this Amalek of inbred corruption against which we have been fighting with the sword of the Spirit many a weary day Numb 24.20 I say then this Amalek the first of the nations that warred against Israel our souls his end shall be that he be destroyed for ever 3. Such a sence of sin remaining in us as hinders our rejoycing in expectation of the future glory or joyful thanksgiving for our present deliverances is not our duty but our sin God will not be robbed of his glory under a pretence of mourning for his dishonour as soon as God the Father hath delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son Col. 1.12 13. 'T is then our duty to give thanks to him who hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance among the Saints in light He that readeth the book of the Acts and considereth how the holy Ghost takes notice of the affection of joy in the converts of those times Act. 2.46 Act. 8.8.39 Act. 9.31 Act. 16.34 may readily conclude that it is as natural for babes in Christ as soon as they are born to rejoyce as it is for others to cry The life of a real Christian should be a continual holy-day And therefore let us keep the feast according to that of our Apostle 1 Cor. 5.8 And follow the advice of that holy man Mr. Downam to that purpose in his Christian warfare who himself was not only troubled with this old man but also with blasphemous suggestions as he himself told me many years past when I went to seek comfort in my condition Let us submit lye down acquiese and be satisfied in the wisdom and goodness of God whose providence is every where and over ruleth all things in Heaven and earth for his own glory and his peoples good And rejoycing in our hopes of glory and interest in all the blessed promises of the word of God so go on in our Christian warfare with good courage not feating men or Devils as to perform out duties towards God and reach out after the end of our faith the salvation of our souls Christ in his word hath given us good assurance of our obtaining this In fidelity is the Devils greatest engine to destroy our rejoycing of hope Would the Lord but go on with his Conquest over unbelief and raise our faith into a more sollid substance of things hoped for Heb. 11.1 And a clearer evidence of things not seen Would he but teach us how to live by faith how rich a living would it afford us how sweetly might we in the contemplation of the truth and worth of that promised glory triumph over all adversities That state wherein poor man shall behold the face of the blessed God in such a fullness that the glorious Angels Heb. 2.16 are not capable of the like man who hath a nearer relation to Jesus Christ hath also a nearer standing to the very throne then the blessed Angels themselves Rev. 4.4 c. is so transporting so ravishing in the foresight thereof that we may well take up that triumphant song Oh Death where is thy stâ—ng oh Grave where is thy victory 1 Cor. 15.55 Behold what manner of love the Father hath loved us withall that we should be called the Sons of God Now are we the Sons of God And it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Oh! the length the heighth the breadth and depth the fulness of that love of Christ that passeth knowledge Now I come to the third sort of Professors â—nd they are such as have never been greatly â—roubled who though they have been scared â—nd lightly touched by the Arrows of the Almighty yet cannot say they have stuck fast â—ithin them and that the Poison thereof â—ath at any time drunk up their spirits To â—hese my request is that they would suffer a â—ord of warning from one who hath more â—â—eply drunk of the Cup of trembling That â—â—up which his Lord and master drank to the â—ottom that so in a little he might be conâ—â—rmable to his head and having obtained â—ercy might be found faithful The main of all I have to say to such is â—â—at my hearty prayer to God for them is â—â—at they all may be strengthened with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness Col. 1.11 That they may walk worthy of the Lord in all well pleasing Remembring 1. The gentler dealings of the Lord with them then with others calls for hearty acknowledgement of thanksgiving Judg. 8.16 He might have taught you with the bryars and thorns of the Wilderness whereas he hath led you with the gentle cords of a man Hos 11.4 Spared you as a man spareth his Son that serveth him Mal. 3 17. He hath made you free without serving a long and hard Apprenticeship under the yoke of bondage He hath gone an easier way with yoâ— then the way of the Philistins Exod. 13.17 you have not seen warr as others have done Let the miseries of me and others provokâ— you to thankfulness and fruitfulness in everâ— good work 2. Remember your condition is not yet 〈◊〉 safe your danger is not so farr over but thâ—â— you have need of caution your great caâ—â— should be that your latter end might be peaâ—â— Prize the peace of your Conscience aâ—â— while you are in with God oh keep in wiâ—â— him still if you let sin in you drive God 〈◊〉 of your souls And when he is gone all yoâ—â— peace is gone all your comfort of hope is gone too A privation of the light of his countenance will beget a dismal night of horror sin will tumble you down from your Heaven of Communion with God and then the valley of the shadow of death will be your walk and Hellish fiends shall frighten you there with continual alarums of your falling lower into the depths of Hell And how long it may be thus with you who can tell oh how will you be able to bear such changes as these are learn of me and others in like case and be wise think not that your present favour of men or gain of Silver and Gold or flattering pleasures of vanity will make you satisfaction for the harms done by sin Or that the remembrance of these will ransome you from or purchase you the least gentler usuage under the hand of terror Your profession is no priviledged condition Sin can find out the sinner even when he hath taken Sanctuary in Sion Is 33.14 Nothing but righteousness can deliver from death Prov. 10 2. Be found any where or doing any thing else and be sure your sin will find you out Num. 32.23 Those things that appear to thee to be plainly sinful or of the lawfulness whereof thou makest a doubt peremtorily refuse the one and patiently forbear till thou art well
to the Deliverer To have God deserting a Soul and permitting Satan to Rage and Rule so far that it believeth all his suggestions and is not able to believe the contrary expecting nothing but the lowermost Hell This was my condition and when I have told you so though you might perceive something of my sad and wearysome Life yet cannot the misery be expressed by me nor conceived by you a thousand worlds had I been owner would I have given for a Free Spirit a heart enabled to shake off the meditating and pondering upon Hell torments as the things that methoughts I should for ever dwell with Now I say when all this lay upon my Soul and I expected no deliverance then for the Lord my God to surprize and break in upon me with so glorious and unexpected a mercy who can but set forth the loving kindness of so gratious a God and Saviour I may therefore boldly say to any poor Soul let his distress be never so great yet if he have but so much faith as to believe the Scriptures and that Jesus is the Son of God and died for sinners though he hath no assurance for himself no more hopes then I had not a spark of Grace in his own apprehension Is 50.10 Yet let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay himself upon his God Let him wait for the Lord will come Is 8.17 And such a faith is sufficient for such a Soul in that condition In my distress before my God gave me experience of Light Love and Salvation I engaged by promise that if my God would give me deliverance I would declare to his Saints abroad what he had done for me and that as Satan suggested to me before that I should be a shame to Professors so would I declare his wiles and devices and what a lying unclean and murdering Spirit he is that in what I could his designs of ruine against poor Souls might be frustrated and the Lord having heard my vows setting me at liberty a strong temptation fell upon me to pray that God would assist me in performance of them nor were my prayers single or alone I had the help of such as feared God about me my body at that time was very much disordered Yet he that prepared my heart to pray enclined his Ear to hear enabling with speed and ease to the wonder of some to Write the ensuing discourse I here present to open view with much hope that the same hand that made it easie to me will make it useful to many who may be troubled in Spirit For the comfort of such and the discovery of Sathans subtilty the good of them and hurt of none but Him are the ends I have in publishing this experimental Relation begging that the Lord would exalt his great and glorious Name in magnifying his Mercy to all Eternity by dealing thus with many poor Souls as he hath done with his poor servant Charles Langford The Captive delivered Or a Relation of the great things which the Lord the mighty God of Heaven and Earth did for his poor Servant C. L. in delivering him out of the midst of violent and dreadful temptations April 16. 