people of the Lord both do shall so finde it and that more more as we more labour according to it having also such sure directions and such undoubted promises every part and pecce of it containing promises to the prayer of faith and to every true beleeving soule Whereby we may have a certaine assurance from our Lord Iesus Christ the author of it that he will accompanie it to every soule that shall be so prepared and so use it as be hath directed with the power of his owne spirit and be wonderfull in granting all things which we so beg according to his heavenly will above all that any heart can conceive Remember also for thy better incouragement how every prayer herein tends to the appeasing of the Lords heavy indignation which hath beene thus far declared against his people and this by our joynt seeking to give him his glory in helping to reclaime and reduce us all to the obedience of his blessed Covenant of Grace wherein is our life and thereby to the deliverâ—…e and saving of all the Churches the eternall salvation of all belonging to that his election of grace be they now Atheists Papists wicked profane or whatsoever and so to prepare the way in the universall repentance of the Churches to the comming of the new Hierusalem and the eternall glory of Sion So that every one of us striving to pray faithfully and fervently and to put in practise whatsoever we thus pray for so farre as it concernes us shall in every prayer and petition be true helpers unto our Lord Iesus and his poore Church and for every such a service even every houre so spent receive our pay and in the end for all a rich and most full reward Let every prayer be aâ—… the Sunne beginning at thy selfe in thy meditations but diffusing and spreading the bâ—…ames into all the Churches chiefly to those which stand in most need thereof and to every one of Gods chosen in all the world so far as he shall inable thee and it concerneth them and from them ever reflecting to thy selfe againe Thou hast heard the sound of the cruell warres abroad the late prevailing of the enemie the overthrow of the Churches the new threatnings of those bloudy intendments against all the rest and the increase of their rage daily In these poore helps and the like the Lord offereth thee weapons and directs thee so to use them that thou maist helpe them in the remotest parts calls upon thee loud to come and helpe them assures thee of a blessed victorie in the end that then thou and all the true Church and people of the Lord shall sing the songs of Miriam and Deborah and of the 24. Elders and triumph with Christ eternally when all who have refused to helpe shall weepe and waile for evermore Thus intreating that the Lord may at length awake thee and all his people that we may each give up a happy account and escape the dreadfull doome and sentence for neglecting his glory kingdome and people and may hence forward carefully use all the meanes which his goodnesse affords unto us for our present and eternall happinesse I commend thee to his grace and rest Thy fellow-souldier in Christ thus striving with and for thee I. B. The Contents in generall 1. AN Epistle to all the plaine and simple hearted people of our land seduced by Popery or in danger thereof 2. A preparation to instant prayer according to the necessity of the times and the present estate of Gods poore Church 3. The prayer it selfe divided into severall parts according to the severall branches of that heavenly patterne which our blessed Saviour hath set before us all to follow containing in it the principall part 's of the Catechisme and how to make right use of all specially for these times and so in praying better to imprint and remember the whole 4. A continuall quickning and putting new life into our prayers that we may never be weary nor ever give the Lord over untill we have prevailed with his heavenly Maiesty In the preparative this is ever to be had in fresh memory That all who are to helpe in this worke are to labour to bring their hearts to a due consideration of all these things following and to have a right feeling and practise of them so farre as they concerne us 1. How the Lord hath bene wont to looke for some to helpe him in all the great deliverances and distresses of his Church and how he expects the seruice of all his at this day 2. What necessity there is of servent prayer at this time aboue all former times in what neede the whole Church and every particular member stands of our prayers what a right feeling of the miseries and estates of our poore brethren each of us ought to have and how we ought to seeke to helpe them herein to the uttermost of our power 3. What ones wee must be and how qualified in all things if wee looke ever to be heard in our prayers for the Churches and hope to have our persons accepted 4. How our prayers must be framed that they likewise may be sure to be pleasing and availeable with the Lord. 5. What assurance we may have of the power of our prayers so sent forth to prevaile with our God and to overcome 6. How without these things and much more if we be of contrary minds and dispositions our prayers are turned into sinne and do helpe to kindle the wrath and to draw downe the vengeance of the Lord more speedily and fiercely upon all 7. That every one must strive to be of the number of them who are helpers in this worke or perish and how graciously the Lord cals every one of us hereunto 8. Particular prayers for helping the Churches framed according to our Saviours direction and the present necessity of all 1 A Prayer that we may bee made fit and accepted into this service of prayer for the Churches 2 A prayer for increase of love to all Gods Children and that we may keepe a continuall fresh remembrance feeling of the miseries of all our distressed Brethren without which we cannot pray for them as we ought 3 A prayer that we may know God to bee our gracious Father in Christ and to grow in the assurance thereof daily without which we cannot prevaile with him 4 A prayer that wee may not deceyve our selves in our imagination that we are Gods children as most do so remaine unfit for this service 5 A prayer that we may finde in us the particular marks of Gods children for our further assurance and boldnesse in prayer 6 A praier for knowledge and right use of the meanes whereby we may be made Gods children so grow up in our confidence and power in prayer thereby 7 A prayer that al may understand how deare Gods children are to him that they may be to us likewise and we therby able to pray more earnestly for them
the words of God be fulfilled so that they shall thus fight with the Lambe yet the Lambe shall overcome them for he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings and they that are on his side are called faithfull and chosen And then even those same Kings the remainder of y◠ten hornes which have so long before and some of them do still fight against the Lambe some more furiously others less shall all in the time appointed hate the whore make her desolate and naked and eate her flesh and burne her with fire for that God will put into their hearts thus to fulfill his will And yet more also for our further assurance of this and to provoke our soules to loud and instant crying unto the Lord in this behalfe for the accomplishment hereof wee are to bring our hearts to a ioyfull Meditation and remembrance how our blessed God hath discovered that scarlet-coloured Whore to all the world and more now then ever heretofore both in all this bloody rage against him and against all his poore Churches and Children and their cruell intendments against all the rest even against every soule of us truly professing his name And also how he hath laide her forth to bee visibly beholden of all in all her filthy whoredomes and inticements to wit all those abhominable doctrines devices slanders and blasphemies against him and against his heavenly word and above all in the Powder-treason wherein Sathan shewed himselfe in his cheefest workes both of lying and murther in a speciall manner to all the world and above all former times wherein wee are to hope that Antichrist received his deadly wound which all the power of hell shall never cure againe and that in Gods due time hee will fall downe of a sodaine as a Deere or other like beast deadly smitten when he hath by his owne violence spent himselfe That our Lord Iesus Christ hath clearly foreshewed the destruction of that Whore of Babylon that childe of perdition than man of sin and of all his followers yea of every one that receives his marke on his forehead or in his right hand or that is any way on his side to fight against him That hee hath not onely made all the hoast of heaven even al his holy Angels and Saints both in heaven and earth to reioyce and sing Hallelujah for the condemning of the great Whore the victorie given unto the Saints but also hath made proclamation with a loud voyce by the Angell in the Sunne and this to all the Fowles that fly through the middest of heaven viz. to all the Kings and Princes Captaines and Souldiers that shall fight under his glorious Maiesty and for him That they should come eate the flesh of Kings and of great Captaines and of all mighty men and even of all those both great and small that followed the Beast that is to be enriched with their spoyles That he will destroy every one that hath not his name enrolled in his booke to bee on his side that is every one who is not of his called chosen and faithfull flocke yea every one that doth not so strive to prepare himselfe thus to fight for him and under him so as he may be sure to prevaile and overcome and remaine with him faithfully fighting unto the death untill hee have the crowne of life The ninth particular Meditation of the second generall how our Lord Iesus Christ is that everlasting Amen and comming quickly FInally we are never to rest untill wee have brought our hearts to a comfortable reioycing that our Lord Iesus Christ is that everlasting Amen that faithfull and true witness who will performe every word that hee hath spoken in his due time and in such sort as he hath revealed the same though the particular manner bee yet unknowne to us That hee is comming quickly to render to every one according to his workes That wee are not to give our hearts any rest untill we are able thus to cry in faithfulness with all the Saints and all the hoast of heaven Amen Amen Our Lord Iesus Christ onely reigneth for evermore Amen Amen The third generall Meditation Thirdly what manner of ones we must bee whom the Lord so calleth and whome hee will admit and accept to bee his helpers herein and whose prayers shall be available with him according to the same heavenly direction in Lords praier THus have wee done with these first points for our preparation by bringing our hearts to a right consideration of the course which the Lord is wont to take in saving his Church and a true feeling of the necessity of our prayers at this time Now whēby our due pondering of all these things and the like and never resting untill by our deepe Meditation of them we can have them as it were before our eyes continually so to see lively the urgent necessity of these our Prayers and that we can thereby heare the Lord crying loud unto us to helpe him and his Church herein we are in the next place as carefully to see that we be such as he calleth being qualified in all things accordingly if ever wee will get sound assurance to our owne soules to prevaile or to be accepted And this wee may learne likewise out of our Saviours direction in that heavenly patterne for prayer then which all the wisedome of the world can never give us a more sure and plaine rule To which end also as for all the other before mentioned we ought the more diligently to looke unto it and to Meditate of it and that in this manner The first particular Meditation of the third generall To make sure that wee bee the true children of our heavenly Father Here wee are to stirre up our selves to this dutie 1. That having the former view ever before our faces as much as we are able and this true feeling ever also in our hearts and withall this lively voyce of Christs loving call to helpe him and his Church stil sounding shrill in our eares wee labour day and night to make sure that we be the true Children of our heavenly Father full of Child-like and naturall affections to his heavenly Majesty That wee have thus put on the Image of our Lord Iesus Christ and are hereby as holy Peter speaketh partakers of the divine Nature not earthly but heavenly minded burning in the love of his Majesty of his word ordinances and Children full of faith in Christ Iesus and of all dutie and holy obedience that in all fulnesse of assurance through our Lord Iesus Christ wee can by the power and witnesse of his holy Spirit cry unto him Abba O Father and seeke to bee as instant for all our Bretheren as for our selves labouring ever to grow herein and in the acknowledgment of our owne vilenesse by nature and of our unworthynesse either to bee called his children
