of those Egyptian croaking Froggs the Filthy Capuchin-Fryers and Priests who lay lurking there too long like so many muzled Wolves and Tygers all these or the most of them banished and transported over-Sea from us And the Queen-Mother of France the more to free our hearts from feares and discontents happily also transported beyond Sea from us About which time also to settle our hearts with yet more solid comfort and the more firmly to consolidate our future hoped happines it pleased the Lord to put into the hearts of our most noble Parliamentary Patriots to unite and knit all the three Kingdomes of England Scotland and Ireland in-a most firme League and Conjunction of perpetuall love and amitie and of mutuall defence against all malignant Adversaries either domestick or forrein and to confirm all this by a particular act of Parliament ratified by a full consent of the King and both Houses together with an act of absolute oblivion of all exceptions and differences whatsoever formerly intervening twixt Prince and people Upon which both Armies of English and Scottish Souldiers were shortly after most happily peaceably dismissed and disbanded to the high hononr of our wonder-working God and the unexpressible joy and comfort of both Nations thus most lovingly and sweetly shaking hands of true friendship at their peaceable departure And for the farther confirmation of this our happines and due retribution of praise and glory to the Lord our God the authour of it there was an Ordinance of Parliament for a day of publick and solemn thankesgiving for this peace so happily concluded between England and Scotland which for the glorie of God and honour of our King and Worthies in Parliament I have thought fit here to insert verbatîm as it was published An Ordinance of Parliament for a day of publick thanksgiving for the peace concluded between England and Scotland VVHereas it hath pleased almightie God to give a happie close to the treatie of peace between the two Nations of England and Scotland by his wise providence defeating the evill hopes of the subtill adversaries of both Kingdomes for which great mercy it was by the Kings most excellent Majestie the Lords and Commons in this present Parliament enacted that there should be a publick thanksgiving in all the Parish-Churches of his Majesties Dominions It is now ordered and declared by the Lords and Commons in Parliament that the time for the celebration of that publick thanks to almightie God for so great and publick a blessing shall be on tuesday the 7 th of Sept. by prayers reading and preaching of the Word in all Churches and Chappels of this Kingdome whereof we require a carefull and due observance that we may joyne in giving thanks as we partake of the blessing with our brethren of Scotland who have designed the same day for that dutie According to the act of this present Parliament for confirmation of the Treatie of Pacification between the two Kingdomes of England and Scotland whereas it was desired by the Commissioners of Scotland that the loyaltie and faithfulness of his Majesties Subjects might be made known at the time of the publick thanksgiving in all places and particularly in all Parish-Churches of his Majesties Dominions Which request was graciously condescended unto by his Majestie and confirmed by the said Act. It is now ordered and commanded by both Houses of Parliament that the same be effectually done in all Parish-Churches throughout this Kingdome upon tuesday the 7 th day of Sept. next coming at the time of the publick thanksgiving by the severall and respective Ministers of each Parish-Church or by their Curates who are heerby required to reade this present Order in the Church And was not the Lord most gloriously heer seen in the Mount of admirable mercie and deliverance to England and Scotland after such a marveilous manner as never any Nation could produce the like parallell of gracious providence And may we not therefore with holy David Israels sweet singer confess we have found the Lord according to his word a sure defence for the oppressed even a refuge in time of trouble And therefore they that know thy name will put their trust in thee for thou Lord hast not forsaken them that have seriously sought thee Yea he that is our God is the God of salvation and unto this God and mightie Lord belong the issues from death Heer also ere I have done with this mercie let me desire the Reader to take notice of the admirable wisdome and justice of God in thus clearing the innocencie and integritie of his children O what bitter aspersions did the Prelates Arminians and malignant partie cast on our brethren of Scotland at the first nothing but traytors and rebells could be heard out of their slanderous mouths But now see I say how Gods wisdome and justice ordered it that even those tongues that had so taunted them yea and in their pulpits too should now be forced even in the face of their Congregations to give themselves the lye That of Job being heerin most clearly ratified that The poore hath hope and iniquitie stoppeth her mouth and that also of the holy Prophet David which is full to our purpose That the King and all good men shall exceedingly rejoyce and glorie in God but the mouth of them that speake lyes shall be stopped And now also let me tell thee courteous Reader to make these mercies yet more glorious to the praise of our God that in the interim that those two Armies lay so together in the North the pestilent Spirits of the Malignant partie lay not still but were most maliciously working by their agents and instruments the Popish Lords and pernicious Prelates being also maine sticklers in all these mischievous designes to disaffect and discontent his Majesties Armie by scandalous and most false accusations and imputations on the Parliament thus to engage it for the maintenance of their most wicked designes of keeping-up the Bishops in their votes Lordly honours and functions and by force to compell the Parliament to order limit and dispose their parliamentarie proceedings in such a manner as might best concurre with the intentions of their dangerous and potent faction Now this plot of bringing the English Armie from the North Southward to London against the Parliament for the causes aforesaid having been particularly enquired into and examined both by that noble and vertuous Gentleman M r Fynes and Sir Philip Stapleton with others they made report thereof to the House of Commons about June 17. 1641. That they found that for the advancing of the said plott the Earl of Strafford had attempted his escape out of the Tower and to effect it the better had promised that worthy Gentleman Sir William Belfore then Leifetenant of the Towre 20000 li. and to marry his Sonne to his Daughter and to make it one of the greatest Matches in the Kingdome but Sir Williams loyaltie was
much countenanced and encouraged by the Earl of Bristow and judge Mallet and for which they were both sent prisoners to the Tower of London which Petition being on the 29 th of April 1642. brought to the Parliament by some of the prime malignant-ones the rest of that rout being some certain thousands remained at Blackheath for an answer but were fain to depart with a flea in their cares they received most foul but most just disgraces at their entrance into the Citie the gate at the Bridge-foot was shut against them they themselves were disarmed their weapons being there taken from them two of their prime leaders having exhibited their Petition in Parliament were committed to safe custodie till fit opportunitie of further examination of this their high contempt and arrogancie But immediately after the truly religious honest and well-affected partie of the said County of Kent unanimously also united themselves in an honest and loyall Petition therein utterly disavowing and protesting against that other seditious and scandalous one who were all together with their Petition most courteously and lovingly entertained and dismissed with great thanks from the Parliament for that their so honest and peaceable demeanour And was not the Lord Jehovah seen here in the Mount of Mercie in thus both timely discovering and discountenancing these very dangerous designes of theirs as much as in them â—ay for the present extremly to blend and disgrace the just fair and faithfull proceedings of the Parliament and though they most secretly and subtilly carried and contrived their designes therein yet the Lord graciously caused them to be stifled in their birth So that we may most fitly take up that of the Apostle Paul who speaking of the perillous times that should come in the last dayes after a recitall of a ragged-regiment of malignant and ill-affected persons brings in Jannes and Jambres two audacious and arrogant companions who obstinately and proudly withstood Moses reviling and speaking evill of the truth men of corrupt minds reprobate concerning the faith But they shall not proceed saies the Apostle for their folly shall be manifested to all men As t is now with ours blessed be the Lord our most wise God for it and all their malice and mischief is fallen still upon their own hoads Wherefore we may nay we must with holy David most gratefully acknowledge Not unto us Lord not unto us but unto thy Name be all the glory given for thy mercie and for thy truths sake Who hast not suffered the heathen or wicked to say where is now their God But our God is in heaven and hath done whatsoever he pleased Now after these things the King having prest the Parliament with divers Messages in his unhappie departure and distance from it as by and by shall be more fully and particularly set forth and thereby constrained our prudent Worthies in Parliament to clear their integritie to his Majestie and the whole Kingdom yea and to the whole world also if occasion were offered they sent to his Majestie and afterward set forth in print divers Declarations Remonstrances and Messages from both Houses of Parliament all of them written and penn'd with such prudence piâ—tiâ— and humilitie toward his Majestie as most apparently evidenced their great and godly care for the preservation of his Honour and the Kingdoms welfare to the great and unexpressible comfort and content of all Gods people especially in the most sweet continued symphonie and harmonious concurrence of Both Houses which now began to be more and more strongly increased notwithstanding the great and even mountanâ—â—â— obstructions and terrible distractions of the times mightily molesting and retarding their most important and weightie affairs ouâ— most prudent and pious Peers still shewing themselves as was toucht before more forward if possiâ—ly it might be in all good motions than the House of Commons A mercie which things and times considered we are not able sufficiently to prize