them to any conscience in all the world if it be not altogether seared and starke dead whether are more agreeable to the former rules and so the better But to come more particularly to set them opposite that thus they may the better appeare as when white and blacke are set to be beholden light and darknesse both together and to doe it so as the simplest in all the land may see it plainly and be able to iudge and therefore with some little repetition 1. Ours directly grounded upon the word of the Lord theirs more than for a shew grounded onely and professedly vpon the doctrines and traditions of men yea in deed on the doctrines of that man of sinne 2. Ours tending wholly to advance the glory of our God and giving all glory to him alone excluding all rejoycing in our selves that he that rejoyceth may rejoyce onely in the Lord theirs robbing him of his honour giving it to creatures 3. Ours tending onely to magnifie our Lord Iesus Christ and his merit alone with the all-sufficiency of it for our salvation and for whatsoever else wee stand in need of wee comming onely to our heavenly Father as it were with his beloved sonne Christ Iesus in our armes presenting him for us as all-sufficient that we may be accepted in and for him so making him our alone Saviour Mediatour and Intercessour they come putting many other things in the place of him and of his alone merit and intercession as namely the Virgin Marie and other Saints with their Merits yea Crucifixes Masses Indulgences Reliques and a number of other things which being in any sort put in the place of Christ Iesus of his satisfaction or merit and having his honour given to them in whole or in part make all 〈◊〉 devotions to be most abominable 4. Ours tending altogether to humble man in regard of any thing in himselfe and wholly to beat downe all the pride of sinfull man to make him utterly to deny himselfe and all conâ—…dence in himselfe thus to make him fit to fall downe with the poore Publican and with Marie Magdalen at the feet of our Lord and Saviour to lay fast and lively hold on him to present him only for us to God his Father theirs tending to puffe and lift up sinfull man like Lucifer to cause him to be utterly thrust downe to hell 5. Ours teaching and helping us in all things fully to vnderstand yea to observe and keepe our Baptisme vow and Covenant made with our blessed God according to his heavenly word theirs to keepe all in blindnesse and ignorance of that their Baptisme vow in regard of any true vnderstanding or holy performance of it 6. Ours teaching and assisting us to fight manfully under the banner of our Lord Iesus Christ against sinne the world and the devill and so to continue Christs faithfull souldiers and servants to our lives end according as we have vowed and bound our selves their 's to fight Giant-like or as the Angels of the Dragon under the banner of Satan and Antichrist against our Lord and Saviour Christ Iesus and against all his true Church to maintaine all their abominable Idolatry and superstition and all the bloudy and filthy sinnes of Sodome To fight for all the worldly pompe and tyranny of their Popes and Cardinals and of all the rest that persecute Christs Church Thus to continue Sathan and Antichrists faithfull souldiers and servants to their lives end to fight ever against us untill they have utterly destroied us or themselves and all indeed because wee will not falsifie our vowes and sacramentall oathes made to our Lord Iesus Christ like as they themselves doe 7. Our devotions teaching and stirring us up all our daies to observe every particular part of our Covenant both for Law and Gospell their 's not onely to hold all in ignorance of their Covenant and so altogether in an unpossibilitie to keepe it when they know it not and every one of them necessarily liable to the wrath of God but also in effect teaching the violating of all both Law and Gospell thrusting ouâ—… some parts wholly as the second Commandement in many of their bookes adding and detracting at the Popes pleasure and that nothing is to bee taken for Scripture and for Gods Word but onely as it hath warrant and authority from him in so much as a Papist dare not beleeve the Trinity from the infallible Testimonie of the written Word of God without the authority of their Pope 8. Ours teaching helping to walke in the narrow path that onely leadeth to life prescribed by our Lord and Saviour theirs drawing from this narrow path into by-paths devised by man and so into the broad way leading to destruction seeking to kill all who resolve to obey our Saviour in labouring to keepe the narrow way and who will not runne those by-paths and the broad way with them 9. Ours directing helping us to live the life of faith living onely by the word of God which together with the Spirit can alone give faith their 's the life of unbeleefe grounded meerely upon the word of sinfull man for that they beleeve the word not for it selfe but onely so farre as it hath authoritie from the Pope as was said which in truth can never give any sound faith Yea ours