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
people of the Lord both do shall so finde it and that more more as we more labour according to it having also such sure directions and such undoubted promises every part and pecce of it containing promises to the prayer of faith and to every true beleeving soule Whereby we may have a certaine assurance from our Lord Iesus Christ the author of it that he will accompanie it to every soule that shall be so prepared and so use it as be hath directed with the power of his owne spirit and be wonderfull in granting all things which we so beg according to his heavenly will above all that any heart can conceive Remember also for thy better incouragement how every prayer herein tends to the appeasing of the Lords heavy indignation which hath beene thus far declared against his people and this by our joynt seeking to give him his glory in helping to reclaime and reduce us all to the obedience of his blessed Covenant of Grace wherein is our life and thereby to the deliverâ—…e and saving of all the Churches the eternall salvation of all belonging to that his election of grace be they now Atheists Papists wicked profane or whatsoever and so to prepare the way in the universall repentance of the Churches to the comming of the new Hierusalem and the eternall glory of Sion So that every one of us striving to pray faithfully and fervently and to put in practise whatsoever we thus pray for so farre as it concernes us shall in every prayer and petition be true helpers unto our Lord Iesus and his poore Church and for every such a service even every houre so spent receive our pay and in the end for all a rich and most full reward Let every prayer be aâ—… the Sunne beginning at thy selfe in thy meditations but diffusing and spreading the bâ—…ames into all the Churches chiefly to those which stand in most need thereof and to every one of Gods chosen in all the world so far as he shall inable thee and it concerneth them and from them ever reflecting to thy selfe againe Thou hast heard the sound of the cruell warres abroad the late prevailing of the enemie the overthrow of the Churches the new threatnings of those bloudy intendments against all the rest and the increase of their rage daily In these poore helps and the like the Lord offereth thee weapons and directs thee so to use them that thou maist helpe them in the remotest parts calls upon thee loud to come and helpe them assures thee of a blessed victorie in the end that then thou and all the true Church and people of the Lord shall sing the songs of Miriam and Deborah and of the 24. Elders and triumph with Christ eternally when all who have refused to helpe shall weepe and waile for evermore Thus intreating that the Lord may at length awake thee and all his people that we may each give up a happy account and escape the dreadfull doome and sentence for neglecting his glory kingdome and people and may hence forward carefully use all the meanes which his goodnesse affords unto us for our present and eternall happinesse I commend thee to his grace and rest Thy fellow-souldier in Christ thus striving with and for thee I. B. The Contents in generall 1. AN Epistle to all the plaine and simple hearted people of our land seduced by Popery or in danger thereof 2. A preparation to instant prayer according to the necessity of the times and the present estate of Gods poore Church 3. The prayer it selfe divided into severall parts according to the severall branches of that heavenly patterne which our blessed Saviour hath set before us all to follow containing in it the principall part 's of the Catechisme and how to make right use of all specially for these times and so in praying better to imprint and remember the whole 4. A continuall quickning and putting new life into our prayers that we may never be weary nor ever give the Lord over untill we have prevailed with his heavenly Maiesty In the preparative this is ever to be had in fresh memory That all who are to helpe in this worke are to labour to bring their hearts to a due consideration of all these things following and to have a right feeling and practise of them so farre as they concerne us 1. How the Lord hath bene wont to looke for some to helpe him in all the great deliverances and distresses of his Church and how he expects the seruice of all his at this day 2. What necessity there is of servent prayer at this time aboue all former times in what neede the whole Church and every particular member stands of our prayers what a right feeling of the miseries and estates of our poore brethren each of us ought to have and how we ought to seeke to helpe them herein to the uttermost of our power 3. What ones wee must be and how qualified in all things if wee looke ever to be heard in our prayers for the Churches and hope to have our persons accepted 4. How our prayers must be framed that they likewise may be sure to be pleasing and availeable with the Lord. 5. What assurance we may have of the power of our prayers so sent forth to prevaile with our God and to overcome 6. How without these things and much more if we be of contrary minds and dispositions our prayers are turned into sinne and do helpe to kindle the wrath and to draw downe the vengeance of the Lord more speedily and fiercely upon all 7. That every one must strive to be of the number of them who are helpers in this worke or perish and how graciously the Lord cals every one of us hereunto 8. Particular prayers for helping the Churches framed according to our Saviours direction and the present necessity of all 1 A Prayer that we may bee made fit and accepted into this service of prayer for the