1669. witnessing to his Soul the greatness of his mercy in the midst of his sins and magnifying his free-grace in sealing it with the comfortable perswasion of his being one of Abrams believing seed and this when under great unworthiness and unbelief all which he now desires in thankfulness and according to his vows in the day of his distress to declare to the people of God and to as many as shall read it CHAP. I. Of the Original cause of all troubles what share the Authour had therein Why seeing all men are by nature the children of wrath do not all thus feel the weight of it the particular occasion of his first awakening Satans design in it Gods over-ruling and turning it to good VVHen I consider the sad estate wherein all the sinful Sons of Adam lye how through the most righteous judgement of God for our wilful transgression of his holy Law which he gave for a rule and tryal of our obedience miserably they are deprived of a most blessed estate Gods Image and blessed presence once had and enjoyed and how dangerously depraved and swollen up into an enmity against God their Maker their nature is I am so far from wondring at the horror that sometimes here and there one is surprized withall that I must confess 't is a far greater wonder to me that any are found to live at ease Dread and horror are the best fruit that can be had for eating of the forbidden tree If meer justice ruled the world the thickets would be every mans habitation Magor Missabib might be the fittest name for Adams race Jer. 20.3 fear round about now degenerated into a brood of vipers 'T is a wonder sin hath not found out and frightned the sinner upon earth that caught him in and cast him out of Paradice If it spared him not there how should it pass him by here if it turned him out of his walk his most delightful walk with the God of bliss there why hath it not tumbled him down into a bed of fire â—ere sure I am sorrow and distress of conscience is as much an attendant upon sin and guilt as the shadow is of the body as hear is of the fire as dark shadows were of the night by this the children of the day are transformed into those of the night and the heirs of God into haters of God and children of wrath and such are all men without exception in a natural condition These considerations make it less to be wondred at I say that any man should groan under the burthen of sin which lyes so heavy upon all it being a far greater wonder as I said before that the just holy and righteous God should so long suspend the execution of the antient sentence past upon Adam and his posterity or that any of the inhabitants of the earth should not sear their dropping into Hell and dread their danger I for my part must to the honour of my strong Redeemer take to my self the guilt of that first transgression and acknowledge that from the loins of the first Adam hath a venemous empoisoned nature been conveyed unto me Let no man say or think that any part of my past misery sprung from any other fountain then this evil nature I know that amidst the numberless number of Satans artifices this is one of his main engines whereby he would keep poor captive souls from the ways of life and peace He labours to bring up an evil report of such ways representing religion as the great incending as well in the Consciences as in the Kingdoms of Men and with as much confidence avers it as wicked Ahab did of the good Prophets that profession of the Gospel attended with it's required strictness is the grand trouble of the world
GODS Wonderful MERCY IN THE MOUNT of woful EXTREMITY OR The Recovered Captive BEING A plain Relation of Gods unspeakable goodness in rescuing one of the meanest of his flock from the paw of the roaring Lyon and pangs of unconceivable horror through long and strong temptations and spiritual desertions Published 1. For the encouragement of poor distressed consciences worried with temptations and almost quite wearied with waiting 2. For a caution to secure sinners lest they also come into such or sorer torment 3. For a call of all in whose hearts are the ways of God to bear a part in the high praises of him whose wonders are in the deep By Charles Langford I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever Ps 89.1.17 Knowing the terrours of the Lord we perswade men 1 Cor. 5.11 Thou hast turnea for me Ps 30.11.12 London Printed for Anna Brewster at the Golden bellows in Fore-street at Moor-lanâ—â—end 1672. To the Reader THe ensuing Narrative is intended for the good of all and therefore may well expect freedom from the scornfull censures of any But 't is primarily published for the benefit of such who are apt to think feeling the weight of their own sin as of an heavy burden Psal â—8 4 or the wounds of their own Spirit made by the Arrows of the Almighty sent â—rom the Devils bow and poysoned so that â—hey become fiery darts drinking up the â—pirit Job 6.4 that never any man was in â—uch a case as they none ever went so far â—nto the Valley of the shadow of death and â—eturned alive as they are gone for the â—roken in Spirit those whom the terrours â—f God have to use Hemans words distracâ—d and cut off Ps 88.15.16 for the good of these are the ensuing pages penned and therefore from these may they expect the choâ—â—est entertainment 't is no small favour Heaven shews that besides those fixed monuments of mercy erected in the word oâ— truth such as David Job Heâ—â—an yea and the blessed Jesus all which as they were plunged in the depths of Terrors so were they delivered from their fears every agâ— of the Church should have some living test monies of deep calling unto deep and that as Sathans malice so Gods mercy enduâ—eth for ever that some have deep gashes made upon their peace and those unhealed so long till hope seemeth to be cut off and tâ—e cuâ—ed at the last I am sure will be thy meâ—cy O thou afflicted tossed with Tempest and not comforted however others look upon it Examples in this as in other cases make the deepest impression the understanding here being ever annoyed by the loud and hasty clamours of a misgiving conscience may not be able to make so long a stand as to hear all that the tongue of the Learned have to say for the relief of their weary Souls the judgement must needs be weak when passions are strong Now for such a one to hear that others hunted by the terrors of the Almighty set in array against them to the very brink of desperation and hope even just ready to quit the field have yet through the mercy of the Most High put Sathan to flight won the day recovered their peace and lived in the sweet possession of the Spirit of a sound mind and all this after many a doubtful combate and in a time they looked not for it I say to hear of this exemplefyed in the case of others will at least do thus much service for tottering spirits as to perswade not to make too much hast to run away to hide themselves and that yet there is hope in Israel concerning this thing If in every circumstance of the following Narrative thou find not thy self concerned yet thou wilt in many if thou be one that hast had any experience of the Spirit of Bondage yea and in the main of all thou art troubled in Spirit thy everlasting welfare fare stands bleeding thy hope is giving up the Ghost blasphemous injections the very spirit and humour of hopeless damned Souls haunt and affrighten thy wracked mind thy flesh trembleth for fear of Gods wrathful Judgements all his waves and his billowes pass over thee thou art weary of thy life and yet tormented at the thoughts of death this was the case of the Authour of these following lines 't is hard to conceive a more dangerous condition or that the God of his Salvation should suffer his Faithfulness to thee to fail Wait on the Lord be of good courage Let Satans suggâ—stions be what they will hold this for a certain truth