directing and assisting to live not onely the life of faith in generall but of the true iustifying and saving faith which is wrought onely by the particular applying of Christ and all his promises to our selves from which particular applying of Christ proceedeth all true confidence and every part of sanctification theirs directing to beleeve but without any such particular application and onely in generall and as the wickedest and the very Devils beleeve for they beleeve there is one God and quake and tremble Now that this generall beleefe of theirs and this implicite faith can never breed the true justifying sanctifying and saying faith I appeale to the consciences of all any more than the most soveraigne plaister can heale if it be not particularly applied and kept to the sore or more than meat can nourish and strengthen if it be not eaten and digested and even turned into our nature or yet any more than a graft can grow by the stocke if it be not grafted into the stocke by speciall application conjunction and union to take sap from it 10. Ours directing helping to live the life of true godlinesse being guided onely by his word and Spirit which life alone hath all the promises both for this and the other life their 's for most part in stead of this true godlinesse so guided by Gods word directing to live the life of bodily exercises as Paul cals them in superstitious penance fastings whippings with other will-worships devotions and workes devised â—…eerely by man which bodily exercises and devotions have only a shew of wisdome from men vainely puffed up by their fleshly mindes no promise at all but contrarily
our Lord Iesus Christ to escape the â—…orment which they must otherwise indure with them for evermore OH Lord God most holy and most righteous thou hast said thou wilt bee sanctisied in all that draw neeâ—…e unto thee and therefore as thou arâ—… infinite in mercy towards all those who unfeignedly feare thy holy name and â—…mble at thy word and wâ—…t â—…eale thy secrets unto them and make them of thy priviâ—… counsell so thou art most dreadfull terrible unto all other who regard thee not in any such holy manner as to 〈◊〉 thee and to receive the loâ—… of thy most sacred truth Awaken we beseech tâ—…ee all those who are drunke with the wine of Popery and superstition that â—…t length they may behold in what â—… fearfull and desparate state they stand under the power of Sathan and Antichrist ready to bee â—…st into hell every moment of time Make them able to consider aright of the just 〈◊〉 which thou hast threatned to follow the contempt of thy Gospell chiefly in the dayes of Antichrist and whether for that very 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have not deserved it to come upon them That therefore thou wilt send upon them strong delusions that they shall beleeve lyes and be damned because they would not receive the love of thy sacred truth so as to obey it that they might be saved Make them to bethinke themselves wisely seriously and as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 presence what iniquity they have found in thee 〈◊〉 in our way of life or â—…n 〈◊〉 â—…ow they â—…de in Baptisme that they have so 〈◊〉 renounced and abjured it and deparâ—…d from the boâ—… of their mother to caâ—…t her 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and with her â—…hine owne â—…jesty â—…o fearfully â—…o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—… 〈◊〉 of their 〈◊〉 blindnesse and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 through 〈◊〉 strong 〈◊〉 whereâ—…â—…o many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bene and are dayly so carried away to that Idolatrous religion Goâ—… Lord make them able to discerne how grosse palpablâ—… those lyes are wherby the â—…cers doe bewitch them as â—…amely that so lately divulged of the Twenty severall sorts of Bibles which within thâ—…se sâ—…w yeares past England hath brought forth Cause them by this one to discerne of all the rest of their delusions when they dare proclaiâ—… such notorious lyes before alâ—… the world as every poore simple body may understand see anâ—…â—…ust needs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 them all tâ—…t 〈◊〉 â—…nto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conceive in due time that this is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all other their most deepâ—… and 〈◊〉 â—…entions whereby they seekâ—…â—…o raise a slandâ—…r upon thine owne Meâ—… 〈◊〉 truth and people to make their poore seduced Prosâ—…lites to abhorâ—… them and so to roote out both the remembrance of thy great nâ—…me of thy Religion and people from the face of the 〈◊〉 Make them to weigh well how they have do deceive and most shamefully abuse them all in perswading of them that they have moe devotion in their Church then we in ours and that therefore they are to joyne themselves to tâ—…em when as they have hardly the tenth part of the bookes of devotion and others tendiâ—…g thereunto viz to â—…orther Religion and godâ—… which the ignorant â—…ort can come by which wâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ours and much less of 〈◊〉 Sâ—…mons tending to the â—…ame Cause them to have a true sense of that delusion that they tell them that their devotions are more holy then ours when as ours are grounded directly upon thy most blessed and eternall word theire upon doctrinâ—… and traditions of men 〈◊〉 the doctrines of 〈…〉 of sinne 〈…〉 thy glory thâ—…t 〈…〉 may 〈…〉 thee their â—…o 〈…〉 thee of thine honour 〈◊〉 giving it to 〈…〉 tend onely to 〈…〉 Lord Iesus Christ 〈…〉 and 〈…〉 many other thing 〈…〉 place of him 〈…〉 which 〈…〉 wholy to 〈…〉 pride of mâ—…n theirs â—…o 〈◊〉 him up like Lucifer Make them to concelve aright how ours helpe us to understand and keepe our Baptisme vow Covenant with our God theirs to keepe them in ignorance of it all their dayes Ours teach us to sight â—…anfully under the banner of our Lord Iesus and for him oâ—…ely their 's to sight desparately against him and all his armies ours teaching and helping us to walke in the narrow path prescribed by â—…hee our blessed Lord and Saviour theirs to kill all who will not runne with them into by-paths and the broad way leading to hell How ours instruct and guide us to live onely the life of faith directed by thy heavenly word their 's the life of unbeleefe having nothing for the ground but the meere word of sinfull man how ours teach and direct us to live the life of faith by a particulâ—…â—…plying of Christ 〈◊〉 his 〈◊〉 so truly ingrafting â—…d in coâ—…porating us into Christ 〈◊〉 by his holy Spirit and thereby making us good trees 〈◊〉 wee may bring forth good fruite 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to beleeve in generall and as the Church beleeves without any such particular application which â—…aith of theirs can neuer bring forth the â—…ound fruites of â—…anctification and true righteonsnesse especially when they scorne and persecute this true and saying faith as fantasticall and vaine Good Father 〈◊〉 these poore soules to understand and know how ours directe us to live the life of true godlinesse guided by thy word and Spirit which alone 〈◊〉 all the promises for this and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 life theirs teaching chiefly to live the life of superstition by bodily exerciâ—… themselves in such works 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 never required in any such manner Oâ—… perswade them all how ourâ—… bring to yâ— true practisers of them full assurance of thy 〈◊〉 and love and thereby â—…oy unspeakable glorious theirs bringing nothing but onely a â—…aggering hope so still doubting whether they be in thy favour or not which very doubting when the conscience shall bee thoroughly awaked will bring the very flashings of hell fire upon them How ours are heaven upon earth their 's hell upon earth ours the sweetest in the end when as each of them done in faith hath a reward promised thereunto their 's the bitterest in the end when instead of reward thou wilt demand concerning the best of them done without warrant of the word who hath required these things 〈◊〉 your hands Good Lord 〈…〉 hearts according 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 that our devotionâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our Religion to 〈…〉 â—…oly and unâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the widdow and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 theirs to make them polluted with lying and all filthy 〈◊〉 as in their 〈◊〉 and other chiefe perswaâ—… to that Idolatry yea with the blood of Innocents to destroy the widdow and the fatherlesse out of the earth even all truly professing Christe name â—…o that their religion iâ—… the most polluted with lying and murder of â—…nnocents of all other Religions that ever 〈◊〉 in the world whereby their 〈…〉 Lord bring to their understandings and cause them to thinke of it and ponder it wel that all our devotions as our
blessings for our selves both all things needfull for this and the better life with forgiuenenesse of sins deliverance from Satan and from all the evils that he intends against us That we shall see our Lord Iesus manifesting his kingdome power and glory for us and making us partakers of the same for evermore For the ends and fruits those must of necessitie be the best which as they doe most directly aime at all these things mentioned so doe likewise serve as Gods instruments to helpe us to worke these things most powerfully and effectually Finally for the forme and manner of sending them forth unto the Lord or performing them any other way those must needs be best and holiest which are done with most understanding and so with the holiest and most fervent affections rising thereon and which are also uttered or performed in best order and with fewest vaine repetitions And contrarily those must needs be the worst which are contrary to these in regard of their matter generall or particular and which conduce to contrary ends and have most contrary effects and operations and are done in a manner farthest differing from these Now having set downe these