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
speedy and unfeigned repentance thou wilt cut them offâ—… from ever seeing thy celestiall Canaan and much more make all them to know this specially who with the tenne spyes after they have not only searched out the good land tasted and brought to others the fruite of it but filled them selves at least with the outward blessings and daynties thereof have yet either turned backe or brought an evill report upon it even upon thy sacred religion and Gospell to discourage their Brethren thereby to cause them to be faint-hearted and as much as â—…veth in them to turne into Aegypt againe Oh Lord most holy most dreadfull and most terrible make us all ever to remember that of all those hundreth thousands who so tempted and dishonoured thee by their unbeleefe in the way towards the earthly Canaan never any one could enter in but thou causedst their catkasses to fall in the wildernes untill they were utterly consumed and for those that brought that vile slaunder upon the good land thou causedst them to die by a terrible plague and that therefore these may justly expect a more heavy wrath and vengeance from thy Majesty Oh gracious Father give all thine owne faithfull people and children the same hearts of Caleb Iosua especially all them who as those thy two worthy servants have unto this day constantly stucke unto thy sacred Majesty in the conscionable profession of thy heavenly truth that we may all couragiously and boldly give testimony unto the happinesse of this good land into which thou hast brought us this good way of life wherein thou hast set us that this indeed to wit the sincere profession of thy name according to thy sacred word and as it is confirmed by our good Lawes is a land that floweth with milke and hony and the Lord if he love us will continue it unto us and increase the glory and happinesse of it untill he have brought us into his heavenly Canaan Inable us good Father thus to incourage our owne hearts and the hearts of all our faithfull Brethren and for all other to perswade them by all meanes out of thy blessed word that they rebell not against thee the Lord of hoasts neither feare the proud enemies of the Church but onely that we may joyntly be truly humbled before thy glorious Majesty for all our sinnes whereby we have thus provoked thy greatnesse and holinesse thus caused thee to muster thine armyes and to strengthen thine and our enemies against us to cause thine owne people in so many places to fly before them Oh Lord inable us by thy holy Spirit that wee may never leave wrastling with thee untill we have prevailed with thy Majesty thus farre that thou shalt incline the hearts of all especially all those whom thou hast set in thy place for the saving of thy people that they and all their dominions even all the Churches and every soule of thine may seeke thee in sack cloth and ashes in fasting weeping and mourning never giving over crying to thee through thy Christ untill thine anger be appeased and thou bee reconciled to thy people againe for that then undoubtedly as thou hast bene wont to doe in former Ages thou wilt make thine and thy Churches enemies to be but bread for thy people that all the world shall see that their sheild is departed from them and that thou the Lord of hoasts art with us and that wee shall not need to feare them any more Oh gracious God most tender Father cause all the Churches to know and especially us of this sinfull nation that hitherto we and so many as have beene preserved thou alone hast spared and saved us of thy rich mercy and at the instant requests importunings of thy Moseses which have bene amongst us And more specially cause all unbeleevers to know that thou now speakest to them as thou diddest to thy people in the wildernesse That notwithstanding thy great mercies and the sparing of us at the cries of thy faithfull ones yet all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. that all those who have seene thy glory the good land and great deliverances which thou hast given to thy people and yet have so oft and doe still tempt thee not obeying thy voyce shall never see that thy heavenly Canaan which thou hadst so promised and offered unto them nor any other that so provoked thee by their unbeleefe That onely thy faithfull servants who as Caleb and Iosuah having another Spirit doe follow thee still remaining still more constant and faithfull even in the greatest timerousnesse and backsliding of the multitude these onely thou wilt bring into the heavenly Canaan and they alone shall inherit it for evermore Heare us Oh most gracious God and loving Father and keepe us by the mighty power of thy blessed Spirit that alwayes remembring what thou hast done for us and considering aright of the miserable estate of all under Sathan and Antichrists tyranny and our owne happy estate and condition under our Lord Saviour Iesus Christ we may all joyntly strive fast forward towards the full fruition of thine owne glorious Majesty in the heavenly Canaan and in the new Ierusalem eternally Grant that in the meane time the unfeigned repentance of all thy true Churches and people for all our sinnes may bee one of thy effectuall and principall instruments for the pulling of the remainder of thy people forth of Sodome and of Aegypt and to cause all thine to fly speedily and get themselves out of Babilon that by escaping her sins they may likewise escape her plagues and finally that it may thus prepare the way to the calling and conversion of the Iewes the gathering in of all thy Israel the speedy comming of our Lord and Saviour for our eternall deliverance the everlasting glory of thy Sion and of us all for evermore Heare us Oh most gracious Father in these our requests and accept of this our poore thanksgiving for this inestimable favour even for Iesus Christ his sake our onely Lord and Saviour X. A prayer that wee and all the Churches in token of our thankfullnesse to our blessed God for our deliverance from Babilon for making us his people and Children and his Covenant with us may set our selves to honour him more then ever wee have done especially in a more conscionable and chearefull walking in all his holy Lawes and Commandements that hee may alwaies keepe us from that bloody tyranny OH Lord most holy most great and glorious who hast made all things for thine owne sake even the wicked for the day of evill Perswade the hearts of all thine owne people that thou hast thus created formed all things for thine owne honour that thy great name might ever be magnifyed in all the world and especially by thine owne children and to this end
people of the Lord both do shall so finde it and that more more as we more labour according to it having also such sure directions and such undoubted promises every part and pecce of it containing promises to the prayer of faith and to every true beleeving soule Whereby we may have a certaine assurance from our Lord Iesus Christ the author of it that he will accompanie it to every soule that shall be so prepared and so use it as be hath directed with the power of his owne spirit and be wonderfull in granting all things which we so beg according to his heavenly will above all that any heart can conceive Remember also for thy better incouragement how every prayer herein tends to the appeasing of the Lords heavy indignation which hath beene thus far declared against his people and this by our joynt seeking to give him his glory in helping to reclaime and reduce us all to the obedience of his blessed Covenant of Grace wherein is our life and thereby to the deliverâ—…e and saving of all the Churches the eternall salvation of all belonging to that his election of grace be they now Atheists Papists wicked profane or whatsoever and so to prepare the way in the universall repentance of the Churches to the comming of the new Hierusalem and the eternall glory of Sion So that every one of us striving to pray faithfully and fervently and to put in practise whatsoever we thus pray for so farre as it concernes us shall in every prayer and petition be true helpers unto our Lord Iesus and his poore Church and for every such a service even every houre so spent receive our pay and in the end for all a rich and most full reward Let every prayer be aâ—… the Sunne beginning at thy selfe in thy meditations but diffusing and spreading the bâ—…ames into all the Churches chiefly to those which stand in most need thereof and to every one of Gods chosen in all the world so far as he shall inable thee and it concerneth them and from them ever reflecting to thy selfe againe Thou hast heard the sound of the cruell warres abroad the late prevailing of the enemie the overthrow of the Churches the new threatnings of those bloudy intendments against all the rest and the increase of their rage daily In these poore helps and the like the Lord offereth thee weapons and directs thee so to use them that thou maist helpe them in the remotest parts calls upon thee loud to come and helpe them assures thee of a blessed victorie in the end that then thou and all the true Church and people of the Lord shall sing the songs of Miriam and Deborah and of the 24. Elders and triumph with Christ eternally when all who have refused to helpe shall weepe and waile for evermore Thus intreating that the Lord may at length awake thee and all his people that we may each give up a happy account and escape the dreadfull doome and sentence for neglecting his glory kingdome and people and may hence forward carefully use all the meanes which his goodnesse affords unto us for our present and eternall happinesse I commend thee to his grace and rest Thy fellow-souldier in Christ thus striving with and for thee I. B. The Contents in generall 1. AN Epistle to all the plaine and simple hearted people of our land seduced by Popery or in danger thereof 2. A preparation to instant prayer according to the necessity of the times and the present estate of Gods poore Church 3. The prayer it selfe divided into severall parts according to the severall branches of that heavenly patterne which our blessed Saviour hath set before us all to follow containing in it the principall part 's of the Catechisme and how to make right use of all specially for these times and so in praying better to imprint and remember the whole 4. A continuall quickning and putting new life into our prayers that we may never be weary nor ever give the Lord over untill we have prevailed with his heavenly Maiesty In the preparative this is ever to be had in fresh memory That all who are to helpe in this worke are to labour to bring their hearts to a due consideration of all these things following and to have a right feeling and practise of them so farre as they concerne us 1. How the Lord hath