and praise the Lord for it being that blessing of the Kingdom which was so long and so earnestly desired by the universall confluence of the Petitions of the whole Kingdom yea that great blessing I say which the Apostle Paul so heartily and vehemently desires among his beloved Corinthians That they might all speak the same thing and that there might be no division among them but that they may be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same judgement Yea that rare blessing which the Prophet David cannot set out sufficiently without a note of admiration in the excellencies of it when he said Behold how good and joyfull a thing it is brethren to dwell together in unity Yea sayes he t is like the precious oyntment upon Aarons head distilling thence to his beard and running down to the skirts of his garment Such a prâ—â—ioâ—â— oyntment may I truly say is this unity and concord in these two honourable Houses of Parliament poured on the head of our Soveraign distilling thence on the comely beard of his Kingdom this renowned Parliament and sweetly streaming thence down to the skirts or garments of the Land the people and inhabitants thereof And now see I pray the blessed effects of this happy union and precious complacencie between the King and Both Houses of Parliament at this time For about the 9 th of April the Lords and Commons in Parliament resolved to set upon the reformation of the Liturgie and government of the Church wherby Gods worship and service should be more purely performed than formerly it had been and discipline more piously administred And for this purpose they passed Votes in Both Houses and most prudently pitched upon certain eminent godly grave and learned Divines out of every Shire and Corporation of the Kingdom who should meet together at a time appointed to discusse and consult among themselves what should be most apostâ—licall orthodox and neerest to the truth of Gods word and so to advise the Parliament for the setling of the same as by their order printed and published by their authority may and doth more fully appear which here I have thought fit to insert and mention to thee The Order of the Lords and Commons touching the Liturgy and Church Discipline Apr. 9. 1642. THe Lords and Commons do declare that they intend a due and necessary reformation of the government and Liturgy of the Church and to take away nothing in the one or other but what shall be evill and justly off nsive or at the least unnecessarie and burthensome And for the better effecting thereof speedily to have consultation with gâ—â—ly and learned Divines And because this will never of it self obtain the end sought therein they will therefore use their utmost endeavour to establish learned and preaching Ministers with a good and sufficient maintenance throughout the whole Kingdom wherein many dark corners are miserably destitute of the means of salvation and many poore Ministers want
we are fit for mercie certainly he must never be mercifull to us But here we see and Moses confirms it farther to us that oftentimes God shews not mercie to a people because they are greater in number or better in condition or fitter for his mercie than another people but because the Lord freely loved us above or before all others ouâ— neighbour Nations round about us and that he might keep his word and promise made of old to save his people when they called on him in the day of their trouble that so they might glorifie him And most undoubtedly for this very end the Lord hath poured on his people of England within these two or three yeers an extraordinarie spirit of grace and prayer or supplication in these dayes of their distresse and great calamitie yea and notably manifested by all these fore-mentioned returns of prayer even far beyond their hopes and desires that he is a God hearing prayers and so hath encouraged his people notwithstanding their sins to come unto him and hath clearly let them see that t is not in vain to call on our God and to wait till he have mercie Hence therefore I say let us learn to admire and adore the bounteous and open-hand and enlarged bowels of love and compassion of our good God and indulgent Father who hath done all these so great and so good things for us even of his own meer mercie and free favour and because mercie pleaseth him Since then it is most true and unquestionable that God hath not so dealt with every Nation nay I may justly say not with any Nation as he hath with us of England O let us all seriously endeavour to out-strip every Nation round about 〈◊〉 Thankfulnesse and Obedience which is the second Observation I desire to make of these remarkable parliamentarie mercies to us Thankfulnes I say first to our good and gracious God who hath been the onely author and fountain of all these full and fairly over-flowing mercies to us Who hath thus blessed where the enemie hath cursed Who hath thus made the plots and devises of our adversaries the main means of their own shame and smart of their own certain ruin and destruction Yea who hath thus firmly and faithfully performed all his good word and will unto us hitherto and therefore with holy David to cry out and say Not unto us Lord not unto us but unto thy Name give all the glory for thy mercie and for thy truths sake Yea to raise and rouze-up our souls to the highest peg and pitch of holy extasies of praise and thanksgiving to our God and to break-out as the same holy David did My heart is fixed O God my heart is fixed I will sing and give praise even with my glorie Awake psalterie and harp yea awake soul and heart I my self will awake right early yea and right earnestly I will praise thee O Lord among the people and I will sing praises unto thee among the Nations For thy mercies are great above the heavens and thy glorie above all the earth Set up thy self therefore O our God more and more above the heavens and thy glory above all the earth And let not this our thankfulnesse be meerly a work of lip-labour but let it also yea especially produce an effectuall work of life-labour of true obedience which indeed is better than sacrifice Obedience I say to all Gods commandments universall-submission to the whole will of God Which is mainly seen in breaking-off from our sins those great blocks that stand in the way and hinder Gods good things from us accursed sin I say which locks up all the gates of Gods goodnesse and sweetnesse from us by true and cordiall repentance by hating and forsaking our closest and sâ—yliest insinuating darling sins our bosome-Dalâ—lahs which is the onely-golden-key to open the doores to lift-up the flood-gates of all Gods rich treasury of grace and over-flowing favours and mercies to us Objection But here I may demand and not impertinently I hope May we not also give thanks and due commendations to our noble and renowned Worthies in Parliament who have so cheerfully and so indefatigably spent themselves and their precious time for us and the Kingdoms good Answer Yes undoubtedly and that most duely but in the first and most and best place to the Lord our God who is the author and fountain of all our mercies and unto them in the next place as the channels or conduit-pipes by and through whom God is pleased to convey these comforts to us And as a grave godly and learned Divine of our Citie fitly observed It is not onely decent and comely to give them thanks even as we would if a Lord or great friend should send us some extraordinarie gift by his servant we would first give condign thanks to the Lord or friend that sends it and also gratifie the servant or messenger by whom t was sent with some reall expression both of our high esteem of the donor and also of our gratefull hearts to the messenger for his pains in bringing it to us So without all question it is not onely decent as I said before but due and equall that we should at least return most heartie thanks to these honourable and happie Messengers of our great Lord and gracious God who hath by them conferred upon us such and so many indelible monuments of mercies and admirable Deliverances especially when we consider I say with what invincible patience and pains what admired wisdom and untyred sweetnesse of spirit both Lords and Commons have for us and our good neglected their own lives and livelyhood their own private and personall affairs and just delights otherwise befitting such persons and personages even beyond the slender and lanck expression of my poore pen yea of the most eminent parallel of any by-past times And therefore worthie yea most worthie that we should praise and prize them and pray for them too that our God would repay into the bosomes of them and their posterity all the sweetnesse of their love and loyaltie to God their King and Countrey which we all have found and felt to our unspeakable joy and comfort Which being so as most certain so it is Ah foule shame for such as most injuriously endeavour to traduce and blemish as much as in their foule mouthes and false hearts is the most honourable name and unspotted reputation of so renowned prudent Peers and pious Patriots whose equals for pietie prudence patience and indefatigable pains for Church and State this Kingdom and Nation never since it had a being beheld Yet some I say have not blushed nor been asham'd to manifest such foule effects of black and ignominious ingratitude and therein most palpable impietie as cannot chuse but be most exceeding irksome and odious both to God and man Some saying they see little or nothing done as yet others convinc'd