generall rules and directions which may serve for our discerning of the true and sincere holinesse and goodnesse of all devotions and which are the best we are in the next place to consider briefly and in a generall manner what is the most speciall and principall matter of our devotions and then what is the chiefest matter of theirs and after in the third place to compare them more particularly together and so leave the discerning and iudgement of them to every conscience as in the presence of the Lord. For our devotions they are such generally as agree to the former rules Both that we may so keepe his watch and walke with him here as wee may be sure to finde him God all-sufficient to live and reigne with him eternally And also that we may so pray as we may be certaine to be heard and to prevaile with his heavenly Maiesty for our selves and for all his Churches and people in all that he shall see best for his owne glory and the saving of all his chosen flocke and in whatsoever he hath promised to grant even every thing in the due time and especially whereby we may be sure to finde him a sanctuary whatsoever come to passe But for those devotions of theirs whereof they glory so much and wherewith they seeke to inchant not you alone but if it were possible all the people of the Lord and even to pull all from Christ to Antichrist what are they for the most part but either meditations of their Legend stories as of that materiall Crosse whereon and those nailes wherewith our Saviour was nailed or concerning the Virgin Mary her milke and merit or their Ladies Psalter all full of blasphemies and such like sluffe as that is which is in that booke so lately published by the Spanish Monke or tales of Saint Francis of this Saint and that of their Shrines and the miracles done by them or in the numbring and oft repeating upon their Beades their Pater nosters Creeds Ave Maries Rosaries and the like many of them in an unknowne tongue and in a most superstitious and blasphemous manner or praiers to the Saints devotions to the Crosse and to all their holy reliques with innumerable other fearefull superstitions All of them being to the great dishonour of the Lord and the dreadfull provoking of his heavie wrath in filling up the measure of their sinnes in stead of any comfort that any poore soules shall ever finde in them Or which is farre worse what are their deeper and more profound meditations and devotions I meane of their holy Iesuites and Iesuited Catholikes but what meritorious works they may doe for promoting the Catholike cause how to hold up and to advance the throne of their holy Father that he may be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords opposing and exalting himselfe above all that is called God Yea to advance their owne pompe and tyranny in all the world that they may at their pleasure reigne over both soules and bodies of all as they doe in all countries where they prevaile and domineere And thus are their chiefe meditations how to take away whatsoever may be any hinderance hereunto by murdering Kings and Princes seeking to subvert whole states so to bring all againe to adore that Romish Antichrist to cast Christ Iesus out of his Throne and that that man of sin may seat himselfe every where as God to destroy utterly all that will not worship him and take his marke yea all the people of the Lord who truly worship Christ Iesus and to root the remembrance of them from off the earth So that whereas the scope and effect of all our meditations and devotions is onely to save the soules and bodies of all men theirs are in very deed for the most part to destroy all either soules or bodies or both intended chiefly by their Iesuites and Seminarie Priests to worke that zeale in men as may make them ready to ruinate their owne native countrey to have their hands imbrued in the bloud of their mother that bred them rather than to be hindered in their wretched designes And not onely to take away the Lords anointed with all his royall seed and all not joyning to them but even those of the same profession with them and of the neerest of their kin so that they can doe it warily enough if they be like to be any impediment to the accomplishment of their desires as the powder furnace gave sufficient evidence Yea the very best of their devotions more than where they agree with the word of the Lord and so with ours are such as concerning which the Lord himselfe doth in his word and will one day demand of them before the whole world Who hath required these things at your hands For for those meditations of Lewes de Granado and others so far as they agree with the word of the Lord and with ours they are not properly Popish but Christian devotions so in deed ours reserved amongst them as the Scriptures and other parts of Gods truth for the cause of the true Church the little remainder of Gods people hid amongst them even in the midst of Rome Now to take any of these devotions of theirs as they are their 's properly and the very meanest of ours but even these whereunto this is the entrance prepared of purpose to helpe the poorest and weakest Christians in our Church and euen all those who have not yet entred into this way of pietie but are only desirous to offer their best service to our Lord Iesus and his poore Church if they may be fitted and admitted hereunto and to compare them to those of theirs in all or any of the former respects I doubt not to refer
