A Brand taken out of the Fire Or The Romish Spider with his Webbe of Treason Wouen and Broken together with The seuerall vses that the World and Church shall make thereof Gathered out of the 64. Psalme Psal. 112. vers 18. This shall be written for the generations to come and the people that are created shall praise the Lord. AT LONDON Printed by G. Eld for Iohn Hodgets and are to be sould at his shop in Paules Church-yeard 1606. To the High and excellent Princesse ELIZABETH eldest Daughter to our Soueraigne Lord IAMES by the grace of God of Great Britaine France and Ireland King defendor of the faith MOst gracious Princesse vouchsafe I pray you the remembrance of that blessing the enioying whereof I doubt not was exceedingly welcome vnto you And let your fauourable acceptance pardon the boldnes of the remembrancer who hauing nothing of his owne worthy to congratulate your Highnesse comming vnto our Cittie hath beene glad to take the oportunitie of that gift which the Lord hath bestowed vpon you in this great deliuerance and to present you with the remembrance of your owne renewed estate For as in this deliuerance whatsoeuer you are or haue is newly giuen vnto you your most renowned Father and Princely Mother your louing brethren and tender sister yourselfe all all new gifts euen newly created by this great worke of God so is this remeÌ„brance a renuing of this great deliuerance as reuiuing the worke daily vnto you prouoking you thereby to answer it in newnes of life Accept therefore I beseech you most excellent Lady the reuiuing of that worke by which you are that which you are that so it may further you to that which by Gods mercy you shal be And to this end shall my vowes and praiers be renued vnto our God for you And so I humbly commend your Grace to the grace of God Your Graces most bounden Thomas Cooper To the right Honourable the Lord Harington and his most vertuous Ladie RIGHT HONOVRABLE seeing the Lord hath ioyned you both in the benefit of this great deliuerance therefore haue I beene emboldened to ioyne your Honours also in this remembrance thereof Though I doe not say with the Iewes concerning the Centurion that you are worthy of this blessing yet I may safely say what Peter did of the other Centurion that herein hath the Lord remembred your loue vnto the Gospell and care vnto his Saints My hearts desire is that this deliuerance may encrease these blessings vnto you that so you may grow vp from grace to grace 'till you attaine vnto the full measure of the age of Iesus Christ to whose blessed protection I commend your Honours and your Princely Charge And so I humblie take my leaue Your Honours in all dutie Thomas Cooper To the Right Worshipfull my Christian friends and Auditors maister Mayor of Couentrie Maister Arch-deacon the Iustices Maister Steward All those of the Councels together with All that doe vnfainedly loue the Lord Iesus and do long after his glorious appearance RIght Worshipfull two causes there are which haue moued me to put forth these plaine and vnpolished meditations the one is the generall good which we haue all receiued from the hand of our gracious God in this late great deliuerance of Prince and people Church and common-wealth from that bloudie and hellish practise of our desperate aduersaries the other is that particular good which I haue receiued from you since my comming among you Concerning the common good which we haue all beene partakers of surely it hath beene such and so great as that if we should holde our peace the very stones would speake And therfore that they may not be a witnesse against me I haue in your hearing spoken of this deliuerance And because it is required that we should not onely declare the worke of God but commend it also by writing vnto the generations to come therfore haue I taken this further paines to commit to writing such notes as I haue obserued concerning this great worke that they may be trials of our present thankefulnesse for the blessings receiued and furtherances also to strengthen our faith and establish our posteritie that they may waite vpon the Lord in the affiance of the like mercies And the rather haue I beene incouraged herevnto by that particular good which from time to time since my comming among you I haue receiued from you that so it might be some pledge of my thankefulnesse vnto you for the same I may well say you haue comforted my body and my soule not onely my outward man when I was a stranger to you and by reason of the visitation of my familie in some affliction A kindnesse which by Gods mercy I shall not faile to leaue recorded to posteritie when opportunitie shall serue but specially my soule and inward man in beholding your Order and loue vnto the Gospell Which though it hath made you stincke in the Nostrels of the common aduersarie yet hath this sauour of your oyntmens caused the Saints to loue you yea the hatred of your enemies hath the Lord recompenced with such extraordinary pledges of his fauour As that you haue not onely your liues liberties giueÌ„ you for a prey but further also the Lord hath honoured your Cittie with the presence and protection of a gracious Princesse not onely by making your Cittie an harbour for a season vnto that royall branch but thereby in mercy opening a way if you shall accept