other Statestarving Monopolies whereof some as hath been seen in those fore-mentioned prejudiced the Kingdom above a Million of money yeerly all quite supprest by this renowned Parliament which formerly like so many greedily gaping graves or unsatiable horsleaches were continually crying-out Give Give and restlesly sucking-out the vitall spirits of the State and pitifully debilitating thereby the nerves and ligaments of the whole Common-wealth But that which was far more worth than all those fore-said great benefits which indeed was the very root and rice of all those and such like taxations and vexations is also by power of this Parliament quite taken away viz. the Arbitrarie power pretended to be in his Maiestie to tax his subiects and charge their estates at his pleasure without consent of his Parliament which great and grievous yoke which extremely wrung our wronged necks for the present and would have done much more for the future to our posteritie is now by this happie Parliament declared by Both-Hous s to be against Law and is also ratified by an Act of Parliament And was not Elohim our God all-sufficient most gloriously seen here in the Mount for our large deliverance from such and so many pinching straits and deep distresses as we were all brought yea plunged into as have been formerly most evidently and undeniably shewn And therefore have we great cause with that sweet singer of Israel to elevate his praises herein and to say I will magnifie thee O my God and my King and will blesse thy Name for ever and ever Yea every day will I blesse thee and praise thy Name for ever and ever For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised and his greatnesse is altogether unsearchable Yea and that which is very remarkable and no lesse extraordinarie comfortable to Gods children How did the Lord before this Parliament began and hitherto ever since stir-up and enflame the fire of supplicating faith or faithfull supplication and fervent zeal in private humiliation to seek the Lord in the face of Christ for mercie and reconcilement to our poor Land and Nation so as the like was never seen in this Kingdom before And O what faith-confirming and heart-cheering rich returns of prayers hath the Lord our good God cast into our blessed bosomes in both granting us the very things yea and much more than our hearts desired and crossing ours and the Churches enemies both Papists and Prelates in their plots which we feared yea and still making their own desperate devises to lite heaviest on their own heads and their own impious inventions occasions to make them still sit-down by weeping-crosse and bear the greatest damage and condigne detriment in themselves Whence we may very well conclude with Manoahs wife Sampsons mother against all false and faithlesse fears and jealousies whereunto I perceive even Gods own dear people are too-much addicted That if the Lord were pleased or had a purpose to kill or destroy us he would not have received an oblation or sacrifice from us neither would have shewed us all these things nor would as at this time have done all these great things and much more yet following for us But if God had had no delight in us but purposed to destroy us and to deliver-up our Land and lives into Papists hands and to make a prey of us and ours to them he would not surely have suffered us or given us hearts to seek him in prayer and importunate petitions and yet at last have frustrated all our hopes and expectations But contrariwise when God intended to destroy the children of Israel for their high provocations of the Lords irreconcilable wrath he flatly forbad the Prophet to pray for them whereas on the other side I say our gracious God hath freely poured on us the spirit of grace and supplication hath not onely received sacrifices from our though sinfull hands but in Christ Jesus his ever prevailing Blastus nay rather ever most meritorious blessed Son hath smelt a sweet savour in our sacrifices as hath been alreadie in part imparted to us and made clearly obvious to our eyes and understanding and comes now most copiously to be farther most fully demonstrated to us And here me thinks t is not improper or impertinent to put the Reader in mind of one remarkable mercie of the Lord unto us which though it be not I confesse on all parts absolutely concluded on yet for my part I confidently beleeve these plotting times and weightie circumstances considered and put together I may justly enroll it in one of the chief places and number of our most famous parliamentarie deliverances though I say it was and hath been covered and couched under fair machiâ—ilian vizards of other intentions when they saw God had miraculously crossed and defeated their former strong expectation For unquestionably the Popish and malignant partie had deeply perswaded if not assured themselves that long ere this especially about the time of this plot now to be mentioned their desperate projects should have been brought to a high pitch and that ere this time we and Scotland should have been deeply engaged in bloodie broils and been pell-mell together by the ears in the Northern parts of the Kingdom The sly Fox of Spain therefore must needs watch advantages on our home-bred and imbred distractions and uncivill-civill wars thus to purchase to himself the long lookt-for spoils and most precious prey of three fair Crowns at once To which purpose upon traiterous instigation and intelligence too no doubt from some of his pensioners in the Court of England he had made readie and set forth to Sea a mightie Fleet of ships a second great armado well fraught and furnished with men and ammunition and other instruments