accepted as saithfull Abraham and Moses in regard of the high favour in which wee are in through Iesus Christ and that wee are so qualified and fitted as our Saviour requireth of them who are to helpe him in this worke The fourth generall Meditation Concerning the frame and order of our prayers that they likewise may be well pleasing and so we may bee more certaine to prevaile thereby when wee follow in all things our Saviours direction FOr the frame and forme of our prayers that the want therein may not any thing hinder our certaine assurance but contrarily that our right manner ordering framing thereof may increase our strength and confident crying They must bee so framed as neere as wee can at our great Master and Teacher our Lord Iesus Christ hath directed us and then his Soveraigne Majesty who hath saide Pray thus will make them powerfull according to his gratious promise Aske and you shall have and will set to his seale first in our hearts and after manifestly before the world The first particular Meditation of the fourth generall That we pray onely to our heavenly Father in the name of Christ. FIrst wee are carefully to see that our prayers bee directed onely to our heavenly Father and none other and that in the name and mediation of our blessed Saviour our hearts being lifted vp to heaven in confidence of faith through him and in his name and mediation alone and not by the mediation of any Saint or Angell and also without the least looking at our selves for any excellency in our selves or any matter of merit worth or desert in our selves or any other creature for which wee should looke any way to bee heard whereunto our hearts are wonderfully prone and wherein they are exceeding deceiptfull and very hard to bee knowne albeit wee have taken long paines to bring them thereunto The second particular Meditation of the fourth generall That above all and in all wee ayme at Gods glory and the advancement of Christs scepter SEcondly as hee hath taught us in the first place to pray Hallowed be thy name so in and above all things we must ayme at his glory and never rest till wee have a burning zeale thereof so to seeke the advancement of his great name and the comming of his kingdome even that Iesus Christ may raigne in all the world all sorts stooping unto him that thus his elect speedily bee gathered forth and saved Sathan and Antichrist with all his enemies being utterly overthrowne and confounded For seeking first his glory kingdome righteousnesse that is seeking them cheefly and in the first place wee have a certaine assurance from his gracious and faithfull promise That all other things shall be cast upon us as an over measure concerning our selves or ours And herein specially wee are to bee warned for that in this is usually the cheife failling of Gods people and for which hee may justly send us empty away even for looking at our selves more then at his Majesty and the things that concerne his kingdome and honour preferring our selves and our owne particulars and the care of them before the things that concerne his owne glory kingdome and people Though his wisedome hath in his goodnesse so plainly directed us herein beginning and ending with this The seeking of the advancement of his glory and kingdome as being all in all like as indeed it is for that then as was saide when we can so seeke him in order hee will undoubtedly give us our hearts desire and more then wee can imagine neitheir can wee ever assure our selves of any thing as a blessing untill this time For this purpose and the certaintie hereof read carefully the first of Haggai and consider it well how this selfe-love makes us forget the first and great Commandement Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart soule strength and might c. and so to loose the obtaining of those things which otherwise we might certainly injoy The third particular Meditation of the fourth generall That wee seeke the doing of his heavenly will for his glory and kingdome chiefly THirdly we are to labour to bring our hearts hereunto That the accomplishing of his heavenly will whatsoever he hath determined chiefly iâ—… things that concerne his glory and kingdome and the good of his Church and Children bee sought by us in the first place and afterwardes in all things belonging to our selves That to these ends all his will and good pleasure which he hath been or shall bee pleased to make knowne unto us may be done by us and all his people and that as chearfully wisely faithfully and couragiously as the Angels doe it in heaven The fourth particular Meditation of the fourth generall That we seeke all good things from God alone chiefly that wee may have wherewith to honour him and advance his kingdome FOurthly in the fourth place wee are to meditate how wee are to travell with our owne hearts to seeke our daily bread from him not for our selves but for these ends principally That he will be pleased to feed us and to minister unto us from heaven all things needfull and behouefull hereunto both for our selves and for all our brethren that wee may not live to our selves but to his heavenly Majesty alone who hath redeemed and saved us for this purpose The fift particular Meditation of the fourth generall and so of the sixt and seventh together FIftly wee are seriously to consider how wee are to pray That to these ends likewise chiefly and for these causes hee will forgive our sinnes and the sinnes of his people that they may not hinder his mercy nor these our prayers in any of the things which wee are taught to beg of his heavenly Majesty nor yet provoke his wrath against us but having put them away by his Christ hee may for his sake tender us as his owne Children and heare us in all things concerning his glory and kingdome and also for our owne necessitie and happinesse and the good of his people 6. And finally that for his glory sake hee will save us from Sathan and from all the evils which hee intends and seeks to bring upon us for our sinnes and whereby he seekes to dishonour the Lord provoke him against us and to hinder all these mercies and to bring all contrary miseries and evils upon us and upon the Church 7. How in all these still wee are ever to seeke for his owne glory and the merit of his dearly beloved Sonne ever beginning and ending here with And that our Lord Iesus Christ may shew himselfe gloriously both Lord and King exercising all his Soveraignty Dominion and Power for vs all that so hee may bee glorified by us and by all the Churches and also glorifie us with himselfe for evermore And thus much also for the
order that wee are ever as neere as we can to keepe in the desire of our hearts and in all the requests which we make unto his glorious Majesty The fift generall Meditation Fiftly the power and efficacy of our prayers made and performed in all things according to the heavenly patterne VVE are in this Meditation to have a due consideration pondering hereof that the foure former things being performed according to the rule and direction of our Saviour this fifth will follow of it selfe that is to say that our blessed God will give us a strong assurance to be heard and so that wee shall see the power and efficacy of our prayers in all accordingly which wee are seriously to meditate of untill wee can feele our hearts to pray in faith and in confident boldnesse of his goodnesse to grant our requests The first particular Meditation of the fift generall That when we can so pray he will manifest himselfe our tender Father FIrst that when wee shall joyntly thus cry unto him he will not onely give a witnesse to every one of vs in our soules that hee is our Father and set the seale thereof in our hearts as was saide making us able to call him Abba O Father which is ten thousand times more worth then all our labour herein can be but will moreover shew himselfe to us so praying not to each in particular alone but also to all the Churches in generall that even from heaven to bee our gracious and tender Father yea that hee will so shew himselfe to us as ever he shewed himselfe to Israel or to any of his in former Ages howsoever hee may first humble us and dreadfully awaken us all to make us more earnestly and joyntly to cry unto him The second particular Meditation of the fift generall How hee will from heaven shew us his glory when wee can so pray SEcondly that then wee may truly hope that hee will from heaven once againe shew his glory for his Church more then ever in this last Age of the world now that his owne glorious Majesty and Children are so furiously fought against and that so directly and manifestly that all the world may take notice of it chiefly by Sathan and Antichrist and by all their forces That he will then evidently declare the glorious riches of his Love Wisedome Mercy Power Truth Faithfulnesse and all his Goodnesse both for the rescuing the succouring and saving of all his poore Church from the great red Dragon the Beast and the false Prophet and for maintaining his owne honour and great Name which they doe so oppugne and also in getting himselfe a glorious victory triumph vpon them all as hee did vpon Pharoah Senacherib Haman or any other of his proud enemies or of the enemies of his Church Yea we may then expect that hee will doe this in fighting against them by themselves making their owne rage their ruine their owne counselles their owne confusion and the covering of their faces and in turning all to his owne glory with the greatest joy and happiness to his chosen flock and children for ever The third particular Meditation of the fift generall 3. VVE are withall to meditate infaith How when hee hath prepared and set our hearts in order thus to pray he wil then from heaven cause his owne Kingdome to come with power how thē our Lord Iesus Christ whos 's the kingdome is to whom the Father hath specially committed the governement of it will then advance his owne Scepter the true Scepter of righteousness even his heavenly Gospell amongst his very enemies that then his greatest enemies shall fall downe before him lick the dust in acknowledgement of their owne natural wretchedness and of their willing submission to Iesus Christ or perish for ever How then our Lord and Saviour will once agayne cause Sathan to fall down from heaven like lightning ruinating his kingdom and specially the kingdom of Antichrist how he will consume that great Antichrist by the breath of his mouth and utterly abolish him by the brightness of his comming But the new Hierusalem hee will cause to descend from heaven as a Bride trimmed prepared to meete her Husband and then will he set up and manifest before all the world the glory of his Majesty and of the glorious Kingdome of his Son our Saviour with the felicity and glory of all his Saints in that manner which he hath foretold in his heavenly word and in all things which are not yet accomplished concerning the same every thing in their owne due time and season The fourth particular Meditation of the fift generall FOurthly we are wisely to meditate in faith How then he will accomplish and fulfill all his holy will and counsell even whatsoever he hath spoken by the mouthe of any of his holy Prophets which is not yet come to passe executing both all his judgements upon all his and his Churches enemies performing whatsoever hee hath foretold and promised to his Saints How then he wil certainly put into the hearts of all and namely of the Kings which had formerly given their power vnto the Beast to give all their power and authority to Iesus Christ to fulfill his will for the full execution and performance hereof and that cheerefully wisely faithfully like as i◅ is done in heaven and more specially to every one that can so call up on his blessed name according to the measure of Grace and Power given to each in his place Then he will effectually so encline our hearts as that this shall be our meate and drinke to do his will and that wee shall never depart from him any more The fift particular Meditation of the fift general How hee will then deliver and feed his people FIftly then we are withall heere to meditate in faith and in all confident assurance how he will from heaven declare his fatherly and tender care for all his children thus crying to him to deliver them from all their bondage Famine Sword and other miseries which they have endured by their merciless enemyes whether bodily or spirituall thus wiping away all teares from their eyes so far as shall be most for his owne glory and for their good Then will he feed them with bread as from heaven ministring abundantly al good things unto them according to the dayes wherein they suffered adversitie recompensing thē double into their bosomes in all joy and heavenly felicitie heere to be begun and in an unspeakeable mannar to bee accomplished in the heavens The sixt particular Meditation of the fift generall How then he will clense his people from their sinnes and write his law in their hearts SIxtly we are likewise seriously and ioyfully to bee pondering heereof How then he will forgive all the sinnes of his children according to his
