blessings for our selves both all things needfull for this and the better life with forgiuenenesse of sins deliverance from Satan and from all the evils that he intends against us That we shall see our Lord Iesus manifesting his kingdome power and glory for us and making us partakers of the same for evermore For the ends and fruits those must of necessitie be the best which as they doe most directly aime at all these things mentioned so doe likewise serve as Gods instruments to helpe us to worke these things most powerfully and effectually Finally for the forme and manner of sending them forth unto the Lord or performing them any other way those must needs be best and holiest which are done with most understanding and so with the holiest and most fervent affections rising thereon and which are also uttered or performed in best order and with fewest vaine repetitions And contrarily those must needs be the worst which are contrary to these in regard of their matter generall or particular and which conduce to contrary ends and have most contrary effects and operations and are done in a manner farthest differing from these Now having set downe these generall rules and directions which may serve for our discerning of the true and sincere holinesse and goodnesse of all devotions and which are the best we are in the next place to consider briefly and in a generall manner what is the most speciall and principall matter of our devotions and then what is the chiefest matter of theirs and after in the third place to compare them more particularly together and so leave the discerning and iudgement of them to every conscience as in the presence of the Lord. For our devotions they are such generally as agree to the former rules Both that we may so keepe his watch and walke with him here as wee may be sure to finde him God all-sufficient to live and reigne with him eternally And also that we may so pray as we may be certaine to be heard and to prevaile with his heavenly Maiesty for our selves and for all his Churches and people in all that he shall see best for his owne glory and the saving of all his chosen flocke and in whatsoever he hath promised to grant even every thing in the due time and especially whereby we may be sure to finde him a sanctuary whatsoever come to passe But for those devotions of theirs whereof they glory so much and wherewith they seeke to inchant not you alone but if it were possible all the people of the Lord and even to pull all from Christ to Antichrist what are they for the most part but either meditations of their Legend stories as of that materiall Crosse whereon and those nailes wherewith our Saviour was nailed or concerning the Virgin Mary her milke and merit or their Ladies Psalter all full of blasphemies and such like sluffe as that is which is in that booke so lately published by the Spanish Monke or tales of Saint Francis of this Saint and that of their Shrines and the miracles done by them or in the numbring and oft repeating upon their Beades their Pater nosters Creeds Ave Maries Rosaries and the like many of them in an unknowne tongue and in a most superstitious and blasphemous manner or praiers to the Saints devotions to the Crosse and to all their holy reliques with innumerable other fearefull superstitions All of them being to the great dishonour of the Lord and the dreadfull provoking of his heavie wrath in filling up the measure of their sinnes in stead of any comfort that any poore soules shall ever finde in them Or which is farre worse what are their deeper and more profound meditations and devotions I meane of their holy Iesuites and Iesuited Catholikes but what meritorious works they may doe for promoting the Catholike cause how to hold up and to advance the throne of their holy Father that he may be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords opposing and exalting himselfe above all that is called God Yea to advance their owne pompe and tyranny in all the world that they may at their pleasure reigne over both soules and bodies of all as they doe in all countries where they prevaile and domineere And thus are their chiefe meditations how to take away whatsoever may be any hinderance hereunto by murdering Kings and Princes seeking to subvert whole states so to bring all againe to adore that Romish Antichrist to cast Christ Iesus out of his Throne and that that man of sin may seat himselfe every where as God to destroy utterly all that will not worship him and take his marke yea all the people of the Lord who truly worship Christ Iesus and to root the remembrance of them from off the earth So that whereas the scope and effect of all our meditations and devotions is onely to save the soules and bodies of all men theirs are in very deed for the most part to destroy all either soules or bodies or both intended chiefly by their Iesuites and Seminarie Priests to worke that zeale in men as may make them ready to ruinate their owne native countrey to have their hands imbrued in the bloud of their mother that bred them rather than to be hindered in their wretched designes And not onely to take away the Lords anointed with all his royall seed and all not joyning to them but even those of the same profession with them and of the neerest of their kin so that they can doe it warily enough if they be like to be any impediment to the accomplishment of their desires as the powder furnace gave sufficient evidence Yea the very best of their devotions more than where they agree with the word of the Lord and so with ours are such as concerning which the Lord himselfe doth in his word and will one day demand of them before the whole world Who hath required these things at your hands For for those meditations of Lewes de Granado and others so far as they agree with the word of the Lord and with ours they are not properly Popish but Christian devotions so in deed ours reserved amongst them as the Scriptures and other parts of Gods truth for the cause of the true Church the little remainder of Gods people hid amongst them even in the midst of Rome Now to take any of these devotions of theirs as they are their 's properly and the very meanest of ours but even these whereunto this is the entrance prepared of purpose to helpe the poorest and weakest Christians in our Church and euen all those who have not yet entred into this way of pietie but are only desirous to offer their best service to our Lord Iesus and his poore Church if they may be fitted and admitted hereunto and to compare them to those of theirs in all or any of the former respects I doubt not to refer
all the threatnings in Gods booke for adding to his word and detracting from it in matter of his worship and service and for rejecting his Commandements setting up mans in stead thereof and so placing sinfull man in the roome of our most holy blessed and glorious God the creature above the Creator yea in truth Satan above God like as in all their devillish and lying doctrines 11. Ours teaching working by the practise of them full assurance of Gods favour and love in Iesus Christ which onely brings with it joy unspeakable and glorious theirs teaching and bringing but onely hope without any ground of true faith and therefore teaching doubting continually which when the conscience is awaked brings the very flashing of hell fire with it So that ours in the right use of them are heaven upon earth theirs when their consciences shall be awaked or when they but see what they have done in them all a very hell upon earth 12. Our devotions are in the end the sweetest in the remembrance of them and of all the time before that ever we have spent in them since we beleeved in Christ so as every one of our devotions made in faith as our Religion directeth and every moment of time so spent in them hath a certaine reward their 's being done without warrant of the word yea contrary to the word and therefore superstitiously and sinfully not onely wanting all such expectation of reward for who required the best of those things at their hands but also having an expectation of vengeance when the conscience beginneth to be a little awaked So that experience teacheth that then they are faine to renounce all but Iesus Christ and so all confidence in these things and to wish then with Balaam to die the death of the righteous toward which death of the righteous we are alway going forward and which life we striving to live shall be sure to die the death thereof and our last end to be like to our life 13. Our devotions in so many of us as practise them aright are as our Religion viz. that pure Religion and undefiled before God even the Father which Iames speaketh of directing and helping to visit the fatherlesse and the widow in their adversitie and namely those of them who are of the houshold of faith and the members of our Lord Iesus Christ and to keepe our selves unspotted of the world So as we practising rightly out devotions there cannot be a lying tongue found in our mouthes nor a hand or heart defiled with bloud but we shall seeke by all meanes to save both soules and bodies of all sorts even of our wickedest enemies and the most bloudily-minded against us Their Devotions contrarily are in truth as their Religion to devoure widowes houses under a pretence of long prayer and to destroy all the innocent the fatherlesse widow even al who are of the houshold of faith the members of Christ which are indeed the Innocents that save all the rest And by these they make themselves notorious and infamous to all the world to be the most polluted with execrable lying and the murder of innocents of all other religions that ever were in the world before as will further appeare after whereby all their chiefe professours and namely their bloudy Iesuits have made themselves odious even to all Nations 14. Yea and to passe by many other our Devotions are as our Religion to make us faithfull and loyall subjects and not to be so bold as to have an evill thought in our hearts against him whom the Lord sets over us but to be as David whose heart smit him for touching but the lap of Sauls garment and so with that holy servant of God and with the children of the Captivity and with Daniel yea with all the holy Martyrs to be content to endure whatsoever from them and from all in holy and lawfull authoritie under them that in our patient sufferings Kings Princes and Rulers may see the truth and what is pleasing to the Lord and also what they ought to maintaine and doe for their owne salvation and of their Royall Progenie and Dominions their 's in all these things to make all to be contrarily affected viz. to arme and flesh all to rebellion and the murdering of Kings and Princes when they can do it cōveniently After that those their ghostly fathers have made them to drinke deepe enough of this cup and to be truly devout in the manner of their devotions though I hope better things of you to whom I write yet it cannot hurt you to be warned 15. Moreover for the māner forme of our devotions All our devotions which are agreeable to our doctrine are sent forth from understanding hearts and so with a holy zeale inflamed by the spirit of judgement and the spirit of burning mixt with the sweet perfume of Christs merit and so offered up to our heavenly Father as they may be most pleasing comming to him as out of the hand of our Saviour yea offered also in order without any vaine babling or idle repetition Theirs contrarily are for most part and usually without any understanding at all like as all the devotions of their ignorant sort are especially those which are in an unknowne tongue and so without all holy affection For all holy affections must of necessitie be grounded upon knowledge without which the heart cannot be good neither can there be any faith in such nor any thing but sinne for whatsoever is not of faith is sinne And not onely so but also theirs are full of vaine and idle repetitions in that blinde manner a matter directly condemned by our Saviour as hypocriticall and heathenish when men thinke to be heard for their much babling Finally for that theirs are usually sent forth in a proud opinion of their owne merit and worthinesse to be heard or as they come out of the hand of some Saint or Angell to whom therein they give this honour and prerogative which solely belongs to our Lord and Saviour viz. of presenting our praiers and supplications unto his Father alone I might prosecute these comparisons in many other instances as namely that our devotions make us still better the more they are practised by us and more like to Christ Iesus theirs as they are their 's properly as those which I named make them still and ever worse and worse and more like to Satan as he is transformed into an Angell of light as namely in all their Iesuits their chiefe professed holy men being indeed deuils in carnate and so accounted to all States and specially for those chiefe works of their lying and murder which are manifest to all to be their principall studie Ours to repeat it againe that it may leave the deeper impression in every soule tending to save all both soules and bodies theirs to destroy all not onely us whom they terme Heretiques but themselves eternally
passe over all these and this also that all sorts doe know that their Iesuites and Confessours are the chiefe contrivers and abettours of all their chiefe stratagems and that nothing is done without them And albeit wee are nothing to regard words when their deeds according to their Doctrines and Constitutions are apparent to all the world And that although they may delude little children by affirming that these are not their doctrines if any dare still deny it against the witnesse of his owne heart yet men having their braines in their heads can never bee so besotted unlesse they will wilfully joyne hands with them or suffer their eyes utterly to be put out For that which they say That they are not their Doctrines unlesse wee can shew them out of the Councell of Trent or some of their chiefe Councels can any man imagine that the Councels would openly professe them to proclaime to all the world that they and their Religion is of Satan or can wee thinke or imagine that so many of their Iesuites should publish them unto the world unlesse they were the advice of their Popes and indeed their Doctrine But to passe all these things over and to leave them to their further consideration to worke better upon their consciences what can they yet or any other say to their Doctrines which the Holy Ghost cals Lies through hypocrisie devised to devoure us all Such as this here discovered That they have moe holy devotions than we c. And even for all their Doctrines joyntly to leave it to the consciences of all whether all of those wherein they differ from us and for which they so contend bee not Doctrines meerely devised to please the corrupt nature of man to hold up that Hierarchie of the Pope and tyrannie of that Sea of Rome viz. of their Pope Cardinals Abbots and the rest And also for their bellies and that they may keepe all the world in slaverie and to hide their wickednesse And more specially what their Doctrines are concerning Purgatorie Masses Indulgences Pardons even for the time to come Miracles done by this Saint and that and by this Relique and that and concerning their holy Reliques themselves and so all their doctrines of Equivocation mentall Reservation and the like whether they be not all to speake as the thing is notorious lies to keepe the poore people in ignorance in their blinde devotions and slavery to them yea to muzzle them in their murdering zeale against the true Church Which if it be so then the Assumption is most manifest to all the world even to children and almost to sucking babes That Popery teacheth lying and murder or that which tends thereunto viz. to the destroying of all either soules or bodies or both Now for the truth of all these things I appeale first to the Lord Iesus the Iudge of all to iudge betweene us and that I have written according to the perswasion of my heart grounded upon the word of the Lord and upon their writings and dealings 2. I appeale to the sacred Scriptures by which we and they and all our doctrines must be judged 3. To the universall consent of all the true Church of Christ. 4. To every one who professeth the Gospell according to the doctrine of our Church and our good lawes 5. To their owne hearts and consciences I meane of all the learneder and cunninger sort of them and to the consciences of all when they shall be so awaked as to thinke that they are to appeare before Iesus Christ to give an account For particular proofes of these and other disputes I leave them to the Treatises mentioned before and also to the more learned and them who have better leysure It may be sufficient for me to have made them manifest to all who professe Christs Gospell and who judge indifferently and to leave them and their consciences thus convinced unto the Lords Iudgement feaâ—… And now these things being so I appeale againe to their consciences and the consciences of all the world concerning the evidence and necessitie of these Consectaries 1. Whether the Assumption being true that Religion of theirs be not of the Devill by our Saviours owne reason and therefore that all of them must either renounce and even abjure it or else professe themselves to be of Satans Religion to maintaine it and to fight for him against our Lord Iesus Christ and that they will still doe it 2. Whether all sorts are not bound to seeke to save themselves from that lying and murdering Religion and to use all warrantable and holy means both to reclaime all from it to the end to save them both soules and bodies and also to deliver all the Churches and people of the Lord from the danger of being suddenly surprized and murdered thereby and so far as God inables them any way to take away all the dishonour and provocations of his sacred Majestie which may come thereby as by all other such hainous sinnes This I humbly submit to the judgement of all seeing whosoever is not with our Saviour is against him and that whosoever saves not destroyes That the Magistrates and all in authoritie are the keepers of both the Tables each according to his place and for that the bloud of all must be required at the Pastors and Watchmens haâ—…ds according to the charge committed to every one of them if they be not faithfull in their severall places designed to them by the Lord. Wherefore I intreat them and all others seriously to thinke hereof as in the presence of our Lord Iesus Christ before whom I have written in duty to his heavenly maiesty for maintaining his glory and holding up the scepter of our Lord Iesus and in love and duty to all sorts chiefly to all in high place for the saving of all or to leave the obstinate utterly without excuse And thus much also for the proofe of the Assumption and the shutting up of this inclosed Epistle Unto which if this Gentleman or any one for that Honourable Ladie will offer to reply let me but crave this of him whosoever he be which equitie and wisdome will require 1. First to doe it in love and with good advice as in the presence of our Lord Iesus Christ without all shifts or devices against the light of his conscience even as I have endevoured and onely for the finding out and maintaining the truth whereunto God willing I shall ever yeeld if any one in any thing shall rightly shew mee my error and I shall moreover acknowledge my oversight 2. And secondly let me request of him that hee will bethinke himselfe wisely for what he pleades and also for whom whether he doe it not even for Satan and for the upholding of his kingdome by his chiefe workes of lying and murder and also to consider against whom he doth it whether it be not against our Lord Iesus Christ and against all his Saints and
thou hast called us hereunto that thou acceptest us and our service and that wee may never give thee over untill wee see the deliverance and felicity of thy Sion Grant that so many of us as unfeignedly desire to bee with thy Majesty may never give any rest unto thee nor unto our owne soules untill wee finde our selves so qualified in all things as thou requirest of all such in taking to heart the dishonours done unto thy heavenly Majesty the oppositions against thy most glorious Gospell and also in feeling the necessities of thy Church people more specially in considering aright and sensibly feeling the miserable estate of all them that are under the spirituall bondage Captivitie of Sathan worse ten thousand times then the Captivitie and slavery of the Turke or under the cruellest Tyrants in all the earth Grant likewise that wee may be such in all holy faith and obedience and so frame our prayers that heerein wee may thus farre prevaile with thy holinesse that thou maiest raise up for thy poore Church and Children in every part of the world some Iosephs or some that may be as Daniel Ezra Nehemiah or Hester which may obtaine favour with the Kings and Princes of the earth and by whom thou maiest prepare and incline the hearts of all Monarks Kings and Princes that they may all become Nursing-Fathers and Nursing-Mothers to thy religion and people and that all those of them who in thy mercy are such already by the power of thy heavenly Spirit may bee wholly delivered from all the power and delusions of Sathan and Antichrist and daily more and more inflamed with all holy zeale for thy glory and kingdome and all tender affection towards thy children and chosen flocke as the rage and malice of the Dragon is greater against them knowing he hath but a short time Vouchsafe Oh grecious Father that these all considering aright how thou hast set them up and given them all their dominions authority and power chiefly to this end and the great and dreadfull account they must all certainly make for the same they know not how soone may forthwith seâ—… themselves as thy faithfull Servants Moses Iosuah David Iehosaphat Hezekiah and holy Iosiah for thy glorious Majesty Gospell and people onely according to thy heavenly word and will Grant good Lord that thus thy great name may bee magnified by the powerfull comming of thy kingdome in all the world and by the full accomplishing of all thy heavenly will and good pleasure which in thine eternall counsell thou hast decreed for the speedy gathering forth of all thine elect and finishing of these daies of sin and so for preparing the way to thy glorious comming Good Lord perswade my poore heart and the hearts of every one of thine owne faithfull people of the present necessity of this worke because of the danger of the sodaine approching of thy vengeance ready each houre to rush upon uâ—… like as it hath done upon others which have so professed thy name as weâ—… doe for all our fearfull sinnes and above all for our haiâ—…ous contempt of thy heauenly Gospell and that notwithstanding all thy Fatherly warnings and mercies wee have beene worse and worse unto this day And therefore vouchsafe me this grace that I may not deferre it one day nor houre but now presently whilst thou my Lord and Saviour dost so graciously call me and offer me this mercy I may seeke to bee every way prepared and fitted for it like as thou hast so plainly â—…aught me so lively seâ—… it before my face in yâ— heavenly prayer of thine so as the simplest may read and understand Oh Lord Iesus perswade my heart that refusing or deferring now to come to helpe thee I cannot escape the curse of Meroz howsoever I may escape the present and temporall vengeance at the instant cryes of all other of thy deerest servants and children yet I can never escape the spirituall and eternall wrath Open mine eies that I may see yâ— I am not heerein to wrastle against flesh blood but against principalities and powers and the Princes of darkness of this world which have wrought all these evils chiefly and doe seeke the utter destruction of all thy people and that I am not now to enter the lists with Sathan for my selfe alone but for all the Church that so I may put on all thy compleat Armour to quit my selfe valiantly as one of thy worthyes and ever be carefull to looke to my watch and stand fast expecting Sathans extreamest rage and fury against me especially if hee get never so little advantage Grant unto mee to know undoubtedly that being thus armed and setting my selfe with all speed and cheerfulnesse unto this worke to bee rightly fitted to helpe thee in this greatest service I shall have this high honour to bee of their number of whom thou hast spoken to whom thou hast promised That the innocent shall deliver the land or at least that thou wilt bee to mee a Sanctuary whatsoever come to passe and though I should neither save Sonne nor Daughter yet I shall bee sure to save my owne soule Heare me therefore Oh gracious Father all thy poore children in this our humble suite and in all other things needfull for us or for any member of thy whole Church for the Lord Iesus Christ whom thou hast given for our grand Captaine our onely Mediator and Advocate Amen II. A prayer for increase of our love to all the Children of the Lord and for keeping a continuall fresh remembrance and feeling of their estate Our HVmble us Oh gracious Father that whereas thou hast long taught us this as one of our first lessons in our prayers to cry Oh our Father to keep therby a continuall and ever-fresh remembrance feeling of the estate and necessities of all thy children our Brethren and Sisters wheresoever dispersed and distressed in all the world and so to binde our hearts togither in the bond of love to rejoyce with them that rejoyce mourne with them that mourne and in all things to seeke the same good unto them which wee do vnto our selves yet so many of us notwithstanding do never or very seldome thinke of them or of their miseries and the best of us have so little true feeling and commiseration of their estate how wofull soever it bee to cry unto thee for them as wee ought so long as wee our selves are at ease and in prosperity Good Lord perswade our hearts that if wee truly love thee our heavenly Father we must needs love thy children for thy cause being as deere and precious unto thee as ourselves are even all those that appertaine to thy eternal election wheresoever they be in all the earth Lord Iesus make us know that if wee unfeignedly love thee wee must of necessity likewise love thy members even every one of that mysticall body whereof thou art the head and whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood as
Grant to us therefore and to all thy Children these lively evidences of thy favour in our unfeigned repentance and also our effectuall faith increasing daily for Iesus Christ our onely Lord and Saviour IIII. A prayer that wee may not deceive our selves in vayne conceite that we are Gods Children when wee are nothing lesse as the greatest part doe but that wee may come to strong assurance heereof by feeling a totall change in our lives and conversations OH most holy and most gracious Father we intreate yet further of thy divine Majesty that neither we nor any other of thy people and Children may deceive our selves in a vaine counterfeit show and imagination of repentance and faith as the greatest part of those do who living under the sound and in the light of the Gospell doe imagine therefore that they have repentance faith and are well enough when as aalas they have nothing lesse then any part of true sound and unfeigned repentance or any power of a lively faith Grant to this end that neither we nor they may rest untill wee finde in our selves the new-birth begun and increasing daily by a totall change wrought in us since the time that we beleeved in Christ as a speciall fruite thereof and that in every part both of our soules and bodies and also in the whole course of our life and conversation Stirre up all our hearts Oh holy Father to this purpose that wee may never give thee rest untill wee finde this thorow change and alteration both in our mindes and understandings from ignorance and blindnesse to the true knowledge not onely of our selves but also of thy heavenly Majesty and so of thy Sonne Iesus Christ likewise in our memories that instead of remembring vanities we may be able to keepe a holy remembrance of the things which concerne thy glory and our owne salvation with the good of our Brethren Good Lord worke the like change in our wils from following and obeying the will and lusts of our flesh to bee ever pliant and obedient to thy heavenly will Perswade our hearts that we may never give thee over untill wee likewise finde the same change in our affections that therein wee are conformed daily more and more to the holinesse of Christ both in our love hatred our joy our greefe in child-like feare holy security resting onâ—… selves onely in thy love and favour Make us to labour to finde also the same in our Consciences that wee may never give any rest to our soules untill wee finde our consciences quieted in this assurance that we are washed from our sinnes in the blood of our Lord Iesus Christ and that our owne hearts and consciences doe beare a continuall witnesse unto us of our upright conversation at least begun in us with a settled resolution ever to walke with thee our God all our daies Good Father never suffer us to bee at quiet untill wee truely finde the same alteration wrought by thy holy Spirit in like manner in our whole body making every sense and member thereof instead of the service of sinne to become servants of righteousnesse even thine owne servants Lord perswade us all that all these parts being thine Created and Redeemed to these ends thou dost not only require this holinesse in every one of them but that thou likewise workest it effectually in all thine whom thou hast ordained to life and salvation according to that measure of grace which thou arâ—… pleased to bestowe upon every one causing every one of them to strive forwards towards perfection that untill such a change bee begun in us in some measure never any one of us can have any true comfort that wee are thy Children or in thy favour and love and that onely as this change and comformitie to Christ Iesus our head increaseth so doth our comfort likewise increase in thee and contrarily as it decreaseth so doe we decay in our comfort and assurance Hearken unto us therefore Oh tender Father and worke mightily by thy holy Spirit in us in all thy Children that wee may never give thee any rest in our prayers untill wee shall attaine this full assurance for our Lord Iesus Christ his sake our onely Mediator and Advocate V. A prayer that wee may finde in our selves not onely the generall but even all the particular markes of Gods Children namely those which our Saviour hath taught us to beg in his prayer OH Lord who art the only true perswader and seâ—…ler of the hearts and consciences of all thine elect perswade effectually both us and all other thy people that besides a whole change in our selves in all the qualities and faculties of our soules bodies thou hast given sundry peculiar markes and properties whereby thy Children may both certainly know themselves to bee thy Children and also by which they may be so knowne ought so to be esteemed amongst all thy people and that so much the more as they more lively and evidently have these markes upon them And namely good Lord perswade us of those which thou in this praier hast taught all thine to pray and to cry for daily whereby wee carry most lively the Image of our Lord Iesus our elder Brother Vouchsafe that we may bee most zealous of the glory of thee our heavenly Father and that with a holy zeale having the Spirit of burning and the Spirit of judgement joyned together which worldlings regard not being little or nothing at all acquainted with it Grant that wee all may seeke thy kingdome and righteousnesse first before all the things of this life whereas they that are of this world seeke onely or at least in the first place the things of this world Helpe and inable us good Father heerein to these ends that whereas carnall and unregenerate men seeke onely the satisfying of their owne lusts and pleasures and by all meanes to have their owne wils fulfilled little or nothing regarding to know or to do thy heavenly will we contrarily may seeke to know and fulfill the will of thee our heavenly Father as thou hast expressed it in thy holy and sacred word and that this we may make our very meate and drinke preferring it as did our Saviour before his daily foode Vouchsafe us thy holy Spirit that whereas carnall and worldly men are wont commonly for whatsoever they desire onely to use and seeke worldly meanes such as like themselves best whether warrantable from thee or no they make no matter seldome or never using to seeke and beg them as they ought from thy heavenly bounty onely in and by the meanes which thou hast appointed and doe as seldome unfeignedly returne thee thankes prayse when they have received their desires but are like the swine under the Acorne trees never looking up from whence the Mast falls sacrifising unto their nets ascribing all to
THE FOVRTH PART OF THE TRVE WATCH CONTAINING PRAYERS AND TEARES for the CHVRCHES OR A helpe to hold up the hearts and hands of the poorest servants of God untill our Lord Iesus Christ shall have rescued his Glorie Kingdome and People in all the world and fully prepared the way to his most glorious appearing In praying learne to watch in watching pray in watching and praying is our victorie Zech. 4. 6. Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of hosts Hos. 12. 4. He had power over the Angell and prevailed he wept and made supplication unto him LONDON Printed for Thomas Pavier 1624. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE AND VERTVOVS Ladies the Ladie ZOVCH wife to the Right Honourable the Lord ZOVCH with her Noble Sisters Ladie DVDLEY and Ladie WINFIEâ—…D all Grace and happinesse IT is too well knowne Right Honourable and Worthie Ladies how both in Court and Countrey the hearts not onely of poore simple women loaden with sinnes buâ—… of our chiefe Ladies and of all other are stollen away so much as the Lord permite from all true allegeance and obedience to our Lord Iesus Christ and his Anoinced to ioyne themselves to the Church of Rome to the endlesse perdition both of their soules and bodies This also is as evident that this is wrought principally by this subtiltie of the old Serpent That they in that Church haue moe holy devotions and doe also spend much more time therein than wee in ours By this enchantment amongst others Satan and his instruments seeke to deuoure not widowes houses alone as those did in the dayes of our Sauiour but in time to swallow us all up quicke unlesse our mightie God stid deliver us from their iawes as hither to he hath done Considering therefore how the Romish Seducers swarme in everie place to the present indangering of all the Churches and people of the Lord even this our nation amongst the rest and having heard moreover by one of speciall note in the Church of God for his learning able to silence the proudest Adversarie that some of our most Honourable and chiefe Ladies have in these the like respects earnestly desired that some amongst us would more seriously labour herein that we might match them even in this kinde not as theirs in blinde vaine superstitions but in true sincere and holy devotions I haue thought it my bounden dutie to tender for the good of all sorts such meditations and prayers as the Lord hath in his mercie beene pleased to vouchsafe unto me in this behalfe This also the rather for that he having long agoe put this verie same care into my heart to seeke hereby as much to save us all as they doe to destroy us all hath now much more enflamed it with an ardent studie hereof upon this religious motion and most honourable desire of those great Personages mentioned to me againe and againe and that in Gods speciall providence as I have taken it to stir me up more earnestly hereunto Let me therefore herein right noble and worthie Ladies humbly beg pardon if I presume upon your truly renowned courtesie and tender and compassionate affection to be more than ordinarie in this my dedication to your Honours upon this important and extraordinarie occasion from this intolerable insulting of the common Adversarie and the pitifull deluding and destroying of multitudes of poore unstable soules and also the endangering of us all to lie open daily more and more unto the butcherly cruelties of Rome when they have thorowly prepared the way by drawing enow unto their part through this and other their cunning stratagems and strong delusions Grant me leaue deare Ladies I beseech you though a thing unusuall in such dedications which are wont usually to bee verie briefe yet to manifest my long studie and earnest desire for the sauing of such of our brethren and sisters as are endangered to be destroyed by this and the like subtilties of Satan to helpe hereby and by our instant prayers for them to pull some of them backe againe from the subtill Serpent unto our Lord Iesus Christ and withall to keepe others from falling away from him even so many of them as belong to the election of grace and to leave the rest of them more without excuse Now is the time that Michael and his Angels strive specially against the Dragon and his Angels about the whole bodie of his Church Now is the time that our Lord Iesus lookes for us all to helpe him and his poore Church to remember our Baptisme vow in a speciall manner to â—…ight manfully under his banner and to stand for him for our selves for our brethren I haue therefore presumed upon the occasion of that their right Christian and tender commiseration to write a generall Epistle to all the plaine and simple-hearted people of our land seduced by those deceiuers or in danger thereof and not onely to them but to all sorts That all may take the better notice of the delusions of Poperie the difference betweene the devotions of the Romish Synagogue and of the true Church of Christ and to make fully known unto them all that they must all either renounce Poperie and professe the Gospell with us or else professe themselues therein to be of Satan and to stand for his religion against our Lord Iesus Christ. That thus all may get out of Babyâ—…on seeke to save themselves and helpe to pull out and save all others And so much the rather for that this verie service hath beene required of me particularly by a truly religious worthie and ancient professour of Christs Gospell in the behalfe of a great and honourable Ladie who hath beene drawen away by this same delusion principally to wit That they have moe holy devotions in their Church than wee in ours and doe spend more time therein Whereupon hee requested mee to write some Epistle to helpe to reclaime her and to bring her backe againe unto us Which service or a greater I could not well denie as God should bee pleased to vouchsafe mee abilitie and opportunitie especially hauing beene long obliged by his ancient loue though the unablest of thousand others And moreouer for that I have likewise stood for many yeeres after a sort bound by promise for the verie like service in effect unto a Gentleman much respected generally of all that are affected to that Romish Religion for his speciall devotion in that superstitious kinde one worthie indeed to be duely respected of all in regard of his good parts of nature learning and also descent if the Lord shall bee pleased to shew him that mercie to reclaime and bring him backe into the bosome of his owne true Church and people againe This have I therefore more heartily wished to accomplish not onely for that I have remained long thus bound by my particular promise unto himselfe as after shall more fully appeare but likewise for that I was specially obliged in dutie both
