speedy and unfeigned repentance thou wilt cut them offâ—… from ever seeing thy celestiall Canaan and much more make all them to know this specially who with the tenne spyes after they have not only searched out the good land tasted and brought to others the fruite of it but filled them selves at least with the outward blessings and daynties thereof have yet either turned backe or brought an evill report upon it even upon thy sacred religion and Gospell to discourage their Brethren thereby to cause them to be faint-hearted and as much as â—…veth in them to turne into Aegypt againe Oh Lord most holy most dreadfull and most terrible make us all ever to remember that of all those hundreth thousands who so tempted and dishonoured thee by their unbeleefe in the way towards the earthly Canaan never any one could enter in but thou causedst their catkasses to fall in the wildernes untill they were utterly consumed and for those that brought that vile slaunder upon the good land thou causedst them to die by a terrible plague and that therefore these may justly expect a more heavy wrath and vengeance from thy Majesty Oh gracious Father give all thine owne faithfull people and children the same hearts of Caleb Iosua especially all them who as those thy two worthy servants have unto this day constantly stucke unto thy sacred Majesty in the conscionable profession of thy heavenly truth that we may all couragiously and boldly give testimony unto the happinesse of this good land into which thou hast brought us this good way of life wherein thou hast set us that this indeed to wit the sincere profession of thy name according to thy sacred word and as it is confirmed by our good Lawes is a land that floweth with milke and hony and the Lord if he love us will continue it unto us and increase the glory and happinesse of it untill he have brought us into his heavenly Canaan Inable us good Father thus to incourage our owne hearts and the hearts of all our faithfull Brethren and for all other to perswade them by all meanes out of thy blessed word that they rebell not against thee the Lord of hoasts neither feare the proud enemies of the Church but onely that we may joyntly be truly humbled before thy glorious Majesty for all our sinnes whereby we have thus provoked thy greatnesse and holinesse thus caused thee to muster thine armyes and to strengthen thine and our enemies against us to cause thine owne people in so many places to fly before them Oh Lord inable us by thy holy Spirit that wee may never leave wrastling with thee untill we have prevailed with thy Majesty thus farre that thou shalt incline the hearts of all especially all those whom thou hast set in thy place for the saving of thy people that they and all their dominions even all the Churches and every soule of thine may seeke thee in sack cloth and ashes in fasting weeping and mourning never giving over crying to thee through thy Christ untill thine anger be appeased and thou bee reconciled to thy people againe for that then undoubtedly as thou hast bene wont to doe in former Ages thou wilt make thine and thy Churches enemies to be but bread for thy people that all the world shall see that their sheild is departed from them and that thou the Lord of hoasts art with us and that wee shall not need to feare them any more Oh gracious God most tender Father cause all the Churches to know and especially us of this sinfull nation that hitherto we and so many as have beene preserved thou alone hast spared and saved us of thy rich mercy and at the instant requests importunings of thy Moseses which have bene amongst us And more specially cause all unbeleevers to know that thou now speakest to them as thou diddest to thy people in the wildernesse That notwithstanding thy great mercies and the sparing of us at the cries of thy faithfull ones yet all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. that all those who have seene thy glory the good land and great deliverances which thou hast given to thy people and yet have so oft and doe still tempt thee not obeying thy voyce shall never see that thy heavenly Canaan which thou hadst so promised and offered unto them nor any other that so provoked thee by their unbeleefe That onely thy faithfull servants who as Caleb and Iosuah having another Spirit doe follow thee still remaining still more constant and faithfull even in the greatest timerousnesse and backsliding of the multitude these onely thou wilt bring into the heavenly Canaan and they alone shall inherit it for evermore Heare us Oh most gracious God and loving Father and keepe us by the mighty power of thy blessed Spirit that alwayes remembring what thou hast done for us and considering aright of the miserable estate of all under Sathan and Antichrists tyranny and our owne happy estate and condition under our Lord Saviour Iesus Christ we may all joyntly strive fast forward towards the full fruition of thine owne glorious Majesty in the heavenly Canaan and in the new Ierusalem eternally Grant that in the meane time the unfeigned repentance of all thy true Churches and people for all our sinnes may bee one of thy effectuall and principall instruments for the pulling of the remainder of thy people forth of Sodome and of Aegypt and to cause all thine to fly speedily and get themselves out of Babilon that by escaping her sins they may likewise escape her plagues and finally that it may thus prepare the way to the calling and conversion of the Iewes the gathering in of all thy Israel the speedy comming of our Lord and Saviour for our eternall deliverance the everlasting glory of thy Sion and of us all for evermore Heare us Oh most gracious Father in these our requests and accept of this our poore thanksgiving for this inestimable favour even for Iesus Christ his sake our onely Lord and Saviour X. A prayer that wee and all the Churches in token of our thankfullnesse to our blessed God for our deliverance from Babilon for making us his people and Children and his Covenant with us may set our selves to honour him more then ever wee have done especially in a more conscionable and chearefull walking in all his holy Lawes and Commandements that hee may alwaies keepe us from that bloody tyranny OH Lord most holy most great and glorious who hast made all things for thine owne sake even the wicked for the day of evill Perswade the hearts of all thine owne people that thou hast thus created formed all things for thine owne honour that thy great name might ever be magnifyed in all the world and especially by thine owne children and to this end
thou hast called us hereunto that thou acceptest us and our service and that wee may never give thee over untill wee see the deliverance and felicity of thy Sion Grant that so many of us as unfeignedly desire to bee with thy Majesty may never give any rest unto thee nor unto our owne soules untill wee finde our selves so qualified in all things as thou requirest of all such in taking to heart the dishonours done unto thy heavenly Majesty the oppositions against thy most glorious Gospell and also in feeling the necessities of thy Church people more specially in considering aright and sensibly feeling the miserable estate of all them that are under the spirituall bondage Captivitie of Sathan worse ten thousand times then the Captivitie and slavery of the Turke or under the cruellest Tyrants in all the earth Grant likewise that wee may be such in all holy faith and obedience and so frame our prayers that heerein wee may thus farre prevaile with thy holinesse that thou maiest raise up for thy poore Church and Children in every part of the world some Iosephs or some that may be as Daniel Ezra Nehemiah or Hester which may obtaine favour with the Kings and Princes of the earth and by whom thou maiest prepare and incline the hearts of all Monarks Kings and Princes that they may all become Nursing-Fathers and Nursing-Mothers to thy religion and people and that all those of them who in thy mercy are such already by the power of thy heavenly Spirit may bee wholly delivered from all the power and delusions of Sathan and Antichrist and daily more and more inflamed with all holy zeale for thy glory and kingdome and all tender affection towards thy children and chosen flocke as the rage and malice of the Dragon is greater against them knowing he hath but a short time Vouchsafe Oh grecious Father that these all considering aright how thou hast set them up and given them all their dominions authority and power chiefly to this end and the great and dreadfull account they must all certainly make for the same they know not how soone may forthwith seâ—… themselves as thy faithfull Servants Moses Iosuah David Iehosaphat Hezekiah and holy Iosiah for thy glorious Majesty Gospell and people onely according to thy heavenly word and will Grant good Lord that thus thy great name may bee magnified by the powerfull comming of thy kingdome in all the world and by the full accomplishing of all thy heavenly will and good pleasure which in thine eternall counsell thou hast decreed for the speedy gathering forth of all thine elect and finishing of these daies of sin and so for preparing the way to thy glorious comming Good Lord perswade my poore heart and the hearts of every one of thine owne faithfull people of the present necessity of this worke because of the danger of the sodaine approching of thy vengeance ready each houre to rush upon uâ—… like as it hath done upon others which have so professed thy name as weâ—… doe for all our fearfull sinnes and above all for our haiâ—…ous contempt of thy heauenly Gospell and that notwithstanding all thy Fatherly warnings and mercies wee have beene worse and worse unto this day And therefore vouchsafe me this grace that I may not deferre it one day nor houre but now presently whilst thou my Lord and Saviour dost so graciously call me and offer me this mercy I may seeke to bee every way prepared and fitted for it like as thou hast so plainly â—…aught me so lively seâ—… it before my face in yâ— heavenly prayer of thine so as the simplest may read and understand Oh Lord Iesus perswade my heart that refusing or deferring now to come to helpe thee I cannot escape the curse of Meroz howsoever I may escape the present and temporall vengeance at the instant cryes of all other of thy deerest servants and children yet I can never escape the spirituall and eternall wrath Open mine eies that I may see yâ— I am not heerein to wrastle against flesh blood but against principalities and powers and the Princes of darkness of this world which have wrought all these evils chiefly and doe seeke the utter destruction of all thy people and that I am not now to enter the lists with Sathan for my selfe alone but for all the Church that so I may put on all thy compleat Armour to quit my selfe valiantly as one of thy worthyes and ever be carefull to looke to my watch and stand fast expecting Sathans extreamest rage and fury against me especially if hee get never so little advantage Grant unto mee to know undoubtedly that being thus armed and setting my selfe with all speed and cheerfulnesse unto this worke to bee rightly fitted to helpe thee in this greatest service I shall have this high honour to bee of their number of whom thou hast spoken to whom thou hast promised That the innocent shall deliver the land or at least that thou wilt bee to mee a Sanctuary whatsoever come to passe and though I should neither save Sonne nor Daughter yet I shall bee sure to save my owne soule Heare me therefore Oh gracious Father all thy poore children in this our humble suite and in all other things needfull for us or for any member of thy whole Church for the Lord Iesus Christ whom thou hast given for our grand Captaine our onely Mediator and Advocate Amen II. A prayer for increase of our love to all the Children of the Lord and for keeping a continuall fresh remembrance and feeling of their estate Our HVmble us Oh gracious Father that whereas thou hast long taught us this as one of our first lessons in our prayers to cry Oh our Father to keep therby a continuall and ever-fresh remembrance feeling of the estate and necessities of all thy children our Brethren and Sisters wheresoever dispersed and distressed in all the world and so to binde our hearts togither in the bond of love to rejoyce with them that rejoyce mourne with them that mourne and in all things to seeke the same good unto them which wee do vnto our selves yet so many of us notwithstanding do never or very seldome thinke of them or of their miseries and the best of us have so little true feeling and commiseration of their estate how wofull soever it bee to cry unto thee for them as wee ought so long as wee our selves are at ease and in prosperity Good Lord perswade our hearts that if wee truly love thee our heavenly Father we must needs love thy children for thy cause being as deere and precious unto thee as ourselves are even all those that appertaine to thy eternal election wheresoever they be in all the earth Lord Iesus make us know that if wee unfeignedly love thee wee must of necessity likewise love thy members even every one of
