fight under his Banner against Sinne the World and the Devill is now brought by the Providence and Permission of God into the fiery Fornace of Affliction for the firme triall of His saving Faith and profitable Christian Exercise of Gods heavenly graces within Him and also by probability extracted from fatall Conjectures in the very Twilight of His time betwixt the Day of Life Night of Death being now a PRISONER in Carishrooke-Castle in the Isle of Wight mournfully complaining unto God in these words Oh! my loving and compassionate God who by thy most holy wise and powerfull Providence dost continually preserve and governe all thy Creatures and all their Actions I humbly pray thee for Jesus Christ his sake to grant me Pardon and Patience thou that searchest the heart and triest the reines thou knowest the Sincerity of my Soules Service towards thee my constant Resolution for the continuation of the Protestant Religion the carefull Preservation of the Ancient Lawes of this Kingdome the rightfull Priviledges of Parliament the just Liberty of the Subjects the firme Settlement of Truth and Peace amongst the People and the Conscience I make of keeping that Oath administred to Me and also taken by Me at My Coronation for which things sake c. I am now deeply involved into great Misery and therefore O My tender-hearted God take Me into the safe custody of thy powerfull Protection and shelter Me under the preservative Wings of thy speciall Providence for the fierce Floods of popular Rage are risen up against Me the swelling Surges of mischievous malitious Adversaries looke big upon Me the rough Waves of the rude Multitude strive to overflow Me the proud Billowes of insolent insulting Enemies have almost overwhelmed Me and the violent Streames of the bitter waters of Affliction are also every day ready to swallow Me up all which I know thou canst if thou wilt suppresse at thy Pleasure who stillest when thou pleasest the raging of the Seas Psal 65.7 the noise of the Waves and the madnesse of the People And now ô Lord in this My great Extremity I flie unto thee who art Almighty with whom there is Helpe from whom there may be Reliefe upon whom dependeth My Hope and in whom resteth My Confidence one Deepe calling upon another Psal 42.9 the Depth of My Misery calling upon the Depth of thy Mercy craving thy present powerfull Assestance for My speedy and joyfull Deliverance And though for the present My Body from Liberty be restrained yet through thy Mercy towards me My Heart with grace from thee is greatly enlarged and Love in Me towards thee much increased thou hast often put the oyle of gladnesse into My heavy Heart and such sacred Influences of heavenly Comforts I daily doe receive from thee as that I nothing doubt of thy Mercy towards Me. Oh my deare God! thou hast beene graciously pleased to make Me thy Vice-gerent over three Kingdomes but woe and alas I am now deprived of all that Power which formerly I had in them all three abridged not onely of that sweet Society of My deare Consort but also of all My loving and tender-hearted Children who might in this My great Distresse as comfortable Cordials to My heavy Heart afford Me some Comfort those who formerly were and still ought to be My loyall Subjects are now risen up against Me have here Imprisoned Me and I am now become not onely as an Abject unto them but also the very Object of their Reproach Scorne Contempt and Derision and none of My Subjects in all My three Kingdomes will vouchsafe to rescue Me out of Mine Enemies hands And in this My great Distresse My teares have beene my meate day and night Psal 42.3 while Mine Enemies daily and hourly reproach Me and also craftily plot greater Mischiefes against Me not onely for the deadly destruction of My mortall Body but also for the utter Extirpation of Monarchicall Authority whereby My Royall Issue and their Princely Posterity should for future times be for ever abridged of all their just lawfull and Kingly Power in this Kingdome after Me for which My potent Adversaries so wickedly intending and cruelly practising against both My selfe and Mine I have often eaten the bread of Carefulnesse and mingled my drinke with weeping Psal 102.9 Now in this My deplorable captivated and calamitous Condition I beseech thee O My gracious God who breakest not the bruised reede nor quenchest the smoaking flax looke downe with thy favourable Eyes of fatherly Pitty upon me and let thy mercifull and loving Bowels of tender Compassion yerne towards Me Heare my prayer ô Lord with thine eares consider my calling hold not thy peace at my teares Psal 39.13 And if it shall please thee O my good God to deliver Me out of the hands of Mine Enemies whereby My Life may be preserved from their furie I shall ever praise thee for being so mercifull to Me but if otherwise in thy heavenly Wisdome thou hast decreed concerning the last Period and inevitable Expiration of My naturall Life that Martyr-like I shall deeply drinke with My blessed and sweet Saviour in his owne passionate Cup of bitter Death and so My mortall Body to perish and be destroyed by the Violence of the People yet shall I ever acknowledge