of wrath and furie for our certain perdition and designed destruction Thus unsuspected and unexpected they had smoothly and silently made their way into our narrow Seas and lay hovering within sight of Dover fearlesse it seem'd of least resistance from us if not hopefull of ample assistance to land their forces and make our Land feel the furie of Spaines conquering arm But behold as thus they lay about our coasts and we as it were lay fast a sleep in this great danger the God of our English-Israel who never slumbers nor sleeps in the protection of his people had his ever most vigilant and wakefull eye over us even then I say when we were most supine and carelesse or fearlesse of any imminent disaster so neer us the Lord our God fought for us yet without us stopt this otherwise over-flowing inundation of miserie and destruction crost and crusht their rotten-egge of windie hopes by sending our honest old neighbours of Holland to confront them though with but a very small Fleet at the first which afterward quickly encreased under the conduct and command of their heroicall and most magnanimous Admirall Martin Tromp whose honour and high renown the trump
But now to proceed where I left A Parliament was I say appointed to begin Novem. the third a Parliament said I strange word what a Parliament why who durst once be so bold as onely to whisper his desires of a Parliament who once durst mutter much lesse utter-out such a word A Parliament in England again Yet thus it was yea and thus timely too yea and such a Parliament too as this Kingdom never saw â—he like for length and strength of goodnesse for Church and State to Gods due glorie and everlasting praise be it spoken Certainly then if ever now was our God gloriously seen in the Mount of Merci s for Englands greatest good and hoped happinesse But now see again as I premised at the beginning the serpentine-seed Satans agents must be still working and plotting against all the springing hopes and budding comforts of Gods people if it were possible to blast them in the blossomes For now since they saw to their secret sorrow a Parliament must needs be this omen also unavoidable all their crafty pates were contriving and casting about how to stifle this conception of comfort in the very wombe For the malignant partie spying well that they could not as I said put off the Parliament they therefore cunningly and closely endeavour by their Courtly agents to have such Members of it chosen in every Corporation City and Shire as might onely advance their mischievous Machinations and base designes in Parliament They therefore procure the Kings and Queens Letters to Counties and Shires get both Earls Lords Knights and Gentlemen to ride in person and rove up and down to all parts and places of the Kingdom to make parties for them in choice of such as they should nominate Yet see again on the other side how the Lord counter-plotted and infatuated all their craft care and industrie therein for notwithstanding all their cost and coyl all their running and riding God I say frustrated their impious expectation in most places The Lord who holds the hearts of all men in his hands caused the willing people from all parts spontaneously to flock and assemble together like such unheard of numerous swarmes of bees of all requisite sorts and qualities with most unbended courage and irrefragable resolutions to chuse-out and select such pious prudent and every way accomplisht Worthies for this high and honourable work as are most hopefull by Gods gracious support and assistance to strike the stroke of a most blessed and long looked for yea longed-for happie Reformation yea I say making up such a blessed Colledge of Phisicians as are likely by Gods benediction on them and protection over them to cure the else almost curelesse maladies and infirmities of Church and State which were readie to sink into the inevitable gulf of wo and wretchednesse and to drink the last draft of deadly destruction O who can passe-by such a remarkable passage of Gods admirable providence surpassing admiration in this speciall piece of comfort to us yea I may justly say this master-peece of the whole ensuing frame of all our succeeding parliamentarie-rejoycings and not cry-out with most emphaticall cheerfulnesse with holy Moses Who is like unto thee O Lord among the gods Who is like unto thee glorious in holinesse fearfull in praises doing wonders And with the sweet Psalmograph holy David The heavens shall praise thy wonders O Lord thy faithfulnesse also in the assembly of Saints For who in heaven can be compared to the Lord Who among the sons of the mightie can be likened to our God Now at the first sitting and meeting of this blessed Parliament though all oppositions seemed to vanish the fore-mentioned mischiefs of the malignant partie being so evident which their accursed counsels and co-operations produced that no man durst stand-up to defend them yet the whole work it self afforded difficulty enough if you cast your eyes on these particulars First the multiplied evils and long-rooted corruptions of 16. yeers growth at least by custome and authority of the concurrent interest of many powerfull delinquents who were now to be brought to judgement and reformation Secondly the Kings houshold was to be provided for for they had brought him to that want that he could not supply his meer ordinarie and necessarie expenses without the assistance of his people Thirdly two armies were then to be paid which amounted very neer to 80 thousand pounds a moneth and yet the people over the Kingdom must be tenderly charged having been formerly miserably exhausted with many burthensome projects