thy glorious comming Good Lord perswade my poore heart and the hearts of every one of thine owne faithfull people of the present necessity of this worke because of the danger of the sodaine approching of thy vengeance ready each houre to rush upon uâ—… like as it hath done upon others which have so professed thy name as weâ—… doe for all our fearfull sinnes and above all for our haiâ—…ous contempt of thy heauenly Gospell and that notwithstanding all thy Fatherly warnings and mercies wee have beene worse and worse unto this day And therefore vouchsafe me this grace that I may not deferre it one day nor houre but now presently whilst thou my Lord and Saviour dost so graciously call me and offer me this mercy I may seeke to bee every way prepared and fitted for it like as thou hast so plainly â—…aught me so lively seâ—… it before my face in yâ— heavenly prayer of thine so as the simplest may read and understand Oh Lord Iesus perswade my heart that refusing or deferring now to come to helpe thee I cannot escape the curse of Meroz howsoever I may escape the present and temporall vengeance at the instant cryes of all other of thy deerest servants and children yet I can never escape the spirituall and eternall wrath Open mine eies that I may see yâ— I am not heerein to wrastle against flesh blood but against principalities and powers and the Princes of darkness of this world which have wrought all these evils chiefly and doe seeke the utter destruction of all thy people and that I am not now to enter the lists with Sathan for my selfe alone but for all the Church that so I may put on all thy compleat Armour to quit my selfe valiantly as one of thy worthyes and ever be carefull to looke to my watch and stand fast expecting Sathans extreamest rage and fury against me especially if hee get never so little advantage Grant unto mee to know undoubtedly that being thus armed and setting my selfe with all speed and cheerfulnesse unto this worke to bee rightly fitted to helpe thee in this greatest service I shall have this high honour to bee of their number of whom thou hast spoken to whom thou hast promised That the innocent shall deliver the land or at least that thou wilt bee to mee a Sanctuary whatsoever come to passe and though I should neither save Sonne nor Daughter yet I shall bee sure to save my owne soule Heare me therefore Oh gracious Father all thy poore children in this our humble suite and in all other things needfull for us or for any member of thy whole Church for the Lord Iesus Christ whom thou hast given for our grand Captaine our onely Mediator and Advocate Amen II. A prayer for increase of our love to all the Children of the Lord and for keeping a continuall fresh remembrance and feeling of their estate Our HVmble us Oh gracious Father that whereas thou hast long taught us this as one of our first lessons in our prayers to cry Oh our Father to keep therby a continuall and ever-fresh remembrance feeling of the estate and necessities of all thy children our Brethren and Sisters wheresoever dispersed and distressed in all the world and so to binde our hearts togither in the bond of love to rejoyce with them that rejoyce mourne with them that mourne and in all things to seeke the same good unto them which wee do vnto our selves yet so many of us notwithstanding do never or very seldome thinke of them or of their miseries and the best of us have so little true feeling and commiseration of their estate how wofull soever it bee to cry unto thee for them as wee ought so long as wee our selves are at ease and in prosperity Good Lord perswade our hearts that if wee truly love thee our heavenly Father we must needs love thy children for thy cause being as deere and precious unto thee as ourselves are even all those that appertaine to thy eternal election wheresoever they be in all the earth Lord Iesus make us know that if wee unfeignedly love thee wee must of necessity likewise love thy members even every one of
that mysticall body whereof thou art the head and whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood as well as oâ—…r selves Make us to conceive aright that without this love which is the badge of thy Disciples and Children wee can never assure our owne hearts that we are either the true and naturall children of our heavenly Father or lively members of thy mysticall body and thy very Disciples indeed and that we deceive our owne hearts untill wee become thus truly affected at least in the inward longing of our soules and that wee can unfeignedly mourne for the want of the lively feeling heereof Lord cause us to know that their sinnes are in some sort our sinnes their miseries our miseries as being of the same mysticall body of our Lord Iesus Christ that both their sinnes their calamityes and their afflictions may bee matter of heavinesse mourning unto us and their prosperity both bodily and spirituall may be our continuall rejoycing Cause us to have this fellow-feeling of their estate wheresoever they be though amongst the Indians or in any of the remotest and barbarousest places in all the earth and much more as thou hast united them unto us by neerer bonds of profession place kinred and the like and hast made their estates more knowne unto us More specially make us to have a more sensible feeling of the estate of those who are of our owne nation and stocke and as they are yet linked unto us by neerer bonds Above all good Father make us to bee most loyally and hartily affected towards those in all quarters countries whom thou hast ordained in thine owne place to be Nursing-Fathers Nursing-Mothers to thy Church either presently or in their due times to succour and provide for all thy children committed to them as the faithfull Nurse for her tender Babes And amongst them for all those of them yet in a more speciall manner whom thou hast already vouchsafed this high favour to bee such unto them and to whom thou hast made knowne thy heavenly will in this behalfe what thou lookest for at their hands and whome thou hast bound unto thee by so many bonds of thy heavenly and earthly favours Oh grant that at our instant cries their hearts may bee inclined accordingly towards all thy Children especially to all those whom thou hast to this end specially committed to their trust that they may shew forth before men and Angels their tender affection towards all of them chiefly all those of them who in all unfeigned study of true holinesse and righteousnesse doe most lively resemble thee their heavenly Father and most visibly carry upon them the true Image of our Lord Iesus Christ. Oh give them like affections to thy heavenly Majesty in this behalfe that thy people and children may bee so precious unto them that like as in thy tender love thou gavest thine owne deere Son and with him all good things also yea thine owne selfe for the saving and happinesse of thy Church and namely of all blessed Kings Princes and Governours so they againe may not onely be willing to imploy all their thoughts and endeavours but also be ready to spend offer themselves and also to bee offered up so to give themselves and all theirs most willingly for the saving and happinesse of thy people Lord perswade their and our hearts that the lively evidence hereof will upon our death-beds if our consciences shall thorowly bee awaked and so ever after bee more worth unto us then ten thousand worlds and the contrary more bitter and dreadfull then all the evils of this present life can possibly bee unto us These things we humbly intreate thee to grant for thy Sonne our Lord Iesus Christ his sake our alone Saviour and Advocate III. A prayer that wee may be able to seeke and finde this first that God is our gracious and tender Father in Christ and that we may grow in this assurance daily Father OH deere Father and most blessed Lord God perswade all thy people that this is that which is first to bee sought of every one of us next thy glorie aboue all other things to bee assured that thou art our gracious and tender Father that so each of us may in faith call upon thee saying truly as our Saviour hath taught us Abba Oh Father That this assurance alone being rightly considered of that thou art our heavenly and loving Father will quiet our heart or the heart of any beleever in all the world will fill it with unspeakeable joy in the middest of the greatest troubles temptations that can possibly befall us And contrarily make every one of thy people to know for certaine that the very doubting and want of assurance whether we bee in thy favour and love or no and much more whether we bee thy Children will worke extreame disquietnesse and horror in our soules when once our consciences shall bee awaked and will bee unto us as the unspeakeable torments of hell fire and that this will fall upon all the ungodly most of all when their consciences shall tell them as one day the conscience of every wicked and impenitent sinner will doe that they are not thy Children but thine enemies and the Children of wrath yea of Sathan himselfe and therefore that they are hated of thee as Sathan their Father is whose Image they have borne and whose worke they have done To this end good Lord worke upon our hearts and the hearts of all that belong to thy eternall election whosoever and wheresoever they be in all the earth that we all may truly understand and rightly know our owne miserable condition by nature that wee are thorow the first Adam by naturall generation and by the whole course of our lives none other but the Children of disobedience and so vessels of wrath and fire brands of hell untill such time as we are or shall be regenerated and borne againe and by a lively faith ingrafted into Iesus Christ the second Adam and so made thy Children and heires of thy kingdome by thy grace in him Cause us all to know moreover that we can never attaine heereunto to bee thy Children much lesse to any certaine knowledge or assurance heereof untill wee feele these two graces of thine wrought in our hearts by thy blessed Spirit and the preaching of thy heavenly Gospell unto us to wit an unfeigned repentance for all our sinnes and a lively faith in Iesus Christ and likewise that wee have the same daily increased or at least continued with a true and earnest desire indeavour of the increase thereof for that these two are lively evidences to any man that hee is regenerate and in the state of grace and that of a Child of wrath hee is made thine owne deere Child â—…cceptable to thee his heavenly Father by Iesus Christ alone