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
Grant to us therefore and to all thy Children these lively evidences of thy favour in our unfeigned repentance and also our effectuall faith increasing daily for Iesus Christ our onely Lord and Saviour IIII. A prayer that wee may not deceive our selves in vayne conceite that we are Gods Children when wee are nothing lesse as the greatest part doe but that wee may come to strong assurance heereof by feeling a totall change in our lives and conversations OH most holy and most gracious Father we intreate yet further of thy divine Majesty that neither we nor any other of thy people and Children may deceive our selves in a vaine counterfeit show and imagination of repentance and faith as the greatest part of those do who living under the sound and in the light of the Gospell doe imagine therefore that they have repentance faith and are well enough when as aalas they have nothing lesse then any part of true sound and unfeigned repentance or any power of a lively faith Grant to this end that neither we nor they may rest untill wee finde in our selves the new-birth begun and increasing daily by a totall change wrought in us since the time that we beleeved in Christ as a speciall fruite thereof and that in every part both of our soules and bodies and also in the whole course of our life and conversation Stirre up all our hearts Oh holy Father to this purpose that wee may never give thee rest untill wee finde this thorow change and alteration both in our mindes and understandings from ignorance and blindnesse to the true knowledge not onely of our selves but also of thy heavenly Majesty and so of thy Sonne Iesus Christ likewise in our memories that instead of remembring vanities we may be able to keepe a holy remembrance of the things which concerne thy glory and our owne salvation with the good of our Brethren Good Lord worke the like change in our wils from following and obeying the will and lusts of our flesh to bee ever pliant and obedient to thy heavenly will Perswade our hearts that we may never give thee over untill wee likewise finde the same change in our affections that therein wee are conformed daily more and more to the holinesse of Christ both in our love hatred our joy our greefe in child-like feare holy security resting onâ—… selves onely in thy love and favour Make us to labour to finde also the same in our Consciences that wee may never give any rest to our soules untill wee finde our consciences quieted in this assurance that we are washed from our sinnes in the blood of our Lord Iesus Christ and that our owne hearts and consciences doe beare a continuall witnesse unto us of our upright conversation at least begun in us with a settled resolution ever to walke with thee our God all our daies Good Father never suffer us to bee at quiet untill wee truely finde the same alteration wrought by thy holy Spirit in like manner in our whole body making every sense and member thereof instead of the service of sinne to become servants of righteousnesse even thine owne servants Lord perswade us all that all these parts being thine Created and Redeemed to these ends thou dost not only require this holinesse in every one of them but that thou likewise workest it effectually in all thine whom thou hast ordained to life and salvation according to that measure of grace which thou arâ—… pleased to bestowe upon every one causing every one of them to strive forwards towards perfection that untill such a change bee begun in us in some measure never any one of us can have any true comfort that wee are thy Children or in thy favour and love and that onely as this change and comformitie to Christ Iesus our head increaseth so doth our comfort likewise increase in thee and contrarily as it decreaseth so doe we decay in our comfort and assurance Hearken unto us therefore Oh tender Father and worke mightily by thy holy Spirit in us in all thy Children that wee may never give thee any rest in our prayers untill wee shall attaine this full assurance for our Lord Iesus Christ his sake our onely Mediator and Advocate V. A prayer that wee may finde in our selves not onely the generall but even all the particular markes of Gods Children namely those which our Saviour hath taught us to beg in his prayer OH Lord who art the only true perswader and seâ—…ler of the hearts and consciences of all thine elect perswade effectually both us and all other thy people that besides a whole change in our selves in all the qualities and faculties of our soules bodies thou hast given sundry peculiar markes and properties whereby thy Children may both certainly know themselves to bee thy Children and also by