bene wont to looke for some to helpe him in all the great deliverances and distresses of his Church and how he expects the seruice of all his at this day 2. What necessity there is of servent prayer at this time aboue all former times in what neede the whole Church and every particular member stands of our prayers what a right feeling of the miseries and estates of our poore brethren each of us ought to have and how we ought to seeke to helpe them herein to the uttermost of our power 3. What ones wee must be and how qualified in all things if wee looke ever to be heard in our prayers for the Churches and hope to have our persons accepted 4. How our prayers must be framed that they likewise may be sure to be pleasing and availeable with the Lord. 5. What assurance we may have of the power of our prayers so sent forth to prevaile with our God and to overcome 6. How without these things and much more if we be of contrary minds and dispositions our prayers are turned into sinne and do helpe to kindle the wrath and to draw downe the vengeance of the Lord more speedily and fiercely upon all 7. That every one must strive to be of the number of them who are helpers in this worke or perish and how graciously the Lord cals every one of us hereunto 8. Particular prayers for helping the Churches framed according to our Saviours direction and the present necessity of all 1 A Prayer that we may bee made fit and accepted into this service of prayer for the Churches 2 A prayer for increase of love to all Gods Children and that we may keepe a continuall fresh remembrance feeling of the miseries of all our distressed Brethren without which we cannot pray for them as we ought 3 A prayer that we may know God to bee our gracious Father in Christ and to grow in the assurance thereof daily without which we cannot prevaile with him 4 A prayer that wee may not deceyve our selves in our imagination that we are Gods children as most do so remaine unfit for this service 5 A prayer that we may finde in us the particular marks of Gods children for our further assurance and boldnesse in prayer 6 A praier for knowledge and right use of the meanes whereby we may be made Gods children so grow up in our confidence and power in prayer thereby 7 A prayer that al may understand how deare Gods children are to him that they may be to us likewise and we therby able to pray more earnestly for them
unto it in delivering restoring and beautifying of it like as hee hath done in all former Ages And therefore wee are never to rest travelling with our owne hearts in this untill we can principally labour with the Lord for them that they of all other and so all in their places may be indued with all excellent graces not onely to manifest themselves in the first ranke according to their high dignities the true Children of our heavenly Father thus shining before all the rest of their Bretheren for the better prouoking and encouraging of all the rest and the greater glory of the Lord but also with those guifts which are proper and peculiar unto their places and callings And that wee likewise may all of us be very carefull to performe unto them the duties belonging to them in regard of those high places and callings like as the honor and obedience of right appertaining to them so with all true thankfulnesse for all the blessings which wee injoy by them And in our thankfulnesse we â—…e never to rest untill wee can from our soules performe unto them these three specially 1. Acknowledgment of their authoritie from God and that they are in his place 2. Hearty affections as to Gods Lieutenants for his cause 3. Above all instant prayers for them day night And in these our prayers that we can cry for them not onely as for every common member as was saide to bee able to walke before all their people as living Lawes in all holy duties of Christianitie but in those of their particular places and callings and bee furnished with all excellent giftes and endowments of Gods Spirit for their happy managing of the same As first and principally that they may bee made able and resolute to promote the Religion of the Lord alone and all true godlinesse and that with all their power defacing the contrary and destroying all ungodnesse in all their Dominions as did those Worthyes David Iehosaphat Hezekiah Iosiab and Nehemiah being thereby so renowned and set out for such blessed examples to all succeeding Ages And in the second place that they may procure each way the good of the people committed to them as tender Foster-fathers repressing the wicked being careful that all holy meanes be used every where for the reclaiming and saving every soule in their Dominions and of bringing them in their armes to the Sion and Sanctuary of the Lord and all hinderances thereof removed And that to these ends they may be all as 〈◊〉 Magistrates men of courage fearing God dealing truely hating covetousnesse no respecters of persons And next unto these that we rest not till we bee able to pray likewise for all excelling in any eminency either outward or inward whereby they may doe any speciall service to our Lord Iesus Christ to his Vicegerents or to his poore Church and people As namely That their hearts bee not lifted up by their guifts favours or places as is ordinary in each estate and so wrath come upon them as it did on that good Hezekiah for this very sinnâ—… but that contrarily they may both ever remember and acknowledge all their preferments to be from his heavenly bounty and so to be more humbled by them as having more to answere bee accountable for giving to his divine Majestie alone all the glory thereof And secondly that they may bee inabled as thy deare Children to employ all those guifts carefully as their talents committed unto them by the Lord to that end and purpose as may make most for his glory the furtherance of his Gospell with the greatest benefit and good to our selve and to all the people of the Lord. The second particular Meditation of the third general That we can and use to seeke his honor above all other things SEcondly we must never give the Lord over untill we have brought our harts in order not to seeke our owne honour or greatness nor our selves any way for our selves alone but onely in all things to seeke the honour of our heavenly Father being zealous of his glory And that wee can pray earnestly that our selves and all other may studie to set foorth his glorie before all the sonnes of men euen the glory of his Wisedome Goodness Mercy Iustice Power and Truth shining bright in all his workes both in every creature and also in all his judgements and mercies and chiefely in his heavenly word admiring and extolling his great name in every one of them That we can mourne with holy Moses for all the dishonours done unto him and for all the provocations whereby he is provoked choosing rather to have our names put out of his booke then that his great name shold be blasphemed by his malicious enemics especially in their triumphes for the destruction or miseries of his people The third particular Meditation of the third generall That we seeke his honour chiefely in the aduancement of the Scepter of Iesus Christ. THirdly we are never to rest untill we can rejoyce in the truth of our hearts that we have seâ—… our selves to seek by all our might the advancement of the Scepter of his heavenly kingdome even of the heavenly Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ and so the comming of his kingdome thereby with power first the kingdome of Grace and after the kingdome of Glory desiring earnestly to that end the propagating and spreading of his Gospel over all the world the gathering forth of all his elect from al parts with the saving of all his people seeking all other things onely for him and for his honour that he may reigne as Lord and King That wee never give him rest until wee feele him reigning in our hearts by his blessed Word and Spirit making us to mourne withall for all the despight done unto his heavenly Majesty in the contempt of that his glorious Gospel and chiefly for all the prevaylings of Sathan and Antichrist the setting up againe of their abhominable Idolatry in any place and so for al the outragious wickednesse committed agaynst our Lord Iesus Christ his crowne and dignity and also agaynst his poore people The fourth particular Meditation of the third generall That we seeke to honour him eâ—…er in the full accomplishment of all his heavenly will FOurthly that our hearts beare us witness that wee haue attayned to be such as are wholly set not to seeke the execution of our owne lustes or will but that the whole will and good pleasure of our heavenly Father may bee fulfilled by us and all other his Children especially in all things wherein he hath or shal reveale himselfe what his good pleasure is And that we have begun earnestly to indevor our selves to be as chearful in the right execution and accomplishment thereof in all parts as
gracious promise and remember their iniquities no more when they shall cry unto him by a lively Faith as to their heavenly Father burning with the zeale of his glorie and kingdome and that all his divine wil may bee so accomplished That then he will open all our blind eyes to see our natural pollution and uncleanness yea to beholde all out filthy sinnes whereby we are defiled and loathsome in the eyes of our heavenly Father and will withall make us to behold the fountaine of his Sonnes blood open to all the house of Israel for sin and for uncleanness Then vvill he make all sorts that are his even all his elect as much to long after that Fountaine as ever any did after the poole of Bethesda and most gladlie to do whatsoeuer he hath apointed for the purging and clensing of themselves and of all his Church from all her iniquities And how to the end that our turning and repentance may be no longer formall as it hath beene for the most part heeretofore when wee have cryed unto the Lord in our troubles to be delivered from our distresse and afterward have returned to our iniquities againe but that it and every part of it may bee sound and unfeigned he will make every one of his owne cry with persecuting Saul Lord what wilt thou that I should doe Then hee will put his Law into our minds and write it in our hearts according to his most gracious and blessed promise when hee intendes to save his Church in such sort as wee have just cause to hope hee is about to doe Hee will cause us tenderly to forgive and pitty one another the Wolfe to dwell with the Lambe and to desire to make all our very enemies partakers of the same mercies and will keep us all that are his that we may no more depart from him The seuenth particular Meditation of the fift generall How wee shall see him delivering his flock from Sathan and dissolving all