established in the very heavens and irreversible by the gates of Hell Blessed are all they that wait for him Isaiah 30.18 That any should look upon discourses of this kind as matter of scorn and reproachful contempt is matter of sorrow and lamentation that the common enemy to the Race of Adam should find so much Friendship and Folly in the hearts of men yet such there are men that side with their greatest Foe accounting all experiences of this sort as meer Fictions and the issue of a melancholly brain But poor Souls the hour of trembling will come to you at last when you have slept out your sleep upon the lap of lust the Philistines will be upon you and your pleasant dreams of security shall bring you to the King of Terrors let the ensuing narrative be your preservative happy they can discern the vileness of sin and devices of Satan in the clear glass of another Mans Soul confounding terrours one main end of this is thy warning if unhappily thou shalt despise it and thy Faithful Monitor seem to thee as one that mocketh it is no new thing thus it was in the days of Lot Gen. 19.14 even those whose Office should oblige them to better things have been sometimes ignorant in the case of Gods withdrawings Cant. 5.2 smiting and wounding and taking away the Vail have been their work when sympathizing hath been their duty However to be of the Family of Abraham to inherite the blessing is more then sufficient Armour against the persecuting scoffs of Ishmael As for such as truly fear God 't is hoped they will not be offended to see that done by any which is incumbent upon all to declare the works of God with rejoycing and to tell what great things he hath done for our Souls Mark 5.14 is a Law shall stand in Force when the Heavens and Earth shall reel into a change nor will they stumble at the plainness of delivery all have not alike abilities to express themselves Exod. 18.5 gaudy paints of eloquence may sometimes be taken for Ornaments but they are best put off when we have so nearly to do with God Goats Hair and Badgers Skins Exod. 25.45 where there are no better are a good offering for the Sanctuary And to speak truly 't is not in well set words and sentences but in clear experiences true learning doth consist To say any thing
1. Kings 18.17 Insomuch that I think 't would be no mistake should I affirm this for a certain truth That Satans furious attempts made most what upon the inward peace of Gospel professions who having escaped the polutions that are in the world through lust and committed the keeping of their souls into the hands of an able preserver are not allwayes raised by him in hope of bringing them back into their former bondage or undoing their souls by desperation But that he may stir up a greater dislike in the hearts of his Vassals to the ways of purity Offences are the trade that Satan sets up and drives The miseries of us are the mirth of him But woe to him by whom they come and woe to the world because of them Let the Reader know for a certain truth that however carnall hearts conceive of the way that is called Holy branding it by the names of melancholly mopish and mâ—d wisdom is justified of her Children all her wayes are wayes of pleasantness and all her paths are peace Prov. 3.17 carnal and sensual delights are not in the least to be compared with spiritual and divine Ps 46.4 the River that makes glad the City of God is more deep more durable more delightful then the Egyptian Nilus the waters of Siloam run but softly the consolations of God found in the way of holy obedience make no great noise in the ears of common observers who are meet strangers to such joyes but they are therefore the more deep and solid My long experience hath taught me in the midst of all the intricacies of providence to hold this for a certain truth that godliness never took away any mans peace nor ungodliness never gave it The closest conformity to the commands of God never did any man harm nor did the pleasures of sin ever do any man good the wise lord of all hath thought fit to train me up under many spiritual afflictions and sore temptations I am now arrived at the borders of Death through age of much of my part life may I truly say in the words of the distressed Psalmist that in it my Soul hath been full of troubles Ps 88.3 by reason whereof my life hath oft drawn nigh to the grave yet in the greatest of my extremities have I ever seen a real-worth in holy strictness such a worth have I seen in that that I may truly say not it but Satan taking advantage of my want of it was that which did me harm the bitter cup of external internal or eternal evils receiveth it Fulness from an evil nature a naughty heart whoever is employed in the filling of it the fountain for fetching of it is within our selves destruction when it cometh as a whirl-wind suddenly surroundingly and on every side so that to determine from what particular point it blows may seem impossible yet must it be granted that its ingendring was in the deep and deadly Caverns of an earthly and an evil heart whatever instrumentallity Men or Devils have in the infliction of our troubles our destructions are undeniably not from them but from our selves Oh! then let none say or think that 't is Religion but irreligion preciseness but dissoluteness drawing nigh unto but departing away from the living God much reading praying hearing searching the Scriptures consorting with the godly c. But the contrary have been the causes though the other sometimes the occasions of hellish horrors and disquietness of mind Rom. 7.8.11 Oh! no no 't is sin that is the root of bitterness springing up into troubles a sinful nature a sinful life or the least sinful omission any one act of sin though never so small is enough to infuse that horror into the soul that all the pleasures of time shall never be able to claw off Thus that sinful nature which I brought along with me into the world and by which as soon as I had attained to my ripeness of years I began to manifest whose child I was bringing forth such fruits whereof I am ashamed This I say was the root of all the bitterness I have hitherto tasted of 't was not too much preciseness which the enemies of true Godliness falsly so call that wrought this disturbance in me For at the time when my troubles began I had neither affection to nor acquaintance with any other way of serving the God of heaven then what was common carnal and external Q. How then comes it to pass that the whole Earth upon the matter lyeth still and is at quiet not troubled themselves with such strange kind of doubts fears and distractions of thoughts about their Eternal state as you speak of nor troubling others with their complaint about them Sure coming too near the heels of Religion is the cause of such fractions of the bones of inward peace or else why should not others be thus perplexed Ans I answer that however the Objection is manifestly rooted in the minds of carnal men who by reason of their fondness of their false peace not willing to raise disturbances within themselves like no worship of God save that which biteth not but contrarily bite and devour such as do yet so false and ground less is this Objection that in few words I shall only say 1. That however t is true de facto that most of those who ingage in the ways of God meet with great troubles and distress of conscience at the first entrance yet de jure no sort of men are more the sons of consolation than they 2. Such distresses are most needful most profitable things and such as commend the waâ—es of God above all others For consider 1. How else should the heart of man who by nature drinketh in iniquity as a thirsty man water be put out of his seeming delightful way of sinning 't is the way that Heaven hath pitcht upon to save men from Hell this to acquaint them with the bitterness of sin here 2. How else should the heart of a sinner be prepared to entertain the terms and tidings of a Saviour Christ believed in Christ relyed upon Christ owned and embraced and submitted unto 1 Tim. 3.16 is one of the greatest misteries of Godliness in all the world and nothing prepareth the heart more to hearken to and embrace the tidings the tenders and the terms of so sweet a name as Jesus is then spiritual distress souls weary and heavy laden Mat. 11.28 and none but such have to do or will have to do with Iesus Christ 3. How should the Law of God be found powerful to kill or the Gospel of Christ powerful to quicken any other way We read of Gods magnifying his word above all his name 't is his aim and delight to do so he will have men to know his word to be a word of power an instrument of life or death a two edged sword and therefore not to be jested with and the ordinary way of effecting this is