Churches 2 A prayer for increase of love to all Gods Children and that we may keepe a continuall fresh remembrance feeling of the miseries of all our distressed Brethren without which we cannot pray for them as we ought 3 A prayer that we may know God to bee our gracious Father in Christ and to grow in the assurance thereof daily without which we cannot prevaile with him 4 A prayer that wee may not deceyve our selves in our imagination that we are Gods children as most do so remaine unfit for this service 5 A prayer that we may finde in us the particular marks of Gods children for our further assurance and boldnesse in prayer 6 A praier for knowledge and right use of the meanes whereby we may be made Gods children so grow up in our confidence and power in prayer thereby 7 A prayer that al may understand how deare Gods children are to him that they may be to us likewise and we therby able to pray more earnestly for them
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
and all other whom they seduce by their delusions But to omit all further comparisons for that it would bee too long and onely to content our selves with these and to come to a conclusion of this second point viz. That these things being so as every one who professeth Christs Gospell and holdeth the Religion of our Church must needs acknowledge and even the very consciences of our Adversaries will surely doe when they shall be awaked to answer as before the Lords Tribunall I now here appeale to every soule whether are more holy and so better their devotions or ours And thus I hope this second head of this monstrous destroying and devouring serpent is utterly smitten off for ever hereafter hurting any of Gods people who uprightly weigh these things and to whom it is given to beleeve the Gospell of Christ and withall to lay to heart that forewarning of Paul concerning the strong delusions of Antichrist amongst which these are not of the least And for them to â—…rag of the number of them being such is to boast of their store of poyson and pestilent infection enough to destroy not only themselves but even all the world And thus much for the second head To come therefore to the last head of this deadly Serpent which is yet more perillous and full of mortall poyson than the former viz. That they spend more time in their devotions than wee doe in ours and therefore their religion is better To cut off this likewise 1. I answer that their devotions being such as those which wee have heard viz. Idolatrous superstitious and against the direction of the Lord yea against his expresse charge like as all theirs are so farre as they are properly theirs the more time they spend in them the more they increase their sinne and so the wrath of God against themselves with their owne everlasting miserie so that to glorie of their many devotions spent in that kinde is but to glorie in their shame and in their sinne even in the launcing of their owne soules in a devotion like to the devotion of Baals Priests 2. Thus I answer that a Papist being a right Papist holding their usuall tenets and following their practice can never make one prayer which can be acceptable unto God nor doe any worke which can be pleasing for that they doe not onely condemne but also scorne yea persecute that true justifying faith which consists in a particular applying of Christ and in a peculiar and full assurance of Gods favour and love through Iesus Christ alone without which faith there can bee no sanctification for that all our sanctification flowes from our justification and our justification from this particular saving faith thus applying Christ to us and making him ours and so making us flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones whereby all our good works flow from him by his Spirit when wee are so united and incorporated into him thereby Now they denying and scorning that whereby they should bee made good trees can never bring forth any good fruit pleasing and acceptable unto the Lord For first the tree must be good and then will the fruit be good never before but scorning that whereby they should be made good trees and living members of Christ have his Spirit they can never do the works of Christ or bring forth the fruits of the Spirit 3. Though they could make never so many prayers and those good prayers in regard of the matter yet none of those prayers can ever be accepted but God threats to hide his face from them because their hearts and hands are full of bloud all of them at least the most devout of them wishing and seeking the bloud of all heretiques and so of us whom they principally account to be such amongst all other For their verie hating of us so mortally they are murtherers and much more hating and seeling to root us all out onely for our love to our God even for his names sake and for our cleaving fast to him alone and therefore cannot have eternall life abiding in them much lesse can any of their prayers be heard so long as they so remaine 4 Moreover for all their canonicall and set houres if they be either in such kinde of prayers as theirs are properly or else if they bee with the neglect of that particular calling wherein everie one of them should walke to eat their owne bread and not to bee as Caterpillers and idle bellies to live of the spoyle of the Church or Common-wealth much more if they be to deceive and to delude poore soules in an opinion of meâ—… it thereby and most of all in putting their works so done in place of the merit of Christ as in adding them to the treasure of the Church though by them they afflict and humble their bodies never so much yet all these the moe they are the greater is their sinne