his cursed workes SEuenthly wee are moreover to Meditate in faith how then he will restraine the rage and power of the Tempter reseuing his poore Lambs out of the jawes of the roaring Lyon How he will then destroy and dissolve all the cursed workes of Sathan discover his depthes and all the wickednesse of his InchaÌ„ters Sorceâ—…ers Charmers Witches aud of all the rest of his crafty malicious and accursed instruments making their madnesse manifest to all and what practises they have used against all even against Christian Kings and Princes Nations and people to harden turne them from the faith as Iannes and Iambres did to harden Pharaoh and as Elimas against the Deputy and Simon Magus against Samaria How these and the Locusts comming out of the bottomlesse pit have caused them to give their power to the Beast and to fight against our Lord Iesus Christ. And furthermore how then hee will cause all their witchcrafts inchantmeÌ„ts to cease as they began so to cease at yâ— first comming of our Saviour in the flesh and chiefly at the comming downe of the holy Ghost and at that powerfull and effectuall spreading of the Gospell in every countrey wheresoever it so came Yea how then all such deceivers shall curse their Gods and gnaw their tougnes for sorrow being inforced with that wretched Balaans who loved the wages of iniquity to acknowledge that there is no sorcerie against Iacob nor any divination against Israel How then wee shall see him whose name is Wonderfull to shew himselfe wonderfull in the saving of his poore Church and Children from the power and fury of the great red Dragon and in delivering us all in an admirable manner from all these innumerable evils which he all his instruments have so long practised so maliciously dreadfully intended do still intend against his poor Church whereupon he so castethout of his mouth all this huge flood of waters after her to cause her to be carried away of the same at once and by which the proud enemies have so cast lots upon all that truly love and beleeve in his name and as certainly determined and set downe our day so soone as ever their opportunity shall serve as Haman had against the Iewes The eight particular Meditation of the fift generall How then hee will declare himselfe sole Monarke and to whom all glory belongs EIghtly we are yet further to Meditate according to this heavenly direction how then he will declare himselfe before all the earth to be the onely absolute Soveraigne Lord and King the sole and mighty Monarch of all the world that all power is his and to him alone belongs all glory and honour when hee shall thus shew himselfe so gloriously for his Church in such a wonderful deliverance in such unexpected and even incredible mercies to her I mean incredible to all humane reason and when hee shall so get himselfe glory uppon his proudest enemyes and make all the world to see that hee hath overturned all their wisdome power and furie making it to serve hereunto and finally that hee hath in all things so farre forth accomplished whatsoever hee hath spoken ever since the beginning And likewise wee are earnestly to meditate to comfort our selves heerein That then he will make it manifest that the greatest enemies of the Church have in all their â—…age not fought agaynst his Children poore wormes dust and ashes for then they had surely prevailed long agoe to have destroyed his whole Church out of the earth but that they have fought even against our Lord Iesus Christ this great King of kings and Lord of lords Thus will hee cause all both men and deuils to acknowledge and â—…say For thine is the kingdome power glory and all the Children of God to sing with all the holie Angels and all the hosst of Heauen Hallelujâ—…h Praise ye the Lord for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth yeâ—… to fall upon their faces before the Throne and to worship our God saying Amâ—…n Blessing glory wisedome thanksgiving honour power and might be unto our God for ever and ever The ninth particular Meditation of the fifâ—… generall How we are never to rest till wee can reioyce and triumph in the assurance of Faith crying â—…oyntly Amen AND to conclude this poynt wee are ever to meditate seriously hereof and never to give our hearts any rest untill we can through the 〈◊〉 of our Faith rejoyce and even triumph continually with the Holy Angels That how impossible soever these things may seeme to flesh and blood and how incredible in the eyes of the world yet he will certainly accomplish theÌ„ all in what time measure and manner shal seeme best to his wisedome accordingly as he hath foretold And that even then when so many of us as have or can but unfeignedly begin to set our selves
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
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
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
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
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
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
sinnes and abominations are so generally overspred and committed with so high a hand yea that wee are so much worse and worse for being smitten that we seeme desperately incurable falling away more and more though we see so many tokens of the Lords wrath the bloody enemies executioners of his vengeance on every side of us and as we may justly fear so many of these incendyaries the Iesuites and Iesuited Papists in the midst among us Whereupon all sorts even meere naturall men have and do dayly more and more feare some terrible scourge from the Lord and wonder at our peace especially considering the lamentable estate of so many other poore Churches and the restlesse plots of the enemy and most dangerous stratagems against them and us all thorow the Lordes mercy discouered dayly and that yet we have not beene warned by their ensample nor yet so much as in any meete measure as wee ought take their miseries and perills to heart Yea which is more then all these our gracious God would not have us to rest untill we have a due feeling and a right consideration heereof that we principally above all other have bene the men devoted to destruction by the bloody designs of those most barbarous and merciless enemies of the Church and have 〈◊〉 and are most enâ—…yed and hated by them for that from and by us heeretofore God hath given them the greatest foyles like as I trust he will still do for euermore And which is a higher degree of our danger that wee are not onely guilty of their sinne of carnall Gospelling carelesse profession in shewing forth so litle power in the practise of true piety in our generall and particular callings and duties which is the very life and true power of godlinesse but contrarily by our ungodlinesse our prophanesse and abominations in every kinde we haue in so many even utterly denied all the true power thereof which consisteth in the right performance of all holy duties as being ashamed to bee noted for more sincere profession yea we have so scorned and trampled it under foot as that wee have caused Gods enemies to blaspheme And which is yet also more to anger his heavenly Majesty for that we so generally not onely our Papists and Atheists and all our notorious prophane persons which swarme almost every where but even all sorts of Laodicean luke-warme professors are so farre turned even agaynst Christ Iesus himselfe we may speake it with greefe trembling and that as against our greatest enemy although he hath hitherto so miraculously yea so sensibly and as it were visibly defended and protected us and for that we do yet further dayly rise against him still more and more That all this appeareth most manifestly heerein in that howsoever these can some of them a little indure the outward and common profession of his heauenly Gospell in word yet the power of it to wit to submit themselves to live according to it wherein chiefly his kingdom consists they cannot indure but rather seeme to hate it most deadly And also how this heynous and crying sin sheweth it selfe as in the sight of the Sunne in all the odious names wherewith true godlinesse is branded which are so frequent every where cast upon those that seek thus unfeignedly to turne away the vengeance by endeavouring to walke in all things in all the commandements of our blessed God Wee are therefore euer to be considering and never to rest till we have brought our hearts unto a right feeling of those and all other our most intollerable and lowd crying sinnes and how they are every houre haling and pulling downe the vengeance of God upon us as the like have done upon the other Churches and do stil more and more as they are thus dayly more and more encreased And moreover that there is nothing that keepeth backe his vengeance but onely his infinite mercies and â—…ndlesse patience and compassion which we haue so much abused as that wee may all iustly wonder that it is not turned into burning furie to consume us at once and togither with that his endlesse compassion the lowd cries of his poore children ever sounding in his eares even the cries and sighs of thâ—…se which are and have beene so hated contemned greeved and injuried by all possible meanes which the Lord hath permitted to bee exercised and practised against them chiefely by all the Popish sort in every place namely against his Prophets and Messengers sent unto us in as much mercie as ever his Prophets were sent to Iudah For which yet when they were so mocked misused the Lord could spare no longer there could be no further remedy but brought upon them the King of Caldea and all other the miseries of their long and wofull Captivity And yet further 〈◊〉 Lord cals on us to beeâ—…ever pondering how nothing can prevent this wrath to give us any true security of our further escaping either generall on particular but onely our sound and true repentance not in any formall fashion but unfeignedly humbling our selves and rightly endeavouring to take away all our crying sinnes and to stoope unto the Lord our heavenly father doing in all things as hee requireth that his wrath may be fully appeased towards us That untill this time wee live but under a continuall expectation of the direfull execution of all his terrible plagues denounced in his holy word against us either some such sodaine blow of his vengeance to fall upon us as was intended at the powder Furnace or some cruell or bloody inuasion as in 88. or some such maâ—…acring as was in the yeare 72. at Paris and lately at Nigripelles in France and Heidelbergâ—… in the Palatinate or such cruell and mercilesse proceedings as in Bohemia and sundry other parts of the Church from all which evils and the like we are ever to cry that the Lord may evermore in his endles compassion preserve and keepe us And yet to proceed one degree higher The Lord calles lowd upon us to be think our selves wisely of that judgement which is heavyer then al the former if for our contempt of his Gospell and all other our sinnes hee should suffer us as he hath done others to have our Candlestick removed the blessed Gospell of his Sonne the very life of our lives to be taken from us and the most abominable masse even the abomination of desolation to bee set up in the place of it with all the â—…abble of their cursed Idolatry and all filthy abominations of that Strumpet of Babylon and withal to have the bloody knives of outragious and mercilesse Idolaters at our throats every moment of time which Iesuites and others of them so affected are so manifestly yea so shamelesly and impudently plotting and practising day and night against all the Churches and whereof they have theÌ„selves
