unto me for the wisest and greatest in this world have their frailties and infirmities David a man after Gods owne heart yet erred in numbring the people and confessed he had done very foolishly And Salomon his son the wisest and the greatest statesman that ever was upon the earth yet erred greatly and although he provided men-singers and women-singers and the delights of the sons of men yet he doth acknowledge all was but vanitie and vexation of spiritâ— And so I trust your noble and religious heart will tell you though you did provide you such excellent singers such rare conceits and curious Actors and numbred the people to behold it yet all is but vanitie and vexation of Spirit and the more vanitie and vexation of spirit because it was on the Lords day which should have been taken up with better meditations and the contemplation of Heaven and heavenly things and therefore that God might not be heareafter so dishonored nor your everlasting happinesse thereby endangered I beseech you in the tender mercie of our Saviour Christ give ear to the Counsell of your servant and be you pleased to submit your self to the censure of your own Court that so it may appeare to the world that you will not stand out in any thing that is ill but will give glorie to God and yeeld obedience to all good Lawes and so ye may stoppe the mouths and stay the fury of many prophane people which proclaime such libertie from this example to follow their vaine delights upon the Sabbath day But I hope when they shall heare that such is the justice of the Court and faithfulnesse of your Officers they will execute justice without respect of persons and therefore in this case will spare neither Lord Bishop nor Knights nor Ladies I trust I say when they shall heare of this it will be a great dancing and discouragement to them and also through the Lords mercie a means to repair again the breach whereat otherwise whole troops of prophane wretches will enter to lay violent hands upon the Lords Day and so beseeching the Lord God of Sabbath that my counsell might be as wholsome and as acceptable unto you as the Counsell of Abigal was to David that you might with that holy man say Blessed be the Lord God of Israel that hath sent thee to meet me and blessed bee thou that hast kept mee from giving any countenance or encouragement to any man that dares presume to prophane the Sabbath of the great God of heaven Amen Lord Jesus Amen Haughton More November 4. 1631. From him that hath so great cause and is so much bound to your Lordship Iohn Spencer YOu may bee pleased that my Lord Bishop had lately made me Comissarie Generall upon this occasion the Earle of Cleaveland had built a sumptuous Chappell and intreated the Bishop to consecrate the same and it pleased their Lordships to give me notice of the day so I did attend the Bishop and the next day he did it with great state and solemnitie accompanied with the Earle and Knights and Ladies and a multitude of his Clergie there was a learned Sermon and the holy Sacrament administred and other rites and Ceremonies performed so that it was three a clock before they came out of the Chappell and then my Lord Bishop was pleased to question me before the Earle of Cleveland in this manner Master Spencer what will they say to you now that have been at the consecration of a Chappell received the Sacrament at the hands of a Bishop in his Babylonish garment I answered If they have nothing else to say to me this may very well be answered But he said unto me Master Spencer what shall I do for you now I know if I should make you my Vicar-Generall you will dislike of that because it is a Popish title but I le tell you what I will do for you I will make you my Commissarie-Generall and that he thought would please me better for I had prosecuted his Comissarie Smith and charged him with suspition of Treason against the Kings royall person well I thanked his Lord shortly after made more use of my Office then he would have had me for one Mr. wilson a cunning Musition having contrived a curious Comodie and plotted it so that he must needs have it acted upon the Sunday night for he was to go the next day toward the Court the Bishop put it off till nine of the clock at night a while after the Commissarie Doctor Morrison kept a Court at Huntington and I came thither and went into the seat with the Commissarie and put on my hat the Doctors and Divines stood with hats off and gave their attendance then some offered their presentment but I told Master Commissarie that I had a presentment and that must be the first and so he took it and read it the tennour was thus We do here present Iohn Lord Bishop of Lincolne for having a Comedie acted in his house upon the Sunday it began about nine of the clock at night and continued till two or three of the clock the next morning We do present also Sir Sidney Mountacute and his Lady for leaving their Parish Church to come to hear this Comedie We here present Sir Thomas Headly and his Lady for the like We do present Master Wilson and other Acters of the same So when Master Commissarie had read it he was somewhat amazed at it and asked of me who was the Commissarie Generall I bad him ask my Lord of Lincolne who was Commissary Generall And this presentment we do make Ex officio Commissarie Generall Iohn Spencer So when this was registered I took my leave of Master Commissarie and came away for feare I should hear something else And afterwards because the Bishop did not appear I censured him for his fault to build a Schole-house at Eaton and to endue it with twenty pounds a yeer for the maintenance of the Schole-Master Sir Sidney Mountacute to give five pounds and five coats to five poor women and his Lady five gowns and five pounds for five poor widdows and this censure stands still unrepealed A Letter to Sir William Litton Knight concerning Master Spencer that famous learned man committed to prison for the refusing to stand to the hard-award of Mr. Noades but was upon this letter speedily released and Sir William Litton tooke him againe into his favour and was a noble friend unto him during his life GOod Sir William Litton I have visited Mr. Spencer your famous prisoner whom it pleaseth you to call my Rabbi I finde him so willing to referre himselfe unto you and Sir Oliver Luke to mitigate his hard-award that Mr. Noades hath made that I need not any further perswasions to effect the same onely give me leave to make this request unto you that as humility is an excellent vertue in any man much more in a man of eminent parts that you would vouchsafe to be such a Patron
feare of God with good works I beseech you in the feare of God deck your selfe with these rich jewels of faith and repentance humilitie patience fasting and prayer and good works that so you may be like the Kings Daughter glorious within and this will make you amiable in the sight of God and glorious in the eies of his Saints and remember you are the Daughter of a religious Ladie and the Wife of an ancient Knight and the Mother of two Sons and therefore you must give them good example of wisdome and sobrietie for godlinesse is great gaine if we can be contented with that we have and God hath blessed you with a rich portion of outward beauty and comelinesse and therefore do not deface that incomparable worke of God with such base trash and trumperie for you shall never enter into the Kingdome of Heaven into the companie of glorious Saints with that trumperie on your back and gaudes on your head Consider what I say and the Lord give you grace to repent of your sins before you go hence and be no more seen Amen Amen From him that doth desire your endlesse happinesse Iohn Spencer Good Brother I Am desirous to heare if my Father Winne have paid the fifty pounds unto Sir Milss Fleetwood and also to admonish you as I take it of your unseasonable payment of one hundred pounds upon the Sabbath day morning before Harborough Faire alas was that a fit time to tell money and to make your Accompts with men when you should accompt with God was that a fit time to rumble in your Chest for your money-bags when you should have ransackt your heart for your sins must not the Lord of Sabboths needs be highly offended to see the service of men preferred before his divine Service and more care had for the buying of Oxen than for the keeping of his holy Sabbath must not the Lord needs visit for such sins nay hath he not already visited although in great mercy for was not your dear and onely son within a few dayes after closed up in a Chest and there found by his mother speechlesse and near his last breathing had not the Lord in judgement remembred mercy and restored life when we deserved death and if you did not already make use of it I beseech you in the feare of God assure your selfe that in that judgement the Lord would have you take notice of that particular sinne for if you remember when I was with you at Arlsen I told you before I heard of this that you must thinke that there was something amisse that the Lord would have reformed when he threatened such fearefull judgement to this effect And therefore I beseech you bewaile that