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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

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sins that do provoke more wrath then others do whether against kingdoms or particular men Touching those sins that most provoke God to wrath and hasten judgements Among many I will name eight all which have long and do still Eight sins that hasten Judgements upon England rage in this Kingdom Idolatry Prophening the Lords Day Pride Oppression Murther Drunkennesse Whoredome Lukewarmnesse in Religion First for Idolatry This is a grievous sin immediately against the person The first is Idolary 1 Sam. 2. 25. of God If a man sin against God who shall intreat for him This sin is committed either when we worship a false God or the true God in a false manner and is a denying of God to be God Sets up something created in the room of the Creatour which is the greatest dishonour that can be to God being committed by any that have ever known God and God is most tender Isa 42 8. and jealous of his honour he will not give his glory to any other but will surely make that man or that nation miserable that thus dishonour him He commanded his people Israel If any man or woman did worship any Deut. 17 3 5. other God he should be stoned to death if a whole city it was to be destroyed And when the two Tribes and half beyond Jordan erected an Altar Deu 13 12 15 supposed by the other nine Tribes and half to be for Idolatry they all with Josh 22. one consent took arms to go against them but being assured by enquiry that no such thing was intended they desisted But when all Israel fell to Idelatry for it is a sin to which nature is very prone and began to chuse new Gods that is to mingle with the pure worship of God the superstitious Ceremonies of the heathens presently war was in their gates and God Judg 5. 8 Judg. 2. 14 gave them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them and into the hands of their enemies See the same sin in Solomon and the punishment of it in his 1 Kings 11 11. 1 Kings 12 25. 16. 2 Chron. 4 23 24. Ant. l. 9 c 2. 2 King 21 18. son Rehoboam Also in King Joash for this sin God gave him into the hands of the King of Assyria by a sinall and weak army So Joram who had married with Ahabs daughter who drew him as Josephm relates to execute divers mischiefs and amongst the rest to adore strange gods God punished him by the revolting of the Idumaans and smote him with a grievous disease of which he died and afterward was not suffered to be lamented nor buried in the sepulchre of the Kings The examples of Gods high displeasure against this sin are many both in Sacred and humane writings Secondly The prophaning of the Lords day This is also a sin immediately The second is Sabbath breaking l sa 58. 13. Lev 24 11. Jer. 17 25. Vers 27. against God and is committed either by the neglect of Spirituall Worship or by doing any bodily works of our callings Also by Sports Pastimes idle words or vain thoughts on that day The man that gathered sticks was by Gods command stoned to death Great blessings are promised to the keeping of that Day holy And great Judgements threatned if it be by any means prophaned God threatneth that he would kindle a fire in the gates of Jerusalem that should not be quenched And for this sin in the reign of Zedekia● ● Chro. 36. 21. Jerusalem was destroyed and the people carried captive into Babylon till the land for the space of threescore and ten yeers lay waste to keep her Subbaths for so long they were in captivity of which sin and punishment good Nehemiah puts the people in minde after their return when they began again to prophane the Sabbath day saying Did not our fathers thus And Did not our Neh. 13 18. God therefore bring all this evil upon us and upon this city Thirdly Pride This was one of the sins of wicked Sodome that cryed to heaven for judgement It is a sin very hatefull to God and not pleasing to men The third is pride In other sins men agree together in the sin but one proud man hates another that is as proud as he This sin ingageth God in war against men God resisteth the proud The Lord threatneth that he will destroy the house of the Jan. 6. 4. P. o. 15 26. proud Proud men are great enemies to a State If a people their affliction pray unto God and are not 〈◊〉 it is because of the pride of evil men Job 35. 12. God will marre the pride of Judeh and the great pride of Jerusalem The prophet tells us That because the daughters of Zion were haughty Walked With out-stretched necks Jer 13. 9. and wanton eyes mincing as they go c. The Lord will smite Isa 3 16 25. them and the men shall fall by the sword and in the war The pride of the women shall be punished by the death of their husbands Israel for her Pride Hos 6. 5. 2 Chro. 32. 25. shall fall and Judah shall fall with her And because Hezekiahs heart was lift up with pride therefore there was wrath upon Judah and Jerusalem Fourthly Oppression This is one of the crying sins that hasteneth Judgement against a nation or private men Ye shall not appresse one another but thou The fourth sin is Oppression Levit 25. 