my duty and safety to become partner with the people of God in all the divine ordinances and providences that should be imposed upon them the sence of which duty made me tye my endeavours with theirs to draw the Ark of the God of Israel to its own place 1 Sam. 6.12 And although like the Kine went on lowing all the way yet to the best of my understanding I kept the strait wayes of the Lord and did not wickedly depart from my God After the intestive broils of those times were somewhat abated and leisure with liberty lay common for any man to be as good as he would Though I thankfully embraced the freedom of the Gospel as a singular favour from Heaven yet I must confess as matter of much sorrow that neither the many afflictions nor mercyes under which I was exercised were so well improved as they should But contrarily I forgot to return to God according to his benefits Not long after this I found my sins growing to so great a bulk that I could not look up My former sin began to grow fresh in my remembrance and the Lord to withdraw the light of his countenance which I had now for a good season and in a good measure enjoyed my communion with him began much to abate and his rod of affliction such as I had not known before began to smart upon my back In my former trials then which I thought once none could be greater I was not brought so near the brink of utter ruins as I was in this and what followed First the Lord began to lay on a load of sore and gauling afflictions upon my loines mainly By bringing a day of silence upon his Ministers from whose lips I had often received sufficient drops of that water of life to quench the thirst of my heart panting after God And blocking up the solemn assemblies of his Saints permitting things so contrary to my judgement to be introduced and added to his worship These together with some other heavy afflictions at home from some of mine own relations did so concur with my former tryals that I now concluded more then at any time before God had withdrawn himself from me Hereupon he was pleased to suffer that cruel enemy Satan that old Serpent to break in upon my soul with such dread and terror that he made my body to quake upon my bed so that I was fain to have one to lye upon me to keep me from shaking thinking then he had an opportunity to accomplâ—sh his hellish tragedy my self being so abused by his former delusions and still entertaining thoughts that God had forsaken me that cursed enemy to the most glorious and ever blessed God would have tempted me as once Jobes Wife dâ—d her husband to curse God and this he pressed with much violence but through the mercy of God was not able to accomplish his wicked design though he seemed to me to affirm with as strong affirmations and as bloudy oaths as ever were heard from any swearing wretch that I was damned territâ—ing me in the night with fearful dreams and visions of a spiritual nature which were most dreadful to my apprehensionâ— and not being be through the goodness of God to make my tongue his cursed instrument departed for a season as though he would have rented the Heavens and the Earth But reviving again his temptations she whom God had given me for a meet helper fighting against him by earnest prayer to Almighty God and likewise many Christian friends that came to see me he now began to desist and fail in that way and therefore began to try another viz. In relation to the former delution as though I should do some murtherous act And now shewing himself to be according as our God hath said of him a murtherer from the beginning he with strong temptations endeavoured to make me imbrue my hands in the bloud of my dearest friend who had been so helpful to me against his former temptations which was most grievous to my poor soul and fearing least his violent temptation might have overcome me I being so much in his hands desired her that she would withdraw her self telling her the temptation But she something amazed thereat undauntedly lifted up her soul to the Lord by holy ejaculations and resolved she would not give that enemy one inch of ground But casting us both upon the protection of the Almighty with a lively faith in the Lord Jesus vanquished the enemy at that time Yet this temptation continnued about two months in all which time my poor soul being most dreadfully afflicted I did again earnestly desire my Wife to get some company in the house by night but having little help or comfort from others she the more uncessantly acted faith and prayer until our gratious God had given us deliverance CHAP. IV. His strugling under and against temptations The means most used and blessed for his support Cast again the fourth and last time into the furnace of fiery hot instigations to blaspheme the means used and owned for coming thence An happy issue ANd having now passed some five or six years since the last grievous visitation all this time labouring for the pardon of sin in the use of means appointed of God to get out of that sad condition wherein I was still haunted with blasphemous and horrible injections and cursed instigations to curse and swear which that wicked enemy could not after his utmost endeavours bring any further then my tongues end Now I say labouring under these temptations and making my condition known to my Godly acquaintance they affirming that these were not my own but Satans suggestions some comfort I had from them labouring in the word of the Lord and prayer This was one good stay Making use also of those blessed streams flowing from the word of God I mean the works of those blessed servants of Christ who have laboured much in writing upon such subjects As namely Dr. Preston upon the attributes which I read above twelve times over Dr. Thomas Goodwins Child of light walking in darkness Mr. Bridges's lifting up of cast down Mr. Simonds his deserted soul And that pretious piece of that worthy Mr. Burroughs Saints walking by faith without sight and sence And Mr. Baxâ—ers thirty two directions traversing these books over through the Lords blessing Were a great comfort and support in bearing up my soul against the enemies cruel attempts and wearisome afflictions under which I strugled having no assurance of the pardon of my sins and lying still under the guilt of that great transgression so long past committed and under many more since Moreover though I could not pray with a free spirit yet under all this heavy load I still followed the Lord by earnest prayer that he would come and take away both guilt and filth of sin and destroy that cursed nature from which Satan took his advantage against me and help me though he tarry yet still to wait for
Hell Gates and yet are delivered Let me put you in remembrance of these two or three duties 1. Oh see that you ingage your hearts unto the Lord I will love the Lord with my whole heart I will love him dearly Ps 103.1 c. Bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name Bless the Lord oh my soul and forget not all his benefits who forgiveth all thine iniquities who healeth all thy diseases who redeemeth thy life from destruction who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies Oh pray that your love to him who hath delivered your souls from the snares of cruel death and pulled your feet out of the miry Clay where there was no bottom may encrease and abound more and more Josh 24.14 Sincere affections and dissobedience are the only returns that God looks for Deny not these in the highest degree 2. Give up your lives for the Lord. Be content he shall dispose of them in the way he knoweth best for his glory If he shall call you forth to suffer death for a testimony of your love to him and the Gospel of his Son think it not too much for him Well mayst thou undergo ten thousand natural deaths were it possible for Jesus Christs redemption from the hands of thy spiritual enemies is cause enough for thee to serve him without fear of what man can do unto thee Look upon thy past deliverance as things never no never to be forgotten nor sufficiently to be required by thee 3. Take care now thou hast found him whom thy soul loveth oh take care for his undisturbed residence You know what it is to want the comforting presence of Jesus Christ let those who know not the terrors of the Lord and the fearful consequents of his forsakings venture the displeasure of him by their slighting