thee to be righteous and will alwaies even to the last breath of My Life pray from the ground of My Heart Lord pardon whatsoever I have done amisse through the whole course of My Life and sanctifie all the Dispensations of thy Providence in these My great Sufferings unto Me forgive all Mine Enemies their cruell and unnaturall dealing towards Me lay not their Sinnes to their Charge and then Not my will but thine ô righteous Father for ever be done Loe these pittifull Passages proceeding from His Majesties greatly grieved Heart together with many others me-thinks I heare Ecchoing in mine Eares for which by way of Christian Sympathie as well as obliged subjective Duty towards His Majesty my heavy Heart Heaven is my Record doth often pray privatly and sorrowfull Soule mourne secretly on his behalfe and so in like manner all other loyall hearted Subjects ought for to doe as well as my selfe that thereby we might prevaile with the God of Heaven for our gracious Soveraigne His present Deliverance out of all His Troubles and speedy Re-establishment in His Throne of Righteousnesse The which over-joyous welcome Blessing to this perplexed and distracted King-dome our good God in his great Mercy grant to us all for the Glory of his great Name the Peace of this disquieted Land and the slourishing Estate of this English Church Common-wealth wherein we live and let all those who sincerely professe and faithfully love the Lord Jesus Christ truely searing the living God and heartily honouring their lawfull King say hereunto unfeignedly with my selfe even from the very ground of their HRARTS and SOULES So be it Amen Amen Oh! let us all in the filiall feare of God
Angels that weake and mortall Men should be so sinfully wicked as to fight against the Omnipotent and Immortall God which all those Persons certainly doe who after such a manner as is here declared doe oppose take up Armes and fight against their lawfull King Loe such gracelesse and godlesse Persons have just cause to feare that the righteous Lord will open the revengefull Quiver of his displeasure and from the strong bent Bow of his unappeaseable Anger swiftly and fiercely send forth the sharpe Arrowes of his furious Indignation against them whereby they shall be deadly wounded to their utter Confusion According to the Lords righteous dealing towards those revolted Rebels adhering to wicked and usurping Jeroboam who tooke up Armes and fought against their good and lawfull King Rehoboam unto whose malecontented and rebellious people Jeroboam gave way to their Worshippe in Religion after that manner which best pleased them displaced and drave away the Lords faithfull Priests and Levites from their lawfull Habitations and also utterly suppressed them from the necessary Execution of their sacred Offices who were conformable to the Law and dutifull Subjects to their King lest they should keep up the peoples hearts in Obedience to their lawfull Soveraigne these things he did thereby to further his wicked Designes against their just and rightfull King Rehoboam whose Wronges shortly after his Death were mortally vindicated by his sonne Abijah for God stirred up the Spirit of good Rehoboams Sonne Abijah and he raised an Armie of Foure hundred thousand men and with them feared not to goe against wicked Jeroboam who had an Armie of Eight hundred thousand able fighting men and fought against him surprized him destroyed his great and mighty Armie and was through Gods Blessing unto him established in his Fathers Throne where he lived and reigned with great Honour and Kingly Glory all the rest of his daies in which he begot two and twenty Sonnes and sixteene Daughters and then slept with his Fathers and his sonne Asa reigned in his stead Of the which great and admirable Victory which God gave to Abijah the Scripture expresseth in these words Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter so that there fell downe slaine of Israel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 five hundred thousand chosen men 2 Chron. 13.17 The which words being the Language of the Holy Ghost both may and also ought usefully to serve as a memorable Caveat unto all Rebels that either now are or hereafter shall live upon the face of the Earth to take heed that they neither take up Armes nor fight against their lawfull King for here you plainly see that it was neither their gratnesse in Number nor expertnesse in Warlike Service that could preserve these Men from Ruine but they must be mortally wounded fall downe and be destroyed because they had rebelled taken up Armes and fought against their lawfull Soveraigne And God is the same God in these daies that he was in those as he hath done in times that are past so can he doe for times that are to come for he is JEHOVAH he changeth not Mal. 3.6 So that although Rebellion lyeth never so long lurking abstrucely in the corrupt hearts of disobedient Persons yet notwithstrnding when once she appeareth practically in the view of the World actuating her cursed Designes against that lawfull Authority unto which she ought to subject her selfe with all dutifull Obedience then she must not looke