it by so comfortable a protection to the strengthening continuance of your holy libertie in the waies of God And surely if you shall not vse your libertie as an occasion to the flâ—sh if the dead flies of hypocrisie and luke-warmnesse shall not corrupt that pretious ointment but you shall strengâ—hen that which is ready to die and doe the first workes and continue therein you shall vndoubtedly be a sweete swelling sauour in the nostrils of the Lord and so not onely haue your Cittie blessed with the dew of heauen and fatnesse of the earth but by the mercie of God you shall be lead forth in your most holy faith to receiue the ends therof euen the saluation of your soules Which as I do heartily sigh and long after so haue I to this end thought fit to stirre vp your pure mindes by these meditations that you might haue somewhat of mine with you as a pledge of my thankefulnesse vnto you for your loue towards me and a Spurre to prouoke and continue our thankefulnesse vnto God for his wonderfull mercies renued and continued vnto vs in this great deliuerance and that herein I may free my selfe from imputation of vanity and negligence which may happily arise from the strangenesse of the Title and plainenesse of the matter giue me leaue I pray you to yeeld you reasons of them both Concerning the Title my purpose is therein to discouer the nature of our aduérsaries who would haue done vs so great euill A very cursed
thankefulnesse are two want of vnderstanding how God hath done for vs and secondly misunderstanding and misconstering of the benefits of God either in the nature of theÌ„ as if all were done of duetie and merit and not of free grace and mercy or in the measure of them as if we knew best what was fit for vs then God himselfe The former is a disuse generall vnto those that enioy great blessings man being in honour hath no vnderstanding but may be compared to the beasts that perish the other is more g speciall vnto those that thinke they haue best right and make the best vse of theÌ„ as our meritmongers wil-worshippers of al sorts By the one whereof wee shal be so blinded that we cannot see how God hath done for vs by the other wee shal be peruerted as not to knowe what wee againe are to do for God Yf our mindes shal be so blinded as not vnderstand what God hath done for vs this disease wil be known by these symptomes and accidents h First though God hath reuealed his loue towards vs euen in all the blessings which our hearts haue desired yet will wee say impudently wherein dost thou loue vs acknowledging nothing of what the Lord hath done vnto vs Secondly if in some sort wee shall apprehend the goodnesse of God yet shall we be so blinded on the right way with the loue of these earthly thinges as that though wee haue and may farther be pertakers of spirituall graces yet shall wee account these as nothing in respect of the comforts of this life but with prophane Esau resolue what is this birthright vnto me seeing I die for hunger as seeing onely with the left eye into the blessings of the left hand still shall we crie out with those carnall beasts who will shew vs any good as if there were no good but the goods of this life as if all spirituall comforts were nothing vnto vs seeing wee wanted our bellies full of these hidden treasures A verie dangerous temptation incident to our carnall ghospellers who measuring the Lord principally by the things of this life are so affected and satisfied therewith that hauing these things they take it as a sufficient pledge of Gods fauour towards them but wanting the same they by and by murmuer and repine against the Lord as if hee had at all shewed them no good Yf therefore God giue them their desire as he did the Israelits concerning the body so farre as they see him and yet send leanenesse into their souâ—es not giuing them that which they see not nor seeke after as surely as God is not vniust in giuing them herein more then their hearts can desire so they must needs be inexcusable in that hauing asmuch nay more then indeede they sought for they would not seeke yet for more of that bountifull hand which was not wanting to giue but that they wanted faith to receaue A third token of not vnderstanding what God hath done for vs is our forgetfulnesse of such benefits which are dayly bestowed certaine it is that the mercies of the Lord are renewed euery morning and yet who is there that makes vp his audite therof once in the weeke nay may we not be iustly charged with thâ—s that God is not so ready to giue as we to forget hee not so forward in bestowing as we in burying his blessings in forgetfulnesse And is not this to forget the goodnesse of God all one as if wee did not vnderstand it nay surely we shall find it to lie more heauily vpon vs in that this forgetfulnesse both implies some apprehension of them and therefore makes vs more inexcuseable then if wee had not vnderstood them at al and so exposing vs most desperately vnto all impietie doth thereby hasten the wrath of God vpon vs. Thus may wee faile in the vnderstanding of the good that God hath done for vs and by meanes hereof wee lye open to two dangerous euils the one whereof is that not apprehending the good which we receiue we shall not be able to make vse of any good but as the Prophet Ieremie tels vs we shal