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
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
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
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
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
habitation for Sathan and as a den of Dragons And that thou wouldest seeke now to have thy soule conscience wholly clensed and purged in the blood of the Lambe and to wash the feete of thy deere Saviour with Mary Magdalen by the teares of thy unfeigned sorrow for all thy former unkindness and for thy ungraciousness in keeping out thy Lord and Saviour so long giving unto Sathan the whole possession of thy heart and so the very chiefe roomes thereof not vouchsafing unto Christ Iesus so much as entertainment within thy threshold Then will he come in to thee how unworthy soever thou art and Sup with thee and thou with him This shall be the joy fullest day that ever shone upon thee for hee being in thy heart will by his blessed Spirit not onely teach thee thus to pray but will certainly make thy prayers to piâ—…rce the very heavens and finde happy audience at the throne of Grace chiefly in all these causes which so highly concerne his Majesty his poore Church and people He will then bring unto thee that joy with him that goes beyond all the joy of all worldly men and farre beyond that which all things here belowe can ever bring unto thee That which eye never saw nor eare heard nor entered into mans heart to consider of Yea that which shall never be taken away from thee but be a continuall feast for evermore And contrarily if yet thou wilt not harken unto him but still harden thy heart against him the time shall come that every call of his which ever thou heardest before and hast contemned shall sound so shrill in thy eares when it will be too late as thou shalt have it affrighting thee perpetually That thou never shalt have rest day nor night for the dreadfull noyse of these many cals because thou wouldest not harken in time but didst put off the day of thy repentance and so of harkening to his sweet voyce of mercy thus calling thee stilto bee partakers of his mercy and even of this high favour and now at day in these dangers of the Church in a speciall manner above all other Wherefore let the counsel of the holy Ghost be now acceptable unto thee breake off thy sinnes by repentance be not as the deafe Adder any longer But whilst it is now called to day heare his voyâ—… Contemne it not now little knowest thou whether ever thou shalt heare it any more thus in mercy but onely in wrath and vengeance for despising his long suffering and all the riches of his compassion The second Meditation To thinke what it is for a man to forsake his owne happinesse in refusing Christs gracious call and to joyne with Sathan against him to his endlesse perdition SEcondly the Lord cals loud to every soule to bethinke him seriously in time what it is for a man not onely to refuse and contemne the gracious call and service of our Lord Iesus Christ yea all his favours all his sweet promises and mercies concerning both this and a better life all the glory and happinesse of the Celestiall Canaan the heavenly Ierusalem where is fulnes of joy in the presence of the Lambe and at the right hand of our heavenly Father pleasures for evermore but of the contrary to choose to joyne himselfe with Sathan and with all the damned to serve under him against our Lord and Saviour Likewise to thinke aforehand what such a men will doe when hee must appeare before his glorious Majesty when all the greatest proudest of the earth that have so set themselves against him shall cry to the Hils Mountaines to fall upon them and cover them from the presence of the Lambe so terrible shall his very presence be unto them then though a Lambe to all beleevers who have heere followed him in true obedience to all who yet shall harken to his voyce yea so dreadfull shall it bee when whatsoever torment and misery is denounced against them in the booke of God to bee inflicted upon them hereafter shall be most certainly and fully executed in that lake burning with fire and brimstone For the unfallible truth and undoubted certainty hereof the Lord cals every soule alwaies to behold with the eies of their minds not only those fearfull spectacles mentioned in his word of that wofull horror of conscience which hath so surprized and overwhelmed so many of the wicked whom God hath left for ensamples to all posterity even for their malicious wickednesse though but against some one of his Servants as namely in Caine Saule Achitophel Iudas and others when they did but onely consider the wrath of the Lord and his vengeance due unto them and which would overtake them or felt it beginning to seize upon them for this sinne but moreover hee cals them to thinke aright of the continuall examples that hee daily seteth before their faces in the miseries of so many of his deerest Children How they are tormented when their consciences are awakened with a right apprehension and feare of the wrath of the Lord for their sinnes wherein they have served Sathan though not taking part against his Majesty and Children no nor so much as in forsaking him or them or any his causes but onely for some particular slâ—…ps failings and infirmities as either for some spirituall pride or timerousnesse in fearing men more then God and thereupon omitting some necessary confession or other good duty or for doing some small thing against their conscience or for some unbeleefe in not being able to rest upon the Lord his love and care in the failing of outward meanes as it was with Moses at the waters of strifâ—… or for spirituall security for decaying in their first love neglecting the conscionable use of meanes of grace and saluation or the like How even these I say when their consciences are throughly awaked doe indure as it were the very slashings of hell fire and this so dreadfully as their miseries astonish all that behold them and that they themselves doe account all outward tortures nothing in regard thereof so that many a time with holy Iob they wish an end were made of them being oft ready through Sathans malice to lay violent hands upon themselves Also for that they indure this so long as that Gods hand pursues some of them throughout their whole life that they are usually uncapable of any comfort though the same be sent by a messenger of God even one of a thousand except it bee a little before their death wherein the Lord commonly vouchsafeth unto them much heavenly assurance and consolation And if it be so with these here while yet the day of salvation remaines and the accepted time and also whilst they have the most excellent meanes to comfort them yea though they bee such as have felt formerly the assurance of Gods love favour in Christ and many
may yet put some more life into all these Meditations and quicken us in our crying to him according to all the prayers following hee calls upon us all to have this specially ever in our hearts and his voyce in it sounding incessâ—…tly in our eares which was in part touched before That as the Spirit and the Bride doe call to our blessed Saviour to come so first all the distressed Churches yea all the members of Christ and all the elect of God which are under the power of Sathan or of any cruell Tyrants or under other miseries doe call and cry to every one of us as the man of Macedonia did to Paul come helpe us Come helpe us by your prayers helpe us by your teares And secondly as the Angell of the Lord said Curse ye Meroz because he came not to helpe the Lord so now hee saith Curse ye all and every one of them who come not to helpe our Lord Iesus Christ who come not to helpe him in his poore members And tell every one who wil not set himselfe at least in the full purpose of his heart to come that hee hath no part in that heavenly prayer of our blessed Saviour nor of the glorious priviledges and promises conteyned in it that hee hath no part or portion in the Brother-hood Inheritance Glory Kingdome Rewardes Promises of this and the better life Remission of sinnes Deliverance from Sathan from the evils which hee seeks to bring on all that hee can have no comfort in that everlasting everliving Amen to whom all Kingdome Power and Glory do onely appertaine but that he is contrarily stripped of each of these and that our Lord Iesus is comming quickly in all Majesty and Glory to give to every one according to his workes to all that come the happinesse of all these blessings to all now refusing to come when he calls the misery of all contrary curses Wherefore hee saith to all Come Come every one thou though be in thy filth loathsome ragges all Leprous worthy to be thrust out of yâ— campe of Israel excluded for evermore yet come strip off those rags by repenâ—…ance wash in the fountaine of my blood which is opened to all the house of Israel and be thou cleane Put on the garment of the righteousnesse of thy Saviour and be glorious put on all the compleat Arm our of my Spirit in the full resolution of thy soule be valiant come helpe me Though thou have no strength but meere desires yet come and thou shalt bee accepted I will not quench the smoaking flax therefore come Though thy desires be never so weake yet come my power shall bee manifested and perfected in thy weaknes Therefore come yea though thou have no grace at all yet come hee tels thee from heaven his Grace is and shall be sufficient for thee And finally though thou have no faith to apprehend this Grace of his but art full of unbeleefe yet ever remember him that said I beleeve Lord Lord helpe my unbeleefe and how he sped and then thou wilt come Yea though thou get others to carry thee thou wilt certainly doe it if thou canst but set before thy face the Palsy-man thou wilt bee glad thâ—…s to come Finally be thinke thy selfe if ever thou canst name but one who thus desired to come to our Saviour