which they may be so knowne ought so to be esteemed amongst all thy people and that so much the more as they more lively and evidently have these markes upon them And namely good Lord perswade us of those which thou in this praier hast taught all thine to pray and to cry for daily whereby wee carry most lively the Image of our Lord Iesus our elder Brother Vouchsafe that we may bee most zealous of the glory of thee our heavenly Father and that with a holy zeale having the Spirit of burning and the Spirit of judgement joyned together which worldlings regard not being little or nothing at all acquainted with it Grant that wee all may seeke thy kingdome and righteousnesse first before all the things of this life whereas they that are of this world seeke onely or at least in the first place the things of this world Helpe and inable us good Father heerein to these ends that whereas carnall and unregenerate men seeke onely the satisfying of their owne lusts and pleasures and by all meanes to have their owne wils fulfilled little or nothing regarding to know or to do thy heavenly will we contrarily may seeke to know and fulfill the will of thee our heavenly Father as thou hast expressed it in thy holy and sacred word and that this we may make our very meate and drinke preferring it as did our Saviour before his daily foode Vouchsafe us thy holy Spirit that whereas carnall and worldly men are wont commonly for whatsoever they desire onely to use and seeke worldly meanes such as like themselves best whether warrantable from thee or no they make no matter seldome or never using to seeke and beg them as they ought from thy heavenly bounty onely in and by the meanes which thou hast appointed and doe as seldome unfeignedly returne thee thankes prayse when they have received their desires but are like the swine under the Acorne trees never looking up from whence the Mast falls sacrifising unto their nets ascribing all to
deserued this honor and hath this office to make us and our prayers to be accepted and therfore that we may in faith cry unto thee evermo◅e thorow him Amen Amen Good Lord helpe us and all thy people that by all these markes and the like wee may thoroughly try and examine our selves whether we be thy children or no and that wee may never give ouer crying unto thee untill we finde every one of these lively and sensibly in us Cause us rightly to understand and to bee fully perswaded heereof that in what measure we finde the former change wrought in us and every one of these marks in the same we may know our selves like wise to bee in thy favour and accepted of thee and that contrarily vvithout every one of these at least begun in us in some measure a sound resolution with an earnest desire and longing of our soules to increase and grow heerein vvee cannot assure our selves to bee any better then Hypocrites and that wee shall never finde sound comfort that thou wilt acknowledge us for thine untill we finde these evident markes upon us Grant unto us therefore Oh tender Father all the peculiar marks of thy Children and all other that hereby we and all thine may know our selves infallibly to bee thine owne deere Children for thy beloved Sonne our blessed Lord and Saviour Amen VI. A prayer for knowledge and right use of the meanes whereby wee may bee made Gods Children and grow up in the assurance thereof and so b◅ established in grace continually OH most gracious God and mercifull Father the onely fountaine of wisedome and grace forsomuch as every one who hath any sparke of grace or true wisedome desires to bee in the blessed estate of thy Children to have thy love and favour to grow up in the assurance thereof as the chiefest happinesse in this world perswade us and all thy people aright what are the ordinary meanes whereby thou begettest thy Children to a lively hope That thou dost it ordinarily and usually even by the same meanes whereby thou diddest first gather thy Church in the daies of our Saviour and after that so wonderfully and speedily spread it over the face of the earth even by the sincere preaching of thy heavenly word and namely of thy sacred Gospell That howsoever the world accounts that foolishnesse yet thou hast ordained it to be the immortall seede whereby thine are begotten anew and thus made thy Children by grace and to be thy mighty power unto salvation to make all thine to beleeve and in beleeving to make them partakers of thy favour and love and so to give them eternall life And that this saving kinde of preaching stands as the preaching of Paul did not in the intising speech of mans wisedome but in the plaine evidence of thy Spirit of power That so our faith may bee apparant to bee wrought not by the wisedome of men but onely by thy divine and mighty power alone Perswade all thy people moreover that as thou doest beget all thine a-newe by this thy heauenly voyce the sincere preaching of thy Gospell and in calling them makest them thy Children so thou feedest and nourishest them and all thy Graces in them by the same principally and next therunto by the right