and miserie as was said before for who required any of the best of them done in this manner at their hands And much more any of those which are in themselves idolatrous or superstitious 5. For true and holy devotions and which are pleasing and acceptable unto God I doubt not constantly to affirme but that the poorest and weakest true Christian in our Church which rightly holding the doctrine of our Church and justified by the bloud of Christ through a lively faith in him makes conscience of all his wayes and so useth to pray according to his will in the name of Christ onely both spends more time in true holy Devotions and shall be more accepted with the Lord yea shall have more power to prevaile with his Majestie for whatsoever hee seekes and shall also bring more comfort to his owne soule and finde a farre greater reward from the Lord than the proudest Pharisaicall Papist in all the world For that the prayers of such an one so made are the prayers of faith unto which all the promises are made and contrarily all the prayers of the Papists so farre as they are Papists and so made can be no other but prayers of unbeleefe and so can looke to receive nothing because indeed they are nothing but sinne and displeasing to his Majestie And if the poorest Christian and hee that spends least time doe this what shall wee thinke of many thousands others who have set themselves unfainedly to seeke and walke with God Yea what shall we thinke of all those who knowing their owne sinnes and weaknesses and the continuall endevours of Satan against them with their owne necessities and the necessities of the Churches are driven to bee instant with the Lord day and night And chiefly what shall wee judge of all those who doe at this day truely take to heart the dishonours done unto his glorious Majestie the oppositions against Christs Gospell his crowne and dignitie with the state of his poore Churches and people therein the rage and
furie of Satan and Antichrist who have therefore set themselves truly to helpe our Lord Iesus in his members to pacifie his wrath and for the restoring of his captives with the glorie of his Sion Yet have we too just cause to accuse and condemne our selves herein not onely all our Atheists and prophane sort but also the multitude generally that wee suffer our adversaries so farre to condemne the greatest part of us who professe the Gospell that they should labour farre more in their superstitious devotions to increase their sinne and judgement upon them all though this have beene alwayes the nature of superstition than we in our holy and true devotions to increase our owne happinesse and for the saving of us all Notwithstanding that whatsoever deadnesse and want is amongst us in this behalfe it is not through the fault of our Religion which teacheth and enableth us otherwise when it is rightly knowne and practised but it is the want of true knowledge and of a sound and conscionable practice of our Religion Hence it hath beene and is one principall end whereunto I have bent my studies in these poore labours the better to awaken us and to put more life into us to begin more universally and joyntly and also more incessantly to importune the Lord herein being provoked by their ensample That thus we may labour as powerfully and as earnestly with the Lord hereby for the saving of our selves generally and of so many of them with us as belong unto his eternall election as they doe by theirs to destroy both us and themselves together And thus much also for cutting off the third head of this subtill serpent which I trust shall thus fall with the rest And now that this Hydra is so laid in the dust and all his heads taken utterly from him for so poysoning and destroying any more let me once againe come unto the further demonstration of that assumption concerning which that learned Gentleman of whom I made mention in the Epistle Dedicatory professed long agoe that if it could be proved viz. that Popery teacheth lying and murdering for the supporting of it he would utterly renounce his religion and embrace ours For that this doth in like manner and as neerely concerne every Papist in the world as it doth him That they must needs every one either professe with him that if it can be proued they likewise will utterly renounce Popery and embrace the Gospell or that they are of that Religion which is of Sathan and will so remaine whatsoever the Lord shall manifest to the contrary Which point as all may see doth fitly come in to be yet more plainly demonstrated in this place and upon this present occasion The Syllogisme whereby I endevoured to let him see the danger wherein himselfe and all the rest of them who are of that popish Religion doe stand because that Religion so farre as it is differing from ours and properly Popish holding their chiefe grounds must needs bee of the devill was grounded upon the expresse words of our Saviour to the unbeleeving Iewes who therefore sought by lies and all devices to kill him even for the truth which he declared unto them as now they doâ—… us all The words are Iohn 8. 