in the uprightnesse of his heart neglecting no meanes thereunto who was rejected of him but contrarily how every one so comming hath beene graciously accepted and imbraced of him as the Prodigall Son was of his Father and then try whether his blessed Spirit will not give thee Davids Eccho to answer to him in thy soule Lord I come I come I come to doe thy will Thy will is within my heart Accept the worke of thine ownegrace Amen enen so Lord Iesus I come I come Prayers according to our Sauiours direction chiefly for maintaining and advancing of his glory and kingdome against the râ—…ge of Sathan and Antichrist and for helping his poore distressed Churches with all the members of Iesus Christ scattered over the face of the whole earth and that the whole number of Gods elect may be speedily gathered forth I. A prayer for our preparation that wee may bee made meete to bee admitted and may bee accepted as helpers in this so great a worke AH Lord our most gracious and tender Father in Christ Iesus wee thy unworthy children heere prostrate beholding how thy heavenly Majesty is foughten against thy honour trampled under foote thy kingdome people sought to bee destroyed out of the earth and that by Sathan Antichrist other thy cruell enemies who carrying a mortall hate against thee and against thy Sonne Iesus Christ and so against thy Gospell and people for thy cause alone do seeke that they alone may raigne over us and over all the world in thy place seeing also how thou hast suffered them fearfully to prevaile and still to proceed because of our sins and the sinnes of all other that professe thy name and hearing withall how thou now callest us all who are thine and in any favour with thy Maiesty to helpe thee and the rest of our Brethren and Sisters thy poore children in these their extreame miseries by our prayers and teares doe humbly intreat thee so to prepare and fit us that through our Lord and Saviour wee may be accounted meete to bee admitted to this so great a service Lord open our blind eies that we may have a right view of all these things open likewise our dease eares that we may heare thee calling us unto this duty and touch our dead hearts that they may be truly affected herewith inable us that thus seeing hearing and seeling we may cry unto thee uncessantly untill thou shalt shew thy selfe from heaven to come downe maintaine and defend thine owne causes and children to rescue all thine every where both from that bodily and spirituall tyranny and from all other dreadfull miseries under which they groane and so to judge betweene them betweene thine and their enemies and to get thy selfe a gloryous name and victory in thy due time to thine owne everlasting prayse and glory Oh deere Father perswade our hearts effectually how now at this very day in these fearfull times and extremities of thy poore Church as thou hast beene wont in all former Ages thou seekest out a man that may stand in the breach and how thou lookest for some that may specially bee singled out hereunto to helpe thee and thy poore people Vouchsafe good Lord that every one of us may strive to bee if not that one man yet as some one of Gedeons three hundreth And to this end that all these holy Meditations following and the like may be in our hearts continually That we may never rest untill hereby wee may know assuredly that
thou hast called us hereunto that thou acceptest us and our service and that wee may never give thee over untill wee see the deliverance and felicity of thy Sion Grant that so many of us as unfeignedly desire to bee with thy Majesty may never give any rest unto thee nor unto our owne soules untill wee finde our selves so qualified in all things as thou requirest of all such in taking to heart the dishonours done unto thy heavenly Majesty the oppositions against thy most glorious Gospell and also in feeling the necessities of thy Church people more specially in considering aright and sensibly feeling the miserable estate of all them that are under the spirituall bondage Captivitie of Sathan worse ten thousand times then the Captivitie and slavery of the Turke or under the cruellest Tyrants in all the earth Grant likewise that wee may be such in all holy faith and obedience and so frame our prayers that heerein wee may thus farre prevaile with thy holinesse that thou maiest raise up for thy poore Church and Children in every part of the world some Iosephs or some that may be as Daniel Ezra Nehemiah or Hester which may obtaine favour with the Kings and Princes of the earth and by whom thou maiest prepare and incline the hearts of all Monarks Kings and Princes that they may all become Nursing-Fathers and Nursing-Mothers to thy religion and people and that all those of them who in thy mercy are such already by the power of thy heavenly Spirit may bee wholly delivered from all the power and delusions of Sathan and Antichrist and daily more and more inflamed with all holy zeale for thy glory and kingdome and all tender affection towards thy children and chosen flocke as the rage and malice of the Dragon is greater against them knowing he hath but a short time Vouchsafe Oh grecious Father that these all considering aright how thou hast set them up and given them all their dominions authority and power chiefly to this end and the great and dreadfull account they must all certainly make for the same they know not how soone may forthwith seâ—… themselves as thy faithfull Servants Moses Iosuah David Iehosaphat Hezekiah and holy Iosiah for thy glorious Majesty Gospell and people onely according to thy heavenly word and will Grant good Lord that thus thy great name may bee magnified by the powerfull comming of thy kingdome in all the world and by the full accomplishing of all thy heavenly will and good pleasure which in thine eternall counsell thou hast decreed for the speedy gathering forth of all thine elect and finishing of these daies of sin and so for preparing the way to thy glorious comming Good Lord perswade my poore heart and the hearts of every one of thine owne faithfull people of the present necessity of this worke because of the danger of the sodaine approching of thy vengeance ready each houre to rush upon uâ—… like as it hath done upon others which have so professed thy name as weâ—… doe for all our fearfull sinnes and above all for our haiâ—…ous contempt of thy heauenly Gospell and that notwithstanding all thy Fatherly warnings and mercies wee have beene worse and worse unto this day And therefore vouchsafe me this grace that I may not deferre it one day nor houre but now presently whilst thou my Lord and Saviour dost so graciously call me and offer me this mercy I may seeke to bee every way prepared and fitted for it like as thou hast so plainly â—…aught me so lively seâ—… it before my face in yâ— heavenly prayer of thine so as the simplest may read and understand Oh Lord Iesus perswade my heart that refusing or deferring now to come to helpe thee I cannot escape the curse of Meroz howsoever I may escape the present and temporall vengeance at the instant cryes of all other of thy deerest servants and children yet I can never escape the spirituall and eternall wrath Open mine eies that I may see yâ— I am not heerein to wrastle against flesh blood but against principalities and powers and the Princes of darkness of this world which have wrought all these evils chiefly and doe seeke the utter destruction of all thy people and that I am not now to enter the lists with Sathan for my selfe alone but for all the Church that so I may put on all thy compleat Armour to quit my selfe valiantly as one of thy worthyes and ever be carefull to looke to my watch and stand fast expecting Sathans extreamest rage and fury against me especially if hee get never so little advantage Grant unto mee to know undoubtedly that being thus armed and setting my selfe with all speed and cheerfulnesse unto this worke to bee rightly fitted to helpe thee in this greatest service I shall have this high honour to bee of their number of whom thou hast spoken to whom thou hast promised That the innocent shall deliver the land or at least that thou wilt bee to mee a Sanctuary whatsoever come to passe and though I should neither save Sonne nor Daughter yet I shall bee sure to save my owne soule Heare me therefore Oh gracious Father all thy poore children in this our humble suite and in all other things needfull for us or for any member of thy whole Church for the Lord Iesus Christ whom thou hast given for our grand Captaine our onely Mediator and Advocate Amen II. A prayer for increase of our love to all the Children of the Lord and for keeping a continuall fresh remembrance and feeling of their estate Our HVmble us Oh gracious Father that whereas thou hast long taught us this as one of our first lessons in our prayers to cry Oh our Father to keep therby a continuall and ever-fresh remembrance feeling of the estate and necessities of all thy children our Brethren and Sisters wheresoever dispersed and distressed in all the world and so to binde our hearts togither in the bond of love to rejoyce with them that rejoyce mourne with them that mourne and in all things to seeke the same good unto them which wee do vnto our selves yet so many of us notwithstanding do never or very seldome thinke of them or of their miseries and the best of us have so little true feeling and commiseration of their estate how wofull soever it bee to cry unto thee for them as wee ought so long as wee our selves are at ease and in prosperity Good Lord perswade our hearts that if wee truly love thee our heavenly Father we must needs love thy children for thy cause being as deere and precious unto thee as ourselves are even all those that appertaine to thy eternal election wheresoever they be in all the earth Lord Iesus make us know that if wee unfeignedly love thee wee must of necessity likewise love thy members even every one of
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