of Fame shall most worthily sound out to posteritie and crown his temples with never withering-wreathes of laurell-branches who had no sooner espied them but most fiercely and furiously he set upon their whole formidable Spanish Fleet gave them such battering broad sides and such Canon-thundring and powder-roaring salutations as quickly puld down their so late so lofty Spanish pride and maugre all their espaniâ—lized bravadoes the utmost strength of their strongest vessels was so batter'd and bruis'd their falsly suppos'd impenitrable ribs and big-swoln bellies so peirâ—'t and pestred that they quickly queld their courage fir'd sunk and took many of their greatest ships and dissipated and scatter'd the rest from our coasts few of them escaping the heroick Hollanders martiall violence to our great though unsensible yet unspeakable comfort and security we our selves not having strook one streak in our own defence nay t is well if we did not yeeld the Spaniards supplie of powder and other necessaries that time to our own destruction had not God thus strangely and strongly withstood it Say then O England did not Jehovah our great Lord and God most apparently appear now in the Mount for thy mightie deliverance did he not make good his word and promise by his holy Prophet That no weapon forged against thee shall prosper and every tongue that riseth against thee in judgement thou shalt condemne Certainly if ever at this time was this prophesie most exactly made good to England and to our faithfull brethren of Scotland For what sharp and death-wounding weapons have been forged against us both abroad and at home what slanderous tongues have risen up in judgement yea in most false iudgement against both us and them calling and counting Gods beloved ones among us factious and seditious and among our honest brethren of Scotland traitors and rebels as hath been formerly touched but now we have seen to the high honour of God and ioy of our hearts that none of their weapons have prosper'd against us yea their slanderous tongues which so falsely iudged us and our beloved brethren we have condemned to the clear eyes of all men that wilfully look not a squint on all iust things For hath not this our most noble and renowned Parliament together with the Kings full content and consent therein proclaimed our brethren of Scotland the Kings most faithfull and loyall Subiects Confirmed a fair and full Pacification and union of firm love and mutuall defence twixt us and them and the Kingdom of Ireland with an Act of oblivion of all mistakes and misconceits on either side all these I say ratified by a blessed Act of Parliament Yea and that which adds no small lustre to it that it hath hereby freed us from civill-wars which of all warres are most uncivill from intestine wars wars that would have eaten-out our own bowels from wars I say of Christians with Christians yea of Protestants with Protestants which of all wars could not but have been most fell and fatall O who then can see these things these miracles of mercies without deep admiration and holy adoration of our great God Who can forbear to break-out into cordiall praises to raise-up trophies of everlasting fame and honour to our great and glorious Lord and King Who can chuse but ingenuously acknowledge with holy David That we got not these good things into our possession by our own sword neither did our own arm save us But thy right hand O Lord and thine arm and the light of thy countenance because thou hadst a love unto us Thou art our King O command deliverance still to thy poor worm Jacob. For through thee alone shall we pull-down our enemies through thy Name onely shall we tread them under that rise up against us Tâ—â— thou O God that risest up in judgement to save all thy weak-ones on earth turning the rage and furie of man into thy praise and making the remainder of their wrath to obey thee A most remarkable mercie was it also that the Lord put into the hearts of the renowned Scaligers of our corrupted times for the better purifying not onely of the conduit-pipes of Justice to begin as about this time to put pious and noble Peers into places of honour trust and power that thus the stern of government may be the more happily steered with uprightnesse and impartialitie To which purpose as a main help thereto they have most happily taken away that State-staggering Star-Chamber-Court dissolved and dissipated into smoke the crushing-Courts of the President and Councell of the North and limited and co fined the unlimited bounds of businesses at the Councell-Table but also to scoure the muddie and even stinking channels of wrong and oppression by easing the Common-wealth of those living-grievances thereof a great advantage to the peace and tranquility of the State I mean those evill Counsellers and Officers of State who had been principall actors of all our foresaid miscries and mischiefs making thereby as it were a plaster to heal the deadly wounds of Church and State and most hopefully to recover the almost incureable diseases of the Kingdom by a plaister I say of the blood of that insulting arch-traitor the Earl of Straford who as he had well-nigh stabd the State to the heart by his deep and most dangerous plots both abroad and at home So the stroak of Justice retaliated with blood his most bold and bloodie designes maugre all his slyest shufflings and crafty jeerings of the Law to have eluded it and thereby hoping to have prevented the said just vengeance on him And here by the way I desire the Reader to take notice of Gods most equall and upright wayes and dealings with wicked ungodly and blood-thirstie men how exactly he repayes the bloody plots and purposes of all proud and ambitious Hamans in their own coyn as here is most perspicuously seen in this our English-Haman who in his heart had vow'd the wrack and ruine of all Gods faithfull ones in England Scotland and Ireland at the least But we have happily seen this proud Haman the first that felt the due stroke of justice to the honour of God and the terrour of all such daring traytors And as for the rest of that rabble I may here take-up that of the holy Prophet David How long will ye imagine mischief against men ye shall be slain all the pack of you for as a bowing or tottering-wall shall ye be and as a rotten fence Tremble therefore at this all ye perfidious conspiring Shâ—ba's and fear in time such just retaliation Certainly There is none like unto thee O Lord thou art great and thy Name is great in might Who would not fear thee O King of Nations for to thee it doth indeed appertain to do justice and take revenge for as much as among all the wise men of the world and in all their Kingdoms there is none like unto thee
by prisons or exile all these I say were by those our blessed Master-builders in Parliament by their unanimous suffrages not onely voted against as a superfluous and unprofitable burthen on Gods Church but thereby also a way was made plain and wide-doores were set open for a blessed restauration and replantation of most faithfull and painfull Pastours and laborious Lecturers chosen and set up with the peoples consent and good liking and not to have dumb-dogs or soul-robbers and theeves which came not in at the doore but through the windows of the Church violently obtruded on them whereby the Gospel begins to thrive and flourish again and Sions young-converts to be graciously growing up among us in the true judgement and knowledge of Christ Jesus whereas formerly the Prelates and Pontificians durst scoffe fleer and jeer familiarly at those faithfull and painfull Lecturers and most atheistically ask in derision What kind of creatures those Lecturers were and most impiously and audaciously even in the presence of the great God of heaven vow to worm them out â—re they had done with them But our good God gave these curst cows or rather wilde buls of Bashan short horns and though they had gone-on in a great measure and done much mischief therein yet they could not do the hurt which their hearts aymed at ever blessed and praised be our good God for it And now good Reader reflect thine eyes and review these rare mercies and tell me then was not Englands God herein also seen in the Mount of Mercies by this so strange an overture and alteration of things interposed between such eminent and imminent danger of utter losse of our bright and burning Candlesticks of the Gospel and fear of stinking snuffs of ignorance errour and atheisticall profanenesse to be set up in their places and little or no hope at least itâ— humane apprehension of help by lesse than such miracles of mercies as God himself hath in these our happie dayes wrought and poured-down upon us and such indeed as none but a God could procure for us O how sweetly and suddenly hath God turned our Captivitie into admirable freedom and libertie And who can consider these things without serious and deep admiration and who can call them to remembrance without heart-ravishing ioy and delight yea who can chuse but acknowledge in his most gratefull heart the great praises of the Lord and with holy David that harmonious chanter and musicall inchanter of Israel confesse Gods infinite free favour and love to England in thus encompassing and begirting us about with sweet songs of such deliverances But yet here 's not all for our blessed parliamentarie Worthies have also given us great hope by Gods goodnesse of timely purging also the two famous Fountains of our Kingdom Oxford and Cambridge from the much myre and mud of Romish innovations which setling there also hath made their streams stink of Poperie yea I say great hopes of happily healing the once most clear-sighted but now and of long time blear-eyes of our Nation grown mightie sore with Romish-rednesse by drinking in too much of the wine-lees of poysoning Popish fopperies in so much that Truths clear sighted Servants eyes began to be mightily offended by but looking on them and not without cause for as our Saviour himself saies If the eyes be evill the whole bodie will be full of darknesse and if the light that is in a kingdom and especially which is to give light to a whole kingdom be darknesse O how great is that darknesse and such truly began to be our Kingdoms condition but now we have I say great hopes by Gods gracious assistance that our Parliament will seasonably provide a soveraign Collyrium or eye-salve some well-distilled eye-bright of Reformation to purifie the sight of these two once most glorious lights in the whole Christian world Yea these our noble Nehemiahs and grave and gracious Ezra's have taken most pious pains to see Gods Sabbaths more sincerely sanctified than of late they have been and the profane soil of trauelling Carriers Taverns Ale-houses and Tobacco-shops and other loose and irreligious Shop-keepers who heretofore mightily polluted that day most sweetly swept away any cleansed A work of great concernment and high esteem for the glorie of the Lord than which I am certain a greater a better cannot be undertaken as being the very prop and promoter of all true Religion and without the entire and sincere sanctification whereof all true religion would quickly decay and be utterly lost yea I say a Nation-upholding Christian dutie of richest valuation as having more precious promises annexed to it than any other I know of in the whole book of God and which hath more ennobled our Realm and made our Kingdom more illustrious God alone who hath so graciously upheld it among us have all the praise and glorie of it and we onely the comfort than all our reformed Neighbours about us yea such a blessed and holy duty as hath caused more mercies to fall yea flow upon our English-Nation than ever did on any people of the Christian world Yet our most iniurious Prelates together with their profane Pontificks have most shamelesly striven to viciate and defile this our Sabbaths precious honour the main readie and road-way to have brought the curse of God upon us and utterly to have ruinated our whole Kingdom by whose means it began in King James his dayes to receive a deep died stain by that most wicked and accursed book of tolerating vain sports and profane recreations forsooth on the Lords day which since hath been avowed and advanced more highly by them than at the first but now since in our present Soveraignes time more pertinaciously pressed and perniciously enforced on Gods dear Saints and servants in the ministerie than formerly it had been whose tender-consciences could not endure it and who being in their most just zeal for the Lords high honour therein and sincere love to true Religion transported above all fears and frowns were most egregiously abused vexed and punished for refusing to admit and read the said wicked-book in their Churches untill it most graciously pleased our good God by the blessed Parliament to prevent the most mischievous growth of this unexpressible abomination of our so holy Fathers of the Church together with the rotten rable of Pontifick-Arminians Romes Minions indeed by a particular Order from the House of Commons in Parliament for the more strict sanctification of that day which I have hereunto annexed The Order of the House of Commons for the due sanctication of the Sabbath or Lords day April 10 th 1641. IT is this day ordered by the House of Commons that the Aldermen and Citizens that serve for the Citie of London shall intimate to the Lord Maior from this Hou e that the Statutes for the due observing of the Sabbath be put in execution And it is further ordered that the like