for any long Continuance For looke into the Generations of old even from the Creation of the World untill this very day and then tell me if ever any rebellious Persons taking up Armes and fighting against their lawfull Soveraigne have enjoyed one Age of an uninterrupted continued Prosperity but that the black Cloudes of just Revenge have appeared unto them and fiercely showred downe the terrible Stormes of Gods righteous Vengeance upon them to their deserved Confusion Object But here peradventure some may object Why should any tell us of Rebellion or of taking up Armes and fighting against our lawfull Soveraigne or of Confusion that is like to befall us for our so doing What Are not we in the Favour of God Hath not God assisted us in all our Endeavours Have not we had the Blessing of God upon all our Military Practices Hath not God made us Victorious Have not all our Attempts been successfull and Designes prosperous Wherefore then should not we comfort our selves and both boldly and fearlesly goe on in the same waies which others call Rebellion wherein now we walke Answ Unto which I answer with the wordes of Salomon There is a way which seemeth right to a man but the end thereof are the waies of death Prov. 14.12 And Prov. 11.19 He that pursueth evill pursueth it to his owne death Yea and it is one of the greatest Judgements that usually befalleth the men of this wicked World when God suffers them to prosper in their sinfull Courses Prosperity is no infallible Argument of Gods Favour neither is Adversity any evident Testimony of his Displeasure for sapient Salomon tells us that no man knoweth either love or hatred of all that is before him Eccles 9.1 And that There is a just man that perisheth in his righteousnesse and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickednesse Eccles 7.15 And therefore let no such blinde infatuated Persons being mis-guided by their erroneous Conceptions falsly flatter themselves with any such fallacious Conceits of being in Gods favour because their actions for the present are prosperous for they can never comfortably assure themselves of Gods gracious Love and speciall Favour towards them though never so prosperous in their Designes unlesse they have his feare before their eyes which teacheth them to abstaine from the working of all Iniquity and to depart from the practice of all Impiety which none of those either doe or can doe so long as they continue in the sinfull perpetration of horrid Rebellion Now for a spirituall Salve wherewith to cure this carnall Infirmity I doe referre all such deluded and selfe-deceiving Persons for their farther and fuller Convincement herein wandering in the foggie Mists of blinde Ignorance and dangerous Errours to that cleere and infallible light of Truth which the holy Scripture by way of Collection expresseth viz. That every successfull and prosperous military Action which the Providence of God permits is not justifiable in the sight of God from the Actors thereof although God himselfe commands it to be done Loe this Truth evidently appeareth unto us in the military Practises of Jehu that Valiant Couragious and Kingly Captaine who exceedingly prospered in his War-like Actions and did great Execution upon divers Malefactors and that also by Gods owne appointment and yet notwithstanding even Jehu himselfe must be accounted as a Murtherer in the sight of God for his heart was not sincere in the service of God he was a Selfe-seeker and Selfe-server aiming at his owne Ends and not at the Glory
are not given particularly for the good of one but mutually for the good of one another viz. That others should reap the benefit of our Prayers the benefit of our Almes-deeds and the benefit of our good Councels and exhortations to godlinesse Therefore the Apostle exhorts us that we should exhort one another daily while it is called to day Heb. 3.13 lest any be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sin It was a good resolution of them had their tongues and their hearts gon together when they spake one to another every one to his brother Come and let us goe and heare the word of the Lord. When we are to come into the presence of God to looke our Joseph I meane our Jesus in the face 't is fit we should bring our younger brother with us And S. Jude exhorts us in his Epistle concerning weaklings that we should 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have compassion on some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 putting a difference Jude 22 23. And others to save with feare pulling them out of the fire meaning milde spirits by gentle admonitions and obstinate spirits by sharpe reprehensions endeavouring by all good meanes to the uttermost of our power to provoke them to obedience and the fear of the Lord as David here doth to Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem O Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem Loe thus have I plainly proved unto you this point of Doctrine by Scripture And now follow the Reasons to confirme the same viz. foure Reas 1 Because it is one end wherefore we are borne into the world and shall we not performe the end