the Woman must be n Rev. 12.6 in the wilderness 1260 dayes and o Rev. 13.5 ' Power was given to the Beast to continue 42. Moneths Both these Numbers signifying indeed all one time do end in the aforesaid yeare 1657. This humblie do I conceive I know what will be here objected If this were so we should see some change as either to the rising of the witnesses or fear among the enemies or something done upon Babylon But things stand as they did before The Dragon Beast Little Horne both Apostacies as Rampant as ever yea rather of late grown greater are at the rising hand than otherwise Ans This being a hard knot I trust the Lord will the more help me to unty it so to take this Stumbling block out of the way of his people 1. I would say as the Lord said to Job p Job 28.22.28 29. Hast thou entred into the treasures of the snow or hast thou seen the treasures of the haile Hath the rain a father or who hath begotten the drops of dew out of whose womb came the ice and the hoarie frost of Heaven who hath gendered it Hath the Lord a Treasure for snow and hail a Father to beget the rain and drops of dew and a womb wherein the ice hoarie frost are gendered and afterwards brings them forth as he thinks good to use and spend them Then much more a Treasure a Father a Wombe for higher things greater workes wherein his name glory kingdom people are especially concernd Is not this laid up in store with me Deu. 32.34 and sealed up among my treasures Again though it may not be questioned But q Isa 48.14 The Lord will do all his pleasure upon Babylon Nothing shall faile of his threatnings against the Dragon Beast Little Hornet Yet the ordering managing and governing thereof that only and wholly belongeth to him both when to begin and how to do it Hence I humbly conceive if we should see nothing done in the year 1657. as to the rising of the Witnesses or ruine of the Bottomlesse Beast and last Apostacie It will not therefore follow that the 1260. Yeares ended not in that year No more reason Then because the Childe is not Born Ergo not conceived in the womb 2. Christs words must be remembred r Luke 17.20 The Kingdome of God cometh not with observation that is not in such manner at first that it can be taken notice of by things done Observe it is not said the kingdome shall have no Observation But Cometh not Shewing how at first little will be seen to demonstrate that such a kingdome is come But afterward it shall be visible and plain enough to be observ'd And to this purpose speakes the Prophet Å¿ Isa 26.11 Lord though thy hand be lifted up yet they see it not But they shall see it This was the great Stumbling block which lay in the way of the Jewes when Christ came in the flesh Because he came not as they exspected before hand as it is in the comming of worldly Princes in great state and outward Pomp they would not believe in him nor receive him for the true Mesias And why may not the like be the Case of people now Because they see not as they expected WONDERS in 57. Some extraordinary power and presence of God with his people and great overturnings and breakings of Nations hence conclude it was not the Time of the End But let such know the Scripture favours no such Conclusion Question But shall the forty two moneths given to the beast end without observation Answ Howsoever immediately upon the period of the 1260. yeares there will not be I think actions of much Observation either in respect of Zion or Babilon yet the Time of the End cometh not without Observation some other way For 1. The serious Observation of the Prophesies and Visions of the holy Scriptures relating to the last dayes will lead a heart if it hath nothing in it but truth and uprightnesse and the glory of God to the knowledge of the Times 2. There is the Observation of the Spirit u 1 Joh. 2 20 The unction from the holy one and here we do observe how the Holy Ghost opens our understanding and not onely so but those great things which he reveals to his Babes and Sucklings he confirms them therein whiles they are in tears and weeping before the Throne 3. The Observation of Providence which hath brought â—orth the Persons and Things which were according to the Prophesies of the Scripture to finish and end the 1260. years But 3. Did not some men do like one who whiles he is striving to have a great gripe comes off with nothing in his hand They might see that 57. hath not altogether been without OBSERVATION For howsoever x Psal 36.6 Gods judgements are a great deep y Rom. 11.33 and unsearchable a Rev. 15.3 Great and marvellous are his workes b Ps 77.19 and his footsteps not known I say howsoever his Counsel Government Administrations and the manner of proceeding is beyond all searching into yet if matters soberly be considred by wisedomes Eye Fifty seaven hath shewed c Ps 86.17 some token for good and that d Is 63.3 the day of the Lords redeemed is come e Isa 34.8 ' and the year of recompences for the controversie of Zion For 1. VVhat may be meant by that Government which was set up December 16. 