44. Ye are of your father the Devill and the lusts of your father will you doe He hath beene a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth This I framed in the plainest manner that I could for the easier understanding and triall of it as now I doâ—… that every one may be better able to discerne of the truth and weight of it thus That Religion which teacheth lying and murder for the supporting and advancing of it is of the Devill But the Religion of the Iesuited Papist it a Religion which teacheth lying and murder for the supporting and advancing of it Ergo the Religion of the Iesuited Papists is of the Devill First the proposition I shewed to be strong from the expresse words of our Saviour and not possibly to be gainesaied for â—…hat if liers and murderers are of the devill then that Religion which teacheth lying and murdering to support and advance it selfe must needs be so likewise He therefore being pressed with the Assumption denied it onely by distinguishing that howsoever some of them had practised so yet it was not their doctrine and that if it could be proved to be their doctrine he would utterly renounce his Religion and ioyne himselfe againe to us This I undertooke to prove unto him but living some miles distâ—…nt from him and having my calling to follow which I was necessarily to attend the Lord our faithfull and most gratious Father seeing my unfained desire for his reclaiming and salvation undertooke for me the proving of it in such a manner as whereby to give satisfaction for the truth of it to all the world and for ever to stop his mouth and the mouthes of all our adversaries even of every one affected to that Popish Religion and that two waies First this conference of ours and so my promise being but a little before the powder Treason it proved it selfe or rather his heavenly Majestie manifested it by themselves leaving them up to themselves in that very powder Treason wherein there was for the supporting and advancing of their Religion first such a murder intended as the world before that day never heard of And secondly a lie as great as it devised not only to cover that bloudy fact for the present but by it to have destroyed all the rest who had escaped that blow even all truly professing Christs Gospell in all countreys of the earth under the name of Puritans for that they had commited such a fact viz. That the Puritanes had blowen up the Parlament house like as when it was discovered they gave it forth that the Puritans had intended it That which should have beene their owne most detestable act they father vpon the people of the Lord whom they would have butchered by it and blowne up for ever Now this whole act of this devillish and deadly preparation we know was proved to be done by the advice of Father Garnâ—… and other their superiours And therefore it being their doctrine that they are to obey their Superiours and Ghostly Fathers chiefly in all things which concerne the promoting of the Catholike cause and therein to be ever ready to adventure their lives I appeale to the conscience of this Gentleman and the consciences of them and you all whether it bee not their doctrine by necessary consequence 2. His heavenly Majestie goodnesse declared it thus further for me soone after upon the same occasion of the Powder-treason in causing Mr. Doctor Morton a man meet for his learning and knowledge of their workes to proue it against them in his booke called An exact discouerie of Romish doctrine in the case of conspiracie and rebellion written by direction from our Superiours
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
have bene truly humbled for this sinne and haue brought their hearts to such a lively sense and feeling of the miseryes of theyr Brethren as that their bowels can earne over them for the same The sixt Reason to be rightly considered of SIxtly we are seriously to thinke heereof and not to rest before we have brought our hearts to a right consideration of it That none but onely those who can so lay to heart the dishonors done unto his Majesty in the blaspheming of his great and glorious name the trampling under foot his Gospell and people as that they can at least unfeignedly desire and labour to bee more troubled for the same and more humbled in themselves for them then for any private evill that can betide thēselves or frends can possibly be meete for this worke For that if we do not so highly esteeme and prefer his glory and Gospell as that in regard thereof we can even neglect and despise our selves we do exceedingly dishonour and despise him and therefore must looke to bee despised of him and so have all our prayers and all service in this behalfe untill that time utterly rejected The senenth reason to be seriously Meditated of That none can be admitted who will not cest away their sinne though as deere as their right eye THis is above all though touched in part before to bee deeply and duely pondered to bring our hearts to a true beleeving and feeling of it that not any but such as now harken to his loud cry to repent and turne from all their evill wayes even in every particular can bee meete for this though their sinne be as deere unto them as their right eye if they love i◅ more then the Lord Iesus they cannot bee worthy of him Therefore sith God hath threatned all such that they must be cast into hell fire and so perish eternally from his presence how can they ever imagine to bee admitted to this worke seeing they cannot stand before him Or if they be such as have not no◅ yet will receive the love of the truth so as to obey it in what they know that they may be saved or such as when they know God they will not set themselves to glorifie him as God but contrarily will more and more dishonor him by going on obstinately in their sinnes or such as have set up any stumbling block of their owne wicked imagination to worshipe it how can they thinke to bee helpers herein unto the Lord for all others Howsoever they flatter themselves that they shall do well enough though they live in that sinne for a time or at least a little and that they shall have peace that God will bee mercifull unto them notwithstanding all that hee hath denounced to the contrary yet the Lord hath told us plainly that he will not