Sathan and Antichrist set up themselves to be obeyed and to destroy out of the earth all that seeke to obey the Lord. FOurthly we are to endeavour to bring our hearts to a lively meditation and weighing hereof How Antichrist all his limbes who persecute Gods Church all other wicked and vngodly men are so farre off from obeying his heavenly wil and commandement that they haue set themselves to satisfie onely their owne wicked lusts and willes and to disanull all the commandements of our blessed God both of his Law and Gospel and all his holy and blessed will revealed in the same and with them to destroy out of the earth all those that desire to obey him according to his heavenly word or that make any true and right conscience of his wayes and wil yea to put out all the true saving knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ to set up their owne wicked inventions in place thereof and how they are in a dreadfull manner proceeding heerein That as was touched before there is nothing but the mightie hand and power of our Lord Iesus Christ and the holy care and vigilancie of his Vicegerents whose hearts he shall in mercy raise up for himselfe and for his poore Church together with the prayers of his owne Children to prevent the same And withall we are to strive to bring our hearts to a true feeling how hard a matter it is for Gods owne deere people and children being free from these trials to lay these things to heart as they ought to doe and as his people haue beene wont and also how difficult it is for them which are tryed by these greevous afflictions which they undergo to submit themselves to Gods will and to make a right use of them all ◅nd to cry with our Saviour Father if it be thy will let this cup passe from us yet not our will but thy heauenly wil be fulfilled Blessed be thy holy name That so we may the more commiserate their estate and help them crying heerein The fifth particular Meditation of the second generall Concerning the innumerable miseries which our Brethren indure deprived of the outward comforts of this the better life how neere the like may be to us WEe are yet further in the fifth place by continuall and serious pondering of thē to bring our hearts to a more right fellow-feelling of those innumerable miseries mentioned before which our poore bretheren the deare children of the Lord do indure in every place where Sathan and Antichrist have prevailed especially by this late bloody sword wheresoever it hath come how they have been and still are in so many places deprived of all the comforts of this life of food raiment harbour libertie meanes of health and peace lying under famine nakednesse slavery sicknesse perill sword and all the miseries that follow upon them where the mercilesse idolatrous souldier is made drunke with the blood of Gods Saints having none to flie to to succour them but onely to cry unto the Lord. And more also enduring the famine of their soules having none to feed them with the word of life none to minister a word of comfort to refresh their fainting hearts And withall wee are wisely aforehand to lay to heart how nere the like miseries may be unto our selves how we have deserved to drinke of the same cup in a deeper measure for that wee haue not knowne the day of our long visitation which hath been in so much mercie but have abused these and all other our Blessings so as never Nation more And finally that wee are the faster haling and pulling these evils upon us for our want of commiseration for that our bowels have not nor yet doe earne over them for their innumerable miseries which they abide and that we have and doe so generally by our impenitency and induration fat our selves as against the day of slaughter How by those principally whom the Lord hath set over us for our foster fathers and mothers wee have hitherto been preserved from these thus farre forth through the tender mercy of our heavenly father and may hope that hee will so preserve us still i◅ we shall once be awaked to make a true and right use hereof The sixt particular Meditation of the second generall concerning the sinnes of the Churches and namely the generall abuse of the Gospell and the blessings which accompany it and that our sinnes are most heynous for our unthankefulnesse SIxtly wee are moreover to travell with our owne hearts to bring them to a right sense and feeling of our owne sinnes and the sinnes of other Churches and chiefly the most heynous and crying sins thereof which have provoked the Lord to so heavy displeasure thus to begin to proceede against so many of his own deer children abroad and amongst other that carnall Gospelling of barely professing the name of the Gospell but without any power or life thereof so much complained of in all the Churches That our blessed God having committed unto us the hidde treasure of his heavenly Gospell wee have not esteemed of it accordingly that we have onely professed it i◅ word for the most part but have not shewed forth any power of it as we ought That wee have not caused our light to shine so before others that yet sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death as that they seeing our good works might come from the kingdome of Sathan to God and glorisie our Father which is in heaven That thus he hath now alreadie so fearefully proceeded against so many of our brethren in forreigne parts for these and other sinnes according to the threatnings denounced in his Law and is so still going on forward in the heighth of his displeasure and yet wee for the most part remain without any true sense hereof and the best of us without that which we ought to have Then from them abroad we are to come home unto our selves and to our owne sinnes and heerein to consider seriously that our sinnes of this Nation may justly s◅eme more heynous then theirs or of any other people under heaven and therefore cry lowder for vengeance both in that the Lord hath so long called us to repentance not onely by the voyce of his Spirit in his heavenly Gospel and by as many of his worthy Messengers as euer he sent to any Nation before but also so long warned us and striven with us that he might spare us by all the other meanes that ever he used to reclaime any people both by mercies and iudgements and by his fatherly rods corrections more especially by such wonderfull preservations of vs from our just feares and so admirable deliverances when we were in the middest of the fire and when yet wee were without any sense or feare thereof or power to helpe or save our selves Also for that our outragious
habitation for Sathan and as a den of Dragons And that thou wouldest seeke now to have thy soule conscience wholly clensed and purged in the blood of the Lambe and to wash the feete of thy deere Saviour with Mary Magdalen by the teares of thy unfeigned sorrow for all thy former unkindness and for thy ungraciousness in keeping out thy Lord and Saviour so long giving unto Sathan the whole possession of thy heart and so the very chiefe roomes thereof not vouchsafing unto Christ Iesus so much as entertainment within thy threshold Then will he come in to thee how unworthy soever thou art and Sup with thee and thou with him This shall be the joy fullest day that ever shone upon thee for hee being in thy heart will by his blessed Spirit not onely teach thee thus to pray but will certainly make thy prayers to piâ—…rce the very heavens and finde happy audience at the throne of Grace chiefly in all these causes which so highly concerne his Majesty his poore Church and people He will then bring unto thee that joy with him that goes beyond all the joy of all worldly men and farre beyond that which all things here belowe can ever bring unto thee That which eye never saw nor eare heard nor entered into mans heart to consider of Yea that which shall never be taken away from thee but be a continuall feast for evermore And contrarily if yet thou wilt not harken unto him but still harden thy heart against him the time shall come that every call of his which ever thou heardest before and hast contemned shall sound so shrill in thy eares when it will be too late as thou shalt have it affrighting thee perpetually That thou never shalt have rest day nor night for the dreadfull noyse of these many cals because thou wouldest not harken in time but didst put off the day of thy repentance and so of harkening to his sweet voyce of mercy thus calling thee stilto bee partakers of his mercy and even of this high favour and now at day in these dangers of the Church in a speciall manner above all other Wherefore let the counsel of the holy Ghost be now acceptable unto thee breake off thy sinnes by repentance be not as the deafe Adder any longer But whilst it is now called to day heare his voyâ—… Contemne it not now little knowest thou whether ever thou shalt heare it any more thus in mercy but onely in wrath and vengeance for despising his long suffering and all the riches of his compassion The second Meditation To thinke what it is for a man to forsake his owne happinesse in refusing Christs gracious call and to joyne with Sathan against him to his endlesse perdition SEcondly the Lord cals loud to every soule to bethinke him seriously in time what it is for a man not onely to refuse and contemne the gracious call and service of our Lord Iesus Christ yea all his favours all his sweet promises and mercies concerning both this and a better life all the glory and happinesse of the Celestiall Canaan the heavenly Ierusalem where is fulnes of joy in the presence of the Lambe and at the right hand of our heavenly Father pleasures for evermore but of the contrary to choose to joyne himselfe with Sathan and with all the damned to serve under him against our Lord and Saviour Likewise to thinke aforehand what such a men will doe when hee must appeare before his glorious Majesty when all the greatest proudest of the earth that have so set themselves against him shall cry to the Hils Mountaines to fall upon them and cover them from the presence of the Lambe so terrible shall his very presence be unto them then though a Lambe to all beleevers who have heere followed him in true obedience to all who yet shall harken to his voyce yea so dreadfull shall it bee when whatsoever torment and misery is denounced against them in the booke of God to bee inflicted upon them hereafter shall be most certainly and fully executed in that lake burning with fire and brimstone For the unfallible truth and undoubted certainty hereof the Lord cals every soule alwaies to behold with the eies of their minds not only those fearfull spectacles mentioned in his word of that wofull horror of conscience which hath so surprized and overwhelmed so many of the wicked whom God hath left for ensamples to all posterity even for their malicious wickednesse though but against some one of his Servants as namely in Caine Saule Achitophel Iudas and others when they did but onely consider the wrath of the Lord and his vengeance due unto them and which would overtake them or felt it beginning to seize upon them for this sinne but moreover hee cals them to thinke aright of the continuall examples that hee daily seteth before their faces in the miseries of so many of his deerest Children How they are tormented when their consciences are awakened with a right apprehension and feare of the wrath of the Lord for their sinnes wherein they have served Sathan though not taking part against his Majesty and Children no nor so much as in forsaking him or them or any his causes but onely for some particular slâ—…ps failings and infirmities as either for some spirituall pride or timerousnesse in fearing men more then God and thereupon omitting some necessary confession or other good duty or for doing some small thing against their conscience or for some unbeleefe in not being able to rest upon the Lord his love and care in the failing of outward meanes as it was with Moses at the waters of strifâ—… or for spirituall security for decaying in their first love neglecting the conscionable use of meanes of grace and saluation or the like How even these I say when their consciences are throughly awaked doe indure as it were the very slashings of hell fire and this so dreadfully as their miseries astonish all that behold them and that they themselves doe account all outward tortures nothing in regard thereof so that many a time with holy Iob they wish an end were made of them being oft ready through Sathans malice to lay violent hands upon themselves Also for that they indure this so long as that Gods hand pursues some of them throughout their whole life that they are usually uncapable of any comfort though the same be sent by a messenger of God even one of a thousand except it bee a little before their death wherein the Lord commonly vouchsafeth unto them much heavenly assurance and consolation And if it be so with these here while yet the day of salvation remaines and the accepted time and also whilst they have the most excellent meanes to comfort them yea though they bee such as have felt formerly the assurance of Gods love favour in Christ and many
well as oâ—…r selves Make us to conceive aright that without this love which is the badge of thy Disciples and Children wee can never assure our owne hearts that we are either the true and naturall children of our heavenly Father or lively members of thy mysticall body and thy very Disciples indeed and that we deceive our owne hearts untill wee become thus truly affected at least in the inward longing of our soules and that wee can unfeignedly mourne for the want of the lively feeling heereof Lord cause us to know that their sinnes are in some sort our sinnes their miseries our miseries as being of the same mysticall body of our Lord Iesus Christ that both their sinnes their calamityes and their afflictions may bee matter of heavinesse mourning unto us and their prosperity both bodily and spirituall may be our continuall rejoycing Cause us to have this fellow-feeling of their estate wheresoever they be though amongst the Indians or in any of the remotest and barbarousest places in all the earth and much more as thou hast united them unto us by neerer bonds of profession place kinred and the like and hast made their estates more knowne unto us More specially make us to have a more sensible feeling of the estate of those who are of our owne nation and stocke and as they are yet linked unto us by neerer bonds Above all good Father make us to bee most loyally and hartily affected towards those in all quarters countries whom thou hast ordained in thine owne place to be Nursing-Fathers Nursing-Mothers to thy Church either presently or in their due times to succour and provide for all thy children committed to them as the faithfull Nurse for her tender Babes And amongst them for all those of them yet in a more speciall manner whom thou hast already vouchsafed this high favour to bee such unto them and to whom thou hast made knowne thy heavenly will in this behalfe what thou lookest for at their hands and whome thou hast bound unto thee by so many bonds of thy heavenly and earthly favours Oh grant that at our instant cries their hearts may bee inclined accordingly towards all thy Children especially to all those whom thou hast to this end specially committed to their trust that they may shew forth before men and Angels their tender affection towards all of them chiefly all those of them who in all unfeigned study of true holinesse and righteousnesse doe most lively resemble thee their heavenly Father and most visibly carry upon them the true Image of our Lord Iesus Christ. Oh give them like affections to thy heavenly Majesty in this behalfe that thy people and children may bee so precious unto them that like as in thy tender love thou gavest thine owne deere Son and with him all good things also yea thine owne selfe for the saving and happinesse of thy Church and namely of all blessed Kings Princes and Governours so they againe may not onely be willing to imploy all their thoughts and endeavours but also be ready to spend offer themselves and also to bee offered up so to give themselves and all theirs most willingly for the saving and happinesse of thy people Lord perswade their and our hearts that the lively evidence hereof will upon our death-beds if our consciences shall thorowly bee awaked and so ever after bee more worth unto us then ten thousand worlds and the contrary more bitter and dreadfull then all the evils of this present life can possibly bee unto us These things we humbly intreate thee to grant for thy Sonne our Lord Iesus Christ his sake our alone Saviour and Advocate III. A prayer that wee may be able to seeke and finde this first that God is our gracious and tender Father in Christ and that we may grow in this assurance daily Father OH deere Father and most blessed Lord God perswade all thy people that this is that which is first to bee sought of every one of us next thy glorie aboue all other things to bee assured that thou art our gracious and tender Father that so each of us may in faith call upon thee saying truly as our Saviour hath taught us Abba Oh Father That this assurance alone being rightly considered of that thou art our heavenly and loving Father will quiet our heart or the heart of any beleever in all the world will fill it with unspeakeable joy in the middest of the greatest troubles temptations that can possibly befall us And contrarily make every one of thy people to know for certaine that the very doubting and want of assurance whether we bee in thy favour and love or no and much more whether we bee thy Children will worke extreame disquietnesse and horror in our soules when once our consciences shall bee awaked and will bee unto us as the unspeakeable torments of hell fire and that this will fall upon all the ungodly most of all when their consciences shall tell them as one day the conscience of every wicked and impenitent sinner will doe that they are not thy Children but thine enemies and the Children of wrath yea of Sathan himselfe and therefore that they are hated of thee as Sathan their Father is whose Image they have borne and whose worke they have done To this end good Lord worke upon our hearts and the hearts of all that belong to thy eternall election whosoever and wheresoever they be in all the earth that we all may truly understand and rightly know our owne miserable condition by nature that wee are thorow the first Adam by naturall generation and by the whole course of our lives none other but the Children of disobedience and so vessels of wrath and fire brands of hell untill such time as we are or shall be regenerated and borne againe and by a lively faith ingrafted into Iesus Christ the second Adam and so made thy Children and heires of thy kingdome by thy grace in him Cause us all to know moreover that we can never attaine heereunto to bee thy Children much lesse to any certaine knowledge or assurance heereof untill wee feele these two graces of thine wrought in our hearts by thy blessed Spirit and the preaching of thy heavenly Gospell unto us to wit an unfeigned repentance for all our sinnes and a lively faith in Iesus Christ and likewise that wee have the same daily increased or at least continued with a true and earnest desire indeavour of the increase thereof for that these two are lively evidences to any man that hee is regenerate and in the state of grace and that of a Child of wrath hee is made thine owne deere Child â—…cceptable to thee his heavenly Father by Iesus Christ alone
needfull for us or thy whole Church or any part thereof for Iesus Christ our Lord and onely Saviour VII A Prayer that all may understand how deere Gods Children are unto him that they may be so to us likewise OH Lord most merciful most wise and tender Father make all sorts to understand and know in time especially all those who so furiously rage agaynst thy Church and people at this day how deere and precious every one of thy Children is unto thy heavenly Majestie that they are unto thee as the apple of thine owne eye and that therefore their blood is precious in thy sight That they perishing for lacke of care to save and succor them much more being destroyed by them to whom thou hast committed them as to their nursing Fathers in thy place their blood will cry for vengeance like as the blood of Abel did and wil cause the murderers one day without unfeigned repentance to crie out when it is too late My sin is greater then I can beare Yea cause all to know that thou canst no more beare with wrongs done unto these thy Children and especially to those of them whom thou hast manifested by their child like obedience and by the glorious image of our Lord Iesus thy deere Sonne printed visibly upon them to bee so deere and precious unto thee then thou couldst beare with the wrongs done unto thy servants Abraham Moses David or any other of thine That if for Abrahams cause thou wast so severe agaynst Abimelech and his house though hee was but a Heathen King that which he did agaynst Abraham hee did ignorantly and with an upright heart as he sayth yea and thorow Abrahams weakness in saying of his wife she was his sister thou wilt then be much more severe agaynst all those who being convinced in their consciences of the innocency of thy poore children as all must needes be in a very great measure in this most glorious shining light of thy heavenly Gospell and yeâ—… doe so vexe and mollest them yea and seeke to destroy them out of the earth onely for thy names sake for cleaving fast unto thee and to thy sacred truth Lord perswade the hearts of all sorts that these while they are in any place are in some sort as Noah was to the old world and as Lot to Sodome for keeping off the vengeance from all the rest Yea good Lord make all sorts understand and know and especially set this ever before our eies and the eies of all thy people every where that thou madest poore Ioseph who was scorned and hated of his Brethren for his religion and pietie for seeking to reforme their evill behaviour to bee yet the preserver of his Brethren yea of all his Fathers house and of the whole Church and causedst his Brethren in their greatest extremity and in the very anguish of their soules to acknowledge how they had sinned against the Lad chiefly in their lack of commiseration and moreover to come and to stoope unto Ioseph and humbly to seeke unto him that he would not remember the wrongs and evils that they had done to him Cause us all to consider well how thou madest him to save them all even him whom for his dislike of their evill manners for his care for their good and for thy speciall favour manifested towards him they accounted the dreamer plotted against cast into the pit sold to the Ismalites thinking thereby they should never have bene troubled with him noâ—… have heard of him any more Grant good Lord seeing thy Children are so deere unto thee that for their causes and the wrongs done unto them thon callest for a dearth upon the lands where they are thou plaguest even Kings for their sakes that thou wilt not spare their owne Brethren or Sisters if they wrong them no not Miriam her selfe though she be beloved of thee a Prophetess and Sister of Moses but wilt make her feele her sinne and her shame if she dare but speake against thy servant Moses especially for doing as thou hast commanded him that they may be likewise as deere and precious unto all thy people Grant Oh tender Father that all sorts thus esteeming of them for thy cause as thine owne deere Children and so highly beloved of thee may all joyntly acknowldge their wrongs against them their haynous sinne against thy Majesty for them in all the rebukes scornes and taunts cast upon thee and thy sacred religion thorow the evils done unto them Vouchsafe that heereby all these may with faithfull Abraham Moses and Samuell pray for all thy people and so helpe to make the attonement for them by the blood of the Lord Iesus that all their sins may bee pardoned thy anger appeased thy people turned to thee againe thy hand may bee turned against thine obstinate and implacable enemies and the enemy may once againe bee given for the ransome of thy Children and people as thou diddest sometimes give Aegypt for thine Israel Lord perswade this principally to all thy Deputies and Vicegerents wheresoever in the earth that even for this cause alone for that these are so beleved of thee they likewise may in all tender affection set themselves as in thy place to rescue succour and protect them from the rage of all thine and their cruell enemies and that they may seeke withall the uniting of the hearts of all thy Children in that firme bond of brotherly love which is in Christ Iesus that those of them who most excell in vertue as they are most deâ—…re unto thy heavenly Majesty may bee so likewise unto them that they may respect and tender them their welfare and prosperity above all others That they may seeke to keepe all thine in this bond of holy love and wisely to prevent whatsoever may dissolve this brotherly knot or but breed any hatred envy grudgings heart-burnnings or unbrotherly censurings amongst them or whatsoever may hurt or annoy them any way That heereby all such thy Vicegerents may get this testimony and seale to their Consciences that they themselves are as thy first borne and amongest the deerest of thy Children and of all other of the earth most precious unto thee and that thou wilt shew thy selfe a Father and Protector unto them theirs for evermore when as thou wilt declare thy selfe full of vengeance against all of them who have any way wittinglie wronged or intended evill agaynst them Oh unite all the hearts of thine owne children unto them and theyrs in all loyall affection as to their foster-fathers and mothers whome thou hast in so much mercie to this end raised up for them and committed them unto as the hearts of all thine owne servants were united into thy faithfull seruant David whom for this cause they accounted better then ten thousand of themselves as the Candle of Israel and as they were
our Lord Iesus Christ to escape the â—…orment which they must otherwise indure with them for evermore OH Lord God most holy and most righteous thou hast said thou wilt bee sanctisied in all that draw neeâ—…e unto thee and therefore as thou arâ—… infinite in mercy towards all those who unfeignedly feare thy holy name and â—…mble at thy word and wâ—…t â—…eale thy secrets unto them and make them of thy priviâ—… counsell so thou art most dreadfull terrible unto all other who regard thee not in any such holy manner as to 〈◊〉 thee and to receive the loâ—… of thy most sacred truth Awaken we beseech tâ—…ee all those who are drunke with the wine of Popery and superstition that â—…t length they may behold in what â—… fearfull and desparate state they stand under the power of Sathan and Antichrist ready to bee â—…st into hell every moment of time Make them able to consider aright of the just 〈◊〉 which thou hast threatned to follow the contempt of thy Gospell chiefly in the dayes of Antichrist and whether for that very 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have not deserved it to come upon them That therefore thou wilt send upon them strong delusions that they shall beleeve lyes and be damned because they would not receive the love of thy sacred truth so as to obey it that they might be saved Make them to bethinke themselves wisely seriously and as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 presence what iniquity they have found in thee 〈◊〉 in our way of life or â—…n 〈◊〉 â—…ow they â—…de in Baptisme that they have so 〈◊〉 renounced and abjured it and deparâ—…d from the boâ—… of their mother to caâ—…t her 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and with her â—…hine owne â—…jesty â—…o fearfully â—…o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—… 〈◊〉 of their 〈◊〉 blindnesse and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 through 〈◊〉 strong 〈◊〉 whereâ—…â—…o many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bene and are dayly so carried away to that Idolatrous religion Goâ—… Lord make them able to discerne how grosse palpablâ—… those lyes are wherby the â—…cers doe bewitch them as â—…amely that so lately divulged of the Twenty severall sorts of Bibles which within thâ—…se sâ—…w yeares past England hath brought forth Cause them by this one to discerne of all the rest of their delusions when they dare proclaiâ—… such notorious lyes before alâ—… the world as every poore simple body may understand see anâ—…â—…ust needs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 them all tâ—…t 〈◊〉 â—…nto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conceive in due time that this is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all other their most deepâ—… and 〈◊〉 â—…entions whereby they seekâ—…â—…o raise a slandâ—…r upon thine owne Meâ—… 〈◊〉 truth and people to make their poore seduced Prosâ—…lites to abhorâ—… them and so to roote out both the remembrance of thy great nâ—…me of thy Religion and people from the face of the 〈◊〉 Make them to weigh well how they have do deceive and most shamefully abuse them all in perswading of them that they have moe devotion in their Church then we in ours and that therefore they are to joyne themselves to tâ—…em when as they have hardly the tenth part of the bookes of devotion and others tendiâ—…g thereunto viz to â—…orther Religion and godâ—… which the ignorant â—…ort can come by which wâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ours and much less of 〈◊〉 Sâ—…mons tending to the â—…ame Cause them to have a true sense of that delusion that they tell them that their devotions are more holy then ours when as ours are grounded directly upon thy most blessed and eternall word theire upon doctrinâ—… and traditions of men 〈◊〉 the doctrines of 〈…〉 of sinne 〈…〉 thy glory thâ—…t 〈…〉 may 〈…〉 thee their â—…o 〈…〉 thee of thine honour 〈◊〉 giving it to 〈…〉 tend onely to 〈…〉 Lord Iesus Christ 〈…〉 and 〈…〉 many other thing 〈…〉 place of him 〈…〉 which 〈…〉 wholy to 〈…〉 pride of mâ—…n theirs â—…o 〈◊〉 him up like Lucifer Make them to concelve aright how ours helpe us to understand and keepe our Baptisme vow Covenant with our God theirs to keepe them in ignorance of it all their dayes Ours teach us to sight â—…anfully under the banner of our Lord Iesus and for him oâ—…ely their 's to sight desparately against him and all his armies ours teaching and helping us to walke in the narrow path prescribed by â—…hee our blessed Lord and Saviour theirs to kill all who will not runne with them into by-paths and the broad way leading to hell How ours instruct and guide us to live onely the life of faith directed by thy heavenly word their 's the life of unbeleefe having nothing for the ground but the meere word of sinfull man how ours teach and direct us to live the life of faith by a particulâ—…â—…plying of Christ 〈◊〉 his 〈◊〉 so truly ingrafting â—…d in coâ—…porating us into Christ 〈◊〉 by his holy Spirit and thereby making us good trees 〈◊〉 wee may bring forth good fruite 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to beleeve in generall and as the Church beleeves without any such particular application which â—…aith of theirs can neuer bring forth the â—…ound fruites of â—…anctification and true righteonsnesse especially when they scorne and persecute this true and saying faith as fantasticall and vaine Good Father 〈◊〉 these poore soules to understand and know how ours directe us to live the life of true godlinesse guided by thy word and Spirit which alone 〈◊〉 all the promises for this and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 life theirs teaching chiefly to live the life of superstition by bodily exerciâ—… themselves in such works 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 never required in any such manner Oâ—… perswade them all how ourâ—… bring to yâ— true practisers of them full assurance of thy 〈◊〉 and love and thereby â—…oy unspeakable glorious theirs bringing nothing but onely a â—…aggering hope so still doubting whether they be in thy favour or not which very doubting when the conscience shall bee thoroughly awaked will bring the very flashings of hell fire upon them How ours are heaven upon earth their 's hell upon earth ours the sweetest in the end when as each of them done in faith hath a reward promised thereunto their 's the bitterest in the end when instead of reward thou wilt demand concerning the best of them done without warrant of the word who hath required these things 〈◊〉 your hands Good Lord 〈…〉 hearts according 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 that our devotionâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our Religion to 〈…〉 â—…oly and unâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the widdow and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 theirs to make them polluted with lying and all filthy 〈◊〉 as in their 〈◊〉 and other chiefe perswaâ—… to that Idolatry yea with the blood of Innocents to destroy the widdow and the fatherlesse out of the earth even all truly professing Christe name â—…o that their religion iâ—… the most polluted with lying and murder of â—…nnocents of all other Religions that ever 〈◊〉 in the world whereby their 〈…〉 Lord bring to their understandings and cause them to thinke of it and ponder it wel that all our devotions as our
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
to his father being a worthie Iudge of our Land and in love to his eldest brother who was a rare hope in his time even in his tender yeeres as the Commons house of Parliament could then have borne witnesse if our God had beene pleased to have prolonged his daies And this the more cheerefully also for that the Lord had formerly shewed mercie on that his hopefull brother vouchsafing me a poore and weake instrument to helpe to pull him from Satan to Christ out of deepe despaire whereunto he had fal◅e by reading some part of their devotions even of Parsons Resolution of the paines of hell and to bring him to much assurance and comfort in Iesus Christ by the right use of a little part of ours viz. of the practise of some directions in the first part of the True Watch. My trust is therefore that your Ladiships and all others will iudge my boldnesse to bee borne withall though I thus presume because I know assuredly that you will not onely ioyne your hands but your hearts to the reclaiming and saving of them both and of all other so deluded and even enchaunted with their sorceries and that they themselves will most praise the Lord for this service if ever hee shall thorowly open their eyes wheras otherwise without unfained turning and speedie preventing it they will undoubtedly fall into a farre more forlorne and irrecoverable despaire when it will bee too late And who knoweth how far this service may prevaile being both thus requested and also promised and now thus undertaken in all dutifull and loving affection and also in uprightnesse and singlenesse of heart towards them and towards all other as before our blessed God who hath ever beene wont not onely to worke by the weakest and unlikeliest meanes that himselfe alone may have all the glorie but also to doe the greatest good to his Church by the extremest rage yea by the deepest and most mischievous plots of the Adversaries against it Who knowes whether his goodnesse may not make it an instrument through your instant prayers with the prayers and teares of many of his people furthered by this occasion to pull not them two alone but with them likewise many thousands yea hundred thousands from hell and to bring them to heaven withall to keepe innumerable soules from ever declining from the Lord. Yea what knoweth any one whether he may not make it a meanes amongst others to helpe to save us all and with us all Christs true Churches from that common calamitie and destruction which Satan and his Agents doe fully assure themselves in time to bring upon them all and upon all the people of the Lord. Our bloudie enemies having so resolved never to rest untill under the name of Heretiques they have utterly rooted us all out from off the face of the earth My trust is therefore Right Honourable that all who unfainedly love Christs Gospell and the soules of these our deluded brethren and sisters and desire the saving of the Church of God will thinke it an acceptable service to set before the eyes of all the world the palpablenesse of this most notorious delusion and to take away that forged imputation and shame from the true Church of Christ and from all the Israel of God viz. That our Adversaries of Rome have moe holy devotions than we and also doe spend more time therein than we in ours Accept then I beseech your Honours this poore service here now in this entrance into this fourth part of this Watch thus undertaken chiefly upō the occasion of that most Christian desire of those great Ladies to whom yet I durst not presume to dedicate it being unknowne unto them albeit I have heard much good concerning them heartily pray that all heavenly graces may be ten times more resplendent in them to their everlasting praise happines Accept it as one speciall use and application of all the three former parts of it to the helping of the poorest and weakest Christians in all the land that everie one herein may have the benefit of all the former that all in praying may learne to watch and everie one in watching may learne to pray each in watching and praying may not onely helpe to save themselves but also their owne native Countrey with all the true Churches of our Lord Iesus Christ and to pull all Gods Elect out of the mouth of the roaring Lion All may see so farre as I am able to coniecture that to bee true which was mentioned That the battle of the great day is come That Satan hath openly and even visibly entred the field with his armies to fight against the Lords most glorious Maiestie and his Armies even against all his poore Church at once for that this spirituall warre is set on by his principall Commanders the Pope and his Cardinals with their chiefe Agents the Iesuites and other Seminarie Priests and managed and foughten by his most deadly weapons lying and murder Wee are therefore ever to keepe in memorie that wee are not now so much to labor to fight against flesh bloud as against principalities and powers the Princes of the darknesse of this world and to that end to be armed with all the complete armour of God both defensive and offensive To this end like as I have long travelled to helpe all our poore Countrey Schooles and all of the inferiour sort that the meanest of them who will suffer themselves to bee directed might not need to feare the insulting of any or of all the proudest Iesuites in regard of laying a sure foundation of all good learning in our Grammar Schooles with all sweet delight both to Master and Schollars neither doth it repent me but I blesse the God of heaven that gave me a heart so to abase my selfe so have I here for all the poore people of the land laboured to prepare and fit them weapons against this great day Which day all my labours will witnesse for me that I have long feared seeing the malice and rage of the Adversarie daily growing more and more with the increase of our iniquities to provoke the Lord to send it upon us like as upon all the other Churches to the end to make us all to seeke him by unfained repentance that euerie one of u◅ may turne from our evill way unto his Covenant That thus seeking him unfainedly he may take our cause into his owne hand fight his owne battles and save us from these our mercilesse enemies The better instructed sort of Christians who are able to pray better of themselves need them not I have therefore endevoured to fit them chiefly for all the younger and weaker sort who would as faine learne to pray to save themselves and the land with all the Churches and long as much to be helpers in this worke as any of those who are best instructed Wherefore deare Ladies as you have so much reioyced in the former parts of this