1653. and laid aside again June 26. 1657. It stood f Dan. 7.25 a Time and Times and the dividing of Times that is three years and an half almost to a day Oh the depth of Gods wayes Ashur shall fulfill his decree and counsel g Isa 10.7 Howbeit he meaneth not so neither doth his heart think so 2. VVhat things have been done and how mannaged and what success hath followed in 57. it is so well known to many mens cost as I need not mention it But what may we gather hence I mean from the Lords Acting and appearing already against some men That the National affairs in their hands is like the Fig-tree under the curse h Mat. 21 19. Let no fruit grow on thee henceforth for ever 3. VVhen Agag thought i Sam. 15.32 the bitterness of death was past then came sudden destruction upon him Fifty seaven is not yet ended k Prov. 27 1. Boast not thy self of to morrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth Though the man-child in June were but l Job 10.10 poured out as milk and curdled like cheese to use the holy language yet who knows what in nine Moneths the womb of Providence may bring forth m Luk. 12.19.20 VVhilst the FOOL is thinking of building his Barnes greater death ceaseth on him n Act. 1 25. That he might go to his own place 4. VVhen Caleb encouraged his brethren to fight the Canaanites He
THE TIME OF FINDING Shewing When the Lord will be FOUND and by whom and when there will be NO TIME of Finding also the Persons are describ'd who shall not finde the Lord though they seek him with tears Likewise Some Reasons why the Lord hath suffered his work and GOOD OLD CAUSE to be stopt and how it shall certainly be REVIV'D again Also Something is here shewed about the manner how it shall be reviv'd and the Time when By JOHN CANNE Numb 23.21 23. Jehovah his God is with him and the shout of a King is among them According to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel What hath God wrought London Printed for Livewel Chapman at the Crown in Popes head-Alley 1658. To the Faithful of the Land every where Mourning and waiting for the APPOINTED TIME OF FINDING under the name of FIFTH-MONARCHY-MEN and COMMON-VVEALTHS-MEN PRECIOUS WITNESSES for your God and Country THe neerer I am still the Throne of Grace the more is your present condition upon my heart and truly this I can say it hath been very seldome since I began this WORK but poor Zion a Jer. 30.17 Whom no man seeketh after hath been all along in my eye It is b Isa 62.1 for Zions sake I cannot hold my peace c Isa 60.1 untill the glory of the Lord be risen upon her Now is the time that d Mal. 3.16 they who fear the Lord should speak often one to another and strengthen the hands which hang down and feeble knees I shall not say any thing of the THING it self what is of God shall stand only a few words what hath mov'd me to send THIS as a LOVE-TOKEN to all the Friends of the Bridegroom First I have observ'd of late that the Interest of Christ and his People the GOOD OLD CAUSE is not methinks so lively and HEARTY upon some mens spirits as formerly it was but either some disappointment of time Mat. 25.5 or the Bridegroom 's tarrying long hath occasioned a little deadness and faintness in some Choyce Ones Now that I may speak to the heart of these Wherefore should there be any CASTING DOWN Isa 40.2 Is not your warfare accomplished and the day of the Lamb come Therefore O ye worthies g Psal 27.14 Wait on the Lord be of good courage and he shall strengthen your hearts wait I say on the Lord. If a traveller by reason of a long journey be almost tyr'd yet when he coms neer the place where he would be and sees it hard by this will put new strength into him again I have in this Treatise not only exprest my opinion that the Lord is REVIVING HIS WORK but have given some reasons for it what incouragement and refreshing the Lords people shall have by it a little time will shew For I am very confident as the Lord will suddenly check and blast all ways of falshood and deceitful pretenders to