be mercifull to any such but will make his wrath smoake against then untill they bee consumed Hee hath declared to all the world that such shall be either given up to be strongly deluded by Antichrist or by some other like delusion that they shall bee given up in the end to a reprobate sense as hee gave up the very Gentiles for abusing but the light of Nature yea that Gods owne Prophets shall helpe to deceive such to sooth them in their evill way answering them according to their owne evill heart That thus the stumbling block which any one hath set up to worship and wherein he hath preferred the obeying serving of his owne lusts before his obeying serving of the Lord Iesus shall be his ruine and destruction And therefore no such man so long as hee continueth obstinately in his sinne can hope to bee admitted or to have any hand or part in this holy worke The eighth reason hereof That but inclining to any fin God will not heare us ANd more then all this to awake our consciences yet more fully the Lord would have us further to thinke of this deeply that hee which inclineth to any wickednesse in his heart but to any one sinne desiring to have his corrupt lust satisfied in it contrary to the light of his conscience his prayer even for that is a bhominable so that God will not heare him as David professeth of himselfe The ninth reason hereof to bee ever in our hearts That whosoever is not with our Saviour is against him TO shut up all briefly this is never to be out of our hearts That whosoever is not with our Saviour is against him whosoever indeavoureth not to bee so with him so to follow and helpe him as a true Disciple and souldier to be furnished with every of the former qualities to bee armed with every part of the compleate Armour of a Christiain to be in all things such a one as hee hath so prescribed yea who will not bind set himselfe constantly to keepe his watch but sometimes give liberty to his owne euill heart hee cannot have any true hope to bee admitted to this worke but in pressing in to helpe without a warrant as Vzzah did to stay the Arke-tottering is in danger of Gods heavy displeasure and to have his prayer turned into sinne That it shal so come to pass unto him as unto those who would go to fight without y◠Lord. He may looke for a curse in stead of a blessing to have the Lords hand stretched out agaynst him to fall and flye before his enemyes Till this time every such a one may be afraid of comming neere the Mountaine of putting his hand to the Arke of rushing into the battle without Armor may look to speed as he that came to the marriage without his wedding Garment The second particular Meditation of this sixt generall Who may with hope and confidence offer themselues NOW upon all these and the like grounds we are to labour yet further to bring our hearts to a right understanding and a more thorovv apprehension of that second generall Meditation togither with this which followeth to wit That those and they alone who are so qualified and every way so fitted as are before described are the men whom indeed the Lord at this day looks for and which can say with the Prophet Esay Lord heere I am admit me for one of those whose help thou wilt accept For Lord thou knowest that to my poore power and that measure of grace which thou hast vouchsafed me I have in all things unfeignedly desired to be prepared and fitted to helpe thee and thy poore Church Accept of my feeble desires and supply that which is wanting Thy grace is sufficient for me Thy power is seene in the greatest weakness Lord thou that seest all hearts hast tryed my heart and my ◅eynes how unseignedly I have sought thee heerein contending to walke before thee and as in thy presence continually and to bee kept undefiled from
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
lively evidences thereof which is the chiefest of all though they be such as are deere and pretious unto the Lord and who have his holy Spirit for their earnest albeit onely for a time they want the sense feeling of it as it hath beene in many a soule in our memory and is at this day whereupon they have bene are so usually prayed for in many of our best Congregations from whence they looke for some helpe comfort by the praiers of Gods people if I say it bee so with them what can wee thinke shall become of the ungodly and impenitent sinners especially of those enemies of Christ and his Servants when their consciences shall bee throughly awaked and much more after this life when their case in regard of any comfort shall be contrary to the estate of these poore Servants of the Lord. If the righteous shall scarsly bee saved as Peter speaketh and as wee see how hardly it goes with these last mentioned where shall the wicked and ungodly appeare If the paine of one tooth alone be oft so extreame that it permits no sleepe nor rest day nor night when wee have all kind of other comforts to mitigate and ease it what can wee thinke the torments of all the parts both of soule and body must needs be in the Lake burning with fire and brimstone for ever where the very hope of all other comforts shall be utterly taken away which notwithstanding we are certainly assured must come upon all impenitent and ungodly sinners because the word of the Lord doth tell us so most plainly and so oft warnes us of it The Lord cals from heaven continually upon all who doe not repent them of their sinnes come to helpe him to thinke seriously hereof as which alone shall bee sufficiently able to convince and condemme all that ever have heard the holy Scriptures or but these fearfull examples alone The third Meditation How God herein sets before us all life and death