passe over all these and this also that all sorts doe know that their Iesuites and Confessours are the chiefe contrivers and abettours of all their chiefe stratagems and that nothing is done without them And albeit wee are nothing to regard words when their deeds according to their Doctrines and Constitutions are apparent to all the world And that although they may delude little children by affirming that these are not their doctrines if any dare still deny it against the witnesse of his owne heart yet men having their braines in their heads can never bee so besotted unlesse they will wilfully joyne hands with them or suffer their eyes utterly to be put out For that which they say That they are not their Doctrines unlesse wee can shew them out of the Councell of Trent or some of their chiefe Councels can any man imagine that the Councels would openly professe them to proclaime to all the world that they and their Religion is of Satan or can wee thinke or imagine that so many of their Iesuites should publish them unto the world unlesse they were the advice of their Popes and indeed their Doctrine But to passe all these things over and to leave them to their further consideration to worke better upon their consciences what can they yet or any other say to their Doctrines which the Holy Ghost cals Lies through hypocrisie devised to devoure us all Such as this here discovered That they have moe holy devotions than we c. And even for all their Doctrines joyntly to leave it to the consciences of all whether all of those wherein they differ from us and for which they so contend bee not Doctrines meerely devised to please the corrupt nature of man to hold up that Hierarchie of the Pope and tyrannie of that Sea of Rome viz. of their Pope Cardinals Abbots and the rest And also for their bellies and that they may keepe all the world in slaverie and to hide their wickednesse And more specially what their Doctrines are concerning Purgatorie Masses Indulgences Pardons even for the time to come Miracles done by this Saint and that and by this Relique and that and concerning their holy Reliques themselves and so all their doctrines of Equivocation mentall Reservation and the like whether they be not all to speake as the thing is notorious lies to keepe the poore people in ignorance in their blinde devotions and slavery to them yea to muzzle them in their murdering zeale against the true Church Which if it be so then the Assumption is most manifest to all the world even to children and almost to sucking babes That Popery teacheth lying and murder or that which tends thereunto viz. to the destroying of all either soules or bodies or both Now for the truth of all these things I appeale first to the Lord Iesus the Iudge of all to iudge betweene us and that I have written according to the perswasion of my heart grounded upon the word of the Lord and upon their writings and dealings 2. I appeale to the sacred Scriptures by which we and they and all our doctrines must be judged 3. To the universall consent of all the true Church of Christ. 4. To every one who professeth the Gospell according to the doctrine of our Church and our good lawes 5. To their owne hearts and consciences I meane of all the learneder and cunninger sort of them and to the consciences of all when they shall be so awaked as to thinke that they are to appeare before Iesus Christ to give an account For particular proofes of these and other disputes I leave them to the Treatises mentioned before and also to the more learned and them who have better leysure It may be sufficient for me to have made them manifest to all who professe Christs Gospell and who judge indifferently and to leave them and their consciences thus convinced unto the Lords Iudgement feaâ—… And now these things being so I appeale againe to their consciences and the consciences of all the world concerning the evidence and necessitie of these Consectaries 1. Whether the Assumption being true that Religion of theirs be not of the Devill by our Saviours owne reason and therefore that all of them must either renounce and even abjure it or else professe themselves to be of Satans Religion to maintaine it and to fight for him against our Lord Iesus Christ and that they will still doe it 2. Whether all sorts are not bound to seeke to save themselves from that lying and murdering Religion and to use all warrantable and holy means both to reclaime all from it to the end to save them both soules and bodies and also to deliver all the Churches and people of the Lord from the danger of being suddenly surprized and murdered thereby and so far as God inables them any way to take away all the dishonour and provocations of his sacred Majestie which may come thereby as by all other such hainous sinnes This I humbly submit to the judgement of all seeing whosoever is not with our Saviour is against him and that whosoever saves not destroyes That the Magistrates and all in authoritie are the keepers of both the Tables each according to his place and for that the bloud of all must be required at the Pastors and Watchmens haâ—…ds according to the charge committed to every one of them if they be not faithfull in their severall places designed to them by the Lord. Wherefore I intreat them and all others seriously to thinke hereof as in the presence of our Lord Iesus Christ before whom I have written in duty to his heavenly maiesty for maintaining his glory and holding up the scepter of our Lord Iesus and in love and duty to all sorts chiefly to all in high place for the saving of all or to leave the obstinate utterly without excuse And thus much also for the proofe of the Assumption and the shutting up of this inclosed Epistle Unto which if this Gentleman or any one for that Honourable Ladie will offer to reply let me but crave this of him whosoever he be which equitie and wisdome will require 1. First to doe it in love and with good advice as in the presence of our Lord Iesus Christ without all shifts or devices against the light of his conscience even as I have endevoured and onely for the finding out and maintaining the truth whereunto God willing I shall ever yeeld if any one in any thing shall rightly shew mee my error and I shall moreover acknowledge my oversight 2. And secondly let me request of him that hee will bethinke himselfe wisely for what he pleades and also for whom whether he doe it not even for Satan and for the upholding of his kingdome by his chiefe workes of lying and murder and also to consider against whom he doth it whether it be not against our Lord Iesus Christ and against all his Saints and
rest of it much more polished for his owne gloryâ—… and for the good of all his people whereunto I trust during life I shall not be wanting as his goodnesse shall vouchsafe to assist me PAg. 7. l 7 put out those 7 lines twice repeated p 8 l 10. for our read this p. 10 l 16. p. 91 l. 5. unto p 99 l 3. but moreover l 7 third general p 103. may 109 l. 1. seeke all p 157 marg for Deut reade Genes p 161. l 2. for to do â—… as p 164 l. 1. admitted l 4. these pag 189. l 5. as at Marg l. 17 Deut 30 29. p 220. marg lin 1. That p 291 l. 15. not onely p 300. l. 20. for 〈◊〉 read may est p 306. l. 10. run on p. 3â—…6 l. 18. for best most pag. 348. l â—…9 and. p. 384. l. 2. have A PREPARATIVE to instant Prayer according to the necessity of the Times by thinking day and night of these things following untill wee have gotten them or the summe of them into our hearts and can have them ever as it were before our eyes to cry instantly to our holy God like as he hath directed vs. The first general Meditation How our Saviour lookes for some to helpe him in the delivery saving of his Church FIrst we are seriously to meditate and to bring our hearts to a due consideration how our blessed Saviour like aâ—… in the redeeming and saving of his chosen slocke from hell so in all the greatest extreamities of his poore distressed Church mentioned in his Sacred word hath beene wont to looke long for some that wold offer themselves to helpe it and when he hath found none to uphold or succour it in his tender pitty and compassion his owne arme hath saved it his righteousnesse it selfe hath sustained it in what sort hee hath seene it best And although he hath suffered it oft-times to be greevously afflicted yea somtimes almost utterly consumed yet how evermore when he would deliver and save it from the violence and rage of the wicked enemies or other imminent calamitles by some great and glorious deliverance his usuall manner hath bene to seeke and finde out some one at least that should stand up in the gap before him in more special manner for it that he might not destroy it by whom he might shew himselfe wonderfull for his people and chosen Flocke Thus he found out Ioseph Moses Samuel Dauid Iehosaphat Ezekiah Daniel Hester Mordecay Ezra Nehemiah and others Yea how he hath moreouer euer sought found out some few whom hee hath vouchsafed to be his helpers at least by their prayers and teares for saving the rest such as of whom he hath saide The innocent shall deliuer the yland These he lookes and cals for at this day And of this little number every true beleeving soule must needs desire to bee one if hee love the Lord Iesus Christ and his Church yea if he but love his native country or his owne soule or if he but onely feare that dreadfull curse denounced against Meroz Curse ye Meroz said the Angell of the Lord curse the inhabitants thereof because they came not to helpe the Lord against the mighty And much more must hee needs contend for this if hee rightly consider what a high honour and happinesse it is to be one of that little number chosen and singled out hereunto to bee if it were but as any one of Gedeons three hundreth Howbeit every one having some few good desires is not fit to serve under and to helpe our Lord Iesus in thâ—… great work He himselfe hath taught and directed us plainely both whom we must bee and how we must be qualified and fitted every way if we will bee his Souldiers and so fight in this spirituall battaile as that wee may hope to prevaile That every one of us must learne and have in our hearts these instructions and directions following which our Lord and Saviour hath in his infinite Wisedome set before our faces in that absolute forme patterne of prayer which for this end and for every occasion of supplication to bee made to him and to his Father in his name he hath giuen as a perpetual direction vnto his Church unto which patterne as of all other the most effectuall sufficient and certaine to this purpose I haue heerein still wholly tyed my selfe He then that desires to bee any one of those whom hee lookes for to helpe him heerein and that will so pray as that he may be sure to bee accepted and prevayle must know as first Gods usual manner of proceeding in the deliuerie of his Church so secondly the necessity of servent prayer at this time above all former times in what need the poor Church and euery particular member of it stands thereof and must labour to have a true and lively feeling in his heart of the miseries and dangers which the Churches are in Thirdly what a one himselfe must be how qualified in all things that his person may be accepted if ever he looke to be heard Fourthly how our prayers must bee framed that they likewise may be sure to be pleasing and avayleable with the Lord. Fiftly what power and assurance our prayers so sent forth have to prevayle with God and to overcome Sixtly that all other but these are unmeete and unable to help and after a sort excluded from this service and much more all that are of contrary dispositions Seventhly how every one that lookes to bee saved by Iesus Christ and to stand at his right hand must endeavour by all possible meanes to be fitted for this seruice to be a helper to Christes poore Church heerein The second generall Meditation concerning the present necessity of this worke and the liuely feeling thereof How euery one that lookes to be saued by Iesus Christ to stand at his right hand must endeavour by all possible meanes to bee fitted for this service to bee a helper to our Saviours poorâ—… Church heerein THat wee may know the present necessity of this duty and bee able to cry more instantly the Lord cals vs seriously in the second place to meditate day and night according to every part and petition of that heavenly prayer of our Saviours concerning the distressed estate of his poor Churches at this day and of all other poore soules belonging to his eternall election living under the captivity bondage of Sathan and the tyranny of his cursed and crucll Instruments And withall he would haue us wisely to consider how he even our Lord Iesus Christ himselfe calles for our duty by this very prayer amongst many other meanes teaching us heere to cry unto him for the rescuing and delivery of all hiâ—… Children Our Father which art in heaven And to this end how we are to labour to bring our owne hearts and the hearts of all