his Holy Secrets so he will shew a TOKEN OF GOOD to what is his own and is given forth by his Spirit concerning the Kingdom and Time Secondly As I know h Prou. 14.34 Righteousness exalteth a Nation and i Prov. 29.2 When the Righteous are in Authority the People rejoyce so my desire and prayer to God is that every yoke may be broken the oppressed go free and violence be heard no more in our Land Indeed we did expect before now to have seen better days and were in a hopeful way to have had England k Isa 1.26 call'd the City of Righteousness the faithful City by having Judges as at the first and Counsellors as at the beginning Now I do not doubt but we shall have our Civil Rights Liberties and Priviledges more full and free and better then ever any men had since England was a Nation Is any thing too hard for God to do cannot he raise up a Generation of faithful men and l Pro. 31.8 open their mouths for the dumb and in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction that is for him that hath not ability to speak for himself by reason of his simplicity unfitness or impediment in his speech or dare not speak for fear of his Potent Adversary I finde in our Chronicles how a Cardinal told the Pope * Speed Hen. 3. p. 624. That England was to the Pope as BALAAMS ASS which being so often wrong'd and cudgel'd it was no marvel if at length she open'd her mouth to complain What though * Here Gods judgment is a great deep that England should be the Beast or Asse on which must ride the Balaams or Heads of both Apostasies England have been an ASS and dumb a long while yet who can tell but after so often wrong'd and cudgeld she may speak and complain at last But more seriously that England hath been a while dumb I do not take the cause to be at least principally of any power or policy in men or fearfulness which hath surpriz'd the Nation but in order to the fulfilling of some Decree and Counsel of God and Scripture-Prophesies which were to be accomplished at this time the which time being expired such multitudes will stand up for their freedom and Civil-Rights that were the Enemies ten times more and stronger then they are they would signifie nothing Hence take notice of the blindness and folly of some men for if the time of Englands deliverance be not come there needs not such gathering of horse and foot together For I am confident the Lovers of ENGLANDS-LIBERTIE will be no secret plotters they scorn it neither will they move till the Lord by some signal Providence plainly shews that the time is come and when that is vain will be the help of man to frustrate the good purpose and work of God That Doctrine then which the Army us'd to preach to the Long Parliament will be often repeated by the people To punish only instruments St. Albans Declarat No. 16. 1648. p. 50. and let the head by whose power and in whose interest all hath been done not only go free but stand in perpetual priviledge and impunity to head such instruments again as oft as he can find opportunity and get any to serve him is a way so far far from security as it leads indeed to endless trouble and hazard or to perfect loss of all Again in point of Justice with what Conscience inferior ministers can be punished and the principal set free FOR OUR PARTS VVE UNDERSTAND NOT NEITHER DOE VVE KNOVV ANY GROUND OR REASON TO EXEMPT KINGS FROM HUMANE JUSTICE It is a maxime in the Civil Law Si quis ff quod quisque Juris c. That of right every man should be judg'd by such Laws as himself hath practised against others Thirdly What I have spoken about Professors I have plain enough exprest my meaning I only intend Backsliders who by their Covenant-breaking Hypocrisie and Falshood have made the Profession
altogether at nought as being glad he had met with such a BARGAIN and sped so well Verily I think that blood is not more like blood then Esau and the Revolters of this age are like one another Neither since Esau's time till now have any generation of men so MATCHT HIM in prophaness and this I shall plainly demonstrate by the Parallel First Let it be considered what they have sold such a Glorious Cause as never was I think in the hands of men before Not Civil-Rights and Liberties alone but the GREAT CAVSE of God the Interest of Christ and of his Kingdom Laws People m Psal 84.10 David thought it was honor enough if a man might sit at the threshold of Gods house that is be in the lowest placeâ— and meanest service In the late wars he that was but a common-soldier to fight against Tyranny and