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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93348	Great Britains misery; with the causes and cure. Described first, as it is from the justice of God the authour, who is now in controversie with the inhabitants of the land for sin: especially for eight capitall crimes, all which are aggravated by sundry circumstances. Secondly, the injustice and malice of the instruments of this misery, Satan and his agents: their main aime, and particular ends, moving them therunto. Vindicating, plainly and fully, (by way of answer to severall objections) the lawfulnesse and necessity of raising arms by the Parliament, and kingdom; for the defence of the King, kingdom, religion, laws, and known rights of the subject: against that viperous generation of papists, atheists, delinquents, and licentious men, who have at once invaded all. ... / By G.S. Gent. Imprimatur Ja. Cranford.	Smith, George, 1602 or 3-1658.	1643 (1643)	Wing S4037; Thomason E250_4; ESTC R212534	90,980	68

of your fast ye finde pleasure and exact all your Labours you fast for strife and debate and smite with the fist of wickednesse is it such a fast that I have chosen will you call this a fast and an Esay 58. 3. acceptible day to the Lord God accounts of such services although for matter they be the same that God requireth but as if we slew a man or cut off a verse 5. dogges necke or offer Swines blood all which he abhorreth and hath expressely Esay 66. 3. forbidden Therefore it highly concernes every man to examine his owne heart how Man must examine their hearts in the duties of Fasting whether they doe it to God or for their owne benefit Ier. 14. 10. and why he keepe his dayes of fasting whether it be in humility of soule humbly to seekes God by repentance and reformation of sinne or formally onely to remove the evill of punishment that is present upon him for then we fast to our selves not unto God and so we may Fast and Pray call and cry but God will not heare us to doe us any good but will punish us more for our impenitencie God told his owne people that thus fasted When ye Fast I will not heare your cry I will not accept of your offerings and oblations But I will consume you by the sword and by the Pestilexce The Fast that God hath chosen is to repent and to be humbled for our sinnes and to make our Peace and reconciliation with him to cease from evill and to doe good and exercise the duties of mercy and charity to renew our covenant and seeke him by prayer Thus God requireth to be enquired of And this the Parliament Esay 58. 6. 7. Ezek. 36. 37. 2 Chron. 15. 15. like good Asa in their late Covenant drive at as the meanes to obtaine mercy and to be healed of our misery for God will be thus sought unto even for those things which he promiseth to give God hath shewed thee O man what is good and what he requireth of us to doe justly to love mercy and to Mica 6. 8. walke humbly To this end he commanded the terrours and threatnings of Iudgement for sinne to be read upon Fasting dayes unto all the people to See Ier. 39. ver 2. 3. 6 7. move them to Repentance and to make humble supplications for mercy if we thus keepe our fasting dayes with vowes and Covenants to God Almighty we may assuredly expect a blessing and a healing of our misery and our remisse carelesse and formall observing of our Fast dayes is a cheefe cause that hath so long hindred our deliverance Gods hand is not shortned that he Esay 49. 1. 21 cannot save nor his eare heavie that he cannot heare but your iniquities have separated betweene you and your God and your sinnes have hid his face from you that he will not heare the Prophet tells us plainely your iniquities and your Ier. 5. 25. sinnes have holden good things from you thus much for the inward meanes of cure Secondly God cures his people of their oppression and outward miseries by outward meanes this hath beene usuall in all times that when the people We must use outward meanes to be cured of our misery have humbled themselves and cryed to God in their misery he ever had compassion on them for his owne Name sake and raised them up deliverers armed private man with publicke Authority enabling them by place courage and power to be deliverers of this people to subdue their enemies and to afflict their afflictors Thus we know he stirred up Moses Othniel Ehud Samgar Deborah and Barak Gideon Iephtah Samson Z●rubbabel Nehemiah and the like God hath for us at this day by his owne hand in compassion to his people in an unexpected way almost miraculous called a Parliament together in England established them with Soveraigne power by the Lawes of the Kingdome and stirred up the King by his owne Act to confirme them The Parliament a Soveraigne power of command which the people ought to obey The Parliaments faithfulnes and courage Esa 45. 22. Exod 17. 2. Exod. 15. 24. Exod. 16. 13. Num. 14. see the Chap. The people must trust in God and wait by fifth with patience Iudg. 4. 