Fourthly the contraâ—ieties they met with in all these were very incompatible which yet in a great measure they calmly reconciled these difficulties therefore seemed to be invincible yet by Gods good providence and these most renowned Worthies indefatigable care and diligence they comfortably over came them At the beginning of the Parliament six Subsidies were freely granted together with the passing of a Bill of Pole-money for speedie supply of present occasions which could not amount to lesse than 600000. l. besides the said six Subsidies Yea these prudent patriots contracted that great arrere-of charges due to our faithfull brethren of Scotland to 220 thousand pounds And notwithstanding all these most urgent and inevitable charges and pressing occasions the Lord so blessed the proceedings of this precious Parliament that the kingdom is for the present and will be much more for the future by Gods mercie a great gainer by all those charges as will evidently appear by the subsequent cloud of witnesses the many remarkable parliamentarie mercies which our great Jehovah hath graciously strewed into our happie laps and bosomes by them And this is here the rathe toucht and mentioned to stop the mouthes of those repining envious elves of ingratitude who notwithstanding these so conspicuous and egregious restimonies of these ever to be honoured Worthies most impregnable pains and industrie yet would fain fasten their fangs of calumnie and detraction on their most honourable actions and proceedings which even their infâ—rnall black-mouth'd mother Envie her self cannot but though contrarie to her nature most justly commend As first that uncouth and till of late unheard of heavie taxation of Ship-money by this Parliament abolished which drained from the Kingdome above 200 thousand pounds a yeer Coat and Conduct-money taken away from unjustly troubling the Subject which in many countreys amounted to little lesse than Ship-money That scouring project of New-sope also overthrown which brought an hundreth thousand pounds a yeer into private proiectors purses That soaking plot also on Wine which amounted to above three hundred thousand pound And that of Leather which rightly computed could not chuse but exceed both those former put together this is also annihilated Yea that unseasonable and indeed unreasonable patent for Salt puld out of their enhansing hands which could not but countervail in value that of Leather Besides many
such as not to be corrupted by such base bribes That Captain Billingslâ—y was invited by Sir John Suckling a suckling indeed in honestie but not in treacherie to have employment in this pernicious project and that one Captain Chidley brought down many instructions to the Armie That Colonell Goring should have been Leivetenant-generall of the said Armie and that the Prince and the Lord of Newcastle were to meet them in Nottinghamshire with a thousand Horse all which Propositions came from M r Jermine and were dispersed and made known by Serjeant Major Wallis and Captain Chidley The said Wallis having confessed also that the French would assist them in this their Design and that our holy or rather hollow-hearted Clergie of England whereof the reverend forsooth Bishops were the ringleaders would at their own charge set forth and maintain a thousand horse farr more than ever they yet proffered by a thousand to assist against the barbarous and bloudy Popish Rebells of Ireland To the addition of their everlasting shame and ignominie be it spoken Finally that an intercepted Letter of M r Jermines to M r Mountague imported that they expected the Earl of Straford with them in the North but blessed be the Lord their wicked hope was frustrated as aforesaid and that for the better completing of these their most accursed designes Jermine much endeavoured to get Portsmouth into their hands as one M r Bland confessed but could not compass it These and such like plotted designes for the ends afore-mentioned being farther discovered and witnessed by severall depositions of diverse examinates as the Reader may more fully see in the late Remonstrance of Ireland published by authoritie of the Parliament But when this mischeivous assigne and attempt of theirs thus to bring on that Armie against the Parliament and Citie of London which they well knew was all along a main and strong fast friend to the Parliament had been by Gods great mercie timely discovered and thereby utterly frustrated and prevented they presently undertook and attempted another design of the same damnable nature with this addition to it namely to make the Scottish Armie neutrall and so to sit still and let them alone whilst the English Armie which they had laboured to corrupt and invenome against the Parliament and Citie of London by false and slanderous suggestions should execute their malice to the subversion of our Religion and the dissolution of our long happie government Thus I say did they plott and continually practise to disturb our peace and to destroy all the Kings Dominions And for that cause had employed most industriously their Emissares and agents in them all for the promoting of these their devillish designes But by Gods infinite mercie and the vigilancie of such as were honest and well-affected to religion to peace and the prosperity of the Parliament they were all I say still timely discovered and defeated before they could be ripe enough for execution among us in England and Scotland Onely in Ireland which was farther-off and full of Papists Jesuites and Priests they had time to mould and prepare their wicked work and had brought it to much pernicious perfection For not long after the most bold and bloodie