GOD In the Mount Or Englands Remembrancer Being a Panegyrick Piramides erected to the everlasting high honour of Englands God In the most gratefull commemoration of al the miraculous Parliamentarie Mercies wherein God hath been admirably seen in the Mount of Deliverance in the extreme depth of Englands designed Destruction in her years of jubile 1641. and 1642. By the unworthie admirer of them JOHN VICARS Jehova-jireh Genes 22. 14. I will praise thee O Lord with my whole heart and wil shew forth all thy marvellous works Psal 9. 1. Commit thy cause to God which doth great things and unsearchable marvellous things without number Job 5. 8 9. Deut. 33. 29. Happie art thou O Israel who is like unto thee O People saved by the Lord the sheild of thy help and who is the sword of thine excellencie And thine enemies shall be found lyers unto thee and thou shalt tread on their high places Psal 111. 2 3 4. The works of the Lord are great sought-out of all them that have pleasure therin His works are honourable and glorious and his righteousnesse endureth for ever He hath made his wondrous works to be remembred the Lord is gracious and full of compassion LONDON Printed by T. Paine and M. Simmons for John Rothwell and Thomas Vnderhill 1642. TO THE ETERNALL ALMIGHTY AND MOST GLORIOUS WONDER-WORKING INCOMPREHENSIBLE AND INDIVISIBLETRINITIEIN UNITIE JEHOVAH-JIREH GODIN THE MOVNT J. V. HIS MOSTUNWORTHIE AND SINFULL SERVANT DOTH DEDICATE AND CONSECRATE BY CHRIST JESUS HIS ONLY MERITS AND MEDIATION HIM-SELF AND THESE HIS POOR LABOVRS TO HIS EVERLASTING PRAISE AND GLORY TO THE RIGHT Honourable thrice Noble and illustrious Senatours of the House of Peers in Parliament TO OUR Trulie Honourable and most renowned Patriots the House of Commons in Parliament RIght Noble Lords and Englands Commons rare For whom the Lord hath joyn'd disjoyn who dare Your humble Servant Vowed Votarie Hath to Heav'ns-Honour And your Memorie ☞ * Most humblie this Pyramides erected Hopefull by your just power to be protected From sturdiest Stormes which Mischiefs mightiest blast May dare on It or your blest actions cast By foule aspersions Causelesse Calumnies To rob-both us and you Of our fair prize ☞ * Even happy Halcyor daies Which God by you Begins to bring To blessed Britains view Whose eyes and heart late full of frights and tears Your untyr'd Prudence Providence re-chears Courage great Patriots God is on your side Whiles you do to his Gospel close abide ☞ * Go on like Davids Worthies valiantly To curb and crush Truths-foes-malignity Go on I say like Nehemiah's brave Like Ezra's and Zorobabels most grave To work a pure A perfect Reformation As men most famous In your generation ☞ * Yea most renowned To Posteritie As Faiths fast friends And props of Veritie As wise Repairers of those Breaches great Which did both Church and State so sorely threat Go on though you great obstacles endure Sol shines most clear though clouds It oft obscure Heav'n crown your Counsels still with good successe And you and yours for all your labours blesse So ever prayeth Your most humbly devoted John Vicars TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVL HIS MOST WORTHY and ever most highly honoured good friends Sir RICHARD SPRIGNALL Sir IOHN WOLLASTONE Alderman PENNINGTON and Alderman WARNER Together with each of their most truly virtuous and pious Consorts my singular good friends All of them eminent Patrons and Patterns of Piety Vertue Religion and Learning J. V. unfainedly prayeth the most happie fair and full fruition of the glorious effects of the plenarie-Reformation intended by this pious Parliament here And of the Saints celestiall beatificallvision in Heaven hereafter HAving by Gods good hand of providence and direction Right Worshipfull and my most highly honoured good friends undertaken a subject of Gratitude to our holy God in this succeeding historicall narration of all his wonder-striking Parliamentarie-mercies to us of this English-Nation in generall I could not but reflect my serious thoughts on your Worships as most worthie objects also of my thankefull heart for many singular favours and courtesies toward me in particular And somuch the rather because of that which Chrysostome in his 51 Homilie on Genesis hath as sweetly as succinctly touched Nihil tam gratum Deo homini quam anima grata gratias agens Nothing in the world is so acceptable to God or man as a gratefull-heart and a thankefultongue The due and deep consideration whereof I say hath made me most desirous as most bounden to tender this â—umblâ— and plain-stiâ—'d historie of Englands God in the Mount of Mercies â—r Englands Remembrancer of gratitude to God for all the Parliamentarie precious blessings most fully and freely conferred or rather poured-down upon her within these 2 yeers last past as a â—estimonie of my most thankfull-heart to your good Worships for many both publike and private favours to me and mine Which historie though I ingenuously acknowledge it might well have befitted a far more fluent and high-soaring rhetoriâ—all-Penman than my poor and plain unworthie-self yet since it hath pleased the Lord that my poor zeal for Gods glorie hath thus prevented them I most humbly hope and heartily desire candide and courteous acceptance of it and of my sincere desire and endeavour mainly to manifest my infinitely obliged gratefull-heart first to our ever-living and ever-loving wonder-working Lord God next to our most Pious Patriots his precious Agents and instruments in these great and glorious works and then to your worthie selves my much honoured friends Which my endeavour herein though short I say of your judicious expâ—ctation and of the histories due desert yet hoping it may remain as a pledge of my plighted humble services and bounden gratitude and as the best Barthol'mew-faring which my poor abilitie was able to present to your good Worships with the humble tender also of mâ— heartiest poor prayers to the throne of grace for all sanctified sublunarie blessings and celestiall soul-cheering graces on you and aâ—l yours I ever rest Your good Worships in the Lord to be alwayes commanded JOHN VICARS GOD IN THE MOVNT OR ENGLANDS REMEMBRANCER THE omnipotent and omniprudent great God of heaven and earth having by his unsearchable wisdom unresistible power and most pure and inculpable righteousnesse from all eternitie both fore-seen and preordained the wayes and means of manifesting and declaring to the world his two especiall and most glorious attributes of Mercie and Justice Mercie on his elect and choice vessels of honour and justice on the forsaken vessels of wrath those devoted vassals of the devill and both these in that admirable Master-piece of his workmanship of the world Man Who as the Prophet David saies of himself was fearfully and wonderfully made And for this and and purpose having put this excellent creature Man into a most pure and perfectly holy condition placing him in Eden or Paradise a place of most wonderfull delight and admirable varietie of sense-affecting contentments and having also
given him an absolute power to have persisted and continued in that holy and blessed estate Satan that subtill and accursed Serpent and that arch-enemie of mans holinesse and happinesse being by self-pride and arrogancie thrust out of heaven and thrown headlong into hell and so to abide to all eternitie in an unrecoverable cursed estate of damnation Hereupon being become Gods enemie extremely envied that holy and happie condition of Gods then darling Mankind and therefore to bring his malignant spight to the issue he aymed at fals a belying of God to man tempts and at last deludes man makes him fall into his sin pride and disobedience thus prevails in his project and thereby made man unhappie man as miserable as himself by being for sin deprived and divested of his former fair rooes of beautie and holinesse and depraved and poysoned in his whole soul and body with sin and uncleannesse and thus in himself a forlorn creature perpetually liable to Gods wrath and so consequently to eternall damnation But now God out of his infinite wisdom and mercie found out a ransome and mighty Redeemer for man even so many as he had predestinated to salvation the Lord Jesus Christ the second person in Trinity In whom and by whom even this promised seed of the deceived woman the Lord resolved to repay and revenge Satans malice and mischief to man promising that though Satan by mans fall had bruised the womans heel yet her seed the Lord Jesus Christ should by a strange way break his head even by his death be Satans death and destruction And hereupon the Lord God denounced an everlasting combate and irreconcilible enmity between these two and their off-spring to the end of the world namely Christ and the rest of the holyseed of the woman even all the succeeding Saints chosen-children of God in Christ And the Devil and his angels even all the desperate profane-ones and craftie hypocrites of the world who should from time to time in all ages most maliciously harbor in their hearts a natural antipathie against the godly to hate and despise them and therewith also take pleasure and delight in plotting and practising all mischief and villanie toward them though God in his wisdom and mercy having so graciously ordered it alwayes for the most part with ill-successe to themselves in the issue God who is most faithfull