Idolatry truly his place and service was very honorable then how much more a General Colonel Capt. c. besides the Lord was pleased to honor them with the Birth-right they were the first-born I say the first to have brought the King home and to set the Crown upon his Head What could have been done more to men But Secondly What have they sold their Birth-right for Oh It grieves my soul to think of it that ever such a thing should be told in Gath and published in the streets of Askelon that it should be said among the Heathen EMINENT PROFESSORS OF RELIGION AND MEN PRETENDING GREAT THINGS FOR CHRIST AND ZION HAVE SOLD THE GOOD OLD CAUSE FOR A MORSEL OF BREAD n Jer. 2.10 11. Consider diligently and see if there be such a thing Hath any Nation changed their gods which are yet no gods But my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit We think those foolish in their trades that should lose many peeces of gold to have a little bad coyn Let them look over their Bargain what have they sold and what they have for it Alas their Courts Titles Parks Pleasures c. are all bad coyn Lentils meer vanity and lies o Pro. 11.4 things that will not profit in the day of wrath But the Cause and work of God which they unworthily have given up had they been faithful to it would have been better to them then gold yea then fine gold all the things that men desire not to be compared to it It is reported that those wicked Spirits commonly called Fairies having stolen the true child out of the cradle do secretly convey and place in the stead thereof somâ— changeling of their own what truth iâ— in it I know not but this I know tâ— be true the Devil hath dealt so witâ— Apostates by a cunning sleight hâ— hath taken the true Child from them that is THE GOOD OLD CAVSE and hath left in the room of it a poâ—starv'd changeling here the buyer mâ—â— wel say It is naught it is naught 3. Are they sorry for what they have done do they repent of it p Jer. 6.15 Nay they are not at all ashamed neither can they blush but rejoyce feast and sing having made such a Bargain Iudas after he had betrayed Christ took little pleasure in the money which he had for the Treason q Mat. 27.3 45. He brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the Chief Priests and Elders saying I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood And he cast down the peeces of silver into the Temple and departed c. But these men have not yet so much remorse on their conscience for what they have done but the Courts Castles Titles Power c. the Money they had for the Innocent Cause are the things they glory in and brag of I might have mentioned the greediness of Esau's appetite to the dish that red that red there Gen. 25.20 The doubling of the word is to shew his hast and gluttonous desire the color and tast seem'd so pleasing and entising unto him Whether they have not been â—ike a Lyon greedy of his prey Psal 17.12 Like greedy dogs which cannot have enough Isa 56.11 let their own practise be witness But there is one thing wherein Esau is more to be excus'd if there may be any excuse made for him then some now he lay under some necessity r Gen. 25.32 I am saith he at the point of death and what profit shall this Birth-right doe to me But these men could not plead Esau's necessity they were not ready to starve but had enough and therefore their sin was the more prophaneness it may be call'd to sell such a Blessed Cause not only for so LITTLE but having no need so to do The Conclusion is If Esau for his prophaneness were denyed a Time of Finding others then following his steps and being as prophane or more may not expect to find it better in their own case 2. No time of finding for old Hypocrites whose bones are full of the sins of their youth Secondly There will be no Time of Finding for old Hypocrites whose Å¿ Job 20.11 bones are full of the sins of their youth and do continually seek to hide and cover them under religious pretences as fasting praying weeping c. A old Hypocrite is like a child born crooked no earthly medicines can make him right and straight or like to old cloth which being rotten will not bear the needle and thred and therefore not to be mended Some men through their long hypocrisie are become as rotten as dirt no hope of mending for they have so accustomed themselves to play the hypocrites by weeping praying c. as t Jer. 13.23 the Blackmore may sooner change his skin and the Leopard his spots then they cease from dissembling and mocking God in religious duties They