Comfort in Affliction OR ADVICE TO PROTESTANT DISSENTERS IN Times of Persecution TOGETHER WITH Remarks on the just Judgments of God upon this City and Land since the Prohibition of the Gospel by Mulcts and Penalties By J. O. LONDON Printed for R. Jones 1682. COMFORT in AFFLICTION OR ADVICE TO PROTESTANT DISSENTERS c. THE Suppressing the Glorious Light of the Gospel and Banishing it out of Publique View the silencing the Grace of Christs own Lips and causing the Joyful Sound that Proclaims the Acceptable Year of the Lord to cease out of our Borders is the Evil of Evils and the Misery of Miseries which brings all other Evils and Miseries along with it yea this shuts up the Kingdom of Heaven from the World and sets Hell wide open for all men to run headlong into it as we see it done this day This excludes the Love Mercy and Goodness of God from the World as much as possibly it can and brings in his Wrath and heavy Displeasure to wast and consume it of which we have had the sad and most exquisite Experience now alas for several years together For since the Gospel under several Mulcts and Penalties hath been forbidden to be Preach'd how many Manifestations of Gods Just Anger have we seen in many strange and unusual Prodigies in the Heavens in the Waters c. Being loud Warnings of the Wrath to come What a griveous and desolating Plague the Scourge of the Almighty hath destroyed Thousands and Ten Thousands in that late great City and in many other parts of the Nation the like whereunto hath not been heretofore What a dreadful Conflagration hath devoured that Famous and Incomparable City the Head and Glory of these Nations and laid it in Ashes and Ruines like Sodom and Gomorah which Cities were set on Fire from Heaven but this from Hell by the Locusts of the Bottomless Pit the Emissaries of the Pope and his Clergy which Vermin have swarmed in this Nation since the removal of the Gospel And this provoking Sin is not so much the Sin of the people as of Evil Counsellors at the Helm who as it were have openly renounced Christ and desired Barabbas to be given to them in his stead they have rejected the sweet and Meek Gospel of Christ and have desired to be given to them the Cruel and Murderous Religion of Antichrist And this one thing carrys weight in it that they who tolerate Popery to take its ease among us and to lengthen its Cords and to strengthen its Stakes though it be directly against Christ and they who tolerate the open exercise of the Jewish Religion which denies and blasphemes Christ will by no means suffer nor endure the true and sincere Gospel of Christs Kingdom to be published but under great Penalties From hence follows the greatest and deepest ignorance of God and Christ that can be and of all their unsearchable Riches which the Gospel hath discovered to the World The greatest ignorance of the Law and of Gospel of Sin and of Righteousnes of Salvation and Damnation of Heaven and Hell in a word the grossest ignorance of all the Revealed Truths of God which concern us either to obtain Eternal Life or to avoid Endless Death Never was there such a Deluge of Sin seen upon Earth as now covers the Face of the Nation this is even become the covering of all Flesh All sorts of People of High and Low Degree whether Secular or Ecclesiastical are all drencht and dyed in it in such sort that Men live in this World in the manifest likeness of the Devil and if Satan himself were Incarnate you could not easily discern one from the other They set their Faces against Heaven and call out upon God to Damn them Soul and Body So Divelish they are that they would fain be tormented before their time and do often provoke Hell to swallow them up for because they can be no liker to the Devil in this World they would hasten to Hell that there they may be fully like him Oh Monsters of Mankind Oh the true Seed of the Serpent the right Generation of Vipers Ye have been fore-warn'd by God to flee from the Wrath to come but who hath warn'd you to flee unto it Who among the remote Nations would believe the report of all your Villanies The very rehearsal of them would put them into Pangs and the bare hearing of them into Tremblings their Sayings and Doings are such as are not fit to be mentioned or recited among Men but onely in the midst of Devils For who without horrible fear could either repeat or hear their desperate Blasphemies against God himself glorious in Holiness and against our Lord Jesus Christ whom God hath made his First-Born Higher than the Kings of the Earth and when he brought him into the World he said Let all the Angels Worship Him and against the Holy Spirit against whom whoever speaks a word it shall never be forgiven him against the blessed Gospel the great and onely Power of God to Salvation against the Kingdom of God on Earth and against them that dwell in Heaven Therefore O Lord forgive them not For their Vine is as the Vine of Sodom and of the Fields of Gomorrah