use of thy holie Sacraments the reuerent reading of the same blessed word and other holy bookes grounded thereupon with sacred Meditations conference with the godly practise of all holy duties carnest supplications and prayers for a right and sanctified use for thy blessing upon everie one of these meanes and the like to make them all effectuall heereunto Good Father perswade ◅ll who thus desire to bee thy Children and in thy favour and to have all others likewise partakers with them of the same mercy to seeke by all holy meanes the establishing and advancement of thy sacred Ministery that them selves and all others may depend upon the conscionable faithfull and sincere Ministers Pastors and Teachers whom thou hast ordayned in this respect to succeed in the place of holy Paul and the other Apostles for the gathering together of the Saints for the worke of the Ministry and for the edification of the body of Christ and bee wholly affraid of all Anaba ptisticall fancies or separations or of any way vvithdrawing themselves from under the meanes ordayned by thee for their salvation to lye open to Sathan and his delusions Oh gracious Father who so tenderest thy Children and chosen flocke as thou hast set Kings Princes in thy place for the care and comfort of them above all other of the earth perswade and move effectually the heartes of all those whom thou hast appointed to be thus as Fathers to thy children as namely all Governours and principally the cheefe whom thou hast specially ordayned to bee the prime foster-Fathers unto those thy deere Children in al the parts of the world That they by all the meanes power that thou shalt ever vouchsafe to put into their hands may looke to see thy people committed to their charge to be furnished with such conscionable sincere faithfull Pastors and teachers as by whom they may be first begotten and after nourished and fed so as they may grow up to the measure of the age of the fulness in Christ and be provided likewise for all other gracious meanes helps belonging hereunto Thus in like manner wee humbly intreate thee most mercifull God and tender father that by the mighty operation of thy heavenly Spirit thou wilt thorowly perswade and move all those whome thou hast in a peculiar manner separated unto this worke of winning of soules unto thee or who have or shall any way enter heereupon that they may wisely consider that principall part of their Vocation and Function namely to endeavour to make al their Congregations to bee thine owne Children carrying lively thy image and bearing upon them the markes of thy Children Cause them to seeke tenderly to nourish and comfort them as in thy place and presence and ever to preserve keepe them from Sathan and all his cursed agents and instruments as from all seducing Iesuites and Seminaryes who compasse sea and land to make all sorts the children of the divell worse then themselves and so from all other deceyvers and all the delusions of this evill world Grant that thus they may study to be able each according to their places at all times whensoever thou shalt call them to an account and chiefly at the great day to present them with all confident boldness and joy before thy heavenly Majesty saying vvith the Prophet Lord heere am I and the children thou hast given me by my Ministry or any way cōmitted to my charge Hearken unto us Oh gracious Father in these our humble supplications all other things which thou knowest to be
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
prayers mention'd before in the generall Contents are the sumâ—…e of this first Part. The Second Part to succeede in the next place containeth Prayers likewise for all the Churches and people of God scattered thorough the whole world that wee may all seeke to pacifie the Lord by giving him his glorie in returning and submitting our selves wholly unto his Covenant and that we may obtaine by our instant prayers that wâ—…e may ioyntly honour him so walking and beleeving as his heavenly wisedome hath appoynted For this is a thing notoriously observed and acknowledged by all who rightly under stand the state of forraigne parts that as it â—… amongst us for the most part so it hath beene very generally amongst them in all the Churches that they have had onely a bare forme of godlinesse a naked outward profession of the Gospell in word but almost without any power or life thereof more then for a fashion And that this hath not onely thus fleshed our Adversaries to the destruction of the whole Church as dooing a thing meritorious unto God heerein for that they conceyve us to bee but a company of Heretiques in professiâ—…n very Atheistes in our lives but also provoked our blessed God so farre aireâ—…die to leave so many of the Churches into their hands and thus to threaten all the rest even us our selves seeing his kingdome is not in word but in power And therefore so many of us as have made such a carnall profession have not onely shewed foorth a manifest contempt of his heavenly Maiesty and his holy Covenant but put a Scepter of Reede into the