who from their infancy are accustomed to take poyson in small quantities do inable their stomacks to digest more till by long custome and increasing the quantity it becometh so familiar to their stomacks that instead of poysoning of them they are nourished by it Thus it is with such men who from their youth have used themselves to hypocrisie and falshood and risen by degrees at length specially when they come to be old their hearts are so hardned and conâ—ciences seared as their hypocrisie is no poyson no trouble to them but it turns to their nourishment it feeds them like meat and drink and they cannot live without it It was a great sin in Iudas to deliver his Master up into the hands of his enemies the Scribes and Pharisees but the sin of Iudas had not been half so bad if he had not so hypocritically betrayd Christ u Mat. 26.49 He came to Iesus and said Hail Master and kissed him So for any man to deliver up Christ in his truth and Cause into the hands of his bloody enemies viz. Priests Lawyers Papists c. under a pretence of Religion and the honor of God this comes neer
Ah ah Doe ye think that sobs and groans will doe it Of such Libertines and profane scoffers David speaks t Psa 14.6 The Counsel of the poor afflicted ye would make abaâ—hed because Iehovah is his hope that is Ye have derided the Godly when yee heard them in affliction to call upon the Lord and would discourage them from making God their Hope by faith and prayer Indeed this strikes deep when the Enemy reproacheth our prayers Iob found it so u Job 12.4 I am as one mocked of his neighbor calling upon God And David sadly complains of it x Psa 42.3 My tears have been my meat day and night while they continually say Where is thy God Again y vers 16. As with a sword in my bones mine enemies reproach me while they dayly say unto me Where is thy God A man that hath a weapon thrust to the bone cannot bear it long he must have it forth or dyes Though it be a grievous thing to have our prayers reproach'd yet this help we have by it namely it will force us to be the more fervent and earnest with God and not to rest day nor night till there be A TIME OF FINDING We finde in Scripture that the tryumphing of the wicked hath layn very much upon the Spirits of Saints and therefore have desired a Time of finding that the Enemy might not insult z Psa 13.34 Consider and hear me O Lord lest mine enemy say I have prevayled against him and those that trouble me rejoyce Again a Psa 140.8 Grant not O Lord the desire of the wicked further not his wicked device lest they exalt themselves What is it that Apostates and other wicked men would have That Mourners in Zion might have no Time of finding And what would they do should they have their desire It is not to be uttered the wickedness they would commit The Jewes report of one presuming to enter into the Holy of Holiest and abusing the Treasure there was by the hand of God immediately smitten The prayers and groanings of Saints are no other then Choyce things in the most Holy place And therefore when men begin to deride and reproach these Holy things surely judgment is not far off I remember Hezekiahs words b Isa 37.3 This is a day of trouble and of rebuke and of blasphemy for the children are come to birth and there is not strength to bring forth What he speaketh there is our present case when the child is at the birth the woman hath her sorest travel then either death or a speedy deliverance That our Tears Prayers and Sighings are reproach'd it hath brought the Work to the Birth Ah! how Zion now travels as having her last and sharpest pangs and throws upon her Methinks I hear her cry c Luk. 8.24 Master Master we perish But fear not Zion hear what thy God speaketh d Isa 66.9 Shall I bring to birth and not cause to bring forth As the Lord by the blasphemous reproaches and scornings of the Enemy viz. Priests Lawyers and Soldiers hath brought the work to the Birth and put the sharpest pangs now upon thee so he will speedily work out thy salvation e Isa 9.7 The zeal of the Lord will perform this 2. Because the Lord knowes we are weaklings Secondly Mourners shall have a Time of finding Because the Lord f Psa 103.14 knows their frame and remembreth they are dust Things that are brittle and tender should they be roughly handled would soon break to pieces As the Lord knows we are weaklings Babes Bruised reeds and smoaking flax so g Heb. 4.15 He is touched with a feeling of our infirmities and h Isa 57.17 will not contend for ever lest our spirits