and able to perform having promised to be with his Church in a way of protection and preservation even to the end of the world Now thus you have briefly seen the combate decreed and the combatants also to maintain the warfare whereby the Church of God is put into a truly militant condition and daily constrained to exercise its spirituall Militia as the wicked do their Malitia against them and to be alwaies armed not onely with the whole armour of God spoken of by the Apostle Ephes 6. but also with worldly weapons and humane power and prudence to defend themselves and offend their enemies as God shall enable them But if you ask me now the cause of their quarrell the reason and ground of the grudge and clandestine hatred which the wicked of the world bear to the holy and humble Saints and servants of the Lord Truly the answer is easie and at hand yea the Apostle hath made it for me who by way of argumentation asks himself the very same question touching Cain and Abel Wherefore did Cain who was of that wicked-one the devill kill his godly brother Abel Because saies he his own works were evill and his brothers righteous Religion innocent-religion and true Holinesse is the great eye-sore to the ungodly and therefore as the said Apostle in the same place ver 13. marvell not that the world hates them This then I say is the main-ground of the quarrell betwixt these two combitants which hot combustion and contention as it hath been fiercely followed in all ages past from the beginning of the world and will be so till the end thereof So it was never more mischievously manifested to be so than in these our dayes I mean for at least these two or three hundred yeers last past to this present time and that in all the parts of Europe especially by the Papists or Romish Catholiques as they call themselves against the Hugonets in France Lutherans and Calvenists in Germanie and Protestants in England Scotland and Ireland and in brief by the Romish Antichrist against the Reformed-Christian in all parts And the implacable rage of this arch-adversarie of the Lord Jesus Christ hath far transcended all the malice and mischief of all former ages cruelties both of the old Assyrians and Philistines to the ancient Israâ—litâ—s or the last ten persecuting heathen-Emperours to the Primitive-Christians But as in all those former ages the more Satan by his impious agents and wicked instruments hath with inveterate vexations and extremest persecutions mangled and maligned the people of God So the more propitiously God hath preserved and encreased them like innumerable Phenixes rising and reviving out of their dead ashes fully confirming that old adagie The blood of the Saints is the seed of the Church This truth in both its branches hath been also most copiously confirmed in these our more modern times and chiefly I may well say in this our Kingdom of England among all the Nations of Europe Germany onely and Ireland excepted at this time foâ— cruelties but not for preservations which hath tasted the bitterdrafts of Romes wrath in a deep measure and yet the more this Antichristian enemie hath raged against Christ and his faithfull servants against the Gospel and its true professors the lesse he hath prevailed and the more they have encreased to the glory of God and the terrour and amazement of the wicked of the world Their divellish and desperate aymes having been deceived in the issue as was toucht before and God having faithfully performed his good word and promise to his Church and children to be with them and for them to the end of the world And though he suffers them oft-times to be closely and strictly hem'd in on all sides with great straits and distresses yet their greatest necessities have ever proved Gods fairest and fittest opportunities to be seen in the Mount for their deliverance even then I say when the enemie thought to have swallowed them up quick without all humane hope of redemption and redresse then yea even then hath our good God alwayes for the most part plucked the prey out of their devouring jaws broke the cheeks and teeth of the ungodly and rescued and recovered his darling the Church from the Lyons-den their destinied destruction Which is the main scope and drift of our intentions at this time and in this Treatise even to make clear to the eyes and understanding of all the world that will not wilfully blind them and obstinately shut them up from
beholding the evident sun-shine of the truth in the subsequent and most luculent demonstrations thereof in this Kingdom of England after a speciall manner which God hath graciously made the very Land-mark of all his rich mercies to the everlasting glory of his great Name and free grace unto us a most sinfull and undeserving Nation as we have been and that in the midst of such means and miracles of mercies which he hath conferred on us and wrought for us above all our neighbour Nations round about us Now herein my purpose is omitting many former mercies to our Land of high concernment and most worthy of everlasting and indelible thankfull remembrance as the shaking off of the Antichristian shackles and yoke of Poperie begun in the dayes of King Henry the eighth and his most blessed Son King Edward the sixth but especially in the happie halcyon-dayes of Queen Elizabeths reign of ever most blessed memorie Since whose most blessed dayes and times we have enjoyed the Gospel of peace and peace of the Gospel almost these hundred yeers and now are not onely Protestants but most blessedly begin to be reformed Protestants notwithstanding the many most nefarious and treacherous plots against her sacred person happily defeated the falsly so termed Invincible Spanish Armado in 1588 and the most exorbitant and hell-hatch't Powder-plot by those Romish traytors Garnet a grand-Jesuite and his twelve impious apostles in the yeer 1605 by heavens vigilant eye of providence timely prevented together with many private and pernicious conjurations or conspiracies not so much by force as by fraud clandestinely machinated and by Gods mercie fruitlesly attempted enough to fill up voluminous Treatises and infâ—â—itâ—ly to magnifie Gods endlesse praises all which I say here to omit my purpose and main intention is as I fore promised by the blessed assistance of Gods gracious Spirit to manifest and declare to all who vouchsafe the patient and impartiall perusall hereof all the memorable and wonder-striking Parliamentary mercies effected for and afforded unto this our English Nation mauger the malice of Hell and Rome Papists and profane Atheists Satans active and able agents with inthe space of lesse than two yeers last past 1641 and 1642. And for the better and more exact setting forth of the most illustrious lustre and glorious beautie of these incomparable parliamentarie-pledges of Gods undoubted love and free favour toward us my intention is first to shew my Reader the cloudy-Mountain of Straits into which the Lord had in his wisdom and justice brought us or rather suffered us to be drawn and driven into for our sins and transgressions and then the sweet and serene-Mountain of Mercies wherein God was most gloriously seen of his meer mercie for our most timely and happie deliverance I mean I say to let the godly Reader see the deep distresse and danger whereinto we were plunged by the nefarious and multifarious plots and projects of Jesuiticall-Priests and perfidious Prelates for I may most justly couple and link them together like Simeon and Levi brothers in iniquitie of these our late and worst times and other most disloyall atheisticallagents in these desperate designes all of them faithlesse factors for the See of Rome all of them complotting and contriving to reduce us to the accursed Romish religion yea all of them combining and confederating to work and weave our three famous and flourishing Kingdoms England Scotland and Irelands fatall and finall ruiâ—e and downfall This being done I shall endeavour by Gods assistance most punctually to promulgate and most exactly to record to posterity those even myriades of remarkable mercies conferred on us to strange amazement and deep admiration of all truly pious and faithfull Christians That thus contraries being set together in an exact Antithesis or opposition they may both appear the more apparently to the eyes and understanding of ingenuous and judicious beholders that thus I say the dangers being seriously considered and worthily weighed the mercies may the more gloriously break forth like the Suns glorious rayes and heart-cheering bright beams after a thick and black cloudie storm and heart-damping tempest and that thus I say the god y Reader ruminating and recollecting Both in his sad and serious re-cogitations may justly and ingenuously acknowledge that God was in the Mount for our Deliverance Now herein for my better and more methodicall proceeding in this renowned Storie I have resolved to make our most famous and renowned Parliamentarie-Worthies first Remonstrance wherein all our Kingdoms heavie pressures and oppressions are summarily and succinctly even to the life delineated my most worthily imitable copie and pattern to write by but in these I intend to be as concise and brief as conveniently may be because my chief ayme and resolution is â—o hasten to the copious and comfortable narration and description of our Parliamentarie-Mercies and Deliverances to the everlasting glorie and precious praise of our great and good God and that at the rare and faire sight and cordiall contemplation of them the godly Reader may break out in an extasie of holy and heavenly joy and say with holy David Truly God is good to his English Israel and to all therein of an upright heart Wherefore now to pretermit all further ambages and circumlocutions and to addresse my self seriously to the matter intended I shall first with my most worthie-Masters briefly declare the root and growth of their mischievous designes and the rice of our dangerous estate thereby Secondly the maturity and ripenesse to which the malignant partie had hatcht and cherisht it before the beginning of this Parliament Thirdly the efficacious means used for the eradicating and rooting up of this evill weed so rank-grown in the garden of the Kingdom both by the Kings royall assistance and Heavens blessing on the Parliaments great wisdom industrie and providence Fourthly the bold affronts and audacious obstructions and oppositions to interrupt and check the Parliaments fair and faithfull progresse and proceedings therein all along Fifthly and lastly the counter-checking means used to annihilate and make void those obstacles and impediments which so retarded the fair fabrick and comely structure of a happie reformation of those superfluous and rank-grown evils and of redintegrating and re-establishing the ancient honour and security of this Crown and Nation even by a Parliamentarie-power the onely remedie left under God to prop-up the tottering State to force away our over-flowing fears and to heal the mortall wounds and sores of our distressed Land Now the root and rice of all the plot was found to be a pernicious woven knot of malignant active spirits combining and confederating together for the supplanting and utter subverting of the fundamentall Laws and principles of government on which the religion and government of the Kingdom were firmly establisht And those actors and promoters were fiâ—st and principally Jesuited-Papists whose teeth had long