grievous sinne and as Iob made a Covenant with his eyes so doe you make a Covenant with your hands never to abuse them so againe with telling money upon the Sabbath day And remember it was Balaams ever to be lamented error still to pursue the wages of iniquity although the Angell threatened him with a drawing sword but let his fearefull end teach us with wisedome to returne in time and repent of our sinnes and make our peace with our God before we goe hence and be no more seene and to say truth these dayes and dangerous times requires a continuall preparation for our last departure when so many wise and strong are taken away and their honour laid in the dust and we must looke also for our changing we know not how soone and therefore good brother let us walke circumspectly as the children of the light and such as are risen with Christ setting our affections on things that are above and not on things that are on the earth for our life is hid with Christ in God When Christ which is our life shall appeare then shall we appeare with him in glory In the meane time let us be diligent to exhort and admonish one another and to edefie one another in our holy faith that so we may grow from grace to grace and strength to strength till we become perfect men in Christ Amen Lord Jesus Amen Your loving Brother and the Lords unworthy Creature John Spencer Staughton More Novemb. 7. 1616. A Copy of a Letter to the prisoners at Bedford with a Booke of common Prayer and M. Dods exposition upon the Commandements bound up together with bosses and claspes BRethren my hearts desire and prayer to God for you poore prisoners is that your soules might be saved For I beare you record that in these places you endure many times hunger cold and much misery together with the fearefull expectation of the Judges comming and the sentence of death yet if God doth not worke in your hearts true repentance and sanctifie these afflictions unto you it will be but as a forerunner of the appearing before that dreadfull Iudge that will pronounce that fearefull sentence of damnation against the wicked of Goe ye cursed into hell fire and these yron chaines a shadow of those everlasting chaines of darknesse wherein the wicked shall be for ever tormented and therefore that I might be a meanes through Gods mercy to further you in that holy worke of true repentance I have procured these two bookes to be bound up together for your better use in this place of restraint the one commended and commanded by the publique authority for the publique service of God the other the worke of a reverend Preacher an excellent exposition of the Commandements both being undertaken in the feare of God and diligently used may be a blessed meanes to further you in the way of repentance and to set your feet into the way of peace First therefore pray earnestly to God to give you understanding hearts and then read and then pray and read againe and the Lord of heaven so blesse you in reading and praying that you may truly repent you of all your sinnes before you goe hence and be no more seene Amen Stoughton Moore 1624. From him that wisheth your everlasting happinesse LEt me intreat you in the feare of God that one of you that is best affected and best inabled to read Prayers and the Psalmes for Morning and Evening Prayer according to the order that is appointed in the booke of common Prayer and then instead of the Chapters which you should read in the Bible if you had it read every morning and evening a portion of the Commandements as is appointed for the day of the month that so the booke of the Psalmes and the exposition of the Commandements may be read over once every moneth and upon every Sabbath day I would have you besides the ordinary portion appointed for that day of the month read the exposition of the fourth Commandement halfe at morning prayer and halfe at evening prayer Let one read distinctly and reverently and let the rest heare diligently and devoutly I doe humbly desire the honourable Court of Parliament to take that to their consideration that every prison
A DISCOVRSE Of divers PETITIONS OF HIGH Concernment and great consequence delivevered by the Authour into the hands of King JAMES of famous memory and into the hands of our gracious King CHARLES And divers other Letters delivered unto some great Peers of the Land and divers Knights and Ladies and others of great worth and quality A Treatise of Melancholie and the strange effects thereof with some directions for the comforting of poor afflicted soules and wounded consciences and some directions for the curing and reclaiming furious mad men and some rare inventions in case of great extremity to feed them and preserve them from famishing and to procure them to speak which it pleased the God of wisdom to enable me to finde out in the long time of fifty years experience and observation By JOHN SPENCER Gentleman ECCLESIAST 7.27 I have compassed about both I and my heart to know and quire and search to know wisdom and to know the wickednesse of folly and foolishnesse of madnesse LONDON Printed by H. Dudley 1461. TO THE HIGH AND MIGHTY MONARCH CHARLES by Divine providence King of Great Brittaine France and Ireland c. YOur Highnesse may iustly condemne this as a high presumption to present the most eminent King in the Christian World with a discourse of Petitions and Coppies of Letters but I have found favour in your sight when I presented them unto your highnesse upon more dangerous tearmes and therefore I trust that blessed Lord will move your heart still to accept of the hearty desires of your poore subject though they be not clothed with the glorious ornaments of Wisdome and Eloquence as was fit to dedicate to the view of so learned and judicious a Prince but my comfort is I speake to a mercifull King that knowes how to passe by infirmities and to pardon great offences and so beseeching the Lord God of heaven and earth to blesse your Highnesse with many happy dayes long to raigne over us to heare the Petitions of your faithfull Subjects and to redresse their wronges craving pardon for my boldnesse I humbly take my leave Devoted to your Highnesse Service IOHN SPENCER A DISCORSE OF DIVERS PETITIONS OF HIGH CONCERNment and great consequence This Petition was written upon the Booke for the recreation upon the Lords day and I delivered it to King Iames at Greenwitch hee tooke it with him in his Coach and committed mee to Mr. Hutchinson of the guard for a certaine time and was graciously pleased to have great care of mee for my dyet and lodging and after divers disputations with Bishop Neal and Bishop Buckridge set mee at libertie REad O King read O King and then consider well If ever any such decree was made in Israel Help O King help O King and let not the Sabbath Of our glorious God be thus prophained With grievous sins in open streets proclaimed Nor in Dooms dreadfull day this heavy hand-writing Bee iustly brought against great Britains Royall King The humble Petition of your sinfull Subiect JOHN SPENCER A Petition delivered to King Iames at Bletfoe Good King Iames reforme thy Court of cursed swearing Which otherwise will undoubtedly Gods heavy iudgement bring And to his faithfull Ministers gracious bee Whose ruine else we soone shall see This happy â—oon an earnest suit to thee I make Oh Consider well and grant it for Christs sake The humble Petition of your sinfull Subiect Iohn Spencer A Petition delivered to our gracious King Charles at Finchingbrook at his going to his Army Royall Anno 1639 March 28. THe glorious Lord of Heaven and Earth the God of battel and Lord of Hosts for our Lord Jesus Christ his sake blesse our gracious King Charles and his brave Army and cover his Royall head in the day of battell and returne him with honour and victorie to his Royall Queen but I beseech your Highnesse give your poor Subiect leave to intreat you that you would not adventure your selfe in the day of battell but remember what the Souldiers said unto the valiant King David 2 Samuel 21.17 Thou shalt go no more out with us to the battell lest thou quench the light of Israel and consider what counsell that kingly Prophet giveth Psalme 34.17 Eschew evill and do good seek peace and ensue it And therefore that faire Englands happy peace may not be now endangered let the new Scottish Service Book and the book for the recreation upon the Lords Day be both throwne over the Scottish Bank and so I humbly take my leave and although by reason of my old age and some wounds that I received at the famous siege of Ostend I am disabled to doe your Highnesse service in the war yet as my bound duty is I will dayly pray unto the God of Peace to set your feet in the way of peace The humble petition of your loyall Subiect Iohn Spencer A Petition delivered unto our gracious King Charles upon this occasion The King was to go towards New-market upon Munday but the waggon and the hounds went thorow Cheapside upon the Lords day which was not lawfull O King I never heard that they removed since upon the Lords day so gracious was the Kings care herein Good King Charles Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day And let not Charles wain be seen to move on London way But in the high Sphear of heavenly Contemplation Let that day be spent in holy meditation Both King servants subiects all zealous for Gods glory To hate profanenesse and to abolish all idolatry That so when thy blest soul shall leave thy Royall breast Thou mayest in heaven for ever have a glorious rest The humble petition of your sinfull subiect Iohn Spencer A Petition unto our gracious King Charles upon the late setting forth of the Book for Recreations upon the Lords day Good King Charles to hear be graciously pleased That this Book in the dayes of your Father King of great renown Grew very ill and grievously diseased And to prevent the mischief that thereby might redowne Was with wisdoms holy care haply supprest And so good King Charles for evermore let it rest The humble petition of your poor sinfull servant Iohn Spencer I sent my son with this Petition who made great haste and delivered it to the King it pleased his highnesse to commit him prisoner to the guard of his Royall person and set him at liberty the next day and commanded the Lords of Scotland to attend his highnesse in Parliament upon Munday and there concluded a happy peace A strange and strong transportation upon the Lords day April 27. 