should fayl before him If a father should see his child at his foot gasping for life would he not pity him and preserve him if he could from perishing i Jon. 2.7 When my Soul fainted within me said Jonah I remembred the Lord and my prayers came unto thee into thine Holy Temple And this also makes me think a time of finding is nigh Because the Name of God and the Cause of Christ lies with such weight upon the Spirits of Mourners as they are even fainting under it Poor Hagar could not indure to hear the death-groans of her child for though she had heard him awhile weep and cry for water yet when she thought he was fainting away k Gen. 21.15 16. She leaves him and goes a good way off and lifts up her voyce and wept As DEATH-GROANS are now upon travelling Zion so the Lord sees it and he will not do as Hagar did go off from her there is no need for the water is not spent in his bottle but out of his fulness he will speedily supply her by granting her a blessed time of finding If a man should hear lamentable groanings and screeches at his gate and looking out at his window should behold poor people ready to starve through cold and hunger he could not having enough by him suffer them to perish It is thus with many of Gods people at this day they lie ready to starve before the Throne of Grace either FINDING or FAINTING And will he suffer such to famish Surely he will not he cannot for his promise l Pro. 10.3 Psal 107.5 6 7. is to do otherwise Suppose a Beast carry a burden so long as through weakness it begins to sink what man would not pitie it though it be a Beast and ease him of it The BURDEN hath been so long on the Lords Little ones and the m Dan. 7.25 Horn so weared them out as poor hearts they seem almost tyr'd One cries n Psa 94.14 My foot slippeth another o Eccles 7.7 Oppression makes him mad others p Ezek. 37.11 Our bones are dried up and our hope is lost c. others q Psa 125.3 The rod of the wicked hath been so long upon them as they are ready to put forth their hands to iniquity All this God knowes to be true and he knowes r Mat. 26.41 the flesh is weak and * Ephes 6.4 Col. 3.21 Parents must not provoke ther Children lest they be discouraged But what may we gather from it Our God will suddenly come and not keep silence to save all the meek of the earth Better one man should die then the whole Nation perish Methinkes things are come to that STRAIGHT that if Christs Enemies live his faithful Friends die if their spirits fail not the others will If God do not suddenly arise for his great Name some Sobbing-hearts wil break at his foot But fear not thou Worm-Iacob Å¿ Isa 43.3 I will give men for thee saith the Lord and people for thy life He will give the Little Horn to the burning flame The Last Apostacie shall perish THE HYPOCRITE SHALL REIGN NO MORE rather then thy Spirit shall fail for
without sin There is no man will prosecute a business for another so fully as he that is tenderly affected with the case The troubles and distresses which are now upon Gods people for poor Zion are upon the heart of Christ yea and much more upon his heart then theirs and therefore doubtless he will press home their SUITS in Heaven Besides that which Adonijah said to Bathsheba is most true of Christ p 1 Kin. 2.17 The Father will not say him nay q Psa 2.8 Ask of me and I shall give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession A man will be the more willing to help another if he see himself concern'd in the thing and that it is his own good that is desired For whom doe the faithfull sigh and groan Is it not for Christ as the Prophet saith r Psa 72.15 Prayer shall be made for him continually When they pray against Babylon Tyrants Tryers Lawyers Soldiers Is not this to pray for Christ viz. That his enemies may be made his footstoole Å¿ Heb. 10.13 as he expecteth and t Rev. 11.15 all the Kingdoms of the world become his u Ezek. 21 27. whose right it is And what may we learn hence Surely Christ will look after the tears and cryes of Mourners because they are poured forth for his own righteous cause Lastly That Believers should come unto God by Christ the holy Ghost giveth this reason x Heb. 7.25 Seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them y Zech. 1.5 Your Fathers where are they and the Prophets do they live for ever How often comes it to pass that there is not a Moses to stand in the breach a Ezek. 22.30 not a man to he found Is it not now our sad complaint b Psa 74.9 We see not our Signs there is no more any Prophet neither