be like the heath in the wildernesse neither being able to see when any good commeth and so not able to make any profitable vse thereof by which meanes proouing vnprofitable seruants we shall be subiect to a second iudgement not onely to haue such tallents taken from vs but in steed thereof as the Prophet Esaiah threatneth Seeing when mercie is shewed vnto the wicked he will not learne righteousnesse but in the land of quitie hee will doe wickedly and doth not consider the greatnesse of Iehouah therefore thus saith the holy Ghost Seeing they will not see oh Iehouah when thy hand is exalted to their good therefore they shall see and bee confounded with the zeale of thy people and the fire of thine enemies shall deuoure them Thus shall it befall those that will not behold the mercies of GOD to bee stirred vp thereby to thankefull obedience for the same if they shutte their eyes against Gods blessings the Lord will open them with his iudgements and they shall see in the day of Iudgement GOD the Aâ—enger which will not acknowledge him their great rewarde Wouldest thou therefore auoide that sight of Gods vengeance which shall spiritually blind thee that so thou maiest be oppressed with the horror of it and it shall necessarily open thine eyes that thou maiest bee the more confounded with the sense of thine owne miserie Oh then learne to beholde the good that is present with thee First if Gods hand bee exalted in fauour vpon thee if the eye of his prouidence hath waited ouer thee for thy deliuerance if hee haue not onely bestowed great blessings vpon thee but renewed them daily vnto thee by preuenting and remoouing the euills which might haue taken them away oh cease not againe againe to renew those streames of Gods mercies which he hath powred out vnto thee that they may lead thee to the fountaine so quite thee therein Certenly as the workes of God are worthy this dutie that they should be regarded so do they aboundantly herein requite the same in that the inuisible things of God namely his eternall power and godhead seene in the creation of the world beeing considered in his works do shew the glory of his kingdome speake of his power If therfore thou shalt not slightly passeouer the mercies of thy God but shalt take a full view of them as their worth doth require they shall be so manye teachers to instruct thee in the knowledge of thy God that so thou mayest acknowledge him the giuer of them yea they shal further lead thee to a knowledge of thy self that so finding thy selfe vnworthy of the least of Gods mercies thou maist both be humbled in the gift so giue glory to the giuer and aduanced
were giuen vp into a reprobate minde whereby they became full of vnrighteousnesse euen because they regarded not to acknowledge God And surely as the professioÌ„ of Poperie is a flat deniall of the power of God as being a voluntarie and perpetuall worship plausible to the sence and agreeable to reason so the practise thereof is nothing else but a maine Sea of impietie framing out iustly it owne shame and confusion Thus hath their spirituall fornication against God and his ordinance brought forth that fruitfull sinne of carnall Fornications and vncleannesses of all sorts And thus hath their desperate rebellion against the Lord against his Annointed exalting themselues aboue all that is called God brought forth that cursed Monster of treason and rebellion against Gods Lieutenant vpon earth It being a certaine consequent that they do not loue God whome they haue not seene who hate their brother whom they see dayly It being a righteous thing with God that their sinne of treason against his Maiestie should be knowne discouered by their treason against the Magistrate that how the Magistrate may bee iustly prouoked to fight against the beast both for the safetie of their estates and for the glorie of God vtterly to destroy the Kingdome of Antichrist Who so is wise let him consider this and in this glasse of Rebellion let him obserue an heart of Atheisme And if this Atheisme be so easily to be discerned in her brood as wee may not looke for grapes of thornes or figges of thistles any better fruit from so cursed a tree so let vs in the name of God disclaime that so Satan which in the root and fruit fights against God and man And discerne wee wisely the truth of that Religion which ioyning God and man so graciously together doth teach vs not to separate those whome God hath ioyned but to maintaine this holy Vnitie euen with the losse of our deerest blood and in the feare of God cleaue we vnspeakably vnto that holy truth which teacheth vs to giue vnto not to take from Caesar the things that are Caesars and vnto God the things that are Gods that so honouring Caesar aright in giuing him his due vnder God wee may vnder Caesar liue a quiet and peaceable life in all godlynesse and honestie And seing there is not a more effectual meanes to prouoke vs to obedience than that the eye of God is continually vpon vs As this was a spurre vnto our aduersaries for their treason against the Lords Annointed that God should not see them so let it bee a continuall motiue of our conscionable obedience vnto God and man namely that the Lord our God looketh continually vpon vs. And that we may not want a liuely euidence for the same let vs onely