of our Creation The Heathen man could say non nobis nati sumus we are not borne for our selves Therefore by consequence we are to doe the best good we can for others And what better good can we doe for others then to provoke and stir them up to the service of God the reward of which service will be the full fruition of heavenly happinesse Reas 2 Because by our so doing we shall bring glory unto God Not that any thing which is finite can adde any thing to that which is infinite so that no finite creature can adde any glory to the infinite Creator but the greater number that walke in Gods service and obey him the more the Lord is glorified by them Reas 3 Because by our so doing we shall win soules unto God and save them from eternall destruction He which converteth the sinner from going astray out of his way Iam. 5. ult shall save a soule from death and shall hide a multitude of sins Reas 4 Because our so doing will be so acceptable to God that we shall shine like stars in the firmament of heaven They that be wise shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament Dan. 12.3 and they that turne many to righteousnesse shall shine as the stars for ever and ever By which the Prophet meaneth not onely the Ministers of Gods Word but also the faithfull who instruct the ignorant and bring them to the true knowledge of God And thus passe I from the Reasons of the Observation to the Application The Uses of this point are briefely foure 1. Vse of Examination 2. Vse of Exhortation 3. Vse of Reprehension 4. Vse of Consolation Examination Vse 1 TO Examine thy selfe whether thou hast been active herein and a proficient in this practice And whether thou hast done thy best endeavour to the uttermost of thy power to convert soules unto God But contrarywise hast thou at any time heard or beheld thy poore ignorant Brethren or any other wilfull wicked wretches perpetrating iniquity with violence and following their sins with eagernesse and as it were like Brands burning in the fire of their owne destruction and not done thy best endeavour and that with expedition to pull them out for their preservation And if upon examination thou findest thou hast not then mourne for thy negligence therein for the time that is past and speedily reforme thy selfe thereof for the time to come Exhortation Vse 2 TO exhort us in Gods feare to doe our best endeavours in this particular viz. to provoke and stir up others to the service of God This is that pretious Balme that on our parts should never be wanting to the heads of others Hence then we are all to be admonished to lay hold upon every oportunity and to take all occasions that possibly can be offered for to edifie each other mutually in the knowledge of God according to that Prophesie of the Churches restoration by Christ as it was fore-told of these times Come ye Esay 2. and let us goe up to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob and he will teach us his wayes and we will walke in his paths And Verse the fifth O house of Jacob come ye and let us walke in the light of the Lord. The word here Light in the Originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à radice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est Lucidum fieri vel illuminari vel Lumen recipere So that as far as the Omniscient God is pleased to inlighten us impart the knowledge of his truth unto us we must to the uttermost of our power communicate it unto others never forgetting nor neglecting but ever remembring and also practising Christs Charge unto Peter When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren Luk. 22.32 Behold if any of us traveling abroad should espie a blinde man wandring without a Guide and drawing neere to a dangerous River into the which if he should fal he must certainly perish if uncharitably we should passe from him without either leading him from the danger or calling to him for his preservation so that he falleth therein and is drowned would not our hearts terrifie us and our consciences condemne us as being guilty of his Death doubtlesse they would unlesse they were cauterized So in like manner when those whom God hath indued with the light of knowledge and understanding shall see others walking in darkenesse and the shadow of death and wandering in the broad way that leads to eternall destruction and not doe their best endeavours to instruct them that they may come out of their errours to shew them the light of knowledge that they may arise out of the darkenesse of their ignorance and to lead them into the narrow path of eternall life that thereby they may escape the broad way that leads to everlasting death Their negligence I say therein will be laid as a foule fault and hainous sin to their charge For if it were a fault in Churlish Nabal as indeed it was Not to relieve out of his plenty fainting hearted David in the wildernesse 1 Sam. 25. And the rich Glutton Luke 16. out of his superfluity not to cherish the pined stomack of hunger-starved Lazarus Oh then how great a sin will it be unto those that abound in knowledge not to stir up others to the service