saies our God to make England a School of mercies and to set it in the highest form thereof yea and to make it the captain of the School and thereby intend to set him one-lesson to get by heart even a lesson of true gratitude and holy obedience for the mercies which now I intend to shew and bestow upon it Such mercies indeed good Reader as thou shalt now see and to thy souls admiration and comfortable contemplation behold that had I as many tongues hands and pâ—ns as I have hairs on my head and exquisite dexteritie fitly to manage and make use of them all they would not suffice to set out the praises of our good God for them being indeed such mercies as none but God himself could miraculously conser upon us by such a mightie and admirably strange overture and turn of things which God now began to work by this Parliament and all for the better yea more and more admirable mercies to us within these two yeers than hath been bestowed on others in many ages Which now by Gods gracious assistance I shall abundantly make most clear and conspicuous to the high honour and glory of God and the unspeakable consolation and ioy of his saints and holy ones For now behold the Lord began to open the eyes and to touch the hearts of our Nobles now at York with the King and to make them wearie of their too-long silence and patience if I may so call it and to lay to heart the Kingdoms great distractions and deep distempers to be thereupon impatient of any longer delayes and very sensible of the dutie and trust which belongs to them some therefore of the most eminent of them adventured to petition the King who being now at York had there advanced his royall Standard and gathered thither the cream of the whole Kingdom yea and at such a time too when as ill Counsellours were so powerfull and prevalent with his Majestie that they had reason to expect more hazard to themselves than fair and facile redresses of those palpable and publike evils for which they then interceded At which time also of this Kingdoms deadly burning-fever or violently shaking-ague of intestine miseries and oppr ssions the Scots having been long time restrained in their trades impoverished by losse of many of their ships and goods bereaved of all possibilitie of satisfying his Majestie by any naked Supplication wherein they had been long time tired and even quite wearied-out being as frequently as fruitlesly denied their desires and now at last to shut-up quite all doors of hope from them an armie marching to the gates of their Kingdom to force them to slavish subiection and obedience They hereupon resolving to stand on their most just defence and with their swords since words would not prevail to make their own passage for audience to the King with a strong armie as their last remedy of Saints rather than Souldiers entred the Kingdom and without any hostile act or spoil in the countrey as they passed save onely being affronted by some of the Kings armie to force their passage over the Tyne at Newburn neer Newcastle and had a fair opportunitie to presse on further upon the Kings armie out that dutie and reverence to his Majestie and brotherly love and true Christian affection to our English Nation according to the tenour of a most excellent Declaration printed and dispersed over the Kingdom immediately upon their entring the Realm intituled The Scots mind and intention with their Armie which gave great satisfaction therein made them stay there piously and patiently as loving friends not foes voluntarily to wait and supplicate again to his Majestie at York for iustice in their innocent cause against their wicked enemies Whereby the King had the better leasure to entertain better Counsell according to those Noble Peers Petition also fore-mentioned wherein the Lord our God so blessed him that he summoned a great Councell of Peers then at York to meet together with him on Sept. 24 1640. The Scots hereupon the first day of the great Councill presented another most humble petition to his Majestie whereupon a treatie was appointed at Rippon in which things were so wisely and worthily agitated by the Commissioners on both sides and in all that interim a sweet cessation of Arms agreed upon that at last it was resolved that the full conclusion of all differences between is and the Scots should be referred to the wisdom and care of a Parliament declared to begin Novemb. 3 d then next ensuing as the sole means under heaven to cure all these foresaid maladies and to recover the Kingdom of its heart sick diseases and otherwise incurable mortall wounds and to settle the State of things which otherwise seemed insuperable into a right frame and posture For as hath been abundantly manifested all things were so out of joynt the King and whole Kingdom brought to such exigents and precipitating sad and bad issues that had not God thus timously struck in and thus necessitated this Parliament England undoubtedly had been made long ere this a confused Chaos of confusion a gastly Golgotha and a most foule field of Blood and posteritie might have sighiâ—gly sobd out not sung of it Ah England England once call'd Albion for thy white rocks now too justly mayest be call'd Olbion for thy black deformitie of destruction and desolation O London famous London Englands once glorious Troynovant now become a desolate wildernesse the plowmaâ—s fallow-plains or vast fields of corn or as the Prophet Jeremie by his Jerusalem might most properly have painted thee out also as in the 1 of his Lamentations But now behold thy God is come unto thee is now seen yea now I say if ever in the Mount of Mercies for thy admirable deliverance from this most profound abyss of deepest danger in this mightie mercie of thâ— Lord to thee but new-now poor gasping-England in that the English and Scottish-armies should lie so neer each other in a martiall manner and yet seem Both to shake hands together should onely look one another in the face and not embrue their hands in the blood of each other but sit still rest together in peace and at length part as they did like good friends O who can forbear but in a transcendent rapture of ioy and gratitude break-out with holy David and say or rather cheerfully sing Ascribe unto the Lord worship and honour ascribe unto the Lord the glory of his name Sing unto God ye Kingdoms of the earth O sing praises unto our God Who maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth who breaks the bowe and cuts the spear in sunder and burns the chariots in the fire Who daily loadeth us with his benefits and is the onely God of our salvation Who infatuates the wisdom of the wise and prudent and makes the counsels of Princes to come to nought
other Statestarving Monopolies whereof some as hath been seen in those fore-mentioned prejudiced the Kingdom above a Million of money yeerly all quite supprest by this renowned Parliament which formerly like so many greedily gaping graves or unsatiable horsleaches were continually crying-out Give Give and restlesly sucking-out the vitall spirits of the State and pitifully debilitating thereby the nerves and ligaments of the whole Common-wealth But that which was far more worth than all those fore-said great benefits which indeed was the very root and rice of all those and such like taxations and vexations is also by power of this Parliament quite taken away viz. the Arbitrarie power pretended to be in his Maiestie to tax his subiects and charge their estates at his pleasure without consent of his Parliament which great and grievous yoke which extremely wrung our wronged necks for the present and would have done much more for the future to our posteritie is now by this happie Parliament declared by Both-Hous s to be against Law and is also ratified by an Act of Parliament And was not Elohim our God all-sufficient most gloriously seen here in the Mount for our large deliverance from such and so many pinching straits and deep distresses as we were all brought yea plunged into as have been formerly most evidently and undeniably shewn And therefore have we great cause with that sweet singer of Israel to elevate his praises herein and to say I will magnifie thee O my God and my King and will blesse thy Name for ever and ever Yea every day will I blesse thee and praise thy Name for ever and ever For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised and his greatnesse is altogether unsearchable Yea and that which is very remarkable and no lesse extraordinarie comfortable to Gods children How did the Lord before this Parliament began and hitherto ever since stir-up and enflame the fire of supplicating faith or faithfull supplication and fervent zeal in private humiliation to seek the Lord in the face of Christ for mercie and reconcilement to our poor Land and Nation so as the like was never seen in this Kingdom before And O what faith-confirming and heart-cheering rich returns of prayers hath the Lord our good God cast into our blessed bosomes in both granting us the very things yea and much more than our hearts desired and crossing ours and the Churches enemies both Papists and Prelates in their plots which we feared yea and still making their own desperate devises to lite heaviest on their own heads and their own impious inventions occasions to make them still sit-down by weeping-crosse and bear the greatest damage and condigne detriment in themselves Whence we may very well conclude with Manoahs wife Sampsons mother against all false and faithlesse fears and jealousies whereunto I perceive even Gods own dear people are too-much addicted That if the Lord were pleased or had a purpose to kill or destroy us he would not have received an oblation or sacrifice from us neither would have shewed us all these things nor would as at this time have done all these great things and much more yet following for us But if God had had no delight in us but purposed to destroy us and to deliver-up our Land and lives into Papists hands and to make a prey of us and ours to them he would not surely have suffered us or given us hearts to seek him in prayer and importunate petitions and yet at last have frustrated all our hopes and expectations But