Mordecay deliuered Susanna cleared and the Iudges stoned Euery Kingdome is this great Gods and hée raigneth ouer all Nations hée controlleth and is not controlled he â—â—iteth and is not resisted thée aduanceth and none can throw them downe O my Soule feare and serue and loue and reuerence obey this great God this Lord high and terrible that approueth himselfe a King ouer all the earth being guarded with such inuincible power and maiesty that hée can strike Saul to the ground with his terrible voyce and againe raise Saul with a louing and kinde hand O Lord how terrible art thou in thy works Through the infinite greatnesse of thy power thou hast made all things and preseruest all men insomuch as all such as séeme to deny thée thy power and prouidence the fooles that say in their harts there is no God are made mute and put to silence and both their will and their practises made all subiect vnto thy will and pleasure What then shall I rest amazed at the friuolous inuentions of fleshly men that séeme by their owne power to build themselues Babels on earth working terrour to the poore by their pride and practice impiety without any remorse of conscience No I will kéepe silence and neither mine owne wants nor sorrowes nor dangers nor the worlds ignominious taunts at my base estate shall wrest me from this glorious God from this powerfull Iehouah from this so louing and kinde a father that feareth not the strength and forces of millions of Kings but shieldeth and defendeth his by his mighty hand and kéepeth them safe in the flaming fire in the raging seas and in the strength of the Lyons pawes Let this God I say arise and chase his enemies and cherish his little ones and pull downe the proud and set vp the simple and scatter the wicked that they dwel not beyond his time appointed to tyrannize ouer his chosen vpon the earth The Chariots of this God are twenty thousand Angels the Lord himselfe being among them the generall worker of all good for all his and of all iudgement against the vniust All the gods that are estéemed as Gods among men are but Idols but the Lord he is God that hath couered himselfe with light as with a garment whereby hée discouereth all darkenesse infidelity disobedience and sinne he findeth out the faithlesse howsoeuer they dissemble zeale and approueth them not most godly that are most glorious nor them reprobates that the world reiecteth but through the light of his most high wisdome and prouidence he yéeldeth to euery one his owne to him that doth well life and reliefe and succour and patience and rest and peace but vnto the wicked sorrow and anguish and tribulations and a worme euer deuouring in perpetuall horror in hell fire O my soule be therefore patient in these transitory troubles in these momentany afflictions stand fast faint not feare not flie not but féed on hope for a strong helpe commeth for this smal suffering thou shalt receiue a perpetuall and most admirable waight of glory O my soule now consider whom hast thou in heauen but this God or whom or what desirest thou in earth in comparison of him for hée is the portion of thine inheritance he filleth the cup of saluation vnto thée for euer therefore I feare not neither will I faint for this God hath promised neither to faile me nor forsake me There is none like vnto God Oh righteous people which rideth vpon the heauens for thy helpe and on the clouds in his glory The eternall God is thy refuge and vnder his arme thou art for euer he shall cast out the enemy before thee and will say Destroy them Deuteronomy 33. 26. 27. O the deepnesse of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God! how vnsearchable are his Iudgements and his wayes past finding out Rom. 11. 33. Of him and through him and for him are all things to him be glory for euer Amen Vers. 36. They inherited not the Land by their owne sword neither did their owne arme saue them but thy right hand and thine arme and the light of thy countenance because thou didst fauour them Psal. 44. 3. A sweet Meditation concerning the knowledge and prouidence of God whereby the soules of the distressed members of Christ are so quickened through faith in Christ that they rest assured that God hauing foreseene all things cannot but in mercy bring all their sorrowes to a ioyfull and wished end IT is in vaine I sée for me a wretched creature to striue with my powerfull Creator If I should séeme to bide me from him and to séeke to escape his rod and corrections he being alwayes solitary I doe but deceiue my selfe for he is in all places and with all persons and knoweth the wayes of men searcheth the hidden thoughts within and soeth mine actions without the workes of his children hée séeth and approueth the euill actions of the reprobates hée séeth and condemneth yea this righteous God tryeth the very hearts and reynes he findes out the hidden dissimulation of hypocrites pretend they neuer so great denotion and sanctity Should I therefore thinke to colour my sinnes with the painted shew of