and withall that as the Popish sort in every place have set up other Gods to anger thee as chiefly their holy Father the Pope whose word and ordinances they reverence above thine rejecting thy word utterly in regard of their Popes decrees and traditions and with him have set up all their Saints and Idols to whom by their invocation of them they give his glory so every one of us who albeit in words wee professe thee our God have yet in our hearts set up other things which wee preferre before thee and on which we spend moe of our thoughts more of our love and care to enjoy them then on thy Majesty even wee likewise have set up so many false Gods in our hearts to provoke thee to the uttermost And finally good Lord make us all able to see by this first commandement of thine how wonderfull few they are so farre as we are able to conceive who by the light of their good workes doe indeed and truth glorifie thee their heavenly Father by shewing forth before men and Angels that they have so set thee up in their 〈◊〉 as their God and those few that doe so indeed are the men principally maligned of all the people of the world even for this cause principally because they shew in their lives that they have thus in their hearts set thee up to bee their God although that they be the onely blessed people having thee their God all other being in a most miserable estate and that they are therefore the onely men in honour and favour with thee and by whom chiefly as by Abraham Noah and Moses thou savesâ—… and preservest all the rest of us Make us Lord to understand and conceive aright hereof and that for this very 〈◊〉 alone whereby we have so generally seâ—… our selves not onely to maligne and dishonour theâ—… but even to fight against thy heavenly Majesty wee may wonder how thou hast spared us of this nation hither to and not left us up as the other Churches untill we shall see and acknowledge what wee hâ—…e done against theâ—… our most gracious and out most blessed God in this behalfe Heare us Oh tender Father â—…nd suffer us never to â—…est untill wee have repented particularly of this our most heynous and crying sinne and that all of us that ever looke to have a strong assurance that we belong to thy eternall â—…lection have thus truly seâ—… theâ—… up in our hearts as our Lord and God That so by our unfeigned repentance thou maiest once againe manifest thy selfe in the deliuerance of all thy Churches and people in a more glorious manner to bee still our God graciously reconciled to vs againe in Iesus Chrst maiest so renew thy Covenant to remaine our God and the God of our posterity through him and for his sake alone for evermore Amen Amen XII A humble confession of the sinnes of the Churches and an acknowledgment of Gods righteous proceeding for our unthank fulnesse and transgression of his Lawes and for that though wee haue heard of all their miseries and knowne our owne dangers yet we haue not beene humbled nor made our supplications as we ought according to the 1. of Nehemiah OH Lord God of heauen and earth who art the great and terrible God proceeding most fearfully in thy dreadfull judgements even against thine owne deare people and children as thou diddest against thy people of Israel for their unthankfuluesse for their despising transgressing thy blessed Lawes and Commandements and yet art withall full of mercy and tender compassion to thy people repenting of their sinnes and truly humbled for their provocations thou who keepest Covenant and mercy for ever for all that truly love thee and who desire unfeignedly to observe all thy Commandements heare us and al thy poore Churches and people in all the earth at this day looking up to thee alone and crying loude unto thee We pray thee Oh tender Father that thine eyes may be open and thine eares may bee attent both to behold the miseries and dangers and to heare the prayers of thy poore servants which wee all joyntly poure out before thee day and night for our brethren thy servants and children which are in such great affliction and doe now uncessantly confesse all our sins and the sinnes of all thy people which we have sinned against thee Both we and our Fathers all of us have grievously provoked thee now this threescore yeares and aboue even since thou first tooke us by the hand to bring us forth of Egypt Babilon and diddst also carry us out as uppon Eagles wings by thy mig hty hand and oâ—…t-stretched arme Oh Lord wee have heard long do dayly heare more and more of the innumerable miseries which thou broughtest uppon our brethren and sisters in the Palatinate it being a principall member even of our owne selves Aud so in Bohemia and the Countries adioyning to it though further remote from vs yet our deare brethren and sisters in Christ Iesus and so likewise in the Churches of France hard at our doores in all the direfull slaughters and butcherly cruelties which thine our merciles enemies haue executed upon them in their bloody rage without any pitty We have also heard and do still daily heare ringing in our eares the miserable state and condition of the residue of them that have escaped the bloody sword some of them induring all kind of violence and calamities of all sorts living in all reproach the wall of their Ierusalem being broken downe the gates there of being burnt with fire all the rest of them living in continuall feare because of the deadly fury and hellish plots against them to destroy them all And yet though wee have long heard do dayly heave of these things and of the rage of thine and our enemies still increased against them all and against our selves have wee not with thy holy servant Nehemiah sit downe wept and mourned for them muchlesse fasted and prayed before thee the God of heaven in their behalfe in any such manner as we ought Oh thou our most holy God and pittyfull Father we humbly confesse and acknowledge that wee have all grievously sinned against thee wee have not kept thy great goodnesse in remembrance which thou shewedst unto us in delivering our fathers and us so wonderfully from Aegypt Babilon by so mighty a hand nor the many great preservations and deliverances which since that time our eares have heard and our eies have seene how thou hast rescued us from their jawes nor yet have we kept in memory how thou tookest us to bee thine owne peculiar people of all the people of the earth made thy Covenant with us to bee our God and that wee should be thy people so that wee would but walke in this thy Covenant But this our Covenant with thy Majesty though all of vs who professe thy Gospell have solemnly
Watch and to doe all things which may tend not onely to the saving of your selves but also of our native Countrey and to make us a happie people so I assure my selfe that you will not disdaine these poore helps though they bee composed in a plaine easie and homely stile so as to leade the poorest by the hand and to support their weaknesse to helpe to confirme weake hands and wearie knees that all herein may helpe together It is not any painted much lesse Players eloquence that will pacifie our blessed God and defend us or put to flight our proud Adversaries Wee have had a great while too much experience of that in too many both of our Sermons and Prayers no no it must bee the evidence and power of the word of the Lord sent forth by the sighs and groanes of his holy Spirit though all heavenly eloquence rightly used be his most gracious gift and if ever now specially to be wished Thus have I studied to fit weapons as hee hath enabled mee against this time of need meet for all sorts that old and young noble and ignoble yea our most honourable Ladies may have their weapons from his Armourie so as all from the chiefe of them to the verie poore woman that grindes at the mill may in this battle helpe the Lord against the mightie and so keepe that bitter curse from all our land That Iael may strike the naile into the temples of Sisera And that thus in the â—…ud shee that sits at home may have part in the spoile and all of us ioyntly together when we shall see the Lord to have got himselfe the victorie with his owne right arme may sing the song of Deborah and of Miriam yea of all the host of heaven saying Praise and honour and glorie and power be unto him that sits upon the throne and unto the Lambe for evermore Pardon me worthie Ladies I humbly againe beseech you if so much presuming upon your Ladiships patience according to my assurance of your tender commiseration and true Christian humilitie I have so farre passed the bounds of an ordinarie Epistle in this matter of such extraordinarie moment and importance so nearely at this present concerning the safetie and happinesse of your Honours and of all the people of the Lord. If I may by the worthy ensamples of your honourable Ladiships provoke other of your noble ranke and condition as who have most leisure and best opportunitie and so others of his servants and children to a holy emulation seriously to meditate hereof and to put all these in practise onely so farre forth as his heavenly Maiestie cals all hereunto and expects these duties at the hands of everie soule I shall have an abundant reward of all my poore travels Or if I may but helpe to awake such of his servants as to whose view they shall be presented to labour to be for all the rest as the Angels for Lot to pull all from Satan to our Lord Iesus Christ and chiefly those of our owne native Countrey who are so seduced by Antichrist and by those who are sent abroad by him into the world to deceive and to draw all to his part Reade and consider and so farre as your Ladiships shall clearely see our Lord Iesus Christ leading you by the hand so farre follow him doing as he directs you So you shall not onely be sure to save your owne soules but also helpe to save all sorts and more specially all the Honourable and others who either shall looke at or heare of your worthie ensamples yea your native Countrey as was said before and all the true Churches of Christ and shall in like manner be helpers to gather in all the remainder of his Elect both Iewes and Gentiles so to prepare the way to his most glorious comming Thus shall you increase your owne eternall honour and happinesse and shall shine more and more in all heavenly graces and good works and in greater glittering before the Lord his Saints and Angels than by being adorned with all the gold pearles and diamonds which the whole earth can afford In which humble desire I take my leave and commend your Ladiships unto that Celestiall grace which performeth all the holy desires of them that feare him and trust in his mercie and so shall ever remaine Your Ladiships in all service and intire affection Iohn Brinsley TO ALL THE PLAINE AND simple-hearted people of our Land seduced by Poperie that they may forthwith bethinke themselves both from whom they have departed and also upon what grounds and to let them know that they must either returne to our Church againe or professe themselves to be of Satans Religion and so will remaine to fight under his banner against our Lord and Saviour BEloved in our Lord Iesus Christ so many of you as of whom we may hope that you belong to the election of grace for whom my hearts desire and continuall prayer to our God is that you may be saved give me leave to shew my unfained affection towards you in performing that service for you all which hath beene requested at my hands by such as wish much better to you than you doe unto your selves And that but only in these two things First in manifesting in what an estate and condition you presently stand and so your danger eternally and after in helping to procure that all the people of the Lord may cry instantly and joyntly for you that he may shew you mercie in opening your eyes to see how palpably you have suffered your selves to be deluded and in plucking you out of the verie jawes of that old Serpent Howsoever for the present you take it at my hands yet yâ— time will come as I certainly assure my soule that you will either blesse yâ— God of Heaven for the endevour of my ardent affection towards you if it shall be available for you or cry out against your selves with wringing of your hands and tearing of your haire when it will be too late and no more place found for your repentance Vouchsafe me this favour that being amongst the weakest of all my brethren I may leave all matters of higher dispute in maintaining the truth of Christ against the Iesuites and other Seminarie Priests by whom you have beene so inchanted and abused unto my more learned and reverend brethren who have alreadie entred the lists with them and to others exercised in that kinde whose bookes I acknowledge my selfe unworthie to beare and that sith what spare thoughts God hath vouchsafed mee from my necessarie calling I have specially employed in this kinde to helpe his people in holy meditations and other like devotions I may thus farre onely presume without offence First to put you in minde of your Baptisme vow and Covenant made with our blessed God from which you have so farre departed And in the second place to advertise you that you may consider well upon what grounds you have