1639. THis day going to the Church of great Staughton and hearing the bels chime I fell into a strong apprehension that I saw King Charles in the field with his brave Army under hiâ— Standard Royall upon a hill with his owne Squadrons and the Scottish Army in the field also and the King gave directions unto his Colonels and Captaines to charge the Scottish Battalions here and there till the
quaeries in a forraign land when it is more need to make enquiry into my owne sinfull and deceitfull heart to see what is done there in matter of reformation repentance and amendment of life And therefore now though we are far remoted in the body yet let us be present in spirit and prayer and although you are retyred to a place of more privacy and where your eyes I hope doe not see such abominations to vexe your heart with as ours doe yet pitty us and pray for us and on the other side be not oh be not so secure nor put your confidence in your select company nor in those remoted woods and solitary mountaines but remember what befell unto Lot that was righteous Lot whilest he lived in Sodome but when he would fly out of Zoar to a solitary cave in the mountaines with his two daughters he committed those abominable sinnes there that his soule would have abhorred once to have thought on in Sodome and therefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall our help is in the name of the Lord that hath made heaven and earth who is able to help us in all places and at all times and so beseeching the God of peace that brought againe from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ the shepheard of his sheep through the bloud of the everlasting covenant make us perfect in all good works and to doe his will working in us that which is pleasant in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be prane for ever and ever Amen Even so I take my leave and rest Your loving and sinfull Cousin Iohn Spencer England Iuly 9. 1635. I pray remember my respective love to my gracious Cousin your loving wife who hath given such a testimony of her love unto you and the reverend opinion she hath of your honourable Calling and commend mee to the rest of my Cousins and to so many of our Christian friends as you think fit A charitable Consideration of new-Englands plantation We read in holy Writ and Law Leviticall That if a man dyeth having no child at all His neerest kinsman by the right of Aliance Shall take both the Widdow and the Inheritance To raise up seed to the dead and by doing well Continue still his Brothers name in Israel Fair England of the Northern World the great renowne Having late made Vnion with the Scottish Crowne Thereby involving her title with great Brittaine And so lyeth obscured in that golden chaine We to continue the name of our Brother In great America hath rais'd up another The Almighty God grant that ever may remain An ornament to England a terror to Spain FINIS JOHN SPENCER Mtr. Brightman a little he died translated the Canticles into verse whereupon I wrote these verses TH' heavenly song of that bright man Whereto he tun'd his latest breath Much like a silver shining-Swan Presag'd thereby his present death A goodlier song was never seene And few such singers left there been But you faire Signets which still remaines By pure streames of sacred Truth Washing your wings from sinfull staines With mournfull tears and dolefull ruth Lest you should him too much deplore For you this song he left in store Never therefore let the prophane With sinfull lips and hearts impure This sacred Song once dare to name Lest they damnation doe procure Let them with Toads their croaking make Till they doe their sins forsake But you deare Children of the light Whose lips are tun'd to sing this praise Oh labour still to shine more bright And therein spend your happiest dayes That when your dear Lord shall appeare He may you finde a Spouse most cleer FINIS Iohn Spencer A charitable Supposition Of Mtr. Brightmans sudden Dissolution No marvell though so bright a man His glorious life in Heaven so soone began For long his soule had languish'd in great griefe To see Gods chosen Flocke to want their best reliefe And cruell Wolves dumbe dogs and lordly Masters Set in the roome of Christ faithfull Pastors Therefore his deare Lord seeing his servant thus distrest Took him away unto his everlasting rest FINIS Iohn Spencer Here lyeth inter'd Sarah Spencer the vertuous Wife of Iohn Spencer and Sarah his Virgin Daughter Both so goodly faire and curteous As few such Sarahs will be found hereafter Blessed be the Lord God of Heaven and Earth That made them so renouned both in life and death A Coppie of a Letter sent to a great Lady MAdam my great care of your everlasting happinesse and my respective love to my reverend Cousin Mr. Lee who now is dead in the Lord and therefore must cease from his labour and from those holy endevours whereby he did labour to plant grace in your heart in your tender yeares and whereof you then gave such excellent hopes that in the Autumne of your age he should have seen a plentifull increase of that blessed fruit and many goodly sheaves of pietie and happinesse to his great comfort in the Harvest but it pleased God the great Lord of the Harvest to take him away as from other evils to come so likewise from those griefs that would have wounded his heart to see those flourishing hopes so nipt and withered in your spring-time it pleased God to make me partaker of his last prayer and to close his eyes Oh that it might be his blessed pleasure to make his Spirit to be redoubled on me that I might be the better able to admonish and exhort you to reform that which is amisse in you and disgracefull to your holy profession I meane in respect of your outward carriage and appearance with so many fond fashions and garish attires as to deale plainly with you were more meet for one of painted Iezabels profession than for a Lady of your worth and more fit to furnish a pedlers pack than to make open shew of them in the Church of God and in the Assembly of the Saints whereas things should be done with comelinesse and decencie and therefore he commandeth that no woman should be covered because of the Angels 1 Corinth 11.10 and that women should pray with their heads covered But if this be a comely covering to have a womans head covered with dogs haire or goats haire and cats dung and painted fethers judge you for my owne part the Word of God wherewith you shall be judged condemnes it as odious and abominable but it may be you will say it is the Gallants fashion and what if the Venetian Curtizans have brought up that fashion must the religious Ladies of England follow that fashion God forbid the Children of God must not fashion themselues after the world Rom. 11.2 But they must fashion themselvs according to the rule of Gods Word and then Madame marke what fashion you must be in 1 Timoth. 2.9 10. Likewise also the women that they array themselves with shamefastnesse and modestie not with broidered haire or gold or pearls or costly apparell but as becommeth the