dissimulate holinesse could I performe it so farre as men might approue of all my sayings and allow all my doings and that I were held iust No no for if my inner parts be not perfect hée in his most absolute knowledge findeth me a deceiuer and so will make mine euils at the last breake out as the morning light O my soule therefore as thou tenderest thy saluation to come and my comfort here in this life leaue off to sinne in secret and flie al shewes of impiety and regard truth and imbrace iustice and follow good euen with thy most inward affection and let neither my hand nor mine eye nor mine eare nor my tongue be instruments of iniquity but rather of sincere piety and of a sanctified life The cause of misery is sin the way to obtaine mercy is repentance and a reformed conuersation How canst thou looke for loue that louest not to liue well and how canst thou liue and not lacke many yea all Gods blessings inward and outward vnlesse thou loue him and reforme thy selfe before him that séeth thy loose behauiour towards him Thou art in outward pouerty because thou art full of inward impiety thou hast many enemies because thou art enemy to God and thy dangers encrease daily because thou dwellest not in God nor Gods Spirit in thée Thou sayest thou art Gods and yet vngodly thou sayest thou fearest him and yet thou still offendest him thou thinkest thou shouldest receiue what good thou destrest and yet thou destrest amisse and deseruest euill God knoweth who are his and who are not his and none know they are Gods but who know God and serue him rightly The righteous onely he knoweth and their wants and the vnrighteous he despiseth because of their sins wherein they say Tush
rich in godly zeale And be not grieued though by this alteration you become poore for a messe of portage to one fearing God is better then all the riches of the wicked Hée is not poore who loueth God for God loueth him and in his loue is life and liberty and liuely reliese But who so feareth not God haue be neuer so great abundance is a begger a cast-away and a reprobate from the ioyes of heauen the least of which cannot be purchased with millions of kingdomes the least of them more worth then all your gold and siluer and lands and possessions and offices and honour and what else the whole world which deceiueth you can afford The Booke of God is full of terrible and sharpe threates against mercilesse rich men and many woes the Lord that loueth the lowly pronounceth against the proud And what a iudgement it is that their hearts are shut vp that they cannot consider their end to be as the Oxe that is fattened for the slaughter who delighteth in the déepe féedings while the Butcher determineth his death as the couetous and wanton and wicked ones take pleasure in their vanities while their death and destruction commeth without redemption But if these men will not heare nor conceiue nor consider the perill of their estate if they will not while the Lord may be found séeke to returne that they may be saued their iudgement and destruction and reprobation will be the more iust O Lord increase my Faith Why boastest thou thy selfe in thy wickednesse O man of power Psalme 52. 1. The Lord shall destroy thee for euer he shall take thee and plucke thee out of thy tabernacle and roote thee out of the land of the liuing Verse 5. An exhortatiue Conclusion wherein the afflicted are stirred vp to patience and not to be ashamed of their miseries and base estate so long as they endeuour to doe their duties in their seuerall callings and stay themselues vpon Gods prouidence AS the man that is borne blinde cannot iudge of colours nor the dease man distinguish of sounds no more can a man that hath béene kept blinde and muffled with the mask of this worlds pleasures and become dumbe with his secure estate here discerne the things of God hée cannot distinguish betwéene Woe be vnto you rich because you haue your consolation here And Blessed are the poore for they shall receiue comfort These things are not so heard nor so regarded of Worldlings as might bring them to a true and liuely consideration that there is a woe and a blessing pronounced that there is fire and water set before them and life and death offered them But as Children that haue no more discretion then Moses being an Infant who refused a Crowne and tooke burning coales doe reiect the better things as drosse and imbrace the worst as most dâ—are and precious and therefore preferre their Oxen and their Farmes and their heapes of transitorie vanities before the swéete banquet of a contented estate And so farre they are from the true conceit of Gods purpose in punishing man that they censure crosses that light vpon other men as curses and the glory and riches and mucke and pelfe of their owne to be giuen them because they and none else are blessed whereby many times the deare Children of God are put to a déepe agony when they heare and perceiue the taunts and reproofes that the world and worldlings cast at them for their pouerty