the Nobilitie Gentrie and principall professours in France And likewise to omit that intendment 88. in a like treaty and all other their stratagems of the same nature by which they have so much promoted the Catholike cause as they call it and still doe to this very day and so farre surprized the Church of Christ and prevailed against us all all of them being of the same nature and from the same Author To passe over all these and to leave them all as rightly due to Popery for that lying and murder the two chiefe workes of the Deuill are now well knowne to all the world even to all that will not wittingly put out their owne eyes to be the tâ—…o principall pillars which have alwaies supported and promoted Popery and the kingdome of Antichrist and must now specially if ever heretofore stand him in stead And to come briefly to shew the palpablenesse of this first delusion and that it is of the very same nature with all the former mentioned namely when they say That they have moe holy devotions that is moe bookes and helps for devotions viz. moe holy directions for a true Christian life for the right practise of Christianitie and piety moe helps for holy meditations and contemplations for examining our hearts and lives soundly according to the word of the Lord so for true humiliation repentance for holy praiers thanksgivings and the like than we have I refer all who are willing to know the truth to that catalogue of our devotions even of those which are extant in Print and may be had by all who will use or see them as it is set downe in the end of this booke as it is gathered out of Master Maunsels catalogue dedicated to Q. Elizabeth printed anno 1595. and of those which have beene since Which Catalogue alone to compare it with all the English devotions of the like kindes that they have in the world much more of these which their common sort can come by and make vse of will I hope quite smite off this first head of this killing serpent And especially when the works of some one of our men there mentioned alone being well applied and practised may afford sufficient matter in that kinde to any poore Christian for his whole life to make him a blessed man yea much more blessed than all the devotions of Popery can as will appeare after and what may we thinke then of all the rest of them together And thus much briefly may suffice for the cutting off this first head of this Hydra But the second head of this subtle serpent may seeme more dangerous as it is indeed and more full of deadly poyson to wit that their devotions viz. those commended most unto you by your Church and Iesuites are more holy and better than ours To cut off this therefore likewise as it is a thing more necessarie so it may seeme more difficult But that this may be as easily and surely effected we are wisely to consider wherein the holinesse and goodnesse of all true devotions doe consist This we may doe specially by considering the matter ends and fruits of true devotions For the generall matter those must needs be the holiest and best which are most directly grounded upon the sacred Scriptures that sure foundation of the Prophets and Apostles whereof Iesus Christ is the chiefe corner stone upon which as all the true Church is built so all her devotions against which foundation the gates of hell shall never prevaile more than against Christ himselfe they being holy as his owne Maiestie and heaven and earth may passe but not one jot or tittle in them till all things in them be fulfilled for that such devotions in regard of their matter are the Lords so far forth as they are siâ—…mely grounded upon that sacred word For the more particular matter likewise those must needs be the best which tend most to advance the glory of our God and the scepter and kingdome of our Lord Iesus Christ which most magnifie him giving all our salvation to the rich mercy of our heavenly Father in and through our Lord Iesus Christ alone and so which are most powerfull and effectuall to pull downe all the pride of sinfull man and to make us to renounce all but Christ Iesus alone to account all but losse and dung in regard of any reioycing in our selves of any iustification or merit but onely in Iesus Christ and to be found in him alone not having our owne righteousnesse but the righteousnesse of God in him So those which most serve to cause us wholly to deny our selves thereby to be made fit to come unto and follow him as his true subiects and disciples and which make most to the saving of all his Church and chosen flocke by him alone and to leave all who will not so receive and follow him and heare his voice onely as his enemies more without excuse And as these so those in like manner which give most full assurance of Gods favour and love and of true pardon of sinne and eternall life by Iesus Christ alone and which thus give most strong and most abundant consolation onely in him Those likewise which are most powerfull and effectuall to increase our faith in him and therewithall our love and all the rest of the graces of God even all parts of true sanctification and repentance which are nothing else but the fruits of our holy faith in him wrought in us by his blessed Spiriâ—… when that we truly beleeve in Christ. Or to speake all more shortly those devotions must needs be best which most frame all to the lively image of our Lord and Saviour and so doe most forme Christ in us to wit which most fashion us to that absolute patterne of true holinesse which is commanded in his blessed word and not to superstition contrary to it and condemned in it And also those whereby we may be best assured to receive most power to prevaile with the Lord and to obtaine all good things from him alone Or yet more for the understanding of all Those must needs be best which doe best direct and help us to performe all our vowes promises made to him and so to walke with him all our daies doing onely that which he requires in all things that so we may be assured of all his promises both for this and the better life to be fully performed to us for the saving our selves and all the people of the Lord. Or most briefly according to our Saviours direction which stands sure for ever in the three first petitions Those which most tend to advance his glory and kingdome with the accomplishment of all his heavenly will alone and not the will of sinfull man must needs be the best of all The reason is for that these three first being obeyed and sought first aright will certainly bring the three latter petitions and
sinnes and abominations are so generally overspred and committed with so high a hand yea that wee are so much worse and worse for being smitten that we seeme desperately incurable falling away more and more though we see so many tokens of the Lords wrath the bloody enemies executioners of his vengeance on every side of us and as we may justly fear so many of these incendyaries the Iesuites and Iesuited Papists in the midst among us Whereupon all sorts even meere naturall men have and do dayly more and more feare some terrible scourge from the Lord and wonder at our peace especially considering the lamentable estate of so many other poore Churches and the restlesse plots of the enemy and most dangerous stratagems against them and us all thorow the Lordes mercy discouered dayly and that yet we have not beene warned by their ensample nor yet so much as in any meete measure as wee ought take their miseries and perills to heart Yea which is more then all these our gracious God would not have us to rest untill we have a due feeling and a right consideration heereof that we principally above all other have bene the men devoted to destruction by the bloody designs of those most barbarous and merciless enemies of the Church and have 〈◊〉 and are most enâ—…yed and hated by them for that from and by us heeretofore God hath given them the greatest foyles like as I trust he will still do for euermore And which is a higher degree of our danger that wee are not onely guilty of their sinne of carnall Gospelling carelesse profession in shewing forth so litle power in the practise of true piety in our generall and particular callings and duties which is the very life and true power of godlinesse but contrarily by our ungodlinesse our prophanesse and abominations in every kinde we haue in so many even utterly denied all the true power thereof which consisteth in the right performance of all holy duties as being ashamed to bee noted for more sincere profession yea we have so scorned and trampled it under foot as that wee have caused Gods enemies to blaspheme And which is yet also more to anger his heavenly Majesty for that we so generally not onely our Papists and Atheists and all our notorious prophane persons which swarme almost every where but even all sorts of Laodicean luke-warme professors are so farre turned even agaynst Christ Iesus himselfe we may speake it with greefe trembling and that as against our greatest enemy although he hath hitherto so miraculously yea so sensibly and as it were visibly defended and protected us and for that we do yet further dayly rise against him still more and more That all this appeareth most manifestly heerein in that howsoever these can some of them a little indure the outward and common profession of his heauenly Gospell in word yet the power of it to wit to submit themselves to live according to it wherein chiefly his kingdom consists they cannot indure but rather seeme to hate it most deadly And also how this heynous and crying sin sheweth it selfe as in the sight of the Sunne in all the odious names wherewith true godlinesse is branded which are so frequent every where cast upon those that seek thus unfeignedly to turne away the vengeance by endeavouring to walke in all things in all the commandements of our blessed God Wee are therefore euer to be considering and never to rest till we have brought our hearts unto a right feeling of those and all other our most intollerable and lowd crying sinnes and how they are every houre haling and pulling downe the vengeance of God upon us as the like have done upon the other Churches and do stil more and more as they are thus dayly more and more encreased And moreover that there is nothing that keepeth backe his vengeance but onely his infinite mercies and â—…ndlesse patience and compassion which we haue so much abused as that wee may all iustly wonder that it is not turned into burning furie to consume us at once and togither with that his endlesse compassion the lowd cries of his poore children ever sounding in his eares even the cries and sighs of thâ—…se which are and have beene so hated contemned greeved and injuried by all possible meanes which the Lord hath permitted to bee exercised and practised against them chiefely by all the Popish sort in every place namely against his Prophets and Messengers sent unto us in as much mercie as ever his Prophets were sent to Iudah For which yet when they were so mocked misused the Lord could spare no longer there could be no further remedy but brought upon them the King of Caldea and all other the miseries of their long and wofull Captivity And yet further 〈◊〉 Lord cals on us to beeâ—…ever pondering how nothing can prevent this wrath to give us any true security of our further escaping either generall on particular but onely our sound and true repentance not in any formall fashion but unfeignedly humbling our selves and rightly endeavouring to take away all our crying sinnes and to stoope unto the Lord our heavenly father doing in all things as hee requireth that his wrath may be fully appeased towards us That untill this time wee live but under a continuall expectation of the direfull execution of all his terrible plagues denounced in his holy word against us either some such sodaine blow of his vengeance to fall upon us as was intended at the powder Furnace or some cruell or bloody inuasion as in 88. or some such maâ—…acring as was in the yeare 72. at Paris and lately at Nigripelles in France and Heidelbergâ—… in the Palatinate or such cruell and mercilesse proceedings as in Bohemia and sundry other parts of the Church from all which evils and the like we are ever to cry that the Lord may evermore in his endles compassion preserve and keepe us And yet to proceed one degree higher The Lord calles lowd upon us to be think our selves wisely of that judgement which is heavyer then al the former if for our contempt of his Gospell and all other our sinnes hee should suffer us as he hath done others to have our Candlestick removed the blessed Gospell of his Sonne the very life of our lives to be taken from us and the most abominable masse even the abomination of desolation to bee set up in the place of it with all the â—…abble of their cursed Idolatry and all filthy abominations of that Strumpet of Babylon and withal to have the bloody knives of outragious and mercilesse Idolaters at our throats every moment of time which Iesuites and others of them so affected are so manifestly yea so shamelesly and impudently plotting and practising day and night against all the Churches and whereof they have theÌ„selves
hee so oft saved and delivered his people for Moses alone thus importuning him albeit hee have over-just cause to say to us as hee said to Iudah before her Captivitie though Noah Iob and Daniel were amongst us yet they should neyther save sonne nor daughter but even their owne soules yet I say howsoeuer he shall deale in mercy for the generall wee must notwithstanding know undoubtedly that every particular soule that turnes not to God by unfeigned repentance and that prepares not himselfe to come thus to help by his prayers for pardoning the sinnes of the Land and pacisying of the Lords wrath must certainly perish And to conclude this point wee are to meditate likewise seriously how GOD hath principally ordayned and ever used when he would save his people and call and bring them to true repentance to do it in like manner by Kings and Princes or other Rulers stirred up extraordinarily and by the voyce of his true Prophets calling them and his people by them thereunto as by Moses Ioshua Iehosaphat Hezekiah Nehemiah the king of Nineuy and others even when he wold but save them from the present temporall destruction And therefore as we are to pray instantly for all the Rulers in the severall Churches so above all for our dread Soveraigne to whom hee hath given such excellent understanding of his heavenly will and whom he hath bound unto himselfe by so many bonds of such great deliverances the like mercies and favours above all the Kings and Princes of the earth that they may all yet whilst there is time now the Lord calles so lowd vpon them set themselves to enquire wisely into the true causes of the evils already upon the Churches and of those which are further threatned That they may truly consider that all this is from the Lord in his everlasting commiseration and fatherly pitty tendering us as his deere children thus calling us all to a generall and unfeigned repentance that he may spare us and that himself may take our cause in hand against his own and our bloody enemies That they may with holy Iosiah first inquire rightly into all the crying sins in every state and degree within their Dominions and into all the provocations of the wrath of God and see how the sinnes of our time seem to be above the sinnes of Iudah before the Captivity our glorious light and all other meanes which he hath used to reclaime us being rightly weighed And secondly that they may consider