rebellion in Ireland brake-out there which had it not been timely revealed and prevented by Gods great mercie and good providence in the preservation of the Castle of Dublin but the very Eave before it should have been taken by the rebels the whole Kingdom had been fully possessed by them the government of it totally subverted the true Religion had been quite extirpated and rooted out and all the Protestants whom the conscience of their dutie to God their King and countrey would not have permitted to joyn with them had been utterly destroyed as in a most lamentable manner very many thousands of them poore souls have alreadie been as is most fully and fearfully to be seen to the terrour and amazement of all Christian hearts that read the same both in that Treatise entituled Irelands-Tears and the Irish-Remonstrance And indeed they have therby kindled such a fire there and blown it into such an over-spreading flame as nothing but Gods extraordinarie blessing upon the wisdom and endeavours of this State will be able to quench it And certainly had not God in his great mercie to our Land and Nation discovered and confounded their first designe for the grand-plot of all on England and Scotland we all in England had certainly been the prologue to this wofull tragedie in Ireland and had by this time and before them been the most deplorable spectacle of lamentation and wo ruine and confusion to all Europe that ever the Sun beheld And therefore here me thinks we may most fitly take up that of holy David with a little inversion of the words to our selves If the Lord had not been on our side now may England say and that most justly if the Lord had not been on our side when men rose up against us Then had they swallowed us up quick when their wrath was kindled against us Then the waters had overwhelmed us the proud waves and raging billows had gone over our souls But blessed O for ever blessed be God that hath not given us over as a prey to their devouring teeth Now about this time it pleased the Lord to permit the malignant partie so far to prevail with the King and among them the Lord Cottington a Popish Lord and strongly suspected to be one of the prime projecting heads of that faction that Sir William Belfore a worthy and noble gentleman then Lieftenant of the Tower of London was displaced from that office of so great trust and the said Lord Cottington made Constable of the Tower who presently kept a great pudder in the Tower placing and displacing things therein planting Ordâ—nance on the wals thereof with their mouths toward the Citie entertaining Souldiers to guard and keep it of very ill-condition and suspected for Poperie all these to the great terrour and amazement of the vigilant Citizens of London who had still extraordinarie jealous eyes on him and all his actions and carriages and thereupon complain'd and petitioned the Parliament against him and his demeanour in the Tower and the Parliament moved the King most instantly about it who on their long and urgent importunitie at last so far prevailed with his Majestie that he put the Lord Cottington from being Constable of the Tower and chose-in one Collonel Lunsford to be Leiftenant thereof a man of an ill name and condition of life and whom I my self knew a prisoner in Newgate not very long before for a great abuse offered by him to Sir Thomas Pelham now a worthie Knight of Sussex and at which time of his imprisonment there it was generally and credibly reported that upon an abuse done by him also to one of the Officers of Newgate who had been his very
Peers untill your Majestie shall further secure them from all affronts indignities and dangers in the premises Lastly whereas their fears are not built upon phantasies and conceits but upon such grounds and objects as may well terrifie men of good resolutions and much constancie They do in all dutie and humilitie protest before your Majestie and the Peers of that most honorable House of Parliament against all Laws Orders Votes resolutions and determinations as in themselves null and of none effect which in their absence since the 27 th of this instant moneth of December 1641. have already passed as likewise against all such as shall hereafter passe in that most honorable House during the time of this their forced and violent absence from the said most honorable House not denying but if their absenting of themselves were wilfull and voluntarie that most honourable House might proceed in all their premises their absence or this protestation notwithstanding And humbly beseeching your most excellent Majestie to command the Clerk of that House of Peers to enter this their petition and protestation among his Records They will ever pray to God to blesse c. Jo. Eborac Tho. Duresme Rob. Co. Lich. Jos Norw Jo. Asa Guli Ba. Wells Geo. Heref. Rob. Oxon. Ma. Ely Godfr Glouc. Jo. Peterburg Morris Landaff This petition and protestation being thus exhibited to his Majestie the King was pleased to send it immediately to the House of Peers who having seen and perused it were forthwith highly offended with it and so sent it immediately to the House of Commons whereupon both Houses met in the painted Chamber at a Conference there and after it accused those 12. Bishops of high treason for endeavouring to subvert the fundamentall Laws of the Realm and the very being of Parliaments whereupon they were by the Lords sequestred from the Parliament and imprisoned ten of them in the Tower and for their age sake two of them committed to custodie to the Black-Rod Thus was the Parliament most happily freed of 12. of them at one clap And thus I say ever blessed be the Lord our God for it that which the Parliament