Sathan and Antichrist set up themselves to be obeyed and to destroy out of the earth all that seeke to obey the Lord. FOurthly we are to endeavour to bring our hearts to a lively meditation and weighing hereof How Antichrist all his limbes who persecute Gods Church all other wicked and vngodly men are so farre off from obeying his heavenly wil and commandement that they haue set themselves to satisfie onely their owne wicked lusts and willes and to disanull all the commandements of our blessed God both of his Law and Gospel and all his holy and blessed will revealed in the same and with them to destroy out of the earth all those that desire to obey him according to his heavenly word or that make any true and right conscience of his wayes and wil yea to put out all the true saving knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ to set up their owne wicked inventions in place thereof and how they are in a dreadfull manner proceeding heerein That as was touched before there is nothing but the mightie hand and power of our Lord Iesus Christ and the holy care and vigilancie of his Vicegerents whose hearts he shall in mercy raise up for himselfe and for his poore Church together with the prayers of his owne Children to prevent the same And withall we are to strive to bring our hearts to a true feeling how hard a matter it is for Gods owne deere people and children being free from these trials to lay these things to heart as they ought to doe and as his people haue beene wont and also how difficult it is for them which are tryed by these greevous afflictions which they undergo to submit themselves to Gods will and to make a right use of them all ◅nd to cry with our Saviour Father if it be thy will let this cup passe from us yet not our will but thy heauenly wil be fulfilled Blessed be thy holy name That so we may the more commiserate their estate and help them crying heerein The fifth particular Meditation of the second generall Concerning the innumerable miseries which our Brethren indure deprived of the outward comforts of this the better life how neere the like may be to us WEe are yet further in the fifth place by continuall and serious pondering of thē to bring our hearts to a more right fellow-feelling of those innumerable miseries mentioned before which our poore bretheren the deare children of the Lord do indure in every place where Sathan and Antichrist have prevailed especially by this late bloody sword wheresoever it hath come how they have been and still are in so many places deprived of all the comforts of this life of food raiment harbour libertie meanes of health and peace lying under famine nakednesse slavery sicknesse perill sword and all the miseries that follow upon them where the mercilesse idolatrous souldier is made drunke with the blood of Gods Saints having none to flie to to succour them but onely to cry unto the Lord. And more also enduring the famine of their soules having none to feed them with the word of life none to minister a word of comfort to refresh their fainting hearts And withall wee are wisely aforehand to lay to heart how nere the like miseries may be unto our selves how we have deserved to drinke of the same cup in a deeper measure for that wee haue not knowne the day of our long visitation which hath been in so much mercie but have abused these and all other our Blessings so as never Nation more And finally that wee are the faster haling and pulling these evils upon us for our want of commiseration for that our bowels have not nor yet doe earne over them for their innumerable miseries which they abide and that we have and doe so generally by our impenitency and induration fat our selves as against the day of slaughter How by those principally whom the Lord hath set over us for our foster fathers and mothers wee have hitherto been preserved from these thus farre forth through the tender mercy of our heavenly father and may hope that hee will so preserve us still i◅ we shall once be awaked to make a true and right use hereof The sixt particular Meditation of the second generall concerning the sinnes of the Churches and namely the generall abuse of the Gospell and the blessings which accompany it and that our sinnes are most heynous for our unthankefulnesse SIxtly wee are moreover to travell with our owne hearts to bring them to a right sense and feeling of our owne sinnes and the sinnes of other Churches and chiefly the most heynous and crying sins thereof which have provoked the Lord to so heavy displeasure thus to begin to proceede against so many of his own deer children abroad and amongst other that carnall Gospelling of barely professing the name of the Gospell but without any power or life thereof so much complained of in all the Churches That our blessed God having committed unto us the hidde treasure of his heavenly Gospell wee have not esteemed of it accordingly that we have onely professed it i◅ word for the most part but have not shewed forth any power of it as we ought That wee have not caused our light to shine so before others that yet sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death as that they seeing our good works might come from the kingdome of Sathan to God and glorisie our Father which is in heaven That thus he hath now alreadie so fearefully proceeded against so many of our brethren in forreigne parts for these and other sinnes according to the threatnings denounced in his Law and is so still going on forward in the heighth of his displeasure and yet wee for the most part remain without any true sense hereof and the best of us without that which we ought to have Then from them abroad we are to come home unto our selves and to our owne sinnes and heerein to consider seriously that our sinnes of this Nation may justly s◅eme more heynous then theirs or of any other people under heaven and therefore cry lowder for vengeance both in that the Lord hath so long called us to repentance not onely by the voyce of his Spirit in his heavenly Gospel and by as many of his worthy Messengers as euer he sent to any Nation before but also so long warned us and striven with us that he might spare us by all the other meanes that ever he used to reclaime any people both by mercies and iudgements and by his fatherly rods corrections more especially by such wonderfull preservations of vs from our just feares and so admirable deliverances when we were in the middest of the fire and when yet wee were without any sense or feare thereof or power to helpe or save our selves Also for that our outragious
hee so oft saved and delivered his people for Moses alone thus importuning him albeit hee have over-just cause to say to us as hee said to Iudah before her Captivitie though Noah Iob and Daniel were amongst us yet they should neyther save sonne nor daughter but even their owne soules yet I say howsoeuer he shall deale in mercy for the generall wee must notwithstanding know undoubtedly that every particular soule that turnes not to God by unfeigned repentance and that prepares not himselfe to come thus to help by his prayers for pardoning the sinnes of the Land and pacisying of the Lords wrath must certainly perish And to conclude this point wee are to meditate likewise seriously how GOD hath principally ordayned and ever used when he would save his people and call and bring them to true repentance to do it in like manner by Kings and Princes or other Rulers stirred up extraordinarily and by the voyce of his true Prophets calling them and his people by them thereunto as by Moses Ioshua Iehosaphat Hezekiah Nehemiah the king of Nineuy and others even when he wold but save them from the present temporall destruction And therefore as we are to pray instantly for all the Rulers in the severall Churches so above all for our dread Soveraigne to whom hee hath given such excellent understanding of his heavenly will and whom he hath bound unto himselfe by so many bonds of such great deliverances the like mercies and favours above all the Kings and Princes of the earth that they may all yet whilst there is time now the Lord calles so lowd vpon them set themselves to enquire wisely into the true causes of the evils already upon the Churches and of those which are further threatned That they may truly consider that all this is from the Lord in his everlasting commiseration and fatherly pitty tendering us as his deere children thus calling us all to a generall and unfeigned repentance that he may spare us and that himself may take our cause in hand against his own and our bloody enemies That they may with holy Iosiah first inquire rightly into all the crying sins in every state and degree within their Dominions and into all the provocations of the wrath of God and see how the sinnes of our time seem to be above the sinnes of Iudah before the Captivity our glorious light and all other meanes which he hath used to reclaime us being rightly weighed And secondly that they may consider wisely of the danger which both themselves and all theyrs yea all their Dominions stand in for the same according to all the Lords most terrible warnings and denounciations And thirdly that they may thinke seriously as in the presence of the Lord and inquire from his mouth of the meanes yet left to pacific and prevent the same And finally that they may set themselves forthwith to put all the same in execution with holy Iosiah and do in all things belonging thereunto as the Lord himselfe directeth and commandeth for that this alone can bring comfort and boldnesse to them and theyrs in assurance of the Lords mercifull love and favour and that they and theirs shall abide still and ever before the presence of the Lord. Thus are we to labour to prevaile espcially for our Soveraigne Lord and his that our God may yet by him magnify the riches of his mercy above all former times bringing thus to us all his Churches a third greater deliverance and cause of rejoycing by his hand through our unfeigned repentance and the like repentance in all the Churches then ever heretofore And thus wee are earnestly according to our bounden dutie to stirre up our hearts by our due meditations to cry for him and to doe what we can both by our prayers and all other holy meanes that all other may ioyne with us herein and that we may never rest wrestling with him weeping untill he have heard us even in this behalfe for the pardoning and taking away our sinnes in what sort soever shall seeme best to his heavenly Maiestie to answere us And thus much for this Meditation The seuenth particular Meditation of the second generall how Sathan exerciseth all his power and tyranny against all the Churches spiritually SEuenthly wee are withall to betake our selves to a serious Meditation and to bring our hearts likewise to a right feeling hereof That as the Lord hath in his iust and heavy displeasure left his poore afflicted Churches and children to be thus pursued by Sathan and driven into the wildernesse so Sathan having gotten them thither he there principally exerciseth his power tyranny against them even spiritually against their seules and consciences so farre as God permits him as well as against their bodies How hee thereby bestirres himselfe to bring them into all spirituall miseries to cause them either to fall away from the Lord Iesus Christ and the soundnesse and sincerity of his heavenly Gospell which they have received professed or to vse dissembling even to deny the Lord Iesus or other vnlawfull meanes for their reliefe and succour thus to wound their weake cōsciences ◅o get more advantage against them both to accuse them before the Lord and so to provoke his Maiesty to leave them up into his hands and even to drive many of them to utter and endless despaire of the Lords helpe succour which is the height of miseries and the very entrance into the lake Or at least which is his usuall manner with every one of us and wherein he can and doth oft prevaile with manie of the deerest Saints and Children of the Lord he settes on them day and night to cause them to doubt of the Lords favor and love of the truth of their Religion the goodnesse of their cause the soundnesse of their Faith and repentance or whether they have any Faith or no seeing hee so leaves them to so many miseries which if hee loved them he would not doe Then hee makes them possess the verie sinnes of their youth setting all of them before their faces which ever they fell into in their whole lives so much as he is able and aggravating every least slip or fayling as if it were the most heynous sin that ever was committed Then through melancholy passions and distempers into which hee can driue thee best by long affliction and by still urging his temptations terrors hee can and useth to cause them to accuse themselves falsely and for those things wherein they are most innocent or for the best things that ever they have done and so can increase their miseryes both bodily and spirituall The right meditation of these and other like miseries which he drives them into m◅st needs cause us to commiserate their poore and wofull estate and the due consideration of the present danger to our selves of the like