Grant to us therefore and to all thy Children these lively evidences of thy favour in our unfeigned repentance and also our effectuall faith increasing daily for Iesus Christ our onely Lord and Saviour IIII. A prayer that wee may not deceive our selves in vayne conceite that we are Gods Children when wee are nothing lesse as the greatest part doe but that wee may come to strong assurance heereof by feeling a totall change in our lives and conversations OH most holy and most gracious Father we intreate yet further of thy divine Majesty that neither we nor any other of thy people and Children may deceive our selves in a vaine counterfeit show and imagination of repentance and faith as the greatest part of those do who living under the sound and in the light of the Gospell doe imagine therefore that they have repentance faith and are well enough when as aalas they have nothing lesse then any part of true sound and unfeigned repentance or any power of a lively faith Grant to this end that neither we nor they may rest untill wee finde in our selves the new-birth begun and increasing daily by a totall change wrought in us since the time that we beleeved in Christ as a speciall fruite thereof and that in every part both of our soules and bodies and also in the whole course of our life and conversation Stirre up all our hearts Oh holy Father to this purpose that wee may never give thee rest untill wee finde this thorow change and alteration both in our mindes and understandings from ignorance and blindnesse to the true knowledge not onely of our selves but also of thy heavenly Majesty and so of thy Sonne Iesus Christ likewise in our memories that instead of remembring vanities we may be able to keepe a holy remembrance of the things which concerne thy glory and our owne salvation with the good of our Brethren Good Lord worke the like change in our wils from following and obeying the will and lusts of our flesh to bee ever pliant and obedient to thy heavenly will Perswade our hearts that we may never give thee over untill wee likewise finde the same change in our affections that therein wee are conformed daily more and more to the holinesse of Christ both in our love hatred our joy our greefe in child-like feare holy security resting onâ—… selves onely in thy love and favour Make us to labour to finde also the same in our Consciences that wee may never give any rest to our soules untill wee finde our consciences quieted in this assurance that we are washed from our sinnes in the blood of our Lord Iesus Christ and that our owne hearts and consciences doe beare a continuall witnesse unto us of our upright conversation at least begun in us with a settled resolution ever to walke with thee our God all our daies Good Father never suffer us to bee at quiet untill wee truely finde the same alteration wrought by thy holy Spirit in like manner in our whole body making every sense and member thereof instead of the service of sinne to become servants of righteousnesse even thine owne servants Lord perswade us all that all these parts being thine Created and Redeemed to these ends thou dost not only require this holinesse in every one of them but that thou likewise workest it effectually in all thine whom thou hast ordained to life and salvation according to that measure of grace which thou arâ—… pleased to bestowe upon every one causing every one of them to strive forwards towards perfection that untill such a change bee begun in us in some measure never any one of us can have any true comfort that wee are thy Children or in thy favour and love and that onely as this change and comformitie to Christ Iesus our head increaseth so doth our comfort likewise increase in thee and contrarily as it decreaseth so doe we decay in our comfort and assurance Hearken unto us therefore Oh tender Father and worke mightily by thy holy Spirit in us in all thy Children that wee may never give thee any rest in our prayers untill wee shall attaine this full assurance for our Lord Iesus Christ his sake our onely Mediator and Advocate V. A prayer that wee may finde in our selves not onely the generall but even all the particular markes of Gods Children namely those which our Saviour hath taught us to beg in his prayer OH Lord who art the only true perswader and seâ—…ler of the hearts and consciences of all thine elect perswade effectually both us and all other thy people that besides a whole change in our selves in all the qualities and faculties of our soules bodies thou hast given sundry peculiar markes and properties whereby thy Children may both certainly know themselves to bee thy Children and also by which they may be so knowne ought so to be esteemed amongst all thy people and that so much the more as they more lively and evidently have these markes upon them And namely good Lord perswade us of those which thou in this praier hast taught all thine to pray and to cry for daily whereby wee carry most lively the Image of our Lord Iesus our elder Brother Vouchsafe that we may bee most zealous of the glory of thee our heavenly Father and that with a holy zeale having the Spirit of burning and the Spirit of judgement joyned together which worldlings regard not being little or nothing at all acquainted with it Grant that wee all may seeke thy kingdome and righteousnesse first before all the things of this life whereas they that are of this world seeke onely or at least in the first place the things of this world Helpe and inable us good Father heerein to these ends that whereas carnall and unregenerate men seeke onely the satisfying of their owne lusts and pleasures and by all meanes to have their owne wils fulfilled little or nothing regarding to know or to do thy heavenly will we contrarily may seeke to know and fulfill the will of thee our heavenly Father as thou hast expressed it in thy holy and sacred word and that this we may make our very meate and drinke preferring it as did our Saviour before his daily foode Vouchsafe us thy holy Spirit that whereas carnall and worldly men are wont commonly for whatsoever they desire onely to use and seeke worldly meanes such as like themselves best whether warrantable from thee or no they make no matter seldome or never using to seeke and beg them as they ought from thy heavenly bounty onely in and by the meanes which thou hast appointed and doe as seldome unfeignedly returne thee thankes prayse when they have received their desires but are like the swine under the Acorne trees never looking up from whence the Mast falls sacrifising unto their nets ascribing all to
deserued this honor and hath this office to make us and our prayers to be accepted and therfore that we may in faith cry unto thee evermo◅e thorow him Amen Amen Good Lord helpe us and all thy people that by all these markes and the like wee may thoroughly try and examine our selves whether we be thy children or no and that wee may never give ouer crying unto thee untill we finde every one of these lively and sensibly in us Cause us rightly to understand and to bee fully perswaded heereof that in what measure we finde the former change wrought in us and every one of these marks in the same we may know our selves like wise to bee in thy favour and accepted of thee and that contrarily vvithout every one of these at least begun in us in some measure a sound resolution with an earnest desire and longing of our soules to increase and grow heerein vvee cannot assure our selves to bee any better then Hypocrites and that wee shall never finde sound comfort that thou wilt acknowledge us for thine untill we finde these evident markes upon us Grant unto us therefore Oh tender Father all the peculiar marks of thy Children and all other that hereby we and all thine may know our selves infallibly to bee thine owne deere Children for thy beloved Sonne our blessed Lord and Saviour Amen VI. A prayer for knowledge and right use of the meanes whereby wee may bee made Gods Children and grow up in the assurance thereof and so b◅ established in grace continually OH most gracious God and mercifull Father the onely fountaine of wisedome and grace forsomuch as every one who hath any sparke of grace or true wisedome desires to bee in the blessed estate of thy Children to have thy love and favour to grow up in the assurance thereof as the chiefest happinesse in this world perswade us and all thy people aright what are the ordinary meanes whereby thou begettest thy Children to a lively hope That thou dost it ordinarily and usually even by the same meanes whereby thou diddest first gather thy Church in the daies of our Saviour and after that so wonderfully and speedily spread it over the face of the earth even by the sincere preaching of thy heavenly word and namely of thy sacred Gospell That howsoever the world accounts that foolishnesse yet thou hast ordained it to be the immortall seede whereby thine are begotten anew and thus made thy Children by grace and to be thy mighty power unto salvation to make all thine to beleeve and in beleeving to make them partakers of thy favour and love and so to give them eternall life And that this saving kinde of preaching stands as the preaching of Paul did not in the intising speech of mans wisedome but in the plaine evidence of thy Spirit of power That so our faith may bee apparant to bee wrought not by the wisedome of men but onely by thy divine and mighty power alone Perswade all thy people moreover that as thou doest beget all thine a-newe by this thy heauenly voyce the sincere preaching of thy Gospell and in calling them makest them thy Children so thou feedest and nourishest them and all thy Graces in them by the same principally and next therunto by the right use of thy holie Sacraments the reuerent reading of the same blessed word and other holy bookes grounded thereupon with sacred Meditations conference with the godly practise of all holy duties carnest supplications and prayers for a right and sanctified use for thy blessing upon everie one of these meanes and the like to make them all effectuall heereunto Good Father perswade ◅ll who thus desire to bee thy Children and in thy favour and to have all others likewise partakers with them of the same mercy to seeke by all holy meanes the establishing and advancement of thy sacred