burdens upon thee at all times and also by our rejoycing alwayes in thee as in our good God that thou takest care for us and by being heereby full of Christian chearfulnes and courage against all the oppositions and feares that ever wee shall or can meeâ—…e with in this our journey towards Canâ—…an as thy worthiest servants have bene wont to be Oh magnifie thy power and goodnesse in shedding out thy love so aboundantly upon all thy Churches and every member thereof and so manifesting it before the world that in the true sense and feeling of it in our hearts and our lively faith in thee wee may all joyntly manifest the fervent love wee returne unto thy Majesty by our unfeigned love of every one of thy blessed CommandemeÌ„ts and our fervent desire to thy statutes to walke in them all without reproofe yea by our ardent affection towards all thy ordinances and servants onely for thy cause Good Lord cause the fervent zeale that wee have towards thy name to appeare before the world in the vehement griefe and indignation that we have for all yâ— dishonors done unto thy heavenly Majesty by trampling under feete thy blessed Commandements thy religion and servants and the injuryes and contumelyes done against any of them and so likewise by our study and holy indeavour by all meanes to promote thy true religion and causes and by our vehement hatred of whatsoever is offensive to thy holinesse that we may set up nothing in our heartes but thy Majesty and those things which thou lovest accounting all other as drosse and dung in regard of thy holinesse yea even life it selfe if it hinder us from injoying or obeying thee Cause thy glory to rest herein upon all the Churches and upon all thy poore afflicted servants that upon the assurance of thy love and that thou art our gracious God we may honour thee in shewing forth all holy patience with all cheerfullnesse even in the middest of all our tryals that howsoever thou maiest seeme to be displeased with us and to frowne upon us yea to favour our enemies in all their proceedings and to give us up into their hands to let them to be lords over us and make us a prey to their teeth yet our eye may bee still at thee at thy love wisedome and faythfulness knowing that whatsoeuer thou doest to us thou doest it but to humble us for our security and for all other our greevous sinnes and to prove us that thou art certainely disposing all to our greatest comfort in the end and thus to prepare our way unto thy heavenly Ierusalem That thus we all may ever possess our soules in patience and waite for the happy issue both of all our owne trialles and of all the trialles of thy Church and people and bee alwayes able to say with holy Iob though thou shouldst kill us or leave us utterly and wholly unto the pleasures and lustes of our enemyes yet we will still trust in thee approoving our wayes in thy sight that heereby we may make it manifest to the faces of all our enemyes that we are certainly assured that nothing can separate us from thy love and that thou canst not forsake faile or forget us whatsoever 〈◊〉 the present thou doe unto us Yeâ—… oh most blessed God cause thy glory yet to shine more clearly uppon all the Churches and upon everyone of us that are thy true servants and children indeed in this behalfe that though the wicked feare thee not but seek to drive all the true feare of thy Majestie even out of our hearts likewise as out of their owne and do therefore hate and persecute us so farre as thou permits them onely because we feare thee and put our truâ—…t in thy mercy yet we may feare thee so much more with a true holy childe-like feare that we may ever and especially now in these evill dayes labour to live alwaies as in thy presence and as in the verie eye of thy all-seeing Majestie Grant good Lord that we may bee able thus to walke with thee constantly until we shall be translated hence and with holy Noah to endevour to be still more righteous in our generation and to be daily building our Arkes to save our selves and Families and all other that we can get into the same from the floud of thy vengeance that is rushing upon al the world of the wicked And albeit the world scorn and deride us dayly for it and though we be the onely talk and hatred of the wicked and as men appointed and designed to death onely for this our feare of thee in the bloody hopes of thine and our proud enemyes yet cause us heerein to honour thee that we may not feare the faces of them while we walke in thy blessed Commandements and do onely as thou requirest of us but that by the might and power of thy heavenly Spirit we may bee more full of all Christian corage as the three worthy Children of the Captivitie as good Daniel and holy Nehemiah And yet more also enable us heerein likewise to honour thee before the world and to shew openly before men and Angels that we have set thee uppe in our hearts to be our God even by walking humbly with thee that thogh the world regard thee not but thou art farre above out of their sight and though they doe band themselves agaynst thee against thy heavenly word and servants yea thogh they scorne al thy judgments and threatnings as the Gyants before the flood and as proud Pharao and Herod did yet we may all walke ever in all humility and lowlinesse of Spirit before thee Make us ever to have before our faces thy glorious excellencie and our own vilenesse thy holinesse and our sinnefulnesse and that not only by the fall of our first Parents and by the whol course of our sinful lives and also the power subtilty and malice of Sathan against us to destroy us each moment without thy speciall preservation mercie but even for the very corruption of our sinfull natures which still dwell in us that bodie of death which would carrie us to destruction yea even to hell it selfe every minute if thou in the riches of thy mercy shouldest not restraine it and shouldest not cover all our sinnes yea keep and uphold us Oh give us hearts that herein wee may all magnifie thy great name in giving unto thee as is thy due all the glory of our standing perseverance in grace and of every good thing that ever we enjoy acknowledging from our soules that they are all the free gifts of thy rich mercy and that we are not worthy any of them nay that we are much lesse then the least of them as thy deerest servants have beene wont to do And good Lord heerein make us specially able to give thee thy glory in being thorowly humbled and in mourning continually for all the heynous sinnes
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
entred into for our selves our children and posterity and every one bound our selves by thy holy Sacraments chiefly by our Baptisme vow yet wee have all heynously transgressed wee have cast it behinde oâ—…r backes trampling under foote thy blessed Commandements thy statutes judgments Hereby good Lord have wee most justly brought all this thy fierce wrath upon so many parts of thy Church and also provoked thee to threaten most righteously the like or more heauy to come upon us all untill wee all see our unthankfulnesse and our breach of Covenant and that we do all joyntly humble our selves under thy most mighty and most fatherly hand to give thee thy glory by renewing and confirming this our Covenant in our true and our unfeigned repentance Wee therefore doe most freely acknowledge that wee have all most grievously and fearfully transgressed even in all the Churches against that first and great Commandement yea indeed against every one of thy most sacred Commandements in a high degree in one kinde or other and that in a speciall manner and as it were with a high hand For concerning thy inward worship and giving thee thy due glory by setting thee up as chiefe in our harts to adore and worship thee as our glorious God We humbly confesse for our selves and brethren even against us all that all of us who in the middest of this shining light of thy heavenly word doe still content our selves to liue in ignorance and blindnesse or in any heynous sinne and especially in Athiesme or prophannesse have set up Sathan the God of this world in our hearts to be our God and that hee it is that ruling there so blindes the eyes of all such least the light of thy heavenly truth should shine unto them and they should be conuerted and saved thereby Multitudes of vs O Lord thou knowest have set up the world as our God very many of us the riches other the pleasures and others of us the honour and pompe of it to adore many other that Antichrist the Pope of Rome as al who are Popishly affected in all the Churches who all preferre his decrees and ordinances before thy heavenly word for that all these and likewise all others who adore or honor any creature with that honour which is due to thy heavenly Majesty alone or above thee have and do preferre all these before thee and set them up in thy place But very few there are amongst us Oh most holy Father who have so set thee up as wee ought to doe our most glorious Lord and God that is so as to set our whole heart upon thee and to put our whole affiance and confidence in thee to love thee with all our heart soule strength and might to bee zealous for thee for thy sincere worship and truth but we are rather good Lord very generally as the Laodicean luke-warme worthy to bee spewed out of thy mouth Yea Lord wee have in verie many of us increased our sin in this in hating and scorning all such as have beene more zealous for thee and for thy truth then our selves are in that so many of us have sought utterly to destroy all power of true godlinesse in whomsoever it hath appeared yea that so very many of us have opposed our selves as it were fighting even against thine owne sacred Majestie like the Gyants before the Flood And for thy outward worship the sinne of multitudes of us Oh Lord hath beene and is no lesse to prouoke thy holines as in all those in each of the Churches who insted of worshipping thee onely according to thy blessed word in Spirit and truth have and do worship and do adore thee by Images Crucifixes the like Idolatrous or superstitious devises or by any will-worship whatsoever devised by man without the warrant of thy sacred word although those worships have beene most goodly in shew and pretended to most faire and holy ends And much more in and by all those who have or doe worship Sathan thy sworne enemy in thy place using divellish Arts to effect their desires and to bring to passe strange things by his helpe This wee confesse likewise what multitudes there are in the Churches who have and doe worship thee hypocritically meerely in outward ceremonies and bare shewes of religion and also of those who halt between thy pure and sincere religion and the religion of Antichrist And so likewise of such as worship mereely as the Pharifes being forward in small matters in tithing Mint and Cummin omitting in the meane time the most weighty and namely all true faith and unseigned repentance and true turning unto thy Covenant But for those Oh gracious Father who by their conscionable walking doe manifest to the world that they sincerely worship thee in spirit and truth when we consider of them aright how few they are wee may wonder at thy goodnesse in sparing us for their sakes seeing they have beene not onely so few but also so hated scorned abused for thy sake alone Moreover for taking thy glorious name in vaine Oh holy Father we acknowledge againe to our owne shame that we have made our selves extreamly guilty and worthy of all thy plagues for that besides all the fearfull oathes and blasphemies daily belched out against thy greatnes thou hast so sensibly spoken unto us by thy blessed word and by all thy glorious workes chiefly by threatnings and judgements upon our selves more mildly and upon our brethren in a more fearfull manner and yet wee have not hearkned unto thee And moreover for that besides all these thou hast spoken unto us by the voyce of thy mercies in all thy great deliverances and miraculous preservations of us in this Nation specially and through the incredible continuance of all thy blessings still by them all calling us all to know thee and to meete thee by an unfeigned humiliation before thy vengeance be poured out upon us for all our sinnes And for that yet we have not heard to tremble before this glorious name The Lord our GOD and unfeignedly to turne unto thee by our unfeigned repentance but have hardned our hearts to increase and hasten thy wrath by all our blasphemies and sinnes whereby wee have caused thy great name to bee blasphemed amongst the enemies unto this very day And finally for our Sabbaths Lord wee have and doâ—… confesse againe to the covering of our faces that we have so polluted them in all the Churches as that all of us doâ—… and must needs acknowledge that even for this sinne alone had wee no other wee have most righteously deserved that thou shouldst so begin to kindle such a fire of thy vengeance in the gates of all our chiefe Cityes as should not be quenched like as thou hast so fearfully done in forraine parts so often threatned us our selves heere at home Yea holy Father we have made our selves worthy that thou shouldest thus proceed in thy fierce wrath to