Jewes Come Hos 6.1 and let us returne unto the Lord for he hath Wounded us and he will heale us he hath broken us and he will bind us up And let us heartily send up our Prayers into Heaven for the Remnant that is left Be uncessant Suiters to the Lord for Peace Let me intreat you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ to make your approaches to the beautifull Gate of Gods mercy and importune the God of Peace even for his deare sake who is the Prince of Peace that he would be pleased to looke once againe with his eye of pitty compassion upon the distressed estate of this Church and Kingdome And to take the matter into his owne hand and compose the divisions of Ruben for whose sake there are great thoughts of heart That he that maketh men to be of one minde in an house Psal 68.6 would unite the heart of King and People that in their happy Union Peace may flourish in our Land That he who maketh warres to cease in all the world that breaketh the bow Psal 46.9 and knappeth the speare in sunder and burneth the Chariots in the fire Esa 2.4 Mic. 4.3 would break our swords into plow-shares and our speares into mattocks and pruning-hookes that he would once more speake Peace unto his people that he would give unto his people the blessing of Peace O Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem Peace be within her walles Psal 12◠7 and plentiousnesse within her Palaces This is the way yea the onely way left that I know to Preavile with the God of heaven that he may be intreated for the Land Loe thus it remaines then on our part that by the breath of our prayers and windy sighs and groanes through Gods permission and acceptance we labour to blow away the dark and black cloud of Gods vengance that hangs over our heads and threatens a deluge of blood to fall upon us lest wrath break forth to the uttermost against us and there be no remedy for us And then he raine upon us in his displeasure snares fire and brimstone storme and tempest Psal 11.7 and make this our portion to drink From the which miserable forlorne wretched wofull and calamitous condition as we are the workmanship of thine owne hands For thy mercy sake Good Lord deliver us all And yet notwithstanding all this that hath been spoken peradventure it may by some Weakling be demanded What although I diligently use all the Meanes here prescribed viz. Pray Humble my selfe and cast away all my Transgressions for to procure the Churches Peace Yet I can conceive but little probability of prevailing for the true Members of Christs militant Church are but a little flocke Luk. 12. and their naturall strength is weak in comparison of the numerous multitude of the Church-Malignant and therefore how shall they be able to encounter with them when they doe oppose them My answer hereunto shall be that of Asa's in his humble prayer unto God for his assistance against the multitude of his Enemies 2 Chron. 14.11 It is nothing with the Lord to help with many or with no power the words in the Original are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 against many without power The sacred Scriptures perspicuously and fluently declare unto us that God hath in all Ages performed great wonderfull and admirable Actions and that even by weak Meanes contrary to the expectation and also the conception of humane sense and reason as for example He overthrew the innumerable Army of the Midianites Iudges even by Gideons three hundred men He slew a Garrison of the Philistines 1 Sam. 14. even by Jonathan and his Armour-bearer He Conquered the Kings of Sodom Gen. 14. Gomorrah Admah Zeboijim Bela and diverse other Kings about them even by Abraham and his Family He surprised Goliah by David 1 Sam. 17. Sisera by Jael Judg. 4. and Abimelech by a woman Judg. 9. And who would ever have thought Iudg. 3.31 that Shamgar the sonne of Anath with an Oxe-goade should have slaine six hundred men And Samson with the Jaw-bone of an Asse a thousand Philistines Judg. 15.16 It was not possible that so great execution could be done onely by them being but weake Instruments to encounter with such puissant Adversaries there was more then so in those their Warlike Actions There was the Eternall Omnipotent Providence unto which all the Designes and Actions of all Mortalls have been subject from all Eternity Yea there was also the supernaturall and effectuall Concurrence of the divine and powerfull assistance against which all the forces in the world could make no resistance So that it is neither the number nor the meanes that the Almighty regardeth when he resolveth to get himself the Victory When once the Lord God Omnipotent is pleased to arise in his own strength all Nations in comparison of him are but as the drop of a bucket yea lesse then nothing and vanity it self Isay 40.15.17 all their forces united together are not so much for him to destroy as the Elephant to break the Spiders webbe Gods heavenly and unlimited Providence farre transcends the carnall eye of all humane discovery Who would ever have thought that Moses from the Bulrush-Cradle floating on the teares of the weeping river should thereby have derived his Princely title in Pharaoh's Court And that Pharaoh's daughter