consider how the Lord watched ouer vs in this deliuerance that if he had been on our side and watched ouer vs when these snares were priuily layd against vs surely they had swallowed vs vp quick when their wrath was kindled against vs. Yea the waters had drowned vs and the streame had gone ouer our soules Oh that this deliueuerance may for euer stoppe the mouth of Athiesme and roote out that cursed brood which exalts it selfe against the Lord. Certainely if the defeature of such mischiefes shall not now open our mouths to acknowledge the power and mercie of God vnto his Church the practise wherof hath opened the mouthes of the wicked to say there is no God Let vs looke that as the Lord hath iustified himselfe against them by deliuering vs out of their hands so will he also iustifie himselfe against vs in laying further punishments vpon vs euen by exposing his people as a pray vnto their enemies that they may learne to giue him the honour that is due vnto his name If the feare of his rodde will not cause vs to depart from euill we shall feele the smart of his holy indignation and the shaking of the rodde shall not serue the turne if by it we haue not returned vnto the Lord our God Oh Lord it is not in man to walke and to direct his steps Turne thou vs vnto thee and then wee shall bee turned For why should the wicked say Where is now our God Why should thy Children complaine that thou hast forsaken them Oh Lord thou art our God from euerlasting and world without end thou hast magnified thy selfe in the sight of our enemies and put to confusion those that hate vs Oh let vs therefore draw nere vnto the Lord our God let vs renew our couenant with thy Maiestie to the finall confusion of our enemies and to the preuenting of all such further mischiefes that they shall practise against vs. It followeth They haue sought out iniquities That is they haue studied and inuented diuers sorts of mischiefes to accomplish thereby more certainely their desires Behold here a third policie of the wicked to supply that which may bee wanting in their former deuise of secrecy that though one plot be discouered another might take place and still another might bee one foote though a former were preuented A verie desperate and most effectuall policie to bring their purposes to passe not only in that this varietie of stratagems tyres out policie and carnall wisedome and puts it to a Non plus in preuenting so many mischiefes but further also great terrour and distraction ceaseth on the hearts of weake ones in regard of such strange and manifold snares yea by this meanes those whom God hath giuen vp to these snares are heere appalled with wofull despaire and so hereby lye open to the snares as hauing giuen ouer all hope to auoide the same We may finde some steps of this corruption euen in the Saints of God When Dauid saw that there was no end of Sauls malice but stil he was followed with new pursuits the holy Ghost signifieth that it wrought this effect in him that he sayd in his feare as des 〈…〉 airing of deliuerance I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul and thereupon beâ—ooke himselfe to a most desperate course euen to flye for succour vnto the enemies of God For where feare doth possesse vs that malâ—ce is endlesse and her mischiefes so many that they cannot be auoided there care will faile vs for the preuenting of them as thinking our labout lost against such vnauoydable snares And so being carelesse in the danger we lye open thereunto and are either betrayed by desperate securitie in the end vnto the same or else seeking to auoide them by vile and impious courses we doe hereby exclude our selues from the protection of the Lord and so cause the malice of our enemy to light more heauily vpon vs. It hath been no new thing with the enemies of God thus to multiply their snares against the seruants of the Most High Infinite was the malice of Saul against the Annointed of the Lord and as was his malice so were his snares accordingly
though on the other side we shal not be able to meet with all as who is able to search the heart of man and indeede when the leaders shall be cut off it stands many times with policie and agrees with clemencie to let the rest escape yet neither let the wicked hereby flatter themselues that the bitternesse of death is past neither let the Children of God distrust but that all their enemies in time shall be confounded For though Dauid may spare Shimei when reuenge is not fit yet the Lord will haue a time to meet with that rayling enemie and to snare him in the ginne that his owne mouth hath layd And though the aduersaries of the truth may happily in some part for a time escape as it is necessarie sōe should still remaine that the faithfull be tryed yet let thē know that their destruction sleepeth not Though Ioab may escape while the Sonnes of Zeruiah are to stronge for the Kingdome and his sinne not yet breake out to ripenesse and perfection yet the time shall come when Salomon shall be stronge ynough for him and the guilt of his former bloodinesse shall driue him forward to receiue the wages of bloud by causing him in the end to breake out into apparant Rebellion Oh consider this you that embrew your hands in blood and for the time goe vncontrolled because power is in your hands Behold the