may be furnisht with such a booke and every high Sheriffe of every countrey provide a Preacher to visit the prisoners once every week for it is pittifull to see how they are neglected A Copy of a Letter to M. Hutchinson to whose hands King Iames committed me after I delivered unto him the petition for the Sabbath MY very loving and kind Keeper although you have been long out of sight yet you have been oftentime in minde and often in my thoughts and prayers unto God for you as I had good cause when I remember the great care and love that you and M. Hutchinson did shew unto me when I was prisoner in your house Oh that it would please the Lord to make me as happy a prisoner unto you as Saint Paul was unto his Keeper at Philippi whereof you may read in the sixteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles who at Saint Pauls first comming into the prison was in such a woefull estate of a persecuting Infidell yet that night being terrified with the earthquake and feare of the losse of his prisoners would desperately have murthered himselfe but Saint Paul having pitty and compassion upon him cryed out with a loud voice Doe thy selfe no harme for we are all here and then with feare and trembling he fell downe before them and brought them out of prison and said Sirs what must I doe to be saved and Saint Paul preached unto them to beleeve in the Lord Iesus and he and his houshold should be saved and so through the Lords great mercy they were converted and baptized and greatly reioyced that he and all his house beleeved in God Now though I have not seen you so desperately minded to kill your selfe with your sword for feare of my escape yet I must needs say I have seen you ready to wound your soule with fearefull swearing and excessive drinking and how greatly this may endanger your soule and body also you may consider of it You remember well that the Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vaine and Saint Paul doth testifie that drunkards shall not inherit the Kingdome of God Galat. 5.22 but of these sinnes I have admonished you of when I was with you and through the Lords great mercy found some reformation thereof in that I did see you refraine from such excessive drinking and sometimes abstaine an oath and reprove others for swearing I know that is a hard matter suddenly to cast off such growne sinnes and those whereunto you have been so long accustomed but on the other side also I know it is an easie thing unto our omnipotent God to set your feet into the way of peace Oh therefore unto that mercifull God to convert your soule and to set your feet into the way of peace Oh therefore pray unto that blessed Lord and importune him with earnest and zealous prayer day and night untill he hath wrought in you that blessed worke to give you grace not onely to see your sinnes but give you also true repentance and godly sorrow for them that you may now loath them more then ever you loved them and utterly detest and abhorre them though they be as deare unto you as your right eye and as profitable unto you as your right hand yet cast them off and cast them from you for it is better for us to enter into the kingdome of heaven so maimed and spoiled of our sinnes then to enjoy them here for a short time and then both soule and body to be cast into hell fire where there is weeping and wailing in everlasting darknesse And now that you may escape those everlasting torments and attaine to the kingdome of heaven and the righteousnesse thereof you must settle your selfe to the constant performing of those holy duties of prayer and hearing the word of God and you must take unto you that Christian resolution that no feare of mans displeasure nor the mockes and scoffes of wicked men should make you never to neglect the same I meane you must not be ashamed to goe to Sermons nor to keep holy the sabbath-Sabbath-day nor to pray with your wife and servants though all the drunken companions in Kent should rayle or ieere at you for the same but remember that those that are ashamed of our Lord Iesus Christ and of his holy service on earth he will be ashamed to owne them in the day of judgement and leave them to their devillish masters and to those hellish torments which he hath prepared for such base slaves that doe preferre the service of the devill before the service of God And then will they cry unto the mountaines to cover them and to hils to fall upon them rather then they would heare the dreadfull sentence of Goe ye cursed into hell fire prepared for the devill and his angels and the wofull execution that followes thereupon to be closed up for ever in utter darkenesse and there to be tormented with those damned spirits where instead of their carousing and filthy speaking they shall have weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth for evermore and never shall behold the face of any man nor heare the voice of any creature to yeeld them comfort but as they delighted themselves in swearing and staring in cursing and raging so they shall have their fill thereof among those raging and furious damned spirits and yet shall not procure one drop of water to coole their tongues although they be tormented in those hellish flames as you may read in the example of Dives Saint Luke 16.29 and then my loving Keeper is it not much better with Moses to chuse rather to suffer afflictions with the children of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sinne for a season and then to goe to everlasting torments And what if you be mocked and pointed at for a Puritane and be counted a mad man because you separate your selfe from the company of blasphemous wretches and abhominable drunkards and doe now resolve to serve the living God with an honest heart nay what if you should be persecuted and imprisoned for his name-sake Rejoice and be glad for great is your reward in heaven for so persecuted they the Prophets and holy men of God in former times and so likewise did the Iews persecute our Lord Iesus Christ and said he was mad and had a devill And if they dealt thus with him our Lord and Master shall we looke for a greater priviledge nay let us with a holy resolution arme our selves to encounter with all their temptations and with the blessed Apostle rejoice that we are accounted worthy in such an honourable cause and to be made like unto our Saviour Christ in any sort for he entred into his kingdome of glory through many tribulations I am a little the more earnest upon this point because even while I was with you I feare there were some that did with scoffing and geering seeke to discourage you in those good courses whereunto you were so
tractable But I beseech the Lord of mercy strengthen your faith that you may not onely come secâ—etly unto Christ as Nicodemus did but boldly speake to his glory as Nicodemus did afterwards And then I trust you shall finde great comfort unto your owne soule and cause the Angels in heaven to rejoice for as our Saviour Christ saith Luke 15. I say unto you likewise ioy shall be in heaven for one sinner that converteth more then for ninety and nine iust men which need no amendment of life and so humbly praying to that blessed Lord that you and yours and I and mine may be found in the number of those true repentant sinnners I rest Your loving friend Iohn Spencer Braughton Moore October 2. 1618. I pray remember my respective love and thankfulnesse unto your wife and desire her that whatsoever I have written unto you she will account that as writ to her selfe for you two must be but as one Commend me to M Iohn Davies and to M. Knevett and to M. Preston and M. Parsons the great Porter M. Commissary I heare that you are greatly offended because many well disposed people came to Cople-Church upon Friday the nine and twentieth of August to pray and to heare the word of God preached for which hainous fact as you would make it you and your Officials have so terrified both Preachers and people as though it were in your power to bring them under the Spanish Inquisition For my own part therefore to save you some labour in your inquirie after me I doe acknowledge my selfe to be one of them that was there and one also that did much desire to further that meeting and that it was my meaning and I hope the meaning of many others to humble our soules that day in fasting and prayer and to pray to the God of heaven for our gracious King for we heard the weeke before that he was sicke and likewise that the Lord would blesse his great designes then in hand and protect his army and navy that was then to set forth to sea And now Master Commissary if your heart be so malitious that you cannot endure to have us performe this service to God and duty to our King but you and your Officials will persecute and restraine us Assure your selfe if there be any Law in the land will hang you up for it at Bedford gallowes I will as eagerly pursue you to that place of execution as if you had cut the throat of my father and hewed my eldest son in pieces And if you and your Officials will maintaine your Decrees to be the Lawes of the Medes and Persians that may not be broken though the King and his subjects suffer never so much prejudice by the same and therefore if upon these extraordinary occasions we make our prayers and supplications unto our God in this manner We shall be cast into the Commissaries denne I trust that mighty God that did deliver his servant Daniell from the rage of such cruell beasts will likewise deliver us from the fury of your roring Cannon and being thus overcharged make it recoyle-upon your selves and teare you in pieces and there be none to deliver you read Psal. 50. ver. 20. Are you so squint-eyed that you can see to trouble an honest man in Bedford for going to heare a Sermon upon the Sabbath-day in the afternoone in the same Towne and when there was none at his own Church and for more expedition and for double Fees to cite him and suspend him altogether but you cannot