should preserve that vessell as a Cabinet of pleasure Exod. 2. which Moses Mother with an heavy heart at his last farewell bestowed upon him her poor innocent Infant as a mournfull Coffin Or that Pharaoh's tyrannous decree against the people of God in Aegypt Exod. 14. projected for his safeguard and their extirpation should have turned to Israels deliverance and Pharaoh's destruction Loe thus the Lord can when he pleaseth drive the Enemies of his Church into the ruinous Labyrinth of their owne Confusion And as the Lord in times that are past hath done great things for his Church even by weake meanes So in like manner Esa 59.1 his hand is not shortned but that he can doe as great or greater things by as weak or weaker means for times that are to come Oh then in Gods fear let us all walke as dutifull children before him our heavenly Father let us Pray unto him Humble our selves before him and cast away all our Transgressions from our selves that so we may be in his favour and have him to shelter us under the wings of his fatherly Providence in all Exigents that doe befall us and to be our Protector in our greatest danger Then shall we be secure from the violence of all adversary power though all the men in the world were mischievous Malignants against us and purposed with bloody malice to destroy us For If God be on our side who can be against us Rom. 8.31 Thankfulnesse Vse 4 TO TO be thankfull to God for that Peace we now enjoy and although it be not so compleat a
There is saith he a generation that are pure in their owne conceit and yet are not washed from their filthinesse The which truth will plainly appeare unto us if we looke into their conversations For we shall finde many of them possest with boyling Malice swelling Pride cruell Oppression cursed Covetousnesse swinish Drunkennesse beastly Whoredome abominable and crying sinnes leud and lascivious lives filthy Lusts and fleshly Pleasures Who may not unfitly be compared to the Athenians whom Pantolidas the Ambassadour hearing dispute of Vertue and being demanded how their speeches pleased him He answered Your talke indeed is good but this is greatly to be lamented that talking so well ye live so ill And so in like manner may I say of many such Separatists their words are commendable but their workes condemnable their speeches are glorious but their lives vicious Amply expressing in their vicious lives that Heathen mans complaining Accusation against precise and deceitfull Epicures Qui Curios simulant Bacchanalia vivunt I could willingly wish they might not too truly be termed Pedants condemning and rejecting all opinions which they either understand not or like not Supposing with themselves they have a speciall point of the Spirit and know more then the common sort of people being filled with an enraged folly resolving to reject all opinions and sayings but their owne which they keepe pertinatiously with themselves as Oracles And thus like positive and affirmative Dogmatists they are so wedded to their owne opinions as that they would have all the world to be ruled by their opinionated Lawes and subject themselves to the Scepter of their sayings although they be never so unconformable and inorthodoxall God in mercy to us of this English Nation prevent our Christian Kingdome from being involved by such turbulent Spirits into a new Chaos of spirituall Darknesse Combustion and Confusion For when once such pestilent over-selfe-conceited Church-renting Hypocrites have palliated themselves with the Cloake of fained puritie by the externall profession of Religion and masked their impudent faces with the Vizor of seeming Sanctitie and anointed their fraudulent tongues with the oyle of smoothing Flatterie whereby they can deceitfully expresse themselves in Saint-like Discourses speaking lyes in hypocrisie 1 Tim. 4.2 whereby to delude ignorant persons Loe then they can cunningly like the Scribes and Pharisees under the colour of long prayers devoure widdows houses Mat. 23.14 And are in a Capacitie to Creepe into houses and lead Captive sillie women laden with sinnes led away with divers lusts 2 Tim. 3.6 Yea if it were possible to deceive the very Elect Mat. 24.24 but that their names are written in heaven Luk. 10.20 and the foundation of God which is the Election of his Children remaineth sure 2 Tim. 2.19 Loe thus they seeme externally to the World like harmlesse Sheep but they are internally to the Church Mat. 7.15 ravenous Wolves They appeare extrinsecally like innocent Lambes but they are intrinsecally devouring Lyons Foris Catones Intus Nerones Grave Cato's without but Cruell Nero's within They have Jacobs voice but Esaus heart and hands They are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Men of double mindes having a heart and a heart to comply both with persons and times for their own advantage as all occasions are offered swimming like Fishes with the streame and steering all their courses and passages temporizingly suitable to the present times Shifting their Sailes with the turning of every wind and sowing satisfactory pleasing Pillowes under godlesse gracelesse and wicked mens Elbowes Resembling