wisely of the danger which both themselves and all theyrs yea all their Dominions stand in for the same according to all the Lords most terrible warnings and denounciations And thirdly that they may thinke seriously as in the presence of the Lord and inquire from his mouth of the meanes yet left to pacific and prevent the same And finally that they may set themselves forthwith to put all the same in execution with holy Iosiah and do in all things belonging thereunto as the Lord himselfe directeth and commandeth for that this alone can bring comfort and boldnesse to them and theyrs in assurance of the Lords mercifull love and favour and that they and theirs shall abide still and ever before the presence of the Lord. Thus are we to labour to prevaile espcially for our Soveraigne Lord and his that our God may yet by him magnify the riches of his mercy above all former times bringing thus to us all his Churches a third greater deliverance and cause of rejoycing by his hand through our unfeigned repentance and the like repentance in all the Churches then ever heretofore And thus wee are earnestly according to our bounden dutie to stirre up our hearts by our due meditations to cry for him and to doe what we can both by our prayers and all other holy meanes that all other may ioyne with us herein and that we may never rest wrestling with him weeping untill he have heard us even in this behalfe for the pardoning and taking away our sinnes in what sort soever shall seeme best to his heavenly Maiestie to answere us And thus much for this Meditation The seuenth particular Meditation of the second generall how Sathan exerciseth all his power and tyranny against all the Churches spiritually SEuenthly wee are withall to betake our selves to a serious Meditation and to bring our hearts likewise to a right feeling hereof That as the Lord hath in his iust and heavy displeasure left his poore afflicted Churches and children to be thus pursued by Sathan and driven into the wildernesse so Sathan having gotten them thither he there principally exerciseth his power tyranny against them even spiritually against their seules and consciences so farre as God permits him as well as against their bodies How hee thereby bestirres himselfe to bring them into all spirituall miseries to cause them either to fall away from the Lord Iesus Christ and the soundnesse and sincerity of his heavenly Gospell which they have received professed or to vse dissembling even to deny the Lord Iesus or other vnlawfull meanes for their reliefe and succour thus to wound their weake cōsciences ◅o get more advantage against them both to accuse them before the Lord and so to provoke his Maiesty to leave them up into his hands and even to drive many of them to utter and endless despaire of the Lords helpe succour which is the height of miseries and the very entrance into the lake Or at least which is his usuall manner with every one of us and wherein he can and doth oft prevaile with manie of the deerest Saints and Children of the Lord he settes on them day and night to cause them to doubt of the Lords favor and love of the truth of their Religion the goodnesse of their cause the soundnesse of their Faith and repentance or whether they have any Faith or no seeing hee so leaves them to so many miseries which if hee loved them he would not doe Then hee makes them possess the verie sinnes of their youth setting all of them before their faces which ever they fell into in their whole lives so much as he is able and aggravating every least slip or fayling as if it were the most heynous sin that ever was committed Then through melancholy passions and distempers into which hee can driue thee best by long affliction and by still urging his temptations terrors hee can and useth to cause them to accuse themselves falsely and for those things wherein they are most innocent or for the best things that ever they have done and so can increase their miseryes both bodily and spirituall The right meditation of these and other like miseries which he drives them into m◅st needs cause us to commiserate their poore and wofull estate and the due consideration of the present danger to our selves of the like
accepted as saithfull Abraham and Moses in regard of the high favour in which wee are in through Iesus Christ and that wee are so qualified and fitted as our Saviour requireth of them who are to helpe him in this worke The fourth generall Meditation Concerning the frame and order of our prayers that they likewise may be well pleasing and so we may bee more certaine to prevaile thereby when wee follow in all things our Saviours direction FOr the frame and forme of our prayers that the want therein may not any thing hinder our certaine assurance but contrarily that our right manner ordering framing thereof may increase our strength and confident crying They must bee so framed as neere as wee can at our great Master and Teacher our Lord Iesus Christ hath directed us and then his Soveraigne Majesty who hath saide Pray thus will make them powerfull according to his gratious promise Aske and you shall have and will set to his seale first in our hearts and after manifestly before the world The first particular Meditation of the fourth generall That we pray onely to our heavenly Father in the name of Christ. FIrst wee are carefully to see that our prayers bee directed onely to our heavenly Father and none other and that in the name and mediation of our blessed Saviour our hearts being lifted vp to heaven in confidence of faith through him and in his name and mediation alone and not by the mediation of any Saint or Angell and also without the least looking at our selves for any excellency in our selves or any matter of merit worth or desert in our selves or any other creature for which wee should looke any way to bee heard whereunto our hearts are wonderfully prone and wherein they are exceeding deceiptfull and very hard to bee knowne albeit wee have taken long paines to bring them thereunto The second particular Meditation of the fourth generall That above all and in all wee ayme at Gods glory and the advancement of Christs scepter SEcondly as hee hath taught us in the first place to pray Hallowed be thy name so in and above all things we must ayme at his glory and never rest till wee have a burning zeale thereof so to seeke the advancement of his great name and the comming of his kingdome even that Iesus Christ may raigne in all the world all sorts stooping unto him that thus his elect speedily bee gathered forth and saved Sathan and Antichrist with all his enemies being utterly overthrowne and confounded For seeking first his glory kingdome righteousnesse that is seeking them cheefly and in the first place wee have a certaine assurance from his gracious and faithfull promise That all other things shall be cast upon us as an over measure concerning our selves or ours And herein specially wee are to bee warned for that in this is usually the cheife failling of Gods people and for which hee may justly send us empty away even for looking at our selves more then at his Majesty and the things that concerne his kingdome and honour preferring our selves and our owne particulars and the care of them before the things that concerne his owne glory kingdome and people Though his wisedome hath in his goodnesse so plainly directed us herein beginning and ending with this The seeking of the advancement of his glory and kingdome as being all in all like as indeed it is for that then as was saide when we can so seeke him in order hee will undoubtedly give us our hearts desire and more then wee can imagine neitheir can wee ever assure our selves of any thing as a blessing untill this time For this purpose and the certaintie hereof read carefully the first of Haggai and consider it well how this selfe-love makes us forget the first and great Commandement Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart soule strength and might c. and so to loose the obtaining of those things which otherwise we might certainly injoy The third particular Meditation of the fourth generall That wee seeke the doing of his heavenly will for his glory and kingdome chiefly THirdly we are to labour to bring our hearts hereunto That the accomplishing of his heavenly will whatsoever he hath determined chiefly iâ—… things that concerne his glory and kingdome and the good of his Church and Children bee sought by us in the first place and afterwardes in all things belonging to our selves That to these ends all his will and good pleasure which he hath been or shall bee pleased to make knowne unto us may be done by us and all his people and that as chearfully wisely faithfully and couragiously as the Angels doe it in heaven The fourth particular Meditation of the fourth generall That we seeke all good things from God alone chiefly that wee may have wherewith to honour him and advance his kingdome FOurthly in the fourth place wee are to meditate how wee are to travell with our owne hearts to seeke our daily bread from him not for our selves but for these ends principally That he will be pleased to feed us and to minister unto us from heaven all things needfull and behouefull hereunto both for our selves and for all our brethren that wee may not live to our selves but to his heavenly Majesty alone who hath redeemed and saved us for this purpose The fift particular Meditation of the fourth generall and so of the sixt and seventh together FIftly wee are seriously to consider how wee are to pray That to these ends likewise chiefly and for these causes hee will forgive our sinnes and the sinnes of his people that they may not hinder his mercy nor these our prayers in any of the things which wee are taught to beg of his heavenly Majesty nor yet provoke his wrath against us but having put them away by his Christ hee may for his sake tender us as his owne Children and heare us in all things concerning his glory and kingdome and also for our owne necessitie and happinesse and the good of his people 6. And finally that for his glory sake hee will save us from Sathan and from all the evils which hee intends and seeks to bring upon us for our sinnes and whereby he seekes to dishonour the Lord provoke him against us and to hinder all these mercies and to bring all contrary miseries and evils upon us and upon the Church 7. How in all these still wee are ever to seeke for his owne glory and the merit of his dearly beloved Sonne ever beginning and ending here with And that our Lord Iesus Christ may shew himselfe gloriously both Lord and King exercising all his Soveraignty Dominion and Power for vs all that so hee may bee glorified by us and by all the Churches and also glorifie us with himselfe for evermore And thus much also for the
dull of hearing hee hath hardened their hearts least they should see with their eies and heare with their eares and convert and be saved And yet more for a further execution of his just and most heavy displeasure upon such as so harden and fatte themselves against his most terrible threats thus dreadfully doth the holy Ghost bring in the Prophet David denouncing Gods vengeance against them saying Let their table bee a snare and a net and a stumbling block for a recompence unto them These therefore especially all blind watchmen crying Peace Peace and all is well and so lulling themselves and all others asleepe call for all the Beasts of the forrest to destroy even for all the cruell enemies of Christ his true Church to invade and make havocke of all the rest of the Churches as of some others they have done before How then should these pray for the Churches when they cannot either see or heare any token of Gods wrath so as to cause them to seeke to appease it or pray for themselves how should they then pray for others especially for those whom in their hearts they scorne onely because they feare and put their trust in the Lord alone The third particular reason hereof to be throughly meditated of THirdly wee are in feare and trembling to Meditate How all the threatnings in the booke of God which are against those sinnes wherin they live impenitently against the light of their owne hearts against such sinners are against them and particularly those which are against such as will not submit themselves to walke in obedience to all the Commandements and ordinances of the Lord but will walke stubbornely against him though it bee but in any one sin That he will walke stubbornly against them and the like denuntiations a◅ those Levit. 26. 14. 15. 23. 24. Deut. 28. 15. 21. c. 47. 48. Deut. 29. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. c. But not so much as any one promise from the beginning of Genesis to the end of the Revelation which they can take hold of as belonging to themselves so long as they continue so to walke They are manifestly excluded from medling with the Covenant of God Psal. 50. from verse 16. to the end of it But unto the wicked said God what hast thou to doe to take my Covenant into thy mouth seeing thou hatest to bee reformed and hast cast my Covenant behind thee When thou sawest a theefe thou didst runne with him and thou hast beene partaker with the Adulterers c. Where he reckoning up some particular sinnes sheweth plainly that every such sin lived in obstinately and with delight utterly excludes from all comfort in the Covenant of Grace and mercy in Christ. And that they onely who offer to God praise and unfeignedly indeavour to pay their vowes unto him that is to yeild to him a perfect intire obedience have the promise and comfort of the Covenant These may call upon him in the day of trouble comming with confidence to the Throne of Grace and lifting up pure hands without staggering or doubting and hee will hear them that they may glorifie him accordingly But otherwise be they never so forward in profession and let them never so much thereupon flatter themselves yet they shall heare this insteed of any comfort I know you not depart from me ye that worke iniquitie How then can they imagine to be accepted in this worke or that God should vouchsafe so much as to heare others praying for them that they may be saved until they turne and submit themselves wholly unto him We ought therfore to labour to bring our hearts to be able with feare and trembling to heare and receive that sweet counsell of the Lords Psal. 50. 