or will not see to punish some notorious drunkards and swearers and Tobackonists and Tossepots and whoremongers and blasphemers c. Pocklington or Pockie-tongue who in a publicke Sermon used this blasphemous speech enveighing against those that stood for preaching that he sung a Hopkins jig and so whipt up into the Pulpit But I trust when our gracious King is humbly petitioned unto and his Highnes and his Parliament truly informed how his poore subiects are dealt with I hope his Highnesse will see it redressed and will not suffer us to be thus vexed and terrified for performing the duty of faithfull subiects in this holy course of fasting and prayer which his Highnesse hath to his everlasting fame so often publiquely commanded and in his Royall person so reverently performed and therefore having such a royall president we will follow it and doe you and your Officials the worst you can and know this is the resolution of Iohn Spencer THis letter I sent to Master Commissary by an understanding man and wished him if the Commissary gave him a shilling for his paines he should not refuse it and appointed him to run to Bedford that I might know the Commissaries answer The Commissary was a very stout and cholericke man and when he had read the letter he stampt and fumed as if he had been wilde and returned me this answer That he would iustifie that he did and if I had any thing to say to him I must meet him tomorrow at his Court at Ampthill and so I did and when he was going to his Court in his pompe I met him in the street and asked him if he was the Commissary and he said yes then I told him I doe charge you with suspition of treason against the Kings Royall person and so then commanded the Constables to doe their office and then there was a great hurrye to fro as if we had been driving an Oxe to the butchers stall He made great offers to put in bayle and that he might goe to the Church to take order for the dismissing the Court but I would give no consent but told him I knew not whether hee might sit there being thus attached upon treason yet he prevailed with the Constables and they went with him to the Church and I rode to the Church gate and sent in the Constable to bring him away he intreated to have a little longer time to dissolve the Court and there was such a â—ubile and going away without paying Fees as I thinke was never seen in all his time before I hastened him away to goe to Sir Edmund Conquests to take order for the sending of him up to the Councell and told him that I had charged him with suspition of treason against the Kings Royall person and desired his care to send him up safely by the Sheriffe or else to send him to Bedford Goale that he might be forth-comming So Sir Edmund said he must do one of them and would have knowne of me what were the words which hee should say but I answered him that was not so fit for me to tell that I must make that knowne to the Councell and so made hast towards London and then I saw Master Commissary and the Constable and three or foure more with him afoot as though they had been going to hunt the Foxe they called unto me and would have me stayed to see if they could have taken up the businesse
great mens sins whilest you see and hear the glorious Name of God dishonoured and dare not or will not reprove for the same consider what the Psalmist saith 50.16 But unto the wicked said God what hast thou to do to declare mine ordinances that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest to be reformed and hast cast my words behinde thee For when thou seest a thiefe thou runnest with him and thou art partakers with the adulterers vers 22. O consider ye that forget God least I teare you in pieces and there be none to deliver you Now therefore I beseech you observe that those that run with the wicked and are partakers with the ungodly in their wicked delights are those whom the Lord shall tear in pieces thus you see that not onely the wicked themselves but also their associates and partakers shall be torne in pieces in the day of Gods fearfull wrath O consider this sweet meat must have sower sawce and then I trust through the Lords great mercy you will utterly refuse it upon those tearmes for what were it to gaine the whole world and to loose our soules But to conclude if neither perswasions nor exhortations may prevaile with you to break the neck of your Cock-fighting pleasures consider wel with your self that the Lord hath put you as it were into the Cock-pit of the round world to fight his battel against the flesh the world and the divel the strongest striking the sorest hitting and the cunningest fighting Cock in the world who is onely to be wounded with the spurres of faith and piety and that all those that wil overcome in this battell must be thorowly fed with the word of God and dayly breath with prayer and meditation whereby they strengthen their faith and sharpen the spurres of their holy zeale and those that neglect this meanes let them brag never so much upon their own dunghill yet when it comes to a sound tryall they will prove themselves to be brand fallen Cravens and likewise consider that every houre idely spent and every vaine word that proceeds out of your mouth is as it were vain to your soule and all unlawfull pleasures like hovells upon the spurres of your devotion and then with wisdom consider what an unlikely or rather impossible a thing it is for a poor famisht Cock pitifully vained and thus hung and hovelled to overcome a Cock of that wonderfull strength and devilish spirit that you are matched withall Again suppose that those that sit in the lower ring of the Cock-pit are the Divells and wicked Spirits and those that sit in the upper ring of the Cock-pit are the glorious Angels and blessed Saints both behoulding this doubtfull battell though with contrary affections the angels reioycing when they see you fight this spirituall battell like a good souldier of Jesus Christ that wicked Spirits wohping and hallowing when they see you strike faint fight like a Craven and fall beastly and hear dear brother that we make our selves a laughing stock to this wicked spirits let us pray unto our Lord Jesus Christ to strengthen our faith and to assist us with his grace that we may resiist the devill and make him flie from us and in the end tread Sathan underfoot and give us a crown of immortall glorie Amen Lord Jesus From your truly loving brother though he deals thus plainly with you Iohn Spencer GOod Sir Robert Carr I have receaved your â—etter and do acknowledge my thankfullâ—e unto you that you are pleased to have so good opinion of me and my endeavoures to commit your brother unto my care and ordering and that all things accomodate unto my desire at Steeford but I must entreat you that I may be spared for my coming to undertake care of him so farre remoted from my family I have my hands full of such dangerous employments again I hear there are suits in law betwixt you his mother my Ladie Carr who should I think have the custodie of him and therefore matters standing upon those litigious termes I should be loath to meddle with him but if you would bring him into this country I should be glad to do you the best service I can and the rather because his mother is very willing to commit him to my care but if my directions may do you or him any pleasure I have sent them unto you and desire you to employ Master Dixie that hath lived with me and is acquainted with his courses and so I beseech the Lord to blesse these or any other good meanes to yeild him comfort I take my leave and rest Desirous to do you service JOHN SPENCER The direction for Master Rochester Carr. OVr help is in the Name of the Lord that made heaven and earth First therefore let that blessed Lord be humbly fought unto by fasting and prayer Secondly let the distressed gentleman be removed from his own house unto some other convenient place well situate for aire and spacious fields to walk in and to do other exercises Thirdly settle with him a religious discreet Divine that may constantly pray with him and read unto him evening and morning and upon all good occasions to keep him company Fourthly place about him six honest servants men of good discretion and resolution that may be ready upon all occasions to aid and assist in the well ordering of him according to the dirrections of him that shall undertake the government of him to watch with him to ride with him and to exercise with him in shooting or bowling or any other exercise that shall be thought fit for him Fiftly let them be very carefull and take heed that there be no knives nor swords nor any wounding instruments left in the roomes wherein he comes nor worn by others that he may suddenly snatch at them for their temptations are many times very violent and their resolution sudden and disperate Sixtly let his apparell be decent and comely of cloth or plaine stuffe without lace or any such curious trimming and let his attendants give him no titles of honour but in civillity call him Master Rotchester or Master Carr and when he doth any thing wel then to shew the more respect unto him but otherwise to slight him as those that are set over him to command him and not to be commanded by him Sevently let his diet be sparing and moderate rather to support nature then to pomper the flesh veale lambe pheasant larkes smelts troutes pike pearch also let him fast often and pray much let him refraine from all kinde of wines and strong drink if you can by any meanes let him sleep six or seven houres in the foure and twenty and not above Eightly let him be held constantly to prayer and reading an houre in the morning and an hour in the evening and if the weather be fitting and his strength answerable let him walke a mile out right in the morning and evening and if you finde him inclining to