long desired and the well-affected people over the whole Kingdom so long and so unanimously petitioned for even the extirpation of the Bishops out of the Parliament but could not well tell how to accomplish it God hath made themselves agents and actors of to their own just shame and sorrow but to the high content and rejoycing of all Gods faithfull children and servants And certainly if ever here was a most visible print of Gods over-powring providence crossing these Prelates craft paying them in their own coyn and most clearly manifesting himself to behold all the high things of the earth and that he onely is King over all the children of pride And yet give me leave good Reader to give thee this one note by the way of no small consequence and concernment touching these our present Prelates of England notwithstanding all the most evident and undeniable manifestations of Gods arrows of wrath and high displeasure shot against them all partly for their craft and crueltie exercised against Gods faithfull-ones and partly for the Laodicean-temporizing coldnesse and security even of the very best and most moderate of them all without exception of any one who have rather chosen like the accursed yea bitterly accursed rulers of Meros to lie still to sleep in a whole skin enjoy quietly their fat Bishopricks and lordly dignities and ease therein than with noble and renowned Queen Hester who in the cause of her afflicted people the Jews resolved in a far more certain danger every way than they could have been liable to to hazard her life and honours with an If I perish I perish ah shame unexpressible shame to them all that a weak-woman should out-strip them all in a masculine heroick spirit for her religion and people than like her I say to expose their rich revenews much lesse their very lives as she did hers tell me I say of one among them all that did thus to danger or losse to adventure the safeguard and welfare of the Church and children of God which they saw daily so overtop't by rank over-growing poperie and atheisme Which lazinesse and coldnesse of theirs though they sleightly passe it over as a small sin or no sin at all yet Christ himself our blessed Saviour tells them they are no lesse than down right Antichrists even flat and false enemies of the Lord Christ as is clear Matth. 12. 30. by our Saviours own words He that is not with me is against me Which being so let them all even the best and most moderate among them take heed of that fearfull sentence of the Apostle If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Maran-atha Even accursed with a most bitter curse And how can these Prelates say truly that they love the Lord Christ when they either so palpably persecute him in his beloved members or at least egregiously slight and disrespect him in suffering his holy cause and faithfull servants to be so discountenanced and trampled upon as they have been these many yeers especially of late And yet I say in all this so dangerous and double-guilt and deep-die of grosse impietie in them which indeed is the note I aym at and is the wonder and admiration mixt with grief of my soul to see and consider that even the very best of them hath not to this very day given us the least print or expression of true repentance and godly remorse of soul and spirit for these so great and grievous sins of theirs of crueltie and security or carelesnesse of Gods people and their religion but even the best of them still I say suffering the Gospel of grace and truth to sink or swim what car'd they so they may be quiet and be thought great Clerks rare disputants against Popery in words and writings onely yet oft jugling with us therein too and the wise and moderate men forsooth of the world Yea I say so far are some of them from cordiall remorse and penitencie for those accursed abhominations aforesaid that one of their most moderate wise men of peace since his being in prison in the Tower hath not been asham'd with his accustomed rhetorically-glorious and smoothly painted phrases to daub over his great-guilt of conscience especially in point of security and carelesnesse of Gods truth forementioned by me O these men of peace forsooth how have they forgotten even hypocriticall Jehu's asseveration What peace so long as the whoredoms of that Romish Jezebel are so many and so mischievous amongst us Yea I say again to him in particular he should have had no peace with Rome as well as he wrote of the no peace of Rome But thus I say these our holy Fathers of our Church forsooth these our lordly Prelates who with Bishop White must be counted
Members of both Houses away from their dutie and attendance on them and to go down to York thereby to make the Parliament as it were bleed to death and moulder to nothing and thus to blemish the actions of Both Houses of Parliament as done by a few and inconsiderable number and rather a partie than a Parliament and perhaps to set-up an Anti-parliament at York A desperate and most dangerous practise utterly to ruinate all But all in vain I trust in the Lord as hitherto we have happily seen in all their designes for ever blessed be the Lord our God for it But on the other side we may most apparently perceive and clearly behold by all those fore-mentioned particulars on the Parliaments part the most admirable and even onely-heaven-inspired wisdom moderation prudence pietie patience and indefatigable vigilancie of our ever to be honoured and everlasting renowned Peers and Commons in Parliament most humbly demeaning themselves alwayes toward his Majestie most wisely and courageously against the malignant partie most religiously and faithfully to Church and State in