Watch and to doe all things which may tend not onely to the saving of your selves but also of our native Countrey and to make us a happie people so I assure my selfe that you will not disdaine these poore helps though they bee composed in a plaine easie and homely stile so as to leade the poorest by the hand and to support their weaknesse to helpe to confirme weake hands and wearie knees that all herein may helpe together It is not any painted much lesse Players eloquence that will pacifie our blessed God and defend us or put to flight our proud Adversaries Wee have had a great while too much experience of that in too many both of our Sermons and Prayers no no it must bee the evidence and power of the word of the Lord sent forth by the sighs and groanes of his holy Spirit though all heavenly eloquence rightly used be his most gracious gift and if ever now specially to be wished Thus have I studied to fit weapons as hee hath enabled mee against this time of need meet for all sorts that old and young noble and ignoble yea our most honourable Ladies may have their weapons from his Armourie so as all from the chiefe of them to the verie poore woman that grindes at the mill may in this battle helpe the Lord against the mightie and so keepe that bitter curse from all our land That Iael may strike the naile into the temples of Sisera And that thus in the â—…ud shee that sits at home may have part in the spoile and all of us ioyntly together when we shall see the Lord to have got himselfe the victorie with his owne right arme may sing the song of Deborah and of Miriam yea of all the host of heaven saying Praise and honour and glorie and power be unto him that sits upon the throne and unto the Lambe for evermore Pardon me worthie Ladies I humbly againe beseech you if so much presuming upon your Ladiships patience according to my assurance of your tender commiseration and true Christian humilitie I have so farre passed the bounds of an ordinarie Epistle in this matter of such extraordinarie moment and importance so nearely at this present concerning the safetie and happinesse of your Honours and of all the people of the Lord. If I may by the worthy ensamples of your honourable Ladiships provoke other of your noble ranke and condition as who have most leisure and best opportunitie and so others of his servants and children to a holy emulation seriously to meditate hereof and to put all these in practise onely so farre forth as his heavenly Maiestie cals all hereunto and expects these duties at the hands of everie soule I shall have an abundant reward of all my poore travels Or if I may but helpe to awake such of his servants as to whose view they shall be presented to labour to be for all the rest as the Angels for Lot to pull all from Satan to our Lord Iesus Christ and chiefly those of our owne native Countrey who are so seduced by Antichrist and by those who are sent abroad by him into the world to deceive and to draw all to his part Reade and consider and so farre as your Ladiships shall clearely see our Lord Iesus Christ leading you by the hand so farre follow him doing as he directs you So you shall not onely be sure to save your owne soules but also helpe to save all sorts and more specially all the Honourable and others who either shall looke at or heare of your worthie ensamples yea your native Countrey as was said before and all the true Churches of Christ and shall in like manner be helpers to gather in all the remainder of his Elect both Iewes and Gentiles so to prepare the way to his most glorious comming Thus shall you increase your owne eternall honour and happinesse and shall shine more and more in all heavenly graces and good works and in greater glittering before the Lord his Saints and Angels than by being adorned with all the gold pearles and diamonds which the whole earth can afford In which humble desire I take my leave and commend your Ladiships unto that Celestiall grace which performeth all the holy desires of them that feare him and trust in his mercie and so shall ever remaine Your Ladiships in all service and intire affection Iohn Brinsley TO ALL THE PLAINE AND simple-hearted people of our Land seduced by Poperie that they may forthwith bethinke themselves both from whom they have departed and also upon what grounds and to let them know that they must either returne to our Church againe or professe themselves to be of Satans Religion and so will remaine to fight under his banner against our Lord and Saviour BEloved in our Lord Iesus Christ so many of you as of whom we may hope that you belong to the election of grace for whom my hearts desire and continuall prayer to our God is that you may be saved give me leave to shew my unfained affection towards you in performing that service for you all which hath beene requested at my hands by such as wish much better to you than you doe unto your selves And that but only in these two things First in manifesting in what an estate and condition you presently stand and so your danger eternally and after in helping to procure that all the people of the Lord may cry instantly and joyntly for you that he may shew you mercie in opening your eyes to see how palpably you have suffered your selves to be deluded and in plucking you out of the verie jawes of that old Serpent Howsoever for the present you take it at my hands yet yâ— time will come as I certainly assure my soule that you will either blesse yâ— God of Heaven for the endevour of my ardent affection towards you if it shall be available for you or cry out against your selves with wringing of your hands and tearing of your haire when it will be too late and no more place found for your repentance Vouchsafe me this favour that being amongst the weakest of all my brethren I may leave all matters of higher dispute in maintaining the truth of Christ against the Iesuites and other Seminarie Priests by whom you have beene so inchanted and abused unto my more learned and reverend brethren who have alreadie entred the lists with them and to others exercised in that kinde whose bookes I acknowledge my selfe unworthie to beare and that sith what spare thoughts God hath vouchsafed mee from my necessarie calling I have specially employed in this kinde to helpe his people in holy meditations and other like devotions I may thus farre onely presume without offence First to put you in minde of your Baptisme vow and Covenant made with our blessed God from which you have so farre departed And in the second place to advertise you that you may consider well upon what grounds you have
departed And finally whither you are come Whether by their cunning sleights you be not gotten under the verie banner of Satan to fight even against our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ though you doe not imagine so much but the cleane contrarie In everie one of these therefore I desire to deale lovingly plainly and ingenuously as in the presence of our Lord Iesus Christ before whom I stand as he shall be pleased to assist mee with his grace and according also to the weight of the businesse which wee have in hand which concernes the saving of everie soule of you For our Baptisme vow Covenant which wee are all bound to performe all our dayes as wee looke to have the Lord our God or any benefit by our blessed Saviour or ever to appeare with boldnesse before his Tribunall I referre you first unto it as the summe of it is set downe expresly in our publike forme of Baptisme and if you please as it is amongst other of our bookes more particularly and largely explained but even in the first part of this Watch The Rule of Life In which little booke I have laboured so farre as the Lord hath enabled mee to shadow out the same vow and so to trace out the narrow path of life as to direct everie soule from step to step and as it were to guide them by the hand untill wee have finished our whole course and shall have entred within the gates of the Celestiall Ierusalem which though it be but amongst the least and weakest of our helpes for our deâ—…otions yet I would wish everie one of you so drawne away from us to reade that therein you may first see and know our way of life before you so condemne it to try what iniquitie you finde in it before you so utterly depart from it and herewithall from Christs true Church and Spouse your mother which hath bred and borne you and consequently even from Christ himselfe so farre as I am any way able to conceive judging as before his heavenly Majestie And having so read and thorowly weighed and compared it with your way of life according to any of your bookes of the like kinde then to give sentence as before him to whom you must surely give an answer even for this whether is the better and more holy your way or ours whether more agreeable to his heavenly patterne And thus much for the first point and your Baptisme â—…ow which you seeme to have so far abjured in so departing from the bosome of your mother and utterly casting her oft and to leave it to your more serious meditation and more mature deliberation For the second viz. Vpon what grounds you have departed I will content my selfe to have instanced but onely in this one which as is said hath beene of late such a principall cause of your departure and as I my selfe heard one poore soule who had beene seduced specially alleaging it before sundrie witnesses and some of them most learned as a maine cause of her joyning to that religion viz. That they have in their Church and Religion moe holy devotions than wee in ours and spend more time therein That by the palpablenesse of this delusion fully discovered you and everie one of you may judge of all the rest of their delusions which have nothing the like power so to bewitch you and to steale away your hearts And that I may proceed in order to make all the mysteries of this delusion as cleare as the Sunne at the noone-day even to the understanding and full capacitie of the simplest in the land I will divide it into three parts which are the three heads of this fell destroying Hydra so maine a cause of your present departure from our Church and Religion and of your turning to Poperie To wit Because they have in their Religion moe holy and and better devotions and doe also spend more time therein than we in ours The first head then of this poysoning Serpent is this That they have moe helps for devotion in their religion than we in ours The second That their many devotions are more holy and better than ours And the third is That they spend more time in these their holy devotions than we doe in ours For the first of these That they have moe helps for devotions that is moe such as which those of our common sort may have understand and use it is as true as that which he who lately writ the Gag for the new Gospeller hath published in print to the view of the world and which he hath not beene ashamed to set in the verie fore-front of his booke in the Preface to the Reader within twelve lines of the beginning to the verie same end which this delusion tends viz. to help more easily to deceive all the simple to make them more to abhorre all our Bibles and thereby our Religion whereof the sacred Bible is the groundâ—… and so to take away the verie life of their lives and indeed to prepare the way the better for the full effecting of their bloudie designes and desires against us all Which I would therefore desire all who would not willingly be so palpably abused by these murdering Iesuites or who would but know these deluders and their Religion aright and also the danger that wee stand in perpetually by it to take notice of His words are these that hee would advise all of That England hath brought forth within these few yeeres past to the number of twentie severall sorts of Bibles sarrâ—… different one from another These are his owne verie words for the truth hereof let everie one enquire diligently whether England ever brought forth any moe Bibles since that translated by the Bishops printed 1572. save that one appointed by our Soveraigne Lord and King to be most carefully translated and that to satisfie the Papists and to take away all their calumniations against our Translations and the same verie little differing from the former but as may fall out with the best Translations For mine owne selfe I have enquired of the most learned and can heare of none other But to passe over this most intolerable shamelesse untruth together with that which they had devised in like manner for the present hiding their owne wickednes in the Powder-Treason for the dispatching us all as it were at one blow like as it hath beene generally reported and received from thence till this day to wit That the Puritanes had blowne up the Parliament house intimating thereby that they therefore were well worthie to be destroyed out of the earth and so under the name of Putitanes to have taken occasion hereupon to have murdered all who truely professed Christs Gospell in all the Churches And also together with that like faire pretense of a mariage under which they effected that most bloudie detestable and mercilesse massacre at Paris in butchering of a sudden so many of the Flower of
the Nobilitie Gentrie and principall professours in France And likewise to omit that intendment 88. in a like treaty and all other their stratagems of the same nature by which they have so much promoted the Catholike cause as they call it and still doe to this very day and so farre surprized the Church of Christ and prevailed against us all all of them being of the same nature and from the same Author To passe over all these and to leave them all as rightly due to Popery for that lying and murder the two chiefe workes of the Deuill are now well knowne to all the world even to all that will not wittingly put out their owne eyes to be the tâ—…o principall pillars which have alwaies supported and promoted Popery and the kingdome of Antichrist and must now specially if ever heretofore stand him in stead And to come briefly to shew the palpablenesse of this first delusion and that it is of the very same nature with all the former mentioned namely when they say That they have moe holy devotions that is moe bookes and helps for devotions viz. moe holy directions for a true Christian life for the right practise of Christianitie and piety moe helps for holy meditations and contemplations for examining our hearts and lives soundly according to the word of the Lord so for true humiliation repentance for holy praiers thanksgivings and the like than we have I refer all who are willing to know the truth to that catalogue of our devotions even of those which are extant in Print and may be had by all who will use or see them as it is set downe in the end of this booke as it is gathered out of Master Maunsels catalogue dedicated to Q. Elizabeth printed anno 1595. and of those which have beene since Which Catalogue alone to compare it with all the English devotions of the like kindes that they have in the world much more of these which their common sort can come by and make vse of will I hope quite smite off this first head of this killing serpent And especially when the works of some one of our men there mentioned alone being well applied and practised may afford sufficient matter in that kinde to any poore Christian for his whole life to make him a blessed man yea much more blessed than all the devotions of Popery can as will appeare after and what may we thinke then of all the rest of them together And thus much briefly may suffice for the cutting off this first head of this Hydra But the second head of this subtle serpent may seeme more dangerous as it is indeed and more full of deadly poyson to wit that their devotions viz. those commended most unto you by your Church and Iesuites are more holy and better than ours To cut off this therefore likewise as it is a thing more necessarie so it may seeme more difficult But that this may be as easily and surely effected we are wisely to consider wherein the holinesse and goodnesse of all true devotions doe consist This we may doe specially by considering the matter ends and fruits of true devotions For the generall matter those must needs be the holiest and best which are most directly grounded upon the sacred Scriptures that sure foundation of the Prophets and Apostles whereof Iesus Christ is the chiefe corner stone upon which as all the true Church is built so all her devotions against which foundation the gates of hell shall never prevaile more than against Christ himselfe they being holy as his owne Maiestie and heaven and earth may passe but not one jot or tittle in them till all things in them be fulfilled for that such devotions in regard of their matter are the Lords so far forth as they are siâ—…mely grounded upon that sacred word For the more particular matter likewise those must needs be the best which tend most to advance the glory of our God and the scepter and kingdome of our Lord Iesus Christ which most magnifie him giving all our salvation to the rich mercy of our heavenly Father in and through our Lord Iesus Christ alone and so which are most powerfull and effectuall to pull downe all the pride of sinfull man and to make us to renounce all but Christ Iesus alone to account all but losse and dung in regard of any reioycing in our selves of any iustification or merit but onely in Iesus Christ and to be found in him alone not having our owne righteousnesse but the righteousnesse of God in him So those which most serve to cause us wholly to deny our selves thereby to be made fit to come unto and follow him as his true subiects and disciples and which make most to the saving of all his Church and chosen flocke by him alone and to leave all who will not so receive and follow him and heare his voice onely as his enemies more without excuse And as these so those in like manner which give most full assurance of Gods favour and love and of true pardon of sinne and eternall life by Iesus Christ alone and which thus give most strong and most abundant consolation onely in him Those likewise which are most powerfull and effectuall to increase our faith in him and therewithall our love and all the rest of the graces of God even all parts of true sanctification and repentance which are nothing else but the fruits of our holy faith in him wrought in us by his blessed Spiriâ—… when that we truly beleeve in Christ. Or to speake all more shortly those devotions must needs be best which most frame all to the lively image of our Lord and Saviour and so doe most forme Christ in us to wit which most fashion us to that absolute patterne of true holinesse which is commanded in his blessed word and not to superstition contrary to it and condemned in it And also those whereby we may be best assured to receive most power to prevaile with the Lord and to obtaine all good things from him alone Or yet more for the understanding of all Those must needs be best which doe best direct and help us to performe all our vowes promises made to him and so to walke with him all our daies doing onely that which he requires in all things that so we may be assured of all his promises both for this and the better life to be fully performed to us for the saving our selves and all the people of the Lord. Or most briefly according to our Saviours direction which stands sure for ever in the three first petitions Those which most tend to advance his glory and kingdome with the accomplishment of all his heavenly will alone and not the will of sinfull man must needs be the best of all The reason is for that these three first being obeyed and sought first aright will certainly bring the three latter petitions and
them to any conscience in all the world if it be not altogether seared and starke dead whether are more agreeable to the former rules and so the better But to come more particularly to set them opposite that thus they may the better appeare as when white and blacke are set to be beholden light and darknesse both together and to doe it so as the simplest in all the land may see it plainly and be able to iudge and therefore with some little repetition 1. Ours directly grounded upon the word of the Lord theirs more than for a shew grounded onely and professedly vpon the doctrines and traditions of men yea in deed on the doctrines of that man of sinne 2. Ours tending wholly to advance the glory of our God and giving all glory to him alone excluding all rejoycing in our selves that he that rejoyceth may rejoyce onely in the Lord theirs robbing him of his honour giving it to creatures 3. Ours tending onely to magnifie our Lord Iesus Christ and his merit alone with the all-sufficiency of it for our salvation and for whatsoever else wee stand in need of wee comming onely to our heavenly Father as it were with his beloved sonne Christ Iesus in our armes presenting him for us as all-sufficient that we may be accepted in and for him so making him our alone Saviour Mediatour and Intercessour they come putting many other things in the place of him and of his alone merit and intercession as namely the Virgin Marie and other Saints with their Merits yea Crucifixes Masses Indulgences Reliques and a number of other things which being in any sort put in the place of Christ Iesus of his satisfaction or merit and having his honour given to them in whole or in part make all 〈◊〉 devotions to be most abominable 4. Ours tending altogether to humble man in regard of any thing in himselfe and wholly to beat downe all the pride of sinfull man to make him utterly to deny himselfe and all conâ—…dence in himselfe thus to make him fit to fall downe with the poore Publican and with Marie Magdalen at the feet of our Lord and Saviour to lay fast and lively hold on him to present him only for us to God his Father theirs tending to puffe and lift up sinfull man like Lucifer to cause him to be utterly thrust downe to hell 5. Ours teaching and helping us in all things fully to vnderstand yea to observe and keepe our Baptisme vow and Covenant made with our blessed God according to his heavenly word theirs to keepe all in blindnesse and ignorance of that their Baptisme vow in regard of any true vnderstanding or holy performance of it 6. Ours teaching and assisting us to fight manfully under the banner of our Lord Iesus Christ against sinne the world and the devill and so to continue Christs faithfull souldiers and servants to our lives end according as we have vowed and bound our selves their 's to fight Giant-like or as the Angels of the Dragon under the banner of Satan and Antichrist against our Lord and Saviour Christ Iesus and against all his true Church to maintaine all their abominable Idolatry and superstition and all the bloudy and filthy sinnes of Sodome To fight for all the worldly pompe and tyranny of their Popes and Cardinals and of all the rest that persecute Christs Church Thus to continue Sathan and Antichrists faithfull souldiers and servants to their lives end to fight ever against us untill they have utterly destroied us or themselves and all indeed because wee will not falsifie our vowes and sacramentall oathes made to our Lord Iesus Christ like as they themselves doe 7. Our devotions teaching and stirring us up all our daies to observe every particular part of our Covenant both for Law and Gospell their 's not onely to hold all in ignorance of their Covenant and so altogether in an unpossibilitie to keepe it when they know it not and every one of them necessarily liable to the wrath of God but also in effect teaching the violating of all both Law and Gospell thrusting ouâ—… some parts wholly as the second Commandement in many of their bookes adding and detracting at the Popes pleasure and that nothing is to bee taken for Scripture and for Gods Word but onely as it hath warrant and authority from him in so much as a Papist dare not beleeve the Trinity from the infallible Testimonie of the written Word of God without the authority of their Pope 8. Ours teaching helping to walke in the narrow path that onely leadeth to life prescribed by our Lord and Saviour theirs drawing from this narrow path into by-paths devised by man and so into the broad way leading to destruction seeking to kill all who resolve to obey our Saviour in labouring to keepe the narrow way and who will not runne those by-paths and the broad way with them 9. Ours directing helping us to live the life of faith living onely by the word of God which together with the Spirit can alone give faith their 's the life of unbeleefe grounded meerely upon the word of sinfull man for that they beleeve the word not for it selfe but onely so farre as it hath authoritie from the Pope as was said which in truth can never give any sound faith Yea ours directing and assisting to live not onely the life of faith in generall but of the true iustifying and saving faith which is wrought onely by the particular applying of Christ and all his promises to our selves from which particular applying of Christ proceedeth all true confidence and every part of sanctification theirs directing to beleeve but without any such particular application and onely in generall and as the wickedest and the very Devils beleeve for they beleeve there is one God and quake and tremble Now that this generall beleefe of theirs and this implicite faith can never breed the true justifying sanctifying and saying faith I appeale to the consciences of all any more than the most soveraigne plaister can heale if it be not particularly applied and kept to the sore or more than meat can nourish and strengthen if it be not eaten and digested and even turned into our nature or yet any more than a graft can grow by the stocke if it be not grafted into the stocke by speciall application conjunction and union to take sap from it 10. Ours directing helping to live the life of true godlinesse being guided onely by his word and Spirit which life alone hath all the promises both for this and the other life their 's for most part in stead of this true godlinesse so guided by Gods word directing to live the life of bodily exercises as Paul cals them in superstitious penance fastings whippings with other will-worships devotions and workes devised â—…eerely by man which bodily exercises and devotions have only a shew of wisdome from men vainely puffed up by their fleshly mindes no promise at all but contrarily
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
together with his Defence thereof in his Encounter against Parsons In which he doth manifest this to be their plaine and direct doctrine setting downe their places out of sundry of their chiefe Authors 3. The Lord hath moreover caused it to be published not to our Nation alone but as it were to the whole world in that booke which is called Revelatio Consâ—…iorum quâ—… 〈◊〉 Synodâ—… Tridentinae â—…ant inita in hunc usquâ—… diem continuata viz. I he revealing of Popish conspiracies betweene the Pope the Emperour and other Popish Princes and States of the Christian world from the beginning of the Councell of Trent untill this day for the utter rooting out of the Gospell of Christ and destroying the professors thereof either by fraud under pretence of peace or other leagues or by open hostilitie and cruelty whensoever their time and opportunitie serves which booke hath sundry of the Popes Buls annexed to it to the same purpose And likewise the Lord hath caused it to be thus divulged by sundry other bookes and meanes But this I have already set downe in the third part of this Watch and namely in the Idolatry of Iudah hastning the Captivitie which matter if ever heretofore concernes our whole Nation and even all the Churches seriously to lay to heart Now this one very fact of theirâ—… alone might have beene fully sufficient to have caused all of them to have acknowledged the truth of that Assumption and thereupon to have utterly renounced Popery and embraced the Gospell againe if God had beene so pleased to have opened their eyes oâ—… touched their hearts to have considered of it as in his presence and much more those mentioned bookes and many such like discoveries But sith that notwithstanding all manner of convictions by such notorious practises formerly such manifestations by writings and even from their owne bookes most of them in stead of renouncing Popery and joyning to us againe are much more obstinate and the number of them is increased and that they doe daily grow in their induration against all the Lords most gracious warnings of them and that all the Iesuits and Iesuited doo set themselves as Pharaoh and Egypt to pursue all his Israel at this once into the very heart of the sea and also seeing that all their simpler sort are so farre inchanted by their Iannes and Iaâ—…bres those their Iesuits and other Seminarie Priests through their illusions and hopes at length to prevaile at least by these their practises of equivocations and murders I have thought it my dutie yet once againe to manifest here still further the evidence of this Assumption viz. That Popery practiseth and teacheth lying and murder to support and advance it selfe and therefore is undoubtedly of the Devill Who can tell if yet at length our blessed God wil not be pleased to awake that Honourable Ladie and that devoted Gentleman with others of them which I beg of his sacred Majestie even upon my knees to consider better of their estate and courses and get themselves out of the power and paw of Satan At least my certaine hope in the Lord is that it may bee a meanes to helpe to keepe many others from ever so comming under Satans banner And here I cannot but againe wonder at the goodnesse of our God and of his speciall providence answering for me and performing also my poore desire herein likewise above all that I could ever expect at this verie instant of time now that this my hearts desire towards them and our prayers to God for them are to come into the presse and into the publique view of all and but even as it were immediately before Which thing I cannot noâ—… dare otherwise expound but because hee would have all sorts to take notice of his love and care for us and for all that are his people to warne and save us all and also of his infinite mercie even to them if any warning may yet serve to prevaile with them or else of his most just vengeance if they will suffer themselves still to be so wilfully blinded and carried against him his truth and servants in such a furious rage to their owne certaine perdition and will not yet turne and betake themselves unto the colours of our Lord Iesus Christ. First hee hath manifested it anew in discovering againe even as it were to all the world the wickednesse of that Religion in this behalfe in causing our whole nation not onely to take more full and certaine notice of their dealing and to bee enforced to seeke by all meanes to prevent the mischiefe and danger by it but also all the Churches even all the earth to see how by delayes and faire pretences which have indeed beene nothing but meere untruths and guls to speake plainly of them they have devoured so great a part and are readie presently to swallow up all under pretences of mariages of more strong leagues and more firme peace according to their ancient devices and practices agreeably to their holy Councels at Trent in the booke mentioned before so as even all the world rings and cries out of it 2. In the new French practice of the Iesuites confirmed both in print and also by letters to sundrie Merchants from men of credit whereby they sought to make our Religion odious to Kings Princes and States for treasonable plots and so to set them all to band themselves to root it and us utterly out of the earth and specially to make France once againe to flow with Christian bloud for that such as they are have not yet drunke bloud enough though all their Iesuited sort are made drunke alreadie with the bloud of the Saints and Martyrs of Iesus 3. By causing at this time their Art of equivocating and lying to come to light and to bee published to the view of all sorts amongst us How these Iesuites have beaten their braines and even gone beyond Satan himselfe in devising maintaining and practising this devillish Art which wee may well call their new Blacke Art for which I referre all to Mr. Masons booke of The new Art of lying covered by Iesuites under the vaile of Equivocation That all may see and bee for ever fully satisfied that these are their doctrines the verie chiefest of them in the refining and perfecting whereof they bestow most paines 4. By that late and notable Discoverie out of their owne bookes by Mr. Gee who was one of them wherein he hath set downe such impious tricks and devices of their Priests and Iesuites that as hee there saith all may justly hoot at them for most abominable impostors and liars The reading but of some of which will manifestly cleere whatsoever I have spoken in this behalfe and this Assumption This likewise comming forth in Gods speciall providence at this verie instant for the more full conviction of all or leaving all more without excuse and to stop everie mouth that shall plead for them Yet to
