specially at death most at the dreadfull judgement p. 532 533 Reasons of their horrour p. 533 State of them then who have neglected their callings and that which hath beene commanded them p. 534 How fearefull the condition of all those men is who have not gained with their talents nor increased them and more of those who have used them against the Lord and for Sathan p. 534 Their case of all other most fearefull to whom most hath beene committed p. 535 How their horrour shall be increased p. 535 No impenitent sinner can possibly looke to stand before the Lord. p. 535 Application to all who have neglected to doe as the Lord hath commanded them p. 536 Application to the chiefe to put them in remembrance as their answer must be the greatest for their place and charge p. 536 The Magistrates Commission and what the Lord will call for at his hards p. 537 The Iudges commission p. 538 The Ministers commission p. 538 The account of each Governour of a family for every soule within his gates p. 539 The account of every one to whom he hath committed any talent p. 539 How the Lord will reply to all sorts beginning to excuse themselves untill their mouthes be stopped p. 540 How he will reply to all for imploying their talents by trying their advantage p. 542 Objection of the weake Christian viz. who can be able to appeare before the Lord p. 543 Every one who hath unfainedly striven hereunto shall be able to stand before the Lord and reasons of it p. 544 Object 2. The cry of all sorts of sinners whose consciences shall be awaked when they shall bethinke themselves of this appearing p. 545 The Lords answer to all such p. 545 What the Lord commands the poore sinner in the first place p. 546 The endevour of Sathan to drive all such poore sinners to endlesse despaire p. 547 How to comfort the poore humbled sinner against Sathans assaults and temptations p. 547 The second terrour of Sathan that the time of mercie is past p. 549 The time is never too late whilst the Lord calls us to repent if we can obey p. 549 Generall comfort never repentant sinner but found mercie p. 550 The Lord still stretcheth out his hands to all to come to him p. 550 The terrible voice of the Lord to all despisers of mercy now offered p. 551 The Lord will one day bring all that belong unto him to say Lord I will doe as thou commandest at least he will bring them by strong hand p. 552 God purposeth their destruction whom he suffereth to goe on perpetually in their impenitencie p. 553 Application to us all in generall what securitie we have to escape the vengeance so long threatned from Babylon untill we doe as God commands p. 553 The Lords reply to us if we answer that we have repented and therefore shall have peace p. 554 555 God threatneth us as sensibly from Rome as he did them from Babylon p. 556 Conclusion of all how to trie the certaintie hereof and when we may have securitie and boldnesse p. 557 Comfort to all the meeke who can say that they have truly endevored to doe as the Lord hath commanded them These only have the promises p. 557 The Lord hath given most comfortable answers against each feare of his servants in such cases p. 558 Against the feare of being left into the enemies hand p. 558 The second feare for the wrongs and provocations of the enemies answered p. 559 Our third feare for that we are but poore wormes and nothing in regard of our enemies which are the mightie men of the earth p. 560 The fourth feare of Gods people for the miseries we may come into in the meane time amongst our enemies answered p. 561 A fift answer of the Lord against the feare of want of necessary comforts p. 562 A sixt comfort against feare of fainting in the long continuance of the troubles of the Church p. 563 The seventh the Lords answer to the faithfull soule mourning for feare of the dangers of the Church p. 565 What every faithfull servant of God should doe for the Church and this nation that would never see 〈◊〉 feele their miseries p. 565 All to hearken what the Lord calleth and crieth for at our hands moaning our estate p. 566 What he will doe for us and against our enemies if we will yet hearken unto him p. 567 A holy praier according to the Contents of the booke p. 569 TO ALL ESTATES AND DEGREES WHO truly tender their owne Soules the Church of God and their natiue COVNTREY IT is now many yeares Christian Reader since by reading those holy Prophets which liued next before the Captiuitie of Iudah who denounced the same to be ready to come vpon Gods people for their sinnes and by considering and comparing the same with the times wherein we liue I haue euer feared the life plague or a heauier to be hanging ouer this our sinfull Nation Neither haue I feared without iust cause for how neere indeed such a iudgement hath bin vnto vs and how the same threatnings haue bin ready to be verified vpon vs the world is witnesse euen all they who haue but onely heard the report of our dangers and of our wonderfull and euen miraculous deliuerances And euer the later perils and preseruations haue bin the more wonderfull as that one of the Powder furnace was aboue all that euer former age heard of In the due meditation and regard whereof I haue taken it to be my dutie and of all the faithfull Ministers of Christ to follow the example of Noah