their Grapes are Grapes of Gall their Clusters are bitter their Wine is the Poyson of Dragons and the cruel Venome of Asps The shew of their Countenance doth witness against them and they declare their Sin more than Sodom they hide it not they boast of it and every Man is famous as he can do most wickedly Wo unto their Souls for they have rewarded evil against themselves For therefore Hell hath enlarged her self and opened her Mouth without measure and their Glory and their Multitude and their Pomp and he that rejoiceth shall soon descend into it This their Day approacheth it comes it makes hast when they shall perish for ever like their own Dung and they that have seen them shall say where are they And therefore howl ye Profane Ones for the Day of the Lord is at hand it shall come as a Destruction from the Almighty then shall your Wicked Hands fall down and your Proud Hearts melt and you shall be sorely afraid Pangs and Sorrow shall take hold on you even Pangs as of a Woman in Travel and when ye shall look to one another ye shall be amazed at one another and your faces shall alter and change colour as Flames For behold the Day of the Lord cometh cruel both with Wrath and fierce Anger to lay the Land desolate for your sakes and he shall destroy the Sinners thereof out of it And he will punish the World for their evil and the Wicked for their wickedness he will make the Arrogancy of the Proud Ones to câ—ase and will lay low the Haughtiness of the Terrible Ones In that day Sodom and Gomorrah shall rise up in Judgment against you and it shall be more tolerable for them than for you O Ye Profane Ones
of England These Spiritual Evils press us sore As for our Outward Evils they are well known and felt by All of all sorts and though I should be silent in the rehearsing them they speak forth themselves They are a sore not to be touched yet if no hand should touch them how should they be healed Wherefore I will in the Name and Fear of God make mention of one of them and of such an one as briefly comprehends all the rest And this is The strange and dismal Withering Wasting Languishing and Dying Condition of Poor England whose common Welfare no Man now looks after or regards Oh England where are now thy Wise Men where are thy Pilots where are thy Physicians where are thy Counselors where are thy Helpers where are they that pity thee and say Alas Alas Poor England thy Husband hath rejected thee as a Wife of Whoredoms and thou art become a Widow of Sorrows thou art left as a Cottage in a Vineyard as a Lodge in a Garden of Cucumbers as a Besieged City Thy bruise is incureable and thy wound is grievous There is none left to plead thy Cause that thou mightest be bound up thou hast no healing Medicines left thee Fear and a Snare and the Pit are upon thee and to whom wilt thou stretch forth thy hands to whom wilt thou lift up thy Voice for help Thou wast lately a Rich and Flourishing Kingdom and for thy Plenty Wealth and Glory wast both the Wonder and Envy of the World Whilst thou didst enjoy the Presence of God through his Word and Ordinances whilst Iniquity was banish'd out of Publique View whilst Holiness and Righteousness Justice and Judgment Truth and Equity had their chief place in thee Thou wast a People saved by the Lord Honoured by the Lord Exalted Magnified Protected by the Lord. Thou wast the Head and not the Tail even the Glory of Kingdoms and Nations Our Land then was blessed with the precious things of Heaven with the dew and the deep that coutcheth beneath with the precious fruits brought forth by the Sun and with the precious things put forth by the Moon with the precious things of the Earth and the Fulness thereof We had plenty of Gold and of Jewels of fine Gold and our Houses were stored with Silver our Barns and Store-houses were replenished and we were plenteous in Goods in the fruit of our Cattel and in the fruit of our Ground Our Sons were as Plants grown up in their Youth our Daughters as polisht Pillars our Oxen were strong to labour and our Sheep brought forth Thousands we did eat our Bread with joy and drank our Wine with a merry heart because God accepted our Works Yea then the First-Born of the Poor did feed and the Needy did ly down in Safety for there was no breaking in nor going out nor complaining in our Streets We were a happy People that were in such a case yea much more happy because God was our Lord. And thou O London for my heart is towards thee and I am distressed for thee O London and pained at the very heart Thou wast a Joyous City whose Antiquity was of Ancient Days thou wast the Crowning City whose Merchants were Princes whose Traffiquers were the Honourable of the Earth by thy great Wisdom and by thy Traffique thou didst get thee Riches and thou didst get Gold and Silver into thy Treasuries The Harvest of the River was thy Revenue and thou wast the Mart of Nations All Nations emptied their Delicacies into thy Bosom and poured