and base estates sake They stand before the worlds Gallant-ones as Dauids men that had the shirts of their garments cut to their buttocks as men derided and scoffed and as cast-awayes and men forlorne and forsaken of all men and cast downe and confounded by God himselfe in regard whereof many times the poore though indéede the very Children of God are so ashamed of their estate as they be forced not onely to auoide the familiarity of the wealthy but euen to be séene of them a farre off nay rather they hide themselues as men cast off or drosse from the gold where indéede the Word of Truth findeth them out and approueth them the refined gold and the worldly-minded straw and stubble prouided withall that hée that is cast downe must not so iustifie himselfe as to argue himselfe the childe of God because hée is cast downe because hée is made poore or because hée hath enemies or sicknesse or want or persecution for all these things may happen also vnto the reprobate for as sin is the ground of all our afflictions and our offences the cause of Gods displeasure and Gods displeasure powreth forth crosses and curses too vpon sinners So must euery man carefully consider how hee standeth in his troubles whether hee haue fallen into the same by his own riot or lasciuious and wanton life by his vngodly conuersation and neglect of the feare of God for which things sake the wrath of God commeth vpon the children of disobedience and he powreth out of the cup of his indignation vpon them either in iudgement because their condemnation shall here begin and so be perpetuall or else to reclaime them from their wicked waies that they may be saued And he that findeth himselfe in his conceit lest deseruing afflictions because he either féeleth not or findeth or will not acknowledge that he is such a sinner that deserueth so great punishment as many times lighteth vpon other men let him think that he in thus iustifying of his owne wayes is in a dangerous state It is the pride of the heart which God that searcheth it well séeth and considereth that such a one is in a perillous way if hée be not humbled And surely godly Dauid himselfe was gone a little that way and God saw that hée must pull downe this chosen vesell of his before hée would tread his steps as he should for as he confesseth himselfe Before I vvas corrected I vvent avvry So that our troubles and miseries and all the aduerse things that may befall vs are Gods corrections to his children to reforme them but his iudgements are messengers of his vtter renunciation to the obstinate who by his punishments waxe worse and worse and who murmure and grudge at the course that hée taketh with them to amend them as did the rebellious Israelites whom hée often visited in mercy before hée entred into iudgement against them So that none that standeth may say hée cannot fall none that are high may say they cannot be brought low for all haue sinned and all haue néede of correction all are sicke and all haue néede of Physicke all haue gone astray and therefore all haue néede to be reclaimed Who then will be ashamed of Gods visitation who will be impatient when afflictions come Surely none but the man that knoweth not God none but hée that loueth this world more then heauen and the pleasures of this life more then the ioyes of the life to come Dauid was not ashamed of Gods corrections for hée praised
wisdome and humblenesse and obedience and mortification and zeale and faith and hope and all graces that may change me from sinne to sanctity from darkenesse to light and from coldnesse to a more perfect zeale to serue thée in all things Teach me O Lord teach mée to execute my vocation truely and perfectly and giue such issue and blessed successe to all my endeauours labours purposes and procéedings as I may discharge my duety in obedience to thy diuine Maiestie to my brethren in loue and equity and to my selfe and mine in godly care and true piety And let thy holy Spirit so guide and gouerne mée this day and for euer that I may more and more fructifie increase in all godlinesse vntil thou shalt cut off this corruptible life After which good Father in the merits of thy Son let me inhabite euermore inherite that heauenly City new Ierusalem where thou sittest and raignest one God with whom shall liue all thine elect in ioyes vnspeakable for euer Amen O Lord increase our Faith A Morning Prayer where the FAMILY assembles O Almighty God full of loue and pitty the chiefest comfort that any sinfull soule can haue when wée miserable sinners here met together doe consider of thy great mercy and goodnesse which we haue euer since our births and before found and daily doe finde at the hands of thy diuine Maiesty together with our great vnthankfulnesse euery way to thée againe for the same we must néedes confesse and euen from the bottom of our hearts doe acknowledge that most vnspeakeable is thy mercy in sparing vs to liue vntill this morning before which time thou mightest iustly haue consumed vs. But O deare God