22. Oh consider this ye that forget God lest I teare you in peeces and there be none that can deliver you He that offereth me praise shall glorifie me and to him that disposeth his way aright will I sh◅w the salvation of God That is onely to such a one The 4. particular Reason hereof to be thorowly laid to heart FOurthly wee are in feare and trembling to lay this further to heart How everie notorious sinner though it be but in one onely sinne helpes to pull downe the vengeance of God upon all and to hinder the prayers of all the rest so much as the sin of one man can do as was noted before Like as Achan did by his Sacriledge yea if it bee but in flying for feare from his office injoyned by the Lord for the saving of his people or neglecting it as Ionah for whose sinne the storme could not be stayed untill hee vvas cast into the Sea And much more all they who wallowing in their wickedness doe call good evill and evill good light darkness and darkness light For that these as they hale on iniquity as with cart-ropes so they violently draw downe the vengeance of God upon all as much as such sinners can Eyther the Waters of the old world as did the Gyants before the Flood if they be such or fire brimstone as did the filthie Sodomites if they live in those sins of theyrs as namely in Pride fulness of Bread aboundance of Idleness not regarding to strengthen the handes of the poore Or finally if they be but any way Oppressours or Spoylers of Gods people and Children their sinnes crye for other Oppressors Spoylers in Gods just vengeance to be sent to oppress and spoile them and theirs as it came fearefully to pass in the Captivitie And therefore thus haling down vengeance how can they pray to turne it away The Fift reason heereof to be seriously meditated of FIftly wee are to strive to bee thoroughly touched with the right understanding lively feeling hereof That they who have no mercie nor compassion on their Brethren in their miseries bodily or spirituall can looke for no mercy nor compassion And much more they who add affliction to the affliction of them whom God hath wounded whereas they should affoord comfort to them as lively feeling members of the same true mysticall body of our Lord Iesus Christ yea all who do but stand on the other side in the day of their Brethrens miseries and doe not at least with faithfull Abraham pray earnestly for them as hee for them of Sodome Yea which is more dreadfull if they doe not to the uttermost of their power as God cals them and offers them opportunitie and meanes adventure thēselves for their Brethren carryed away captives to the dishonor of the Lord and the shame of his whole Church and Gospell they can looke for no commiseration no not in their owne extreamest calamities though they howl upon their beds in the feare or feeling of their miseryes or roare and tumble as wilde Bulles taken in nets much less can they hope to be admitted to this holy worke thus to helpe the Lord before they
this great imployment and of the contrary the miserable and wofull condition of all who any way exclude themselves yea of all who do not seeke to helpe herein And withall how notwithstanding all these things the Lord excludes none save only those who as was saide exclude themselves but that he cals to all and would have all to addresse themselves and to be meete and ready to assist joyne with him herein and that therefore all those who will not doe their uttermost indeavour to prepare and fit themselves are justly damned even for this for refusing to come to helpe him and his poore people in their distresse when hee so cals on them to come and for joyning with Sathan and Antichrist his sworne enemie even against his heavenly Majesty To make it plaine to every soule that he cals every one hereunto â—…ach is to consider well these reasons following That hee cals all to every one of these dutyes mentioned in all these Meditations before and especially to these which now follow 1. That he cals all to bee on his part in the earth that ever will bee with him in glory 2. That hee cals all to regard him in his poore members to the end of the world as when he is hungry to feede him c. To shew mercie if ever they will find mercy 3. Hee cals all to repentance every one to turne from his evill way in every kinde and much more from all those notorious abhominations which brought the wrath of God uppon Iudah and upon other impenitent sinners in former Ages and for which hee denounceth his vengeance and likewise hee calleth all to awake forth of all their security wherein they sleepe if ever they hope to scape his heavy indignation so to meete him with intreaty of peace yâ— they may be fit to helpe to stand in the breach That he cals to this end even Publicans Harlots Scorners of all sorts hee stretcheth out his hands to gaine-sayers and rebels yea to the most notorious sinners that live upon the earth thus protesting to every particular soule As I live I delight not in the death of a sinnor but rather that hee repent and live 4. Hee cals all to walke humbly in his Covenant that he may performe all hts promises unto them and turne away all his heavy denuntiations Of which Covenant these are the very principall parts to love him above all and our neighbour as 〈◊〉 selfe 3. Hee cals every one so to pray as hee hath directed and commanded and that for all his owne causes chiefly as namely the causes which concerne his glory kingdome and people and therefore every one should labour to be such a one as can so pray whereby hee makes it manifest to all that hee 〈◊〉 none at all but would have all learne so to pray and to bee fitted thereunto 6. That every generall promise of mercy in all the booke of God cals us hereto as the promises of forgetting our sinnes and not remembring our iniquities any more and this without limitation of time but at what time soeuer it be that a sinner converts or without any exceptiof any sinne save only of that vnpardonable sinne the malicious oppugning persecuting of all the knowne truth of God and without exception of any person and bids all but harken and their soule shall live if they can but see the brazen Serpent beleeve in our Saviour hunger thirst and cry after him 7. So doth every example of Gods mercy in receiving repentant sinners as of Manasses Saul Mary Magdalen the repentant Thiefe upon the Crosse the joy that is in heaven for the conversion of a poore sinner the high favour that upon their unfeigned repentance such poore wretches may know themselves to bee in with God That where sinne hath abounded there grace abounds much more and never any so comming rejected Three more speciall Meditations to this end That the wise consideration of them may never go forth of our hearts untill we be of this number ABove all the former the Lord would have every poore soule to meditate most seriously and in their most secret thoughts of these three things following that the wise consideration of them may never bee from before their eies nor the sound of them out of their eares untill they be of this number The first Meditation to this end to be seriously pondered That our Lord Iesus stands continually at the heart of every impenitent sinner to enter in 1 HOw our Lord Iesus Christ hath stood at the doore of their hearts all the daies of their life calling them to repentance to know feare love obey beleeve in him and that by the loud voyce both of every one of his Creatures of his mercies and iudgments And more specially at the hearts of all in his Church by his heavenly word which he hath sent unto them by all the admonitions exhortations reproofes threatnings promises the like that ever he hath vouchsafed unto them by the ministry of his Servants grounded upon the same word and also by the holy Sacraments as namely by their Baptisme by which hee hath beene still teaching and calling upon them even from their cradles to beleeve in him and to serve him only according to his blessed Commandement to fight under his banner for that they are such as hee hath Redeemed with a great price and are not their owne and also by the holy Communion of his body and blood wherein as our Saviour gives or at least offers himselfe wholly to them so they give againe themselves wholly unto him And not onely so but by the good motions of his blessed Spirit and that so oft as they have felt in themselves holy purposes of amendment and turning unto the Lord. How now at this very time he still stands knocks louder and louder then ever heretofore by all the tokens of his heavy displeasure against the severall Churches all the rage and malice which is against the whole true Church of Christ yea against every soule professing his name sincerely as they ought And so by every of those speciall favours which wee injoy or which wee hereafter looke for from him and even by this very helpe and all others which he offers unto us for our right and unfeigned meeting him before his wrath bee wholly powerd out upon us and for our true humiliation under his hand and stooping to him in all things More particularly THat hee stands at thy heart whosoever thou art that readest or hearest this or the like admonition crying unto thee that thou wouldest now repent unfeignedly of each thy fearefull sinnes namely of thy hardnesse of heart and impenitency in them whereby thou hast so long kept out thy Lord and Saviour and onely made thy heart an
Children in him being so begotten by that lively word and having upon us all the evident markes of thy Children Grant us therefore Oh gracious Father now in these our daies of peace whilst thou vouchsafest us the meanes of thy heavenly Gospell to give all diligence to make it sure that we are thy Children thy deere Children yea thy Children to whom thy heavenly kingdome appertaineth having and bearing upon us all the lively markes and badges of thy Children Above all grant us this heavenly mindednesse that our chiefe thoughts may bee upon thee our heavenly Father our care may bee above all things how to please thee doing in the meane while only the things which thou requirest casting all our cares for those daies and for whatsoever the enemie can do upon thy Majesty alone and into thy bosome learning every day more and more to waine our affections from this world and the things of this world and to set them wholly above where thy Sonne sitteth at thy right hand Lord perswade our hearts and make us able to perswade one another that by all the power and liberty that thou hast permitted unto Sathan to all his instruments and by all the persecutions and afflictions that are upon all the Churches and also by whatsoever threatnings of thine against thy Children yea whatsoever mischievous designes are intended against thy poore Church or what danger soever it is in thorow that extreame fury of Sathan and Antichrist and all their instruments thou art yet still preparing all thy Children to meete thee in a sound humiliation with strong cries and teares for all our offending thee and for grieving thy holy Spirit by all our former security and neglect of thee and of the riches of thy favours vouchsafed unto us Grant us all this grace therefore as thine obedient and loving Children in all things to submit our selves under thy Fatherly hand to turne joyntly to thy Covenant and renew the same in all faithfulnesse to take away all the divisions that have bene amongst us which thorow our long peace and wantonnes Sathan hath wrought to the destroying of us all if it were possible Vouchsafe good Father that we may doe this so effectually that thou maist be as much pleased in reuniting us againe and in our Brotherly love and agreement as ever thou hast beene displeased in our divisions and dissentions and Sathan and his instruments in seeing our holy unity and agreement may bee as much dismaied and put out of heart for ever prevailing against us as by the contrary and by all their prosperous successe as they imagine they have bene animated and incouraged to our ruine and destruction That so wee may all sing with one heart and voice Behold how good and happy a thing it is Brethren to dwell together in unity Lord manifest thy glory even the glory of thy wisedome power mercy and truth heerein in making us joyntly to looke and cry to thee for all these things and whatsoever thou in thy infinite wisedome knowest necessary for us in this behalfe or for any member of thy whole Church for Iesus Christ his sake our only Lord and Saviour IX A Thanksgiving to God according to the first petition of the Lords prayer for causing his glorie to breake forth so wonderfully now in this last Age of the world in delivering his Churches thus farre out of Egypt and Babilon with a confession of our unworthinesse and an earnest prayer that wee may never dishonour him by locking thither againe nor provoke him by our sinnes to give us up to that heavie iudgement and likewise for the diliverie of all the rest of his Israel in his due time and that he may never leave us untill hee have brought us all into his heavenly Canaan OH Lord most holy and most glorious open our blinde eies touch our hard and stony hearts and the hearts of all thy true Churches and people in all the world whom thou hast called forth to bee thy people that wee may bee able to see and consider aright the exceeding honour and dignity which thou hast laid upon us and to shew forth our thankfulness to thy heavenly Majesty accordingly Make us able to consider show thou hast vouchsafed to take us so nere unto thy selfe as to make vs thine owne peculiar people of