unto it in delivering restoring and beautifying of it like as hee hath done in all former Ages And therefore wee are never to rest travelling with our owne hearts in this untill we can principally labour with the Lord for them that they of all other and so all in their places may be indued with all excellent graces not onely to manifest themselves in the first ranke according to their high dignities the true Children of our heavenly Father thus shining before all the rest of their Bretheren for the better prouoking and encouraging of all the rest and the greater glory of the Lord but also with those guifts which are proper and peculiar unto their places and callings And that wee likewise may all of us be very carefull to performe unto them the duties belonging to them in regard of those high places and callings like as the honor and obedience of right appertaining to them so with all true thankfulnesse for all the blessings which wee injoy by them And in our thankfulnesse we â—…e never to rest untill wee can from our soules performe unto them these three specially 1. Acknowledgment of their authoritie from God and that they are in his place 2. Hearty affections as to Gods Lieutenants for his cause 3. Above all instant prayers for them day night And in these our prayers that we can cry for them not onely as for every common member as was saide to bee able to walke before all their people as living Lawes in all holy duties of Christianitie but in those of their particular places and callings and bee furnished with all excellent giftes and endowments of Gods Spirit for their happy managing of the same As first and principally that they may bee made able and resolute to promote the Religion of the Lord alone and all true godlinesse and that with all their power defacing the contrary and destroying all ungodnesse in all their Dominions as did those Worthyes David Iehosaphat Hezekiah Iosiab and Nehemiah being thereby so renowned and set out for such blessed examples to all succeeding Ages And in the second place that they may procure each way the good of the people committed to them as tender Foster-fathers repressing the wicked being careful that all holy meanes be used every where for the reclaiming and saving every soule in their Dominions and of bringing them in their armes to the Sion and Sanctuary of the Lord and all hinderances thereof removed And that to these ends they may be all as 〈◊〉 Magistrates men of courage fearing God dealing truely hating covetousnesse no respecters of persons And next unto these that we rest not till we bee able to pray likewise for all excelling in any eminency either outward or inward whereby they may doe any speciall service to our Lord Iesus Christ to his Vicegerents or to his poore Church and people As namely That their hearts bee not lifted up by their guifts favours or places as is ordinary in each estate and so wrath come upon them as it did on that good Hezekiah for this very sinnâ—… but that contrarily they may both ever remember and acknowledge all their preferments to be from his heavenly bounty and so to be more humbled by them as having more to answere bee accountable for giving to his divine Majestie alone all the glory thereof And secondly that they may bee inabled as thy deare Children to employ all those guifts carefully as their talents committed unto them by the Lord to that end and purpose as may make most for his glory the furtherance of his Gospell with the greatest benefit and good to our selve and to all the people of the Lord. The second particular Meditation of the third general That we can and use to seeke his honor above all other things SEcondly we must never give the Lord over untill we have brought our harts in order not to seeke our owne honour or greatness nor our selves any way for our selves alone but onely in all things to seeke the honour of our heavenly Father being zealous of his glory And that wee can pray earnestly that our selves and all other may studie to set foorth his glorie before all the sonnes of men euen the glory of his Wisedome Goodness Mercy Iustice Power and Truth shining bright in all his workes both in every creature and also in all his judgements and mercies and chiefely in his heavenly word admiring and extolling his great name in every one of them That we can mourne with holy Moses for all the dishonours done unto him and for all the provocations whereby he is provoked choosing rather to have our names put out of his booke then that his great name shold be blasphemed by his malicious enemics especially in their triumphes for the destruction or miseries of his people The third particular Meditation of the third generall That we seeke his honour chiefely in the aduancement of the Scepter of Iesus Christ. THirdly we are never to rest untill we can rejoyce in the truth of our hearts that we have seâ—… our selves to seek by all our might the advancement of the Scepter of his heavenly kingdome even of the heavenly Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ and so the comming of his kingdome thereby with power first the kingdome of Grace and after the kingdome of Glory desiring earnestly to that end the propagating and spreading of his Gospel over all the world the gathering forth of all his elect from al parts with the saving of all his people seeking all other things onely for him and for his honour that he may reigne as Lord and King That wee never give him rest until wee feele him reigning in our hearts by his blessed Word and Spirit making us to mourne withall for all the despight done unto his heavenly Majesty in the contempt of that his glorious Gospel and chiefly for all the prevaylings of Sathan and Antichrist the setting up againe of their abhominable Idolatry in any place and so for al the outragious wickednesse committed agaynst our Lord Iesus Christ his crowne and dignity and also agaynst his poore people The fourth particular Meditation of the third generall That we seeke to honour him eâ—…er in the full accomplishment of all his heavenly will FOurthly that our hearts beare us witness that wee haue attayned to be such as are wholly set not to seeke the execution of our owne lustes or will but that the whole will and good pleasure of our heavenly Father may bee fulfilled by us and all other his Children especially in all things wherein he hath or shal reveale himselfe what his good pleasure is And that we have begun earnestly to indevor our selves to be as chearful in the right execution and accomplishment thereof in all parts as
have bene truly humbled for this sinne and haue brought their hearts to such a lively sense and feeling of the miseryes of theyr Brethren as that their bowels can earne over them for the same The sixt Reason to be rightly considered of SIxtly we are seriously to thinke heereof and not to rest before we have brought our hearts to a right consideration of it That none but onely those who can so lay to heart the dishonors done unto his Majesty in the blaspheming of his great and glorious name the trampling under foot his Gospell and people as that they can at least unfeignedly desire and labour to bee more troubled for the same and more humbled in themselves for them then for any private evill that can betide thēselves or frends can possibly be meete for this worke For that if we do not so highly esteeme and prefer his glory and Gospell as that in regard thereof we can even neglect and despise our selves we do exceedingly dishonour and despise him and therefore must looke to bee despised of him and so have all our prayers and all service in this behalfe untill that time utterly rejected The senenth reason to be seriously Meditated of That none can be admitted who will not cest away their sinne though as deere as their right eye THis is above all though touched in part before to bee deeply and duely pondered to bring our hearts to a true beleeving and feeling of it that not any but such as now harken to his loud cry to repent and turne from all their evill wayes even in every particular can bee meete for this though their sinne be as deere unto them as their right eye if they love i◅ more then the Lord Iesus they cannot bee worthy of him Therefore sith God hath threatned all such that they must be cast into hell fire and so perish eternally from his presence how can they ever imagine to bee admitted to this worke seeing they cannot stand before him Or if they be such as have not no◅ yet will receive the love of the truth so as to obey it in what they know that they may be saved or such as when they know God they will not set themselves to glorifie him as God but contrarily will more and more dishonor him by going on obstinately in their sinnes or such as have set up any stumbling block of their owne wicked imagination to worshipe it how can they thinke to bee helpers herein unto the Lord for all others Howsoever they flatter themselves that they shall do well enough though they live in that sinne for a time or at least a little and that they shall have peace that God will bee mercifull unto them notwithstanding all that hee hath denounced to the contrary yet the Lord hath told us plainly that he will not be mercifull to any such but will make his wrath smoake against then untill they bee consumed Hee hath declared to all the world that such shall be either given up to be strongly deluded by Antichrist or by some other like delusion that they shall bee given up in the end to a reprobate sense as hee gave up the very Gentiles for abusing but the light of Nature yea that Gods owne Prophets shall helpe to deceive such to sooth them in their evill way answering them according to their owne evill heart That thus the stumbling block which any one hath set up to worship and wherein he hath preferred the obeying serving of his owne lusts before his obeying serving of the Lord Iesus shall be his ruine and destruction And therefore no such man so long as hee continueth obstinately in his sinne can hope to bee admitted or to have any hand or part in this holy worke The eighth reason hereof That but inclining to any fin God will not heare us ANd more then all this to awake our consciences yet more fully the Lord would have us further to thinke of this deeply that hee which inclineth to any wickednesse in his heart but to any one sinne desiring to have his corrupt lust satisfied in it contrary to the light of his conscience his prayer even for that is a bhominable so that God will not heare him as David professeth of himselfe The ninth reason hereof to bee ever in our hearts That whosoever is not with our Saviour is against him TO shut up all briefly this is never to be out of our hearts That whosoever is not with our Saviour is against him whosoever indeavoureth not to bee so with him so to follow and helpe him as a true Disciple and souldier to be furnished with every of the former qualities to bee armed with every part of the compleate Armour of a Christiain to be in all things such a one as hee hath so prescribed yea who will not bind set himselfe constantly to keepe his watch but sometimes give liberty to his owne euill heart hee cannot have any true hope to bee admitted to this worke but in pressing in to helpe without a warrant as Vzzah did to stay the Arke-tottering is in danger of Gods heavy displeasure and to have his prayer turned into sinne That it shal so come to pass unto him as unto those who would go to fight without y◠Lord. He may looke for a curse in stead of a blessing to have the Lords hand stretched out agaynst him to fall and flye before his enemyes Till this time every such a one may be afraid of comming neere the Mountaine of putting his hand to the Arke of rushing into the battle without Armor may look to speed as he that came to the marriage without his wedding Garment The second particular Meditation of this sixt generall Who may with hope and confidence offer themselues NOW upon all these and the like grounds we are to labour yet further to bring our hearts to a right understanding and a more thorovv apprehension of that second generall Meditation togither with this which followeth to wit That those and they alone who are so qualified and every way so fitted as are before described are the men whom indeed the Lord at this day looks for and which can say with the Prophet Esay Lord heere I am admit me for one of those whose help thou wilt accept For Lord thou knowest that to my poore power and that measure of grace which thou hast vouchsafed me I have in all things unfeignedly desired to be prepared and fitted to helpe thee and thy poore Church Accept of my feeble desires and supply that which is wanting Thy grace is sufficient for me Thy power is seene in the greatest weakness Lord thou that seest all hearts hast tryed my heart and my ◅eynes how unseignedly I have sought thee heerein contending to walke before thee and as in thy presence continually and to bee kept undefiled from