Ministery that them selves and all others may depend upon the conscionable faithfull and sincere Ministers Pastors and Teachers whom thou hast ordayned in this respect to succeed in the place of holy Paul and the other Apostles for the gathering together of the Saints for the worke of the Ministry and for the edification of the body of Christ and bee wholly affraid of all Anaba ptisticall fancies or separations or of any way vvithdrawing themselves from under the meanes ordayned by thee for their salvation to lye open to Sathan and his delusions Oh gracious Father who so tenderest thy Children and chosen flocke as thou hast set Kings Princes in thy place for the care and comfort of them above all other of the earth perswade and move effectually the heartes of all those whom thou hast appointed to be thus as Fathers to thy children as namely all Governours and principally the cheefe whom thou hast specially ordayned to bee the prime foster-Fathers unto those thy deere Children in al the parts of the world That they by all the meanes power that thou shalt ever vouchsafe to put into their hands may looke to see thy people committed to their charge to be furnished with such conscionable sincere faithfull Pastors and teachers as by whom they may be first begotten and after nourished and fed so as they may grow up to the measure of the age of the fulness in Christ and be provided likewise for all other gracious meanes helps belonging hereunto Thus in like manner wee humbly intreate thee most mercifull God and tender father that by the mighty operation of thy heavenly Spirit thou wilt thorowly perswade and move all those whome thou hast in a peculiar manner separated unto this worke of winning of soules unto thee or who have or shall any way enter heereupon that they may wisely consider that principall part of their Vocation and Function namely to endeavour to make al their Congregations to bee thine owne Children carrying lively thy image and bearing upon them the markes of thy Children Cause them to seeke tenderly to nourish and comfort them as in thy place and presence and ever to preserve keepe them from Sathan and all his cursed agents and instruments as from all seducing Iesuites and Seminaryes who compasse sea and land to make all sorts the children of the divell worse then themselves and so from all other deceyvers and all the delusions of this evill world Grant that thus they may study to be able each according to their places at all times whensoever thou shalt call them to an account and chiefly at the great day to present them with all confident boldness and joy before thy heavenly Majesty saying vvith the Prophet Lord heere am I and the children thou hast given me by my Ministry or any way cōmitted to my charge Hearken unto us Oh gracious Father in these our humble supplications all other things which thou knowest to be
needfull for us or thy whole Church or any part thereof for Iesus Christ our Lord and onely Saviour VII A Prayer that all may understand how deere Gods Children are unto him that they may be so to us likewise OH Lord most merciful most wise and tender Father make all sorts to understand and know in time especially all those who so furiously rage agaynst thy Church and people at this day how deere and precious every one of thy Children is unto thy heavenly Majestie that they are unto thee as the apple of thine owne eye and that therefore their blood is precious in thy sight That they perishing for lacke of care to save and succor them much more being destroyed by them to whom thou hast committed them as to their nursing Fathers in thy place their blood will cry for vengeance like as the blood of Abel did and wil cause the murderers one day without unfeigned repentance to crie out when it is too late My sin is greater then I can beare Yea cause all to know that thou canst no more beare with wrongs done unto these thy Children and especially to those of them whom thou hast manifested by their child like obedience and by the glorious image of our Lord Iesus thy deere Sonne printed visibly upon them to bee so deere and precious unto thee then thou couldst beare with the wrongs done unto thy servants Abraham Moses David or any other of thine That if for Abrahams cause thou wast so severe agaynst Abimelech and his house though hee was but a Heathen King that which he did agaynst Abraham hee did ignorantly and with an upright heart as he sayth yea and thorow Abrahams weakness in saying of his wife she was his sister thou wilt then be much more severe agaynst all those who being convinced in their consciences of the innocency of thy poore children as all must needes be in a very great measure in this most glorious shining light of thy heavenly Gospell and yeâ—… doe so vexe and mollest them yea and seeke to destroy them out of the earth onely for thy names sake for cleaving fast unto thee and to thy sacred truth Lord perswade the hearts of all sorts that these while they are in any place are in some sort as Noah was to the old world and as Lot to Sodome for keeping off the vengeance from all the rest Yea good Lord make all sorts understand and know and especially set this ever before our eies and the eies of all thy people every where that thou madest poore Ioseph who was scorned and hated of his Brethren for his religion and pietie for seeking to reforme their evill behaviour to bee yet the preserver of his Brethren yea of all his Fathers house and of the whole Church and causedst his Brethren in their greatest extremity and in the very anguish of their soules to acknowledge how they had sinned against the Lad chiefly in their lack of commiseration and moreover to come and to stoope unto Ioseph and humbly to seeke unto him that he would not remember the wrongs and evils that they had done to him Cause us all to consider well how thou madest him to save them all even him whom for his dislike of their evill manners for his care for their good and for thy speciall favour manifested towards him they accounted the dreamer plotted against cast into the pit sold to the Ismalites thinking thereby they should never have bene troubled with him noâ—… have heard of him any more Grant good Lord seeing thy Children are so deere unto thee that for their causes and the wrongs done unto them thon callest for a dearth upon the lands where they are thou plaguest even Kings for their sakes that thou wilt not spare their owne Brethren or Sisters if they wrong them no not Miriam her selfe though she be beloved of thee a Prophetess and Sister of Moses but wilt make her feele her sinne and her shame if she dare but speake against thy servant Moses especially for doing as thou hast commanded him that they may be likewise as deere and precious unto all thy people Grant Oh tender Father that all sorts thus esteeming of them for thy cause as thine owne deere Children and so highly beloved of thee may all joyntly acknowldge their wrongs against them their haynous sinne against thy Majesty for them in all the rebukes scornes and taunts cast upon thee and thy sacred religion thorow the evils done unto them Vouchsafe that heereby all these may with faithfull Abraham Moses and Samuell pray for all thy people and so helpe to make the attonement for them by the blood of the Lord Iesus that all their sins may bee pardoned thy anger appeased thy people turned to thee againe thy hand may bee turned against thine obstinate and implacable enemies and the enemy may once againe bee given for the ransome of thy Children and people as thou diddest sometimes give Aegypt for thine Israel Lord perswade this principally to all thy Deputies and Vicegerents wheresoever in the earth that even for this cause alone for that these are so beleved of thee they likewise may in all tender affection set themselves as in thy place to rescue succour and protect them from the rage of all thine and their cruell enemies and that they may seeke withall the uniting of the hearts of all thy Children in that firme bond of brotherly love which is in Christ Iesus that those of them who most excell in vertue as they are most deâ—…re unto thy heavenly Majesty may bee so likewise unto them that they may respect and tender them their welfare and prosperity above all others That they may seeke to keepe all thine in this bond of holy love and wisely to prevent whatsoever may dissolve this brotherly knot or but breed any hatred envy grudgings heart-burnnings or unbrotherly censurings amongst them or whatsoever may hurt or annoy them any way That heereby all such thy Vicegerents may get this testimony and seale to their Consciences that they themselves are as thy first borne and amongest the deerest of thy Children and of all other of the earth most precious unto thee and that thou wilt shew thy selfe a Father and Protector unto them theirs for evermore when as thou wilt declare thy selfe full of vengeance against all of them who have any way wittinglie wronged or intended evill agaynst them Oh unite all the hearts of thine owne children unto them and theyrs in all loyall affection as to their foster-fathers and mothers whome thou hast in so much mercie to this end raised up for them and committed them unto as the hearts of all thine owne servants were united into thy faithfull seruant David whom for this cause they accounted better then ten thousand of themselves as the Candle of Israel and as they were