of his precepts and slothfulness in his paths but let not us do so we that know what it is to be thrown into the depths of horror and how hard as well as sweet is our recovery thence oh let not us dare to sleep upon the top of the mast but rather keeping fast hold upon our beloved by the hand of Faith beg of him that he would not depart out of our hearts lay a strict charge over all the cares and comforts and companies and conditions of this life Canticles 2.7 by the Roes and by the Hindes that they stir not up nor awake our Love until he please 4. If the Lord Jesus Christ shall please for his own glory to walk a while out of your hearts again if he shall at any time withdraw the comforts of the Holy Ghost loose not in Satan again by unbelief distress not your selves overmuch by giving way to the least mistrust as if he would never return Ps 77. and more remember his loving kindness and his works and wonders of old think he never goes away but when it is expedient for us Joh. 16.7 and having already sealed us by the holy spirit of promise given us eye-salve enlightning our understandings in the knowledge of his love whereby we are perswaded our names are written in the book of Life Râ—m 11.29 The gifts and calling of God are without repentance 2 Cor. 1.10 He that hath delivered may well be trusted that he will do so again John 10 29. No Man or Devil can take us out of the hands of God John 13.1 Whom be loveth he loveth to the end Phil. 1.6 He that hath begun a good work will carry it on to the day of Christ 5. You have been delivered from the violence of temptations but remember that yet we carry about us such sinful natures the Fruits of our first Parents transgression that would again put up his head against God and his most righteous Laws yea and take part with Satan against him and our selves too there is yet an unregenerate part the remnant of the old Adam remaining in the best and holiest of mâ—n after all the forty years temptations of Israel in an howling wilderness and when they are brought into the Land of rest Judg. 3. yet there the Amorite will be found nothing but dissolution will fetch the leprosie of natural corruption out of our earthly tabernacles Lev. 14.45 and especially will this cursed corruption annoy us with offers to do the same things that Satan before he was dispossessed would have done my experience tells me some of the old filth still sticks behind The wise God will have it so that the vileness and greatness of our old sins might not be forgotten that we may be poised down with humility and put a longing after natures dissolution till which time sin now twisted with our nature will not be removed this remnant of the old man with its stirrings cannot choose but be an heavy burden to the new Rom. 7.24 't is such a body that it made the very soul of a Paul groan and cry out for a deliverance Ex. 17.16 This â—malck God hath sworn it that he will have war with it for evnr As good Souldiers of Christ our Captain let us be perswaded to hold on our war against this party of corruption yet abiding in our natures and in so doing we have the comfort of these ensuing considerations 1. That this remainder of cursed nature though it be not utterly destroyed yet shall it not have dominion over us so as to bring forth Fruits unto death or to be charged upon our persons to condemnation Rom. 8 2. For by Christ our Lord we are dischargea and set at freedom from the Law of sin and death being under the Covenant of grace we have received the spirit of life and power even that blessed spirit that raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead which hath quickned us and put life and power into us in a good measure enabling us to crucifie the flesh with its affections and lusts Gal. 5.24 so that its dominion is taken away though its life be continued for a season 2. And it is but for a season that its life is continued in us the war will not hold always there is a time coming when we shall be delivered from this bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God Rom. 8.19 c. 23. and not onely we but those very Creatures the Heaven and the Earth shall be set free from that bondage of corruption which lyeth upon them by reason of the sin of man in that day we shall be made like unto the Son of God in our measure The transfiguration upon the Mount seemeth to be a resemblance of that glory wherein Jesus Christ shall appear as he was the Son of David when he shall come to take the Kingdom unto himself then shall the poor benighted Sons of the day welcome in that joyful morning with a new Song and Psalms of tryumphant victory in their hands Rev. 15.3 then shall all the enemies of our Souls be totally subdued and even
they have not seen any cause to cry out of their danger and amend their doings and with all speed and dilligence to enquire for and accept of salvation offered by Jesus Christ in the ministry of the Gospel Such as these who making light of the matters the weighty matters of God and of their own souls of the Scriptures of Heaven of Hell of sin and of holyness of death and of judgement can content themselves with such and so much Religion as will secure them from the lash of humain Laws and the disquieting guilt of a natural Conscience in the mean while spending their pretious hours and days and years in the unprofitable works of darkness serving divers lusts and pleasures using the members of their bodies as servants to all unrighteousness living in the lust of uncleanness adding drunkenness to thirst speaking all manner of evil of and despightfully using and persecuting such whose lives are not of the same fashion thinking it strange that anâ— should not run into the same excess of riot with them and least by the reproofs dropping from the lips and lives of such their sinful pleasures should fail them they make new sins such as God never made and search out iniquities accomplish a dilligent search that somewhat might be had to throw in the faces of faithful reprovers if there be no more then the matters of their God 't is these I mean To you Poor sinners would I fain speak a few words Oh! bless God that you are yet in a capacity to hear and that your case and condition is not quite hopeless Yet whilst you live we may hope that the filthyest Adulterer the most swinish drunstard prophanest sinner may obtain mercy You have a Peradventure left you yet 2 Tim. 2.15 that God may give you repentance to the acknowledging of the truth and that yet you may recover your selves out of the snare of the Devil Yet you may avoid the most sure and fore rewards of ungodlyness unconceivable dread and horror which first or last he will power out in merciless measures upon poor souls that now are Prisoners at large and methinks they should have little heart to hold up their heads a day would they but seriously consider how as birds in a string they are taken Captive by Satan at his will Let me beseech you for the sake of whatsoever is dear to you that you would but heartily believe consider seriously and remember 1. That all that I have here written concerning the dreadfulness and confounding horror arising from my apprehensions of Gods displeasures is true 't is not a thing feigned but really felt by me You think it may be that God cannot be angry or if he be that you can stand under the ftowns of him and that your tranquility and present quiet in the ways of your ignorance and dissobedience is a Mountain that cannot be removed But alas you are utterly mistaken A League with death and Hell is not to be trusted Is 28.15 18. the Devil will break his promise with you one time or other after his fair promises he will fall fowlly upon you You think to be troubled for sin is nothing to have Satan and Conscience let loose upon a man and the Lord withdraw himself from such a soul all the while you think these things are nothing and such thoughts make you venture to hold on in your evil ways and 't is hard to drive them out of you The Law and the Prophets cannot do it easily If you believe not these the testimony of Dives arising from the dead would be doubted to be a meer delusion Luke 16.31 you have had my experience delivered you in fasthfulness I have certainly found that Gods permission of Satan to rage upon the Soul is a woe then which there is not a worse on this side Hell 2 Consider that though what terrour I have already felt was intollerably great yet that which impenitency and impiety will bring upon poor sinners hereafter will be incomparably more This at present is but whipping with