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
thankfulnesse of heart humbly acknowledge before thy sacred Majesty how wee especially in this sinfull Nation with us many other and namely all thy chosen flocke among us are bound unto thy sacred Majesty for the admirable setting up and the wonderfull preservation of thine Annoynted servant our dread Soveraigne of all his Royall progeny with every of thy deliverances and mercyes which thou hast heeretofore vouchsafed by them or as yet dost through them most graciously offer unto us all upon our unfeigned repentance and true turning to thee Lord make us ever to bee wisely pondering of thy divine and Fatherly providence even in every one of these which hath bene so sensible that our very enemies have taken notice of it and so give thee glory acknowledging thy hand in them Diddst thou not Oh good Lord at the very naming of thy Royall Servant to be our Lord and King deliver us all from the hand of our Brother Esau even from all those who had long vowed our death and thirsted after our blood Diddest thou not thereby cast such a terror upon all thine and all thy Churches enemies as that the feare of him and of thy people fell upon them all that not so much as adogge wag'd his tongue against any of thy servants though our sinnes had long before cryed for such a vengeance as they had threatned And afterward when wee had so provoked thee againe by our impenitency and by al our unthankfullnesse manifested in the breach of our renewed vowes and Covenants as that wee were indangered to bee consumed at once by that fiery furnace made like Nebuchadnezzars large and wide or much more terrible by thine and our most mercilesse enemies stirr'd up against us in thy wrath yet diddst not thou againe deliver us and pluck us forth even as the three children of the Captivity and cast in sundry of our enemies for us Diddest thou not also principally worke this as by the hand of thine Annoynted not suffering him to rest untill all our deliverance was wrought And hast thou not both before and since that time given unto him many great deliverances and in all his preservations still preserved us all especially us of this Nation together with all our blessings of so much peace and prosperity as wee still injoy in the middest of the calamities of the other Churches And above all hast thou not thus continued thy heavenly Gospell the life of our lives which hath bene so removed from other Countries together with their outward blessings so as thou hast made him to this day the very breath of our nosethrils and that through him wee injoy all these our mercies as under our vine and figtree and by him givest us new and most blessed hope that wee shall injoy them perpetually Lord these are mercies and favours never to bee forgotten of us Good Lord set them ever before our eyes And for our gracious Prince besides all his and our former deliverances hopes in and by him hast thou not made him to bee to us as Ioseph and disposed of all his journey and of his dangers in it to the greatest discovery of the devices of our adversaries and overturning the hopes of all our wicked enemies Never suffer us to forgett how thou revivedst the hatts of us all making us to breake out into joyfull Triumphes praises when thou hadst caused us to see his face againe delivering him from so many perils as our sins had brought him and â—…s into and those dangers of all sorts both by sea and land yea both bodily and spirituall Lord make us able to give thee thy due glory heerein that thou sitting at the sterne hast disposed of all that journey and all those adventures to the admired improvement of all thy rich guifts and graces in thy Royall servant caused him to see the vilenesse of that most odious superstition and Idolatry which thy soule so much abhorreth and which hee otherwise had never so well understood That thou hast taught us all to know by most happy experience what the power of the prayers of thy people is when they are sent up with an united force that they are able to open the Iron doores and to breake in sunder the gates of brasse to make way for thy children and chosen clocke to passe through the middest of all thine and their mortall enemies Lord make us to lay it wisely to heart how thou hast made him so much more hereby the future expectation and rejoycing of Israel under thine Annoynted servant And likewise for that perelesse Princesse Lord make us all able wisely to consider what another crowne of glory thou hast set upon her head even in her lowest abasement which thou hast brought her unto for the sins of thy people that she should thus excell in al true renowne and fame of all Christian and truely Heroike vertues above all the Princes of the earth that thou hast made her a Mirrour to all of her sex at this day in all the world Oh suffer us never to forget that wonderfull preservation of her when thou deliveredst herâ—… at the Powder Treason from those cruell Nimrods the bloody hunters the reedifiers of Babell who had in their account made a prey of her in a speciall manner by her to have accomplished all their hellish ends and most mercilesse designes against our whole Nation and against all thy poore Churches and people Let it never slip out of our minde that howsoever thou hast suffered her againe to be chased and pursued as a Doe before the hunters yet thou preservedst her in a miraculous manner with that illustrious Prince and all their Royall seed and hast made them most fruitfull in the midst of all their trials and temptations to the terrour and astonishment of all thine and thy Churches enemies and the greater securing and comfort of thy people to cause all thine to lift up their heades in an expectation of a more glorious Age time yet to come in all the world then ever heretofore And above all let this ever be before our faces how thou hast thus wonderfully kept them all alive against all the plots and layings in waite of Sathan and all his instruments by all their stratagems devises and bloody pursuites and hast preserved those thrice happy pawnes pledges of our peace and safety though out of their owne Countryes and people and in forraigne parts And finally how thou hast begunne this wished and happy union amongst thy Churches and servants the cutting off the long wished hopes of the enemies of thy Church under their pretended leagues of peace and amity whereby they had so much undermined us and expected our surprizall of a sodaine whilest we remained yet most secure Not unto us Oh Father not unto us but to thy great name wee give all the glory humbly consessing that by all our impenitency and breach of
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
Psal. 1. 2. 3. Prosper in all Be wiser then our enemies Psal. 119. 98. 99. 100. Like as David Daniell and others Dan. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. God will be with us as we are with him 2. Chro. 15. 2. Ezra 8. 22. Heb. 10. 38. We shall be able to live by faith Iob 22. 21. 22 23 c. To lift up hearts and hands in assurance to be heard Lâ—…m 3 39 40 41 42. Onely such as wholly endeavour to walke with God are the innocent that shall deliver the Iland Iob 22 30. To be perswaded that all Gods promises are made to an endeavour of an intire obedience And contrarily How Sathan knowing this Hath labored to make all to content themselves onely with a bare outward profession destroying all the power of godliness to the Lords dishonour That he might leaue all into his hand The acknowledgement of Gods righteousnes heerein by many of his faithfull servants To pray that we may be able likewise to iustify the Lord and never to rest until he give thee all unfeigned repentance for it That we may be warned by their ensample To do it forthwith To be warned heereof by the very Heathen 1 Sam. 6 5 â—… To smite the hearts of all Gods Lieutenants with a true sense heereof To perswade us that our Adversaries are raised up to humble us to walk with our God How then he will get himselfe glorie on them To know as we are made for his glory so he will be glorifyed in each of us In mercy Or vengeance That his glory may shine in our deliverance And getting himselfe honour upon Babylon A praier that we may give God the glory of his inward worship according to the 1. Commandement and so helpe to pacifie his Maiestie towardes the Churches To pray that we may set up God in our hearts giving him there his inward worship In knowing and acknowledging him Iohn 6 45. Heb. 2 â—…4 In faith beleeving him to be our God Iohn 20. 28. To be perswaded that this peculiar faith was the faith of Abraham all the faithfull Rom. â—…3 Heb. 11. 2. Heb. 〈◊〉 6. Rom. 14. 