knit to that holy and melting harted King Iosiah whose death they so lamented as for the taking away of theyr shelter and even the verie breath of their nostrils Heare us Oh tender Father and let the bowelles of thy fatherly compassion earn over thy deere children in thus inclining the hearts of all unto them to favour and succour them especially those of them who have alreadie suffered so much adversity bene so long humbled under thy hand for thy deere Son our Lord Iesus Christ his sake our onely Mediator and Aduocate Amen VIII A Prayer that we may all bee able to lift uppe our eyes and hearts unto our heavenly Father alone and to look beyond all earthly meanes in all the troubles and perilles of the Churches OH heavenly Father who over ruledst the counsels of Herod Pontius Pilate and all the people of the Iewes and madst them all to serve for bringing to passe thine owne eternall decree for thine owne everlasting praise and the comfort of thine own chosen flocke Lift vppe the eyes and hearts of all thy Children now in this extreme rage and fury which is against us and especially the eyes hearts of all those of us who have endevoured to be faithfull with thee in these sinfull times and to walke humbly before thee as Enocke Noah Abraham Moses and Daniel Grant that wee may looke up to thee onely who though thou art so gloriously exalted in the highest heavens yet lookest upon all the Sonnes of men and seest all the wronges that are done unto thy Children and hearest every of their sighes and groanes writest them in thy booke puttest their teares in thy bottle and in thy due time wilt make this knowne before all the world howsoever the wicked and ungodly thinke not so but have removed thee farre out of their sight Good Father pardon this sinne unto all thy Children that in the daies of our peace we and all thy Churches have amongst other sinnes made flesh our arme withdrawn our hearts from thee the living God we have so much looked at our earthly fathers of all sortes and to earthly meanes as that we have sayd as they did of Iosiah that under the shelter of those great trees we should be safe from all the violent stormes which could be raised vp by Sathan and from all scorching heate of persecution so that in regard of them we have thoght we should never be removed thou Lord hadst of thy goodness by them made vs to stand so strong Lord make us to see how justly for this sinne thou hast taken away these earthly Fathers from some of the Churches weakned them in others and mayest now most justly even for this verie sinne alone so infeeble the armes of all the rest as that they cannot helpe thy Children yea that thou mayest contrarily so turn their hearts agaynst thy deerest Children for it that insteed of helping them they may rather joyne hands against them until such time as we shall see our sinne even in this behalfe amongst all other our heinous transgressions and turne our eyes agayne onely to thee our heavenly Father and cheefe Protector Oh grant unto us that wee may never rest before that time that by our unfeigned repentance for this and all other our sinnes and by our Prayers and teares crying all about thy feete we have caused thee to relent towards us thy bowels of compassion to earne over us in hearing our sighes and cryes and in seeing so many of us so lef◅e unto the hands of all thine our bloody merciless enemies Lord make vs all able to looke up thus to thee and by faith to behold thee sitting in heaven laughing to scorne all the devises of thine enemies guiding there the great wheele and by it ordering turning and over-ruling all these inferiour less wheeles heere below that though they seeme to be carried violently in a contrary motion yet wee may see all of them serve and by thy infinite wisedome and power made to helpe to accomplish thine eternall decree in whatsoever thou hast appointed concern̄ing the gathering in of all the remainder of thine elect both Iewes and Gentiles the comming downe of the new Ierusalem the present and eternall glory of thy Sion with the vtter ruine downfall of Babel the endlesse condemnation and destruction of that Whore of Babylon and of all thine enemies for evermore Lord make us rightly to understand fully to know that as Herod and Ponti◅s Pilate and all the people of the Iewes did not nor could doe any other thing against our eldest Brother thy deere Sonne our onely Lord and Saviour then that which thine owne counsell had determined for his highest advancement at thy right hand for thine owne eternall praise the sending downe of thy holy Spirit in that wonderfull manner the publishing of thine heavenly Gospell the calling of the Gentiles the inlargement of the Church and spreading it over the whole earth so at this present time neither Sathan nor Antichrist Mahomet nor all the mighty and subtilest enemies of the world can doe any other thing against thy Church or Children then that which long before even from before the foundation of the world was laid thou hast ordained and that for the full accomplishment of whatsoever thou hast foretold concerning both thy Church and Children and also concerning thine enemies and for preparing the way to thy glorious appearing Lord helpe us in this that looking over all things heere below wee may not onely stand still to see what thou wilt doe but that we may rejoyce in faith beholding thee thus ordering and disposing all things to these blessed ends and that thou art making all Angels Principalities Powers yea Sathan and all his instruments with all their rage malice might and subtilty in the very extreamest butchering slaughtering of thy Saints to worke together for the effecting heereof that so wee may rejoyce even heerein with joy unspeakable glorious and in this our blessed estate Lord make us to glorifie thee in this confident assurance that though we should be killed all the day long as many of our Brethren thy deere Children lately have bene for thy name sake and as wee are indeed in the designes of thine and our enemies accounted as sheepe for the slaughter yet that in all wee shall ever bee more then Conquerors thorow that blessed one in whom thou hast loved us Yea deere Father make us to triumph in this that whatsoever wee shall or can suffer in the meane time for thy names sake as other our Brethren do at this day and Sathan threatneth us that yet neither tribulation anguish persecution famine nakednesse bonds imprisonment perill or sword can ever seperate us from thy love in Christ Iesus our Lord if once we have the full evidences in our soules that wee are thy
speedy and unfeigned repentance thou wilt cut them offâ—… from ever seeing thy celestiall Canaan and much more make all them to know this specially who with the tenne spyes after they have not only searched out the good land tasted and brought to others the fruite of it but filled them selves at least with the outward blessings and daynties thereof have yet either turned backe or brought an evill report upon it even upon thy sacred religion and Gospell to discourage their Brethren thereby to cause them to be faint-hearted and as much as â—…veth in them to turne into Aegypt againe Oh Lord most holy most dreadfull and most terrible make us all ever to remember that of all those hundreth thousands who so tempted and dishonoured thee by their unbeleefe in the way towards the earthly Canaan never any one could enter in but thou causedst their catkasses to fall in the wildernes untill they were utterly consumed and for those that brought that vile slaunder upon the good land thou causedst them to die by a terrible plague and that therefore these may justly expect a more heavy wrath and vengeance from thy Majesty Oh gracious Father give all thine owne faithfull people and children the same hearts of Caleb Iosua especially all them who as those thy two worthy servants have unto this day constantly stucke unto thy sacred Majesty in the conscionable profession of thy heavenly truth that we may all couragiously and boldly give testimony unto the happinesse of this good land into which thou hast brought us this good way of life wherein thou hast set us that this indeed to wit the sincere profession of thy name according to thy sacred word and as it is confirmed by our good Lawes is a land that floweth with milke and hony and the Lord if he love us will continue it unto us and increase the glory and happinesse of it untill he have brought us into his heavenly Canaan Inable us good Father thus to incourage our owne hearts and the hearts of all our faithfull Brethren and for all other to perswade them by all meanes out of thy blessed word that they rebell not against thee the Lord of hoasts neither feare the proud enemies of the Church but onely that we may joyntly be truly humbled before thy glorious Majesty for all our sinnes whereby we have thus provoked thy greatnesse and holinesse thus caused thee to muster thine armyes and to strengthen thine and our enemies against us to cause thine owne people in so many places to fly before them Oh Lord inable us by thy holy Spirit that wee may never leave wrastling with thee untill we have prevailed with thy Majesty thus farre that thou shalt incline the hearts of all especially all those whom thou hast set in thy place for the saving of thy people that they and all their dominions even all the Churches and every soule of thine may seeke thee in sack cloth and ashes in fasting weeping and mourning never giving over crying to thee through thy Christ untill thine anger be appeased and thou bee reconciled to thy people againe for that then undoubtedly as thou hast bene wont to doe in former Ages thou wilt make thine and thy Churches enemies to be but bread for thy people that all the world shall see that their sheild is departed from them and that thou the Lord of hoasts art with us and that wee shall not need to feare them any more Oh gracious God most tender Father cause all the Churches to know and especially us of this sinfull nation that hitherto we and so many as have beene preserved thou alone hast spared and saved us of thy rich mercy and at the instant requests importunings of thy Moseses which have bene amongst us And more specially cause all unbeleevers to know that thou now speakest to them as thou diddest to thy people in the wildernesse That notwithstanding thy great mercies and the sparing of us at the cries of thy faithfull ones yet all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. that all those who have seene thy glory the good land and great deliverances which thou hast given to thy people and yet have so oft and doe still tempt thee not obeying thy voyce shall never see that thy heavenly Canaan which thou hadst so promised and offered unto them nor any other that so provoked thee by their unbeleefe That onely thy faithfull servants who as Caleb and Iosuah having another Spirit doe follow thee still remaining still more constant and faithfull even in the greatest timerousnesse and backsliding of the multitude these onely thou wilt bring into the heavenly Canaan and they alone shall inherit it for evermore Heare us Oh most gracious God and loving Father and keepe us by the mighty power of thy blessed Spirit that alwayes remembring what thou hast done for us and considering aright of the miserable estate of all under Sathan and Antichrists tyranny and our owne happy estate and condition under our Lord Saviour Iesus