generall and most graciously tenderly and affectionately as so many fathers of their Countrey to all singular petitions and petitioners desiring their aid and assistance in a fair and fitting way for the good of Church and State which was most undeniably evident by the most sweet reciprocall resultaâ—ce and concurrent confluence of hearts and affections of all in City and Countrey over all the whole three Kingdoms of England Scotland and Ireland that had any spark or glimpse of true grace yea of but meer common-grace and goodnesse to the infinite praise and glorie of the Lord our God be it spoken and to the unexpressible joy of our souls even of the souls of all those that cordially love and desire to live to see the glorious and most happie espousals and never-again-to be-sequâ—stred-union and marriage twixt Peace and Truth the grand and gracious desire of that good King Hezâ—kiah the main if not onely ayme and â—nd of this prudent Parliament and which ought to be also of every true godly Christian with them Now therefore friendly Reader I say all those fore-mentioned particulars conglomerated into one bodie of serious animadversion those clouds of witnesses attesting this truth say was not thy wonder-working God the Lord Jehovah most admirably most gloriously even far beyond all humane apprehension or expression seen in the Mount of mercies for Englands mightie Deliverance Tell me good Reader speak thy conscience freely hath not England found yea hath not this blessed Parliament found our God raising up one Elisha or other to reveal and timely to discover all the wicked plots and devises of the malignant partie even now and of late and indeed all-along against the happie hope-breathing condition of our greatly envied Church and State So that we may say of England now adayes especially within this yeer and a half as Balaam once said of the children of Israel Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob neither is there any divination against Israel for according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel What hath God wrought So certainly we have all seen it and the very adverse and malignant partie must needs confesse it Surely there is no enchantment against England and Scotland nor is there any divination of the wicked that can prosper against the Houses of Parliament for according to these times of our wonderfull deliverances It shall be said to succeeding posteritie of England and of Scotland O what hath our most gracious God freely wrought for us Nay let me speak in particular to those of the malignant faction or let me rather sing it out with most emphaticall joy as Moses did in his sweet song of Gods high praises and let them denie it if they can Their Rock is not as our Rock even they our enemies themselves being judges For had their rock or rather Egyptian-reed been able to have over-powred our celestiall-Rock we had undoubtedly long ere this been made most wofull spectacles to them and theirs of ineffable ruine and implacable wrath whereas we are now most hopefully happie spectators of their most black shame sorrow and precipitating confusion Even so Amen Lord Jesus hasten it for thine elects sake Now then these things being thus how can we but with holy David break out into over-flowing cordiall-gratitude and say with his heart and tongue What shall we render to the Lord for all his blessed benefits toward us We will take the cup of salvation and call on the Name of the Lord. We will pay our vows of universall true obedience unto the Lord in the presence of all the people Yea I say how can we forbear to break-forth into pious King Davids excitation and stimulation of our hearts to infinitely obliged thankfulnesse but with sincere rouzed-up souls to sing Blesse the Lord O my soul and all that is within me blesse his holy Name Blesse the Lord O my soul and forget not all or any of his precious benefits Who hath forgiven all thine iniquities and healed all thy great and grievous diseases Who hath redeemed thy life from destruction and hath crowned thee with loving kindnesse and tender mercies In summe therefore to wind-up all briefly let me beseech thee good Christian Reader to make this four-fold holy use and observation of all these premises these remarkable and unparalleld parliamentarie-mercies to England to unworthie sinfull England First to admire and adore the infinite and free mercie of our good God who hath done all these great things for thee even for his own Name sake because this so glorious a wonder-working attribute of free-grace and merci pleaseth him best of all Know O England that it was not for thine own sake that God hath done all these things for thee but for his holy Names sake which alas thou hadst most extremly profaned But thy God was willing to sanctifie his own great Name which thou I say hadst profaned and because he would make the wiâ—ked and ungodly among thee to know that God is the Lord and that he will be sanctified in you before their eyes and that they may see that the Lords hand is listed uâ— against them though they will not see yet they shall see and be ashamed of their envie at Gods people when the fire of Gods wrath devoures his enemies and when they shall perceive that the Lord onely hath ordained peace for his people and hath wrought al his works in us and for us Let us not therfore my dear Christian English brethren and friends so much look on our sins as to dead our hearts or to damp our faith by saying one to another O but our sins are greater than other Nations and therefore surely the Lord will not yet save and deliver us till we are fitted for mercie Alas alas if God should not be mercifull to us till