forth their pleasant things into thy Lap. And when thy Wares went forth out of thy Seas thou filledst many People thou didst enrich the Kings of the Earth with the multitude of thy Riches and of thy Merchandise Thou wast also the Mountain of God thou hadst in the midst of thee the stones of Fire Thou wast the chief High-Place the Ministers of Jesus were dear to thee and thy Arms were always open to embrace them thou didst frequent the Solemn Assemblies of the Saints with the Multitude of them that kept right Holy-Day The Out-casts of Christ were wont to dwell with thee and thou wast a Covert to them from the face of the Spoiler Many Fatherless Children had harbour and succour in thee and thou wast a Husband to the Widows It was thy Meat and Drink to feed the hungry and to cloath the naked and to visit the Prisoners of Jesus Christ Thou wast as the Vine-tree amongst the Trees of the Forest Verily a Noble Vine But why hast thou so suddenly turned into the Degenerate Plant of a Strange Vine Why of a right Seed did you so easily become strange Children whose Mouth talketh Vanity and your Right Hand is a Right Hand of Falshood Why didst thou join thy self with the Wicked and help the Ungodly Why didst thou love them that hate the Lord and didst turn thy heart and hand against them that love the Lord Thou didst reject his Ministers thou didst persecute his People thou didst hunt the steps of the Righteous that they could not go in thy Streets thou didst hawll to Prison the Assemblies of the Saints and didst make havock of the Church of Christ till there was no remedy For when the Lord saw this he was angry for he looked for Grapes from you and you brought forth wild Grapes he looked for Judgment from you but behold Oppression for Righteousness but behold a Cry Wherefore he bent his Bow against thee like an Enemy He stood with his Right Hand like an Adversary He sent a Fire into the midst of thee that could not be quenched and it hath devoured thee and brought thee to Ashes on the Earth in the sight of all them that beheld thee He hath swallowed up thy Habitations he hath thrown down in his Wrath your pleasant Dwellings your stately and beautiful Buildings He sent into thee treacherous Dealers to deal treacherously with thee and Spoilers to spoil thee whilst thou wast become a silly Dove without heart He hath brought upon thee the days that have not come on thee since thou wast a City He hath stained the Pride of thy Glory and brought into contempt all thy Honourable Persons they that did feed delicately were left desolate in the Streets they that were brought up in Silks and Scarlet embraced Dunghils they that dwelt in well built Houses were glad to shelter themselves in Booths and to crowd their heads in desolate places they are come down from their Glory to sit in Dust For thy filthiness was found in thy Skirts therefore thou wast brought down wonderfully How are thy Merchandise of Gold and Silver and Precious Stones and of Pearl and of fine Linnen and Purple and Silk thy broidered Works thy Chests of rich Apparel thy Spices and Odors thy Vessels of precious Wood of Brass and Iron and Marble thy Wine and Oil thy stately Buildings and beautiful Structures of many Generations how in three or four days are they all brought to
nothing London the Glory of the Kingdom the Beauty of England's Excellency is become as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and is now at present a place for doleful Creatures for Owls to dwell in and for Satyrs to dance in and for Wild Beasts to cry among the desolate Houses and Dragons in their Dwellings For thou art swept with the Besom of Destruction and the Line of Emptiness is stretched out upon thee because thou didst reject the Word of the Lord and knewest not the day of thy Visitation How art thou brought down which wast inhabited by Seafaring Men the renowned City which wast strong at Sea and thy Inhabitants did cause terrour to all Nations All that knew thee formerly are astonisht at thee thou art become a Terror to them that see thee and they that hear of thee are pained for thee I was bowed down at the hearing of it I was dismayed at the seeing of it O Lord behold my affliction for the Enemy hath magnified himself see and consider for I am become Vile Our Enemies say This this is the Day we have looked for we have found it we have seen it This Day shall do that which the Fifth of November could not do now shall we see our desire upon them for the Strength of the Protestant Interest is broken we have broken the Head of it and now shall we rase it to the very foundation of it But O Lord thou hast seen my wrong judge thou my Cause Thou hast seen all their Vengeance and all their imaginations against me thou knowest the Contrivers the Abettors the Incouragers the Actors the Favourers of this Hellish Mischief and all those that rejoice in it Give unto them All Sorrow of Heart thy Curse unto them Persecute and destroy