blessing and cursing FInally we are to bethinke our selves in our deepest and best Meditations how the Lord here sets before every soule life and death blessing and cursing Life if we will but now set our selves seriously with all our hearts to seeke to pass all these difficulties never giving rest to our soules untill by our Meditations and prayers and the right use of all other holy meanes which in his word he hath prescribed us wee have attained so to beleeve and so to obey yea in all things so to doe as hee requireth at our hands that wee may be fit to helpe him and his poore Church Then we shall have boldnesse whatsoever come to passe we shall not need to feare though all our enemies were so many Divels wee shall not be dismaid for the adventuring and loosing of all Houses Goods Friends Parents Children no nor Life it selfe but contrarily in the middest of death wee shall be bold and couragious as Lyons for our Lord and Saviour knowing that nothing can separate us from Gods favour and in the losse of all we shall gaine all bee in all even in the middest of death more then Conquerors thorow him who hath so loved us and hath given himselfe for us and shall with him triumph over all our enemies eternally Death and cursing he likewise sets before us threatneth them unto us undoubtedly without unfeigned repentance whereof wee can have little hope if he now calling upon us thus earnestly to helpe him by the offer of so many mercies and such blessednesse on the one side we will not shew our true obedience and uttermost indeavour therunto and if hee denouncing so many miseries on the other side wee still refuse to harken living securely and doe not regard this gratious offer of mercy That when our feare shal come upon us like a whirlewind wee shall fly at the shaking of a sword even at the very report of our enemyes prevailing much more of their approching so neere unto us Our hearts shal be then as Nabals as dead as a stone and so wee shall live in a perpetuall expectation of the just wrath and vengeance of God to seize upon us everlastingly so that we can never expect any comfort after Yea withall we are wisely and deepely to meditate hereof how he bids us to chuse life that wee and ours may live by loving him obeying his voice cleaving fast unto him because he is our life and the length of our dayes And also how hee bidding us will also thereby give us strength to doe it so farre as we shall be accepted If we but beleeue his blessed Commandement and his Covenant of grace shall set our selves in the name and by the power of our Lord Iesu Christ to do what we can in and by the use of all the means which he hath ordained for obtayning this strength and grace so to helpe him and if we wil be as earnest as vigilant and industrious for attaining of this honour as we would be for the attaining of any earthly honour or riches For we cannot thinke that ever any man who sought this after this manner was rejected to wit if hee sought it as for treasure that is early earnestly and constantly And therefore all who wil not thus set themselves to obey help the Lord have their mouths for ever most justly stopped being left altogether without excuse And thus much also for this last generall Meditation and how we may in all things be in some good measure rightly and fitly prepared to helpe in instant and powerfull prayer for the poore Churches of Christ according to all whereunto the Lord now calles us thereby to have good hope to prevayle with him To wit when wee shall finde our hearts so affected towards his heauenly Majesty as to preferre him his glory causes before our selves so truly shewing that we love him with all our heart soule strength and might and our neighbour as our selfe as hee commandeth being so affected likewise towardes them and doing so to them as we would have them do to us if wee were in their estate and case All which we must everie one strive unto or perish if wee but onely as wee saw before stand on the other side in the day of our Brethrens affliction and much more if we will not bee moved by any one meanes nor all the meanes together whereby the Lord calls us thus to come to helpe him now I say that hee even our Lord and Saviour proclaimes to all our consciences before all the world that hee stands in such need of our helpe and so expects it hourely at our hands And this may suffice to prepare us all to this happy worke of true humiliation and of instant prayer for the Churches onely let mee put you in minde that our Lord Iesus Christ to the end that hee
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
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
vowes and Covenants which we have so oft renewed and that neyther judgements nor mercyes could prevaile with us and especially for making flesh our arme withdrawing our hearts and confidence from thy heavenly Majesty wee had long agoe deserved that both they and wee with all our blessings should have bene wholly left into the hands of thine our enemies which have and doe so eagerly thirst after our blood and that nothing at all hath kept us to this day but onely thy endlesse compassions and the yearning of thy bowels at the cryes and sighes of thy poore Saints and children in all the Churches looking up to thee alone and lifting up their hands unto thee Awaken us therefore graciously now at length Oh thou that hast kept thy Israel and neither slumbrest nor sleepest and cause us yet in time to understand the things that concerne our peace and whereby thou mayest bee wholly pacified towards us in this Nation with all thy Churches and people Oh grant unto us most tender Father to know and throughly to conceive