and of all those faithfull Prophets in giuing warning aforehand keeping within the limits and compasse of our calling to helpe to open the eyes of all to foresee and to cause all to tremble for the anger of the Lord also to contend with all our power to turne euery soule from his euill way that so his wrath may be appeased and we deliuered from the dreadfull execution of his heauiest vengeance Herevpon in my former feare amongst other causes I was chiefly emboldned and that not long before the time of that bloudie Powder-treason as the Lord had so directed it to endeuour to set downe truly and after to publish to all the first part of this watch viz The rule of life contayning the couenant which we haue all entred into with our God To the end to helpe to keepe all his people from the generall declining from that his blessed couenant to profanesse and iniquitie and from the outragious wickednes of the rest that we also might all learne to watch to be preserued in the euill day And since then likewise the second part of the same watch viz The rule of prayer to awaken vs the better and to stirre vp all the Lords faithfull seruants the more speedily and instantly to betake our selues wholly to watching and prayer not onely to be
among them that he may shew his love to his and the care that he hath for them in the greatest confusions to the end that they may gather themselves unto him before and prepare to be accounted worthy to be hid by him or else delivered or certainely some way finde comfort in the evill day That hereby their love and care may better appeare unto the world in their seeking by all meanes to save and pull others from the vengeance to come More specially that their faith and obedience may be seene to all how they beleeve and feare the Lord and the tokens of his wrath And that they may set themselves to become suters unto the Lord for the rest as Abraham Moses Ieremie and others that so he may either spare all at their supplications and that thereby the world may take notice in what high favour such are with his Majestie even all they who make conscience to walke in his Covenant and endevour to be righteous in their generations when he spares so sinfull a people at their prayers or at least that their prayers may returne into their owne bosomes Secondly the Lord doth use to manifest his judgements aforehand even unto the wicked as we heard and for their causes also howsoever they for the most part use all devises to flatter and harden themselves yea to lull themselves asleepe in their securitie and to blinde their owne eyes left they should see the judgements of God comming upon them and so still perswade themselves that there shall be no such matter And this he doth also to declare the riches of his mercy towards the most wretched sinners and how unwilling he is to take vengeance so long as there is any other remedie or if they will turne unto him in any time This is most apparent in the Lords infinite compassion in sparing Ninivie that proud Citie after Ionah had proclaimed Yet fortie dayes and Ninivie shall be destroyed And also in reproving Ionah for his impatience saying Thou hast had pitie on the gourd for which thou labouredst not neither madedst it to grow which came up in a night and withered in a night and should not I spare Ninivie that great Citie wherein are six score thousand persons which cannot discerne betweene their right hand and their left and also much catâ—le And hereupon it was that God spared it at that time though after when having forgotten that great deliverance they fell into their old sins he tooke vengeance for all as may appeare by the Prophet Nahum executing most severely whatsoever he had formerly threatned He dealeth thus moreover with the very wickedest that every mouth may be stopped and all the world compelled to acknowledge his judgements to be most righteous thus to justifie him therein when no admonition at all will serve So we see how he hath set downe this point most clearely and also the reasons of it and that he hath not bin wont to give any such warnings in vaine or without most dreadfull execution of his wrath where his warnings have not bin regarded Now then to apply this point to our selves we are first wisely to inquire whether the Lord hath not likewise forewarned us that most plainly of some terrible judgments towards this our Nation That if we finde it so we may then all know for certaine that it is full time to look to our selves to betake us all forthwith to such a course as whereby we may either altogither appease his anger or at least in some sort mitigate and asswage it To come to our very consciences Must we not all be inforced to acknowledge and say with the Prophet Amos The lion hath roared who shall not then be afraid The Lord God hath spoken who can but prophecie Hath not the lyon roared upon us sundry times as being ready to crush our bones in sunder or to devoure us at once but principally within our fresh memorie when the proud enemie came against us in their Navie invincible And more also when that long threatned day came whereof the insolent enemie had so much triumphed and for feare whereof the whole Land had trembled for so many yeeres togither But most of all in that more than Babylonish and