lively evidences thereof which is the chiefest of all though they be such as are deere and pretious unto the Lord and who have his holy Spirit for their earnest albeit onely for a time they want the sense feeling of it as it hath beene in many a soule in our memory and is at this day whereupon they have bene are so usually prayed for in many of our best Congregations from whence they looke for some helpe comfort by the praiers of Gods people if I say it bee so with them what can wee thinke shall become of the ungodly and impenitent sinners especially of those enemies of Christ and his Servants when their consciences shall bee throughly awaked and much more after this life when their case in regard of any comfort shall be contrary to the estate of these poore Servants of the Lord. If the righteous shall scarsly bee saved as Peter speaketh and as wee see how hardly it goes with these last mentioned where shall the wicked and ungodly appeare If the paine of one tooth alone be oft so extreame that it permits no sleepe nor rest day nor night when wee have all kind of other comforts to mitigate and ease it what can wee thinke the torments of all the parts both of soule and body must needs be in the Lake burning with fire and brimstone for ever where the very hope of all other comforts shall be utterly taken away which notwithstanding we are certainly assured must come upon all impenitent and ungodly sinners because the word of the Lord doth tell us so most plainly and so oft warnes us of it The Lord cals from heaven continually upon all who doe not repent them of their sinnes come to helpe him to thinke seriously hereof as which alone shall bee sufficiently able to convince and condemme all that ever have heard the holy Scriptures or but these fearfull examples alone The third Meditation How God herein sets before us all life and death blessing and cursing FInally we are to bethinke our selves in our deepest and best Meditations how the Lord here sets before every soule life and death blessing and cursing Life if we will but now set our selves seriously with all our hearts to seeke to pass all these difficulties never giving rest to our soules untill by our Meditations and prayers and the right use of all other holy meanes which in his word he hath prescribed us wee have attained so to beleeve and so to obey yea in all things so to doe as hee requireth at our hands that wee may be fit to helpe him and his poore Church Then we shall have boldnesse whatsoever come to passe we shall not need to feare though all our enemies were so many Divels wee shall not be dismaid for the adventuring and loosing of all Houses Goods Friends Parents Children no nor Life it selfe but contrarily in the middest of death wee shall be bold and couragious as Lyons for our Lord and Saviour knowing that nothing can separate us from Gods favour and in the losse of all we shall gaine all bee in all even in the middest of death more then Conquerors thorow him who hath so loved us and hath given himselfe for us and shall with him triumph over all our enemies eternally Death and cursing he likewise sets before us threatneth them unto us undoubtedly without unfeigned repentance whereof wee can have little hope if he now calling upon us thus earnestly to helpe him by the offer of so many mercies and such blessednesse on the one side we will not shew our true obedience and uttermost indeavour therunto and if hee denouncing so many miseries on the other side wee still refuse to harken living securely and doe not regard this gratious offer of mercy That when our feare shal come upon us like a whirlewind wee shall fly at the shaking of a sword even at the very report of our enemyes prevailing much more of their approching so neere unto us Our hearts shal be then as Nabals as dead as a stone and so wee shall live in a perpetuall expectation of the just wrath and vengeance of God to seize upon us everlastingly so that we can never expect any comfort after Yea withall we are wisely and deepely to meditate hereof how he bids us to chuse life that wee and ours may live by loving him obeying his voice cleaving fast unto him because he is our life and the length of our dayes And also how hee bidding us will also thereby give us strength to doe it so farre as we shall be accepted If we but beleeue his blessed Commandement and his Covenant of grace shall set our selves in the name and by the power of our Lord Iesu Christ to do what we can in and by the use of all the means which he hath ordained for obtayning this strength and grace so to helpe him and if we wil be as earnest as vigilant and industrious for attaining of this honour as we would be for the attaining of any earthly honour or riches For we cannot thinke that ever any man who sought this after this manner was rejected to wit if hee sought it as for treasure that is early earnestly and constantly And therefore all who wil not thus set themselves to obey help the Lord have their mouths for ever most justly stopped being left altogether without excuse And thus much also for this last generall Meditation and how we may in all things be in some good measure rightly and fitly prepared to helpe in instant and powerfull prayer for the poore Churches of Christ according to all whereunto the Lord now calles us thereby to have good hope to prevayle with him To wit when wee shall finde our hearts so affected towards his heauenly Majesty as to preferre him his glory causes before our selves so truly shewing that we love him with all our heart soule strength and might and our neighbour as our selfe as hee commandeth being so affected likewise towardes them and doing so to them as we would have them do to us if wee were in their estate and case All which we must everie one strive unto or perish if wee but onely as wee saw before stand on the other side in the day of our Brethrens affliction and much more if we will not bee moved by any one meanes nor all the meanes together whereby the Lord calls us thus to come to helpe him now I say that hee even our Lord and Saviour proclaimes to all our consciences before all the world that hee stands in such need of our helpe and so expects it hourely at our hands And this may suffice to prepare us all to this happy worke of true humiliation and of instant prayer for the Churches onely let mee put you in minde that our Lord Iesus Christ to the end that hee
may yet put some more life into all these Meditations and quicken us in our crying to him according to all the prayers following hee calls upon us all to have this specially ever in our hearts and his voyce in it sounding incessâ—…tly in our eares which was in part touched before That as the Spirit and the Bride doe call to our blessed Saviour to come so first all the distressed Churches yea all the members of Christ and all the elect of God which are under the power of Sathan or of any cruell Tyrants or under other miseries doe call and cry to every one of us as the man of Macedonia did to Paul come helpe us Come helpe us by your prayers helpe us by your teares And secondly as the Angell of the Lord said Curse ye Meroz because he came not to helpe the Lord so now hee saith Curse ye all and every one of them who come not to helpe our Lord Iesus Christ who come not to helpe him in his poore members And tell every one who wil not set himselfe at least in the full purpose of his heart to come that hee hath no part in that heavenly prayer of our blessed Saviour nor of the glorious priviledges and promises conteyned in it that hee hath no part or portion in the Brother-hood Inheritance Glory Kingdome Rewardes Promises of this and the better life Remission of sinnes Deliverance from Sathan from the evils which hee seeks to bring on all that hee can have no comfort in that everlasting everliving Amen to whom all Kingdome Power and Glory do onely appertaine but that he is contrarily stripped of each of these and that our Lord Iesus is comming quickly in all Majesty and Glory to give to every one according to his workes to all that come the happinesse of all these blessings to all now refusing to come when he calls the misery of all contrary curses Wherefore hee saith to all Come Come every one thou though be in thy filth loathsome ragges all Leprous worthy to be thrust out of yâ— campe of Israel excluded for evermore yet come strip off those rags by repenâ—…ance wash in the fountaine of my blood which is opened to all the house of Israel and be thou cleane Put on the garment of the righteousnesse of thy Saviour and be glorious put on all the compleat Arm our of my Spirit in the full resolution of thy soule be valiant come helpe me Though thou have no strength but meere desires yet come and thou shalt bee accepted I will not quench the smoaking flax therefore come Though thy desires be never so weake yet come my power shall bee manifested and perfected in thy weaknes Therefore come yea though thou have no grace at all yet come hee tels thee from heaven his Grace is and shall be sufficient for thee And finally though thou have no faith to apprehend this Grace of his but art full of unbeleefe yet ever remember him that said I beleeve Lord Lord helpe my unbeleefe and how he sped and then thou wilt come Yea though thou get others to carry thee thou wilt certainly doe it if thou canst but set before thy face the Palsy-man thou wilt bee glad thâ—…s to come Finally be thinke thy selfe if ever thou canst name but one who thus desired to come to our Saviour in the uprightnesse of his heart neglecting no meanes thereunto who was rejected of him but contrarily how every one so comming hath beene graciously accepted and imbraced of him as the Prodigall Son was of his Father and then try whether his blessed Spirit will not give thee Davids Eccho to answer to him in thy soule Lord I come I come I come to doe thy will Thy will is within my heart Accept the worke of thine ownegrace Amen enen so Lord Iesus I come I come Prayers according to our Sauiours direction chiefly for maintaining and advancing of his glory and kingdome against the râ—…ge of Sathan and Antichrist and for helping his poore distressed Churches with all the members of Iesus Christ scattered over the face of the whole earth and that the whole number of Gods elect may be speedily gathered forth I. A prayer for our preparation that wee may bee made meete to bee admitted and may bee accepted as helpers in this so great a worke AH Lord our most gracious and tender Father in Christ Iesus wee thy unworthy children heere prostrate beholding how thy heavenly Majesty is foughten against thy honour trampled under foote thy kingdome people sought to bee destroyed out of the earth and that by Sathan Antichrist other thy cruell enemies who carrying a mortall hate against thee and against thy Sonne Iesus Christ and so against thy Gospell and people for thy cause alone do seeke that they alone may raigne over us and over all the world in thy place seeing also how thou hast suffered them fearfully to prevaile and still to proceed because of our sins and the sinnes of all other that professe thy name and hearing withall how thou now callest us all who are thine and in any favour with thy Maiesty to helpe thee and the rest of our Brethren and Sisters thy poore children in these their extreame miseries by our prayers and teares doe humbly intreat thee so to prepare and fit us that through our Lord and Saviour wee may be accounted meete to bee admitted to this so great a service Lord open our blind eies that we may have a right view of all these things open likewise our dease eares that we may heare thee calling us unto this duty and touch our dead hearts that they may be truly affected herewith inable us that thus seeing hearing and seeling we may cry unto thee uncessantly untill thou shalt shew thy selfe from heaven to come downe maintaine and defend thine owne causes and children to rescue all thine every where both from that bodily and spirituall tyranny and from all other dreadfull miseries under which they groane and so to judge betweene them betweene thine and their enemies and to get thy selfe a gloryous name and victory in thy due time to thine owne everlasting prayse and glory Oh deere Father perswade our hearts effectually how now at this very day in these fearfull times and extremities of thy poore Church as thou hast beene wont in all former Ages thou seekest out a man that may stand in the breach and how thou lookest for some that may specially bee singled out hereunto to helpe thee and thy poore people Vouchsafe good Lord that every one of us may strive to bee if not that one man yet as some one of Gedeons three hundreth And to this end that all these holy Meditations following and the like may be in our hearts continually That we may never rest untill hereby wee may know assuredly that