3. and Authorize their sitting during their owne time till by their Wisdomes with Gods blessing they re-establish the perishing and long decaying principalls of the Kingdomes Fabricke and God hath put into the hearts of them to be of faithfulnesse and courage for Gods glory and the Kingdomes lasting welfare to hazard their lives and fortunes for defence of their Religion and the peoples rights and libertie against the malice and opposition of the mighty at this day combined against God and his people and by this Parliament he will deliver Great Britaine of their misery if we looke but upon them as Gods Instruments nothing in themselves or if we like the Rebellious Israelites provoke not God to more wrath by our unbeleefe and murmurring against God and them and will but waite by faith with patience while our deliverance is working or that we as too many of us are be not like some of the Tribes of Israel who proved traitors and cowards in the worke of their deliverance The Jews were under the oppression of Iabin and Sisara the Captaine of his Host twenty yeeres and the people cryed unto the Lord for their oppression was great and their oppressors strong nine hundred Charriots of Iron and a multitude of men Now God heard their cry though it seemes it was more for the misery of their bondage then for sorrow and sense of their sinnes but God had compassion of them and stirred up Deborah and Barack to deliver them and of all the ten Tribes of Israel they tooke an Army of ten thousand out of the Tribes of Nephtali and Zebulun vers 6. against the strength power and multitude of Iabins Army for their hearts Iudg. 5. 18. The base cowardlines of the people a great discouragement verse 16. God had made willing and ready to hazard their lives to the death in the high places of the field expecting all the rest of the Tribes would come in to their assistance because the enemy was strong and mighty but they basely therefore absented themselves which caused great thoughts of heart some few out of other Tribes came and the Princes of Issachar came and joyned with Barack but Ruben disserted the cause altogether he tooke no further care but for his owne flockes and therefore stayes at his sheepefolds to heare the bleating of the sheepe let them fight that would he would sleepe in a whole skin Gilliad takes example by Ruben and kept within his owne borders beyond Jordan that was safety enough to him let his brethren sinke or swim Gilliad will not crosse the water to helpe them Dan gets a Shipboard and there he remaines till his brethren fight for his safety upon

is so but it is true and truth must not be concealed Seven sor●● of evill instruments the causers of our present misery in these times 2ly Iesuits 3. Bishops 4. Ambi ious Lords or men ambitious of Lordships 5. flattering Ziba's declining Lords or rising Clergy 6. Athiests men of any religion of no religion 7. Delinquents of all sorts and degrees These are instruments of Satan and principall workers for themselves to accomplish their own ends as we shall shew afterward Their way means to work mischief 2. Thes 2. 10. 11. Now the means by which these instruments do work is by a mistery the mistery of iniquity that is by the subtilty of Antichrist carryed on by the power of Satan with power and wonders under false pretences lying Pollicies and strong delusions so that if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect for so our Saviour Christ saith of them But none are deceived but unbeleevers such Math 24 14. as receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved as the Apostle describes them Now the principall instruments in this worke next to Satan himselfe are the Iesuits and Romish Priests Satan is a lying spirit in the mouth of all 1. Kings 12 6 vers 22. these as he was in the mouth of Ahabs 400. court Prophets to perswade Ahab to go up to Ramah Gilead to Battle These are they that have corrupted the Clergy of England Ireland Scotland and seduced them as the lying Prophet of Bethel did the good Prophet of the Lord to destroy him And these like Locusts 1. King 11. 18 have over spread great Brittain for the space of 18. or 20. yeers in the habit Iesuits have been longplotting working this mischief of Gentlemen wolves in sheeps cloathing some in habit of Schollers their receptacles have been the Papists houses of note in every country and by those Papists they have been brought into acquaintance with the most of the Gentry of the Kingdome and covertly they have cast poyson into their soules still in all that they have done or said they seem to be Protestants but commend the Bishops care in suppressing sects and schismes and factious spirits crying out bitterly against the Pur●tant and through them glance at the Protestant Religion urging the benefit of outward conformity to the then new Cannons Innovations and Popish superstitions and how easie a thing it were by such meanes to reco●cile the Church of Rome to the Protestant Churches And since this Parliament began they have been the poyson of our Gentry by the help of Arminian and Popish Clergy to seduce our Gentry to take armes to destroy themselves Iesuits and Priests have taintedthe gentry partly under pretence of order and partly under pretence of vindicating the Kings Rights which none were about to prejudice and withall affirming what power and assistance the King had so that if they shewed not themselves in this Cause for the King His Majesty would take speciall notice of them as ill-affected towards his welfare By these and the like subtilties they have seduced some well-meaning men These are the Plotters of all this mischiefe the Incensors of His Majesty against his Parliament and people the accusers of good men and abusers of truth have caused them as Zedekiah did Michaiah to be fed with bread of affliction 1. King 22. 