all the people of the earth to set and confirme the Covenant with us of life and glory and how to this end thou hast brought us out of that spirituall Aegypt and Babilon from that bondage and tyranny of Sathan and Antichrist Make us to consider and rightly to understand how by great deliverances and iudgements thou hast carried us thorow the sea and thorow the wildernesse and shewed thy selfe unto us in thy glorious ordinances leading us by thy statutes and commandements and by the workes of thy providence protection direction chastisement blessings as thou diddest thy people Israel by the pillar of the fire and the pillar of the cloud Give us hearts ever to remember how thou hast sought for us from heaven so as all the earth hath sâ—…ene and heard of thy glory and hast carried us as upon Eagles wings and now brought us to the very frontiers of thy heavenly Canaan and made us to see tast of the riches happinesse and glory of it in thy sacred Gospell Oh our blessed God most gracious and most dreadfull make us and all thy people to bee afraid of ever having any thought of turning backe so much as in our hearts or of ever having a looke towards Aegypt or Sodome againe towards any part of that Popery or Popish superstition and Idolatry that abhominable drudgery under Sathan and Antichrist from which thou hast so graciously delivered us Oh never suffer us to admit of any imagination or so much as one motion of comparing the Leekes Onions Garlicke of Aegypt with the hid Manna of thy sacred Law and heavenly Gospell Albeit we heare and see their â—…age and fury and the power of all their armies banding themselves against us either to swallow us up at once or els to persue us into the heart of the sea yet keepe us that wee never rebell against thee thinking to turne backe from thee to goe into Aegypt againe distrusting thy truth thy presence and power Cause us Oh gracious Father wisely to consider of and ever to have this as before our eies that of all dishonors done unto thy heavenly Majesty thou canst least indure this chiefly after so long triall and experience which thou hast given us of thy power goodnesse and mercy towards us That this sinne alone may justly make thee sweare in thy wrath that wee shall never enter into thy rest Make all them that have dishonoured thee in this high kinde sinning thus against thy glorious Majesty to know for certaine that without
burdens upon thee at all times and also by our rejoycing alwayes in thee as in our good God that thou takest care for us and by being heereby full of Christian chearfulnes and courage against all the oppositions and feares that ever wee shall or can meeâ—…e with in this our journey towards Canâ—…an as thy worthiest servants have bene wont to be Oh magnifie thy power and goodnesse in shedding out thy love so aboundantly upon all thy Churches and every member thereof and so manifesting it before the world that in the true sense and feeling of it in our hearts and our lively faith in thee wee may all joyntly manifest the fervent love wee returne unto thy Majesty by our unfeigned love of every one of thy blessed CommandemeÌ„ts and our fervent desire to thy statutes to walke in them all without reproofe yea by our ardent affection towards all thy ordinances and servants onely for thy cause Good Lord cause the fervent zeale that wee have towards thy name to appeare before the world in the vehement griefe and indignation that we have for all yâ— dishonors done unto thy heavenly Majesty by trampling under feete thy blessed Commandements thy religion and servants and the injuryes and contumelyes done against any of them and so likewise by our study and holy indeavour by all meanes to promote thy true religion and causes and by our vehement hatred of whatsoever is offensive to thy holinesse that we may set up nothing in our heartes but thy Majesty and those things which thou lovest accounting all other as drosse and dung in regard of thy holinesse yea even life it selfe if it hinder us from injoying or obeying thee Cause thy glory to rest herein upon all the Churches and upon all thy poore afflicted servants that upon the assurance of thy love and that thou art our gracious God we may honour thee in shewing forth all holy patience with all cheerfullnesse even in the middest of all our tryals that howsoever thou maiest seeme to be displeased with us and to frowne upon us yea to favour our enemies in all their proceedings and to give us up into their hands to let them to be lords over us and make us a prey to their teeth yet our eye may bee still at thee at thy love wisedome and faythfulness knowing that whatsoeuer thou doest to us thou doest it but to humble us for our security and for all other our greevous sinnes and to prove us that thou art certainely disposing all to our greatest comfort in the end and thus to prepare our way unto thy heavenly Ierusalem That thus we all may ever possess our soules in patience and waite for the happy issue both of all our owne trialles and of all the trialles of thy Church and people and bee alwayes able to say with holy Iob though thou shouldst kill us or leave us utterly and wholly unto the pleasures and lustes of our enemyes yet we will still trust in thee approoving our wayes in thy sight that heereby we may make it manifest to the faces of all our enemyes that we are certainly assured that nothing can separate us from thy love and that thou canst not forsake faile or forget us whatsoever 〈◊〉 the present thou doe unto us Yeâ—… oh most blessed God cause thy glory yet to shine more clearly uppon all the Churches and upon everyone of us that are thy true servants and children indeed in this behalfe that though the wicked feare thee not but seek to drive all the true feare of thy Majestie even out of our hearts likewise as out of their owne and do therefore hate and persecute us so farre as thou permits them onely because we feare thee and put our truâ—…t in thy mercy yet we may feare thee so much more with a true holy childe-like feare that we may ever and especially now in these evill dayes labour to live alwaies as in thy presence and as in the verie eye of thy all-seeing Majestie Grant good Lord that we may bee able thus to walke with thee constantly until we shall be translated hence and with holy Noah to endevour to be still more righteous in our generation and to be daily building our Arkes to save our selves and Families and all other that we can get into the same from the floud of thy vengeance that is rushing upon al the world of the wicked And albeit the world scorn and deride us dayly for it and though we be the onely talk and hatred of the wicked and as men appointed and designed to death onely for this our feare of thee in the bloody hopes of thine and our proud enemyes yet cause us heerein to honour thee that we may not feare the faces of them while we walke in thy blessed Commandements and do onely as thou requirest of us but that by the might and power of thy heavenly Spirit we may bee more full of all Christian corage as the three worthy Children of the Captivitie as good Daniel and holy Nehemiah And yet more also enable us heerein likewise to honour thee before the world and to shew openly before men and Angels that we have set thee uppe in our hearts to be our God even by walking humbly with thee that thogh the world regard thee not but thou art farre above out of their sight and though they doe band themselves agaynst thee against thy heavenly word and servants yea thogh they scorne al thy judgments and threatnings as the Gyants before the flood and as proud Pharao and Herod did yet we may all walke ever in all humility and lowlinesse of Spirit before thee Make us ever to have before our faces thy glorious excellencie and our own vilenesse thy holinesse and our sinnefulnesse and that not only by the fall of our first Parents and by the whol course of our sinful lives and also the power subtilty and malice of Sathan against us to destroy us each moment without thy speciall preservation mercie but even for the very corruption of our sinfull natures which still dwell in us that bodie of death which would carrie us to destruction yea even to hell it selfe every minute if thou in the riches of thy mercy shouldest not restraine it and shouldest not cover all our sinnes yea keep and uphold us Oh give us hearts that herein wee may all magnifie thy great name in giving unto thee as is thy due all the glory of our standing perseverance in grace and of every good thing that ever we enjoy acknowledging from our soules that they are all the free gifts of thy rich mercy and that we are not worthy any of them nay that we are much lesse then the least of them as thy deerest servants have beene wont to do And good Lord heerein make us specially able to give thee thy glory in being thorowly humbled and in mourning continually for all the heynous sinnes
whereby thou hast bene and art still dayly more and more provoked against the Churches for all the dishonours done unto thy great name that we may bee every one as righteous Lot in Sodome and as the mourners before the Captivitie and as those worthy servants of thine both Ezra Nehemiah and Daniel untill we shall see againe the setting up of thy glory and Gospell thy gracious countenance shining upon all the Churches and the full delivery of thy deere Children out of the hands of their most mercilesse bloody enemies Oh grant that hereby our eyes may bee open to see aright both who they are that truly honour thee by having thee their God as they ought in setting thee thus up in their hearts in every one of these respects and who are heereby truly thankefull for their great deliverance from Aegypt and Babylon yea from Sathan and eternal damnation Heare us for Iesus Christ his sake our only Lord and Saviour Another Prayer according to the first Commandement OH Lord most glorious and most blessed as we intreate thee to manifest who they are which truely honour thee having set thee uppe in their harts as their God make us able by these likewise to discerne of the greatnesse of the sinne of all the Churches when after so long a time there yet appeareth so little true saving knowledge of thy Majesty but that such a grosse and palpable darkness is upon the most congregations and places that the people are ready to receyue any errors broached amongest them and that so great a part of thy people seeme now much more ready to receyve Popery and superstition agayne then to stand forth for the maintayning thy heavenly Gospell with the losse of any thing for it and so verie many thereby so forward to put their neckes under the yoake of Antichrist againe rejecting the sweete yoake of Iesus Christ. When there is also such a world of Atheisme as that so many both in Court Countrey live as if there vvere no God no heaven no judgement no place of torment Such multitudes perishing daily for lacke of this knowledge living as without Christ being ignorant of all saving knowledge of him and so goe hoodwinked to hell worse then the Oxe that knoweth his owner Make us able heereby to consider aright how justlie thou mayest bee provoked agaynst the Churches for our wonderfull unbeleefe and mayest even give us up into our enemies hands for the same when there are so meruailous few to be found in all the Churches who shewe forth their saving knowledge of thy Majesty and faith in thee by their conversations by making a right conscience of every one of thy blessed Commandements to obey them or of thy judgements or threats to restrayne them from sinne or of thy sweete promises and mercyes to bee encouraged thereby to runne more cheerefully in the narrow way of life but all sorts except the small remnant full of prophanenesse or extreme licentiousnesse Oh make us to behold that carnall confidence which so possesseth all almost generally that in steed of honouring thee by having set thee up to bee our onely confidence and strength we do trust in vanity making flesh our arme either relying upon our wit our policy and counsell or other like meanes by all which as our hearts are withdrawne from thee so we have and do bring a fearefull curse uppon our selves making these our gods Lord make us able to consider of this more seriously of the truth heereof by this one thing that in all our straites and feares we so little run unto thy Majesty to seeke thy face and helpe in the first place by humbling our souls before thee and seeking to pacifie thy wrath as wee ought but only looke to the outward meanes as relying uppon them alone or principally And Lord we intreat thee to shew us in our harts and to set plainly before our faces how in all the rest of these holy duties we have provoked thee alike how in steede of taking to heart the dishonors done unto thy heavenly Majesty and being zealous for thy glory we have bene and are so generally either starke cold or luke-warme as the â—…odicean that thou mayest justly spewe us out of thy mouth or at least that wee are so mervailously decayed and falne from our first love Lord give us harts to consider of our most heynous sin in this behalfe that in steede of so loving thee thy truth and servants as we should do if we had set thee up truely in our soules and consciences as our God we have almost everie one set up some other thing which wee manifest plainly that we have and do love and preferre before thy glorious holinesse as having our affections set thereon much more then on thy heavenly Majesty and for obtaining or injoying whereof we are not afraid to indanger our selves to loose thy favour as some of us our children and friends to make them great others our pleasures to take our delight and satiate our selves in them others of us and that very generally the riches pompe honour and wealth of the world and all of us except some little remnant preferring our owne selves our owne honor â—…ase peace and safety and whatsoever is most pleasing unto us before thy glorious Majestie and thy heavenly Commandements Lord make us able to see how we have and do prouoke thee generally to powre out thy wrath upon us all some of us by grosse disobedience and obstinacie against some one or other of these thy Sacred Commandements if not all of them wherein soever they crosse the corruption of ouâ—… owne hearts and that against the verie light of our owne consciences although thou hast told us plainly that this hath bene and is nothing els but rebellion against thee and as the sinne of witch craft in thy eies How others of us dishonour thee by our timerousnes fearing the faces of men more then thy glorious face and thereuppon doing or forbearing good or evill onely for feare of man wherein wee have and do commit manifest Idolatry making Gods of men and setting them up in thy place How others of us tempt thee by presuming upon thy mercy to bee bold to sin because thou art so mercifull though thou hast told us directly that thou wilt not be mercifull to such Yea which is yet a higher degree good Lord Make us to see how many amongst us in â—…teed of having so set thee up as our God in our hearts of being continually humbled before thy glorious Majestie for all our sinnes and provocations have added fuell to the kindling and inflaming thy wrath against us as all amongst us who have set our selves against thy Word thy judgements or servants even with an high hand as if it were in despight of thy Majesty and even in defiance of thee Oâ—… make us to see and acknowledge all our sinnes