is there among us any that knoweth how long Nevertheless Jesus Christ our great High-Priest LIVETH FOR EVER and ceaseth not to plead Zions Cause or his own Cause rather before the Throne c Isa 63.16 Doubtless thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us and Israel acknowledge us not Thou O Lord art our Father our Redeemer thy Name is from everlasting And here it falls in our way to discover the great presumption of Christs Enemies d Luk. 19.27 which will not that he should reign over them But instead of exalting him seek to exalt themselves It is much they are not affraid to take Christs Name in their mouth For unto whom may they be likened To a company of Usurpers who keeping an honest man out of his lawful possession will yet go to him and entreat him to assist him against himself Surely he cannot but think they mock him most grosly I leave the application to such as will not that e Rev. 11.17 Christ should take to him his great power and reign yet say Lord Lord. Sixthly 6. Because they seek him with the groanings of the Spirit Because they seek the face of God with the groanings of the Spirit And this is to f Jude 20. pray in the Holy Ghost i. e. when the Spirit works all our sighings wrestlings and strong cries As the Master holding the Childs hand what is so written is done by him and he cannot but like it because it is his own Act Thus in our sincere Mournings before the Lord they must needs be accepted because they are g Isa 26.12 the work of his own Hand not our sighings and prayers but as David said h 1 Chron 29.14 Of thine own have we given thee When the Heavens and the Earth were finished and all the hosts of them it is said i Gen. 1.31 And God saw every thing that he had made and behold it was very good It could not but be lovely fair and excellent being his own work-manship Are our Mournings the work of the Spirit Surely then as God sees them they are very good And this is matter of singular comfort and incouragement unto all Mourners in Zion What though their sighs and cryes as lookt on by Enemies are slighted and scorn'd k Neh. 4.1 2 3. What do those feeble Jews Fifth Monarchy-men will they fortify themselves do they think by their weeping to build Zion Will they revive the stones of the heaps of the rubbish which are burnt Ah ah say they poor deceived people that which they build by their praying and fasting if a fox go up he shall even break down their stone wall It is true thus are our tears and cryes to God mockt and despis'd but let us not be discouraged for all this remember what was said they are not our groanings but the Spirit 's and in that regard l Psal 65.5 by terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us O God of our salvation m Rom. 8.26 17. The Spirit helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groans which cannot be uttered And he that searcheth the heart knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit because he maketh intercession for the Saints according to the will of God That is we being weak and prayer a great work the Spirit helps us to carry the Burden with us and for us and supplyes our want of knowledge by prompting as it were our lesson unto us to ask such things and in that manner as God requireth and alloweth Parents many times hear their children sob and groan but not knowing the cause thereof cannot help them But the Lord knows the mind of the Spirit Though we doe but n Isa 38.13 Chatter like a Crane or swallow and mourn as a Dove o 1 Sam. 1.13 Speak onely in our hearts like Hannah and no voyce is heard This before the Lord p Psa 142.2 is as incense an acceptable and well-pleasing sacrifice Quest But how may we know the Groanings of the Spirit from our own Answ 1. Nothing will quiet the Spirit as to cease groaning but satisfaction in the thing groaned for Though Elkanah spake comfortably to his wife when he said q 1 Sam. 1 8 Am not I better to thee then ten sons yet that would not help she was in bitterness of Soul before the Lord for a childe and nothing but a childe will comfort her As Rachel said r Gen. 30.1 Give me children or else I dy Thus it is with Saints groaning in the Spirit for Zion and the Great Name of God and against the abominable Falshood and Hypocrisie of men Their Souls Å¿ Psa 77.2 refuse to be comforted until the Lord gratiously answer them here I have seen children cry and roar after a piece of mony but no sooner hath a counter or bable been put into their hand but they had done crying and all is quiet and well again