people and withall to thinke how hard it is for him to kicke against the prickes and that against the light shining clearely in his heart And yet more also to ponder wisely what it is to give Satan advantage but by one lie only wilfully maintained and especially such a lie as tends but to the murdering of one soule And how much more then when it is to maintaine the Art of lying devised by and for the devill himselfe to hold up his kingdome and to overthrow the kingdome of Christ and for the deceiving and destroying of innumerable soules even of all bewitched by them and tending to the destroying of all the people of the Lord and the rooting them out of the earth How dreadfull it will be to stand before Christ to give answer but for the bloud of one soule alone when Abels bloud the bloud but even of his body alone cries so loud from the earth and makes Cain such a runnagate all his daies to be in hell whilst he was yet here in the earth yea before hee came into that place of torment designed for him and for all other wicked men and chiefly for all liers and murderers to bee tormented there for ever 4. And finally let mee wish him for his credit if he respect nothing else to answer all these books which I have mentioned as well for the cause of the learned as the vnlearned because they are as it were sent of God to manifest the truth hereof and then I have no doubt but he our most blessed and onely wise God will both reply and answer for us still and so maintaine his owne cause as to put them all to silence at least in the pit which they are digging for us and that for evermore Thus have I through the good hand of my God made way to the satisfying of the holy desires of those worthy Personages which wish so Honourably and Christianly unto you that we may match our chiefe Adversaries in our devotions although we doe already as all may plainly see goe so far beyond them in this kinde and also to the end that you who meane plainly and have not your hearts yet tainted with their bloud-thirstie desires all others may perceive how you have been and are deluded and even inchanted in every one of these respects by which scale all may measure the rest of their lying doctrines and devices And withall I hope that I have made it evident to the consciences of all that all sorts must renounce Popery and embrace the Gospell or else professe themselves to be of their father the Devill and that they will fight against Christ. To try if the Lord may be pleased yet to shew them mercy to come out of the snares of Satan either by the cleere manifestation of these delusions of his or by the praiers and teares of many of his people crying jointly for all to hale and pull them out of Egypt and Sodome for what are not the joint praiers of Gods people able to doe Now these things being so this delusion so laid open and the Assumption so plainly proved and demonstrated to the convincing of everie of your consciences as I am fully perswaded before the Lord give me leave in tender commiseration to turne my speech unto you all who dare still stand out against his Majestie Oh bethinke your selves in time what it is to fight against the light of your owne hearts what will follow the wounded conscience when the Lord shall wake it and call it to an account which hee will certainly doe either in this life or so soone as ever you shall depart hence Remember the cases of Cain Saul Iudas for fighting so desperately against the light and so standing forth against the Lord and his most gracious offer of mercie Oh bethinke your selves in time of his terrible and most glorious Majestie against whom you have so fearefully sinned as to provoke him not onely against your selves but against this whole Nation even against us all for your causes in departing from him and his holy Religion to a Religion of such abominations and so manifestly convicted and declared to be of Satan his sworne enemie Remember the dreadfulnesse of his wrath so declared in the irrevocable punishment of the Angels that so fell from him of Adam the old world Sodome and that which shall be so fearefully revealed when Christ shall come with thousand thousands of glorious Angels in flaming fire to render vengeance to all who know him not and who will not yeeld obedience to his heavenly Gospell and much more to all his obstinate enemies Consider well how your sinne is increased not onely being committed so contrarily to your Baptisme vow but also by all the evictions of the abominations of that idolatrous lying and murdering Religion especially in this Nation since the time of the first casting it forth so publikely by Parlament and even untill this verie day and now last of all by this Discoverie of this forged delusion wherein so many others of yours like unto it are included Thinke what it is not onely to bee barred out of Heaven deprived utterly of all the joyes thereof but moreover to be thrust into hell to abide the torment thereof with Satan and his Angels for ever and ever which must needs come upon you if that Religion of Rome bee such and have such supporters as you have or may see set before your faces If you will not reade this but bee as the deafe adder stopping your eares and in stead of Satan hiding away and blinding your owne eyes yet I hope you have each of you some faithfull friends who beleeving the Gospell and perswaded of your delusions as I am will play the parts of faithfull Physitians true loving friends towards such as are indangered by extreme distempers in burning fevers or the like or in extreme perill of perishing by water or fire or any way else viz. which will make these things knowne unto you urge them upon you for your preservation and recoverie so to declare their uttermost love unto you to the end to convert you and bring you to us againe and to our Lord Iesus Christ and so save you from hell though for the present they adventure your displeasure as I also must Howsoever this shall bee my rejoycing and my witnesse for me before the Lord for my dutie towards his heavenly Majestie and towards his Vice-Gerent our royall Soveraigne of my love and dutie towards this Church and Nation and even you all in this behalfe For which entreating him in his rich mercie to make it effectuall I commit it and you to his Grace which works above all that wee can conceive and shall rest ever striving with you I. B. TO EVERIE TRVE CHRISTIAN Soule rightly taking to heart the estate of Christs poore Churches and dispersed Flocke CHristian Reader if thou take to heart the dishonours done unto our most holy God the
trampling vnder foot the Gospell and Scepter of our Lord Iesus Christ in so many parts of his Church the miserable estate of his people and servants professing his name under the slaverie and tyrannie of Antichrist or the wofull condition of the remainder of Gods elect not yet called gathered forth but remainining under the power of Satan or if thou regard but the saving of thine owne soule afford some assistance to him and his poore people especially now that hee so graciously cals upon thee and offers thee so much direction and helpe thereunto even in these meditations and prayers bâ—…sides many others Consider of them well and so farre as thou findest him calling on thee to put them in practice set thy selfe forthwith to helpe in this blessed worke If any of them either meditations or prayers seeme unto thee weake as they must needs be having beene written for most part when many others slept and that because of the industrie of Satan and his instruments that they might not bee any hinderance unto my calling yet are they such as thy Christ expects at thy hands so far as they are soundly grounded upon his sacred truth and agreeable to his heavenly will Give him thy heart and best affections and better the forme in thâ—…ne owne devotion remembring ever for whom they are chiefly intended viz to helpe the weaker sort which are not able to pray of themselves according to thâ—…se occasions If they seeme over long for thy occasions yet are they so divided as thou mayest leave off and begin againe wheresoever thou pleasest onely fitting some generall beginnings and ends of the prayers according to the other or according to thine owne holy meditation Iâ—… this offend thee that they are sâ—…t downe in a booke remember the publique prayers that in all ages have beene so in the Church and yet most pleasing and available Let the consideration of so many of thine owne nation yea so many of the chiefe thereof so fearefully seduced and even bewitched by Iesuites and other Seminarie Priests and everie day more and more falling away to the indangering not onely of themselves but of the whole Land continually provoke thee to this dutie and especially seeing they professe themselves to have beene drawne to that Romish Religion hereby chiefly That they in their Church have moe devotions and spend more time therein than we in ours Let this move thee to take some pitie of them and to helpe by thy prayers to pull them out of the fire of Gods vengeance and likewise to keepe others from falling from him Let their blinde zeale and superstitious devotions which condemnes the coldnes and securitie of the greatest part of those who professing Christs Gospell yet pray so littâ—…e and which is one principall cause of their stumbling I speake upon certaine knowledge both concerning high and low noble and meanâ—… let this I say provoke thee to more devotion in holy meditations and instant prayers according to the word and will of thy God and enforce thee hereunto to spend daily some part of it as God gives thee more â—…it opportunitie or as thou hast more neglected these They as is said use some devotions daily to pull soules out of Purgatorie be thou instant for them to pull them from the power of Satan to Christ. Begin thus to redeeme thy time so badly mis-spent and that so long untill thou shalt see Gods glory recovered the scepter of his Christ set up againe in all places whence it is removed with the deliverie of thy brethren in all forraine partâ—… and the dangers past which are so threatned towards all the Churches and namely our neâ—…rest and faithfull neighbours and even towards thy selfe Suffer not these blinded soules to rise up in judgement against thee that they have spent more time and paines in their devotion to serve Satan and Antichrist and to hold up his throne to their endlesse perdition than thou to serve our Lord Iesus to the saving thine owne soule and the lives of all his people If thou wouldst be ready to spend thy goods and to adventure thy life for the glory of thy God for thy Christ and his Church at his command yea if thou wouldest bestow any labour or cost to save thy native Countrey or Countreymen being in danger and much more the Lords Anointed with our Royall Prince and that most illustrious Prince and Princesse Palatine all of whom haue shewed so much love to Christs Gospell and if thy heart be truly affected to that sweet and happy progenâ—… then be ready to helpe them all by thy prayers especially sith thou maiest doe this without any cost or losse and hast helpe offered from his Majestie and the same also not onely put into thy hands but as it were into thy mouth and withall thy hands holden up by him to doe it Doe it therefore as well as thou caust if thou regard but thine owne case either of soule or bodie thy present or eternall estate I have purposely in many of the praiers followed the order in the first part of this Watch which I have taken for a good direction both for that it hath beene so oft tried by the learned to be according to the true Rule of Life and for that the places for proofes are there quoted to auoid further labour and that thou and all the weaker sort may learne together both to watch and pray for your selves and all the people of the Lord and so be sure to prevaile with his heavenly Majestie If thou shalt finde or suspect any errour wherein thou darest not joyne signifie it as in love and in the feare of the Lord and I shall as I have ever bound my selfe be most ready either to give thee satisfaction or to reforme it and yet in the meane time proceed in the rest joyntly with thy brethren Let us all joyne as being of one heart and soule wherein we all agree crying unto our heavenly Father compassing him about at his feet for our selves and all his deare children and he will surely heare our cries and in his due time reveale every difference unto us and wherein the errour lieth I tie thee not to daies nor houres but as thou observest the Lord offering thee fittest opportunities and as he shall move thee thereto though because of Satans subtlety and the falsenesse and corruption of our owne hearts we shall finde by experience that all the bonds whereby we can binde our selves to holy duties especially of this nature and importance are farre too little so weâ—… doe it in an holy wisdome and wise consideration that we bring not a snare upon our selves Wonder not that I so oft goâ—… over that heavenly prayer of our Saviours and so strictly tie my selfe unto it for that I finde it the wisdome of God and the power of God ministring still now and most heavenly matter even to this our present purpose and also am fully assured that all the true Churches
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
8 A prayer that we may be able to lift up our eyes to our heavenly Father looking beyond all earthly meanes in all the troubles and perils of the Church without which we cannot pray as we ought 9 A thankes giving for the deliverie of the Churches from Egypt and Babylon with an earnest prayer for the full accomplishment thereof and that we may never looke backe to them againe to provoke the Lord against us by the same 10 A prayer that in token of our thankfulnesse for our deliverance wee may all seeke to give him his glory in our unfeigned repentance and walking conscionably in all his holy Commandements 11 A prayer that we may all give God the glory of his inward worship according to the first Commandement to helpe to pacify his Majesty toward the Churches 11 A prayer to bee able to discerne the sin of the Churches whereby he is diâ—…onored provoked even by the transgression of the first Commandement 12 A humble confession of the sinnes of the Churches and an acknowledgement of Gods righteous proceeding agaynst them for our unthankfulnesse and transgression of his laweâ—… and for that though we have heard of the miseries of our Brethren we have not beene humbled nor made our supplications for them as vvee ought according to Nehemiah 13 A humble confession of the sinne of our Land so polluted by all the Popish sort rejecting the Lord and setting up the Pope of Rome with his idolatry superstition in place of him and his pure worship to provoke his Majesty against us 14 A prayer for all the simple-hearted seduced by the Iesuites and other Seminary Priests that they may see how they have bin deluded to helpe thereby to plucke them from sathan and bring them to our Lord Iesus Christ. 15 A humble Thankesgiving for our dread Soveraigne with our gracious Prince and Princesse and all the Royall Progeny and for all our deliverances and preservations by them with an earnesâ—… Prayer that our sinnes being forgiven they may bee each in their times and places the happiest heads of the most blessed people that ever haue beene in the world before 16 A humble Thankesgiving that God hath thus farre heard our prayers with an earnest supplication that he may goe on to perfect his worke and that as we have made entrance into this service so we may all proceede vntill we shall see the ful deliverance of all his Churches the new Ierusaâ—…em and the eternall glory of his Sion The other Prayers and that which God willing is to succeede see in the end of all after the Table of the particular Contents Rules to be observed in the use of all the Meditations and Prayers REmember throughout to expect not excellencie of words but the power of God Remember Daâ—… Sling and Iâ—…suahs Trumpets of Rammes horne Thine eye being on thy Booke let the eye of thy soule be at thy Christ making intercession at his Fathers right hand labouring to feele all in thy heart and especially to have a right sense of the necessities of all for whom thou prayest and so praying in Faith thou shalt prevayle Rules to helpe to keepe us from ever declining from the Lord and from all delusions cheefely by Popery 1 LAbour to walke with thy God as Enech making conscience of all thy wayes specially of thy particular calling and every holy dutie in the due time fearing all occasions of evill watching and taking forthwith all occasions of good 2 Pray as he hath directed thee respecting ever his glory and kingdome and the generall state of his Church before thine owne particular 3 Strive to live under the best meanes and vvith the best company which GOD shall vouchsafe thee 4 Remember ever those strong delusions of Poperie sent in Gods iustice for contempt of the Gospell in not receyving the love of his trueth mentioned in the Epistle to the poore seduced people and withall keepe ever in minde those principall supporters and pillars of Popery viz lying and â—…irther the cheefe workes of Sathan which shew that that Religâ—…on is of him likewise 5 Consider well how Popery overthrowes many of the cheefe Principles of the Catechisme For this See a Pill to purge out Poperie 6 Be affraid of conferring with the Serpent viz. inticers to Popery or any evill of reasoning with temptations 7 In all such doubts first conserre with God by holy Meditation and Prayer as Dâ—…niel his compaaions after with thy faithfull Minister or some of the worthiest servants of God so farre as God offers thee any opportunity 8 Strive to reioyce in the Lord alway and in thy happy estate through Christ Pray continually by lifting up thy heart through him In all things give thankes whatsoever come to passe So thou shalt see the event happy and thy selfe ever to prevayâ—…e vvith God and more then a Conqueror ¶ Places of Scripture to be ever in our hearts to quicken us and stirre up in us the power of prayer THe eyes of the Lord are upon the Righteous and his eares are open unto their cry Thou wilt prepare their hart thou wilt cause thine eare to heare To iudge of the fatherlesse and oppressed that â—…the man of the earth may no more oppresse Yea before they call I will answer And whiles they speake I will heare But let him aske in Faith nothing wavering The effectuall servent prayer of a righteous man avayleth much Elias was a man subiect to the like passions as we are and hee prayed earnestly that it might not raine and it rained not on the earth by the space of three yeares and six moneths And he prayed again and the heaven gave raine and the earth brought forth her fruite Concerning him when he was rapt up into heauen thus cryed Elisha after him My father my father the Chariots of Israel and the Horsemen thereof And for Elisha the king of Israel comming downe to visit him in his last sicknes wept over his face with the same words O my father my father the Chariots of Israel and the Horsemen thereof Of him that makes and keepes peace with God thus saieth the Spirit Thou shalt make thy Prayer unto him and he shall heare thee and thoâ—… shalt pay thy Vowes c. The innocent shall deliver the Iland and it is delivered by the purenesse of thy hands But as for the wicked thus he speaketh which he would have all men take notice of ponder well having set a double note upon it The Lord is knowne by the iudgement which he executeth the wicked is snared in the workes of his owne hands What hast thou to do to take my Covenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest to be reformed and hast cast my words behinde thee Errata Amend these slippes following with what is defective in this first draught through want of meete leysure and our God will I hope bring it forth againe with all the
rest of it much more polished for his owne gloryâ—… and for the good of all his people whereunto I trust during life I shall not be wanting as his goodnesse shall vouchsafe to assist me PAg. 7. l 7 put out those 7 lines twice repeated p 8 l 10. for our read this p. 10 l 16. p. 91 l. 5. unto p 99 l 3. but moreover l 7 third general p 103. may 109 l. 1. seeke all p 157 marg for Deut reade Genes p 161. l 2. for to do â—… as p 164 l. 1. admitted l 4. these pag 189. l 5. as at Marg l. 17 Deut 30 29. p 220. marg lin 1. That p 291 l. 15. not onely p 300. l. 20. for 〈◊〉 read may est p 306. l. 10. run on p. 3â—…6 l. 18. for best most pag. 348. l â—…9 and. p. 384. l. 2. have A PREPARATIVE to instant Prayer according to the necessity of the Times by thinking day and night of these things following untill wee have gotten them or the summe of them into our hearts and can have them ever as it were before our eyes to cry instantly to our holy God like as he hath directed vs. The first general Meditation How our Saviour lookes for some to helpe him in the delivery saving of his Church FIrst we are seriously to meditate and to bring our hearts to a due consideration how our blessed Saviour like aâ—… in the redeeming and saving of his chosen slocke from hell so in all the greatest extreamities of his poore distressed Church mentioned in his Sacred word hath beene wont to looke long for some that wold offer themselves to helpe it and when he hath found none to uphold or succour it in his tender pitty and compassion his owne arme hath saved it his righteousnesse it selfe hath sustained it in what sort hee hath seene it best And although he hath suffered it oft-times to be greevously afflicted yea somtimes almost utterly consumed yet how evermore when he would deliver and save it from the violence and rage of the wicked enemies or other imminent calamitles by some great and glorious deliverance his usuall manner hath bene to seeke and finde out some one at least that should stand up in the gap before him in more special manner for it that he might not destroy it by whom he might shew himselfe wonderfull for his people and chosen Flocke Thus he found out Ioseph Moses Samuel Dauid Iehosaphat Ezekiah Daniel Hester Mordecay Ezra Nehemiah and others Yea how he hath moreouer euer sought found out some few whom hee hath vouchsafed to be his helpers at least by their prayers and teares for saving the rest such as of whom he hath saide The innocent shall deliuer the yland These he lookes and cals for at this day And of this little number every true beleeving soule must needs desire to bee one if hee love the Lord Iesus Christ and his Church yea if he but love his native country or his owne soule or if he but onely feare that dreadfull curse denounced against Meroz Curse ye Meroz said the Angell of the Lord curse the inhabitants thereof because they came not to helpe the Lord against the mighty And much more must hee needs contend for this if hee rightly consider what a high honour and happinesse it is to be one of that little number chosen and singled out hereunto to bee if it were but as any one of Gedeons three hundreth Howbeit every one having some few good desires is not fit to serve under and to helpe our Lord Iesus in thâ—… great work He himselfe hath taught and directed us plainely both whom we must bee and how we must be qualified and fitted every way if we will bee his Souldiers and so fight in this spirituall battaile as that wee may hope to prevaile That every one of us must learne and have in our hearts these instructions and directions following which our Lord and Saviour hath in his infinite Wisedome set before our faces in that absolute forme patterne of prayer which for this end and for every occasion of supplication to bee made to him and to his Father in his name he hath giuen as a perpetual direction vnto his Church unto which patterne as of all other the most effectuall sufficient and certaine to this purpose I haue heerein still wholly tyed my selfe He then that desires to bee any one of those whom hee lookes for to helpe him heerein and that will so pray as that he may be sure to bee accepted and prevayle must know as first Gods usual manner of proceeding in the deliuerie of his Church so secondly the necessity of servent prayer at this time above all former times in what need the poor Church and euery particular member of it stands thereof and must labour to have a true and lively feeling in his heart of the miseries and dangers which the Churches are in Thirdly what a one himselfe must be how qualified in all things that his person may be accepted if ever he looke to be heard Fourthly how our prayers must bee framed that they likewise may be sure to be pleasing and avayleable with the Lord. Fiftly what power and assurance our prayers so sent forth have to prevayle with God and to overcome Sixtly that all other but these are unmeete and unable to help and after a sort excluded from this service and much more all that are of contrary dispositions Seventhly how every one that lookes to bee saved by Iesus Christ and to stand at his right hand must endeavour by all possible meanes to be fitted for this seruice to be a helper to Christes poore Church heerein The second generall Meditation concerning the present necessity of this worke and the liuely feeling thereof How euery one that lookes to be saued by Iesus Christ to stand at his right hand must endeavour by all possible meanes to bee fitted for this service to bee a helper to our Saviours poorâ—… Church heerein THat wee may know the present necessity of this duty and bee able to cry more instantly the Lord cals vs seriously in the second place to meditate day and night according to every part and petition of that heavenly prayer of our Saviours concerning the distressed estate of his poor Churches at this day and of all other poore soules belonging to his eternall election living under the captivity bondage of Sathan and the tyranny of his cursed and crucll Instruments And withall he would haue us wisely to consider how he even our Lord Iesus Christ himselfe calles for our duty by this very prayer amongst many other meanes teaching us heere to cry unto him for the rescuing and delivery of all hiâ—… Children Our Father which art in heaven And to this end how we are to labour to bring our owne hearts and the hearts of all
other the people of the Lord to a lively sense and tender feeling hereof so farre as God enables us and offers uâ—… opportunity The first particular Meditation of this second generall point concerning the calamities dangers of our bretheren in all places and those threatened towards our selves and the chiefe meanes of deliverie and preservation from them FIrst wee are to lay to heart how many of our Bretheren the deare children of our heavenly Father for whom our Lord and Saviour hath taught us thus to cry as for our selves Our Father are now in grievous calamities of all sortes that many others of them are in extreame perill to bee forthwith utterly destroyed and devoured by the rage and power of Sathan and of his bloudy instruments That we also our selves with all the rest of the Churches and sincere Christians in all the world are in extreame danger every moment of time as any of the designes of the Iesuits or other mercilesse enemyes take place if our heauenly Father doe not still protect and preserve us And therefore as very many of our brethren abroad are in continuall feeling of their miseries and of our heavenly Fathers most heavy displeasure against them for all their undutifulnesse crying at his feet for his Fatherly pitty love compassion to deliver and saue them so we ought likewise to doe for them even so many of us as are alreadie assured or ever will assure our owne soules that wee are his naturall children and hereby doe desire to declare our naturall and childlike loue and feare in seeking to appease his displeasure that hee may spare his people And much more are wee to seeke to prevent or mitigate the same heavy displeasure kindled against our selves and hereby to stay the â—…age of Sathan Antichrist all of us being hated and devoted alike to destruction by the malice of the Serpent and his cruell instruments all of us having provoked our heavenly Father alike yea we more then any other to leave us into their hands to be so tried by them untill we be truely humbled in feeling our disobediences and be sensible of our provocations of him by our want of commiseration towards them and of not taking warning by their example That thus wee may lift up our cryes to heaven that hee in the tender bowels of his compassion may both succour and rescue them and also save us from the liâ—…e miseryes which seeme ready to rush upon us for all our sinnes and provocations Wee are withall to labour to bring our hearts to a right consideration that our heavenly Father hath in the riches of his mercy ordained Rulers Governours and all in lawfull and holy authoritie especially Kings and Queenes to bee in his place as nursing Fathers and nursing Mothers to his poore children to deliver and pull them out of the iawes of the dragon to carry them in their armes and in their bosomes from the fury and violence of the Serpent and to preserve and protect them that they may profess his name in peace and safetie and that therefore Sathan must needs maligne them above all other even for this especially And likewise that hee hath ordained the prayers of his people and children to obtayne this at his hand so to incline the hearts of all Kings and Princes and all in authority to pitty them The second particular Meditation of the second generall How he hath beene wont principally to get himselfe glory in saving his Church by Princes and Governors SEcondly wee are to labour to bring our hearts to a true understanding and feeling hereof that as the Lord hath been wont to glorifie his great name in former ages thus in his pittifull compassion saving his Church and Children by Kings and Princes and other deliverers raised up for them and like as hee hath magnified his power and Fatherly care so oft before our eyes in such miraculous and gracious preservations of us of this nation and other our brethren abroad unto this day especially when wee were in the midst of the fire so hee can and will magnifie it againe in a most wonderfull manner if we that are his children can but give him glory in being unfainedly humbled for our owne sinnes and the sinnes of his people and can meete him in faith by intreaty of peace crying instantly unto him Glorifie Lord thy great name doing onely as he commandeth And seeing all the bloody enemyes of Christ and his Church seeke to trample his glory under foote he will therefore the rather get himselfe glory upon them as upon Pharaoh before all the world when we shall be rightly prepared for the same The third particular Meditation of this second generall That as Sathan and Antichrist haue set themselves to fight against Christ his kingdome so our Saviour hath ordained Kings and Princes to hold up his Scepter and to defend and protect his Subiects and Gospell THirdly wee are to bring our hearts to a due consideration and deepe pondering hereof how as the Gyants before the floud so Sathan his Souldiers haue set themselves to fight against heaven and the hoast thereof yea even against Iesus Christ our Lord King and how they have cast downe his Scepter Throne and Dignitie and trample his crowne under their feet in all the places where they have prevailed and where they beare rule over Gods poore heritage And that as they haue begunne and fearefully prevailed in manie places so they haue resolued to proceed throughout the earth to set up Sathan and Antichrist in the very Throne of our Lord Iesus Christ to defile again his Temple to make his house againe a den of Theeves That Antichrist may fit againe as God in the Temple of God yea in those very places where he hath beene formerly long cast forth so that the zeale of his house euen in this behalfe should eate us up And also wee are to bring our soules to a true sense hereof that as they thus seeke to tyrannize over his people and children to leade in triumphes as captives both our Lord Iesus himselfe and his armies and to keepe under all that belong to the Lord Iesus as slaves for ever so our Saviour hath on the other side ordained and appointed Kings and Princes under him to hold up his Scepter even his heavenly Gospell and that he hath likewise decreed and ordained that even those of them which before had given their power unto the beast to fight against his Soveraigne Majesty and against his people should againe withdraw all their power from the beast when they shall see his wickednesse fully discovered and give it wholly unto his heavenly Majesty to accomplish all his will in making the Whore desolate and for the aduancement of his euerlasting Gospell when they shall truly behold the power and glorie thereof The fourth particular Meditation of the second generall How
so gloried and triumphed long agoe as if it had beene already fully effected and dispatched That some of these must of necessity come to pass if wee judge according to the word of the Lord or but to common reason wee haue just cause to fear for want of performance of our promises of repentance For that here unto we have so oft and so solemnly bound our selves every one at least by those in our places I meane by our Magistrates and Ministers as namely we did in those sundry and solemne Fasts by commandement in the yere eighty eight when therupon our God shewed himselfe from heaven to fight for us as accepting our vowes and promises of true repentance and amendment and upon that condition â—…aring us to prove and tâ—…ie us what we would do and still from time to time yea from yeare to yeare and even from day to day expecting the true and unfeigned accomplishment thereof And more also by renewing our promises and vowes in all the Fasts which were after in the dayes of our gracious Deborah while we lived in feare of the time when she shold be taken from our head and of the many evils to follow thereuppon even that whereof our enemies were wont so to bragge that there would come a day and concerning which wee were still crying to our tender Father to save us from the danger and dread thereof Yea and yet more since that time when our God brought in our dread Soveraigne and set him so over us as if there had beene no change but all had beene done for the perpetuall establishing of us our posterity at what time he cast such a feare upon all the enemies that not a dogge wagged his tongue against any of the Israel of God What promises of thankfulnesse everie one of us did make who in any sort layd these things to heart by promising repentance and amendment of all our wayes and for ever to honor and obey our Lord Iesus Christ. And most of all when of al other times hee did most apparantly shew himselfe from heaven as reaching down his hand and plucking us all out of the very jawes of the devil and out of the middest of the Furnace where of all our holy and franke acknowledgments in our many Thankesgivings and Prayers extant in Print and commanded to be used practised generally and most solemnly once every yeare and all our good Lawes made thereupon shall ever beare witnesse against us before the Lord besides every one of our Covenants at our Baptisme wherewith we all stand obliged and multitudes of other promises whereby wee have also renewed our bonds unto this day So that wee are wisely to ponder how now at length all these must either worke to bring us to a sound and unfeigned performance of whatsoever wee have so promised and to a true submission to our Lord Iesus Christ or else arme him to come against us in his terrible vengeance for all our falsiâ—…ying of our vowes promises unto him and thus dallying with him and most heynously abusing his sacred Maiestie We are therefore never to rest untill wee have brought our hearts to a lively sence and true meditation of these things and how wee have indeed dissembled with his greatnesse and holinesse as our forefathers did which the Lord so complaines of so oft repeating it Then they cryed unto the Lord in their troubles and he delivered them from their distresse but they kept not his great goodnesse in remembrance but presently forgot his wonderous works and with them all their vowes and promises and did worse then their forefathers yea then ever they had done before And yet more then all the former this ought more deeply to pierce into our hearts that as wee have alwaies thus dealt with his heavenly Majestie so wee are now instead of repenting farre worse in every kinde and much further off from any hope of repenting or turning unfeignedly or so much as of humbling our selves in any such publick manner any more that the most godly and religious beginne to make doubt nay extreamely to feare and to be as it were out of all hope of any sound humiliation whereby to turne away the vengeance threatâ—…ned and each almost onely seeking to save his owne soule Together with all these and above all of them we are seriously and wisely to lay this to heart how the people of Iudah went farre further in performing their vowes both in the daies of that worthy Hezekiah and that holy Iosiah and in taking away all the abhominations whereby the Lord was provoked and also in restoring and performing all things which hee required in his Law and which they had promised for pacifying of his wrath even to a generall renewing the Covenant amongst all the people outwardly at least consenting thereto yet when the hearts of the people consented not so as did the hearts of their Kings and namely as did the heart of Iosiah which melted into teares for the abhominations and plagues nor yet continued but started backe from the Lord ever anon and fell to their ancient sinne againe the Lord after all their warnings brought upon them that terrible Captivitie for 70. yeares without any further sparing or remedy This he did unto them notwithstanding their good Kings and some worthy Rulers yea all their holy Prophets namely Ieremy so importuning him day and night Ezekiel falling upon his face and even expostulating with his Majestie for Ierusalem his owne Citty and for his people being as a brand pluckt out of the burning and notwithstanding their mourners mourning and crying for all the abhominations and lifting up hearts and hands day and night unto the Lord yea notwithstanding all his former indulgences and mercies all their priviledges and prerogatives and his covenant onely with them and all his gracious promises made to them above all the people of the earth Finally wee are ever to bee beating heereon what just cause wee have to thinke that he having remooved the Candlesticke from other Churches so sinning wee cannot escape but the longer his wayting and forbearing is the severer his vengeance must needs bee when it comes And above all these we are to labour to bring our hearts to a due consideration and wise fore-sight hereof that howsoever it goe for the generall that the Lord shall save us which wee still and ever pray for or doe still deferre his wrath at the cryes of his owne deare children who stand in the breach and though he may spare us in the bowels of his compassion thus earning over us as sometimes hee did over Ephraim in like caseâ—… O my people how should I leave thee up to so many miseries as thine enemies are devising and practising against thee how shall I leave my great name to be blasphemed amongst my proud enemies or though he doe still save us like as