Christ we may all joyntly strive fast forward towards the full fruition of thine owne glorious Majesty in the heavenly Canaan and in the new Ierusalem eternally Grant that in the meane time the unfeigned repentance of all thy true Churches and people for all our sinnes may bee one of thy effectuall and principall instruments for the pulling of the remainder of thy people forth of Sodome and of Aegypt and to cause all thine to fly speedily and get themselves out of Babilon that by escaping her sins they may likewise escape her plagues and finally that it may thus prepare the way to the calling and conversion of the Iewes the gathering in of all thy Israel the speedy comming of our Lord and Saviour for our eternall deliverance the everlasting glory of thy Sion and of us all for evermore Heare us Oh most gracious Father in these our requests and accept of this our poore thanksgiving for this inestimable favour even for Iesus Christ his sake our onely Lord and Saviour X. A prayer that wee and all the Churches in token of our thankfullnesse to our blessed God for our deliverance from Babilon for making us his people and Children and his Covenant with us may set our selves to honour him more then ever wee have done especially in a more conscionable and chearefull walking in all his holy Lawes and Commandements that hee may alwaies keepe us from that bloody tyranny OH Lord most holy most great and glorious who hast made all things for thine owne sake even the wicked for the day of evill Perswade the hearts of all thine owne people that thou hast thus created formed all things for thine owne honour that thy great name might ever be magnifyed in all the world and especially by thine owne children and to this end
and withall that as the Popish sort in every place have set up other Gods to anger thee as chiefly their holy Father the Pope whose word and ordinances they reverence above thine rejecting thy word utterly in regard of their Popes decrees and traditions and with him have set up all their Saints and Idols to whom by their invocation of them they give his glory so every one of us who albeit in words wee professe thee our God have yet in our hearts set up other things which wee preferre before thee and on which we spend moe of our thoughts more of our love and care to enjoy them then on thy Majesty even wee likewise have set up so many false Gods in our hearts to provoke thee to the uttermost And finally good Lord make us all able to see by this first commandement of thine how wonderfull few they are so farre as we are able to conceive who by the light of their good workes doe indeed and truth glorifie thee their heavenly Father by shewing forth before men and Angels that they have so set thee up in their 〈◊〉 as their God and those few that doe so indeed are the men principally maligned of all the people of the world even for this cause principally because they shew in their lives that they have thus in their hearts set thee up to bee their God although that they be the onely blessed people having thee their God all other being in a most miserable estate and that they are therefore the onely men in honour and favour with thee and by whom chiefly as by Abraham Noah and Moses thou savesâ—… and preservest all the rest of us Make us Lord to understand and conceive aright hereof and that for this very 〈◊〉 alone whereby we have so generally seâ—… our selves not onely to maligne and dishonour theâ—… but even to fight against thy heavenly Majesty wee may wonder how thou hast spared us of this nation hither to and not left us up as the other Churches untill we shall see and acknowledge what wee hâ—…e done against theâ—… our most gracious and out most blessed God in this behalfe Heare us Oh tender Father â—…nd suffer us never to â—…est untill wee have repented particularly of this our most heynous and crying sinne and that all of us that ever looke to have a strong assurance that we belong to thy eternall â—…lection have thus truly seâ—… theâ—… up in our hearts as our Lord and God That so by our unfeigned repentance thou maiest once againe manifest thy selfe in the deliuerance of all thy Churches and people in a more glorious manner to bee still our God graciously reconciled to vs againe in Iesus Chrst maiest so renew thy Covenant to remaine our God and the God of our posterity through him and for his sake alone for evermore Amen Amen XII A humble confession of the sinnes of the Churches and an acknowledgment of Gods righteous proceeding for our unthank fulnesse and transgression of his Lawes and for that though wee haue heard of all their miseries and knowne our owne dangers yet we haue not beene humbled nor made our supplications as we ought according to the 1. of Nehemiah OH Lord God of heauen and earth who art the great and terrible God proceeding most fearfully in thy dreadfull judgements even against thine owne deare people and children as thou diddest against thy people of Israel for their unthankfuluesse for their despising transgressing thy blessed Lawes and Commandements and yet art withall full of mercy and tender compassion to thy people repenting of their sinnes and truly humbled for their provocations thou who keepest Covenant and mercy for ever for all that truly love thee and who desire unfeignedly to observe all thy Commandements heare us and al thy poore Churches and people in all the earth at this day looking up to thee alone and crying loude unto thee We pray thee Oh tender Father that thine eyes may be open and thine eares may bee attent both to behold the miseries and dangers and to heare the prayers of thy poore servants which wee all joyntly poure out before thee day and night for our brethren thy servants and children which are in such great affliction and doe now uncessantly confesse all our sins and the sinnes of all thy people which we have sinned against thee Both we and our Fathers all of us have grievously provoked thee now this threescore yeares and aboue even since thou first tooke us by the hand to bring us forth of Egypt Babilon and diddst also carry us out as uppon Eagles wings by thy mig hty hand and oâ—…t-stretched arme Oh Lord wee have heard long do dayly heare more and more of the innumerable miseries which thou broughtest uppon our brethren and sisters in the Palatinate it being a principall member even of our owne selves Aud so in Bohemia and the Countries adioyning to it though further remote from vs yet our deare brethren and sisters in Christ Iesus and so likewise in the Churches of France hard at our doores in all the direfull slaughters and butcherly cruelties which thine our merciles enemies haue executed upon them in their bloody rage without any pitty We have also heard and do still daily heare ringing in our eares the miserable state and condition of the residue of them that have escaped the bloody sword some of them induring all kind of violence and calamities of all sorts living in all reproach the wall of their Ierusalem being broken downe the gates there of being burnt with fire all the rest of them living in continuall feare because of the deadly fury and hellish plots against them to destroy them all And yet though wee have long heard do dayly heave of these things and of the rage of thine and our enemies still increased against them all and against our selves have wee not with thy holy servant Nehemiah sit downe wept and mourned for them muchlesse fasted and prayed before thee the God of heaven in their behalfe in any such manner as we ought Oh thou our most holy God and pittyfull Father we humbly confesse and acknowledge that wee have all grievously sinned against thee wee have not kept thy great goodnesse in remembrance which thou shewedst unto us in delivering our fathers and us so wonderfully from Aegypt Babilon by so mighty a hand nor the many great preservations and deliverances which since that time our eares have heard and our eies have seene how thou hast rescued us from their jawes nor yet have we kept in memory how thou tookest us to bee thine owne peculiar people of all the people of the earth made thy Covenant with us to bee our God and that wee should be thy people so that wee would but walke in this thy Covenant But this our Covenant with thy Majesty though all of vs who professe thy Gospell have solemnly
cause all our lands to keepe such dreadfull Sabbaths being possessed by thine and our enemies as so many of them doe already and seeing wee would not serve thee in our owne good lands under thine owne servants with cheerfull glad hearts that we should serve thine and our enemyes not onely in our owne but even in forraine Countryeâ—… with heavinesse and terror all our daies And as wee have sinned rebelling against thee in every one of these so likewise against all the rest of thy holy Commandements and even against thy heavenly Gospell and ordinances as that wee have justly forfitted them all and all other our priviledges and promises Wee therefore acknowledge in the behalfe of all thy people that thou art righteous in all that thou hast done unto us and if thou still further execute whatsoever thou hast denounced in thy blessed Law against us And yet notwithstanding we do humbly beseech thee to remember the word that thou commandedst by thy servant Moses saying Ye will transgresse and I will scatter you among the people But if you turne to mee and keepe my Commanddments and doe them though your scattering were to the utâ—…ermost part of the heaven yet will I gather you from thence and will bring you to the place which I have chosen to place my name there Now these deere Father are thy people yea thy servants and children our owne brethren and sisters whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power by thy mighty hand as well as our selves some of them of the chiefe of us all any one of whom is worth many thousands of the 〈◊〉 of us Therefore Oh good Lord we beseech thee let it be enough to awaken us all that thou hast so far stretched out thy hand against these our brethren being thine owne children and inheritance and let thine eare now at length hearken to the praiers of thy servant and to the fervent supplications and loud cryes of all thy servants who desire to feare thy great name and give us favour in thy presence and in the presence of all those whom thou hast set in thine owne place to bee nursing-Fathers and nursing-Mothers to thy poor Church and