contrariwise when God intended to destroy the children of Israel for their high provocations of the Lords irreconcilable wrath he flatly forbad the Prophet to pray for them whereas on the other side I say our gracious God hath freely poured on us the spirit of grace and supplication hath not onely received sacrifices from our though sinfull hands but in Christ Jesus his ever prevailing Blastus nay rather ever most meritorious blessed Son hath smelt a sweet savour in our sacrifices as hath been alreadie in part imparted to us and made clearly obvious to our eyes and understanding and comes now most copiously to be farther most fully demonstrated to us And here me thinks t is not improper or impertinent to put the Reader in mind of one remarkable mercie of the Lord unto us which though it be not I confesse on all parts absolutely concluded on yet for my part I confidently beleeve these plotting times and weightie circumstances considered and put together I may justly enroll it in one of the chief places and number of our most famous parliamentarie deliverances though I say it was and hath been covered and couched under fair machiâ—ilian vizards of other intentions when they saw God had miraculously crossed and defeated their former strong expectation For unquestionably the Popish and malignant partie had deeply perswaded if not assured themselves that long ere this especially about the time of this plot now to be mentioned their desperate projects should have been brought to a high pitch and that ere this time we and Scotland should have been deeply engaged in bloodie broils and been pell-mell together by the ears in the Northern parts of the Kingdom The sly Fox of Spain therefore must needs watch advantages on our home-bred and imbred distractions and uncivill-civill wars thus to purchase to himself the long lookt-for spoils and most precious prey of three fair Crowns at once To which purpose upon traiterous instigation and intelligence too no doubt from some of his pensioners in the Court of England he had made readie and set forth to Sea a mightie Fleet of ships a second great armado well fraught and furnished with men and ammunition and other instruments of wrath and furie for our certain perdition and designed destruction Thus unsuspected and unexpected they had smoothly and silently made their way into our narrow Seas and lay hovering within sight of Dover fearlesse it seem'd of least resistance from us if not hopefull of ample assistance to land their forces and make our Land feel the furie of Spaines conquering arm But behold as thus they lay about our coasts and we as it were lay fast a sleep in this great danger the God of our English-Israel who never slumbers nor sleeps in the protection of his people had his ever most vigilant and wakefull eye over us even then I say when we were most supine and carelesse or fearlesse of any imminent disaster so neer us the Lord our God fought for us yet without us stopt this otherwise over-flowing inundation of miserie and destruction crost and crusht their rotten-egge of windie hopes by sending our honest old neighbours of Holland to confront them though with but a very small Fleet at the first which afterward quickly encreased under the conduct and command of their heroicall and most magnanimous Admirall Martin Tromp whose honour and high renown the trump
or dunghill with this inscription engraven in Marble with fair capitall letters This jakes was once the High-Commission-Court So hatefull and hurtfull I say was that Court and its accursed effects to Gods people in this Kingdome especially being backâ— and â—oulsterd-up with the irresistible wrongs and unavoidable oppressive censures of the Star-Chamber whether godly men and women of all ranks and conditions that disobeyed the High-Commissions unlawfull Commands were turned over when their own Ecclesiasticall Power was not prevalent enough to punish and plague them so deeply as their malice and mischief aymed at Yea and the all-overtopping power of the Councill-Table was no small assailant of the subjects and assistant to the Prelates wicked Designes but that tyrannizing Starr-Chamber Court is by our prudent Parliamentary Worthies voted down as hath been formerly touched to the unspeakable comfort and freedome of the Kings best and most loyall Subjects and the immoderate and excessive power of the Councell-Table is by the wisdome of our most Worthy Senators so ordered and restrained that we may well hope by Gods mercie such things as were heertâ—fore frequently done to the intolerable prejudice of the Subjects libertie will appear amongst us in future times but onely in Stories to give us and our posteritie more just occasion to bless our God for his Majesties goodn ss and for the faithfull and indefatigable endeavours of this present Parliament Now then put all these last fore-mentioned Parliamentary-Mercies together into one account and then tell me whether they do not arise to a mightie 〈◊〉 and deep debt of â—â—erlastingly obliging gratitude to our so bountifull and â—pâ—n-handed enlargedhearted a God to us so und serving and rather wrath-provoking a people in thus conferring such 〈…〉 such incomparable free kindnesses on England such a sinfull naugâ—â—ie Nation Yea tell mee good Reader on serious recoâ—â—ction and recogitation of these most bounteous bl ssings whether the Lord Jehovah hath not been seen most conspicuously to England above all Nations round about it On the Mount of matchless Mercies to the ineffable joy and rejoycing of our Soules in the deepest gulfes of our stinging-Staites Whether our God hath not with admirable patience goodnes and favour waited on us that he might be gracious unto us and exalted himself that he might have mercie upon us for the Lord is a God of judgement O blessed are all they that wisely wait for him For his people shall dwell in Sion at Jerusalem and shall weep no more For he will be very gracious unto them at the voice of their cry and when he shall hear it he will answer them And though the Lord give them the bread of adversarie for a season and the water of affliction yet shall not their Teachers be removed into a corner any more but their eyes shall see their Teachers again Thus O even thus hath our gracious God directly dealt with us thus hath our English-Israels Shâ—aphâ—rd of his late poor despised stock kept a carefull watch over us who had been els made the Prelates perpetuall-Asses to bear all their Romish and slavish burthens Wherefore with holy David we may justly and ingenuously acknowledge Thy righteousnes O God is very high who hast done great things for us O God who is like unto thee Thou who hast shown us great and sore troubles yet hast quickned us again and brought us up from the depth of the grave Our lips shall greatly rejoyce when we sing unto thee and our hearts and soules which â—hou hast redeemed Our tongues shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long for they are confounded and brought unto shame which most seditiously and scelerously ought our destruction And thus have we all most perspicuously â—een and observed how gracious and propitious the Lord hath been to his late most tottering Church crossing her 〈…〉 â—n all their deepest designes most sublime imaginations leaving them still in the lurch and loss when they seemed to swell with highest concâ—ipts of cruell and accursed conquests over their harmless brethren letting them see if they wilfully blind not their eyes their big-swoln tympanie of unsufferable pride and arrogancie to be turned into a flashie ignis fatuus of self-deceiving subtiltie and changing all their vaporous puffs of gross impiety into folly and madness But now let us proceed to enlarge our most serious observations on what remains still in a most admirable measure heerin and let us yet farther see and consider how the Lord who is neverweary of well-doing nay who takes delight and great pleasure to pleasure his freely beloved Ones with his plenteous benefits Of whom we cannot say as Esau to his Father Isaac Hast thou but one blessing my Father but a God who the more he gives the more he hath to give being indeed an unexhaustible spring and never to be dryed but ever-overflowing fountain of all goodnes whatsoever But withall take this note by the way with thee good Reader that as before so now especially in these ensuing remarkable mercies thou shalt see the rage and malice of the malignant partie marveilously interposing their wicked plotts to cross and utterly to frustrate as much as in them lay all the wayes and means of Gods intended yea and miraculously performed mercies to us but yet all their plotts and desperate designes by Gods good providence were still strangely thwarted and timely discovered and disappointed to our comfort and their shame and helpless vexation Let us now then I say goe-on to see how our glorious Lord and King persists to make us of our selves I confesse and in respect of our Capernaum-like means of grace so unimproved the most infull and undeserving Nation under heaven the most beloved and happiest Nation in the world See therefore how our renowned Parliamentary-Worthies freed the Kingdome from that former illegall compelling of the Subject to receive the order of Knighthood against their will from the encroachments and oppression of the Stannary-Courts and Extortions by Clerkes of Markets from vile vexations also by Parkes and Forrests which were now by a Law reduced into their right bounds and limits Yea how they moved and prevailed with the King to set forth his Proclamation for banishing all the Romish Priests and Jesuites out of the Kingdome on pain of death upon their after-apprehension in the Land Together with an Act of Parliament for disarming of all Popish-Recusants over the whole Kingdome to the great comfort and securitie of Gods people who before were in continuall feare of their mischievous insurrections as being well acquainted with their rebellious Spirits on all advantages it also being a Principle of their Religion for the advancement of the Catholick-Cause not to keep any plighted faith with Heretickes for such they account all that are not of their Romish not faith but faction Yea that cage of most unclean birds Sommerset-House I mean in the Strand cleansed in good measure