24. 26. and water of affliction yea these have breathed vennome into the bosome of our selected Assemblies our supposed just men chosen by their Countries and trusted with our estates and liberties so that some of these are prefidious to God and men and joynt instruments of our misery revolters from law and justice prophound to make slaughter as the Prophet speakes they themselves are the shedders of innocent bloud that they might become Masters of their estates and possessions In a word these seducers dreaming Prophets that speake lyes in prophesie Ier. 23. 32. come in the name of God yet God hath not sent them they prophesie for gain l●ke Balam and erre through wine and strong drinke these have seduced Esay 28. 7. all and caused both King and people to erre Through these Pipes the Devill conveyes the poyson of Popery into the souls of men drawing them that are Corrupt Ministers are the Conduit pipo through which the Devil conveys poyson of Error into mens souls 1. Tin● 1. 19. 20. unstable to be actors of their own and the Kingdomes ruine some have under pretence of duty to Kings ushered men from their duty to God having put away faith and good conscience like Hymeneus and Al●xander for the reward of fading honor and brittle estate as they themselves have found By great promises of preferment the foreleaders of th●se traiterous Broods drew men to side with them in the preparation for the massacring warre that should have followed upon their blowing up of the Parliament House by gunpowder by which they thought to destroy the Parliament Religion Lawes Records the King and all of the bloud Royall and Protestant Lords at one blow No Age Nation or People yeelding an example of the like cruelty as was then declared by our State Lords spiriruall and temporall who affirm'd and See the Book appointed for the Thanksgiving on Nov 5 but if this last Impression be compared with the first you shall find the Archbishop has minc'd the wo●●s published to the world that the Religion of Papists is Rebellion their saith faction and their practise murdering of bodies and soules yet these Monsters of cruelty are now assisted by our Princes Nobles and Gentry to effect by the sword what they could not do by treason only our Princes Nobles and King Himselfe may it is possible escape with their own lives this way which had been lost in that hellish plot But let His Majesty beware and the rest that are not resolved to be Papists for these bloudy Iesuits Romes Priests and hells devills may and do kill any Kings that are Protestants their Religion allowes it yea if they be Kings that do but favou● Protestants why else did they murder Henry the third and Henry the fourth of France they bite with their teeth and cry peace but he that putteth not into their mouths they prepare warre Mica 3. 5. against him they draw the Princes to evill as they in Juda of which the Prophet complains Thy Princes are rebellious and companions of theeves They covet fields and take them by force they oppresse a man and his heritage Esay 1. 23. Mica 2. 2. But God sees all and he is judge of the Earth and of all Men and that God will enter into judgement with them that are Theeves and companions of Theeves and will defend his truth and his peoples right against all oppressors Esay 3. 14. for God is no respecter of persons he will do it against tne Ancients of the people and Princes thereof Hear ye O Priests and

dishonours God and this is but Hypocriticall repentance such as that of Ahab Iudas went farther and yet repented not 1 King 21. 27. Mat. 27. 3. for he was sorry and confessed his sinne and made restitution and yet his repentance was not good Consider therefore that true found and acceptable repentance is a turning to God from all sinne in action and will totally and for ever with resolution Esay 31. 6. Jer. 25. 5. Ephes 4. 23. by Gods grace never to returne with consent to commit sinne againe it is in a word a changing of the mind when the will and actions are turned from sinne and the occasions of sinne arising from the hatred of sinne and love to righteousness not moved by the feare of punishment nor hope of reward although both necessarily follow but love and obedience to God where true repentance is wrought it will produce inward greefe for every dishonour to God whether in our selves or in others This repentance is the Acts 5. 31. 2 Tim. 2. 25. Tit. 3. 5. They that contemne and s●●ffe at the Preachers or preaching are far from repentance 1 Pet. 1. 15. 1 Ioh. 3. 