people Grant that their first care may bee to bring us all to unfeigned repentance for our sinnes that thou mayest bee pacified towards us and then good Lord put into their hearts a holy submission to cast downe their crownes before thy deere sonne our Lord Iesus Christ and to give all their power and authority unto him to helpe by all holy meanes to redeeme and restore his Captives that they may againe serve thee in their owne places each under their owne vine and figâ—…ree under the authority and command of thy deâ—…re servants as ever they did before Oh let this prevaile with us all to make us all to remember our vowes to â—…urne to the obedience of thy blessed Commandements and especially to turne heereby to keepe thy Sabbaths and to reuerence thy Sanctuary yâ— thou mayest as much lift them and us al up in mercy as thou hast formerly cast them downe and that thus wee and all future Ages may learne to feare thy great name and evermore sound out thy praises both in word dnâ—… deed expressing our thankfulnesse in all holy and new obedience that so thy glory may shine in all the world Heare us most mercifull Father in these our humble requests and al others c. XIII A humble confession of the heynous sinne of our lande and namely in all the Popish sort who have so fearfully polluted it in reiecting the Lord and his pure religion casting it forth of theis hearts and setting up the Pope of Rome with his abhominable Idolatry and superstition in place thereof to provoke his heavenly Maiesty against us with prayer for pardon and that they and all other may in due time see this fearfull sin that casting out Sathan and Antichrist they and all of us may againe set up our Lord Iesus Christ to the pacifying of his sacred Maiesty and the saving of us all OH Lord most holy and most glorious who canst not beare with any kind of impuriâ—…y or other wickednesse in thy people which professe thy name whom thou hast chosen to set thy Tabernacle amongst and much lesse that they should reject thee and cast thee forth from râ—…igning in their hearts should set up Sathan and Antichrâ—… to obey them in thy â—…lace open the eyes of all them who are superstitiously minded and even the eyes of us all to see what we have done in suffering that religion to thâ—…ive and so farre to grow up againe thrusting thee out with thy sacred truth as in all who obey the Pope of Rome receiving and reverencing hiâ—… word and ordinances above thy heavenly word Oh grant to all them who have so fallen away from thee rejecting thy glorioâ—…â—…sty and also to all who 〈◊〉 in a mammering and much more all those who have so begun of late to dote after Popery to bethinke themselves seriously what they will answer unto thy sacred Majesty for their so casting thee off and thy Religion after the time that thou hast so loâ—…g so clearly and fully discovered the basenes and vilenesse of Popery and so to cast it out of our land by such a generall consent of our Princes Nobles and Commons and so good Lawes made against it Cause them and all sorts wisely to weigh and consider well with themselves that this our whole state did not so cast it out at once without iust cause nor our whole land so renounce it without a most palpable discovery of the filthynesse thereof How before that time even very Idiots and little children saw how all had beene deluded and rob'd by it through all their Masses Purgatory Pilgrimages Pardons with all kinds of their jugling 〈◊〉 and how all was but to get money to make themselves faâ—… and Lords of all both bodies and soules of men that all might be their slaves and vassals like as it is in all the Popish Countryes at this day Make them all to understand and know how all those whose eyes thou hast not shut up did tken plainly perceive and acknowledge thy vengeance most justly uppon all those places called their religious houses as their Abbeyes 〈◊〉 Nunneries and the like in their ruines desolation for all the abhominations committed in them How notorious this filthynes of them was even more loathsome and abhominable then the sinne of Sodome through their fulnesse of bread and aboundance of idlenesse How they weâ—…re al red with blood with the cruell and unnaturall murderâ—… of Infantâ—… to hide those their odious sinnes Cause them all at length â—…o understand and lay to hart that those houses wherein was the chiefe practise of their religion were nothing else but dens of theeves couzening and robbing the whole land and every day by their new devises fetching
in new spoyles How all this which is charged upon them in this behalfe was most apparant in this one thing that heereby they had got into their hands most of the pleasantest fartest things of the Land to uphold their kingdome and to support their wickednesse and so all other their delusions evident by most notorious discoveries remayning uppon perpetuall record to all posterity Lord at length make them and all sorts wisely to understand before it bee too late that if the continuall practise of Sodommy Whoredome Murder Lying Robbing swallowing up whole Nations and all under a clâ—…ake of devouon and piâ—…y could demonstrate a religion most abhominable and accursed then surely Popery must needs bee it That this was then a chiefe part of that Babylon which is called the mother of whoredomes and abhominations of the earth and that in the fâ—…ll hereof was a part of that vengeance verified That Babilon is falne it is falne and is become an habitation of devils a hold of all foule Spirits when as the most of them were afterwards hanted with devils in one roome or other of them Good Lord cause them moreover to bethinke themselves how evidently of the contrary as if it were from heaven and how mightily thou hast maintained proclaimed thy sacred truth and convinced them all and all the whole land concerning the evidence of thy religion professed amongst us by the blood of so many learned and most faithfull Martyes yea by so many of thy Prophets and worthy Preachers in every part of our land so many learned writers unanswerable Make them and all of us to lay to heart at length what they can answer into thee who â—…ast discovered froÌ„ time to time such so many most barbarous and unnaturall 〈◊〉 eyther done or intended by their Iesuites and Seminary Preists and other of that religion and especially to be the fruits of their religion and the practise of their owne grounds and principles Such continuall plotting attempting and practising of murdering of Princes â—…sion of States butchering even their owne friends and kinsmen desolating their owne native Countryes mercilesse massacring old and young noble and ignoble men women and children Lord cause them and all sorts ever to keepe in memory that which was so much triumphed of by them before the victory that outragious insolent and most savage invasion of this our Nation and at the time of a treaty about a marriage and amity chiefly managed by her owne children and native subjects deluded by the principall Fathers and spreaders of that religion Oh let that hellish Powder treason ever be before our faces that wickednesse unto which no name can ever bee found out meete and sufficient to expresse it or able to set forth the nature of it That which was so compact of all the principall workes of the devill both lying murdering and all kinds of cruelty that thou Oh Lord madest them themselves to be trumpeters and publique proclamers by it of the abhominable iniquity of that accursed religion whereby it was contrived and managed and that they themselves should shew to all nations that it is come out of the bottomlesse pit and the very principall religion of Sathan in all the world under such a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of holinesse Lord give all thy servants grace wisely to consider of these things and to thinke how fearfull it is not onely for them who adjoyne themselves or turne to a religion of such abhominations but even for us all who have bene so warned thereof so many waies and that from thine owne Majesty in such aboundant compassion and by so many infallible evidences that wee through our negligence in our severall places have suffered it so to grow up againe â—…s thus to indanger us by it and our whole Nation yea even all the Church and people of the Lord besides the dishonouring and provoking thy heavenly Majesty to the uttermost Oh gracious God make them and uâ—… all wisely to consider the wonderfull Testimonyes which thou hast contraâ—…ly granted to thy Gospell in the miraculous continuance of it preservation of our Princes and us with all our peace notwithstanding so innumerable stratagems to have taken them away for so many yeares together how these have beene as infallable arguments of thy favour and love towards us for thy Gospell sake and for thy faithfull servants amongst us as the like were tokens of thy favour towards Iudah or Ierusalem Oh make us to call to mind how many a time thy people amongst us have even wondered at our incredible deliverances and preservations with the defeating of their new hopes and long expected daies and also the new and almost continuall discoveries of their wicked intendments which even they themselves at this day so many as iâ—… whom 〈◊〉 the light of nature 〈◊〉 doâ—… acknowledge and wonder at the miraculous oâ—…turning of all theâ—… counsels to worâ—… for us and against themselves 〈◊〉 this â—…ery day so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thy 〈◊〉 and watchfull eye over us hatred of their wickedâ—… Wherefore Oh blessed Father we humbly in-treat thee to great unto us al true repentance for this amongst all other our fearfull and crying sinnes daily 〈◊〉 up more and more the 〈◊〉 of thine Anoynâ—… our 〈◊〉 Soveraigne with all other in high place and chiefe authority under him and all thy faithfull Ministers and whomsoever it specially concernes to labour that our sinfull Land may be fully purged of it and the evils prevented which thou threatnest against us by the increase and spreading of it Grant that thus wee all joyntly and generally setting thee up in our hearts to worship and adore and to receive thy sacred religion alone may utterly extirpate and abolish all conceite of giving thy honour and soveraignty to that man of sinne or setting up his Idolatry or superstition in place thereof That so wee may remayne thine owne obedient people that thou mayest likewise continue our most gracious God and loving Father and so our most watchfull protector for ever and mayest never repent of the good that thou hast done or further intended towards us but mayest thus make us a most blessed and happy nation and people amongst whom thou alone mayest solely relgne untill thy blessed Sonne shall come in the clouds that then all we who are thine may reigne with thee in the highest heavens for â—…vermore 〈◊〉 us oh most gracious God hâ—…erein and in all other things needfull for us or for any member of the whole Church for our Lord Iesus Christ Amen Amen XIIII An earnest prayer that the Lord would open the eyes of our brethren and sisters seduced by the Iesuites and other Seminary Priests that they may plainly see how palpably they are and have bene deluded by them in what a fearfull estate they all stand under Sathan and Antichrist and may speedily get them from under their Tyranny and betake themselves to the banner of