those four hundred flattering falfe temporizing Prophets 1 King 18.19 who were not onely invited but also advanced to Jezables table Such Ambidexters playing with both hands They are like Janus with his two faces who looketh both before and behind They are like those Israelites who speak both Ashdod and Hebrew Nehe. 13.24 They are like the Barnacles who are both flesh and fish They are like Balaam Num. 23.25 who doth both blesse and curse They are like Tullie amongst the Romances who could not for the present fully perswade himself whether he should take part with Cesar or Pompey They are like Tytides amongst the Grecians who could not resolve whether he should adhere to Achilles or Hector They are like the Tribe of Ephraim amongst the Jewes which was as a cake upon the harth not turned Hos 7.8 baked on the one side but raw on the other They are like the Church of Laodicea amongst the Gentilos which was neither hot nor cold Rev. 3.15 And therefore as lukewarme-water offensive to the stomack and incident to be spewed out of the mouth of Christ They are like the Ostriches which have wings to flie but never doe flie pretending that to be in their deceitfull heads and hearts which they have neither purpose nor ability to performe They are like the Beasts of Ethiopia called Nabes or Camelopardales whose heads resemble the Camell their necks the Horse their legs and feet the Oxe and their spots the Tiger Fronti nulla fides They are like the Herbe Moli whose flower as the Herbalist reporteth is as white as milke but the root thereof as black as inke They are not in practice much unlike the Cameleon or fish Polypus who change themselves into variety of Colours or like to Protheus Metamorphosing themselves into diverse formes of whom it was said Formas se vertit in omnes he turned himself into all fashions Yea they imitate those out-side persons who have musked mouthes but stinking breathes whose words and wayes are like the Hermites breath wherewith he both warmeth his fingers and cooleth his broth And thus have I as briefly as I could both truly and plainly deciphered unto you the both dissembling and cursed condition of such Church-lacerating Hypocrites who when they are so deceitfully furnished and wickedly qualified loe then they have fitted themselves meete to be listed under Satan their infernall Generall the Prince of darknesse 2 Cor. 11.14 who can transforme himselfe into an Angell of light For then they can worke craftily and politiquely as well as fight stoutly and boldly under his Banner of Dissimulation for the enlargement of the hellish Territories of his Kingdome of Darknesse Loe thus the Devills hypocriticall Souldiers serve him as well internally by craft and subtilty as externally by strength corporall ability working mischief every way that lyeth in their power against the holy harmlesse Members of the Church of Christ But let all such Soul-destroying Hypocrites know for their present convincement that true Piety was never pinned upon the sleeve of wordly Policy and that no service can be acceptacle to God but that which is performed with the hearts sincerity But I beseech you mistake me not let me not be accounted an Enemie because I tell you the truth Gal. 4.16 Neither make me that Requitall which the obstinate Jewes did to the Lords Prophet Jeremiah when he justly reproved them for their sinnes Jer. 18.18 Then said they come
violently take from Him that Soveraign Right which the God of Heaven hath freely given Him over Them Would they wholly anihilate all Kingly Authority Would they utterly abolish the worthy and antient Church-government of this Kingdome Would they fully destroy the good wholsome necessary and fundamentall Laws of this Land Would they speedily turn a well settled Monarchy into a licentious Anarchy whereby themselves might live like loose Libertines without any Restriction If these be their Intentions then let me tell them as a timely Remembrancer these things for them to doe are not onely Irregular and Impious but also Difficult and Dangerous and therefore let the desperate Attempers thereof take heed least by their earnest endeavouring to Effect them they doe most miserably involve this whole Kingdome both Church and Common-wealth into a Labyrinth of Languishment and Chaos of Confusion When God at the beginning had made Adam he gave him Power over all the Creatures so that there was nothing but Monarchy at the Creation and the like also was restored to us by Christ at our Redemption and so to be taken by us both from the Father and the Son as the best most excellent and onely Form of Government for all Nations in the World And not onely Monarchicall Government appointed for Men but also as it were for all other Creatures in the World for every Species of all Creatures have a Subordination to some one of the same Kind as the Birds of the Aire to the Eagle the Beasts on the Land to the Lyon the Fishes in the Sea to the Whale the Bees in their Hives to the Chief Governour amongst them c. But wo and alas the irrationall Creatures by the very Instinct of Nature yield more subjection to their Superiors then the Rebels of England