unnaturall furnace that hellish crueltie from which we were so marveilously delivered in a moment before we felt or so much as feared any such thing at all To omit the insurrection by the rude multitude about the throwing downe of the inclosures the danger whereof all who are wise-hearted did manifestly see if any bloodie enemie had set it on foote to have bin a Leader unto them which issue all neere unto them did very greatly feare had not the Lord so graciously prevented that perill in an instant quencht that fire when the flame was now ready to have brust forth so high that getting above our heads it would have bin hard to overcome it without much blood to have quenched it And to passe over in silence all other the treasonable devises against that our worthy Deborah both before her comming to the Crowne and after that almost never yeere was without some new plot though continuing constant with our God they were never able to touch one haire of her head and since also against our Iosiah the breath of our nostrills of whom we have gloried as Iudah of Iosiah that under his shadow we should be preserved 〈◊〉 amongst our cruellest enemies as we have bin untill this day thorough the endlesse mercy of our God had they not almost taken him in their nets to have made him and all his a perpetuall prey if the watchfull eye of our gracious God had not wonderfully preserved and delivered them But to leave all these Hath not the Lord moreover thundred out vengeance by his heavenly word in the mouthes of all his faithfull servants thorough the whole Land for the abounding of iniquitie and that for many yeeres togither Hath he not besides spoken unto us from heaven as he did to Ierusalem seeming to have inclosed us all in that dreadfull tent spred directly over all our heads and compassing us in round on every side which was so terrible to behold with pillers of horrible darknesse pillers of fire and pillers of blood about some twelvemoneth before the powder-furnace At the beholding of w th most fearfull sight all whose hearts were not utterly sensles could not but tremble for feare of the Lords dreadfull anger for mine owne selfe I remember it well and hope I shall never forget it Did he not also for a long time togither heretofore send most strange lights and flashings in the heavens and even at that very instant of that threatned powder-destruction in a terrible manner Which howsoever they are taken now that they were but ordinarie matters thorough the long continuance of them and
blood-thirstie religion in the cheife professors thereof against his own heavenly Majestie his true religion glory against his Annoynted all his liege people professing his name to destroy all at once though with the inevitable hazarding of themselves both soules and bodies their owne native Countrie their children and houses And also after that he had caused us to beare such evidence against that Romish iniquitie in those so good lawes then enacted against it and as it were to give sentence upon it having delivered it into our hands May he not justly say unto us all even unto our whole Nation for this very sin as he said to the King of Israel for letting Benadad goe when he spake thus unto him Because thou hast let goe out of thine hand a man whom I appointed to dye thy life shall goe for his life and thy people for his people So may he not speake and threaten us much more especially all of us both Magistrates Ministers and people into whose hands he hath committed the holy meanes to restraine and withdraw men from that murthering religion so many wayes convicted and condemned and to bring them to Christ and principally the spirituall meanes of the word of the Lord Yea above all other may he not speake so to those to whom he hath committed the charge of providing a holy learned and faithfull Ministerie which may tenderly seeke the winning and saving of every soule and also of causing all sorts to submit themselves thereunto as unto the Lords ordinance to that end for these meanes are first and principally to be used in tender compassion when as he hath so manifested the power thereof by so much gracious experience in sundry worthy Congregations where under such painfull and conscionable Ministers the people have bin brought from Poperie and profanenesse to embrace and obey the Gospell so as hardly one Papist or notoriously profane or disordered person have bin to be found there but all cheerefully submitting themselves to the Gospell of Christ. May he not most righteously speake thus unto us therefore Because through they negligence and carelesnesse thou hast suffered to grow up and spread in the midst of thee that execrable bloudie and Antichristian religion whereby my glory is so desperately oppugned whereby I my selfe am so openly sought to be driven out and with so high a hand the soules and bodies of all my people so endangered every houre yea that which I put into thy power and commanded thee to seeke by all holy meanes utterly to destroy out of thy land that against which thou hast so voluntarily made so good lawes for the sure ratifying of the speedie execution of my Commandement thy religion therefore shall goe for it and all thy glory shall be trampled under foote by them untill thou know whom thou hast