Rods that with Scorpions This but a painted Fire that a real burning Fire This hath its mixtures of mercy that 's without mixture This is a state of darkness but that utter darkness Mas. 8.12 This departure of God from the soul may be in love but that is go ye cursed Ch. 25.41 This is made sad by the presence of the Devils that infinitely worse for there are none but Devils to torment no Saint no Angel to give the least ease Here time may make a better change Eccles 9.4 and hope may be a good anchor to preserve the Vessel from present ship-wrack but there eternity admits not the least spark of hope that things shall ever mend and desperation shall so press down the sufferer that nothing but allmighty power can bear him up in his beirg under such eternal dread and pains 3. When terrors begin to arise the height of all your present confidence cannot keep you up under the weight of sin set upon the Conscience do but consider how have the mighty falne those who have been bold as Lyons committing iniquity with greedyness not afraid to put affronts upon God or men speak loftily setting their mouths against Heaven and their tongues walking through the Earth Ps 72.3 insomuch that the confidence of them hath almost made a David diffident to observe it and yet how are these brought into desolation as in a moment they have been utterly consumed with terrors v. 19 ah poor weak man thou wilt never be able to stand under that burden of guilt which sank the mighty Angels that excell in power from Heaven into the lowermost Hell That which makes the whole frame of nature the whole Creation to groan alas how will it squeeze thee into confusion that which the Creator the mighty God was found able only to bear and in bearing it was not able to forbear crying out my God my God why hast thou forsaken me Mat. 27.46 Thinkest thou that this will not be too hard and too heavy for thee poor finner oh think of this in time now thou are confident and bold to commit sin but what wilt thou do in the end thereof will the boldness of thy countenance and the height of thy confidence abide the same for ever where is the courage of Cain the confidence of Judas the craft of Achitophel and the stout hearts of thousands from the days of Cain what 's become of all these how have these sturdy Oaks been when terror came but as stubble before the wind and as Chaff that the storm driveth away are you stronger then these 4. Are not your sins as great as mine and others of whose miseries you hear are not your sins as great and as many as ours have been you think it may be to fare better because you presume you are better then those whom God hath plagued with his displeasure If the sayings of Christ may be your guide he
the mark the trace of which cannot be found even so we as soon as we were born began to draw toward our end and had no sign of vertue to shew but were consumed in our own wickedness By this time the stout hearts of sinners will be brought down those whom the evidence of truth shining in the testimonies of the Prophets and Apostles could not convince or convert from their evil words and ways sad experience will work upon if they cannot remove their pains fain would they diminish or prevent the increase of them I pray thee Father Abraham that thou wouldest send to my Fathers house for I have five brethren lest they also come into this place of torment Luk. 16.27 28. For shame let not Hell have more charity then earth thy old companions in the burning Lake would not by any means be troubled with the company of thee whom they engaged and encouraged in evil ways they have fins and sorrows enough of their own without the addition of others to weight them down into everlasting confusion here it may be some comfort but an envious one to have many companion in the like misery but there in Hell 't is nothing so Think then shall those that have been in the subburbs of Hell by spiritual desertions or those who are really gone down thither never to return wish me to look to it that I never come into that place of torment and shall not I whom it most of all concerns befriend my own pretious soul with a serious seasonable consideration of it's eternal danger God forbid 9. If thou wilt but now at last be willing it is more then possible thou maist be hid from or in the day of the Lords wrath Resolve with thy self fully that thou wilt now enter the ways that God by the Gospel of his Son hath chalked out for the ways of peace and walk therein endure the troubles of an holy Life shun not the spiritual worship of God think not the griefs arising from true repentance or the troubles God by wisdom and love shall permit Satan to inflict upon thee to humble thee for thy past sins or patient passing through many tribulations to be sufficient causes to quarrel with God or his ways or worship or people think not oh think not God the merciful God the God who is Love that he is an hard Master venture thy talent abroad act what thou hast for the glory of the giver thou shalt not complain of thy returns of mercies They shall be sure if not swift mercies that holiness will entitle thee unto Is 15.3 Thou maist be sure where grace leads the Van glory and peace shall bring up the Reer Is 52.12 Complain not that thou wantest power to turn thy self from sin to holiness from self to Jesus Christ from nature to grace till thou hast faithfully employed the power thou already hast if God hath made thee willing he will not fail to make thee able what is hard to the flesh shall be easie and delightful to the spirit John 14.6 the way thou walkest in gives Life Heb. 10 20. a Life of duty and a Life of glory 't is a living way But dally not overlong say not within thy self shall I do it must I leave my old sins when shall I begin make no longer If 's and And 's but be up and doing Behold now is the accepted time now is the day of salvation 2 Cor 6.2 Let it alone till a little longer and then a thousand world will not afford an hiding place from the wrath to come 10. Iâ— God hath spared thee many years not letting out his terrors upon thy soul for sin thou hast no cause to flatter thy self but to tear the more the longer terrors are in coming the more terrible when they come and come they will one time or other As comforts long with-held from the child of God come in greater abundance at the last so do terrors to the wicked Lam. 3.27 In this sence it is good to bear the yo akâ—â—n ones youth Gods forbearance is no forgiveness and greater must that fire be whose fuel hath been long in gathering Rom. 2.5 Thou heapest up wrath against the day of wrath long impenitency and hardness of heart will make thy pile of such a bulk that when the breath of the Lord shall kindle it who can quench it two vials are always filling together the one is here below the other above the vial of sin and the vial of wrath or else the vessel of grace and the vessel of glory look to it then as these vessels fill apace on earth so do those in Heaven unhappy is that Soul whom God doth not take off from his work of filling up the measure of sins by pouring out the vials of his wrath while it is yet little You flee from the pains of repentance to a merry Life you do what you can to gag the mouth of conscience to prevent your own disturbance made by its loud cryes lay aside the Scriptures as bankrupts do their books least too much searching should beget sadness reproach the Godly man because he is your reproof do by the powerful painful Ministers of Christ as the storied town of sluggards did by their Smiths drive them away that you may sleep the longer or in plain terms love darkness rather then light least you should be reproved by the light but silly worm what art thou doing all this while thou flâ—est from the Adder and the Serpent will bite thee thou flâ—est from thy friend to an enemy from the Lancings of a Chyrurgeon to the deadly wounds of an adversary from Gods way of healing thee by gentlet means from pricking of thy heart till a dart strike through thy Liver in a word all thy care is to shift off present needful temporal gentle correction and fatherly chastisement but this is not thy way thou blessest thy self with thoughts that thy conscience shall never trouble thee but it will not be the longer God forbears to handle thee thou shouldst fear the more I have done what I could to employ the talent of my experience for thy profit I know a wounded conscience to be such a Guest that no man can fall in Love with it but rather then abide under an ignorant flattering seared conscience let my portion be a wounded one the next remove of this may be yea shall be in every child of God from horror to healing peace and rest whereas the other labouring to avoid wounds here will fall into woe and a worse condition for ever Do as you like since it will be no otherwise I for my part shall pray heartily with that good man Lord here lance me here burn me here tear me so thou spare me for ever THE END HAving spoken something of Satans stratagems in my preceeding treatise I intended to have spoken no more of that subject But since the writing thereof that wicked one Satan hath made his attempts upon me