hand of our Lord Iesus Christ smitten him uppon the face and trampled his Crowne under our feete and indeede made his and our enemies to blaspheme and thus farre to prevayle and insult over us Whereupon hee hath iustly begunne and threatned us all to take his kingdome from us to give it to another people which would bring foorth the fruite of it and to leave us all to bee trampled under foote by these our Enemyes untill we know by wanting the blessinges which wee have formerly inioyed and the difference betweene his service and the slaverie of his Enemyes As these prayers therefore according to our Saviours direction may serve to prepare the way for all other our prayers and our right accesse unto his glorious Maiestie to come with confident assurance and do proceed un to the first petition of the Lords Prayer and the end of the first Commaundement that we may all give him his due glory performing unto him his inward worshippe which is the fountaine of all true obedience so those that are to follow in the second part the Lord assisting are to go according to the tenour of the same heavenly rule of our Saviour thorow the whole Covenant made with our God both for all his Law and Gospell beginning at the second Commandement so thorow the Law and thorow all the Articles of faith with the doctrine of the Sacraments and other things belonging thereunto That thus all even the poorest servants of God may have matter enough of prayer to be exercised in continually and all to this very end for appeasing the Lordes wrath and reconciling him to all his Churches and Children againe First every one for himselfe and his owne particular to be assured of his own reconciliation to the Lord by the blood of his Son when he can so pray and obey in truth And secondly that every one having attained to this assurance and favour with the Lord may bee exercised dayly as those worthy servants of God Nehemiah Ezra and Daniel in confessing their owne sinnes and the sinnes of all the Churches and people of the Lord and in so crying unto him and importuning him untill wee shall see the ful deliverance and restoring of the Churches in Bohemia Palatinate the rest yea the enlargement of them by the gathering in of the Iew and the remainder of his Israel from the uttermost partes of the earth with the utter razing of Babel and untill we obtaine whatsoever else the Lord hath eyther promised to his people or denounced against his enemies And finally untill we shall everie one see the heavenly Ierusalem and the eternall glory of his Sion The third last part is God willing to containe principally Prayers for this our sinfull Nation that we may first all see and lively apprehend the danger wherein wee stand every moment of drinking at the Lords hand after those other Churches which have tasted so deepely of the cup of his displeasure seeing our sinnes are no lesse but farre greater then theyrs and that specially sith their ensample hath no more prevayled with us Secondly that we may all in time wisely understand the meanes which in his wisedome and mercie hee hath yet left unto us to prevent the execution ready to come forth against us And thirdly that we may euery one use all the meanes thereto each according to our place and calling by turning unfeignedly to the Covenant of our God not onely to prevent and for ever to turne away all the calamities deuised against us by our deadly bloody enemyes but also so to reconcile the Lord unto us that insteede of those miseries which our Enemies so long for to rush upon us hee may make us the happiest and blessedst Nation that ever was in this last Age of the world so to remaine to his eternall glory the comfort example of all the other Churches for evermore To these are also to bee added some speciall Prayers for our particular purposes and ocsions FINIS D. Wh. Rom. 9 2. 2 Sam. 5. 1. Apoc. 12. 7. Ephes. 6. 12. Vers. 11. Iudg. 5. 23. Iudg. 4. 21. 5. 26. Iudg. 5. 1. Exod. 15. 21. Apoc. 5. 13. Ier. 2. 5. The delusion what and the parts of it The first part of the delusion That in Poperie they have moe devotions than wee in our Religion Like that in the Gag for the new Gospeller * This twentie is but one this two and fiftie yeeres By this shamelesse lie judge all the rest Ioh. 8. 44. What is to be understood by Devotions * For their devotions wherewith they cozen the world and extremely oppresse the poore superstitious soules which will have them see them in their Catalogue of their English bookes dispersed within these two yeeres last past with their prices as they are in Mr GEES late discoverie viz. Foot out of the Snare p. 9â—… The second part of the delusion That the Popish devotions are holier than ours The holinesse of devotions wherein Which devotions are best in regard of the matter and forme in generall Ephes. 2. 20. 2 Pet. 1. 19. 1 Ioh. 5. 47. Mat. 16. 18. Mat. 24. 35. In regard of the more particular matter Phil. 3. 8 9. Rom. 3. â—…7 4. 2. A most evident triall according to our Saviours direction Triall by the ends fruits of devotions Triall by the manner 1 Cor. 14. 9 11