hee so oft saved and delivered his people for Moses alone thus importuning him albeit hee have over-just cause to say to us as hee said to Iudah before her Captivitie though Noah Iob and Daniel were amongst us yet they should neyther save sonne nor daughter but even their owne soules yet I say howsoeuer he shall deale in mercy for the generall wee must notwithstanding know undoubtedly that every particular soule that turnes not to God by unfeigned repentance and that prepares not himselfe to come thus to help by his prayers for pardoning the sinnes of the Land and pacisying of the Lords wrath must certainly perish And to conclude this point wee are to meditate likewise seriously how GOD hath principally ordayned and ever used when he would save his people and call and bring them to true repentance to do it in like manner by Kings and Princes or other Rulers stirred up extraordinarily and by the voyce of his true Prophets calling them and his people by them thereunto as by Moses Ioshua Iehosaphat Hezekiah Nehemiah the king of Nineuy and others even when he wold but save them from the present temporall destruction And therefore as we are to pray instantly for all the Rulers in the severall Churches so above all for our dread Soveraigne to whom hee hath given such excellent understanding of his heavenly will and whom he hath bound unto himselfe by so many bonds of such great deliverances the like mercies and favours above all the Kings and Princes of the earth that they may all yet whilst there is time now the Lord calles so lowd vpon them set themselves to enquire wisely into the true causes of the evils already upon the Churches and of those which are further threatned That they may truly consider that all this is from the Lord in his everlasting commiseration and fatherly pitty tendering us as his deere children thus calling us all to a generall and unfeigned repentance that he may spare us and that himself may take our cause in hand against his own and our bloody enemies That they may with holy Iosiah first inquire rightly into all the crying sins in every state and degree within their Dominions and into all the provocations of the wrath of God and see how the sinnes of our time seem to be above the sinnes of Iudah before the Captivity our glorious light and all other meanes which he hath used to reclaime us being rightly weighed And secondly that they may consider wisely of the danger which both themselves and all theyrs yea all their Dominions stand in for the same according to all the Lords most terrible warnings and denounciations And thirdly that they may thinke seriously as in the presence of the Lord and inquire from his mouth of the meanes yet left to pacific and prevent the same And finally that they may set themselves forthwith to put all the same in execution with holy Iosiah and do in all things belonging thereunto as the Lord himselfe directeth and commandeth for that this alone can bring comfort and boldnesse to them and theyrs in assurance of the Lords mercifull love and favour and that they and theirs shall abide still and ever before the presence of the Lord. Thus are we to labour to prevaile espcially for our Soveraigne Lord and his that our God may yet by him magnify the riches of his mercy above all former times bringing thus to us all his Churches a third greater deliverance and cause of rejoycing by his hand through our unfeigned repentance and the like repentance in all the Churches then ever heretofore And thus wee are earnestly according to our bounden dutie to stirre up our hearts by our due meditations to cry for him and to doe what we can both by our prayers and all other holy meanes that all other may ioyne with us herein and that we may never rest wrestling with him weeping untill he have heard us even in this behalfe for the pardoning and taking away our sinnes in what sort soever shall seeme best to his heavenly Maiestie to answere us And thus much for this Meditation The seuenth particular Meditation of the second generall how Sathan exerciseth all his power and tyranny against all the Churches spiritually SEuenthly wee are withall to betake our selves to a serious Meditation and to bring our hearts likewise to a right feeling hereof That as the Lord hath in his iust and heavy displeasure left his poore afflicted Churches and children to be thus pursued by Sathan and driven into the wildernesse so Sathan having gotten them thither he there principally exerciseth his power tyranny against them even spiritually against their seules and consciences so farre as God permits him as well as against their bodies How hee thereby bestirres himselfe to bring them into all spirituall miseries to cause them either to fall away from the Lord Iesus Christ and the soundnesse and sincerity of his heavenly Gospell which they have received professed or to vse dissembling even to deny the Lord Iesus or other vnlawfull meanes for their reliefe and succour thus to wound their weake cōsciences ◅o get more advantage against them both to accuse them before the Lord and so to provoke his Maiesty to leave them up into his hands and even to drive many of them to utter and endless despaire of the Lords helpe succour which is the height of miseries and the very entrance into the lake Or at least which is his usuall manner with every one of us and wherein he can and doth oft prevaile with manie of the deerest Saints and Children of the Lord he settes on them day and night to cause them to doubt of the Lords favor and love of the truth of their Religion the goodnesse of their cause the soundnesse of their Faith and repentance or whether they have any Faith or no seeing hee so leaves them to so many miseries which if hee loved them he would not doe Then hee makes them possess the verie sinnes of their youth setting all of them before their faces which ever they fell into in their whole lives so much as he is able and aggravating every least slip or fayling as if it were the most heynous sin that ever was committed Then through melancholy passions and distempers into which hee can driue thee best by long affliction and by still urging his temptations terrors hee can and useth to cause them to accuse themselves falsely and for those things wherein they are most innocent or for the best things that ever they have done and so can increase their miseryes both bodily and spirituall The right meditation of these and other like miseries which he drives them into m◅st needs cause us to commiserate their poore and wofull estate and the due consideration of the present danger to our selves of the like
will make us cry loud day and night both for them and for ourselves Yea moreouer heerein wee are to striue to bring our harts to a right and wise consideration That as the Lord being displeased against Israel gave Sathan liberty to stand up against David to move him to number his people so to make a way to the just execution of his displeasure for their sinnes and thereby to awake them bring them to repentance so he might thus most justly for a long time have given him liberty to stand up against all the Churches for our coldness and security but against us especially of this sinnefull Nation having so long greeved him by all our heynous prouocations even these threescore yeeres and more and much more may he doe it now most righteously for our so unspeakeable impenitencie and senselesness at this day for that nothing els hath hitherto or can yet awake us And withall we are to labour to bring our hearts to a wise and right consideration of the extreame rage and fury that Sathan now exerciseth roaring upon all the true Churches of Christ as if hee would devoure us at once knowing he hath but a short time and how he hath heereupon thus lately begun to cast out this floud of bloody persecution out of his mouth to carry away all the Churches and Children of God at this once together as he hath done some already How he and his bloody Instruments haue decreed the certaine effecting heereof as God hath made it manifest even by themselves and that to all the world I meane to every one whose eyes the God of this world hath not utterly shut up And to bee euer thinking heereof That onely our blessed God tender Father hath caused the earth hitherto to helpe his Churches and all of us his Children in â—…o opening her mouth and swallowing up the waters albeit so very many of our Brethren abroad haue bin already carried away therby That our course is now as we haue just cause to feare comming amaine like the raging Sea Sathan standing up day and night against every one of us to tempt us all each according to our places callings occasions to provoke him by our sinnes more and more especially by our induration and security dayly increased that so the Lord may leave us likewise into his hand which wee haue just cause to feare according to all his severe denunciations and threats so neerely executed and that to as great miseries as they or any other Churches or people euer indured before as he had almost done The right Meditation of all these will make us cry aloud Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from euill Lord deliver us not over to the tempter for our sinnes to bee thus indurate and prepared for destruction but deliver us from him and from the innumerable evils which he so furiously seekes to bring upon us and upon all our Brethren and which so many other Churches so groane under And yet more then all this wee are never to rest day nor night till our heartes rightly understand and conceiue hereof that as all the miseries now upon or towards the Churches are wholly or principally from the Dragon who hath thus inraged all those whom he hath deceiued to fight against them so our God hath also heerein ordained Pastors and Watchmen both spirituall and temporall to preserve his Children from him and those his Pastors and Watchmen to bee awaked and made more vigilant heereunto by the instant Prayers and cries of his poore people committed to their charge We are ever likewise to be thinking heereof that he that cannot cry for himselfe and for the Watchmen and Churches to be delivered from the tempter and from all these evils Especially from the evill of sinne that it reigne not over him but suffers himselfe to be a servant though it be but of any one sinne and a slave of Sathan therein must indure eternall evils and miseries with him in the Lake for ever and ever The eight particular Meditation of the second generall That the kindgome and glory are Christs that Sathan and Antichrist fight principally against him and against his Church onely for his cause and therefore are sure to be overthrowen 8. ANd yet more still to awaken us to prepare our hearts to this worke wee are to fâ—…iue to bring our soules on further to a right and due consideration that our Lord Iesus Christ is absolute Lord and King that all the kingdomes of the world are our Lords and his Christs and that he must reigne for evermore That Sathan and Antichrist his eldest sonne all their Souldiers in all these bloody warres which they haue so dreadfully begun and do so furiously pursue against all the Churches doe fight onely against his glorious Maiestie and even of hatred against him howsoever these whom Sathan hath so enchanted thinke not so much but rather imagine that they doe God good seruice in it That Sathan Antichrist haue sent forth these croaking Frogs the Iesuits and Seminaries to stir up all the Kings and great men of the earth to give away their power and authority from Christ Iesus to whom it is wholly due and whose they and all their power is to take part and to fight on their side against our Lord Iesus Christ. That it is indeed our Lord Iesus Christ against whom they fight even to thrust him out of his throne and to destroy his people and therefore that wee have just cause to thinke that this same being thus eagerly pursued against him and against all his true members in all the Churches is the very battle of the great day for that it is so set as it was never in such sort before all things being rightly considered And therefore we are wisely to Meditate that howsoever to the end to harden them all and all their Souldiers to their utter destruction he hath permitted them to prevaile thus farre and still raging to pursue his Israel into the heart of the Sea yet we may haue good hope that there is the very place and time where and when he will get himselfe the victory even when once his owne people and Children seeing and feeling their miseries upon them and that there is nothing remaining in regard of any helpe from man but present destruction shall cry aloud unto him as Israel at the Sea That then hee will cause his owne people to stand still and see what he will doe That then he will manifest his power and get himselfe glory upon his owne and his Churches enemies even upon Pharaoh and his hoast and that by his owne right arme That howsoever there are multitudes nations mighty Monarches and Kings against him and these have all one minde to give their power and authority from him unto the Beast untill
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
unto it in delivering restoring and beautifying of it like as hee hath done in all former Ages And therefore wee are never to rest travelling with our owne hearts in this untill we can principally labour with the Lord for them that they of all other and so all in their places may be indued with all excellent graces not onely to manifest themselves in the first ranke according to their high dignities the true Children of our heavenly Father thus shining before all the rest of their Bretheren for the better prouoking and encouraging of all the rest and the greater glory of the Lord but also with those guifts which are proper and peculiar unto their places and callings And that wee likewise may all of us be very carefull to performe unto them the duties belonging to them in regard of those high places and callings like as the honor and obedience of right appertaining to them so with all true thankfulnesse for all the blessings which wee injoy by them And in our thankfulnesse we â—…e never to rest untill wee can from our soules performe unto them these three specially 1. Acknowledgment of their authoritie from God and that they are in his place 2. Hearty affections as to Gods Lieutenants for his cause 3. Above all instant prayers for them day night And in these our prayers that we can cry for them not onely as for every common member as was saide to bee able to walke before all their people as living Lawes in all holy duties of Christianitie but in those of their particular places and callings and bee furnished with all excellent giftes and endowments of Gods Spirit for their happy managing of the same As first and principally that they may bee made able and resolute to promote the Religion of the Lord alone and all true godlinesse and that with all their power defacing the contrary and destroying all ungodnesse in all their Dominions as did those Worthyes David Iehosaphat Hezekiah Iosiab and Nehemiah being thereby so renowned and set out for such blessed examples to all succeeding Ages And in the second place that they may procure each way the good of the people committed to them as tender Foster-fathers repressing the wicked being careful that all holy meanes be used every where for the reclaiming and saving every soule in their Dominions and of bringing them in their armes to the Sion and Sanctuary of the Lord and all hinderances thereof removed And that to these ends they may be all as 〈◊〉 Magistrates men of courage fearing God dealing truely hating covetousnesse no respecters of persons And next unto these that we rest not till we bee able to pray likewise for all excelling in any eminency either outward or inward whereby they may doe any speciall service to our Lord Iesus Christ to his Vicegerents or to his poore Church and people As namely That their hearts bee not lifted up by their guifts favours or places as is ordinary in each estate and so wrath come upon them as it did on that good Hezekiah for this very sinnâ—… but that contrarily they may both ever remember and acknowledge all their preferments to be from his heavenly bounty and so to be more humbled by them as having more to answere bee accountable for giving to his divine Majestie alone all the glory thereof And secondly that they may bee inabled as thy deare Children to employ all those guifts carefully as their talents committed unto them by the Lord to that end and purpose as may make most for his glory the furtherance of his Gospell with the greatest benefit and good to our selve and to all the people of the Lord. The second particular Meditation of the third general That we can and use to seeke his honor above all other things SEcondly we must never give the Lord over untill we have brought our harts in order not to seeke our owne honour or greatness nor our selves any way for our selves alone but onely in all things to seeke the honour of our heavenly Father being zealous of his glory And that wee can pray earnestly that our selves and all other may studie to set foorth his glorie before all the sonnes of men euen the glory of his Wisedome Goodness Mercy Iustice Power and Truth shining bright in all his workes both in every creature and also in all his judgements and mercies and chiefely in his heavenly word admiring and extolling his great name in every one of them That we can mourne with holy Moses for all the dishonours done unto him and for all the provocations whereby he is provoked choosing rather to have our names put out of his booke then that his great name shold be blasphemed by his malicious enemics especially in their triumphes for the destruction or miseries of his people The third particular Meditation of the third generall That we seeke his honour chiefely in the aduancement of the Scepter of Iesus Christ. THirdly we are never to rest untill we can rejoyce in the truth of our hearts that we have seâ—… our selves to seek by all our might the advancement of the Scepter of his heavenly kingdome even of the heavenly Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ and so the comming of his kingdome thereby with power first the kingdome of Grace and after the kingdome of Glory desiring earnestly to that end the propagating and spreading of his Gospel over all the world the gathering forth of all his elect from al parts with the saving of all his people seeking all other things onely for him and for his honour that he may reigne as Lord and King That wee never give him rest until wee feele him reigning in our hearts by his blessed Word and Spirit making us to mourne withall for all the despight done unto his heavenly Majesty in the contempt of that his glorious Gospel and chiefly for all the prevaylings of Sathan and Antichrist the setting up againe of their abhominable Idolatry in any place and so for al the outragious wickednesse committed agaynst our Lord Iesus Christ his crowne and dignity and also agaynst his poore people The fourth particular Meditation of the third generall That we seeke to honour him eâ—…er in the full accomplishment of all his heavenly will FOurthly that our hearts beare us witness that wee haue attayned to be such as are wholly set not to seeke the execution of our owne lustes or will but that the whole will and good pleasure of our heavenly Father may bee fulfilled by us and all other his Children especially in all things wherein he hath or shal reveale himselfe what his good pleasure is And that we have begun earnestly to indevor our selves to be as chearful in the right execution and accomplishment thereof in all parts as
his holy Angels Moreover that we can with all thankefulness receive from his hand yeeld unto whatsoever chastisements or trials it shal please his heavenly wisedome to exercise us by and that we can mourne with the holy Prophet David to see his blessed wil and Commandements both Law and Gospel so scorned and trampled under foote That wee have atrayned thereto at the least in our inner man to wit in the full desire and resolution of our soules are thereupon able thus to cry in truth and in the uprightness of our hearts Thy wil be done in earth as it is in heaven The fift particular Meditation of the third generall That we be such as looke into and depend onely upon our heavenly Father for all good things FIftly we must trauel with our owne hearts never resting until wee bee such as feele our selves in some good measure able in faith to looke up unto him as to our pittiful gracious and bountiful Father and to depend whollie upon him with faithful Abraham for accomplishment of all our desires and whatsoever else he hath promised and for giving to us and to the whole Church all things belonging heereunto so farre as shal be best To trust in him onely for all and to give him the glory of al. Also such as have attained in some good sort a fellow-feeling with our Brethren of al their wants and afflictions both bodily and spiritual and so are thereby able to crie for them as for our selves Giue us this day our daily bread Such as are ready to communicate unto them in all things according to their necessities of what kinde soeuer And finally such as strive to walke painfully and faithfully in our places callings that we may not be chargeable to the Church but may better supply the wants of our Brethren and so shew forth our right dependance on his fatherly goodness for our selues and for them al for bread and all other comfortes for bodies and soules appertaining both to this and the better life The sixt particular Meditation of the third generall That we be such as feele our sinnes and infirmities as a heavy burden and travelling under them doe fly ever unto Christ. SIxtly wee are seriously to stirre vp our soules that we never rest vntill we be such at least in the longing desires of our hearts as doe see and feele not onely our owne sins infirmities and corruptions as a heavy burthen making us daily to runne to our Lord and Sauiour to bee eased of them but withall that wee haue some true feeling of the sinnes of all sorts in the Church which have so farre forth already provoked the Lord to execute his fierce wrath upon so many of our Brethren to leave them into their enemies hand and so to threaten all the Churches by the deadly malice and mischievous plots and prevailings of our bloody enemies And also that we can and do begin to cry That the Lord would forgive us our sins our hainous crying sins grant unto us unfeigned repentance for the â—…ame hearts to do whatsoever hee hath commanded belonging thereunto for the pacifying of his wrath both privately publiquely We are withall to bethinke our selves whether wee be such as unfeignedly wish with blessed Paul to have a continuall heavinesse in our hearts for our owne sinnes and for the sinnes of Gods people whereby hee hath beene so provoked to so heavy a wrath so dreadfull proceedings even against his owne Children which are so deere unto him and for that his anger is daily more and more kindled and incensed Such as can freely forgive and doe use to pray for our very enemies that they so many of them as belong to the election of Grace may likewise come to repentance and escape his wrath vengeance due unto their sinnes and bee made with us partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light The seuenth particular Meditation of the third generall That we indeavour to pray continually Lead us not into temptation SEventhly we are to meditate seriously that if wee will be helpers unto our Lord and Saviour in this worke we are never to give rest unto our soules untill we have brought our selves to a true understanding sense and practice of that counsell yea that precept of our Saviour with which so few Christians are indeed rightly acquainted to wit to watch and pray continually that we fall not into temptation That we be such as doe not onely see the danger that wee our selves stand in of Sathans temptations every moment of time and of the many and fearefull evils which by our sinnes hee seekes without ceasing to bring upon us and thence doe labour incessantly by watching and prayer to be preserved and delivered from the same but doe also use to mourne and be in heavinesse day and night for the prevailing of Sathan and Antichrist and of all their limbes and instruments not onely against the poore people and children of the Lord but also against his blessed Gospell at this day by their craft and subtilties and for the innumerable miseries bodily and spirituall which they have and doe daily more and more seeke to bring upon them and therefore we do use daily to cry for them as for our selues Lord lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evill The eighth particular Meditation of the third generall That wee can and doe use to sing the song of the 24. Elders Glorie c. SEventhly wee are never to give the Lord over untill wee bee such as ever acknowledging in our hearts and consciences the Soveraignty of our Lord Iesus Christ have attained hereto to bow the knees of our soules and fall downe upon our faces before him having learned the Song of the foure and twenty Elders Glory Honour Praise Dominion Might and Majesty bee to him that sits upon the throne and unto the Lambe for evermore and doe use to sing the same in our soules and also doe desire that it may bee sounded out by us and by all the Church eternally at least such as can mourne for our continuall wants and failings herein Finally that wee be such as use to stirre vp our hearts in faith to sound Amen both begging and beleeving that through Iesus Christ we shall obtaine whatsoever we have or shall desire as our Lord and Saviour hath taught us so farre as shall bee most for his glory our salvation with the good of all his Church and herein can ioyfully repose our soules And not onely that wee have attained the beginnings or as it were the first fruites in all these graces moreover that we indeavour to increase grow in every one of them continually And thus much also for the second generall meditation to wit what kind of persons we must be if we will bee sure to be
accepted as saithfull Abraham and Moses in regard of the high favour in which wee are in through Iesus Christ and that wee are so qualified and fitted as our Saviour requireth of them who are to helpe him in this worke The fourth generall Meditation Concerning the frame and order of our prayers that they likewise may be well pleasing and so we may bee more certaine to prevaile thereby when wee follow in all things our Saviours direction FOr the frame and forme of our prayers that the want therein may not any thing hinder our certaine assurance but contrarily that our right manner ordering framing thereof may increase our strength and confident crying They must bee so framed as neere as wee can at our great Master and Teacher our Lord Iesus Christ hath directed us and then his Soveraigne Majesty who hath saide Pray thus will make them powerfull according to his gratious promise Aske and you shall have and will set to his seale first in our hearts and after manifestly before the world The first particular Meditation of the fourth generall That we pray onely to our heavenly Father in the name of Christ. FIrst wee are carefully to see that our prayers bee directed onely to our heavenly Father and none other and that in the name and mediation of our blessed Saviour our hearts being lifted vp to heaven in confidence of faith through him and in his name and mediation alone and not by the mediation of any Saint or Angell and also without the least looking at our selves for any excellency in our selves or any matter of merit worth or desert in our selves or any other creature for which wee should looke any way to bee heard whereunto our hearts are wonderfully prone and wherein they are exceeding deceiptfull and very hard to bee knowne albeit wee have taken long paines to bring them thereunto The second particular Meditation of the fourth generall That above all and in all wee ayme at Gods glory and the advancement of Christs scepter SEcondly as hee hath taught us in the first place to pray Hallowed be thy name so in and above all things we must ayme at his glory and never rest till wee have a burning zeale thereof so to seeke the advancement of his great name and the comming of his kingdome even that Iesus Christ may raigne in all the world all sorts stooping unto him that thus his elect speedily bee gathered forth and saved Sathan and Antichrist with all his enemies being utterly overthrowne and confounded For seeking first his glory kingdome righteousnesse that is seeking them cheefly and in the first place wee have a certaine assurance from his gracious and faithfull promise That all other things shall be cast upon us as an over measure concerning our selves or ours And herein specially wee are to bee warned for that in this is usually the cheife failling of Gods people and for which hee may justly send us empty away even for looking at our selves more then at his Majesty and the things that concerne his kingdome and honour preferring our selves and our owne particulars and the care of them before the things that concerne his owne glory kingdome and people Though his wisedome hath in his goodnesse so plainly directed us herein beginning and ending with this The seeking of the advancement of his glory and kingdome as being all in all like as indeed it is for that then as was saide when we can so seeke him in order hee will undoubtedly give us our hearts desire and more then wee can imagine neitheir can wee ever assure our selves of any thing as a blessing untill this time For this purpose and the certaintie hereof read carefully the first of Haggai and consider it well how this selfe-love makes us forget the first and great Commandement Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart soule strength and might c. and so to loose the obtaining of those things which otherwise we might certainly injoy The third particular Meditation of the fourth generall That wee seeke the doing of his heavenly will for his glory and kingdome chiefly THirdly we are to labour to bring our hearts hereunto That the accomplishing of his heavenly will whatsoever he hath determined chiefly iâ—… things that concerne his glory and kingdome and the good of his Church and Children bee sought by us in the first place and afterwardes in all things belonging to our selves That to these ends all his will and good pleasure which he hath been or shall bee pleased to make knowne unto us may be done by us and all his people and that as chearfully wisely faithfully and couragiously as the Angels doe it in heaven The fourth particular Meditation of the fourth generall That we seeke all good things from God alone chiefly that wee may have wherewith to honour him and advance his kingdome FOurthly in the fourth place wee are to meditate how wee are to travell with our owne hearts to seeke our daily bread from him not for our selves but for these ends principally That he will be pleased to feed us and to minister unto us from heaven all things needfull and behouefull hereunto both for our selves and for all our brethren that wee may not live to our selves but to his heavenly Majesty alone who hath redeemed and saved us for this purpose The fift particular Meditation of the fourth generall and so of the sixt and seventh together FIftly wee are seriously to consider how wee are to pray That to these ends likewise chiefly and for these causes hee will forgive our sinnes and the sinnes of his people that they may not hinder his mercy nor these our prayers in any of the things which wee are taught to beg of his heavenly Majesty nor yet provoke his wrath against us but having put them away by his Christ hee may for his sake tender us as his owne Children and heare us in all things concerning his glory and kingdome and also for our owne necessitie and happinesse and the good of his people 6. And finally that for his glory sake hee will save us from Sathan and from all the evils which hee intends and seeks to bring upon us for our sinnes and whereby he seekes to dishonour the Lord provoke him against us and to hinder all these mercies and to bring all contrary miseries and evils upon us and upon the Church 7. How in all these still wee are ever to seeke for his owne glory and the merit of his dearly beloved Sonne ever beginning and ending here with And that our Lord Iesus Christ may shew himselfe gloriously both Lord and King exercising all his Soveraignty Dominion and Power for vs all that so hee may bee glorified by us and by all the Churches and also glorifie us with himselfe for evermore And thus much also for the
order that wee are ever as neere as we can to keepe in the desire of our hearts and in all the requests which we make unto his glorious Majesty The fift generall Meditation Fiftly the power and efficacy of our prayers made and performed in all things according to the heavenly patterne VVE are in this Meditation to have a due consideration pondering hereof that the foure former things being performed according to the rule and direction of our Saviour this fifth will follow of it selfe that is to say that our blessed God will give us a strong assurance to be heard and so that wee shall see the power and efficacy of our prayers in all accordingly which wee are seriously to meditate of untill wee can feele our hearts to pray in faith and in confident boldnesse of his goodnesse to grant our requests The first particular Meditation of the fift generall That when we can so pray he will manifest himselfe our tender Father FIrst that when wee shall joyntly thus cry unto him he will not onely give a witnesse to every one of vs in our soules that hee is our Father and set the seale thereof in our hearts as was saide making us able to call him Abba O Father which is ten thousand times more worth then all our labour herein can be but will moreover shew himselfe to us so praying not to each in particular alone but also to all the Churches in generall that even from heaven to bee our gracious and tender Father yea that hee will so shew himselfe to us as ever he shewed himselfe to Israel or to any of his in former Ages howsoever hee may first humble us and dreadfully awaken us all to make us more earnestly and joyntly to cry unto him The second particular Meditation of the fift generall How hee will from heaven shew us his glory when wee can so pray SEcondly that then wee may truly hope that hee will from heaven once againe shew his glory for his Church more then ever in this last Age of the world now that his owne glorious Majesty and Children are so furiously fought against and that so directly and manifestly that all the world may take notice of it chiefly by Sathan and Antichrist and by all their forces That he will then evidently declare the glorious riches of his Love Wisedome Mercy Power Truth Faithfulnesse and all his Goodnesse both for the rescuing the succouring and saving of all his poore Church from the great red Dragon the Beast and the false Prophet and for maintaining his owne honour and great Name which they doe so oppugne and also in getting himselfe a glorious victory triumph vpon them all as hee did vpon Pharoah Senacherib Haman or any other of his proud enemies or of the enemies of his Church Yea we may then expect that hee will doe this in fighting against them by themselves making their owne rage their ruine their owne counselles their owne confusion and the covering of their faces and in turning all to his owne glory with the greatest joy and happiness to his chosen flock and children for ever The third particular Meditation of the fift generall 3. VVE are withall to meditate infaith How when hee hath prepared and set our hearts in order thus to pray he wil then from heaven cause his owne Kingdome to come with power how thē our Lord Iesus Christ whos 's the kingdome is to whom the Father hath specially committed the governement of it will then advance his owne Scepter the true Scepter of righteousness even his heavenly Gospell amongst his very enemies that then his greatest enemies shall fall downe before him lick the dust in acknowledgement of their owne natural wretchedness and of their willing submission to Iesus Christ or perish for ever How then our Lord and Saviour will once agayne cause Sathan to fall down from heaven like lightning ruinating his kingdom and specially the kingdom of Antichrist how he will consume that great Antichrist by the breath of his mouth and utterly abolish him by the brightness of his comming But the new Hierusalem hee will cause to descend from heaven as a Bride trimmed prepared to meete her Husband and then will he set up and manifest before all the world the glory of his Majesty and of the glorious Kingdome of his Son our Saviour with the felicity and glory of all his Saints in that manner which he hath foretold in his heavenly word and in all things which are not yet accomplished concerning the same every thing in their owne due time and season The fourth particular Meditation of the fift generall FOurthly we are wisely to meditate in faith How then he will accomplish and fulfill all his holy will and counsell even whatsoever he hath spoken by the mouthe of any of his holy Prophets which is not yet come to passe executing both all his judgements upon all his and his Churches enemies performing whatsoever hee hath foretold and promised to his Saints How then he wil certainly put into the hearts of all and namely of the Kings which had formerly given their power vnto the Beast to give all their power and authority to Iesus Christ to fulfill his will for the full execution and performance hereof and that cheerefully wisely faithfully like as i◅ is done in heaven and more specially to every one that can so call up on his blessed name according to the measure of Grace and Power given to each in his place Then he will effectually so encline our hearts as that this shall be our meate and drinke to do his will and that wee shall never depart from him any more The fift particular Meditation of the fift general How hee will then deliver and feed his people FIftly then we are withall heere to meditate in faith and in all confident assurance how he will from heaven declare his fatherly and tender care for all his children thus crying to him to deliver them from all their bondage Famine Sword and other miseries which they have endured by their merciless enemyes whether bodily or spirituall thus wiping away all teares from their eyes so far as shall be most for his owne glory and for their good Then will he feed them with bread as from heaven ministring abundantly al good things unto them according to the dayes wherein they suffered adversitie recompensing thē double into their bosomes in all joy and heavenly felicitie heere to be begun and in an unspeakeable mannar to bee accomplished in the heavens The sixt particular Meditation of the fift generall How then he will clense his people from their sinnes and write his law in their hearts SIxtly we are likewise seriously and ioyfully to bee pondering heereof How then he will forgive all the sinnes of his children according to his