of them coâ—…dering the gracious meanes which wee haue so long time enioyed above all Oh make us to doe it foorthwith before it be too late that thy wrath be powred on us as upon them and that there bee no remedy Cause us at least to be warned by the very Heathen who acknowledged this giving glory thus to thee the God of Israel to be the onely meanes to appease thy wrath and prevent thy further judgements Lord smiâ—…e the hearts of all thy Lieutenants and of all to whom the charge of thy honour the saving of thy people are specially committed that they may be thorowly awaked and touched with a right Meditation and sense hereof and of their account to be given even for this dishonour before thy heavenly Majesty that thy people should thus fall away or thus flye before thine enemyes And for all thine and our proud aduersaries perswade our hearts that thou hast raised them up thus against us all as thou diddest Pharao against Israel that when thou hast humbled us by them so as to turne us to thee againe by causing us to submit and humble our soules to walke lowlily with thee in all these thy blessed Commandements and so to honor thee thou wilt then get thy selfe glory uppon their pride and furie and in our finall deliverance from them giving them for our ransome Yea good Father for every particular soule of us make us to know in our very hearts that thou as thou hast made us for thine owne glory so thou wilt be glorifyed in us and by us and that in endless mercy and eternall compassion upon so manie of us as thou having ordayned to be vessels of glorie givest hearts unto thus to humble our selves to seeke to walke obediently in all thy blessed Lawes and commandements of the other side that thou wilt bee glorifyed in declaring thy wrath and everlasting vengeance which thou wilt in thy due time execute upon all thy disobedient and stubborne enemyes who shal declare themselves manifestly by rebelling against thee to be vessels of wrath prepared for destruction Lord by the due meditation and consideration heereof awaken and rowze up all thy people to learn to make more true conscience of all thy blessed Commaundements then ever we have done heretofore for the appeasing of thy Majestie that thy glorie may shine in all the world in pardoning the sinnes of thy people delivering us from our cruell enemies and getting thy selfe honour upon Babylon who hath chiefly for this bene and is the staffe of thy wrath and indignation Heare us therefore heerein and cause us at length even in token of our thankfulness in the zeale we have for thy glory yea in a vehement desire that thy glory may bee set uppe and thy great name may by us be magnified in all the world thus to seek to renew and performe all our vowes to walke more obediently in all thy blessed Commandements then ever heretofore even for our Lord Iesus Christ his sake our onely Redeemer Saviour Amen XI A Prayer that Gods glorie may breake forth more and more then ever heeretofore in causing us and all his people in all the Churches to set him up alone as our God and make him great in our hearts by having our hearts first soundly replenished with all the parts of his inward worship commanded in the first Commandement without which we and all our outward worship and whatsoever we do in his service are utterly in vain That thus all the Churches and euery soule may seeke to pacifie his Maiestie by giving unto him his due glorie OH Lord God who art most glorious in thy 〈◊〉 Majesty 〈◊〉 in all thy Attributes and hast made this glorie of thine to shine bright in every one of thy workes and chiefly in thy heavenly word that thou mightest bee glorifyed accordingly by all thy people and chiefly by them whom thou hast redeemed from Egypt and Babylon to this end and purpose set up this thy glory in the hearts consciences of everie one of thine elect that all of us may know and acknowledge thee such a one as thou hast revealed thy selfe in thy most blessed word Lord graunt that all of us may be knowen heereby to be taught by thee and that the earth may be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea according to thy graÌ„cious promises made unto thy Church in the flourishing estate thereof yea perswade us good Lord that without the true knowledge of thee and thy heavenly will our hearts cannot be good howsoever wee may deceive our selves as the world doth generally More specially inable us to set thee up in our hearts not onely by knowing thee in a generall manner but by beleeving that thou art our God that wee may bee able in faith each of us with Thomas to call thee My God and my Lord and so to beleeve every thing contained in thy heavenly word as that this power of our faith in thee may shew it selfe in each part and action of our whole life both in readily obeying every one of thy blessed Commandements as thy servants Abraham and Noah did and also in fearing every one of thy threatnings and jvdgements finally in laying lively hold of every one of thy gracious promises made unto us in the same word that so wee may alwaies cheare up our hearts and incourage our selves and also one another to run out more joyfully in all the narrow way of life Lord perswade all our hearts that this particular and powerfull faith howsoever it be scoffed at by all thine and thy Churches enemies was the very faith of our Father Abraham and of all the faithfull recorded in thy booke even that whereby all the Fathers received good report and that without this lively working faith it is impossible for any one ever to be pleasing or ever to doe any thing acceptable to thy heavenly Majesty Good Lord make vs all able upon thâ—… our right saving knowledge of thee that thou art faithfull and true and this our faith in thee that thou art our God to hold fast the Anchor of our hope and to manifest it by our wayting and looking stedfastly for the full accomplishment of every promise that thou hast made either coÌ„cerning thy Church in generall or els any of us particularly also of whatsoever thou hast denounced concerning thine and thy Churches enemies and that thou wilt doe every thing in thy due time for thy Church and against thy enemies howsoever for the present all things may seeme to goe against thy Church and people Yea inable us withall good Father ever to honour thee by shewing forth this our faith by the confidence which wee have in thee even then when wee may seeme to bee most forgotten and forsaken of thee both by casting all our
whereby thou hast bene and art still dayly more and more provoked against the Churches for all the dishonours done unto thy great name that we may bee every one as righteous Lot in Sodome and as the mourners before the Captivitie and as those worthy servants of thine both Ezra Nehemiah and Daniel untill we shall see againe the setting up of thy glory and Gospell thy gracious countenance shining upon all the Churches and the full delivery of thy deere Children out of the hands of their most mercilesse bloody enemies Oh grant that hereby our eyes may bee open to see aright both who they are that truly honour thee by having thee their God as they ought in setting thee thus up in their hearts in every one of these respects and who are heereby truly thankefull for their great deliverance from Aegypt and Babylon yea from Sathan and eternal damnation Heare us for Iesus Christ his sake our only Lord and Saviour Another Prayer according to the first Commandement OH Lord most glorious and most blessed as we intreate thee to manifest who they are which truely honour thee having set thee uppe in their harts as their God make us able by these likewise to discerne of the greatnesse of the sinne of all the Churches when after so long a time there yet appeareth so little true saving knowledge of thy Majesty but that such a grosse and palpable darkness is upon the most congregations and places that the people are ready to receyue any errors broached amongest them and that so great a part of thy people seeme now much more ready to receyve Popery and superstition agayne then to stand forth for the maintayning thy heavenly Gospell with the losse of any thing for it and so verie many thereby so forward to put their neckes under the yoake of Antichrist againe rejecting the sweete yoake of Iesus Christ. When there is also such a world of Atheisme as that so many both in Court Countrey live as if there vvere no God no heaven no judgement no place of torment Such multitudes perishing daily for lacke of this knowledge living as without Christ being ignorant of all saving knowledge of him and so goe hoodwinked to hell worse then the Oxe that knoweth his owner Make us able heereby to consider aright how justlie thou mayest bee provoked agaynst the Churches for our wonderfull unbeleefe and mayest even give us up into our enemies hands for the same when there are so meruailous few to be found in all the Churches who shewe forth their saving knowledge of thy Majesty and faith in thee by their conversations by making a right conscience of every one of thy blessed Commandements to obey them or of thy judgements or threats to restrayne them from sinne or of thy sweete promises and mercyes to bee encouraged thereby to runne more cheerefully in the narrow way of life but all sorts except the small remnant full of prophanenesse or extreme licentiousnesse Oh make us to behold that carnall confidence which so possesseth all almost generally that in steed of honouring thee by having set thee up to bee our onely confidence and strength we do trust in vanity making flesh our arme either relying upon our wit our policy and counsell or other like meanes by all which as our hearts are withdrawne from thee so we have and do bring a fearefull curse uppon our selves making these our gods Lord make us able to consider of this more seriously of the truth heereof by this one thing that in all our straites and feares we so little run unto thy Majesty to seeke thy face and helpe in the first place by humbling our souls before thee and seeking to pacifie thy wrath as wee ought but only looke to the outward meanes as relying uppon them alone or principally And Lord we intreat thee to shew us in our harts and to set plainly before our faces how in all the rest of these holy duties we have provoked thee alike how in steede of taking to heart the dishonors done unto thy heavenly Majesty and being zealous for thy glory we have bene and are so generally either starke cold or luke-warme as the â—…odicean that thou mayest justly spewe us out of thy mouth or at least that wee are so mervailously decayed and falne from our first love Lord give us harts to consider of our most heynous sin in this behalfe that in steede of so loving thee thy truth and servants as we should do if we had set thee up truely in our soules and consciences as our God we have almost everie one set up some other thing which wee manifest plainly that we have and do love and preferre before thy glorious holinesse as having our affections set thereon much more then on thy heavenly Majesty and for obtaining or injoying whereof we are not afraid to indanger our selves to loose thy favour as some of us our children and friends to make them great others our pleasures to take our delight and satiate our selves in them others of us and that very generally the riches pompe honour and wealth of the world and all of us except some little remnant preferring our owne selves our owne honor â—…ase peace and safety and whatsoever is most pleasing unto us before thy glorious Majestie and thy heavenly Commandements Lord make us able to see how we have and do prouoke thee generally to powre out thy wrath upon us all some of us by grosse disobedience and obstinacie against some one or other of these thy Sacred Commandements if not all of them wherein soever they crosse the corruption of ouâ—… owne hearts and that against the verie light of our owne consciences although thou hast told us plainly that this hath bene and is nothing els but rebellion against thee and as the sinne of witch craft in thy eies How others of us dishonour thee by our timerousnes fearing the faces of men more then thy glorious face and thereuppon doing or forbearing good or evill onely for feare of man wherein wee have and do commit manifest Idolatry making Gods of men and setting them up in thy place How others of us tempt thee by presuming upon thy mercy to bee bold to sin because thou art so mercifull though thou hast told us directly that thou wilt not be mercifull to such Yea which is yet a higher degree good Lord Make us to see how many amongst us in â—…teed of having so set thee up as our God in our hearts of being continually humbled before thy glorious Majestie for all our sinnes and provocations have added fuell to the kindling and inflaming thy wrath against us as all amongst us who have set our selves against thy Word thy judgements or servants even with an high hand as if it were in despight of thy Majesty and even in defiance of thee Oâ—… make us to see and acknowledge all our sinnes