27. shalt fear thy God This fear of God and Oppression are contraries Where the fear of God is there is no oppression and where dppression is there is no fear of God These cannot dwell together in one heart nor in one kingdom This is a sin contrary to the nature of God who is Mercy it self Therefore he heareth the cry of Labourers servants and strangers when their hire is kept back and it entreth into the ears of the Lord If the cry of the lesse be so displeasing Deur 24 15. Jam. 54. much more of the greater When the whole kingdom crieth as the cry of the Israelites in Egypt A people oppressed by authority cries loud Exod. 2 23. This was in the dayes of Solomon as well as Idolatry and was as sevearly punished in his son Rehoboam This is a sin as well against the Gospel as the Law condemned by both The Law commands to shew mercy and compassion Oppresse none But saith the Prophet They the Kings Princes and People Zech. 79 10 11. hearkned not they stopped their ears that they should not hear this command but made their hearts as an Ademant stone c. Therefore came great wrath from the Lord of hosts and afterward when misery was an them they cried but God would not bear because they would not hear when the Prophet of God cried to them in his Name but they were scattered with a whirlwinde among all nations The Scripture sets forth oppressours by the names and nature of
King God delivereth his people and brings the wicked to destruction as Daniel did We are innocent before God and against the King have We done no hurt And may expect deliverance by God and revenge by his hand upon those that wrongfully seek our lives Secondly some men are moved to it by Ambitious desires they make honors A second sort of enemies are men ambitious of honour and command and dignities their end to obtain honour they will use any dishonourable wayes and use honour as dishonorably These are men like Aesops dog look at the shadow and neglect the substance Vertue which is the way to Honour they ●●un and Vice which is the originall of shame they follow and climb to Honor by the staires of Vice would be inobled for ignoble actions These are commonly very active men in things they know will please Princes without respect to Vertue or Justice their end is Honour not Duty And when their end is attained they are yet unsatisfied the more Honour the greater their Ambition especially in the Honour-seeking-Clergie that when they are at highest desire to soare higher and indure no competitour but if crossed in their end they grow secretly discontented full of venome ●alignity and hatred against ●ersons or causes that hinder grow desperate and seek any bloudy revenge and rather then lose their own private ends care not to destroy Kingdoms If they go not forward they 'l set all backward and think it some honour to be buryed Wicked men to game their own ends care not to destroy whole Kingdom ● in the ashes of a Kingdom and therefore raise sedition and civil war against their Prince if he hinder or against God himself to make war against his dearest mem●ers and thus have some at this day done and do against conscience and knowledge and still blow the fire of Contention to continue and increase Great Britains misery Thirdly another sort of men make Profit and Command their end they are moved and stirred up to Contention and War out of Covetousnesse especially A third sort of enemies are covetous men great men when not contented with their own will be owners of other mens Estates Possessions Inheritances and Rights Kings over their Subjects Lords over their Tenants and men of place and authority over their inferiours to make themselves commanders and ●ords over other mens Rights usurping power against Law and distinguish not betwixt Law and will hence ariseth murmuring impatience and opposition bleeding cruelties and seditious mutinies from a sparke to a flame hence grew the discontent of the people of Israell and the reason why they asked a King that a King might do them Justice and hence 1 Sam. 8. 3 4 5 1 King 12. 16 it was that they revoulted from their King because he did not Iust●ce unto them and this hath been one cause of our civill war is our present misery and was the cause of the first civill war in England in the ninth yeer of the raign of King John which occasioned the great Charter agreed upon between the King and the Subiect the beam of upright Soveraignty and subiection but when covetousnesse See Daniel History gets into the one scale the beam turneth and becometh unequall Fourthly others are moved to it by feare safety to themselves is their particular end when by their actions and proiects they have out of malice ambition A fourth sort of enemies are Delinquents covetousnesse or any other way done violence to religion law or the peace of the State and are by the law found faulty and convicted as Delinquents they rise in Rebellion against the Law to escape punnishment in hope by destroying the law they shall prevent the Iudgment of the Law and hence they disturbe the peace and quiet of the Kingdoms rather then they will suffer the just sentence of Iustice they will destroy most unjustly their just Lawes Religion and Kingdom And of this sort there are of all degrees Nobles Clergy Gentlemen Citizens c. These are the principall causers continuance and aggravation of our bloudy War and the hinderers of