Religion â—…end wholly to â—…ke us faithfull and loyall subjects to pray for our Kings Princes and to have them in our hearts to dye and 〈◊〉 live with sâ—…r them and that we dare not have an evill thought against the Lords Annoynted but yâ— in our patienâ—… sufferings they may see their duties their devotions â—…ending through the subtilty of Sathan and the Iesuites to make them cleane contrary and to carry false and tray toâ—… hearts against the Lords Annoynted unlesse the Lord 〈◊〉 wondefully over-rule â—…hem by his holy Spirit For they must of necessity bee so 〈◊〉 for maintaining 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 devotions and obeying their directors and ghostly fathers as to 〈◊〉 to destroy whatsoever 〈◊〉 hinder it to accoâ—… 〈◊〉 a most meritorious act to destroy all 〈◊〉 principally the chiefe of them Make them to weigh this with themselves how our devotions are made with understanding and so in faith and with a holy zeale without vaine repititions their 's without all understanding in a blinde devotion with 〈◊〉 babling repetition which thou condemnest and 〈◊〉 Finally Good Lord cause them all at length in mercy to understand how our devotions are such as helpe us to live a true Christian life in the practise of all the duties of piety and righteousnesse in examining our spirituall groweth in grace in heavenly meditations and contemplations praiers thanksgivings and the like all directing us to place our whole confidence for our salvation and whatsoever else onely upon thy rich mercy in Iesus Christ ascribing all our salvation to him and his merite alone their 's instead of these workes of piety are in their Masses Dirâ—… and Letanies even to Saints numbring and repeating upon their beads their 〈◊〉 Nosters Creeds Ave Maries and such other and that in an unknowne tongue without any understanding or right edification So likewise good Lord make them to see and considâ—… withall how they set their confidence in these and other their superstitions workes namely and principally in the merite of the virgin Marie and of other Saints in Indulgences and Pardons even for thâ—… 〈…〉 a num ber of such 〈◊〉 lying vanities whereupon when they come to their death 〈…〉 beth â—…ke themselves a 〈◊〉 more seâ—…ously they are fâ—…igne to câ—… away all 〈…〉 all these and to accounâ—… 〈◊〉 losse and dung 〈…〉 onely upon 〈◊〉 Christ if then they â—…y 〈…〉 â—…ercy by him Yea 〈…〉 to consider well 〈◊〉 timâ—… â—…w if ever thou open 〈◊〉 eyes 〈…〉 they 〈◊〉 then cast all these away 〈◊〉 detestation as 〈◊〉 iâ—… 〈…〉 and rest onely upon Christ 〈◊〉 Christ 〈…〉 ever thou 〈…〉 that meâ—…y 〈…〉 all good 〈◊〉 〈…〉 more time they 〈◊〉 oâ—… 〈◊〉 spend in these 〈…〉 more they haâ—…â—…nd 〈…〉 increase their sinne and make their condemnation the heavier and that one houre yea one minute spent in true devotion onely in the name of Christ calling upon him or thee the Father through him with the repentant Theefe upon the crosse shall bee better unto them then a thousand yeare spent in their superstitious manner And for this cause Oâ—…â—…ere Father seeing by their doctrines and devotions they can neuer have that true iustisying and saying faith whereby they might bee made partakerâ—… of â—…esus Christ and so â—…e thy children having thy 〈◊〉 and love and doing such workes as are pleasing 〈◊〉 unto thee but 〈◊〉 they doe by all 〈◊〉 scorne and persecute 〈◊〉 â—…aith make them all which belong to thy eternall election to know their wofull estate how they must all needs still remaine in the estate of nature and so of damnation untill they repent and turne to our Church againe Cause them Oh most holy and gracious Father to apprehend this and to bee warned in time that seeing their Religion cannot stand or continue 〈◊〉 it bee supported and holden up by lying and murder and that these two are and have beene ever the principall adâ—…ancers of it iâ—… aâ—… Ages and Countryes that this is notoriously knowne to all who will not shâ—…t their eyes And moreover â—…eing thâ—… this is also their doctrine so to promote and advance it That that Religion is undoubtedly of the devill and that our Saviour himselfe hath in mercy so forewarned them of it that they may get them out of Babylon and stand farre from it for feare of her burning and that they may escape her torment Lord make them able to concâ—… that these things being so as their owne hearts must needs beare witnesse if they will suffer their eyes to be opened they must of necessity renounce that Religion or else prosesse themselves to bee of their father the devill as much as ever were the Iewes who sought so to kill our Saviour and that they will 〈◊〉 his workes wittingly and obstinately fighting against thee our blessed Lord and Captaine and against all thy armyes to their utter perdition Good Father make them able to thinke what they will do at that day when thy Son Christ Iesus shall come to take vengeance of all his enemies when all the Kings and greatest Monarchs of the earth who have not helped him and his 〈◊〉 to the advancement of his heavenly Gospell shall â—…ry to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and mountaines to fall upon them and cover them from the face of the Lambe and of him that 〈◊〉 upon the throne â—…hen the 〈◊〉 their â—…ther 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and all his children that have bene deceived by him â—…nd especially they wâ—…o haâ—… 〈◊〉 for him against ouâ—… 〈◊〉 Iesus Christ and his 〈◊〉 must beâ—… 〈◊〉 and boâ—… and â—…ast 〈◊〉 him into thâ—… 〈◊〉 that 〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉 and brimstone to bee 〈◊〉 with him for evermoâ—…e Lord make them to consider of all these things in time to weigh well our 〈◊〉 of life and their way of life our rulâ—… of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 devotions and their rule of prayers and devotions to weigh and try them in the 〈◊〉 of the Sanctuary whether will outweigh and whether are more agreeable to thy holy word whereby they and wee all must bee weighed and judged So vouchsafe this grace to all other who are wavering or doubting to thinke seriously of all these things to try them all by thy blessed word by that true weight that heavenly fire which will consume all their timber hay stubble Make them to bee afraid of conferring with or hearâ—…ening to the Serpent their Iesuites or other Semiâ—…ary Prests who all holding the same head their holy Father the Pope must needs bee â—…ll lâ—…d and inspired by the same spirit whatsoever shâ—…wes they make of the contrary Give them grace to be warned by the example of our first mother and keeping thy watch to goe to thee first by instant praier in all doubts and difficulties as Daniel did and after to conferre with thy heavenly word and with thy faithfull Ministers servants for resolution therein Above all grant unto all of us
thankfulnesse of heart humbly acknowledge before thy sacred Majesty how wee especially in this sinfull Nation with us many other and namely all thy chosen flocke among us are bound unto thy sacred Majesty for the admirable setting up and the wonderfull preservation of thine Annoynted servant our dread Soveraigne of all his Royall progeny with every of thy deliverances and mercyes which thou hast heeretofore vouchsafed by them or as yet dost through them most graciously offer unto us all upon our unfeigned repentance and true turning to thee Lord make us ever to bee wisely pondering of thy divine and Fatherly providence even in every one of these which hath bene so sensible that our very enemies have taken notice of it and so give thee glory acknowledging thy hand in them Diddst thou not Oh good Lord at the very naming of thy Royall Servant to be our Lord and King deliver us all from the hand of our Brother Esau even from all those who had long vowed our death and thirsted after our blood Diddest thou not thereby cast such a terror upon all thine and all thy Churches enemies as that the feare of him and of thy people fell upon them all that not so much as adogge wag'd his tongue against any of thy servants though our sinnes had long before cryed for such a vengeance as they had threatned And afterward when wee had so provoked thee againe by our impenitency and by al our unthankfullnesse manifested in the breach of our renewed vowes and Covenants as that wee were indangered to bee consumed at once by that fiery furnace made like Nebuchadnezzars large and wide or much more terrible by thine and our most mercilesse enemies stirr'd up against us in thy wrath yet diddst not thou againe deliver us and pluck us forth even as the three children of the Captivity and cast in sundry of our enemies for us Diddest thou not also principally worke this as by the hand of thine Annoynted not suffering him to rest untill all our deliverance was wrought And hast thou not both before and since that time given unto him many great deliverances and in all his preservations still preserved us all especially us of this Nation together with all our blessings of so much peace and prosperity as wee still injoy in the middest of the calamities of the other Churches And above all hast thou not thus continued thy heavenly Gospell the life of our lives which hath bene so removed from other Countries together with their outward blessings so as thou hast made him to this day the very breath of our nosethrils and that through him wee injoy all these our mercies as under our vine and figtree and by him givest us new and most blessed hope that wee shall injoy them perpetually Lord these are mercies and favours never to bee forgotten of us Good Lord set them ever before our eyes And for our gracious Prince besides all his and our former deliverances hopes in and by him hast thou not made him to bee to us as Ioseph and disposed of all his journey and of his dangers in it to the greatest discovery of the devices of our adversaries and overturning the hopes of all our wicked enemies Never suffer us to forgett how thou revivedst the hatts of us all making us to breake out into joyfull Triumphes praises when thou hadst caused us to see his face againe delivering him from so many perils as our sins had brought him and â—…s into and those dangers of all sorts both by sea and land yea both bodily and spirituall Lord make us able to give thee thy due glory heerein that thou sitting at the sterne hast disposed of all that journey and all those adventures to the admired improvement of all thy rich guifts and graces in thy Royall servant caused him to see the vilenesse of that most odious superstition and Idolatry which thy soule so much abhorreth and which hee otherwise had never so well understood That thou hast taught us all to know by most happy experience what the power of the prayers of thy people is when they are sent up with an united force that they are able to open the Iron doores and to breake in sunder the gates of brasse to make way for thy children and chosen clocke to passe through the middest of all thine and their mortall enemies Lord make us to lay it wisely to heart how thou hast made him so much more hereby the future expectation and rejoycing of Israel under thine Annoynted servant And likewise for that perelesse Princesse Lord make us all able wisely to consider what another crowne of glory thou hast set upon her head even in her lowest abasement which thou hast brought her unto for the sins of thy people that she should thus excell in al true renowne and fame of all Christian and truely Heroike vertues above all the Princes of the earth that thou hast made her a Mirrour to all of her sex at this day in all the world Oh suffer us never to forget that wonderfull preservation of her when thou deliveredst herâ—… at the Powder Treason from those cruell Nimrods the bloody hunters the reedifiers of Babell who had in their account made a prey of her in a speciall manner by her to have accomplished all their hellish ends and most mercilesse designes against our whole Nation and against all thy poore Churches and people Let it never slip out of our minde that howsoever thou hast suffered her againe to be chased and pursued as a Doe before the hunters yet thou preservedst her in a miraculous manner with that illustrious Prince and all their Royall seed and hast made them most fruitfull in the midst of all their trials and temptations to the terrour and astonishment of all thine and thy Churches enemies and the greater securing and comfort of thy people to cause all thine to lift up their heades in an expectation of a more glorious Age time yet to come in all the world then ever heretofore And above all let this ever be before our faces how thou hast thus wonderfully kept them all alive against all the plots and layings in waite of Sathan and all his instruments by all their stratagems devises and bloody pursuites and hast preserved those thrice happy pawnes pledges of our peace and safety though out of their owne Countryes and people and in forraigne parts And finally how thou hast begunne this wished and happy union amongst thy Churches and servants the cutting off the long wished hopes of the enemies of thy Church under their pretended leagues of peace and amity whereby they had so much undermined us and expected our surprizall of a sodaine whilest we remained yet most secure Not unto us Oh Father not unto us but to thy great name wee give all the glory humbly consessing that by all our impenitency and breach of