gracious promise and remember their iniquities no more when they shall cry unto him by a lively Faith as to their heavenly Father burning with the zeale of his glorie and kingdome and that all his divine wil may bee so accomplished That then he will open all our blind eyes to see our natural pollution and uncleanness yea to beholde all out filthy sinnes whereby we are defiled and loathsome in the eyes of our heavenly Father and will withall make us to behold the fountaine of his Sonnes blood open to all the house of Israel for sin and for uncleanness Then vvill he make all sorts that are his even all his elect as much to long after that Fountaine as ever any did after the poole of Bethesda and most gladlie to do whatsoeuer he hath apointed for the purging and clensing of themselves and of all his Church from all her iniquities And how to the end that our turning and repentance may be no longer formall as it hath beene for the most part heeretofore when wee have cryed unto the Lord in our troubles to be delivered from our distresse and afterward have returned to our iniquities againe but that it and every part of it may bee sound and unfeigned he will make every one of his owne cry with persecuting Saul Lord what wilt thou that I should doe Then hee will put his Law into our minds and write it in our hearts according to his most gracious and blessed promise when hee intendes to save his Church in such sort as wee have just cause to hope hee is about to doe Hee will cause us tenderly to forgive and pitty one another the Wolfe to dwell with the Lambe and to desire to make all our very enemies partakers of the same mercies and will keep us all that are his that we may no more depart from him The seuenth particular Meditation of the fift generall How wee shall see him delivering his flock from Sathan and dissolving all his cursed workes SEuenthly wee are moreover to Meditate in faith how then he will restraine the rage and power of the Tempter reseuing his poore Lambs out of the jawes of the roaring Lyon How he will then destroy and dissolve all the cursed workes of Sathan discover his depthes and all the wickednesse of his InchaÌ„ters Sorceâ—…ers Charmers Witches aud of all the rest of his crafty malicious and accursed instruments making their madnesse manifest to all and what practises they have used against all even against Christian Kings and Princes Nations and people to harden turne them from the faith as Iannes and Iambres did to harden Pharaoh and as Elimas against the Deputy and Simon Magus against Samaria How these and the Locusts comming out of the bottomlesse pit have caused them to give their power to the Beast and to fight against our Lord Iesus Christ. And furthermore how then hee will cause all their witchcrafts inchantmeÌ„ts to cease as they began so to cease at yâ— first comming of our Saviour in the flesh and chiefly at the comming downe of the holy Ghost and at that powerfull and effectuall spreading of the Gospell in every countrey wheresoever it so came Yea how then all such deceivers shall curse their Gods and gnaw their tougnes for sorrow being inforced with that wretched Balaans who loved the wages of iniquity to acknowledge that there is no sorcerie against Iacob nor any divination against Israel How then wee shall see him whose name is Wonderfull to shew himselfe wonderfull in the saving of his poore Church and Children from the power and fury of the great red Dragon and in delivering us all in an admirable manner from all these innumerable evils which he all his instruments have so long practised so maliciously dreadfully intended do still intend against his poor Church whereupon he so castethout of his mouth all this huge flood of waters after her to cause her to be carried away of the same at once and by which the proud enemies have so cast lots upon all that truly love and beleeve in his name and as certainly determined and set downe our day so soone as ever their opportunity shall serve as Haman had against the Iewes The eight particular Meditation of the fift generall How then hee will declare himselfe sole Monarke and to whom all glory belongs EIghtly we are yet further to Meditate according to this heavenly direction how then he will declare himselfe before all the earth to be the onely absolute Soveraigne Lord and King the sole and mighty Monarch of all the world that all power is his and to him alone belongs all glory and honour when hee shall thus shew himselfe so gloriously for his Church in such a wonderful deliverance in such unexpected and even incredible mercies to her I mean incredible to all humane reason and when hee shall so get himselfe glory uppon his proudest enemyes and make all the world to see that hee hath overturned all their wisdome power and furie making it to serve hereunto and finally that hee hath in all things so farre forth accomplished whatsoever hee hath spoken ever since the beginning And likewise wee are earnestly to meditate to comfort our selves heerein That then he will make it manifest that the greatest enemies of the Church have in all their â—…age not fought agaynst his Children poore wormes dust and ashes for then they had surely prevailed long agoe to have destroyed his whole Church out of the earth but that they have fought even against our Lord Iesus Christ this great King of kings and Lord of lords Thus will hee cause all both men and deuils to acknowledge and â—…say For thine is the kingdome power glory and all the Children of God to sing with all the holie Angels and all the hosst of Heauen Hallelujâ—…h Praise ye the Lord for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth yeâ—… to fall upon their faces before the Throne and to worship our God saying Amâ—…n Blessing glory wisedome thanksgiving honour power and might be unto our God for ever and ever The ninth particular Meditation of the fifâ—… generall How we are never to rest till wee can reioyce and triumph in the assurance of Faith crying â—…oyntly Amen AND to conclude this poynt wee are ever to meditate seriously hereof and never to give our hearts any rest untill we can through the 〈◊〉 of our Faith rejoyce and even triumph continually with the Holy Angels That how impossible soever these things may seeme to flesh and blood and how incredible in the eyes of the world yet he will certainly accomplish theÌ„ all in what time measure and manner shal seeme best to his wisedome accordingly as he hath foretold And that even then when so many of us as have or can but unfeignedly begin to set our selves
in all things to walke hvmbly with him shall likewise bee stirred up by his blessed Spirite thus joyntly to cry unto him for that hee having taught and commanded us thus to pray and having given us so many assurances that being such praying thus he wil heare us and finally hee enclining and setting our hearts as with one accord thus to importune him heerein we can make no doubt of gracious audience and a happy answere from his heavenly Majesty even when we can joyntly crie in Faith Amen Euen so come Lord Iesus come quickely Amen Amen The Sixt generall Meditation How all but those that are thus qualified are excluded from helping the Lord and doe rather pull downe his wrath upon his Church SIxtly we are to bring our hearts yet further to a serious Meditation hereof likewise That all other who are not so qualified at least in the earnest desire and constant resolution of their hearts and much more all who are contrarily affected in any of these things thus necessarily required in our preparation and so all that beleeue not the word of the Lord in such manner as to be fully perswaded of the truth of his promises and threatnings are excluded by the Lord himselfe from being any meete helpers in this worke The First Meditation hereof to be seriously pondered 1 THat all such as live securely in theyr owne wayes without any due regard of the Lord and of his poore Church are excluded hence even all such as who albeit the Lord shewe such manifest token◅ of his heavy displeasure agaynst his owne people and children for their sinnes and although they see his Glory Gospell People to bee so generally trampled under foot our lord Iesus Christ to be ready utterly to be thrust frō his throne and his members in such miserable distress or imminent perill yet they care for none of these things but only mind their owne courses and seeke to satisfy their owne wils and desires as all our worldlings and all the prophane sort in generall do Yea all such are shutte out as unmeete who are not now in a tender commiseration of the wofull estate of all the Lords people de◅irous to obey our Lord Iesus Christ comming to helpe him and them all in what thing soever he shall make knowne unto them that he stands in need of their helpe and so calls for it at their hands and who endeavour not unfeignedly to doe whatsoever he requireth tending thereunto And that this must needs be so for these reasons following which are therefore every one of them to be seriously meditated of and pondered until we know our selves to have passed the danger of them The first reason to be seriously meditated of 1 FOr that al such who regard him not in his poore and needy members must be separated from these whom our Saviour calles The blessed of his Father and must stand at his left hand among the Goats and must then hear the wofull doome at that last dreadfull day Go ye cursed into everlasting f◅re prepared for the Divell and his Angels when I was an hungrie you gave mee no meat when I was thirsty you gave me no drinke when I was s◅ke and in prison you visited me not when I was naked you cloathed me not when I was a stranger and harbourlesse you tooke me not in c. And therefore if it shall be so with these at that day then certainely they must needs bee rejected by him as utterly unmeet for this service who now that he calles for these duties at theyr hands and that so lowd as all the world doth ring thereof yet are deafe in all in regard of any commiseration For what King General or Commander will ever willinglie have any admitted into pay to fight under them but onely such as they know to be loyally and faithfully affected towards them and which doe lay to heart their honours causes and quarrels as if they were their owne much lesse then can we thinke that the Lord of heaven earth who needes none of our helpe but can get himselfe the victorie over his enimies by the breath of his nostrils when it pleaseth him will admit of any other to be with him and to helpe him in this great work wherein he will so highly honour them but onely so many as shall bee loyally and heartily affected towardes his Majesty his causes and children The second reason to be seriouslie thought of SEcondly we are seriouslie to lay to heart and to bethinke our selves in time if we would be helpers herein That all such who live in any one gross sinne impenitently and much more in any one of those notorious abhominations which broght that dreadfull Captivity upon Iudah which the Lord hath caused to be set so lively before the face of all by y◠holy Prophets themselves together with the vengeance denounced for them are also utterly excluded especially if they live therein scandalously to the slander of the Gospell or the offence of others to harden them in their courses for that all such are both blinde and deafe and make others so Such cannot see the wrath and vengeance of GOD certainly rushing upon thēselves for their owne sinnes wherein they lye much less can they see that which is rushing upon all the Churches for theyr security and abuse of the gospell and least of all can they discerne of any wrath conceived agaynst our selves for that they consider onely that we yet live in peace but perceyve not at all the multitude and heynousness of our most odious and lowd-crying sins agaynst which the Prophets so thunder out the vengeance of the Lord and for which all who are wise-hearted indeed and whose eyes GOD hath rightly opened doe feare and tremble They can neyther see any tokens of the Lords displeasure nor yet discerne the enemies raging so furiously agaynst all the Churches abroad as by their most deepe and bloody practises threats and intendments they daylie manifest to all the world no not those enemies which bee in our very bosomes such as all those are who beare evill will against Sion They perceiue not the multitude of Locusts with such stinges in their tails sent out of the bottomelesse pit to all the Kings of the earth to draw them all if it were possible certainly every one of them so farre as ever the Lord shall permit them to take up arms against our Lord Iesus Christ and his poore Church They are deafe and cannot heare the cry of their poore brethren though sounding daily in their eares so as to take any true pitty of them how then should they heare the cry of the Lord calling to themselves and all other to repent so to prevent and pacifie his wrath Concerning these so continuing the holy Ghost oft declareth the heavy wrath of God that is upon them That he hath blinded their eies and made their eares
dull of hearing hee hath hardened their hearts least they should see with their eies and heare with their eares and convert and be saved And yet more for a further execution of his just and most heavy displeasure upon such as so harden and fatte themselves against his most terrible threats thus dreadfully doth the holy Ghost bring in the Prophet David denouncing Gods vengeance against them saying Let their table bee a snare and a net and a stumbling block for a recompence unto them These therefore especially all blind watchmen crying Peace Peace and all is well and so lulling themselves and all others asleepe call for all the Beasts of the forrest to destroy even for all the cruell enemies of Christ his true Church to invade and make havocke of all the rest of the Churches as of some others they have done before How then should these pray for the Churches when they cannot either see or heare any token of Gods wrath so as to cause them to seeke to appease it or pray for themselves how should they then pray for others especially for those whom in their hearts they scorne onely because they feare and put their trust in the Lord alone The third particular reason hereof to be throughly meditated of THirdly wee are in feare and trembling to Meditate How all the threatnings in the booke of God which are against those sinnes wherin they live impenitently against the light of their owne hearts against such sinners are against them and particularly those which are against such as will not submit themselves to walke in obedience to all the Commandements and ordinances of the Lord but will walke stubbornely against him though it bee but in any one sin That he will walke stubbornly against them and the like denuntiations a◅ those Levit. 26. 14. 15. 23. 24. Deut. 28. 15. 21. c. 47. 48. Deut. 29. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. c. But not so much as any one promise from the beginning of Genesis to the end of the Revelation which they can take hold of as belonging to themselves so long as they continue so to walke They are manifestly excluded from medling with the Covenant of God Psal. 50. from verse 16. to the end of it But unto the wicked said God what hast thou to doe to take my Covenant into thy mouth seeing thou hatest to bee reformed and hast cast my Covenant behind thee When thou sawest a theefe thou didst runne with him and thou hast beene partaker with the Adulterers c. Where he reckoning up some particular sinnes sheweth plainly that every such sin lived in obstinately and with delight utterly excludes from all comfort in the Covenant of Grace and mercy in Christ. And that they onely who offer to God praise and unfeignedly indeavour to pay their vowes unto him that is to yeild to him a perfect intire obedience have the promise and comfort of the Covenant These may call upon him in the day of trouble comming with confidence to the Throne of Grace and lifting up pure hands without staggering or doubting and hee will hear them that they may glorifie him accordingly But otherwise be they never so forward in profession and let them never so much thereupon flatter themselves yet they shall heare this insteed of any comfort I know you not depart from me ye that worke iniquitie How then can they imagine to be accepted in this worke or that God should vouchsafe so much as to heare others praying for them that they may be saved until they turne and submit themselves wholly unto him We ought therfore to labour to bring our hearts to be able with feare and trembling to heare and receive that sweet counsell of the Lords Psal. 50. 22. Oh consider this ye that forget God lest I teare you in peeces and there be none that can deliver you He that offereth me praise shall glorifie me and to him that disposeth his way aright will I sh◅w the salvation of God That is onely to such a one The 4. particular Reason hereof to be thorowly laid to heart FOurthly wee are in feare and trembling to lay this further to heart How everie notorious sinner though it be but in one onely sinne helpes to pull downe the vengeance of God upon all and to hinder the prayers of all the rest so much as the sin of one man can do as was noted before Like as Achan did by his Sacriledge yea if it bee but in flying for feare from his office injoyned by the Lord for the saving of his people or neglecting it as Ionah for whose sinne the storme could not be stayed untill hee vvas cast into the Sea And much more all they who wallowing in their wickedness doe call good evill and evill good light darkness and darkness light For that these as they hale on iniquity as with cart-ropes so they violently draw downe the vengeance of God upon all as much as such sinners can Eyther the Waters of the old world as did the Gyants before the Flood if they be such or fire brimstone as did the filthie Sodomites if they live in those sins of theyrs as namely in Pride fulness of Bread aboundance of Idleness not regarding to strengthen the handes of the poore Or finally if they be but any way Oppressours or Spoylers of Gods people and Children their sinnes crye for other Oppressors Spoylers in Gods just vengeance to be sent to oppress and spoile them and theirs as it came fearefully to pass in the Captivitie And therefore thus haling down vengeance how can they pray to turne it away The Fift reason heereof to be seriously meditated of FIftly wee are to strive to bee thoroughly touched with the right understanding lively feeling hereof That they who have no mercie nor compassion on their Brethren in their miseries bodily or spirituall can looke for no mercy nor compassion And much more they who add affliction to the affliction of them whom God hath wounded whereas they should affoord comfort to them as lively feeling members of the same true mysticall body of our Lord Iesus Christ yea all who do but stand on the other side in the day of their Brethrens miseries and doe not at least with faithfull Abraham pray earnestly for them as hee for them of Sodome Yea which is more dreadfull if they doe not to the uttermost of their power as God cals them and offers them opportunitie and meanes adventure thēselves for their Brethren carryed away captives to the dishonor of the Lord and the shame of his whole Church and Gospell they can looke for no commiseration no not in their owne extreamest calamities though they howl upon their beds in the feare or feeling of their miseryes or roare and tumble as wilde Bulles taken in nets much less can they hope to be admitted to this holy worke thus to helpe the Lord before they
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
this great imployment and of the contrary the miserable and wofull condition of all who any way exclude themselves yea of all who do not seeke to helpe herein And withall how notwithstanding all these things the Lord excludes none save only those who as was saide exclude themselves but that he cals to all and would have all to addresse themselves and to be meete and ready to assist joyne with him herein and that therefore all those who will not doe their uttermost indeavour to prepare and fit themselves are justly damned even for this for refusing to come to helpe him and his poore people in their distresse when hee so cals on them to come and for joyning with Sathan and Antichrist his sworne enemie even against his heavenly Majesty To make it plaine to every soule that he cals every one hereunto â—…ach is to consider well these reasons following That hee cals all to every one of these dutyes mentioned in all these Meditations before and especially to these which now follow 1. That he cals all to bee on his part in the earth that ever will bee with him in glory 2. That hee cals all to regard him in his poore members to the end of the world as when he is hungry to feede him c. To shew mercie if ever they will find mercy 3. Hee cals all to repentance every one to turne from his evill way in every kinde and much more from all those notorious abhominations which brought the wrath of God uppon Iudah and upon other impenitent sinners in former Ages and for which hee denounceth his vengeance and likewise hee calleth all to awake forth of all their security wherein they sleepe if ever they hope to scape his heavy indignation so to meete him with intreaty of peace yâ— they may be fit to helpe to stand in the breach That he cals to this end even Publicans Harlots Scorners of all sorts hee stretcheth out his hands to gaine-sayers and rebels yea to the most notorious sinners that live upon the earth thus protesting to every particular soule As I live I delight not in the death of a sinnor but rather that hee repent and live 4. Hee cals all to walke humbly in his Covenant that he may performe all hts promises unto them and turne away all his heavy denuntiations Of which Covenant these are the very principall parts to love him above all and our neighbour as 〈◊〉 selfe 3. Hee cals every one so to pray as hee hath directed and commanded and that for all his owne causes chiefly as namely the causes which concerne his glory kingdome and people and therefore every one should labour to be such a one as can so pray whereby hee makes it manifest to all that hee 〈◊〉 none at all but would have all learne so to pray and to bee fitted thereunto 6. That every generall promise of mercy in all the booke of God cals us hereto as the promises of forgetting our sinnes and not remembring our iniquities any more and this without limitation of time but at what time soeuer it be that a sinner converts or without any exceptiof any sinne save only of that vnpardonable sinne the malicious oppugning persecuting of all the knowne truth of God and without exception of any person and bids all but harken and their soule shall live if they can but see the brazen Serpent beleeve in our Saviour hunger thirst and cry after him 7. So doth every example of Gods mercy in receiving repentant sinners as of Manasses Saul Mary Magdalen the repentant Thiefe upon the Crosse the joy that is in heaven for the conversion of a poore sinner the high favour that upon their unfeigned repentance such poore wretches may know themselves to bee in with God That where sinne hath abounded there grace abounds much more and never any so comming rejected Three more speciall Meditations to this end That the wise consideration of them may never go forth of our hearts untill we be of this number ABove all the former the Lord would have every poore soule to meditate most seriously and in their most secret thoughts of these three things following that the wise consideration of them may never bee from before their eies nor the sound of them out of their eares untill they be of this number The first Meditation to this end to be seriously pondered That our Lord Iesus stands continually at the heart of every impenitent sinner to enter in 1 HOw our Lord Iesus Christ hath stood at the doore of their hearts all the daies of their life calling them to repentance to know feare love obey beleeve in him and that by the loud voyce both of every one of his Creatures of his mercies and iudgments And more specially at the hearts of all in his Church by his heavenly word which he hath sent unto them by all the admonitions exhortations reproofes threatnings promises the like that ever he hath vouchsafed unto them by the ministry of his Servants grounded upon the same word and also by the holy Sacraments as namely by their Baptisme by which hee hath beene still teaching and calling upon them even from their cradles to beleeve in him and to serve him only according to his blessed Commandement to fight under his banner for that they are such as hee hath Redeemed with a great price and are not their owne and also by the holy Communion of his body and blood wherein as our Saviour gives or at least offers himselfe wholly to them so they give againe themselves wholly unto him And not onely so but by the good motions of his blessed Spirit and that so oft as they have felt in themselves holy purposes of amendment and turning unto the Lord. How now at this very time he still stands knocks louder and louder then ever heretofore by all the tokens of his heavy displeasure against the severall Churches all the rage and malice which is against the whole true Church of Christ yea against every soule professing his name sincerely as they ought And so by every of those speciall favours which wee injoy or which wee hereafter looke for from him and even by this very helpe and all others which he offers unto us for our right and unfeigned meeting him before his wrath bee wholly powerd out upon us and for our true humiliation under his hand and stooping to him in all things More particularly THat hee stands at thy heart whosoever thou art that readest or hearest this or the like admonition crying unto thee that thou wouldest now repent unfeignedly of each thy fearefull sinnes namely of thy hardnesse of heart and impenitency in them whereby thou hast so long kept out thy Lord and Saviour and onely made thy heart an
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
their owne wits and strength wee contrarily may looke up unto thee our heavenly Father Lord grant that we may first begge all from thy heavenly bounty using onely the meanes that thou hast appointed to accomplish our ends after returning praise and thankes for all unto thy divine and sacred Majesty Teach and perswade us and all thy people that wee may bee truly mindfull of the rest of our Brethren thy deere Children wheresoever dispersed and that wee may bee rightly touched with a true and lively feeling both of their bodily and spirituall estate and therefore like as thou haâ—…t taught commanded us to pray for all other thy Children as for our selves O our Father And give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evill c. Grant that wee may not onely thus pray for them with the lips alone but sigh and groane unto thy Majesty for them in all these respects and desire earnestly to seeke and to use all meanes for them in every one of these kinds as lively feeling members of the same mysticall body of Iesus Christ with them Make us to consider how the carnall worldling hath little or no sense or feeling of any of these things nay almost no understanding at all as appeareth daily by all his carriage and affections towards thy deerest servants whom for this cause hee principally hates and makes a mocke of even for their piety their care and conscience to feare and please thy heavenly Majesty Make us all to have a true sense and feeling of our sins and of the vilenesse of them in regard of the nature of sin it selfe and that it is so displeasing and so odious to thy holinesse Inable us therefore by thy holy Spirit to groane under ouâ—… sinnes as a burden heavier then the earth yea to bee oft-times grieved inwardly and â—…ejected in regard of our new and many slips and failings for them all to cry Forgive us our trespasses and that we may never give any rest unto our soules untill wee bee fully assured of the pardon of them all and that thou our heavenly Father arâ—… fully reconciled unto us in Iesus Christ and thy displeasure wholly appeased towards us Whereas the unregenerate and carnall man hath usually no feeling of his sinnes at all whereupon hee commonly makes but a sport of sinne and drinke in iniquity as water so heaping uppe wrath against the day of wrath making a scoffe at all the godly who are troubled with their sinnes as at fantasticall and melancholly fools Teach and perswade our hearts that whereas carnall men can hardly or never forgive wrong done unto them untill they bee revenged or their corrupt mindes some way fully satisfied wee contrarily may labour to bee so farre off from reuenge as we may be able to pray with our Saviour and with Stephen Father forgive them they know not what they doe and that if our enemyes hunger wee may feed them as thou â—…hast commanded yea perswade our hearts that wee may by all meanes seeke the conversion and salvation of our greatest enemyes And if thou shalt be pleased to convert any of them soundly that wee may rejoyce therein even as the heauenly Angels and delight in such above our owne naturall brethren or sisters Lord worke so uppon us that whereas the Worldling is seldome or never affraid of Sathan and of his temptations or of sinning against and provoking thy holiness and therefore doth continvally or most commonly whatsoever Sathan and his owne sinnefull heart moves him unto without any checke or controulement or looking at thee or without any feare or regarde of the evill which will follow upon that which he doth we contrarily may desire to feare thee evermore Make us alwayes to stand in awe of thy Majesty with a holy reverence least for our security or for other our sins thou shouldest leave us to be tempted by Sathan and overcome and therefore in the sense and privity of â—…ur â—…eserts by all our sins our â—…aylings weaknesses and for the corruption of our sinneful natures with our inclination to hearken to the Serpent â—…o be overtaken and circumvented by him and in regard of the danger which thereby wee stand in continually we may cry day and night Leade uâ—… not into temptation but deliver us from euill yea that wee may strive as our Saviour hath taught us To watch and pray continually that wee may not fall into temptation Good Father graunt that whereas the carnall and unregenerate man in his actions lookes onely at the command and authority of man and at his countenance and power and what he can doe and so gives to men the glorie due unto thy Soveraigne Majesty or secretly takes it to himselfe wee contrarily may looke higher even unto thy Highness and to thy absolute Soveraignty over all Kings and Princes and at thy divine power and so give unto thee the glory of all abhorring all imagination of any excellency that we may any way conceyue to be in our selves therefore that wee may in all things desire ever with all thy holy Angels thus to acknowledge thee thy Soveraignty alone and to give thee all the glory and to crie evermore For thine is the kingdom power and glorie And whereas the worldling lookes commonly thinkes onely of this present life and seldome or never thinkes of eternity but rather labors to put the remembrance thereof out of his heart having his portion and so his meditations onely heere below grant that we contrarily may be alwayes thinking and meditating of eternity even of that life which is eternall that so we may live with thee and fully behold and enjoy thy kingdome power and glorie for evermore Finally perswade us and all thine that whereas the unregenerate and carnall Worldling hath usually in all his prayers and dealings with thee some eye unto himselfe and his worthiness for his deâ—…otion and service or for some other matter in himself being little or nothing at all acquainted with thy Son our Lord Saviour Iesus Christ and his intercession and how to come and appeare before thy holiness who art onely our father in and thorough him and how to make his requests onely thorow him and in his name alone wee may come cleaâ—… other wise Grant that we contrarily may in all our supplications prayers our giving of thankes strip our selves of all such opinion of our owne merit or worthiness and as wee account all but losse and dung so that we may be found in Christ not having our owne righteousness but that which is of Christ so likewise wee may make all our prayers and supplications with giving of thankes onely in and thorow him who is that everlasting Amen and thorow whom alone all thy promises are Yea and Amen who alone hath
knit to that holy and melting harted King Iosiah whose death they so lamented as for the taking away of theyr shelter and even the verie breath of their nostrils Heare us Oh tender Father and let the bowelles of thy fatherly compassion earn over thy deere children in thus inclining the hearts of all unto them to favour and succour them especially those of them who have alreadie suffered so much adversity bene so long humbled under thy hand for thy deere Son our Lord Iesus Christ his sake our onely Mediator and Aduocate Amen VIII A Prayer that we may all bee able to lift uppe our eyes and hearts unto our heavenly Father alone and to look beyond all earthly meanes in all the troubles and perilles of the Churches OH heavenly Father who over ruledst the counsels of Herod Pontius Pilate and all the people of the Iewes and madst them all to serve for bringing to passe thine owne eternall decree for thine owne everlasting praise and the comfort of thine own chosen flocke Lift vppe the eyes and hearts of all thy Children now in this extreme rage and fury which is against us and especially the eyes hearts of all those of us who have endevoured to be faithfull with thee in these sinfull times and to walke humbly before thee as Enocke Noah Abraham Moses and Daniel Grant that wee may looke up to thee onely who though thou art so gloriously exalted in the highest heavens yet lookest upon all the Sonnes of men and seest all the wronges that are done unto thy Children and hearest every of their sighes and groanes writest them in thy booke puttest their teares in thy bottle and in thy due time wilt make this knowne before all the world howsoever the wicked and ungodly thinke not so but have removed thee farre out of their sight Good Father pardon this sinne unto all thy Children that in the daies of our peace we and all thy Churches have amongst other sinnes made flesh our arme withdrawn our hearts from thee the living God we have so much looked at our earthly fathers of all sortes and to earthly meanes as that we have sayd as they did of Iosiah that under the shelter of those great trees we should be safe from all the violent stormes which could be raised vp by Sathan and from all scorching heate of persecution so that in regard of them we have thoght we should never be removed thou Lord hadst of thy goodness by them made vs to stand so strong Lord make us to see how justly for this sinne thou hast taken away these earthly Fathers from some of the Churches weakned them in others and mayest now most justly even for this verie sinne alone so infeeble the armes of all the rest as that they cannot helpe thy Children yea that thou mayest contrarily so turn their hearts agaynst thy deerest Children for it that insteed of helping them they may rather joyne hands against them until such time as we shall see our sinne even in this behalfe amongst all other our heinous transgressions and turne our eyes agayne onely to thee our heavenly Father and cheefe Protector Oh grant unto us that wee may never rest before that time that by our unfeigned repentance for this and all other our sinnes and by our Prayers and teares crying all about thy feete we have caused thee to relent towards us thy bowels of compassion to earne over us in hearing our sighes and cryes and in seeing so many of us so lef◅e unto the hands of all thine our bloody merciless enemies Lord make vs all able to looke up thus to thee and by faith to behold thee sitting in heaven laughing to scorne all the devises of thine enemies guiding there the great wheele and by it ordering turning and over-ruling all these inferiour less wheeles heere below that though they seeme to be carried violently in a contrary motion yet wee may see all of them serve and by thy infinite wisedome and power made to helpe to accomplish thine eternall decree in whatsoever thou hast appointed concern̄ing the gathering in of all the remainder of thine elect both Iewes and Gentiles the comming downe of the new Ierusalem the present and eternall glory of thy Sion with the vtter ruine downfall of Babel the endlesse condemnation and destruction of that Whore of Babylon and of all thine enemies for evermore Lord make us rightly to understand fully to know that as Herod and Ponti◅s Pilate and all the people of the Iewes did not nor could doe any other thing against our eldest Brother thy deere Sonne our onely Lord and Saviour then that which thine owne counsell had determined for his highest advancement at thy right hand for thine owne eternall praise the sending downe of thy holy Spirit in that wonderfull manner the publishing of thine heavenly Gospell the calling of the Gentiles the inlargement of the Church and spreading it over the whole earth so at this present time neither Sathan nor Antichrist Mahomet nor all the mighty and subtilest enemies of the world can doe any other thing against thy Church or Children then that which long before even from before the foundation of the world was laid thou hast ordained and that for the full accomplishment of whatsoever thou hast foretold concerning both thy Church and Children and also concerning thine enemies and for preparing the way to thy glorious appearing Lord helpe us in this that looking over all things heere below wee may not onely stand still to see what thou wilt doe but that we may rejoyce in faith beholding thee thus ordering and disposing all things to these blessed ends and that thou art making all Angels Principalities Powers yea Sathan and all his instruments with all their rage malice might and subtilty in the very extreamest butchering slaughtering of thy Saints to worke together for the effecting heereof that so wee may rejoyce even heerein with joy unspeakable glorious and in this our blessed estate Lord make us to glorifie thee in this confident assurance that though we should be killed all the day long as many of our Brethren thy deere Children lately have bene for thy name sake and as wee are indeed in the designes of thine and our enemies accounted as sheepe for the slaughter yet that in all wee shall ever bee more then Conquerors thorow that blessed one in whom thou hast loved us Yea deere Father make us to triumph in this that whatsoever wee shall or can suffer in the meane time for thy names sake as other our Brethren do at this day and Sathan threatneth us that yet neither tribulation anguish persecution famine nakednesse bonds imprisonment perill or sword can ever seperate us from thy love in Christ Iesus our Lord if once we have the full evidences in our soules that wee are thy