affections Instant prayers That they may be able to walke in their particular callings as before the Lord as living Lawes Furnished with all guifts for managing the same happily 1. For promoting Gods religion 2. Procuring the wealth of his people Exo. 18. 〈◊〉 Next unto Magistrates to pray for all in any eminency Whereby they may doe any speciall service That their hearts be not lift up 2. Chro. 32. 25. 26. But contrarily â—…hore humbled That they may imploy all carefully as their talents committed to that end Hallowed be thy name Never to rest untill we can onely seeke Gods honour And be zealous for it to set it forth And mourne for all the dishonours done unto him as Moses Exo. 32. 31. 32. Num. 14. 13. 17. Thy kingdome come Not to rest till â—…e can most earnestly seeke the comming of Christs kingdome 1. Of Grace 2. Of Glory Desiring the spreading of his Gospell c. Onely for his honor Not resting â—…ll we feele him reigning in our hearts And can mourne for all the despight done to him And Sathans prevailings With all the wickednesse committed against him Thy will bee done That we are wholly set for the knowledge and execution of of Godâ—… will And receiuing thankfully whatsoever triall from his hand Mourning to see his Commandements trampled under foote Give us this day our daily 〈◊〉 Not to rest untill we can in Faith whol ly depend upon our heavenly Father And able to cry for our Brethren Ready to communicate unto them For give us our trespasses as c. That we feele our sins a burthen To drive us to Christ. Having some true feeling of the sins of the Churches which have so provoked the Lord. To try for forgivnesse so for unfeigned repentance to all the Churches That we he such as have a continuall heavinesse in our hearts for the sinneâ—… whereby our heavenly Father is so provoked Such as can forgive and pray for our enemies Lead us not inâ—…o temptation Not to rest untill we have brought our selves in awe To watch pray continually that we fall not into temptation That we doe not onely see our owne danger But also mourne for the prevailingâ—… of Sathan and Antichrist For thinâ—… is the kingdome c. Such as have learned the song of the foure and twenty Elders Rev. 5. 13. And sing the same in our soules Or mourne for our faylings Able to sound Amen in assurance of obtaining Having not onely the first fruites in all graces but indeavouring to grow continually To Meditate That our prayers be framed according to our Saviours direction so neere as we can Then he will make them powerfull 1. That we pray onely to our heavenly Father in the name of Iesus Christ. Without the least looking at our selves or any other creature That we ayme onely at Gods glory not resting till our harts be inflamed with the zeale therof That Christ onely may raigne in all the world For that then we have a certaine assurance of all other things Mat. 6. 33. This is a chiefe fayling of all Gods people In looking more at our selves then his heavenly Maiesty Though he hath directed us that this should be all in all Hag. 1. Want of this deprives of many blessings That we seeke the doing of his heavenly will chiefly for his glory kingdome That for these ends we may do it as the Angels doâ—… To seeke bread chiefly for these ends That we may live onely to his heavenly Maiesty 5 To seeke forgivnesse of our sins to these ends that they may not hinder his mercies But he may heare us in al things concerning his owne glory our good 6 And that he will save us from Sathan that we may live to honor him 7 All still for his glory for his Church That he may be glorified in us we with him To Meditate how the foure former performed aright we shal be assured of this viz. to be heard So praying ioyntly he will give a witnesse to each soule and set to his seale that he is our Father Rom. 8. Shew him selfe to us all from heaven to be our Father Though he more humble us first 2. That he wil also shew us his glory for his Church more then ever formerly in this last age Now that it is so opposed For maintaining his owne great name And getting himselfe a glorious victory This we may expect he will do by themselves To their confusion happiness of his How he will then give us assurance of his kingdome to come with power Ruinate the kingdome of Sathan and Antichrist Luke 10 18. Consume Antichrist Cause the new Ierusalem to come from heaven as a Bride prepared to meete her Husband Apoc. 22. And all in such sort as he hath foretold Thy will bee done c. He will then fulfill whatever not yet accomplished concerning his enemies or his servants And put new chearfulness into all the hearts of his to do all his will Gâ—…ve us this day our dasly bread How hee will deliver his people from all their miseries Feede them from heaven Recompensing them double Forgive us our trespasses as c. To meditate How then he will forgive the sinnes of all his people Make us see our pollutions And the fountaine open to uâ—… all Zach. 13. â—… And to long after it Iohn 5 3. How he wâ—…l then make our Repencance sound Acts. 9. 6. Put his Law in our minds c. Icr. 31. 33. Cause us to forgive and pitty one another Esay 11. 6. Leaâ—… us not into temptation To meditate how then he will restraine the tempter Dissolve his workes Discover his depths of wickednesse Against all nations 2. Tim. 3 â—… How the Kings of the earth who have given their power to the Beast have been deluded Apo. 9. 3. 4. c. 16. 13. â—…4 How he 〈◊〉 then cause their inchantments to 〈◊〉 How all deceivers shall curse their Gods and gâ—…aw their tongues Numb 23. 23. How Christ will be then wonderfull in saving his Church Hester 3. 7. State mysteryes For thine is the kingdome c. To meditate how Christ will then declare his Soveraignety And get himselfe glorie upon his proudest enemies Making all their counsels power to serve him How he will then maniseft that all the enemies have fought against him This will cause all to acknowledge his Soveraignty Rom. 14 His Angels Saâ—…hts to sing Halleâ—… Apoc. 19 6. Apo. 7 11 〈◊〉 Amen Neuer to give over our Meditations and prayers untill we can by them 〈◊〉 â—…n Faith Amen reioycing triumphing in our assurance to bee heard in all Reasons of our assurance from his 1. Commandements 2. Promises 3. Inclining preparing our hearts To meditate How al other are excluded First As All living securely excluded 2 All who do not in commiseration come to help him and his poor church Reasons All such must be separated at the last day 2. All excluded living in any one gross sinne
Psal. 1. 2. 3. Prosper in all Be wiser then our enemies Psal. 119. 98. 99. 100. Like as David Daniell and others Dan. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. God will be with us as we are with him 2. Chro. 15. 2. Ezra 8. 22. Heb. 10. 38. We shall be able to live by faith Iob 22. 21. 22 23 c. To lift up hearts and hands in assurance to be heard Lâ—…m 3 39 40 41 42. Onely such as wholly endeavour to walke with God are the innocent that shall deliver the Iland Iob 22 30. To be perswaded that all Gods promises are made to an endeavour of an intire obedience And contrarily How Sathan knowing this Hath labored to make all to content themselves onely with a bare outward profession destroying all the power of godliness to the Lords dishonour That he might leaue all into his hand The acknowledgement of Gods righteousnes heerein by many of his faithfull servants To pray that we may be able likewise to iustify the Lord and never to rest until he give thee all unfeigned repentance for it That we may be warned by their ensample To do it forthwith To be warned heereof by the very Heathen 1 Sam. 6 5 â—… To smite the hearts of all Gods Lieutenants with a true sense heereof To perswade us that our Adversaries are raised up to humble us to walk with our God How then he will get himselfe glorie on them To know as we are made for his glory so he will be glorifyed in each of us In mercy Or vengeance That his glory may shine in our deliverance And getting himselfe honour upon Babylon A praier that we may give God the glory of his inward worship according to the 1. Commandement and so helpe to pacifie his Maiestie towardes the Churches To pray that we may set up God in our hearts giving him there his inward worship In knowing and acknowledging him Iohn 6 45. Heb. 2 â—…4 In faith beleeving him to be our God Iohn 20. 28. To be perswaded that this peculiar faith was the faith of Abraham all the faithfull Rom. â—…3 Heb. 11. 2. Heb. 〈◊〉 6. Rom. 14. 23. Vpon this our faith to hold fast the Anchor of our hope To honour the Lord by manifesting our faith by our confidence To manifest our faith by our love to the Lord his Commandements and ordinances By our zeale for his glory That we may honour him shewing forth all holy patience That we may possess our soules in patience wayting for the happy yssue Iob 13 15. That we may give him glory in our childlike fear Walking constantly withouâ—… God in holy feare Albeit the world scorne and hate us for it To shewforth our honour towards the Lord by our Humility To this end to have ever before our eyes Gods excellency our own vileness and danger by Nature and Sathans malice That we may give to the Lord all the glory of our standing and perseverance in grace of each good thing That we may withall give him his glory mourning continually for all the dishonours done unto his name all provocations against the Churches To pray to be able to see hereby who they are that truly honour the Lord have set him up for their God To discerne of the greatnesse of the sinne of all the Churches whereby he is dishonored provoked By palpable ignorance blindness in them By Atheisme Vnbeleefe Carnall confidence Lukewarmnesse Loving other things more then Gods Maiesty Disobedience 1 〈◊〉 15 22 23 Tâ—…ousnes Presumption Deut. 29 19 20 21. Pride against God To see that as the Popish sort have set up their false Gods outwardly So we in our hearts To see even by this first Commandement how few doe truly honour the Lord. All wicked men maligning all who have so set him up so to glorifie his great name To be able to conceive aright hereo That we may wonder how even for this sinne God hath spared us so long That we may never â—…est untill we have so set up the Lord in our hearts An importuning of the Lord by his iustice and mercy To heare his people crying ioyntly to him To behold the miseries and dangers of all his poore people A humble confession how hearing the miseries of our brethren and their perils yet we have not bene humbled for them Neh. 1. 4. A further confession how we have all sinned in our extreame unthankfulnes breach of our Covenant with the Lord. How concerning Gods inward worship multitudes amongest us have set up Sathan to adore As all living in blindnesse or any heynous sinne All who have set up the world in any kinde Very few who have set up the Lord as we ought For his outward worship in the second Commandement how we have â—…inned Confession how we have increased our guiltines by taking Gods name in vaine And principally for prophaning his Sabbath which might iustly make all our countryes to rest and keepe Sabbaths to him in that dolefull manner that some do already Acknowledgment of Gods righteousnesse in all that he hath done to the Churches threatneth Neh. 1. 8. A humble prayer for them and for us all 〈◊〉 that God may 〈◊〉 pen out eyes to seâ—… what we have done in so â—…arre returning to Poâ—…ery againe especially of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 To dote so upon it againe after such notorious discoveries of the vilenes of it How all sorts had seene before how they had bene deluded by iâ—… How Gods vengeance was most iustâ—…y coâ—… upon those their 〈◊〉 us houses How â—…ous 〈◊〉 were for filthynesse Blood Being nothing else but dens of theeves That all may know what their religion waâ—… 〈◊〉 bâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…ere was then one part of that Babylon the mother of whoredomes and abhominations Apoc. â—…7 5. And 〈◊〉 the ruine â—…f it a part of the fall of Babylon verified How God hath as from heaâ—…en proclaimed the 〈◊〉 of his approbation of his religion professed amon gest us To thinke what they can answere for not being warned by so many such notorious discoveries of their bloody rage and practises 〈◊〉 of their â—…ligion To keepe ever in 〈◊〉 memory that insolent invasion of our nation The hellish powder Treason discovering the cursednesse of that religion To consider the â—…nies granted to the Gospell in the miraculous continuance of it and preservation of our Princes To beg true repeâ—…tance for this and all our loud crying sinnes That our land may be purged of it and the evils threaâ—…ed prevented To pray for all 〈◊〉 with tâ—…e wine of popery and 〈◊〉 other â—…gered by iâ—… To consider of the righteousnesse of God 〈◊〉 upon thâ—… 2 Thes. 2. 10. 11. 12. To bethinke themselves what it is so so renounce theiâ—…â—…other and their Baptisme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epistle prefixed to our sed â—…eed broâ—… To 〈◊〉 of their intoil â—…able lyâ—… devised to deceive the simple How they abuse all the simple in perswading them that they have moâ—…