doth threaten many heavy Judgements against the children of Israel Deut. 28.47 Because thou servest not thy Lord thy God with ioyfulnesse and a good heart for the abundance of all things therefore thou shalt serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send uppon thee in hunger and in thirst and in nakednes and in need of all things And thus according to my simple understanding I have satisfied your request in setting down some directions humbly beseeching that mighty and glorious God who giveth wisdome to the simple and worketh great effects by weak meanes to give such a blessing unto my poor endeavours that his great power may be seen in my weaknesse that you may finde such comfort to your soule and such peace to your conscience that hereafter you may tell unto others the great mercies that the Lord hath shewed unto you in the dayes of your afliction and therefore say with the Prophet loe this is our God we have waited for him and he will save us this is the Lord we have waited for him we will rejoyce and be joyfull in his salvation Amen Lord Jesus Amen From him that would willingly exchange some of his comforts for some of your sorrows and some of his best delights for some your repentant teares Iohn Spencer MAster Frankling a man of great worth almost a thousand pound a year fell into a wonderfull melancholie and distraction for seven yeares his eyes closed up his mouth closed up his hands closed up so that he was like a dead corps and almost famished he was with Master Nappier that famous Physician about a yeere and a halfe but could not prevaile with him some two yeares after he returned unto his own house he fell into a strange humour of eating and drinking wine and strong ale and it is almost uncredible to report how much he did devour in a day and night but this putting strength into him he grew very outragious and fell a burning and fighting and greatly endangered the killing of his servants and the burning of his house and then my brother Master Gery that maried Master Franklâ—ngs sister entreated me to go unto him I told him my opinion was as it was before that he must be removed from that house and have some others placed about him that would follow other directions my brother was desirous still to have me go to see him so with his importunity I went and took with me Master Iones a grave Preacher and one that had taken great pains with him we found him in a great chamber the glasse windows broken down and one chaire another afterwards was brought we sate down my intention being at this time onely to observe his carriage he was in a slight suit hardly worth five shillings like Irish trouses without a band the haire of his head on both sides being rubbed off and standing with his back to a great fire and looking so terribly that he would have terrified a man that was not acquainted with furious obiects so having spent some halfe an hour in observing of him Master Iones very respectively rose up and put off his hat and made his Apologie to Master Franklin because he did not come to see him for he went to Thurly but he slighted him and would make him no answer Then I spake to him and said Master Francklin you are much beholding to Master Iones for his great care of you but he sweld up and said unto me Sirrah how dare you speak thus unto me And I saw it was now time for me to get out of my chaire and because he should see that I was not daunted at his speeches I drew neerer and said Who are you that I must not speak unto you And thereupon he suddenly darted off the hearth and with his filthie nailes raked over my face and tore my ruffe so I was so ingaged that I must win the horse or lose the saddle but it pleased God to give me such strength that closing with him I threw him down and gat his hand and swaked it to the boards and called for a knife to pare his nailes but he would then have set upon my face with his teeth I was fain then to loose one of my hands and take him by the throat and with all my strength thrattle him but he made a hideous noise and cryed to his brothers to help him so one of them came and took me off and then I washed my face for I had not lost so much blood in any fray since I was at the siege of Ostend Afterwards he would be friends with me for he knew that I did it as a Souldier of Ostend A while after there was a meeting of divers Iustices of Peace and other gentlemen and there he was delivered unto me as by vertue of a commission out of the Court of wards and so we removed him to another place and set other attendants about him and gave other directions and so after a short time her rode abroad a hunting and coursing and grew into great jollity and married my Ladie Charnockes daughter a brave and vertuous young gentlewoman by whom he had one daughter and is lately dead And another beautifull young woman one Wapooles daughter of Southoe neer Huntington and one Master Beadles Son falling in love with her and intending to marry her but after his father perceived it he would not give his consent because her father was not able to give a portion according to his estate whereupon she fell into great discontentment and fell distracted and wandering from her fathers house in the depth of winter and in great floudes toward evening she came to my house and being in the porch made a strange kinde of noise I went to see her and she was wet and moiled as though she had been dragged thorow a river I fear'd at first she had coundterfeited and thought of sending her to the constable but afterward I had more pitty on her and caused her to be brought to the fire and got some warme drinkes and a warme lodging and so with in some few dayes it pleased God she was so well amended that she was able to declare unto me where her father dwelt and related unto me this pittyfull story of her love after she was able to doe some businesse I sent to her father to fetch her home he was glad when he heard she was living for they did thinke she had been drowned in the great floods when her father came we had been at prayers and I was reading a chapter when her father came in the young woman looked upon him very earnestly but would neither speak nor do any reverence unto him I used many perswasions to her but could not prevaile I sent out her father into another roome but it would not be then I called for pinfers and opened her mouth and dealt very roughly with her as though I would have plucked out her teeth but it would not be then I took a Bible
any in such a desperate estate to mend so much in a short time and so returned unto his father and is a more active man and of better discourse then ever he was Margaret Russell a Yeomans daughter of good worth a young woman and very beautifull fell into a great mellancholly and attempting to make her selfe away she was in love with a Baker and the Brownistes had tamperd with her fell likewise into a humour to famish her selfe with whom I took the like course to feed her she was a woman of that strength and nimblenesse of her ioynts as I seldome are met with the like she was very resolute to famish her self so I was carefull to break the points of the knives but Except the Lord keepeth the citie the watchman watcheth but in vain For our harvest cart coming home and many of our neighbours with the same we went to prayer and song a Psalme as our usall custome was they fell unto such chear as it pleased God to blesse us withall and the table being being furnish't Margaret Russell sat downe at the table end upon a threshold near the store house and he that attended her being set at the table and making merry with our neighbours my wife and I being in another roome with some other young women Alice Pentlow my wives servant having been at the market and put on her holy day girdle and knife that had a sharpe point she went the store house to cut some victuals and brought a piece of pastie in her hand Margaret Russell made an haighing and held out her hand as though she would have the pasty but when she was within her reach she snatch at her knife and Alice made a pittifull scritch and cryed out Marget Marget and held the knife in her hand as fast as she could but the other being to strong for he stabd her self twice into the throat so I run into the hall and wrencht the knife out of her hand and one of them was directly upon the throat as if one had stickt a pig and bled grievously and we expected hir death presently and therefore kneeld down and prayed unto