Children in him being so begotten by that lively word and having upon us all the evident markes of thy Children Grant us therefore Oh gracious Father now in these our daies of peace whilst thou vouchsafest us the meanes of thy heavenly Gospell to give all diligence to make it sure that we are thy Children thy deere Children yea thy Children to whom thy heavenly kingdome appertaineth having and bearing upon us all the lively markes and badges of thy Children Above all grant us this heavenly mindednesse that our chiefe thoughts may bee upon thee our heavenly Father our care may bee above all things how to please thee doing in the meane while only the things which thou requirest casting all our cares for those daies and for whatsoever the enemie can do upon thy Majesty alone and into thy bosome learning every day more and more to waine our affections from this world and the things of this world and to set them wholly above where thy Sonne sitteth at thy right hand Lord perswade our hearts and make us able to perswade one another that by all the power and liberty that thou hast permitted unto Sathan to all his instruments and by all the persecutions and afflictions that are upon all the Churches and also by whatsoever threatnings of thine against thy Children yea whatsoever mischievous designes are intended against thy poore Church or what danger soever it is in thorow that extreame fury of Sathan and Antichrist and all their instruments thou art yet still preparing all thy Children to meete thee in a sound humiliation with strong cries and teares for all our offending thee and for grieving thy holy Spirit by all our former security and neglect of thee and of the riches of thy favours vouchsafed unto us Grant us all this grace therefore as thine obedient and loving Children in all things to submit our selves under thy Fatherly hand to turne joyntly to thy Covenant and renew the same in all faithfulnesse to take away all the divisions that have bene amongst us which thorow our long peace and wantonnes Sathan hath wrought to the destroying of us all if it were possible Vouchsafe good Father that we may doe this so effectually that thou maist be as much pleased in reuniting us againe and in our Brotherly love and agreement as ever thou hast beene displeased in our divisions and dissentions and Sathan and his instruments in seeing our holy unity and agreement may bee as much dismaied and put out of heart for ever prevailing against us as by the contrary and by all their prosperous successe as they imagine they have bene animated and incouraged to our ruine and destruction That so wee may all sing with one heart and voice Behold how good and happy a thing it is Brethren to dwell together in unity Lord manifest thy glory even the glory of thy wisedome power mercy and truth heerein in making us joyntly to looke and cry to thee for all these things and whatsoever thou in thy infinite wisedome knowest necessary for us in this behalfe or for any member of thy whole Church for Iesus Christ his sake our only Lord and Saviour IX A Thanksgiving to God according to the first petition of the Lords prayer for causing his glorie to breake forth so wonderfully now in this last Age of the world in delivering his Churches thus farre out of Egypt and Babilon with a confession of our unworthinesse and an earnest prayer that wee may never dishonour him by locking thither againe nor provoke him by our sinnes to give us up to that heavie iudgement and likewise for the diliverie of all the rest of his Israel in his due time and that he may never leave us untill hee have brought us all into his heavenly Canaan OH Lord most holy and most glorious open our blinde eies touch our hard and stony hearts and the hearts of all thy true Churches and people in all the world whom thou hast called forth to bee thy people that wee may bee able to see and consider aright the exceeding honour and dignity which thou hast laid upon us and to shew forth our thankfulness to thy heavenly Majesty accordingly Make us able to consider show thou hast vouchsafed to take us so nere unto thy selfe as to make vs thine owne peculiar people of all the people of the earth to set and confirme the Covenant with us of life and glory and how to this end thou hast brought us out of that spirituall Aegypt and Babilon from that bondage and tyranny of Sathan and Antichrist Make us to consider and rightly to understand how by great deliverances and iudgements thou hast carried us thorow the sea and thorow the wildernesse and shewed thy selfe unto us in thy glorious ordinances leading us by thy statutes and commandements and by the workes of thy providence protection direction chastisement blessings as thou diddest thy people Israel by the pillar of the fire and the pillar of the cloud Give us hearts ever to remember how thou hast sought for us from heaven so as all the earth hath sâ—…ene and heard of thy glory and hast carried us as upon Eagles wings and now brought us to the very frontiers of thy heavenly Canaan and made us to see tast of the riches happinesse and glory of it in thy sacred Gospell Oh our blessed God most gracious and most dreadfull make us and all thy people to bee afraid of ever having any thought of turning backe so much as in our hearts or of ever having a looke towards Aegypt or Sodome againe towards any part of that Popery or Popish superstition and Idolatry that abhominable drudgery under Sathan and Antichrist from which thou hast so graciously delivered us Oh never suffer us to admit of any imagination or so much as one motion of comparing the Leekes Onions Garlicke of Aegypt with the hid Manna of thy sacred Law and heavenly Gospell Albeit we heare and see their â—…age and fury and the power of all their armies banding themselves against us either to swallow us up at once or els to persue us into the heart of the sea yet keepe us that wee never rebell against thee thinking to turne backe from thee to goe into Aegypt againe distrusting thy truth thy presence and power Cause us Oh gracious Father wisely to consider of and ever to have this as before our eies that of all dishonors done unto thy heavenly Majesty thou canst least indure this chiefly after so long triall and experience which thou hast given us of thy power goodnesse and mercy towards us That this sinne alone may justly make thee sweare in thy wrath that wee shall never enter into thy rest Make all them that have dishonoured thee in this high kinde sinning thus against thy glorious Majesty to know for certaine that without
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
of them coâ—…dering the gracious meanes which wee haue so long time enioyed above all Oh make us to doe it foorthwith before it be too late that thy wrath be powred on us as upon them and that there bee no remedy Cause us at least to be warned by the very Heathen who acknowledged this giving glory thus to thee the God of Israel to be the onely meanes to appease thy wrath and prevent thy further judgements Lord smiâ—…e the hearts of all thy Lieutenants and of all to whom the charge of thy honour the saving of thy people are specially committed that they may be thorowly awaked and touched with a right Meditation and sense hereof and of their account to be given even for this dishonour before thy heavenly Majesty that thy people should thus fall away or thus flye before thine enemyes And for all thine and our proud aduersaries perswade our hearts that thou hast raised them up thus against us all as thou diddest Pharao against Israel that when thou hast humbled us by them so as to turne us to thee againe by causing us to submit and humble our soules to walke lowlily with thee in all these thy blessed Commandements and so to honor thee thou wilt then get thy selfe glory uppon their pride and furie and in our finall deliverance from them giving them for our ransome Yea good Father for every particular soule of us make us to know in our very hearts that thou as thou hast made us for thine owne glory so thou wilt be glorifyed in us and by us and that in endless mercy and eternall compassion upon so manie of us as thou having ordayned to be vessels of glorie givest hearts unto thus to humble our selves to seeke to walke obediently in all thy blessed Lawes and commandements of the other side that thou wilt bee glorifyed in declaring thy wrath and everlasting vengeance which thou wilt in thy due time execute upon all thy disobedient and stubborne enemyes who shal declare themselves manifestly by rebelling against thee to be vessels of wrath prepared for destruction Lord by the due meditation and consideration heereof awaken and rowze up all thy people to learn to make more true conscience of all thy blessed Commaundements then ever we have done heretofore for the appeasing of thy Majestie that thy glorie may shine in all the world in pardoning the sinnes of thy people delivering us from our cruell enemies and getting thy selfe honour upon Babylon who hath chiefly for this bene and is the staffe of thy wrath and indignation Heare us therefore heerein and cause us at length even in token of our thankfulness in the zeale we have for thy glory yea in a vehement desire that thy glory may bee set uppe and thy great name may by us be magnified in all the world thus to seek to renew and performe all our vowes to walke more obediently in all thy blessed Commandements then ever heretofore even for our Lord Iesus Christ his sake our onely Redeemer Saviour Amen XI A Prayer that Gods glorie may breake forth more and more then ever heeretofore in causing us and all his people in all the Churches to set him up alone as our God and make him great in our hearts by having our hearts first soundly replenished with all the parts of his inward worship commanded in the first Commandement without which we and all our outward worship and whatsoever we do in his service are utterly in vain That thus all the Churches and euery soule may seeke to pacifie his Maiestie by giving unto him his due glorie OH Lord God who art most glorious in thy 〈◊〉 Majesty 〈◊〉 in all thy Attributes and hast made this glorie of thine to shine bright in every one of thy workes and chiefly in thy heavenly word that thou mightest bee glorifyed accordingly by all thy people and chiefly by them whom thou hast redeemed from Egypt and Babylon to this end and purpose set up this thy glory in the hearts consciences of everie one of thine elect that all of us may know and acknowledge thee such a one as thou hast revealed thy selfe in thy most blessed word Lord graunt that all of us may be knowen heereby to be taught by thee and that the earth may be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea according to thy graÌ„cious promises made unto thy Church in the flourishing estate thereof yea perswade us good Lord that without the true knowledge of thee and thy heavenly will our hearts cannot be good howsoever wee may deceive our selves as the world doth generally More specially inable us to set thee up in our hearts not onely by knowing thee in a generall manner but by beleeving that thou art our God that wee may bee able in faith each of us with Thomas to call thee My God and my Lord and so to beleeve every thing contained in thy heavenly word as that this power of our faith in thee may shew it selfe in each part and action of our whole life both in readily obeying every one of thy blessed Commandements as thy servants Abraham and Noah did and also in fearing every one of thy threatnings and jvdgements finally in laying lively hold of every one of thy gracious promises made unto us in the same word that so wee may alwaies cheare up our hearts and incourage our selves and also one another to run out more joyfully in all the narrow way of life Lord perswade all our hearts that this particular and powerfull faith howsoever it be scoffed at by all thine and thy Churches enemies was the very faith of our Father Abraham and of all the faithfull recorded in thy booke even that whereby all the Fathers received good report and that without this lively working faith it is impossible for any one ever to be pleasing or ever to doe any thing acceptable to thy heavenly Majesty Good Lord make vs all able upon thâ—… our right saving knowledge of thee that thou art faithfull and true and this our faith in thee that thou art our God to hold fast the Anchor of our hope and to manifest it by our wayting and looking stedfastly for the full accomplishment of every promise that thou hast made either coÌ„cerning thy Church in generall or els any of us particularly also of whatsoever thou hast denounced concerning thine and thy Churches enemies and that thou wilt doe every thing in thy due time for thy Church and against thy enemies howsoever for the present all things may seeme to goe against thy Church and people Yea inable us withall good Father ever to honour thee by shewing forth this our faith by the confidence which wee have in thee even then when wee may seeme to bee most forgotten and forsaken of thee both by casting all our
and withall that as the Popish sort in every place have set up other Gods to anger thee as chiefly their holy Father the Pope whose word and ordinances they reverence above thine rejecting thy word utterly in regard of their Popes decrees and traditions and with him have set up all their Saints and Idols to whom by their invocation of them they give his glory so every one of us who albeit in words wee professe thee our God have yet in our hearts set up other things which wee preferre before thee and on which we spend moe of our thoughts more of our love and care to enjoy them then on thy Majesty even wee likewise have set up so many false Gods in our hearts to provoke thee to the uttermost And finally good Lord make us all able to see by this first commandement of thine how wonderfull few they are so farre as we are able to conceive who by the light of their good workes doe indeed and truth glorifie thee their heavenly Father by shewing forth before men and Angels that they have so set thee up in their 〈◊〉 as their God and those few that doe so indeed are the men principally maligned of all the people of the world even for this cause principally because they shew in their lives that they have thus in their hearts set thee up to bee their God although that they be the onely blessed people having thee their God all other being in a most miserable estate and that they are therefore the onely men in honour and favour with thee and by whom chiefly as by Abraham Noah and Moses thou savesâ—… and preservest all the rest of us Make us Lord to understand and conceive aright hereof and that for this very 〈◊〉 alone whereby we have so generally seâ—… our selves not onely to maligne and dishonour theâ—… but even to fight against thy heavenly Majesty wee may wonder how thou hast spared us of this nation hither to and not left us up as the other Churches untill we shall see and acknowledge what wee hâ—…e done against theâ—… our most gracious and out most blessed God in this behalfe Heare us Oh tender Father â—…nd suffer us never to â—…est untill wee have repented particularly of this our most heynous and crying sinne and that all of us that ever looke to have a strong assurance that we belong to thy eternall â—…lection have thus truly seâ—… theâ—… up in our hearts as our Lord and God That so by our unfeigned repentance thou maiest once againe manifest thy selfe in the deliuerance of all thy Churches and people in a more glorious manner to bee still our God graciously reconciled to vs againe in Iesus Chrst maiest so renew thy Covenant to remaine our God and the God of our posterity through him and for his sake alone for evermore Amen Amen XII A humble confession of the sinnes of the Churches and an acknowledgment of Gods righteous proceeding for our unthank fulnesse and transgression of his Lawes and for that though wee haue heard of all their miseries and knowne our owne dangers yet we haue not beene humbled nor made our supplications as we ought according to the 1. of Nehemiah OH Lord God of heauen and earth who art the great and terrible God proceeding most fearfully in thy dreadfull judgements even against thine owne deare people and children as thou diddest against thy people of Israel for their unthankfuluesse for their despising transgressing thy blessed Lawes and Commandements and yet art withall full of mercy and tender compassion to thy people repenting of their sinnes and truly humbled for their provocations thou who keepest Covenant and mercy for ever for all that truly love thee and who desire unfeignedly to observe all thy Commandements heare us and al thy poore Churches and people in all the earth at this day looking up to thee alone and crying loude unto thee We pray thee Oh tender Father that thine eyes may be open and thine eares may bee attent both to behold the miseries and dangers and to heare the prayers of thy poore servants which wee all joyntly poure out before thee day and night for our brethren thy servants and children which are in such great affliction and doe now uncessantly confesse all our sins and the sinnes of all thy people which we have sinned against thee Both we and our Fathers all of us have grievously provoked thee now this threescore yeares and aboue even since thou first tooke us by the hand to bring us forth of Egypt Babilon and diddst also carry us out as uppon Eagles wings by thy mig hty hand and oâ—…t-stretched arme Oh Lord wee have heard long do dayly heare more and more of the innumerable miseries which thou broughtest uppon our brethren and sisters in the Palatinate it being a principall member even of our owne selves Aud so in Bohemia and the Countries adioyning to it though further remote from vs yet our deare brethren and sisters in Christ Iesus and so likewise in the Churches of France hard at our doores in all the direfull slaughters and butcherly cruelties which thine our merciles enemies haue executed upon them in their bloody rage without any pitty We have also heard and do still daily heare ringing in our eares the miserable state and condition of the residue of them that have escaped the bloody sword some of them induring all kind of violence and calamities of all sorts living in all reproach the wall of their Ierusalem being broken downe the gates there of being burnt with fire all the rest of them living in continuall feare because of the deadly fury and hellish plots against them to destroy them all And yet though wee have long heard do dayly heave of these things and of the rage of thine and our enemies still increased against them all and against our selves have wee not with thy holy servant Nehemiah sit downe wept and mourned for them muchlesse fasted and prayed before thee the God of heaven in their behalfe in any such manner as we ought Oh thou our most holy God and pittyfull Father we humbly confesse and acknowledge that wee have all grievously sinned against thee wee have not kept thy great goodnesse in remembrance which thou shewedst unto us in delivering our fathers and us so wonderfully from Aegypt Babilon by so mighty a hand nor the many great preservations and deliverances which since that time our eares have heard and our eies have seene how thou hast rescued us from their jawes nor yet have we kept in memory how thou tookest us to bee thine owne peculiar people of all the people of the earth made thy Covenant with us to bee our God and that wee should be thy people so that wee would but walke in this thy Covenant But this our Covenant with thy Majesty though all of vs who professe thy Gospell have solemnly
cause all our lands to keepe such dreadfull Sabbaths being possessed by thine and our enemies as so many of them doe already and seeing wee would not serve thee in our owne good lands under thine owne servants with cheerfull glad hearts that we should serve thine and our enemyes not onely in our owne but even in forraine Countryeâ—… with heavinesse and terror all our daies And as wee have sinned rebelling against thee in every one of these so likewise against all the rest of thy holy Commandements and even against thy heavenly Gospell and ordinances as that wee have justly forfitted them all and all other our priviledges and promises Wee therefore acknowledge in the behalfe of all thy people that thou art righteous in all that thou hast done unto us and if thou still further execute whatsoever thou hast denounced in thy blessed Law against us And yet notwithstanding we do humbly beseech thee to remember the word that thou commandedst by thy servant Moses saying Ye will transgresse and I will scatter you among the people But if you turne to mee and keepe my Commanddments and doe them though your scattering were to the utâ—…ermost part of the heaven yet will I gather you from thence and will bring you to the place which I have chosen to place my name there Now these deere Father are thy people yea thy servants and children our owne brethren and sisters whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power by thy mighty hand as well as our selves some of them of the chiefe of us all any one of whom is worth many thousands of the 〈◊〉 of us Therefore Oh good Lord we beseech thee let it be enough to awaken us all that thou hast so far stretched out thy hand against these our brethren being thine owne children and inheritance and let thine eare now at length hearken to the praiers of thy servant and to the fervent supplications and loud cryes of all thy servants who desire to feare thy great name and give us favour in thy presence and in the presence of all those whom thou hast set in thine owne place to bee nursing-Fathers and nursing-Mothers to thy poor Church and people Grant that their first care may bee to bring us all to unfeigned repentance for our sinnes that thou mayest bee pacified towards us and then good Lord put into their hearts a holy submission to cast downe their crownes before thy deere sonne our Lord Iesus Christ and to give all their power and authority unto him to helpe by all holy meanes to redeeme and restore his Captives that they may againe serve thee in their owne places each under their owne vine and figâ—…ree under the authority and command of thy deâ—…re servants as ever they did before Oh let this prevaile with us all to make us all to remember our vowes to â—…urne to the obedience of thy blessed Commandements and especially to turne heereby to keepe thy Sabbaths and to reuerence thy Sanctuary yâ— thou mayest as much lift them and us al up in mercy as thou hast formerly cast them downe and that thus wee and all future Ages may learne to feare thy great name and evermore sound out thy praises both in word dnâ—… deed expressing our thankfulnesse in all holy and new obedience that so thy glory may shine in all the world Heare us most mercifull Father in these our humble requests and al others c. XIII A humble confession of the heynous sinne of our lande and namely in all the Popish sort who have so fearfully polluted it in reiecting the Lord and his pure religion casting it forth of theis hearts and setting up the Pope of Rome with his abhominable Idolatry and superstition in place thereof to provoke his heavenly Maiesty against us with prayer for pardon and that they and all other may in due time see this fearfull sin that casting out Sathan and Antichrist they and all of us may againe set up our Lord Iesus Christ to the pacifying of his sacred Maiesty and the saving of us all OH Lord most holy and most glorious who canst not beare with any kind of impuriâ—…y or other wickednesse in thy people which professe thy name whom thou hast chosen to set thy Tabernacle amongst and much lesse that they should reject thee and cast thee forth from râ—…igning in their hearts should set up Sathan and Antichrâ—… to obey them in thy â—…lace open the eyes of all them who are superstitiously minded and even the eyes of us all to see what we have done in suffering that religion to thâ—…ive and so farre to grow up againe thrusting thee out with thy sacred truth as in all who obey the Pope of Rome receiving and reverencing hiâ—… word and ordinances above thy heavenly word Oh grant to all them who have so fallen away from thee rejecting thy glorioâ—…â—…sty and also to all who 〈◊〉 in a mammering and much more all those who have so begun of late to dote after Popery to bethinke themselves seriously what they will answer unto thy sacred Majesty for their so casting thee off and thy Religion after the time that thou hast so loâ—…g so clearly and fully discovered the basenes and vilenesse of Popery and so to cast it out of our land by such a generall consent of our Princes Nobles and Commons and so good Lawes made against it Cause them and all sorts wisely to weigh and consider well with themselves that this our whole state did not so cast it out at once without iust cause nor our whole land so renounce it without a most palpable discovery of the filthynesse thereof How before that time even very Idiots and little children saw how all had beene deluded and rob'd by it through all their Masses Purgatory Pilgrimages Pardons with all kinds of their jugling 〈◊〉 and how all was but to get money to make themselves faâ—… and Lords of all both bodies and soules of men that all might be their slaves and vassals like as it is in all the Popish Countryes at this day Make them all to understand and know how all those whose eyes thou hast not shut up did tken plainly perceive and acknowledge thy vengeance most justly uppon all those places called their religious houses as their Abbeyes 〈◊〉 Nunneries and the like in their ruines desolation for all the abhominations committed in them How notorious this filthynes of them was even more loathsome and abhominable then the sinne of Sodome through their fulnesse of bread and aboundance of idlenesse How they weâ—…re al red with blood with the cruell and unnaturall murderâ—… of Infantâ—… to hide those their odious sinnes Cause them all at length â—…o understand and lay to hart that those houses wherein was the chiefe practise of their religion were nothing else but dens of theeves couzening and robbing the whole land and every day by their new devises fetching
in new spoyles How all this which is charged upon them in this behalfe was most apparant in this one thing that heereby they had got into their hands most of the pleasantest fartest things of the Land to uphold their kingdome and to support their wickednesse and so all other their delusions evident by most notorious discoveries remayning uppon perpetuall record to all posterity Lord at length make them and all sorts wisely to understand before it bee too late that if the continuall practise of Sodommy Whoredome Murder Lying Robbing swallowing up whole Nations and all under a clâ—…ake of devouon and piâ—…y could demonstrate a religion most abhominable and accursed then surely Popery must needs bee it That this was then a chiefe part of that Babylon which is called the mother of whoredomes and abhominations of the earth and that in the fâ—…ll hereof was a part of that vengeance verified That Babilon is falne it is falne and is become an habitation of devils a hold of all foule Spirits when as the most of them were afterwards hanted with devils in one roome or other of them Good Lord cause them moreover to bethinke themselves how evidently of the contrary as if it were from heaven and how mightily thou hast maintained proclaimed thy sacred truth and convinced them all and all the whole land concerning the evidence of thy religion professed amongst us by the blood of so many learned and most faithfull Martyes yea by so many of thy Prophets and worthy Preachers in every part of our land so many learned writers unanswerable Make them and all of us to lay to heart at length what they can answer into thee who â—…ast discovered froÌ„ time to time such so many most barbarous and unnaturall 〈◊〉 eyther done or intended by their Iesuites and Seminary Preists and other of that religion and especially to be the fruits of their religion and the practise of their owne grounds and principles Such continuall plotting attempting and practising of murdering of Princes â—…sion of States butchering even their owne friends and kinsmen desolating their owne native Countryes mercilesse massacring old and young noble and ignoble men women and children Lord cause them and all sorts ever to keepe in memory that which was so much triumphed of by them before the victory that outragious insolent and most savage invasion of this our Nation and at the time of a treaty about a marriage and amity chiefly managed by her owne children and native subjects deluded by the principall Fathers and spreaders of that religion Oh let that hellish Powder treason ever be before our faces that wickednesse unto which no name can ever bee found out meete and sufficient to expresse it or able to set forth the nature of it That which was so compact of all the principall workes of the devill both lying murdering and all kinds of cruelty that thou Oh Lord madest them themselves to be trumpeters and publique proclamers by it of the abhominable iniquity of that accursed religion whereby it was contrived and managed and that they themselves should shew to all nations that it is come out of the bottomlesse pit and the very principall religion of Sathan in all the world under such a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of holinesse Lord give all thy servants grace wisely to consider of these things and to thinke how fearfull it is not onely for them who adjoyne themselves or turne to a religion of such abhominations but even for us all who have bene so warned thereof so many waies and that from thine owne Majesty in such aboundant compassion and by so many infallible evidences that wee through our negligence in our severall places have suffered it so to grow up againe â—…s thus to indanger us by it and our whole Nation yea even all the Church and people of the Lord besides the dishonouring and provoking thy heavenly Majesty to the uttermost Oh gracious God make them and uâ—… all wisely to consider the wonderfull Testimonyes which thou hast contraâ—…ly granted to thy Gospell in the miraculous continuance of it preservation of our Princes and us with all our peace notwithstanding so innumerable stratagems to have taken them away for so many yeares together how these have beene as infallable arguments of thy favour and love towards us for thy Gospell sake and for thy faithfull servants amongst us as the like were tokens of thy favour towards Iudah or Ierusalem Oh make us to call to mind how many a time thy people amongst us have even wondered at our incredible deliverances and preservations with the defeating of their new hopes and long expected daies and also the new and almost continuall discoveries of their wicked intendments which even they themselves at this day so many as iâ—… whom 〈◊〉 the light of nature 〈◊〉 doâ—… acknowledge and wonder at the miraculous oâ—…turning of all theâ—… counsels to worâ—… for us and against themselves 〈◊〉 this â—…ery day so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thy 〈◊〉 and watchfull eye over us hatred of their wickedâ—… Wherefore Oh blessed Father we humbly in-treat thee to great unto us al true repentance for this amongst all other our fearfull and crying sinnes daily 〈◊〉 up more and more the 〈◊〉 of thine Anoynâ—… our 〈◊〉 Soveraigne with all other in high place and chiefe authority under him and all thy faithfull Ministers and whomsoever it specially concernes to labour that our sinfull Land may be fully purged of it and the evils prevented which thou threatnest against us by the increase and spreading of it Grant that thus wee all joyntly and generally setting thee up in our hearts to worship and adore and to receive thy sacred religion alone may utterly extirpate and abolish all conceite of giving thy honour and soveraignty to that man of sinne or setting up his Idolatry or superstition in place thereof That so wee may remayne thine owne obedient people that thou mayest likewise continue our most gracious God and loving Father and so our most watchfull protector for ever and mayest never repent of the good that thou hast done or further intended towards us but mayest thus make us a most blessed and happy nation and people amongst whom thou alone mayest solely relgne untill thy blessed Sonne shall come in the clouds that then all we who are thine may reigne with thee in the highest heavens for â—…vermore 〈◊〉 us oh most gracious God hâ—…erein and in all other things needfull for us or for any member of the whole Church for our Lord Iesus Christ Amen Amen XIIII An earnest prayer that the Lord would open the eyes of our brethren and sisters seduced by the Iesuites and other Seminary Priests that they may plainly see how palpably they are and have bene deluded by them in what a fearfull estate they all stand under Sathan and Antichrist and may speedily get them from under their Tyranny and betake themselves to the banner of
Religion â—…end wholly to â—…ke us faithfull and loyall subjects to pray for our Kings Princes and to have them in our hearts to dye and 〈◊〉 live with sâ—…r them and that we dare not have an evill thought against the Lords Annoynted but yâ— in our patienâ—… sufferings they may see their duties their devotions â—…ending through the subtilty of Sathan and the Iesuites to make them cleane contrary and to carry false and tray toâ—… hearts against the Lords Annoynted unlesse the Lord 〈◊〉 wondefully over-rule â—…hem by his holy Spirit For they must of necessity bee so 〈◊〉 for maintaining 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 devotions and obeying their directors and ghostly fathers as to 〈◊〉 to destroy whatsoever 〈◊〉 hinder it to accoâ—… 〈◊〉 a most meritorious act to destroy all 〈◊〉 principally the chiefe of them Make them to weigh this with themselves how our devotions are made with understanding and so in faith and with a holy zeale without vaine repititions their 's without all understanding in a blinde devotion with 〈◊〉 babling repetition which thou condemnest and 〈◊〉 Finally Good Lord cause them all at length in mercy to understand how our devotions are such as helpe us to live a true Christian life in the practise of all the duties of piety and righteousnesse in examining our spirituall groweth in grace in heavenly meditations and contemplations praiers thanksgivings and the like all directing us to place our whole confidence for our salvation and whatsoever else onely upon thy rich mercy in Iesus Christ ascribing all our salvation to him and his merite alone their 's instead of these workes of piety are in their Masses Dirâ—… and Letanies even to Saints numbring and repeating upon their beads their 〈◊〉 Nosters Creeds Ave Maries and such other and that in an unknowne tongue without any understanding or right edification So likewise good Lord make them to see and considâ—… withall how they set their confidence in these and other their superstitions workes namely and principally in the merite of the virgin Marie and of other Saints in Indulgences and Pardons even for thâ—… 〈…〉 a num ber of such 〈◊〉 lying vanities whereupon when they come to their death 〈…〉 beth â—…ke themselves a 〈◊〉 more seâ—…ously they are fâ—…igne to câ—… away all 〈…〉 all these and to accounâ—… 〈◊〉 losse and dung 〈…〉 onely upon 〈◊〉 Christ if then they â—…y 〈…〉 â—…ercy by him Yea 〈…〉 to consider well 〈◊〉 timâ—… â—…w if ever thou open 〈◊〉 eyes 〈…〉 they 〈◊〉 then cast all these away 〈◊〉 detestation as 〈◊〉 iâ—… 〈…〉 and rest onely upon Christ 〈◊〉 Christ 〈…〉 ever thou 〈…〉 that meâ—…y 〈…〉 all good 〈◊〉 〈…〉 more time they 〈◊〉 oâ—… 〈◊〉 spend in these 〈…〉 more they haâ—…â—…nd 〈…〉 increase their sinne and make their condemnation the heavier and that one houre yea one minute spent in true devotion onely in the name of Christ calling upon him or thee the Father through him with the repentant Theefe upon the crosse shall bee better unto them then a thousand yeare spent in their superstitious manner And for this cause Oâ—…â—…ere Father seeing by their doctrines and devotions they can neuer have that true iustisying and saying faith whereby they might bee made partakerâ—… of â—…esus Christ and so â—…e thy children having thy 〈◊〉 and love and doing such workes as are pleasing 〈◊〉 unto thee but 〈◊〉 they doe by all 〈◊〉 scorne and persecute 〈◊〉 â—…aith make them all which belong to thy eternall election to know their wofull estate how they must all needs still remaine in the estate of nature and so of damnation untill they repent and turne to our Church againe Cause them Oh most holy and gracious Father to apprehend this and to bee warned in time that seeing their Religion cannot stand or continue 〈◊〉 it bee supported and holden up by lying and murder and that these two are and have beene ever the principall adâ—…ancers of it iâ—… aâ—… Ages and Countryes that this is notoriously knowne to all who will not shâ—…t their eyes And moreover â—…eing thâ—… this is also their doctrine so to promote and advance it That that Religion is undoubtedly of the devill and that our Saviour himselfe hath in mercy so forewarned them of it that they may get them out of Babylon and stand farre from it for feare of her burning and that they may escape her torment Lord make them able to concâ—… that these things being so as their owne hearts must needs beare witnesse if they will suffer their eyes to be opened they must of necessity renounce that Religion or else prosesse themselves to bee of their father the devill as much as ever were the Iewes who sought so to kill our Saviour and that they will 〈◊〉 his workes wittingly and obstinately fighting against thee our blessed Lord and Captaine and against all thy armyes to their utter perdition Good Father make them able to thinke what they will do at that day when thy Son Christ Iesus shall come to take vengeance of all his enemies when all the Kings and greatest Monarchs of the earth who have not helped him and his 〈◊〉 to the advancement of his heavenly Gospell shall â—…ry to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and mountaines to fall upon them and cover them from the face of the Lambe and of him that 〈◊〉 upon the throne â—…hen the 〈◊〉 their â—…ther 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and all his children that have bene deceived by him â—…nd especially they wâ—…o haâ—… 〈◊〉 for him against ouâ—… 〈◊〉 Iesus Christ and his 〈◊〉 must beâ—… 〈◊〉 and boâ—… and â—…ast 〈◊〉 him into thâ—… 〈◊〉 that 〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉 and brimstone to bee 〈◊〉 with him for evermoâ—…e Lord make them to consider of all these things in time to weigh well our 〈◊〉 of life and their way of life our rulâ—… of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 devotions and their rule of prayers and devotions to weigh and try them in the 〈◊〉 of the Sanctuary whether will outweigh and whether are more agreeable to thy holy word whereby they and wee all must bee weighed and judged So vouchsafe this grace to all other who are wavering or doubting to thinke seriously of all these things to try them all by thy blessed word by that true weight that heavenly fire which will consume all their timber hay stubble Make them to bee afraid of conferring with or hearâ—…ening to the Serpent their Iesuites or other Semiâ—…ary Prests who all holding the same head their holy Father the Pope must needs bee â—…ll lâ—…d and inspired by the same spirit whatsoever shâ—…wes they make of the contrary Give them grace to be warned by the example of our first mother and keeping thy watch to goe to thee first by instant praier in all doubts and difficulties as Daniel did and after to conferre with thy heavenly word and with thy faithfull Ministers servants for resolution therein Above all grant unto all of us