blood that you haue shedde doth crie for vengeance and in the appointed time the Lord will giue you vp to such a thirst of blood as that none but the blood of the mightie will quench the same that so your sinne now meeting with a power able to match it may receiue the wages due vnto the same Certainly whosoeuer makes not conscience to spill the blood of those who are deare in the sight of God ouer whom he may haue power he shall in the end make conscience of shedding no blood that so at the length hee may meete with his match to shedde his owne blood Would God our oppressors and blood-suckers would consider this and in the Booke of this prouidence read their owne successe And though happily there may bee a pardon for the first offence though the clemencie of the Prince may remit the first fact as the heart of the King is in the hands of the Lord it is the glory of a man to passe by an offēce yet surely where there doth not follow a thorough reformation of life there wil certainely bee a relapse into the same sinnes that so at length vngeance may meet with them Adomiah may escape once though hee prooue Traitor to his Lord yet his sinne is restlesse and at length will finde him out and in the end hee shall bee caught in the bonds of his former iniquitie Oh consider this you that abuse the patience of gouernement to the hardning of your hearts and multiplying of your iniquities euen with greedinesse against your Soueraigne certainely the Lord which awaketh for the preseruation of his children who preseueth his Annointed and maintaineth his owne cause he euen he will giue you vp to such desperatenesse of iniquitie in the end that it shall pay you in due time the shame it oweth you to the glorie of God and your iust confusion Euen so oh Lord hasten the confusion of thine enemies or conuert them speedily for the accomplishment of the elect It followeth Shall shoot an arrow at them suddenly Behold now the admirable wisedome and powers of God in this effectuall maner of defeating his enemies by confounding their poliyes in their seuerall practices with his contrary iudgments answearable thervnto And first consider wee how deliberate consultation is here confounded with the suddennes of the vengeance that they which tooke such time laysure to bring their purposes to passe they which so aduisedly consulted to do mischeife vnto others shall now haue no time or leasure to consult their owne deliuerance because the hand of the Lord shall come suddenly vpon them So doth the Lord threaten Babel that rod of his indignation that he will come vpon her suddenly with many plagues So doth the holy Ghost prophecie of that spirituall Babell that not onely in one daie but euen in one hower she shal be ouerthrowne Yea her iudgment shall come vpon her as the casting of a great milstone into the middest of the Sea so sudden violent shal be her distruction So do the seruants of God poynt out vnto vs the distruction of the wicked that it shal be suddaine and fearfull which cannot be auoided A most holy and righteous course of Gods proceeding against the wicked whether wee consider the affection of the Lord in laying theise punishments vpon them or the end which he aymeth at in confounding them in this life or lastly the vse that he entendeth in regard of others Concerning the affection of the Lord in the punishments of the wicked as the Lord chasteneth his children in loue and of verie faithfullnes causeth them to be afflicted so on the contrary doth hee consume the wicked in his wrath and sore displeasure And therefore as he giues warning vnto the one to witnes his loue vnto them that so they might be prepared to meet the Lord so on the other side doth he ouer take the wicked with his suddaine iudgments that being vnprepared therevnto they might be ouer-whelmed with the fury of his speedy indignation And this also doth the end of their afflictions manyfestly declare For whereas the Lord in these temporall plagues entendes to giue them a tast of eternall vengeance therfore doth he lay them suddenly vpon the wicked that so confounding them by this suddenes and driuing them to their wits endes their harts might not onely bee hardned and so enraged against the Lord but further also this confusion of their wisedome driuing thē to dispayre they shal be possed with the fearfull expection of the vengeance to come And surely seeing God doth turne all things to the good of the elect therfore also doth he make the punishmentes of the wicked profitable vnto them and that especially by the consideration of the suddennes of them For hereby the saints of God are forewarned of security lest a sudden iudgment do ouertake them hereby they are admonished to serue the Lord in feare in that he deales so roundly and suddenly against the wicked hereby also they gather comfort in all their crosses troubles that the Lord maketh a difference betweene them and the wicked euen in that which seemeth to be alike vnto both Oh that our carelesse impes would consider this who spend their dayes in wealth and put the euill day farre from them that so they may more securely approach the sea of iniquity that they would remēber this suddaine reckoning and lay vnto their harts this course of Gods iustice euen to take sinne napping and suddenly to surprise it That