dishonoured and provoked hereby And to conclude this point Hath not the Lord as good cause to complaine of us and to plead against us for the small account which we make of him for grieving his Spirit and driving him from amongst us by this and all other our fearefull sinnes as ever he had to complaine of the unkindnesse of Iudah and even to take up the same complaint against us which he did against them when he spake thus unto them by the Prophet Micha before their Captivitie Oh my people what have I done unto thee or wherewith have I grieved thee come testifie against me Surely I brought thee out of the Land of Aegypt and redeemed thee out of the house of servants I sent before thee also Moses Aaron and Miriam O my people remember now what Balak King of Moab had devised and what Balaam the sonne of Beor answered him from Shittim to Gilgal that yee may know the righteousnes of the Lord. This is the Lords plea and complaint against Israel for their unkindnesse calling the hills and mountaines to witnesse the equitie of it before that he would depart from them and bring upon them that strange and terrible judgement which he so long before threatned by his Prophets But we will defer this complaint against us untill we shall have seene of our iniquities to provoke and anger the Lord thereby to be above the abominations of Iudah considering that we live in this glorious light of the Gospell with our extraordinarie mercies and meanes of all sorts Because that then if God shall give us hearts in reading to consider of these things aright we shall justifie the like complaint of the Lord against our selves and shall admire his patient stay and his abiding still amongst us Thus much therefore shall suffice in like manner for this third cause wherein yet let ech of us aske of our owne soules whether in such a decay both of the love of the truth and also of holinesse peace and unitie in the Church yea in such danger of our protection to be utterly taken away to passe over that it is so far departed That he that absteineth from evill makes himself a prey and in steed thereof in such an increase of Poperie of licentiousnesse and of all profanenesse such an enmitie against all true pietie with the insolencie of the enemie the Lord doe not call loude upon us all to watch and to pray for the severall removes of the glory amongst us and the evident tokens of the Lords threatned departure which he sheweth in the same CHAP. VI. No priviledges can doe a people any good if they increase in their iniquitie but the moe their mercies have bin the greater is their sinne and the heavier shall their iudgement be when it commeth of what sort soever And what causes we have hence to watch and to pray Vers. 4. And the Lord said unto him Goe through the midst of the Citie even through the midst of Ierusalem and set a marke upon the foreheads of them that sigh and cry for all the abominations which are done in the midst thereof IN the doubling of the speech Goe thorough the midst of the Citie even through the midst of Ierusalem where the Lord adds Ierusalem to make the speech more significant not content to say Goe thorow the Citie but even thorow Ierusalem He would have all to take notice That though Ierusalem was the deerest unto him of all the Cities of the world yet having broken the Covenant on her part and also cast him off and defiled his Sanctuarie he will spare her no longer he will have no more pitie of any save onely of his faithfull ones in her But contrarily he will forsake her cast her off leave her to be destroyed untill the remnant left of her learne to seeke him and to be reconciled to him againe For the Lords speech is thus much in effect Goe through the midst of the city even through Ierusalem which though it be unto me the deerest of all the places in the world the Citie which I had chosen to
fetcht directly from it p. 385 386 A Syllogisme demonstrating plainly that Poperie especially the Iesuited Papists Religion is in a speciall manner of the devill teaching lying and murder for the supporting of it p. 386 Proofe of the Proposition p. 386 Proofe of the Assumption That Poperie teacheth lying and murdering for the supporting and advancing of it p. 386 Helpes and preservatives which God hath provided for those who would be kept from Poperie the scourge that followes the contempt of the Gospell As p. 387 1. Notable confutations of Poperie to keepe us p. 388 2. Notable discoveries of the bloudy cruelties and vilenesse of Poperie and contrarily The perpetuall witnesses of the truth which we professe p. 388. 