sathan and Antichrist fight against him and his Church for his cause onely and therefore are sure to be overthrowne pag. 59 9 How our Lord Iesus is that everlasting Amen and comming quickely for the reioycing of his Church pag. 67 The third generall Meditation 3 What manner of ones wee must bee whom the Lord now calleth and whom he will accept and admâ—…t to bee his helpers in this Worke and whose Prayers shall be avayleable with him according to our Saviours direction and warrant pag. 68 Heerein these particular Meditations and marks 1 To make sure that we be the true Children of our heavenly Father and the meanes thereunto pag. 72. 2 That we be such as can and use to seeke Gods honour above all other things whatsoever pag. 86 3 That we use to seeke his Honour chiefely in the advancement of the Scepter and Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ. pag. 87 4 That we seeke also to honour him â—…ver in the full accomplishment of all 〈◊〉 Heavenly will pag. 89 5 That we bee such as looke unto and depend upon our heavenly Father alone for all good things pag. 91 6 That wee be such as feele our sinnes and infirmities as in heauie burthen and travailing vnder them do flye ever unto Christ. pag. 93 7 That wee endeavour to pray continually Leade us not into temptation pag. 95 8 That we bee such as can and doe use to sing the song of the 24 Elders Glory Honor c. pag. 97 The fourth generall Meditation 4 Concerning the frame and order of our Prayers that they may be well pleasing as wel as our persons and so wee may be more certaine to prevayle thereby when we follow in all things our Saviours direction pag. 100 Heerein these particular Meditations 1 That we pray onely unto our heavenly Father in the name of Christ. pag. 101 2 That above all and in all we ayme at Gods glorie and the advancement of Christs scepter pag. 102 3 That we seeke the dooings of his heavenly will for his glory and kingdome chiefly not for our selves pag. 105 4 That we seeke all things from him alone chiefely that wee may have wherewith to honor him and advance his Kingdome pag. 106 5 That wee seeke forgivenes for the same ends viz. for his glory and Kingdom and that our sinnes doe not hinder his mercies and so likewise deliverance from Sathan and from all evils pag. 108 The fifth generall Meditation 5 The power and efficacy of our Prayers made and performed in all things according to the heavenly patterne pag. 120 Heerein these particular Meditations 1 That when wee can so ' pray he will manifest himselfe our father setting his seale to our soules that hee is our tender father pag. 111 2 How hee will from Heaven shew us his glory when we can pray so and that more then ever in this last Age. 112 3 How hee will then cause his Kingdome to come with power and ruinate the kingdom of Sathan and Antichrist pag. 115 4 How he will then fulfill whatsoeuer is not yet accomplished concerning his enemies or his servants and put new chearfulnesse into our hearts to doc his wil. pag. 116 5 How he will then deliver his people feede them from Heaven and recompence double unto them pag. 118 6 How then hee will cleanse his people from their sinnes and write his Law in their harts pag. 119 7 He will deliver his stocke from Sathan and dissolue all his cursed works discovering the depths of all his wickednesse pag. 122 8 How then he will declare him selfe sole Monarch to whom all glory belongs and cause all to acknowledge his Soveraigâ—…ty pag. 125 9 How we are never to rest till wee can triumâ—… in the assurance of faith crying ioyntly Amen pag. 128 The sixt generall Meditation 6 How all but those who are so qualified as is mentioned are excluded from helping the Lord and do rather pul down Gods wrath upon his Church Herein these particular Meditations 1 How all living securely are excluded hence and so all who doe not in commiseration strive to come to helpe him and his poore Church 131 Reasons heere of to be seriously thought of 1 All such must be separated at the last day 2 All living in any grosse sinne impenitently are excluded hence for that they are blind and deafe pag 1â—…5 3 All the threatnings in Gods Book against such sinnes and sinners are against them not any promâ—…se to them untill they repent and therfore they are excluded pag. 140 4 For that every notorious sinner helpes to pull down wrath on all pag 143 5 All excluded who have not so much compassion of theyr Brethren in their miseries as to be reâ—…d to adventure them selves for them pag 145 6 All but those who can more lay to heart the causes of God and his people then their own pag. 148 7 All reiected who will not cast away their sinne though as deere as their right eyes and receive the love of every part of Gods truth pag. 150 8 All excluded from this service who but incline to any evill in their hearts pag. 152 9 All but they who endevour in all things to be with our Saviour for that none else can be his true disciples pag. 153 2 The second particular Meditation of the sixt general who may with hope and confidence offer themselves onely they who strive in all things to bee so qualified as hee requireth pag. 155 Reasons that onely such can hope to have acceptance heere pag. 157 The 7. generall Meditation 7 That the Lord notwithstanding gâ—…ciously calles all sorts to helpe herein therefore every one who will not strive to bee of this number must perish pag. 165 Reasons shewing that he cals all to helpe if ever they will see his face with ioy pa. 167 Three speciall Meditations to be ouer in our hearts untill wee be of this number pag. 172 1 That the Lord Iesus standes at the heart of euery impenitent sinner to enter inâ—…knocking lowder now then ever heeretofore pag. 172 He knockes at the heart of everie one reading or hearing this or the like admonition offering mercy to them who will admit him in and having infinite wrath against all who will still repel him 175 2 To thinke what it is for a man to forsake his owne happinesse in reiecting Christs gracious call and to ioyne with sathan against him to his endlesse perdition Pag. 178 3 How God sets heerein before the faces of all life death blessing and cursing life to each one hearkning to his call and comming to helpe death to euery one still hardning his heart pag. 188 Conclusion How all the distressed partes of Gods Church do cry to euery one of us to come and helpe them pag. 192 How our Saviour himselfe calls each to come notwithstanding all obiections of vnfitnes or disability with the answer of euery true Christian heart to his call Lord I come I come pag. 195 These with the
prayers mention'd before in the generall Contents are the sumâ—…e of this first Part. The Second Part to succeede in the next place containeth Prayers likewise for all the Churches and people of God scattered thorough the whole world that wee may all seeke to pacifie the Lord by giving him his glorie in returning and submitting our selves wholly unto his Covenant and that we may obtaine by our instant prayers that wâ—…e may ioyntly honour him so walking and beleeving as his heavenly wisedome hath appoynted For this is a thing notoriously observed and acknowledged by all who rightly under stand the state of forraigne parts that as it â—… amongst us for the most part so it hath beene very generally amongst them in all the Churches that they have had onely a bare forme of godlinesse a naked outward profession of the Gospell in word but almost without any power or life thereof more then for a fashion And that this hath not onely thus fleshed our Adversaries to the destruction of the whole Church as dooing a thing meritorious unto God heerein for that they conceyve us to bee but a company of Heretiques in professiâ—…n very Atheistes in our lives but also provoked our blessed God so farre aireâ—…die to leave so many of the Churches into their hands and thus to threaten all the rest even us our selves seeing his kingdome is not in word but in power And therefore so many of us as have made such a carnall profession have not onely shewed foorth a manifest contempt of his heavenly Maiesty and his holy Covenant but put a Scepter of Reede into the hand of our Lord Iesus Christ smitten him uppon the face and trampled his Crowne under our feete and indeede made his and our enemies to blaspheme and thus farre to prevayle and insult over us Whereupon hee hath iustly begunne and threatned us all to take his kingdome from us to give it to another people which would bring foorth the fruite of it and to leave us all to bee trampled under foote by these our Enemyes untill we know by wanting the blessinges which wee have formerly inioyed and the difference betweene his service and the slaverie of his Enemyes As these prayers therefore according to our Saviours direction may serve to prepare the way for all other our prayers and our right accesse unto his glorious Maiestie to come with confident assurance and do proceed un to the first petition of the Lords Prayer and the end of the first Commaundement that we may all give him his due glory performing unto him his inward worshippe which is the fountaine of all true obedience so those that are to follow in the second part the Lord assisting are to go according to the tenour of the same heavenly rule of our Saviour thorow the whole Covenant made with our God both for all his Law and Gospell beginning at the second Commandement so thorow the Law and thorow all the Articles of faith with the doctrine of the Sacraments and other things