peace they shun peace as the greatest plague Thus Cataline did being guilty of many crimes to save himselfe conspired against his Country and was assisted by Lentulus Cethegus and many notorious offenders and vile persons who also stood in feare The fift end is spoyle and robbing many deboyft men and of broken fortunes decayed in estates seeke to get estates to themselves out of the ruine and destruction A fift sort of Enemies are men of broken fortunes of the Kingdom by robbing plundering and pillaging honest men and therefore desire to breake the Lawes that they may escape cleerly unquestioned withall their theevery and other insolencies Sixtly some make liberty and licentious loosenesse their end they hate the very name of Resormation either in Lawes or Religion and looke upon them as A sixt sort of Enemies are licensious men their enemies and therefore desire the destruction of Parliaments they prefer licentious liberty and voluptuous pleasures above all Parliaments Lawes or Religion They looke upon it as their God preferring it above God and are worse then Fpicuras their master who knew no other God yet as Seneca saith even in the shop of pleasures voluntarily abridged himself of that content but amongst us there are a sort of men Gentlemen and others who are never satisfied in their Senea in E. pist 18. disordered courses like those described in the booke of Wisdom Say they shall be as if they had never been and shall be forgotten in time therfore will I enjoy all pleasures and not lose any part of their voluptuousnesse Wisd 2. 1 2. 7. c. Others there are that are malitious enemies to the Kingdoms just defence or Newters out of an ignorance of God and the just cause of God as if all their service and obedience to God hung upon their obedience to the commands of A seventh sort that are enemies to God and Religion are Superstitious Ignorant men Math. 15. 6. men make men gods and God nothing making the commandements of God of no effect by the tradition and commandements of men Now because some of these sorts of men especially the latter are so well instructed by the father of envy and grand Seducer of men that they as himselfe did to our Saviour alleadge texts of Scripture to seduce men from their obedience to God to the obedience of men I conceive it very necessary to give a brief Answer to their main Objections They object from that place Rom 13. 1. Let every soule be subject to the higher Power for there is no power but of God c. And that we are bound to render to all that which is their due Tribute Custome Honor Fear to whom t is due Obiect 1 Hence they argue that all men are bound to yeeld obedience to the higher power but the King is highest in power therefore
for the great affaires of the kingdome and besides them we know none nor can acknowledge any other being of Soveraigne and highest power The King only above them in person and Prerogative to call them together as the necessity of the kingdome requires of which they are conservers for the kingdome is not wholly the Kings but the people have See Senec. in Clem. l. 1. c. 19. a propriety The King indeed is the head to defend and preserve the people so it is his to preserve the peace of it but not to destroy it The covenants and conditions made betweene the Kings of England and the people at Kings are bound to keep their covenants with their subjects See Fren. Accad c. 55. of L●●o See Dr. Will. in com 5. and Bish Andrewes ●●de●n their Coronation are as it were annexed to the Crowne and the King in conscience bound to observe and keepe for the peoples good and Parliaments bound in conscience and justice to defend on the peoples behalfe as the people are bound to obey the King for his authority so the King is bound to make good his covenants to the people which he cannot nor may violate without dishonour to God and manifest injury to his people having taken oath to performe and maintaine the same And those rights so reserved to the people they may and ought by the authority of Parliament to defend being assaulted against all opposition I say the people are bound to defend their Lawes Religion lives estates and liberties by the authority of Parliament not that any private man or men may make resistance against the authority of a King private men are bound to obey or suffer the penalty of the Law although the Laws be corrupt and wrested to injustice Thus did many Worthies in this kingdome Many Worthies of this kingdom while they were but private men suffered all penalty of tke Law and against Law both under the government of King James and our now Soveraigne King Charles When oppressed by Loanes Monopolics Ship-money Knighthood-mony and abundance of such unjust taxations though they refused the taxes being contrary to Law and destructive to Parliaments yet they submitted to the censure of Law though the Law was then by a fuger the Judges and handlers of the Law corrupted pronouncing unjust sentences upon which came sinings imprisonments dismembring banishment c. Yet for all this we did not nor might make any resistance all we did was but to make our humble complaints by petitions and humble supplications to his Majesty and especially our prayers to God for redresse that we might be eased of our burdens under which we groaned and some perished taking it as a just scourge from the hand of God for our sins to suffer our Kings to be ruled by a Malignant counsell to oppresse and afflict their loyall people it was one of the judgenents that God threatned against Jerusalem I will give Job 34. 