God for her and did earnestly entreat her to cry unto God for mercy but she seemed not to regard it but rather forc'd her selfe to make it bleed more I wished them to bring her to the hall door and give her ayre and there we kneeld about her at last I bid on bring me a mallow stalk and search the wound and found it slip along by her winde pipe and so used some meanes to staunch the bleeding and heald the wound within few dayes she went home with her father and after grew into great bravery and I heare is lately richly married and that her father gave her two hundred pound the Lord give her grace to repent of her sinnes and praise him for this mercifull preservation A Discourse of mad Dogs and the danger of their biting with some directions to cure the same I Came to Cambridge to my brothers Master Edward Spencers as I take it upon a Friday towards the evening that night I went not into bed but towards morning fell asleep and was much troubled with a dream that I was at the receiving of the Sacrament and when the Minister delivered the bread he was taken suddenly in such a maner that he could not come at us I was much troubled to think what we should do in such a case but it pleased God I waked and then was free of that feare My brother came presently after and desired me to go with him to see a friend that could not live but till eight of the clock it was Master Twells his son that was then Major my brother tould me a strange discourse of the manner of his sicknesse about a moneth before had a little dog that bit him by the finger and repelled the skin and bled a little and healed up againe the little dog grew mad upon wednesday the young man found him very ill and went to two or three of the cheefest Doctors of phisick and they used their best indeavours but could not prevayle but the young man grew worse when I came into his chamber I found his mother weeping and lamenting and two or three attending on him he was a proper tall young man spake strongly and very religiously with great apprehension of the ioyes of heaven oh that some good man would further me with their prayers I saw him so well disposed desired his father to send for some Divines to pray with him but he desired me to satisfie his desire since he made the motion to me and so rather then it should not be done I prayed with him the young man seemed to be greatly affected therewith and made great expressions of his ioy and comfort he was very hot and dry but durst not drinke for then he thought he should presently die and now let me tell you something that hath relation to my troublesome dream the morning before I came young Master Twels was very desirous to receave the Sacrament of the Lords supper and resolved to drink the wine though he died for it and so the Sacrament was administred unto him and they thought some of the wine went downe but they had much a do to keep life in him I tould his father that I feared he would fall into more extremities but advised them not to binde him for that would make him worse but I tould my brother that if his sicknesse grew upon this occasion he would be mad I would have made him a bath of milke and plunged him in it over head and eares and let it run in at his mouth at his nose and his eares and in this desperate case put it to that adventure for otherwise there was no hope but they had sent that morning to a skilfull man to advise with and was loath to make triall of it till they heard from him and I was loath to presse it in such a desperat case so in the afternoone I returned home but my brother told me that night he fell into a great rage and madnesse and in his fits barked like a mad dog but some houre or two before he dyed it pleasd God to restore him to his sences againe and he spake very religiously and prayed earnestly unto God to pardon his sins so departed Now to give some directions in such dangerous cases first pray unto the God of heaven to blesse the meanes and if the party so bitten with a mad dog be near the Sea let them with all speed throw him into the Sea water and plung him over head and eares and wash the wounds thorowly with the Sea water if that cannot be had then take the liver of the mad dog and make poridg of it and let them eat the liver and the broath as long as it lasteth and take the hair of the mad dog and make tents of it and put it into the holes that
hate and abhorce them as cursed workes of darkenesse and have nothing to doe with them and grant us grace to serve thee in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life and labour to keep our soules and bodies pure and undefiled as the temples of the holy Ghost and walk honestly and religiously in our calling and deale justly and charitably all the dayes of our life that so it may be well with us at our last breathing and in the dreadfull day of judgement and in this confidence we do not only pray for our selves but also for all our christian brethren upon the face of the Earth those especially that are wounded in their soules and consciences and those that sufferd for the truth sake and those that are visited with mortall disstresse and tormenting crosses and weare new the point of death and prepare them for thy glorious Kingdome good Lord blesse our gracious King Charles and his great Court of Parliament worke graciously in the heart of the King and all his Subjects and in the heart of the Prince and all his people godly sorrow for all our sinnes and give us grace to weepe and mourne night and day for the sinnes and abominations of these sinfull times and cry mightily unto the Lord to turne away those heavie judgements we have justly deserved and continue his great mercy towards us and inflame their hearts with all holy zeale and devotion to advance the glory of God and doe good unto thy faithfull ones and on the other side to raise up their hearts with an everlasting hatred of all sinnes and utterly to abolish that and to roote that out and make them zealous to execute justice upon the malefactors that have so dishonoured God and labour to bring in Idolatry Popery and shed innocent blood and persecute thy faithtull ones that there may be that due execution of justice upon them as may most tend to thy glory the peace of the Church and comfort of thy faithfull ones and to the terrour of all wicked and prophane men blesse our Royall Queen convert her heart more more glorious to the love of the Gospell that shee may renounce all popery and Idolatry and wholly rest upon our Lord Iesus Christ to be her onely Saviour and her everlasting Redeemer that so the Angels in Heaven might rejoyce to see her true conversion unto Thee and blesse all good meanes that may effect the same in thy due and appointed time and make all faithfull Bishops and ministers of thy sacred word take all opportunities to effect the same as they will answere that in the dreadfull day of judgement good Lord blesse the Prince and the Princesse and all those of the Royall posterity and the Prince of Orringe and his Royall Consort sanctifie their hearts now in their tender yeares with the truth of thy holy religion and work in their hearts an everlasting hatred against all Popery Idolatry and prophanesse Good Lord blesse the Prince Elector worke graciously in his Royall heart godly sorrow for all his sinnes and let oh let wee humbly beseech thee the precious blood of our Saviour Christ cleanse him from all his sinnes and make him as pure both in soule and body as if he never had sinned but continued in the first state of innocency and cloath him with the holynesse and righteousnesse of our Lord Iesus Christ that hee may stand ever acceptable in thy fight and enabled to performe that great service unto thee to burne the Whore of Babylon with sire and revenge the blood of thy Saints to that end put it into the hearts of all the Kinges and Princes of the Earth to fulfill thy will to hate the Whore make her desolate and naked and burne her with fire Good Lord for the Lord Iesus sake blesse the Queene of Bohemiah and the Queene of Swedon those of that Royall issue that hath pleased the a long time to humble them with a dejected state and to suffer the enemies of thy truth greatly to insult over them to spoile their goodly Cities to burne downe their houses with fire and carry so many of our Christian brethren and sisters into a miserable captivitie and to shed so much innocent blood but thou doest all things with infinite wisedome thou knowest the fittest meanes to humble thy children and thou knowest the fittest time to make them glorious in their deliverance good Lord in thy blessed time revenge their cause and setle them againe in the inheritance of their Fathers and set them up to sit with the Princes of thy people in the meane time give unto thy servants faith and patience a godly sorrow for all their sinnes and holy zeale and wisedome to make their inheritance sure in heaven and lay up their treasure where that is not subject to these alterations and changes and confound the power of Ante-Christ that man of sinne and his adherentes that they may not to much insult over thy Children nor to much disturbe the peace of thy faithfull