belonging thereunto That thus all even the poorest servants of God may have matter enough of prayer to be exercised in continually and all to this very end for appeasing the Lordes wrath and reconciling him to all his Churches and Children againe First every one for himselfe and his owne particular to be assured of his own reconciliation to the Lord by the blood of his Son when he can so pray and obey in truth And secondly that every one having attained to this assurance and favour with the Lord may bee exercised dayly as those worthy servants of God Nehemiah Ezra and Daniel in confessing their owne sinnes and the sinnes of all the Churches and people of the Lord and in so crying unto him and importuning him untill wee shall see the ful deliverance and restoring of the Churches in Bohemia Palatinate the rest yea the enlargement of them by the gathering in of the Iew and the remainder of his Israel from the uttermost partes of the earth with the utter razing of Babel and untill we obtaine whatsoever else the Lord hath eyther promised to his people or denounced against his enemies And finally untill we shall everie one see the heavenly Ierusalem and the eternall glory of his Sion The third last part is God willing to containe principally Prayers for this our sinfull Nation that we may first all see and lively apprehend the danger wherein wee stand every moment of drinking at the Lords hand after those other Churches which have tasted so deepely of the cup of his displeasure seeing our sinnes are no lesse but farre greater then theyrs and that specially sith their ensample hath no more prevayled with us Secondly that we may all in time wisely understand the meanes which in his wisedome and mercie hee hath yet left unto us to prevent the execution ready to come forth against us And thirdly that we may euery one use all the meanes thereto each according to our place and calling by turning unfeignedly to the Covenant of our God not onely to prevent and for ever to turne away all the calamities deuised against us by our deadly bloody enemyes but also so to reconcile the Lord unto us that insteede of those miseries which our Enemies so long for to rush upon us hee may make us the happiest and blessedst Nation that ever was in this last Age of the world so to remaine to his eternall glory the comfort example of all the other Churches for evermore To these are also to bee added some speciall Prayers for our particular purposes and ocsions FINIS D. Wh. Rom. 9 2. 2 Sam. 5. 1. Apoc. 12. 7. Ephes. 6. 12. Vers. 11. Iudg. 5. 23. Iudg. 4. 21. 5. 26. Iudg. 5. 1. Exod. 15. 21. Apoc. 5. 13. Ier. 2. 5. The delusion what and the parts of it The first part of the delusion That in Poperie they have moe devotions than wee in our Religion Like that in the Gag for the new Gospeller * This twentie is but one this two and fiftie yeeres By this shamelesse lie judge all the rest Ioh. 8. 44. What is to be understood by Devotions * For their devotions wherewith they cozen the world and extremely oppresse the poore superstitious soules which will have them see them in their Catalogue of their English bookes dispersed within these two yeeres last past with their prices as they are in Mr GEES late discoverie viz. Foot out of the Snare p. 9â—… The second part of the delusion That the Popish devotions are holier than ours The holinesse of devotions wherein Which devotions are best in regard of the matter and forme in generall Ephes. 2. 20. 2 Pet. 1. 19. 1 Ioh. 5. 47. Mat. 16. 18. Mat. 24. 35. In regard of the more particular matter Phil. 3. 8 9. Rom. 3. â—…7 4. 2. A most evident triall according to our Saviours direction Triall by the ends fruits of devotions Triall by the manner 1 Cor. 14. 9 11
mercy And the crie of his servant Which are haue bene so hated 2 Chron. 36. Nothing can give us any true security but our unfeigned repentance Till this nothing but expectation of some dreadfull scourge The remooving of our Candlesticke heavier then all other outward iudgements how we deserve it And to have their Idolatry set up Knives at oâ—… throats Some of these to be feared for want of performance of ouâ—… Coâ—…so oft renewed by vs As in 〈◊〉 Fasts since The peaceable bringing in of our gracious Soveraigne At our deliverance from the hellish Furnace So many wayes witnessed How these must either worke the performance of our promises or arme the Lord against us Not to rest till we have brought our hearts to consider our dissimulation with the Lord. Psal. â—…07 6. 12. 19. â—…3 That we are now so farre further off from repentance That all begin to be almost out of hope oâ—… it How Iudah went further then we Even to a generall renewing the covenant outwardly Yet starting backe The Lord brought that Captivitie Notwithstanding all other meanes of their security To be thinking of the removing the Candlestick from other Churches Though God spare the wâ—…ole at the 〈◊〉 of â—…is deerest Yet everie particular soule not turning and helping must perish Kings Princes ordained and used to bring Gods people to repentance As by Moses c. As by Moses c. To pray therfore as for all of them so chiefly for our dâ—…ead Soveraigne That all may inquire wisely into the causes of all â—…heir evils That all is from the lord to bring us to repentance that hee may spare us And he may take our caus in hand By seeing how our sin is increased And our dangers And by inquiring the meanes to pâ—…isie the wrath And setting themselves to the speedy execution thereof To labour to prevaile for all herein cheefly for our dread Soveraigne bringing thus the greatest deliverance by his hand Lâ—…ad us not into temptation bâ—…t deliver us from evill To Meditate how Sathan having gotten the Church into the wildernes there exerciseth his tyrany on it Sathan seekes to cause all Gods people to fall away or to dissemble for fearâ—… by their miseries To provoke the Lord more against them Or to doubt of Gods favor soundnesse of their religion or faith Or whether they haue any Faith Thence to melancholy distempers To accuse themselves falesly The effect of the right Meditation of these How iustly God may leave Sathan to stand up against us as against Israel Euen against all the Churches but us pâ—…ially How Sathan roares uppon the Churches See Statesmysteries of the Iesuites The earth hitherto caused to helpe the Church Iust feare left our course should bee comming thorow Sathans wonderfull prevailing The right Meditation heereof will make us to cry loude Leade us not c. The fourih branch All the miserâ—…es of the Church chief ly from the Dragon Pastors and Watchmen ordained to preserve Gods Children to bee stirred up heer â—…unto at their cries They that cannot cry to be delivered from the tempter to helpe to deliver their brethreÌ„ must endure all miserie with him For thine is the Kingdome c. To meditate That the Kingdome is our Christs Apoc. 11. 15. Sathan Antichristâ—… sight onely against him Apoc. 16. 23. 24. How they have sent forth their croaÌ„king frogs To stir up all to battle against Christ Iesus To thrust him out of his throne And to destroy all his people We may iust ly thinke this the battle of the great day That though the Lord thus permit them to prevaile to harden them to pursue his people into the Sea Yet there he will get himselfe the victory When his people shall cry unto him Though there be mighty Kings against him and for Antichrist Yet the Lambe sâ—…all over come them That they shall give their power to the Lambe to make the Whore desolate To provoke our selves to more instant crying for the full accomplishment of this To consider how the whore is discovered to all 〈◊〉 mysteries of the Iesuits Layed forth to be visibly beholden of all to be of Sathan by his cheefe workes viz. lying and murther Received her deaths wound by her owne hands in the Powder treason And will fall being spent by her owne violent and bloody rage 4. branch That our Saviour hath clearly foreshewed her destruction of all who receive her marke Revel 19. Made the hoast of heaven to reioyce thereat Made proclamation to all to come to be inriched by her spoiles 5. branch That he will destroy every one that is not on his side Amen To reioyce that Christ is that everlasting Amen Who will performe every word which he hath spoken And is comming quickly After our seeing the order which the Lord takes in saving his Church and necessitie of prayer to be carefull we be such as the Lord calleth to helpe him Our certaine direction by the Lords prayer Our Father That having Christs call in our eares We make sure we be the true children of our heavenly Father by the true marks thereof 2. Pet. 1. 4. The first branch of this meditation more particularly to make this sure That we may not deceive our selves herein we are to thinke What ones we are by nature 1. Cor. 15. 47. Eph. 2. 2. Iohn 8. 44. Eph. 2. 3. 2. What ones we must be by grace 3. That we never rest in using the meanes untill we be such In regard of our miserable estate we stand in till then And more for the horror which will come oâ—… us when our consciences shall be awaked And our blessed estate of the contrary when can we finde our selves Gods Children Meanes cheeâ—…y the word and prayer For obtaining the principall graces Repentance Faith In ouâ—… repentance to 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Change 4. If such yet to labour to increase in our assurance in walking before him in more hprightnes Two lessons to be ever in memory to this end 1. That there is but one narrow way of life Iâ—…numerable leading to destruction 2. That one directed onely by Gods word The generall whereof is comprized in the Catechisme For Faith Conuersation Helpes in ouâ—… iourney the Sacraments For more strength so to walke earnest prayer 5. To pray thus for our Brethren as well as our selves that they may have the same assurance and so manifest themselves for their heavenly Father and for the good of all their Brothren as we doe To remember al ioyntly 6. To pray more specially for all in authority As in Gods owne place For the succour comfort of all the rest of their Brethen Bearing his owne name and ordained for this end Esay 49. That they may chiefly be indued with all excellent graces As in the first ranke Better to provoke all the rest And chiefly those peculiar to their places That we may performe all duties to them of honour Obedience Thankfulnes Therein those three Acknowledgment Hearty