them in Anger from under the Heavens of the Lord. And let all the People say Amen But now I must shake hands with thee O London in thy Dust and Ashes for there is hope in this thy End And I must turn my self back again to England the Land of my Nativity and take up a Lamentation for it O England what Nation was like unto thee from the Rising of the Sun to the Setting thereof thou wast a People satisfied with favour and full with the Blessings of the Lord but art now suddenly become a poor and peeled People meeted out and trodden down Thou art smitten with a perpetual stroke in anger by a heavy hand thou art oppressed spoyled and crushed in pieces evermore and there is no man to save thee For God hath remembred our Iniquities against us and set our sins in the light of his Countenance For by Lying and Swearing and Oppressing and Slaying and Drinking and Whoring and Blaspheming c. the Land is defiled under the Inhabitants thereof We have forsaken the Laws of God changed the Ordinances of Christ and broken the Everlasting Covenant and therefore hath the Curse devoured us Our Labours yield us no Profit our Plowing Sowing and Reaping eats up the Husband-Man our Trade is every where decayed our Gold and Silver are exhausted and drained away our Estates are impoverisht and wasted the Abundance we had gotten and laid up is departed our Exactions and Taxes are heavy upon us so that we eat our Bread with sorrow and drink with sighing for they have found out our Riches as a Nest and as one gathereth Eggs that are left so have they gathered the Substance of the Nation and there was none that durst move the Wing or open the Mouth to the People We are brought so low that we have forgotten Prosperity but we daily mourn and fade away for we are filled with bitterness and made drunk with Wormwood For our Wise Counsellors are become Fools Understanding is perished from them our Princes are rebellious and Companions of Thieves they are Riotous Persons that eat not for Strength but for Drunkenness Our Counsellors take Counsel but not of God but against him our Judges abhor true Judgment and pervert all Equity they turn Judgment into Gall and the fruit of Righteousness into Hemlock they justifie the Wicked for a Reward and take away the righteousness of the Righteous from him Our Priests of all Titles and Degrees are like roaring Lions in the midst of us ravening the Prey they rob the Purses of Men they imprison their Bodies they devour their Souls they live in Rioting and Drunkenness they commit Adultery and speak Lyes they strengthen the hands of Evil Doers that none doth return from his Wickedness Our People are foolish and unwise a company of treacherous Men that ly-in wait for precious Souls they are perverse Children who have forsaken the Law of the Lord and have said to the Holy One of Israel Depart from us Wherefore we are become a base Kingdom because we have rejected all righteousness yea the basest of Kingdoms because we have Apostatized from the Truth Of a Pleasant and Joyful Land we are become a Land of Trouble and Anguish where is the Young and Old Lion the Viper and fiery flying Serpent We are become a Mingled People Strangers devour us in our presence they devour our Strength they swallow up our Riches they eat up our Bread yea they destroy us our Cities and Towns and there is none to reprove them We who were the chief of Nations the Princess of Provinces who when we spake there was trembling to the ends of the Earth are now become weak and contemptible because our Rock hath sold us and the Lord hath shut us up Therefore the Pomp of our Strength hath ceased and our Spirit fails in the midst of us So that we are shamefully brought down by the least and lowest of the Nations who have subdued our Naval Power taken burnt and spoiled our Royal Ships the Wall and Bulwark of our Nation fought us in our own Bowels triumphed over us in our own River blocked up the Passage of our chief City stopped all intercourse of Trade made a Spoil of our Riches and a Prey of our Merchandise hindred and deprived us of all our pleasant things bereaved us of several of our Rich and Advantageous Plantations brought us down to their feet humbly to beg their favour and have made us a Reproach a Proverb and a Hissing to all Nations O England who shall bewail thee What Lamentations shall we take up for thee Oh that thou wert sensible of thy Stroke and couldst bewail thy self for thou hast sinned grievously therefore art thou cast out of the Mountain of the Lord thou art cast to the ground and laid before Kings and Nations that they may behold thee This is the end of the Children of Pride for they that exalt themselves shall be made Low And therefore talk no more so exceeding proudly let hot Arrogance come out of your Mouth again for God is a God of Judgment and by him actions are weighed The Adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces out of Heaven shall he thunder upon