30. children to be their Princes and babes shall rule over them the people shall be Esa 3. 4 5. vers 12. oppressed every one by another and women should have rule over them and againe I gave thee a King in mine anger and tooke him away in my wrath an oppressing or ungodly King is the wrath of God upon a Nation otherwise Hos 13. 11. there should be saith reverend Calvine no more said of a King then of a common robber that violently taketh away thy goods and an adulterer See Calv. instit l. 4. c 20. Sect. 25. that defileth thy bed of a murderer that seeketh to kill thee but as he beares the image of God and is the hand of God to afflict though else worthy of no honour he must be had in estimation and honoured and not to be resisted by private men But God hath appointed his times and meanes when and how such unnaturall and oppressing Kings shall be curbed though he use them for a time God appoints times means to deliver his Church to afflict his people he will raise up meanes to afflict them and avenge himselfe upon them for their injustice and deliver his people from their tyranny it is in Gods power to make private men of publike authority and arme them by his owne authority to execute publike justice as he stirred up Moses to deliver his people from the cruelty of Pharaoh by strong hand so Othniel Exod 3. 7. Judg. 3 8 9. Calebs brother to deliver the Israelites out of the hands of Cusban-risbatbim and by Deborah and Barak he delivered them out of the hands of Jabin King of Canaan And he stirred up Gideon for a deliverer of his people who Judg 46. 24. by inspiration first brake downe the Altars cut downe the Groves and spoyled all the idolatry of the idolaters and then gathered a mighty army and Judg 16. 27. Iudg. 7. 37. vers 25. God gave his enemies into his hands by a sinall army of three hundred men and so from time to time when for their sinnes God had afflicted them he stirred them up deliverers armed by his owne authority against Kings the greatest in power saith Calvin subdued the lesser and gave deliverance to his people And by such meanes and in such cases it is lawfull to take up armes against the tyranny of Kings Such deliverers God hath stirred up unto us in England at this day Who This Parliament called by the speciall providence of God can deny but this Parliament was called by the special hand providence of God assisted by the authority of the King by order of his Writs issued forth into all counties to bring them together his Majesties good correspondency with them in the beginning till incensed by Malignant counsell and established by his Majesties own act and is now as we have said before of Soveraigne authority his Majesty having by his Regall act stamped upon them his owne image his great Councell and supreame Court of justice accounted so by all Kings of this kingdome confirmed by the oldest Lawes iterated from generation to generation What their authority is how ancient and of what power is described fully by the zealous and learned Author of that treatise intituled the Soveraigne power of Parliaments and Kingdomes divine Calvin saith of Parliaments that they ought to withstand the outraging licentiousnesse of Kings Nay saith he I affirme that if they winke at Parliaments are bound to withstand the outrage of Kings Calvin in Instit l 4. c. 20. Sect. 32. Kings wilfully raging over and treading downe the poore commonalty their dissembling is not without breach of saith because they deceitfully betray the liberty of the people whereof they know themselves to be appointed protectors by the ordinance of God Then I say if Parliaments are protectors of the peoples liberties much more ought they to protect their Religion and to defend it with the hazard of their dearest blouds against all opposers I remember a story
cruell beasts Bulls Bears Wolves Dogs Kine of Bashan c. And the Prophet Amos tells them That the Lordhath sworn by his Ames 2. 4. holinesse that he will take them away with hooks and their posterity with 〈◊〉 as such devouring beasts and fishes are taken that bite and devour one another The stronger devour the weaker and greater eat up the lesser So the Prophet J●remiah complained That among the people there were wicked appressing Jer. 5 26. men who set traps to catch men Deceit was in their houses by it they became great and were waxen rich Therefore the Lord will be avenged on such Vers 28. 29. a nation as this Fifthly Murther This is another crying sin And this is committed either The fifth sin Murder by shedding innocent blood or by withholding judgement from the shedders of blood The blood that is shed cryeth loud against both these and ascends into the ears of God It is a sin against nature forbidden long before the Law was given by Moses and it was punished in the first age of the world The Gen. 9. 5. 6. voice of Abels blood cryed upto God from the earth It is expresly commanded Gen 4 11. That the blood shedder shal be delivered to the hands of the avenger of blood the reason is given in Verse 10. That the guilt of innocnet blood lie not upon Deut. 19. 