who yet stand by thy mercy to labour to growe dayly in the love of thy truth and in a conscionable obedience to thee in all thy waies watching and praying continually that we may never bee given up with them to these strong delusions but that contrarily by our faith and obedience we may have boldnesse to draw neerer and neerer unto thy holinesse with that thy faithfull servant Abraham and may helpe by our prayers though not to save that filthy Sodom which thou wilt have burnt downe to hell yet to pull out all thy Lots before even all amongst them that belong to thy eternall election before the fire and brimstone rayne downe from heaven upon them to consume all the wicked scorners amongst them eternally Make us all likewise to thinke with our selves whether we can name a man that was first truly grounded in the principles of our Religion and after coutinued to make conscience of his wayes according to the same that ever the devill or the Iesuites have bene able to seduce but only such as either were never well grounded or never truly made conscience of their waies or such at least as having fallen by little and little from their first conscience and childlike feare and so from the love of thy truth having yeelded to bee overcome by uncleannesse or some notorious sinne and so given way to Sathan to bee deluded by him Cause all to understand how by this meanes they lye open to Sathan and are hereby made fit for a Preist to absolve them and make them as cleane as when they were first borne as they will beare them in hand and thus to be reconciled to the Church which hath this holy power and can thus pardonand acquit them whatsoever they doe or howsoever they live and that without any paine or trouble especially if it bee so that they have money enough to purchase their pardons and the like Grant us therefore this grace to use all meanes for our selves and all ours and even for all those whom wee would save from hell that we may all first be soundly instructed in the grounds of the Catechisme in every principle and part of thy sacred truth after learne to make such a conscience of all thy blessed wayes and Commandements that thou mayest never give us or them up to these delusions but wee may for ever remaine under thy safe protection untill thou shalt translate us into the heavens from all the danger of the Dragon And for these our seduced brethren and all others deluded dy Sathan through impenitency in any fearefull sin make us able first to consider wisely of their estate secondly of the meanes how to save them and to pull them from it and lastly never suffer us to rest till wee have shewed our uttermost love unto them to bring them to our Lord Iesus Christ. Oh open our eyes and helpe us that we may see how they are under the power of Sathan and thine enemies every moment of time ready to bee cut off in thy just vengeance and to bee cast into hell Make us able to have the like tender commiseration of each of them as of a Captive under the cruelleft tyrant and as of one in a dead sleepe in the middest of a dreadfull fire ready each minute to seize upon him or in a deepe water sinking downe or as of a poore Lambe in the mouth of a roaring Lyon ready to bee devoured each moment cōsidering that the case of never a one of these can possibly bee the thousand part so bad as of them that are ready each moment to bee cast into the lake of fire and there to bee tormented for evermore Inable us withall to thinke ever of their estate and to keepe in memory these things and the like which demonstrate to all the world how palpably they are deluded bewitched and so to use them and all other helpes wherby they may be rescued Assist us so with thy heavenly grace that wee may never rest till wee have awaked them out of that dead sleepe and convinced their consciences some way of their wofull case and estate and after used all holy meanes which thou hast or ever shall reveale unto us to pluck them out of the fire at least thus praying and crying unto thee our blessed and gracious God for them as the Christians did for Peter in prison Lord make them to know for certaine that if they bee thy Lambs thou wilt rescue and pull them out of the Lyons mouth if thou have ordained to save them thou wilt pluck them out of the fire and out of the water thou wilt make all the chaines fetters of the devill to fall off from them no doores shall keepe them no sorcery shall preuaile against them beyond the time that thou hast appointed Cause us all to know and fully to vnderstand that hee that saveth not destroyes so every one of us that doth not according to our places and callings seeke thus by all holy meanes to save them all and to preserve all thy Churches from the dangers threatned by thee are guilty of the neglect hereof and so of the blood of all before thy heauenly Majesty and so much more as wee are more neerly tyed by any more speciall bon◅ of place calling or otherwise Heare us Oh tender Father for them all and all so bewitched and deluded by Sathan and that heerein wee chiefly all our Pastors and watchmen according to their places may shew all love and holy obedience to thee and to all thy tender Lambs which belong to thy fould even all thy deere and precious ones committed to their trust never leaving thee till thou hast rescued and recovered them for the full assurance of all our owne soules heereby that wee are indeed truely thine filled with thy holy Spirit the Spirit of faith and love and thereby sealed against the day of our Redemption and that thou maiest shew thy selfe stronger then Sathan and that hee is but thy vassall and also that thou art more mercifull to save then he can be malicious to destroy for thy infinite pitty and endlesse compassion through our blessed Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ Amen Amen XV. A humble thanksgiving for our dread Soveraigne our gracious Prince the Prince and Princesse Palatine and all their royall progeny and for all the great deliverances which our blessed God hath given unto them and to us all by them with an earnest praier that hee may make them each in their times and places the happiest heades of the most prosperous and blessed Nations and people that ever have bene in the world OH Lord our God infinite inithy mercy and endlesse in thy compassions who by thy wonderfull providence orderest all things in heaven and earth disposing all to the right ends which before the world thou hast ordayned to thine owne glory and the good of thine elect wee doe with all
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
the hopes and daunting the hearts of all thine thy Churches Adversaries and in beginning to grant all things according to the cryes of thy poore people and even above our expectations considering the heynousnesse of our sinnes Oh Lord who are we that even at the prayers of a few of us in regard of the multitude that know thee not and therefore do not nor can seeke thy face thou shouldest be so gracious to us Lift up our hearts good Father that we may conceive aright what thou wilt doe at our generall cries when we shal be joyntly humbled before thee and all seeke thee as thou hast appointed Grant specially this grace to every one of us who have already or shall heereafter give our names unto thee to serve thee heevein and helpe thy poore distressed Church and people that uppon this happy experience wee may labour every day to attayne unto more integrity soundness in walking uprightly and constantly before thee in all thy holy commandements Vouchsafe that heereby wee may get more boldnes wherby we may approach neerer unto thee and even to importune thee with holy Abraham Moses Ezra and Nehemiah untill wee have obtained the pacifying of thy Majesty by the taking away all the abhominations crying sinnes out of the Churches the delivering of thy Captives the restoring and re-edifying of thy Ierusalem and that all the hopes of our wicked enemies shall bee at an end and our dreadfull dangers and feares past and that we shall visibly beholde thy glory therein and also injoy thy glorious presence for evermore To this end deere Father enable us by thy blessed Spirit to use all the meanes furthering heereunto and that much more carefull conscionably then ever wee have done for confirming our weake hands for strengthning our wearie knees Make us all ever to keepe a fresh remembrance of thy goodness and mercy how readie thou art to heare the cryes of thy people and of the power of our prayers thorow our Lord and Saviour how farre they have already prevayled with thy Majesty Cause us ever to have a â—…arefull and watchfull eye to thy blessed Word that in all things we may have that for our guide and our direction Worke in each of us a holy resolution to cleave fast unto thee without any departing or staggering walking continually in all thy blessed Lawes and Commandements for ever even unto the end Teach and helpe us to feare alway the offending of thy Sacred Majestie and that with a true childe-like feare because of thy holinesse who canst not abide any iniquity no not in thy deerest Children and because of the extreame rage and subtiltie of Sathan against all thine dogging us continually at the heeles to provoke us to sinne agaynst thee that hee may accuse us and incense thy Majesty against us if it may bee to leave us unto his malice or at the least to hinder thy love and blessing And also because of our owne vile corruption which is ready alwayes to hearken unto him and to betray us into his hand Assist us to watch ever against all occasions of temptations keeping strict watch over all our senses our thoughts motions wordes and actions Make us everie day to waxe better and better still growing on toward that perfection which we doe dayly waite for in the Heavens Cause us ever to keepe in fresh memory that wee are thorow our cursed Natures and the industrie of Sathan like him that is in a boare vppon a strong streame that if wee bestirre not our selves constantly to go forward we certainely goe backeward if wee but forget our selves or withdraw our hands never so little Make us able to observe wisely all our slippes and faylings and euer to be carefull forth with to seeke the recovery of our selves by unfeyned repentance and by dooing our first and best workes Graunt unto us this grace that every one of us may have our owne particular warrantable callings that wee may know them well and what speciall duties thou requirest of us in them and that we may labour to walk faithfully therein that thy blessed Angelles may rejoyce to attend upon us and protect us alwayes and Sathan may neuer take us out of our way to get any advantage against us thereby Lift up our eyes evermore to the recompence of reward that therein wee may cheerefully follow our Lord and Saviour running fast towards the marke untill we shall attaine the Crowne which hee ever holdeth forth unto us in his right hand Helpe us to set thee ever before our faces and at our right hands as thy seruant David that we may never sin against thee but that we may go on couragiously with holy Moses as seeing thee with us ever that art invisible Make us able to rejoyce alwayes in our happie estate thorow Iesus Christ by comparing it with the estate of the greatest Princes and Monarkes who are enemies vnto thee and whether vvee wold change with the mightiest of them Cause us to goe 〈◊〉 cheerefully not onely contented with our condition but also rejoycing heerein that the lines are fallen unto â—…s in so fair a ground and that we haue so goodlie an heritage Make us able in praying continually for what we stand in neede of for our selves and for all the Churches and people of the Lord ever withall 〈◊〉 give thankes for that measure which we have alreadie and for whatsoever deliverances hopes or other 〈◊〉 which we have formerly 〈◊〉 or do â—…ow injoyâ—… And finally enable us in whatsoever we beg to ayme 〈◊〉 aâ—… the advancement 〈◊〉 glory and of the kingdom of thy Sonne with the saying of thy people that thus going on in the zeale of thy glorie and in the â—…owels of commiseration towardes thy poore Ioseph in a tender feeling of his affliction and in the constant use of all holy meanes we may be assured that wee shall be as Caleb everie day stronger and stronger in all grace and in the power of prayer and as the greene Olive in thy house bringing forth more fruite to our olde age and last dayes that our last daies may be our best dayes our last breath may be spent for thy Majesty that so we may see the selâ—…citie of thy chosen and may reigne and triumph with thee in heaven for evermore Perswade all thy people that every one vvho comes not thus to helpe thee thy poore Church by their prayers must perish that none can helpe indeede but they onely who seeke to attayne this integrity and to abide aud grow therein perpetually Hearken unto us O most tender Father in these our humble suites and in whatsoever else thou knowest needfull for us for thy poore distressed Churches or for any member of thy whole vniuersall and Catholike church even for the Lord Iesus Christ his sake thy most beloved
sathan and Antichrist fight against him and his Church for his cause onely and therefore are sure to be overthrowne pag. 59 9 How our Lord Iesus is that everlasting Amen and comming quickely for the reioycing of his Church pag. 67 The third generall Meditation 3 What manner of ones wee must bee whom the Lord now calleth and whom he will accept and admâ—…t to bee his helpers in this Worke and whose Prayers shall be avayleable with him according to our Saviours direction and warrant pag. 68 Heerein these particular Meditations and marks 1 To make sure that we be the true Children of our heavenly Father and the meanes thereunto pag. 72. 2 That we be such as can and use to seeke Gods honour above all other things whatsoever pag. 86 3 That we use to seeke his Honour chiefely in the advancement of the Scepter and Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ. pag. 87 4 That we seeke also to honour him â—…ver in the full accomplishment of all 〈◊〉 Heavenly will pag. 89 5 That we bee such as looke unto and depend upon our heavenly Father alone for all good things pag. 91 6 That wee be such as feele our sinnes and infirmities as in heauie burthen and travailing vnder them do flye ever unto Christ. pag. 93 7 That wee endeavour to pray continually Leade us not into temptation pag. 95 8 That we bee such as can and doe use to sing the song of the 24 Elders Glory Honor c. pag. 97 The fourth generall Meditation 4 Concerning the frame and order of our Prayers that they may be well pleasing as wel as our persons and so wee may be more certaine to prevayle thereby when we follow in all things our Saviours direction pag. 100 Heerein these particular Meditations 1 That we pray onely unto our heavenly Father in the name of Christ. pag. 101 2 That above all and in all we ayme at Gods glorie and the advancement of Christs scepter pag. 102 3 That we seeke the dooings of his heavenly will for his glory and kingdome chiefly not for our selves pag. 105 4 That we seeke all things from him alone chiefely that wee may have wherewith to honor him and advance his Kingdome pag. 106 5 That wee seeke forgivenes for the same ends viz. for his glory and Kingdom and that our sinnes doe not hinder his mercies and so likewise deliverance from Sathan and from all evils pag. 108 The fifth generall Meditation 5 The power and efficacy of our Prayers made and performed in all things according to the heavenly patterne pag. 120 Heerein these particular Meditations 1 That when wee can so ' pray he will manifest himselfe our father setting his seale to our soules that hee is our tender father pag. 111 2 How hee will from Heaven shew us his glory when we can pray so and that more then ever in this last Age. 112 3 How hee will then cause his Kingdome to come with power and ruinate the kingdom of Sathan and Antichrist pag. 115 4 How he will then fulfill whatsoeuer is not yet accomplished concerning his enemies or his servants and put new chearfulnesse into our hearts to doc his wil. pag. 116 5 How he will then deliver his people feede them from Heaven and recompence double unto them pag. 118 6 How then hee will cleanse his people from their sinnes and write his Law in their harts pag. 119 7 He will deliver his stocke from Sathan and dissolue all his cursed works discovering the depths of all his wickednesse pag. 122 8 How then he will declare him selfe sole Monarch to whom all glory belongs and cause all to acknowledge his Soveraigâ—…ty pag. 125 9 How we are never to rest till wee can triumâ—… in the assurance of faith crying ioyntly Amen pag. 128 The sixt generall Meditation 6 How all but those who are so qualified as is mentioned are excluded from helping the Lord and do rather pul down Gods wrath upon his Church Herein these particular Meditations 1 How all living securely are excluded hence and so all who doe not in commiseration strive to come to helpe him and his poore Church 131 Reasons heere of to be seriously thought of 1 All such must be separated at the last day 2 All living in any grosse sinne impenitently are excluded hence for that they are blind and deafe pag 1â—…5 3 All the threatnings in Gods Book against such sinnes and sinners are against them not any promâ—…se to them untill they repent and therfore they are excluded pag. 140 4 For that every notorious sinner helpes to pull down wrath on all pag 143 5 All excluded who have not so much compassion of theyr Brethren in their miseries as to be reâ—…d to adventure them selves for them pag 145 6 All but those who can more lay to heart the causes of God and his people then their own pag. 148 7 All reiected who will not cast away their sinne though as deere as their right eyes and receive the love of every part of Gods truth pag. 150 8 All excluded from this service who but incline to any evill in their hearts pag. 152 9 All but they who endevour in all things to be with our Saviour for that none else can be his true disciples pag. 153 2 The second particular Meditation of the sixt general who may with hope and confidence offer themselves onely they who strive in all things to bee so qualified as hee requireth pag. 155 Reasons that onely such can hope to have acceptance heere pag. 157 The 7. generall Meditation 7 That the Lord notwithstanding gâ—…ciously calles all sorts to helpe herein therefore every one who will not strive to bee of this number must perish pag. 165 Reasons shewing that he cals all to helpe if ever they will see his face with ioy pa. 167 Three speciall Meditations to be ouer in our hearts untill wee be of this number pag. 172 1 That the Lord Iesus standes at the heart of euery impenitent sinner to enter inâ—…knocking lowder now then ever heeretofore pag. 172 He knockes at the heart of everie one reading or hearing this or the like admonition offering mercy to them who will admit him in and having infinite wrath against all who will still repel him 175 2 To thinke what it is for a man to forsake his owne happinesse in reiecting Christs gracious call and to ioyne with sathan against him to his endlesse perdition Pag. 178 3 How God sets heerein before the faces of all life death blessing and cursing life to each one hearkning to his call and comming to helpe death to euery one still hardning his heart pag. 188 Conclusion How all the distressed partes of Gods Church do cry to euery one of us to come and helpe them pag. 192 How our Saviour himselfe calls each to come notwithstanding all obiections of vnfitnes or disability with the answer of euery true Christian heart to his call Lord I come I come pag. 195 These with the
14 15. Matt. 6. 7. Our devotions what in generall Their devotions of what sort a See their bookes of their chiefe devotions as they are called by Master Gâ—…E who was best acquainted with them b See their Letanies to our Lady in that booke and namely that sung at the intended â—…panish invasion Their more profound meditations and devotions 2 Thess. 2. 4. 2 Thess. 2. 4. Apoc. 13. 11. c. 14 15 16 17. Scope of all their dâ—…votions Esa. 1. 13. Comparing of them together Particular comparing of them for more evidence 1 Tim. 4 8. Col. 2. 23. Deut. 4. 2. 22. 32. Prov. 30. 6. Apoc. 22. 18. 1 Tim. 4. 1. Iam. 1. 17. Iob 22. Esa. 4. 4. Apoc. 8. 3. Matth. 6. Prov. 19. 2. Rom. 4. end Matth. 6. 7. Rom. 8. 34. 1 Tim. 2. 5. Apoc. â—… 3. Conclusion of this second point 2 Thess. 2. 11 12. The third part of the delusion that they spend more time in their devotions than we in ours Rhâ—…m on Rom. 3. vers 22. sect 7. Mat. 12. 33. Esa. 1. 15. 1 Ioh. 3. 15. Esa. 1. 12. Psal. 50. 16. Iam. 16. 7. Iust complaint against the greatest part of those who prosesse the Gospell Conclusion The further manifestation of that assumption which fully demonstrated all must renounce Popery or be professedly of Sathans Religion Seâ—… Watch Part 3. pag. 340. The Syllogisme grounded upon our Saviours owne words How the Lord manifested the truth of this Assumption that this is their doctrine * Now L. â—… of Licâ—…field Part 3. c. 11. p. 340 341. The Lord himselfe also daily more and more manifesting the truth of it to leave all the obstinate more without excuse Seâ—… the book intituled An admirable discoverie of an horrible attempt standerously â—…hered upon them of Rochell See Foot out of the Snare pag. 25. All their Doctrines lies in hypocrisic 2 Tim. 4. 2. Appeale for the truth of the Assumption Appeale for the evidence of sundrie Consectaries Luk. 11. 23. Ezek. 33. 7 8. * I could wish them all other of the simpler sort to read such little treatises as shew how Popery is against the main grouÌ„ds of Religion and first principles of the Catechisme as namely a little booke called a pill to purge out Popery with the shifts of the Iesuits by Master MVLLâ—…N and the like Request to all opponents Acts 9 5. See Peters enlargement concerning the power of faithfull praier 2 Thess. 1. 7 8 9 10. Psal. 34. 15. Psal. 10 17. 18. Esay 65 24. Iames 1 6. Iames 5 16. 17. 1â—… 2 Kings 2 12. 2 King 13 14. Iob 22 21 22. 3â—… Psal. 9 16. Psal. 50 16 17 To meditate Esay â—…9 26 c. 63. 3 4 5 How our Saviour hath bene wont to look for some to helpe his Church in all her extremities His usual maner then to find out some to stand in the breach and by whom he migat shew himself gloriously for it As Ioseph Some to bee helpers by their prayers and teares Iob 22. â—…0 These henow lookes for Euery one must needes desire to bee of this little number Iude 5 23. Iudg. 7 7. Yet everyone is not fitted for this service Our Saviour hath taught whom they â—…ust be To mediâ—…ate in the second place of the necessitie of seruent prayer at this time aboue all former 3. What a one hee must be 4. How his prayers must be framed 5. The power of such prayers 6. All other unmeet 7. How yet every one must endevour to be an helper To see the necessitie of this dutie by considering 1. The estate of the Churches 2. How the Lord cals for our helpes in teaching us to cry Our Father Our Father which art c. 1. To lay to heart the calamities aud perils of all the churches and people of God at this instant 2. Pet. 1. 4. 2 To seeke to prevent or mitigate the displeasure of our heavenly father To consider how God hath ordained Kings Queenes for nurses to his church Esay 49 23. And the praiers of his people so to incline their hearts 2 Tim. 2. 1. 2. 3. 4. Hallowed be thy name As the Lord hath been wont to glorifie his name by Kings and Princes saving his Church so we may now expect If we can give Christ glory in our repentance And the ra ther for that the enemie seeketh to trample his glory under feete Thy kingdome come How the enemies set themselves against Christ. How they have prevailed Resolued to proceed That Antichrist may fit again as God in his Temple That as they thus seeke to lead Christ his armies captives That he hath ordained Kings to hold up his Scepter Apo. 17. 16 17 And to make the whore desolate 4. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen How Sathan Antichrist seeke onely to be obeyed To destroy out of the earth all who obey the lord Nothing but the power of our Lord Iesus Christ of his Vicegerents to hinder it How difficult for us to lay these things to heart And for them who are vnder the triall to submit themselues That we may more commiserate them Giue us this day our daily bread To bring our hearts to a feeling of their miseries Both bodily To thinke how neere the like may be to us How we have deserved to drinke more deeply then any other How we hale on these How the Lord hath hitherto preserved us by Kings and Princes Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespasse against us To bring our hearts to a sense of the sinns so provoking the Lord. Chiefly carnal gospeling That the Lord hath is stil so fearfully proceeding for these sins according to the denunciation in his blessed Law Leuit. 26. Deut. 28. Our sinne in not submitting our selvs and seeking to pacific the Lords wrath who hath so 〈◊〉 and so many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉 that hee might spare us By his Messengers By mercies iudgements Wonderfull preservation deliverances That our sins are so overspred committed with so high a hand Wee worse notwithstanding so many tokens of Gods displeasure No warning serving us To take their miseries oâ—… our owne perils to heart To labor for a feeling That wee are the men prin cipally devoted to destruction Most enâ—…yed by the enemies of the Church Our sinne of carnall Gospelling greater then of other Churches not onely shewing forth But so much denying all power of godlinesse Ashamed to be noted for more carefull profession Causing gods enemies to blaspheme Our sinne increased to the uttermost by our turning against Christ Iesus as against our greatest enemy Though hee haue so uiâ—…ibly protected us This 〈◊〉 apparent that we so many of us seeme deadly to hate all power of godlinesse Manifest in all the odious names wherewith it is branded Not to rest till we have brought our hearts to a seeling of our sins and hovv they are encreased That nothâ—…g keepes bâ—…ck his vengeance but his inâ—…init
impenitently for that they are both blinde and deafe They see not Gods wrath rushing on themselves much lesse can they see it rushing on others They perceyve not our sinnes Nor any tokens of Gods displeasure Nor the furie of the Churches Enemies Nor the multitude of Locusts sent out of the bottomless pit Nor heare the cryes of Gods poore children much lesse his call to repentance Gods wrath upon all such in blinding their eies hardening their hearts Esay 6. 9. 10. Rom. 11. 8. Rom. 11. 9. Esay 56. Esay 22. Especially upon all blind watchmen calling for all the beasts to destroy Psal. 14. 6. All the threatnings in the booke of God against such sins sinners are against them Not any one promise untill they repent Psal. 50 14. 15 4. Reason Every notorious sinner helpes to pull downe the vengeance on all Esay 5. 5. All excluded who have no compassion of their Bretheren in their miseryes If they doe not adventure themselve for their brethreÌ„ â—… Reason 6. None can be right helpers but onely those vvho can more lay to heart the causes of God and his people then their owne None mâ—…ete but they who indeavour to turne from every evill way Mat. 5. 29. And to receive the love of every part of Gods truth 2. Thess. 2. 10. Rom. 1. 21. Ezek. 14. 3. Though they flatter themselves God will not be mercifull to them Deut. 29. 19. Deut. 19. 20. But will give them up to be deluded 2. Thess. 2. 11. And in the end to a reprobate sense Rom. 1. 28. Ezek. 14. 14. That Gods owne Prophets shall helpe to deceive such Iohn 9. 31. Prov. 28. 9. Psal. 66. 18. None but they who in all things indeauour to be with our Saviour are true disciples Mat. 12. 30 Our danger in approaching neere to our God with out a warraÌ„t 2 Sam. 6 7. Numb 24 40 41 c. Deut. 1 41 45. Exod. 19 24. Math 22 11 12 13. Onely they who are so qualified as the Lord requires are the men whoÌ„ he cals Esay 6 8. â—… Cor. 1â—… 9. These only in a true league with God Deut. 16 17 18 19. These fit to helpe to rescue their Brethren from Sathan To stay the Lords hands Exod. 32. 20. â—…4 To whom he can deny nothing These fit to fetch Gods people out of Egypt Thesemeet to pacific the Lord and to stand betweene the living and dead To hold up their hands against Amalek To make all creatures to be for his people untill he haue got himselfe the victory Heb. 11. 1. King 18 38 39. To move the Lord to manifest the truth of his religion 1. King 18 36 37 38 39. Dan 3 6. To reuerse Hamans dedecree Hest. 8 5 6. Hest. 7 8. Hest. 8 18. The prayers of these ever come up before the Lord and they may surely expect an answere in his due time Acts. 10 10 11 12 c 30. Dan. 9 20 23 24. These may hope with Paul to save themselues and all in the ship Acts. 27 24. With these will Christ Iesus be in the fiery Furnace and the Lyons den Dan. 3 24 25. Dan. 6. 22 23. And in their greatest tryals make their innocency his religion knowen Dan. 3 29 30 31 c. Dan. 4 33 34 Dan 6 22 23. Conclusion of this generall Meditation Who meete How we must strives heereto And what confident boldness we may then have Iam. 1 7. The blessed estate and honour of all admitted to this worke and contrarily God excludes none but who exclude themselvess But cals all That all are iustly damned who come not to helpe Some reasons shewing that he cals all to helpe if ever they will see his face with ioy He cals all to be with him He cals all to regard him in his members Mat. 25. To repent turne from all their evill wayes that they may live Rom. 10. 20. 21. Ezek 18. 21 22 30 31 32 c. 33 11. The Lords protestation He calls all to his Covenant Lev. 26. Deut. 28. He calls all to pray as he hath directed God calls all to lay hold of all the promises of mercy Without limitation of time Ezek. 18. 21. 22. Psal. 95 7. Or exception of sinne Ezek. â—…8 Esay 55. 3. Or person Numb 21. 8. 9. Iohn 3. 14. 15. 18. And calls all to behold all the examples in his booke of receiving poore sinners Luk. 15. 10. The favour such are in upon their repentance Luke 7. 47. Never any such a one reiected Rom. 5. 20. Three things to be thought of ever untill we be of this number That the Lord hath ever stood still stands knocking at the heart of every impenitent sinner Chiefly of all in his Church By his word And Sacraments As Baptisme And the Lords supper And by the good motions of his Spirit And now at this time louder then ever By all the tokens of his displeasure Rage of the enemie Our favours This helpe More particularly â—…e stands at the heart of every one reading this or the like admonition That they would repent of their impenitencie To have their soules clensed Chiefly of ungraciousnesse in keeping out the Lord Iesus Christ will come to such a one Rev. 3. 20. 2. Cor. 3. 9. And contrarily to them who harden their hearts against Christ Iesus The sound of his calls shall ever be in their eares affrighting them Exhortation to all to heare now Dan. 4. 24. Psal. 95. 7. To thinke what it is to refuse Christs call to ioyne with Sathan and the damned Such to bethinke themselves what they will doe when Christ comes Apoc. 14 4. When all threatned against them shall be fully executed For the evidence hereof To behold the fearfull spectacles Of men tormented with horror of conscience in the Scriptures In daily examples How they are tormented in conscience for particular slips or failings How these 〈◊〉 indure the flashings of hell fire Iob. 7. 15. If it be so with these heere Though they be most deer unto the Lord. What shall become of all impenitent sinners And chiefly of all Christs enemies 1. Peter 4. 18. 19. If the righteous be scarsly saved how they If paine of a tooth be so great what shall their totall torment be These sufficient to convince all Deut. 30. 19. 20. How God sets before us life and death blessing cursing Life if we will harken to his call That we shall not need to feare Nor be dismaied for loosing all Mat. 19. 27. Mat. 10. 37. 38. Luke 14. 26. But contrarily have boldnesse Prov. 28. 1. Rom. 8 35. 36. Rom. 8. 35. 36. Be more then Conquerours Ron. â—… 37. Death and cursing in not yeelding to him Deut. 30. 19. 20. Our estate when feare shall come on â—…s of a sodaine Prou 1 27. Prou 28 1. Iob 15 20 21 22. Deut 28 63 c. 1 Sam 25 37 38. God bids us choose life Deu 30 25. 20 We cannot thinke that any one was ever reiected who
sought life as they ought How we may all be prepared in some good measure to helpe the Lord his Church All must perish if they but stand on the other side Obed. 10. 11. Iudg. 5. 23. Conclusion to be thorowly layd to heart to put some more life into every soule to each of these meditations How all the distressed Parts of Gods Church cry to us to come and helpe them Acts. 16. 9 10. And all accursed who come not Iudg. 5. 23. Excluded from the privâ—…idges of Godâ—… poeple How Christ is comming to reward every one according to his works How our Saviour cals to all to come notwithstanding all obiections of unfitnesse Eph. 6. 13. Mar. 2. 3. Luke â—… 18. Psal. 27. 8. Psal. 40. 8. Zac. 13. 9. To pray That beholding the evils against the Lord his people The prevailing of the enemie And hearing the Lord calling as to hâ—…lpe him We may be prepared be admitted to this service To pray to be rightly touched and affected with all these things That we may be able to cry uncessantly untill the Lord shal shew himselfe from heaven for his great name kingdome and people To be perswaded how the Lord seeks out a man To strive to be if not that one man yet as one of Gedeons three-hundred To have these meditations in our hearts To be so qualified as Christ requireth in his prayer That we may prevaile that God may raise up some Iosephs or Daniels By whom the hearts of all Kings and Princes may be inclined to become nursing Fathers to his Church That these all considering how God hath set them up May set themselves as all worthy rulers have doâ—…e for his glory and kingdome That thus his great name may be magnified That every one may be perswaded of the present necessity of this worke Not to deâ—…er it one day To feare the curse upon Meroz Iudg. 5. That otherwise escaping the temporall yet we cannot the eternall vengeance To have our eyes open to see against whom we are to wrastle Not for our selves onely but for all the Church To put on all the compleat Armour of God fâ—…and fast To know our honour setting our selves aright to this service our safety Prayer to be humbled that we have not learned our first les son to have a true feeling of the estate of our brethren To be perswaded that if we love our heavenly Father we must needs love his children If we love Christ we must needs love his members That without this we can never assure our hearts that we are true children members of Christ. But deceive ourselves To know that their sinnes are ours in some sort and so their whole estate To have this fellow-feeling of their estate wheresoever they are And as they are more neerly 〈◊〉 unto us And above all aâ—… they are more specially ordained to be nursing Fathers and Mothers to Gods Church Chiefly who are such already And bound thereto by most bonds That their hearts may be inclined to all Gods Children chiefly to all committed to their charge And that as they more resemble their heavenly Father To have like affections to the Lord. To give that which is deerest unto them for Gods people To have all theirs and our hearts perswaded of the happines hereof and contrarily To pray to be perswaded that the assurance that God is our Father is first to be sought next his glory That assurance alone will quiet the heart fill it with ioy unspeakable And the contrary will fill it with extreame horror And be aâ—… the beginnings of the flashings of hell Iohn 8. 4â—… To this end to know first our owne miserable condition by nature Thus we are but firebrandes of hell untill we be true members of Christ. That we cannot attaine to this assurance untill we feele these two graces repentance and faith For that these are lively evidences of our being in Christ. That we may not deceive our selves in a vaine imagination of faith and repentance That we may never rest untill we finde the new birth in our whole man in all our conversation In our minds Memories Wils Affections Consciences In our whole bodies To be perswaded that God both requires and workes this holinesse in all his elect in some measure That untill this change in some measure never can any attaine this assurance As this increaseth so our assurance To pray to finde in our selves not onely this change but the peculiar markes of Gods children Chiefly those which our Saviour hath taught us to cry for daily whereby we most lively beare his Image To be most zealous for Gods glory 2. To seeke the kingdom of God and his righteousnesse first 3. To seeke onely knowing doing the will of our heavenly Father not our owne To use onely such meanes for obtaining all good things as God himselfe hath ordained Begging and returning all thankes to him for all To be ever mindfull of the rest of our brethren as of our selves And as well touched with their estate as our owne To consider how the carnall worldling hath little or no sense of any of these things To have a lively sense of our sins To groane under the burden of them Never to rest untill we be assured of the remission of our sinnes Which the carnall man makes buâ—… a sport of That we may be able to forgive wrongs and to pray for our enemies That if our enemies hunger wee may feede them And seeke their conversion and salvation 6. To be alwayes afrayd of Sathans temptations To stand alwayes in awe of the Lord least for our securitie he leave us up to him To strive to watch and pray that we fall not into temptation 7. To looke ever â—…o the Lords absolute Soveraignty And to give him the glory of all 8. To be ever and chiefely thinking of eternity 9. That we may not pray looking at any thing in our selves or any other creatures But stripping our selves may come only in Iesus Christ. Our everlasting Amen That we may in Faith cry Amen That we may never give the Lord over till wee find all these in our selves That we may know our selves hereby to be thine and in thy favour as we finde them And contrarily That we can never finde sound comfort To pray to know the right meanes of getting Gods favour growing therein As in the daies of our Saviour and the Primitive Church By the sincere preaching of his Gospell Though the world count it foolishneâ—… The immortall seed Gods mighty power to salvation That this stands not in the inticing speech of mans wisedome but in the plaine evidence of Gods Spirit Aâ—…d why That God nourisheth his children by the same meanes of the word Sacraments Good books Meditations Prayers To seeke to this end the establishing advancement of thy sacred Ministery and to depend thereon Ephes. 4. 11. To stirre up the hearts of Kings and Princes to this holy care