that tended that way And by reason of the indwelling of sin the remainder of the curse for our first transgression which the best of Gods servants do carry about them taking advantage thereof being like unto Tinder that is ready to take fire as soon as is toucht doth cast his fiery darts into our souls part within us our hearts are ready to opose every truth of God and so we have a daily warfare and great strivings to keep our hearts from consenting to his wicked injections and much ado to bring them into a subjection unto the truths of God and like unto the Bird that hath a dogg tyed unto his legg whereby he is hindred from flying up into the Air and so by his impressions left upon our souls which is so weighty a burden that unders us from soaring up to Jesus Christ by 〈◊〉 and so vigilant is that cursed enemy to the glory of God and mans salvation that he goeth about day and night seeking whom he may davour and taking advantage of our weakness in our sleeps annoying us often with sinful dreams then laying his delusions upon us who still pursuing me according to his former methods lately in the night acted upon me in my sleep as though I had been in the number of them who were dragged from the Tribunal seat to Hell having received the sentance of condemnation with the damned and all this to the end and purpose it possible he could to have blasted that glorious mercy I received from the Lord by the witness of his blessed spirit that God did rather take the advantage of the greatness of my sins for the magnifying of his mercy rather then his justice in my condemnation and that I was of Abrakams family as I have declared in my Narrative in the day when the Lord gave me deliverance out of his hand But so impudent is this fiend of Hell called by the word of truth a lyar from the begining and so the Father of lyes using his old trade towards me with the subtlety of the old Serpent and all this to daunt my faith and to have blasted the mercy which I received from my gratious God who hath laid it upon my soul by such a witness that I believe and know all the Devils in Hell shall not be able to overthrow it And that I may magnifie and set forth the goodness of God I will take up the words of the Prophâ—t Isaiah O Lord my God I will exalt thoe and praise thy name for ever for thou hast done wonderful things according to thy councel of old thou hast been a strength to the needy in his troubles a refuge against the tempest so that the blast of the mighty was as a storâ—â— against the wall the Lord will destroy death and wipe away tears from the faces of his and take of their rebakes the Lord hath spoken it and â—ill make it good and in that day will men say â—â—lo this is our God we have waited for him yea in the way of his judgements he will save us and we will be glad in his salvation He shall bring down the pride of Moab and lay their defensed walls as low as the dust in that day shall this song be sunged in the Land of Judah we have a strong City salvation shall God sâ—t for walls and bulworks Open ye the gates that the righteous Nation may enter therein for by an asured purpose wilt thou preferve in parfect peace for ever because they trusted in thee Trust in the Lord for ever for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength Thou wilt make equal the righteous way of the just the desire of our souls is to the remembrance of thy name for when thy judgements are upon the Earth the Inhabitants of the Earth shall learn righteousness even they that fear thy name but the wicked will not do so nor behold the Majesty of the Lord O Lord they will not now behold thy hand but they shall see it and be confounded with the zeal of thy people but unto us thou wilt ordain peace for thou kast wright all our works for us thy dead men shall live and with my body shall they arise even with my body and shall behold the King in his beauty Awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust thy dew is as the dow of kerbs and the Earth will cast out his dead and in that day of this power shall the coming in be like the drops of dow that arise from the Womb of the worning Thou hast drunk of the brook in the way therefore shall thy head be lifted in that day for the Lord â—â—mâ—â—h out of his place to visit the iniquity of the Inhabitants of the Earth and the Earth shall disclose his blood And to receive the Kingdoms for his inheritance and the utmost parts of the Earth for his possession beirg Heir thereunto by donatian of the Father and â—hâ—n shall that good word of the Lord be â—â—de good that at the â—â—me of Jesus every knee shall bow both in Heaven and Earth and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is both Lord and King to the praise and glory of the Lord for the Father hath said when he brirgeth his first begotten again into the world 〈◊〉 all the Angels and every Creature worship him And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see together O Sion that bringest good tidings get thee up into the Mountains O Jerusalem that bringest good ridings lift up thy voice with strength be not affraid say to the Cities of Judah behold your God behold he comith with power and his arme shall rule behold his Reward is with him and his work before him and he shall feed his flock like a Shepherd and gather his lambs in his armes and carry in his bosome and guide them with them which are with young It is he that hath measured the waters in his fists covered the Heavens with a span comprehended the dust of the Earth in a measure weigheth the Mountains in Scales and the Hills in Ballances Who hath instructed the spirit of the Lord of whom took he Counsel Who instructed him and taught uim in the way of his judgements Behold the Nation are as a drop of water or counted as the dust oâ— the Ballance He taketh up the Isles as a little thing Lebanon not sufficient for a fire nor the beasts thereof for a burnt Offering to whom the will you liken God he sitteth upon the Circle of he Earth and the inhabitants are as Grasshoppets he spreadth out the Heavens like a Curtain he bringeth the Princes to nothing and maketh the Judges of the Earth as vanity to whom then will ye liken me saith the holy one lift up your eyes and behold who hath Created all these things he bringeth out his Armies by number and calleth them all by their names by the greatness of his strength nothing faileth O ye suffering Saints
why say you my way is hidden from the Lord and my judgement passed over of my God know you not or have you not heard that the everlasting God the Lords of the ends of the Earth is neither weary nor fainteth but giveth strength to him that fainteth the young men shall faint and be weary but they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength and lift up their wings as the Eagle they shall run and not faint In that day when the Mountains of the Lords house shall be established above the Mountains of the Earth for which glorious day I shall not cease to pray for O thou eternal being of beings whose name is Jehovah the Lord of Hosts who hast made the Heavens the earth the great sea and all the Creatures therein for the manifesting of thy blessed self in thine excellency that so by the displaying of thy glorious attributes we might know thy power wisdom and goodness and fear thy great and glorious name and truly Lord thou hadst done a most sweet work in the day wherein thou beheldst the works of thy hands and said they were very good O the great engagements of love and obedience thou hast laid upon us in that day when thou hadst advanced us and made us not only Lords of the works of thine hands and for our use putting all things in subjection under our feet but making us after thine own Image in righteousness and holiness whereby thou didst enable us to the performance of worship and obedience thou requirest at our hands But O the great dishonour and Rebellion we acted against thee our Creator in breaking thy holy Law which