23. Vpon this our faith to hold fast the Anchor of our hope To honour the Lord by manifesting our faith by our confidence To manifest our faith by our love to the Lord his Commandements and ordinances By our zeale for his glory That we may honour him shewing forth all holy patience That we may possess our soules in patience wayting for the happy yssue Iob 13 15. That we may give him glory in our childlike fear Walking constantly withouâ—… God in holy feare Albeit the world scorne and hate us for it To shewforth our honour towards the Lord by our Humility To this end to have ever before our eyes Gods excellency our own vileness and danger by Nature and Sathans malice That we may give to the Lord all the glory of our standing and perseverance in grace of each good thing That we may withall give him his glory mourning continually for all the dishonours done unto his name all provocations against the Churches To pray to be able to see hereby who they are that truly honour the Lord have set him up for their God To discerne of the greatnesse of the sinne of all the Churches whereby he is dishonored provoked By palpable ignorance blindness in them By Atheisme Vnbeleefe Carnall confidence Lukewarmnesse Loving other things more then Gods Maiesty Disobedience 1 〈◊〉 15 22 23 Tâ—…ousnes Presumption Deut. 29 19 20 21. Pride against God To see that as the Popish sort have set up their false Gods outwardly So we in our hearts To see even by this first Commandement how few doe truly honour the Lord. All wicked men maligning all who have so set him up so to glorifie his great name To be able to conceive aright hereo That we may wonder how even for this sinne God hath spared us so long That we may never â—…est untill we have so set up the Lord in our hearts An importuning of the Lord by his iustice and mercy To heare his people crying ioyntly to him To behold the miseries and dangers of all his poore people A humble confession how hearing the miseries of our brethren and their perils yet we have not bene humbled for them Neh. 1. 4. A further confession how we have all sinned in our extreame unthankfulnes breach of our Covenant with the Lord. How concerning Gods inward worship multitudes amongest us have set up Sathan to adore As all living in blindnesse or any heynous sinne All who have set up the world in any kinde Very few who have set up the Lord as we ought For his outward worship in the second Commandement how we have â—…inned Confession how we have increased our guiltines by taking Gods name in vaine And principally for prophaning his Sabbath which might iustly make all our countryes to rest and keepe Sabbaths to him in that dolefull manner that some do already Acknowledgment of Gods righteousnesse in all that he hath done to the Churches threatneth Neh. 1. 8. A humble prayer for them and for us all 〈◊〉 that God may 〈◊〉 pen out eyes to seâ—… what we have done in so â—…arre returning to Poâ—…ery againe especially of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 To dote so upon it againe after such notorious discoveries of the vilenes of it How all sorts had seene before how they had bene deluded by iâ—… How Gods vengeance was most iustâ—…y coâ—… upon those their 〈◊〉 us houses How â—…ous 〈◊〉 were for filthynesse Blood Being nothing else but dens of theeves That all may know what their religion waâ—… 〈◊〉 bâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…ere was then one part of that Babylon the mother of whoredomes and abhominations Apoc. â—…7 5. And 〈◊〉 the ruine â—…f it a part of the fall of Babylon verified How God hath as from heaâ—…en proclaimed the 〈◊〉 of his approbation of his religion professed amon gest us To thinke what they can answere for not being warned by so many such notorious discoveries of their bloody rage and practises 〈◊〉 of their â—…ligion To keepe ever in 〈◊〉 memory that insolent invasion of our nation The hellish powder Treason discovering the cursednesse of that religion To consider the â—…nies granted to the Gospell in the miraculous continuance of it and preservation of our Princes To beg true repeâ—…tance for this and all our loud crying sinnes That our land may be purged of it and the evils threaâ—…ed prevented To pray for all 〈◊〉 with tâ—…e wine of popery and 〈◊〉 other â—…gered by iâ—… To consider of the righteousnesse of God 〈◊〉 upon thâ—… 2 Thes. 2. 10. 11. 12. To bethinke themselves what it is so so renounce theiâ—…â—…other and their Baptisme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epistle prefixed to our sed â—…eed broâ—… To 〈◊〉 of their intoil â—…able lyâ—… devised to deceive the simple How they abuse all the simple in perswading them that they have moâ—…
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
whereby thou hast bene and art still dayly more and more provoked against the Churches for all the dishonours done unto thy great name that we may bee every one as righteous Lot in Sodome and as the mourners before the Captivitie and as those worthy servants of thine both Ezra Nehemiah and Daniel untill we shall see againe the setting up of thy glory and Gospell thy gracious countenance shining upon all the Churches and the full delivery of thy deere Children out of the hands of their most mercilesse bloody enemies Oh grant that hereby our eyes may bee open to see aright both who they are that truly honour thee by having thee their God as they ought in setting thee thus up in their hearts in every one of these respects and who are heereby truly thankefull for their great deliverance from Aegypt and Babylon yea from Sathan and eternal damnation Heare us for Iesus Christ his sake our only Lord and Saviour Another Prayer according to the first Commandement OH Lord most glorious and most blessed as we intreate thee to manifest who they are which truely honour thee having set thee uppe in their harts as their God make us able by these likewise to discerne of the greatnesse of the sinne of all the Churches when after so long a time there yet appeareth so little true saving knowledge of thy Majesty but that such a grosse and palpable darkness is upon the most congregations and places that the people are ready to receyue any errors broached amongest them and that so great a part of thy people seeme now much more ready to receyve Popery and superstition agayne then to stand forth for the maintayning thy heavenly Gospell with the losse of any thing for it and so verie many thereby so forward to put their neckes under the yoake of Antichrist againe rejecting the sweete yoake of Iesus Christ. When there is also such a world of Atheisme as that so many both in Court Countrey live as if there vvere no God no heaven no judgement no place of torment Such multitudes perishing daily for lacke of this knowledge living as without Christ being ignorant of all saving knowledge of him and so goe hoodwinked to hell worse then the Oxe that knoweth his owner Make us able heereby to consider aright how justlie thou mayest bee provoked agaynst the Churches for our wonderfull unbeleefe and mayest even give us up into our enemies hands for the same when there are so meruailous few to be found in all the Churches who shewe forth their saving knowledge of thy Majesty and faith in thee by their conversations by making a right conscience of every one of thy blessed Commandements to obey them or of thy judgements or threats to restrayne them from sinne or of thy sweete promises and mercyes to bee encouraged thereby to runne more cheerefully in the narrow way of life but all sorts except the small remnant full of prophanenesse or extreme licentiousnesse Oh make us to behold that carnall confidence which so possesseth all almost generally that in steed of honouring thee by having set thee up to bee our onely confidence and strength we do trust in vanity making flesh our arme either relying upon our wit our policy and counsell or other like meanes by all which as our hearts are withdrawne from thee so we have and do bring a fearefull curse uppon our selves making these our gods Lord make us able to consider of this more seriously of the truth heereof by this one thing that in all our straites and feares we so little run unto thy Majesty to seeke thy face and helpe in the first place by humbling our souls before thee and seeking to pacifie thy wrath as wee ought but only looke to the outward meanes as relying uppon them alone or principally And Lord we intreat thee to shew us in our harts and to set plainly before our faces how in all the rest of these holy duties we have provoked thee alike how in steede of taking to heart the dishonors done unto thy heavenly Majesty and being zealous for thy glory we have bene and are so generally either starke cold or luke-warme as the â—…odicean that thou mayest justly spewe us out of thy mouth or at least that wee are so mervailously decayed and falne from our first love Lord give us harts to consider of our most heynous sin in this behalfe that in steede of so loving thee thy truth and servants as we should do if we had set thee up truely in our soules and consciences as our God we have almost everie one set up some other thing which wee manifest plainly that we have and do love and preferre before thy glorious holinesse as having our affections set thereon much more then on thy heavenly Majesty and for obtaining or injoying whereof we are not afraid to indanger our selves to loose thy favour as some of us our children and friends to make them great others our pleasures to take our delight and satiate our selves in them others of us and that very generally the riches pompe honour and wealth of the world and all of us except some little remnant preferring our owne selves our owne honor â—…ase peace and safety and whatsoever is most pleasing unto us before thy glorious Majestie and thy heavenly Commandements Lord make us able to see how we have and do prouoke thee generally to powre out thy wrath upon us all some of us by grosse disobedience and obstinacie against some one or other of these thy Sacred Commandements if not all of them wherein soever they crosse the corruption of ouâ—… owne hearts and that against the verie light of our owne consciences although thou hast told us plainly that this hath bene and is nothing els but rebellion against thee and as the sinne of witch craft in thy eies How others of us dishonour thee by our timerousnes fearing the faces of men more then thy glorious face and thereuppon doing or forbearing good or evill onely for feare of man wherein wee have and do commit manifest Idolatry making Gods of men and setting them up in thy place How others of us tempt thee by presuming upon thy mercy to bee bold to sin because thou art so mercifull though thou hast told us directly that thou wilt not be mercifull to such Yea which is yet a higher degree good Lord Make us to see how many amongst us in â—…teed of having so set thee up as our God in our hearts of being continually humbled before thy glorious Majestie for all our sinnes and provocations have added fuell to the kindling and inflaming thy wrath against us as all amongst us who have set our selves against thy Word thy judgements or servants even with an high hand as if it were in despight of thy Majesty and even in defiance of thee Oâ—… make us to see and acknowledge all our sinnes