aright that â—…hat which wee have so oft and so many a time promised unto thee and so bound our selves unto in all our perils and which thou hast so long expected thou now expectest at our hands above all former times now that thou hast added this above all former mercies thus farre to deliver us from our feares and to vouchsafe unto us such hopes for all future times every day to renew the same in that heavenly union and harmony of thy Annoynted and his whole most honourable Parliament for thy Church causes and against thine enemies Oh give us all such hearts that wee may yet now at length performe whatsoever thou requirest of us to make our repentance unfeigned sound and our full reconciliation thereby in being humbled before thee both publiquely and privately and in taking away all our abhominations and crying sinnes and in doing whatsoever may tend to the giving of thee thy due glory with the greatest advancement of thy heavenly Gospell and doing whatsoever thou requirest of us for the ratifying and confirming all thy mercies towards us and our making a firme union with thy Majesty amongst us all in Iesus Christ according to the right tenour of thy sacred truth That thus as thy hand hath formerly bene stretched out against us and against thy Churches and that the enemies have so sarre prevailed in their designes so now at last their joy may he as the joy of an hypocrite and that they may see their confidence as a spiders web Oh grant such hearts unto us all that thou seeing ouâ—… true repentance maiest give to us and to thy people the upper hand that we-may be above and not beneath that we may not onely stand valiantly as one man of one hart and soule for thee for thy heavenly Gospel with thine Annoynted his royall progeny and Dominions and each for our selves and ours our children posterity and for the true liberty of us all but also that all of us may be as bold as Lyons and being strengthned by thee and the power of thy might five of us thy servants may chase a hundreth according to thy promise made to the true turning of thy people to thee and a hundreth of us may put tenne thousand to flight That thus thine Annoynted and all his Royall Progeny and posterity may become the happyest heades of the blessedest progeny and dominions that ever were formerly in all the earth and all theirs and our sinnes and the sinnes of all the Churches may be freely forgiven never to be remembred against us or against any of thy true Churches any more according to thy heavenly promise and that for thy endless glory and praise the everlasting triumph of us all that wee may for ever sing praises unto thy great name through Iesus Christ that King of Kings our only Lord and Saviour Amen XVI A humble thanksgiving that the Lord hath already begunne so graciously to heare our praiers with supplycation that as we have made entrance into this service to helpe our Lord Iesus and his poore Churches by our prayers and teares so wee may bee every day more fitted and inabled hereunto untill wee shall see not onely the deliverance of his Churches and Captives but also the new Ierusalem and the glory of his Sion and inioy the full happinesse of them for ever in the heavens OH Lord God most holy and most gracious most faithfull and true who remembrest alwaies all thy gracious promises which thou hast ever made to thy Churches and people in thy blessed word and wilt in thy due time performe every one of them even to all of us who are thine when thou hast first truely humbled and prepared our hearts to pray and importune thy sacred Majesty seeking thee in order We magnifie thy great name that thou hast so visibly begunne to declare thy selfe to bee mindfull of thy promises in so graciously inclining thy care unto our cryes We praise thee and bless thee that as thou diddest proclaime thy name before thy servant Moses to bee The Lord The Lord strong mercifull gracious slow to anger and abundant in goodnesse and truth so thou hast done it before us all especially us of this sinfull Nation that thou herein hast made it manifest to the convincing of every conscience amongst us in sparing us at the praiers of some few of thy people unto this day We glorifie thee Oh good Lord that as thou hast caused it to bee registred in thy booke for all the Ages of thy Church how according to thy gracious promises thou ever diddest heare thine auncient people of Israel in their miseries and when they cryed to thee in their troubles thou then deliveredst them from their distresse so thou hast heard us of this sinfull Nation delivering us not onely at our publike humiliation from the mercilesse intended invasion but also pluckt us from Nebuchadnezars furnace at the private sighes groanes of thy secret ones and that so as that thou hast made these deliverances to bee recorded for all succeeding times Yea we praise and magnifie thee that thou still renewest these thy wonderfull and fatherly mercies to us a people so vnworthy of any mercie that thou hast hitherto continued and evidently declared the riches of thy compassion in saving us from all our feares first so graciouslie preserving and bringing back our most Royall and hopeful Prince disposing of all his dangers and our feares as thou diddest to Ioseph to the greatest comforts and hopes of thy Church and that thou hast since so lately manifested such riches of thy love and kindnesse in such a heavenly union among thy worthyest servants our Soveraign Lord and King with all his faythfull Peeres and true-hearted Nobility and Commons for the advancement of thy glory and Gospell and the saying of thy people with the frustrating
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