ones but in thy blessed time make it appeare how precious the blood of thy Saints is in thy sight and what a fearefull accompt they shall make for the same at the day of judgement before the great God of Heaven and Earth that art no respector of persons Blesse the good Bishops and faithfull Ministers of thy sacred word especially those that thou hast placed over us give them wisedome and grace to preach thy heavenly word powerfully and profitablely to our soule and consciences and blesse them in their lives and conversations that ye may be pure and peaceable that so they may be a a blessed meanes to convert many soules unto thee Root out those that are to scandolous and ignominious and labour to bring in Idolatry and prophanes and make them evermore to finde by experience that thou that fittest in the heavens will laugh them to scorne and have them in dirision Be mercifull unto our Christian brethren in the Palatinate in Germany other places of Christendom which suffer for the truth and the profession of the glorious Gospell and deliver them from blood thirstie men and gratiously supply all their wants both soule and body in thy appointed time Blesse our Christian bretheren in Virgenia and new England those remoted places of the world keepe them from secret schismes herisies and set their feete into the way of peace and deliver them from their enemies Blesse our Nobles Peares Iudges of the land and Councellers of state blesse them and their councell that tend to thy glory the peace of the Church and the good of the commonwealth that their councels may evermore bee happely established to the confusion of the wicked devises of ungodly men and women that labour to bring in Idollatry popery and prophannesse oh blesse we beseech thee our afflicted brethren sisters that are humbled with the sight of their sinnes and the terror of thy judgements due unto them for the
same make clearely appeare unto them thy everlasting mercy towards them in our Lord Iesus Christ their blessed Saviour and Redeemer and that his precious blood doth cleanse them from all their sins and make them as pure in thy sight as if they continued in their happie estate of innocency and let thy grace bee sufficient for them to support them in all their aflictions And confound the power and malice of the Devill and all his devilish devises whereby hee labours to drive them to dispayre and to lay violent hands upon themselves and make him feâ—re and tremble with the consideration that all these evill thoughts and wicked suggestions which hee puts into our hearts shall be set upon his own score and adde to his greater damnation in utter darkenesse and hell fire Blesse all our Christian brethâ—en that are visited with the Plague and other mortall diseases comfort their soules and worke in their hearts godly sorâ—ow for all thâ—iâ— sinnes and that they may cry mightily unto the Lord for mercy before they go hence and be no more seen and give them faith to beleeve in our Lord Iesus to bee their Saviour and everlasting Redeemer and that his precious bloud that cleanseth from all their sinnes and that hee will vouchsafe to bee unto them advantage both in life and death O blesse we beseech Thee our distressed brethren that are in distraction raging madnesse fury those that wee have taken the speciall care custody of whether present or absent oh stay them from laying violent hands on themselves or others thou that art the God of infinite wisdome and power that stillest the raging of the Seas and the madnesse of the people stay those raging fits and set their feet into the way of peace Blesse all our Christian friends Father Mother sisters and brothers those we have taken the speciall care and custody of wife children and servants and other our neighbours and friends amongst whom we live grant that wee and they may labour to keepe our soules and bodies pure and undefiled and make our houses the houses of prayer not a den of theeves and keep us from all infection of Idolatry popery and prophanenesse and if it shall please thee to bring us to such an honorable triall grant that wee may witnesse thy truth with our best bloud And now good Lord in the name of our Saviour Iesus Christ we praise magnifie thy holy name for that everlasting love of thine towards us in sending our Lord Iesus to be our Saviour for all those blessed comforts revealed unto us in thy sacred word for comforting our soules when wee have been so neer the point of despaire raysing our weak bodies when wee have been so neer the point of death and set our feet in the way of peace when we have been running the headlong course to damnation and blessed our labours and made us a meanes to yeeld comfort to any of our destressed brethren and sisters and blessed bee thy holy name that hath enabled us to write this book unto our gratious King good Lord blesse it that it may tend to thy glory to the confounding of Antichrist and his friends and the comfort of our afflicted brethren in their afflicted state And blessed be thy holy name for blessing us with the good things of the land thou hast given us the first and second raine and caused the earth to bring forth hearbs for the use of man and fodder for cattle and caused our vallies to stand so thicke with Corne and Wheate that wee have cause to tell of thy goodnesse all the day long and sent us peaceable dayes that we might receive the fruit of the Earth in due season notwithstanding the feare and terrour of the Schottish Armies hast given such holy wisedome to our gracious King to compose those dangerous warres with honour and safety to both Nations and blessed be thy holy name for continuing thy holy word unto us thy holy sacrament and thy holy ordinances unto us and blessed be thy holy name that continues our gracious King unto us and our great Counsell of Parliament and us with comfort and confidence that thou wilt be graciously pleased to make a holy reformation on both in Church and Common wealth and rise up with all holy indignation to root out all Idolatry popery and all prophannesse and Papeists Atheists and Anabaptistes that doe so oppose thy truth authority government of our gracious King oh convert their hearts or else confound their devices and bring them to their well deserved ends And blessed be thy holy name that hast done such great thinges for us in discovering those horrible treasons and rebellious Idolatry popery and prophanesse and so confounded them and brought many of them to their shamefull and well deserved ends And blessed be thy holy name for thy gracious providence over us this night that we have not perished in workes of darknesse that wee have not fallen into despaire raging madnesse that thou hast not suffered our houses to be burnt downe with flames of fire or our enemies to possesse our gates and now good Lord what shall we render unto thee for all thy mercies shewed towards us still take up the cup of salvation and still entreat thy mercies to be continued towards us this day and for evermore and that wee may be the better for thy service and the workes of our calling sanctifie all the faculties of our soules and all the parts and members of our bodyes make our will ever liable to thy will our understanding apt to conceive of those misteries of our salvation and our memories apt to retaine all holy lessons good directions that we may make use of them in our lives and conversations sanctifie all the affections of our hearts our love that it may be setled upon thee and thy sacred word our feare that it may make us feare and tremble to commit the least sinne or doe any thing that might tend to thy dishonour or the hurt of our neighbour and sanctifie our anger that it make us zealous for thy glory and boldly to reproove sinne both in our selves and in others and sanctifie our sorrow that it may be termed into a godly sorrow for our sinnes and the abominations of this land And sanctifie all the partes and members of our bodyes that our eares may be dilligent to heare the word of God and all good councell that our eyes may be dilligent to see and observe thy glorious workes in the creatures and to admire thy infinite wisedome and power in the creating of them and thy mercy and goodnesse in preserving them for our use and comfort our speeches that they may be gracious and tend to thy glory and the edifying of one another in our holy faith and keepe us from lying and swearing that whereunto by nature we are so prone and sanctifie our tast and smelling that wee may not abuse them to drunkennesse and gluttony and sanctifie our handes that we may imploy them dilligently in our calling and that they may be ready to defenâ— the poore Fatherlesse Widows sanctifie our feet that they may be swift to heare thy word to visit the poore in their afflicted state and sanctifie our bodyes that wee may keep them pure and undefiled all the dayes of our life for these and other graces which we stand in need of Lord mercifully supply them for our Lord Iesus sake in whose most holy name in whose most holy wordes we pray unto Thee as our blessed Saviour hath taught us saying Our Father which art in Heaven c. FINIS