living in the Light of the Gospel do at this day to their lawfull Soveraign And as a farther Aggravation to his Majesties Affliction divers of those pernicious Polititians that are guilty of and also Agents in this horrid Rebellion against our lawfull Soveraign are such as have been raised to great Honours by Court-Preferments who with their court-like Dissimulation seemed to their over-credulous Kingly Master as Angels of Light by their Words but woe and alas they proved to be against Him like Devills of Darknesse by their Deeds Even such as those ungodly and wicked Doers were of whom the Psalmist complained which speake friendly to their Neighbours but imagine mischief in their hearts Psal 28.3 And thus equivocatingly they dissembled the profession of Fidelity towards Him in their Mouths keeping treacherously an impious Disloyalty against His Royall Person Crown and Dignity in their Hearts the which as Opportunity offered it self to them they manifested to the uttermost in their Lives But against all such unnaturall and ingratefull Rewarders Solomon pronounceth a sorrowfull Sentence Pro. 17.13 He that rewardeth evil for good evil shall not depart from his house The Evil of such impious Ingratitude shall constantly dwell with and certainly bring Punishment upon such evil Rewarders To render Evil for Evil is the Part of a Beast to render Good for Good is the Part of a Man to render Good for Evil is the Part of a Saint but to render Evil for Good is the Part of a Devill And yet notwithstanding woe and alas the last of these Renderings have lately been and still are rigidly Rendered to our Gracious Soveraign by his ungracious and ingratefull Enemies So that our gracious lawfull and loving Soveraign may justly at this day say of those his graceless lawless and envious Enemies as the princely Prophet David himself in his days spake of his cruell injurious and false Friends Thus have they rewarded me evil for good Psal 109.4 and hatred for my good will For thus diabolicall hath their Disposition been in their late perverse Passages acted against Him And therefore of upon and against all such evil Agents may we all at this day with causefull heavy Hearts complainingly cry out Quis furor O caeci surdi scelerum O you blind and deaf men what strange Madnesse to act such Evils hath seized upon your Spirits What can you justly imagine will be the finall conclusion of these continued Courses but onely the calamitons Confusion of the English-Nation which by such your pestilent Practices you will bring upon your selves with many thousands of others to both your and their deadly Destruction And yet in the Interim know all of you assuredly that all your Power upon Earth is limited by the Power of Heaven and when God shall be pleased to relieve his own Children that are now by your Tyranny over them greatly afflicted then your usurped Power will be totally restrained and your selves also wholly confounded And then the Children of God shall joyfully sing with the Psalmist Psal 124.7 Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the Fowlers the snare is broken and we are delivered So that although the Plots and Counterplots of Rebellious Men may be craftily contrived pernitiously prosecuted and for a while also absurdly abusively and violently acted by ambitious malitious and wickedly witty cunning Politicians yet notwithstanding both themselves and all their Actions have Relation to the Divine Providence and Permission and when once the Lord God Omnipotent shall be pleased to look down from Heaven with his pitifull Eyes of tender Compassion upon the bleeding Condition of poor distracted and distressed Englands Affliction and to arise in his own Strength make bare his own Arme on her behalfe and take the Matter into his own Hand he can put an Hooke into their Nostrils and a Bridle into their Lips whereby to restraine them and also maugre all their Designs speedily bring their greatest Power to its utmost Period for the Divine Eternal Providence and Wicked Worldly Policy may not unfitly be compared to the Arke of God and the Idoll Dagon 1 Sam. 5.3 4. the Former shall for ever stand but the Latter in God's due time of punishing must certainly fall Oh! how ought the serious Consideration hereof to quench the fiery heat and quell the fierce fury of the most desperate deceived Rebells from their farther military prosecution against their lawfull Soveraigne And here as a memorable Caveat against all such desperate Rebells let me instance unto them that fearfull Judgement which befell Adonijah for his Usurpation The hauty Heart of aspiring Adonijah being proudly puf'd up with an ambitious desire of Kingly Power prepared for Himself Charets and Horsemen and Fifty men to run before him whereby to expresse publiquely to the World his Regall Magnificence and also spake very largely to that purpose saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ani emloch 1 King 1.5 I will raign Lo thus in his Thoughts he Projected by his Words he Declared and by his Actions he Attempted quantum in se what lay in his Power even by his wicked Usurpation for to Rule the Kingdome of Israel unto