the hopes and daunting the hearts of all thine thy Churches Adversaries and in beginning to grant all things according to the cryes of thy poore people and even above our expectations considering the heynousnesse of our sinnes Oh Lord who are we that even at the prayers of a few of us in regard of the multitude that know thee not and therefore do not nor can seeke thy face thou shouldest be so gracious to us Lift up our hearts good Father that we may conceive aright what thou wilt doe at our generall cries when we shal be joyntly humbled before thee and all seeke thee as thou hast appointed Grant specially this grace to every one of us who have already or shall heereafter give our names unto thee to serve thee heevein and helpe thy poore distressed Church and people that uppon this happy experience wee may labour every day to attayne unto more integrity soundness in walking uprightly and constantly before thee in all thy holy commandements Vouchsafe that heereby wee may get more boldnes wherby we may approach neerer unto thee and even to importune thee with holy Abraham Moses Ezra and Nehemiah untill wee have obtained the pacifying of thy Majesty by the taking away all the abhominations crying sinnes out of the Churches the delivering of thy Captives the restoring and re-edifying of thy Ierusalem and that all the hopes of our wicked enemies shall bee at an end and our dreadfull dangers and feares past and that we shall visibly beholde thy glory therein and also injoy thy glorious presence for evermore To this end deere Father enable us by thy blessed Spirit to use all the meanes furthering heereunto and that much more carefull conscionably then ever wee have done for confirming our weake hands for strengthning our wearie knees Make us all ever to keepe a fresh remembrance of thy goodness and mercy how readie thou art to heare the cryes of thy people and of the power of our prayers thorow our Lord and Saviour how farre they have already prevayled with thy Majesty Cause us ever to have a â—…arefull and watchfull eye to thy blessed Word that in all things we may have that for our guide and our direction Worke in each of us a holy resolution to cleave fast unto thee without any departing or staggering walking continually in all thy blessed Lawes and Commandements for ever even unto the end Teach and helpe us to feare alway the offending of thy Sacred Majestie and that with a true childe-like feare because of thy holinesse who canst not abide any iniquity no not in thy deerest Children and because of the extreame rage and subtiltie of Sathan against all thine dogging us continually at the heeles to provoke us to sinne agaynst thee that hee may accuse us and incense thy Majesty against us if it may bee to leave us unto his malice or at the least to hinder thy love and blessing And also because of our owne vile corruption which is ready alwayes to hearken unto him and to betray us into his hand Assist us to watch ever against all occasions of temptations keeping strict watch over all our senses our thoughts motions wordes and actions Make us everie day to waxe better and better still growing on toward that perfection which we doe dayly waite for in the Heavens Cause us ever to keepe in fresh memory that wee are thorow our cursed Natures and the industrie of Sathan like him that is in a boare vppon a strong streame that if wee bestirre not our selves constantly to go forward we certainely goe backeward if wee but forget our selves or withdraw our hands never so little Make us able to observe wisely all our slippes and faylings and euer to be carefull forth with to seeke the recovery of our selves by unfeyned repentance and by dooing our first and best workes Graunt unto us this grace that every one of us may have our owne particular warrantable callings that wee may know them well and what speciall duties thou requirest of us in them and that we may labour to walk faithfully therein that thy blessed Angelles may rejoyce to attend upon us and protect us alwayes and Sathan may neuer take us out of our way to get any advantage against us thereby Lift up our eyes evermore to the recompence of reward that therein wee may cheerefully follow our Lord and Saviour running fast towards the marke untill we shall attaine the Crowne which hee ever holdeth forth unto us in his right hand Helpe us to set thee ever before our faces and at our right hands as thy seruant David that we may never sin against thee but that we may go on couragiously with holy Moses as seeing thee with us ever that art invisible Make us able to rejoyce alwayes in our happie estate thorow Iesus Christ by comparing it with the estate of the greatest Princes and Monarkes who are enemies vnto thee and whether vvee wold change with the mightiest of them Cause us to goe 〈◊〉 cheerefully not onely contented with our condition but also rejoycing heerein that the lines are fallen unto â—…s in so fair a ground and that we haue so goodlie an heritage Make us able in praying continually for what we stand in neede of for our selves and for all the Churches and people of the Lord ever withall 〈◊〉 give thankes for that measure which we have alreadie and for whatsoever deliverances hopes or other 〈◊〉 which we have formerly 〈◊〉 or do â—…ow injoyâ—… And finally enable us in whatsoever we beg to ayme 〈◊〉 aâ—… the advancement 〈◊〉 glory and of the kingdom of thy Sonne with the saying of thy people that thus going on in the zeale of thy glorie and in the â—…owels of commiseration towardes thy poore Ioseph in a tender feeling of his affliction and in the constant use of all holy meanes we may be assured that wee shall be as Caleb everie day stronger and stronger in all grace and in the power of prayer and as the greene Olive in thy house bringing forth more fruite to our olde age and last dayes that our last daies may be our best dayes our last breath may be spent for thy Majesty that so we may see the selâ—…citie of thy chosen and may reigne and triumph with thee in heaven for evermore Perswade all thy people that every one vvho comes not thus to helpe thee thy poore Church by their prayers must perish that none can helpe indeede but they onely who seeke to attayne this integrity and to abide aud grow therein perpetually Hearken unto us O most tender Father in these our humble suites and in whatsoever else thou knowest needfull for us for thy poore distressed Churches or for any member of thy whole vniuersall and Catholike church even for the Lord Iesus Christ his sake thy most beloved
To see their people furnished with holy conscionable Ministers That the Ministers may study to make all the people the Children of God To nourish them as in his place To keepe them from Sathan and all his agents To be able to present them with all confident boldness before his Maiesty To pray that God would make all to know how deere his children are unto him That theyr blood will cry for vengeance as the blood of Abel That God can no more beare with wrongs done to them then to Abraham That if God was so ever against Abimelech hee will be more against them all who shall hurt them cheefely for his names sake To perswade all that these are as Noahs to the places where they are As Ioseph to his brethren Gods instruments to save all from many temporall iudgments That he brings plagues for the wronges done unto them Psal. And will not spare any who hurt them no not Miriam That they may be so deere to all as they are to the Lord. That all may acknowledge their siâ—…nes concerning them That they may helpe to make the attonement for Israel All the people of the Lord may be turned to him againe And the enemie given for their ransome To perswade this chiefly to all his Vicegerents that these being so deere unto the Lord may be so unto them To rescue succour them Seeke the uniting of them in Christ. And may be more de deâ—…re to them as they more excell in vertue To prevent whatsoever may dissolve this brotherly knet That so they may get this seale to their consciences That they are unto him as his first borne and that hee will be a Father and protector to them and theirs To unite the hearts of all Gods Children to them and theyrs Which art in heaven That God who over-rules al counsels to bring to pass his own decrees Would lift up the eyes and hearts of all his faithfull people to him That we may looke to him onely Who seeth all the wrongs done to his Children And will one day make it manifest To begge pardon for this sin specially that we have all made flesh our arme with drawne our hearts from the Lord. To see how iustly for this sinne some are taken 2 way from the Churches others weakened Vntill wee shall all see our sinne turne our eyes onely to our heavenly Father That we may not rest il by our prayers and teares we have caused him to relent towards us That by faith we may see him sitting at the great wheele Making all to serve to the accom plishing of his owne eternall decree for the saving of his Church The destructi on of his enemies to his eternall glory Like as all was which the enemies did against our Lord and Saviour The benefits blessings thereby So now at this present For the full accomplishment of all things foretold For preparing the â—…ay to Christs glorious comming That we may by faith be able to reioyce herein That in all we are more then Conquerours That no thing can separate us from his love Rom. 8. 35. To this end to make this sure that we are his Children To have this heavenly mindednesse To perswade us that in all the troubles of the â—…hurch God 〈◊〉 preparing â—…is 〈◊〉 meete him as obedient children with intreaty of peace Submitting our selves ioyntly to his Covenant And having our hearts united in brotherly love That God may be as much pleased herein as ever displeased in our divisions And Sathan and his instruments as much dismaid hereby That we may all sing Behold how good c. Psal. 133. A thanksgiving for our deliverance from Babilon Hallowed be thy name To pray to see our honour to be called forth to be Gods peculiar people To set and confirme his Covenant with us How he hath brought us out of Aegypt Babilon How he hath carried thorow the sea wilderness Leading us by his statutes As he did Israel by the piller of fire and the cloud How hee hath sought for us from heaven Brought us to the frontiers of the heavenly Canaan To be a fraid of having a thought of looking back towards Aegypt towards Popery or Popish superstition That we may never admit of any comparison of their leekes with our Manna That notwithstanding all their rage we may never distrust the Lords presence or power That God can least indure this sin That this may make him sweare in his wrath we shall never enter into his rest To make all such to know that this sin without repentance will cut them off from ever entring the heavenly Canaan Chiefly them who as the ten spies have brought an evill report upon this good land To remember that of all who tempted the Lord by their unbeleefe never any could enter into Canaan And those who brought that slander died by a fearfull plague That theseâ—… may expect a more heavy vengeance To have the sound hearts of Caleb Iosuah To give constant testimony to the holinesse of his religion To incourage our hearts perswade our brethren that none of us ever rebell against the Lord nor feare the proud enemye But onely be humbled before him for all our sins To pray that we may never leave wrastling with the Lord untill he have inclined all our hearts chiefly of all in authority for saving his Church and appeasing his wrath For that then his enemies shall be but bread for his people Numb 14. 9 That we shal not neede to â—…eare them any more That we may know that God hath spared us hetherto of his rich mercy Numb 14. 13. 19. And at the cryes of his faithfull servants Psal. 21. That none who still tempt him shall ever see the heavenly Canaan Onely those who remaine constant with the Lord shal enter in To pray that remembring Gods mercies our estates we may strive fast forward towards the heavenly Canaan That the unfeigned repentance of all the true Churches May helpe to pull all out of Sodome and Aegypt and to cause them to fly speedyly out of Babilon And to prepare the way to Christs glorious comming A prayer that we may glorifie God by walking more conscionably in all his Lawes Commandements Hallowed be c. Prov. 16. 4. That God would perswade all that he hath created all for his owne glory Caused his glory to â—… sâ—…ine in every creature That all may give him his glory or be left utterly without excuse That this glory is more visibly upon the Churches rescued and delivered from Sathan and Antichrist That we may set forth his glory by keeping his Sâ—…atutes To this end he hath set before us life death Deut. 30 19. Bidden us to choose life How we may do it Ios. 1. 8. Charged us that the booke of the Law shall never depart out of our hearts Then no enemy shall be able to withstand us Ios. 1. 5. We shall in all have good success Be a blessed people