12. the Land If blood lie upon a nation it leaves a stain that cannot be put out except Judgement be executed The guilt of blood may die long upon a nation till men seem to forget it but the Lord will not let it escape punishment If the Magistrates of the Nation do not punish it God will punish the Magistrate and the Nation too Saul slew divers of the Gibeonites causlesly contrary to Josh 9. 15. the Covenant and Oath which Joshua and the Princes of Israel made with them And long after in the dayes of David God sent a famine in the Land 〈◊〉 Sam. 21. 1. three yeers for that sin Till David executed Justice upon the sons of Saul the Gibeonites were but slaves to Saul and all Israel Yet see Gods Justice Sauls sons though of the Royall blood they must die for it God is no respecter of persons Where Judgement is not duely executed by man God will do it with his own hand some other way on whomsoever are guilty Now if Great Britain be guilty of such blood as surely it is then no marvell that God hath whet his glittering sword against us and made his arrows drunk with Deut. 32 41. blood to avenge the bloods of the innocnet and to destroy the withholders of Justice for he will avenge the blood of his servants and render vengeance Verse 43. 2 Kings 24. 4. to his adversaries The Lord sent the Caldecs Syrians Moabites and the children of Ammon against Jehoiakim to avenge the blood that Manasseh had shed in his dayes Though God be patient yet he is just God in Scripture is Psal 9 12. said to make inquisition after blood we see he did for the blood of Naboth which Ahab by Jezebel had shed and made the Dogs to lick the blood of Ahab ● Kings 21. 19. 2 Kings 9. 7. in the same place where they had licked the blood of Naboth and of Jezebelt by the wall of Jezreel and cut off the bloody house of Ahab by the bloody sword of Justice Sixthly Drunkennesse This sin is of a double provocation First it provokes The sixth sin is Drunkennesse Isa 5. 22. 1 Cor. 6. 10. God to wrath as it is a transgression of his law and is by the Apostle excluded from the kingdom of heaven Secondly it provokes men to the breach of every Commandment of God either to the act or guilt of all grosse sins as Murther Whoredom Stealing Lying and Swearing a sin under which the Land mourneth it takes a way the heart from God and inclines it to all wickednesse Wo is the portion of them that follow after strong drink Hos 4. 11. Prov. 23. 29. Isa 5. 11. Verse 22. Joel 15. Deu 29. 19. 20 and to them that are strong to drink strong drink The Prophet Joel awakes the drousie Drunkards and bids them weep and howl But the Drunkard is of all men most fearlesle till the Judgement be upon his head The Drunkard blesseth himself in his sin and sayes he shall have peace though he adde Drunkennesse to thirst Therefore the Lord will not spare us but his Wrath and Jealousie doth sinoak against us at this day God commanded that the father Deut 2● 20. of a Drunkard should bring his son to the Elders and stone him to death The whole nation of the Jews for this sin was carried into captivity and the Prophet Isa 5. 13 14. Neh. 1. 10. speaking of the destruction of Nineve saith While they were drinking as Drunkards they shall be d●●oured as stubble fully dry Belsbazzars kingdom Dan. 5. ● Kings 20. 16 was given from him while he was Drinking and Carousing before a thousand of his Lords Benhadad and thirty two other kings his consederates were all put to flight while they were drinking drunk in their Pavilions Seventhly Whoredom This is a very grievous and an unnaturall sin for The seventh sin is Whoredom 1 Cor. 6. 18. Heb. 13. 4. by it a man sinneth against his own body In all other sins of the second Table a man sins against another but by this a man sins against himself and others too This is a double sin not actually committed but by two as Zimri and Cozby The whoremonger destroyeth two bodies and two souls at once Whoredom Prov. 6. 32. is of two sorts Adultery and Fornication Both are hatefull to God and God hath excluded both from him in heaven and excludeth himself from them upon the earth by separating his servants from them as the Prophet witnesseth O faith he that I had a lodging place in the wildernesse that I might leave Jer. 9 2. my people and go from them for they be all adulterers c. God is far from them as a protectour he will come neer to them in judgement as he threatneth by Mat. 3. 5. the Prophet Josephus saith There is no greater filthinesse then the unlawfull mixture of our bodies The adulterer and the adulteresse were both to be put to Deut 22 22. death by Gods command but this sin reigns by custome and is practised by authority in England as was described by Seneca What woman saith he so Sentc benif l. 3. c. 16. miserable or loathsome that will content herself with one pair of adulterers they are carried to one friend and they dine with another for every day they have one and count the keeping of one Lemman good Wedlock We read that the least punishment that the Egyptians inflicted upon adulterers was to cut off the nose of the woman and the privy parts
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