3. gift of God not in a mans owne power and is usually wrought in the hearts of men by the preaching of the Word and alwayes by the inward working of Gods Spirit per●●●●ted by prayers and intercessions through Iesus Christ Therefore they are farre from repentance that cry out of too much Preaching and they farther that scoffe at Preaching and holinesse c. persecute holy preachers and offer dispight to the spirit of grace God who hath called is holy and requireth that every one that is called be holy in all manner of conversation and every one that hath this hope in him purifieth himselfe even as he is pure every repentant sinner endeavours reformation in himselfe and strives to the uttermost to perfection he loves it in others where it is and will endeavour it where it is not by admonitions and exhortations Now prayer is the chiefe meanes by which we obtaine all blessings from Prayer the meanes by which we obtaine all blessings 2 Cor 7 14. Iohn 6. 23. Ioh. 14. 13. God and therefore it goes joyntly with the condition of faith and repentance if my people humble themselves and pray c. whatsoever ye shall aske the father in my Name he will give it you againe whatsoever you shall aske in my Name I will give it prayer is by God appointed through the intercession of Christ to be the meanes to obtaine all blessings temporall and sperituall and to keepe backe and remove all miseries Now because evey sinne in a man is as a devill possessing him and some sins as some devills that cannot be cast out but by fasting and prayer as our Saviour teacheth us Mat. 17. 21. Nor can fasting joyned with prayer doe it without faith Christ telleth his Disciples they could not cast him out because of their unbeleefe and hence it Verse 20. is that all the faithfull have upon any extraordinary cause either to obtaine great blessings or removing great Iudgements joyned fasting with prayer Judg. 20. 26. 2 Sam. 7 6. Nehem 1. 4. Ioel. 1. 14. Dan. 10. 3. Ioel 2. 16. What a holy Fast is Levit. 23. 28. Ezra 10. 3. Levit. 23. 29. Acts 10. 2. verse 30. 1 Cor. 9. 27. A holy religious Fast is a volentary abstinence from all food and from all delightfull things and bodily labour or recreations for one whole day at the least and it is to this end that by the humbling of the body the soule may be afflicted too which is a chiefe duty in a day of Fast For that soule that is not afflected in that day shall be cut off from his people the manner of keeping such a day must be even as a Sabbath day wholly spent in the duties of Pietie and Charity powring out our Soules by spirituall supplications and prayers unto God and the worke of it is repentance to breake the heart for sinne therefore it is called a day of atonement or reconciliation and surely the prayers that are put up to God upon such a day are prevalent with God able to open and shut the heavens if the effectuall prayers of one righteous man availe much the prayers of many will prevaile more great and miraculous things have beene Iames 5. 16. effected by the prayers of this kind by prayer Iacob held God till he blessed him and Moses pacified great wrath by fasting and prayer Gods people Hos 12. 4. Exod. 32. 11. 14. Nothing so hard and difficult but it may be obtained by prayer and fasting Acts 12. 5. 7. Levit. 10. 1. 2. Holy duties unholily performed become very sinfull Esay 1. 11. have obtained mighty things nothing so difficult or hard but prayer can make easie it can make chaines of Iron fall from Peter and open Iron gates to give him passage to come to the Brethren that had by unceass●nt prayer begged him of God but the instances which we have before named shall suffice but on the contrary when this duty of fasting and prayer is contemned or formally observed it hath procured wrath from God and increase of misery it is like the sinne of Nadab and Abihu when they offered strange fire before the Lord for thus I reason that duty which in it selfe is most holy and most acceptible to God being performed according to his Will when done negligently in a formall manner is most prophane and most displeasing to God abominable in his sight to what purpose saith he is the multitude of your sacrifices I delight not in them bring no more vaine oblations your new Moones your Sabbaths and the calling of assemblies I cannot away with them it is eniquitie even your solemne meetings my soule hateth them they are a trouble to me I am weary verse 14. to beare them not that God is wearied with our many Fastings or desireth lesse for he is best pleased when we are most conversant in such duties but he hates formality and hypocrisie in them and so they are a burthen to him and he is weary of them and they become eniquitie to us Who hath required these verse 11. things at your hands yet there was nothing in matter but what God commanded and they were bound to doe it was the manner onely that God misliked therefore saith the Lord When you fasted and mourned 〈◊〉 did not at all fast unto me but to your selves the same thing is reproved by our Saviour Christ Zech. 7. 5. God hath denounced a curse to him that doth the worke of the Lord negligently The Jewes when they had taken great paines in their formall Fasting Mat 6. 16. and afflicting themselves they captitulate with God Why have we fasted and Ier. ●8 10. thou seest it not we have afflicted our soules and thou takest no knowledge God gives them the reason Because saith he in the day