3. Speciall helpes for sanctification whereby to be kept from declining from God and so from this scourge p. 389 4. Helpes for praier because we cannot be kept except we pray nor stand in these evill daies without the speciall sustaining hand of our God p. 390 5. Helpes for fasting to humble us and to make our praiers more powerfull and effectuall that we may be kept p. 390 Abomination 33. Atheisme of Iudah angring the Lord to the uttermost and bringing the Captivitie p. 390 The day of vengeance wished by desperate scoffing Atheists p. 391 What a day that will be when it commeth p. 392 Atheists scoffing at the threatnings of the Prophets p. 392 This sinne cannot be purged till they die p. 392 All were at a covenant with death and hell p. 392 Atheists of all others most timorous when the vengeance comes p. 393 Abomination 34. Divisions of Iudah angring the Lord and bringing the Captivitie p. 394 Their divisions flowing from all their abominations and chiefly from the Apostasie so generally p. 394 All were given to covetousnesse and spreading nets p. 395 No man could trust other p. 395 The greater spoiling the poorer p. 395 All against the true Prophets and against all that feared the Lord and why p. 395 Their owne familiars waiting to have matter against them p. 396 Not one left with Gods faithfull servants to be seene to stand for them p. 396 The Church had none to looke to but to the Lord. p. 397 The number of the godly exceeding small at that time amongst them as the grapes after the vintage p. 397 How the Church comforts her selfe against the insulting of the enemie p. 397 A question answered viz. In so many divisions to whom to joine p 398 399. Application to our owne soules concerning our divisions and the rest of the heads herein p. 399 CHAP. XII The meanes whereby the Lord had striven with them to bring them to repentance that he might spare them and how in stead of repenting their sinne was increased by them all p. 400 Meanes by calling them by his word and how he had thereby striâ—â—n with them in all sorts p. 401 402 How he had called them by the continuall voice of his mercies p. 402 How he had called them by the voice of his rods both bodily and spirituall p. 403 The Lord weary with smiting inforced to give them up to their owne hearts lust and to this induration p. 404 The highest step of their induration that they were given over to scoffe at the Lords warnings whereby he called them to repentance p. 405 This sinne could not be purged p. 405 Some causes of their induration and why they profited not by all the meanes which the Lord used p. 406 Why the Lord would spare them no longer after he had used all these meanes to reclaime them p. 407 Application to our selves p. 408 CHAP. XIII The severitie of the Lords vengeance when no other meanes could serve p. 410 The Lamentations of Ieremie written to set out this miserie p. 411 Their carnall confidence in Iosiah seemeth one cause to have provoked the Lord to take him away after whose death began their miseries immediatly p. 412 The wofull miseries which at that time they endured As p. 412 1. Famine in the most lamentable kindes p. 412 2. Destruction by the sword p. 413 3. The desolations of the Temple p. 414 4. The finall desolation that came upon them p. 414 5. The shame cast upon the Lord and his people p. 414 6. The people that escaped caried captives p. 415 The miseries of their Captivitie p. 415 7. In their Captivitie the Church acknowledgeth all this justly come upon her for rebelling against the word of the Lord. p. 415 Despising Gods word and misusing his messengers caused that 〈◊〉 could be no more remedie p. 416 Application why the Lord should not execute as heavie a judgement upon us as on Iudah p. 416 How neere we have beene unto it and how oft p. 416 The mourning of the Lord for his people before this execution p. 417 The Lords expostulation after a sort mourning over us for our foolish impenitency and unkindnesse p. 417 The changing of our danger into such a joyfull day p. 419 Our unthankefulnesse in forgetting our wonderfull deliverances and mercies p. 420 The Lords expostulation further urged bemoaning our unkindnesse and wilfulnesse p. 421 Whether the Lord may not justly thus speake unto us especially having so many ready to receive our most bloudy enemies into our bosomes p. 421 422 424 Our answer to the Lords expostulation taken away p. 424 Application to all notorious sinners who are the men that hale on the vengeance of the Lord. p. 425 Warning to all obstinate sinners howsoever the Lord deale with us at the cries of his servants p. 427 Their miserable state at death most at Christs appearing p. 427 How each may come to the certaine knowledge of the truth hereof viz. by inquiring of his owne heart awaked p. 428 CHAP. XIIII How Gods faithfull servants are wont to be affected seeing his anger kindled against his people p. 430 How they are wont in such cases to use all meanes to pacifie his Majestie p. 431 The meanes which they have beene wont to use to this end p. 431 1. Gods faithfull servants have beene wont to intreat the Lord in secret to pacifie him thereby towards his people p. 433 2. They have beene wont to forewarne Gods people of their sinnes and his vengeance comming on them for the same p. 434 3. Gods servants have beene wont to direct his people to the meanes whereby he may be pacified p. 436 The principall meanes publike humiliations p. 436. Examples hereof p. 436 c. The example of Iehosophat is to be beholden of all religious rulers who would see the like experience of the Lords presence and mercie towards them and therefore set downe at large p. 438 The way to ouerthrow and daunt the enemies of the Church p. 439 Our owne practise and experience p. 441 Reason hereof All having provoked the Lord all must seeke to pacifie him by humbling themselves p. 442 The office of forewarning and calling to fasting belongs to Gods Ministers p. 443 446 The supreme Magistrates to appoint publike