of thy frée mercies before the foundation of the World was laid thou hast chosen and elected vs for thy Children and hast to our endlesse comfort certified and made knowne the same vnto our spirits by thy spirit by whom and not of our selues wee now cry vnto thée Abba father and for our Redemption hast sent thine owne Sonne to shed his most precious bloud vpon the Crosse no other meanes being whereby wée could be saued Thou hast by thy holy Spirit wrought Faith in our hearts to beléeue by him and in him to be iustified before thée and in some measure begunne the death of sinne in vs and wrought our sanctification and of thy frée fauour we enioy the benefit of thy Word the freedome of conscience great peace and plenty in outward things with many and infinite other benefits waking and sléeping at home and abroad in our selues and our friends for all which instead of thankefulnesse wee become the more disobedient not doing that wée ought to doe but with pleasure and profit with vanity and selfe-loue wée are carried away spending our daies in iniquity carelesnesse and vnféeling of our sinne and there is no goodnesse in vs yet is there mercy with thée O Lord and pardon vpon repentance Wherefore we here this Morning met together before thy Maiesty humbly confesse our wants and most entirely beséech thée for Jesus Christs sake to haue mercy vpon vs Haue mercy vpon vs most mercifull Father and forgiue vs all that is past strengthen vs hereafter that daily both in bodies and soules we may glorifie thée more then we haue done yéelding thankes for daily benefits and striuing in holinesse and righteousnes to please thée all the dayes of our life But because we cannot but offend and fall diuers wayes and euery day good Lord for thy mercy sake pierce our hearts with a féeling of the same and neuer suffer vs to goe on with dull and dead soules not séeing nor sighing for our offences As a speciall meanes to kéepe vs in obedience before thée O deare Father worke in vs a continuall remembrance and an effectuall consideration that wée shall not alwayes liue here in this wretched world that doth much please vs now but that a day wil come when the trumpe shall sound the Dead shall arise and all wée shall appeare before the Tribunall seat of Judgement there to receiue according to our déedes without respect of Persons oh good Lord giue vs a remembrance and a féeling of that vnspeakeable comfort and eternall waight of glory which in that day shall be giuen vnto vs if in this day wée serue and please thée and contrariwise euen terrifle our cousciences and let vs as it were see before our faces the dreadfull Judgements and the fearefull Torments that both in Body and Soule they shall be sure to haue for euermore which in this life doe not serue and please thée but follow their owne fancies and wicked delights giue vs an hatred of sinne and a true loue of righteousnesse blesse thy Word euermore with fruit vnto our soules when we heare it giue vs a desire to heare it often and to practise it faithfully and obediently and keepe our hearts euer free from disūmulation and counterfeit holinesse prepare our hearts diligently to watch for the comming of thy Sonne make vs ready fit and willing to meete him in the clouds if thou wilt that we liue to his comming if it please thee in the meane time to call vs let vs with ioy yeeld our bodies to the earth and receiue our soules vnto thy selfe vntill the day when both our bodies and soules shall be remitted and bee totally glorified with thee in Heauen And let this day be a day of our true reformation and repentance that we becomming new creatures may serue thee in holinesse all the dayes of our liues yeelding thee most humble and hearty thankes for thy goodnesse to vs this night let thy mercifull eye looke vpon vs this day and so keep vs bodies and soules that being occupied in our seuerall callings we may be safe by thee from all our Enemies and liue to thee in feare that we may die in thy fauour and liue hereafter with thee in glory which grant and all things in the meane time necessary for soules and bodies for Christ his sake in whose name we ask them saying as he hath taught vs Our Father vvhich art in heauen hallovved be thy Name Thy Kingdome come Thy Will be done in earth as it is in Heauen Giue vs this day our daily Bread And forgiue vs our trespasses as vve forgiue them that trespasse against vs and lead vs not into temptation but deliuer vs from euill For thine is the Kingdome the povver and the glory for euer and euer Amen Let thy mighty hand and out-stretched arme O Lord be still our defence thy mercy louing kindnesse in Iesus Christ our saluation thy true and holy vvord our instruction thy grace and holy Spirit our comfort and consolation vnto the end and in the end Amen The Lord blesse vs and saue vs and make his face to shine vpon vs and be mercifull vnto vs the Lord turne his fauourable countenance tovvards vs this day and euermore Amen A priuate Prayer for the EVENING The Motiue I Will lay