thou gavest us to keep as the Tryal of our obedience and by giving more credit unto Sathan in believing him and what he said then the threatnings of thee our God and therefore O Lord how righteous wast thou in thy judgements upon them and us their posterity in delivering us into the hands of Satan so that we who came from their loins came so deformed with that cursed Image of Satan that we are born thine enemies children of wrath and heirs of vengeance and bringing upon our selves a woful necessity of sinning against thee O Lord how justly mightest thou laid upon our first Parents and we their posterity to have born thy righteous punishments for ever without Redemption But blessed Lord thou didst in judgement remember mercy in condescending to treat with our Parents letting out that gratious promise That the seed of the woman should break the serpents head revealing mercy by a second Adam to come and so entring into a new covenant not of works but of grace that believing in him we should have eternal Life O gratious Father how didst thou magnifie thy mercy over the works of thine hands and didst do a work more wonderful then the Creation in giving the eternal word the brightness of thy glory the express Image of thy self thine only begotten Son by an eternal generation to take upon him the nature of man and to be born of the blessed Virgin that so he might by an Hupostatical union joy the humanity to the diety that so he might be enabled to undergo the work of mans Redemption a work so wonderful that all the Angels could not have devised and into which they pry into with admiration that thereby he might make such an attonement that might satisfie for the sins of man to the utmost and that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have Eternal Life And now dear Father thou hast given us the word of reconciliation the witness of thy truth wherein thou hast made known to us that thou hast given us eternal Life by Jesus Christ that immaculate Lamb of God who hath laid down his Life upon the Cross to answer thy justice and by his sufferings merits and Righteousness Resurrection from Death to Life hath cancelled the Law of condemnation taking down the wall of partition and making admission for sinners to come to the Throne of Grace with boldness And now hast given us pretious promises that what we ask in the name of thy son shall be done for us And now dear Father of Heaven what was I or my Fathers family but a sinful generation of men That thou shouldst choose me to salvation before the world was and in due time to call me to the knowledge of this mistery of mans Redemption and by the witness of thy word and blessed spirit should seal unto me the pardon of sin in the day when thou deliveredst me out of the hands of that roaring Lyon And after my seeking thy face for many years with doubtings and fears under many desertions and dreadful temptations and many various dispensations which thou most blessed God hast turned all to my advantage breaking into my Soul with so much love that I know not whom of the sons of men did ever receive a greater mercy And now Lord of thy goodness hast called me from the ways of the world to be of the number of those whom thou hast chosen to eternal Life and therefore having tasted so abundantly of thy strange Love a Love to admiration a Love we are not able to apprehend in the acknowledgement whereof and that I might declare what a God thou art according to mine engagement and that I might exalt thy glorious name and declare thy loving kindness to me to the ends of the earth have made bold to present these lines to the publick view for the magnifying of thy mercies to me the worst of the sons of men and the greatest of sinners if thou shouldest charge my sins upon me and be thou pleased to accept of what I have written in good part and let thy blessing so go along with it that the delusions methods devices and temptationt of Sathan that old cunning Serpent may be so discovered to poor souls that lye under his cruelty may receive advantage thereby When they shall read this small discourse of thy gratious actings with me O let thy blessing be upon iâ— that they may receive comfort thereby that thy goodness may be magnâ—fied which thou knowest Lord to be the only cause I have given it to the publick view who never thought my namâ— should have appeared in such a way And now dear Father I humbly beseech thee manifest thy glorious Gospel of thy Son to the ends of the Earth that all Nations may know thou art a God through Jesus Christ forgiving iniquity transgression and sin and to that end I humbly beseech thee fulfill thy word in pouring out thy indignation upon that whore of Babylon who hath dyed her garments red in the blood of the Saints that we may say Babylon Babylon is fallen and upon all the powers that oppose the righteous Scepter of thy Son the Gospel whom thou hast made King of Kings and Lord of Lords and hast given him the Heathen for his inheritance and the utmost ends of the earth for his possession who
is heir of the world by thy free donation O bring forth that glorious day that thou speakest of by thy servant Isaiah when the Sun shall be ashamed and the Moon abashed when the Lord shall reign in Mount Zyon and Jerusalem before thine antients gloriously and that thou wilt open the mouths of thy servants to preach and declare that deluge of fire that shall cause the Heavens to melt and the Earth to be burnt up which thy servants Peter Malachi and Isaiah have preached many hundred years of by the word of the Lord telling it shall come to pass which now in this day is almost forgot That so it may not come upon this Generation unawares as the flood 〈◊〉 upon the old world But make thy servants mouth as a Trumpet to proclaim the day of the Lords vengeance by fire which he will contend with all flesh by The mouth of that dreadful God which did destroy the old world by water hath spoken it and will certainly bring it to pass for he shall come in flaming fire to render vengeance on his enemies who is now a Lamb but then will be a Lyon in which dreadful day the greatest of men shall cry to the Mountains to cover them and the Rocks to dash them in pieces who would not let him Reign over them and to reward his poor servants that now suffer for his glory And so come Lord Jesus come quickly Amen Amen FINIS A Song of Praise Psalm 145. 1. MY God! oh King I le thee extol and I will bless thy Name For ever still and ever will I spread abroad thy Fame 2. Thee ev'ry day extol will I and I thy Name will praise For evermore and ne're give e're till Death shall end my dayes 3. Great is the Lord and greatly too he to be praised is And to be sought beyond all thought no greatness like to his 4. One generation praise thy works unto another shall And shall declare how great how rare thy mighty acts are all 5. I will the glorious honour of thy Majesty unfold My glory sings of wondrous things that never can be told 6. Men shall likewise the power of thy dreadful acts declare With them will I to magnifie thy greatness bear a share 7. They of thy mighty goodness and likewise thy rightousness In memory abundantly with Songs shall it express 8. Jehovah he is gratious and of compassion full To anger flow his mercies who can ever dissanul 9. Jehovah he is good to all his tender mercies fly Abroad so farr all his works are clean overspread thereby 10. They shall O Lord thy works all praise and they thy Saints shall bless Thy Kingdoms glory thy Saints shall story and talk of thy greatness 11. That to the Sons of men might be his mighty acts made known And gloriously in Majesty his Kingdom might be shown 12 Thy Kingdom is a Kingdom still an everlasting one To ages sure still doth indure thy great dominion 13. The Lord upholdeth all that fall he underprops his own Up raiseth he all these that be with troubles bowed down 14. Upon thee wait the eyes of all them thou their meat dost give Seasonably and opening thine hand feedest all things that live 15. Jehovah he is righteous righteous his wayes are all His works are pure merciful sure and very liberall 16. To all that call upon him stands Jehovah very nigh They shall not fall that on him call if in sincerity 17. Those that do fear him the desire of such he will fulfill And if they cry assuredly deliver them he will 18. Jehovah doth preserve all them that heartily him love The wicked all the right hand shall of vengeance them remove 19. The praises of the Lord my mouth shall willingly express His name 't is fit let all flesh it for ever ever bless