English Prelates by reason of their princely pomp and lordly dignities and familiar intermedling and tampering in temporall affairs to the continuall provocation of the wrath of God and the derogatorie dishonour of Christs will and prescript pleasure in their ministeriall function It shall not be so with you And now let the godly Reader here see and consider the admirable equitie and justice of our wise and most holy God meeting them full in their own wayes and works They who being Lords and Barons forsooth in that high Court of Parliament yet could seldome or never find a heart or voice for Christ and religion but freqently against Christ in his holy members and against the power and purity of religion have now most justly no voice or place in Parliament to help themselves but are thrust out as men not desired like that wicked King Jehoram who departed this life without being desired And take this note also by the way before we leave them That they who in themselves and predecessors ever since the time of glimmering reformation even in Queen Elizabeths dayes of ever blessed memorie to this very time all along without intermission had silenced suspended imprisoned and impoverished many hundreds if not thousands of holy painfull and profitable Preachers for Non-subscription have now by an act of subscription imprisoned themselves in the Tower of London and almost quite devested themselves of their Prelaticall arrogated superioritie over their fellow-Ministers Thus God hath taken them by their own iniquities and hath held them with the cords of their own sin Thus Goliah is slain with his own sword and Haman is hanged upon his own gallows And thus was their former furious and most injurious carriage and course a just presage and omen of their totall ruine and downfall which in substance is now blessedly come to passe in this their denudation stripping and whipping from their lordly dignities haughtie honours and busie intermedling in secular affairs the rest I hope and pray will perfectly be effected in Gods due time Now then see here and observe good Reader with a wise and most gratefull heart both in regard of the thing it self and also of those two materiall circumstances so observable therein whether the Lord was not admirably seen in the Mount of Mercie to his poore Church in this so rare and singular freedome of it from future fear of Prelaticall tyrannie And give me leave to use the Prophets own words by way of exulting gratitude to the Lord our God Hearken unto me dear Christians ye that know righteousnesse the people in whose heart is the law of the Lord. Fear ye not the reproach of men neither be ye afraid of their revilings for the moth shall eat them up like a garment and the worm shall gnaw them like wooll But my righteousnesse shall be for ever and my salvation from generation to generation Awake awake put on strength O arm of the Lord awake as in ancient dayes and as in the generation of old Art not thou it that hath cut Rahab the Prelates of England and wounded the Dragon the whore of Rome Therefore do the redeemed of the Lord return and come with singing to Zion and everlasting joy shall be on their head They shall obtain gladnesse and joy and sorrow and mourning shall flie away About this time also it pleased the good hand of God to direct the hearts of our prudent and provident parliamentarie-Worthies to take notice of the most dangerous distractions of the kingdom and as just as great fears of intestine turmoiles which might arise among us by the Papists and malignant-partie if not timely prevented and therefore to resolve according to the joynt desires of the Subject in all their petitions exhibited in Parliament to settle a Militia by Act of Parliament for a certain time namely untill it might please the Lord happily to compose our differences and to put a blessed end to our domestick and forrein fears that thus by putting the Kingdom into a posture of defence we might by Gods mercie be the better secured both from homebred treacheries and transmarine invasions For which purpose they resolved in the first place to displace Sir John Byron from his Lieutenantship of the Tower of London and to put in Sir John Connyers a man in whom they had good assurance they might confide both for his fidelity and martiall abilities which though with much strugling at last they obtained of his Majestie to theirs and the Cities full content in that particular And for the better putting of life into the sad and bad affairs of Ireland and the more speedie and certain subduing by Gods assistance of those most barbarous and inhumane Rebels and accursed idolaters of Rome It pleased our most wise God to infuse a fair and famous project into the hearts of divers heroick and worthie Citizens of London first to proffer themselves by way of subscription of certain summes of money to be paid in at severall payments by them and other well-affected Subjects both in Citie and Countrey Whereunto the thing being moved by petition and singularly approved in Parliament the Lords and Commons in both Houses gave admirable encouragement by their free and forward subscription of great summes and all their moneys so laid out to be repaid and satisfied out of the Rebels lands when by Gods aid and assistance they should be totally suppressed and destroyed and not before nor by any other wayes or means And since that by reason of the most aâ—rocious and unparralleld cruelties of those Romish-rebels in Ireland very many of the distressed and bespoiled English-Protestant inhabitants especially women and children who were necessitated to flie thence carrying their lives in their hands and glad poore souls they so escaped to Dublin and so over-Sea into divers parts of this Kingdom being thereby plunged into deplorable povertie and miserie It was I say further ordered by our truly charitable and pious Parliament that there should be a generall collection or contribution over the whole Kingdom for and toward the present relief and supplie of such distressed men women and children as could hardly subsist without present help and relief Which said collection was so fully and freely advanced in this our noble and renowned City of London that at one Church therein viz Aldermanburie under reverend and religious Mr Calamies fruitfull Ministerie upon his pious and patheticall motion and instigation to his willing people a Collection was made and gathered at the Church-doores and parishioners houses which amounted unto between 600 and 700 â— at the least Toward the latter end of Februarie also 1641. It pleased the Lord to blow-off all clouds of displeasure from the Kings royall heart and to cause his countenance to shine so serenely on the Parliaments proceedings that he sent the House of Lords a most gracious and comfortable answer intimating his royall concurrence and
in their consciences of what is already done yet extremly extenuate and under-value the same saying what have they done in so long time what is yet reformed by them that was amisse before Nay are not things say some spurious imps of Envie worse than they were before for so they count the works of reformation alreadie wrought and farther endeavours of pure ordinances in Religion right rules of justice which indeed is the main thing that vexeth them and which they extremly fear lest it cut them short of the former libertie of their base lusts This I say and much more dares black-mouth'd malignitie belch out against these our never-sufficiently to be praised and prized Heroes notwithstanding all those most admirable and amiable white-clouds of witnesses of their mightie and blessed pains and pietie as have been by me abundantly made known in all those fore-mentioned parliamentarie-mercies wherein as I have fully and fairly I think told my Readers what they have done So I could yet farther tell them what more they would have done had not the most notorious envie and malice of impious and irreligious opposers the malignant Elymasses of our times and enemies of all righteousnesse and true goodnesse mightily molested and perniciously opposed their pious purposes and religious resolutions therein As namely a full removeall of the inordinate power vexation and usurpation of Bishops the reformation of the pride and idlenesse of many others of the Clergie the casing of the peoples consciences from unnecessarie ceremonies in Gods worship the censuring and removing of unworthie and unprofitable Ministers and contrariwise the maintaining and setting-up of godly and diligent Preachers through the whole Kingdom together with many other things of great importance for the singular good of the Kingdom which long have been in proposition and agitation in Parliament which the Reader may see most particularly set forth by our Parliamentarie-Worthies themselves but which have been extremly and necessitously retarded and hindred by plots and projects of the malignant partie but which God I trust will in his own good time ripen and bring to maturity of a through reformation to the praise of his grace and wonder-working glorie The third serious consideration and observation of all these rich and rare parliamentarie-Parliamentarie-mercies incomparable mercies and gracious deliverances of ouâ— land and Nation so deeply designed to destruction but so admirably pluckt as a brand out of the fire of confusion should most justly make us more faithfull and lesse fearfull The Prophet David made it a ground of comfort and encouragement to him to consider what God had done for his Church and children in former times We have heard saies he with our eares O God and our fathers have told us what works thou didst in their dayes and in the times of old But what a ground of comfort and heart-stablishing encouragement may it be to us who have not onely heard our fathers tell us of Gods former wonders but have visibly seen with our own eyes and found by our own present experience how our God hath with his mightie hand and stretched-out arm supplanted our enemies and blessedly begun to plant us How the Lords right hand and mightie arm and the light of his countenance because he had a favour to us hath put us into much present possession of our hearts desires and gloriously commanded great deliverances for us It was also and that most justly a strong strengthening supp rtation to loyall-hearted and royally-affectionated King David to assure himself of an undoubted conquest over that seeming unconquerable uncircumcised Philistine great Goliah namely the sweet heart-fortifying experience he had had of Gods assisting power and preservation against the paw of the Lion and the paw of the Bear And shall not these our so many and so marvellous great deliverances and so sweetly and so freshly tasting-merci s cause us to be confident that our God will deliver us also from the great Goliah-like and Philistine fears of future most dangerous designes by our most private and pernicious plotting enemies O foule shame if they should not Certainly Christian Reader experimentall faith must needs be an unmoveable an impregnable rock not to be dasht out of countenance or driven from its so fast hold by base and slavish fears but to be the more setled and confirmed in faith O saies couragious and noble Nehemiah shall such a man as I am flie for fear of any enemies So may I say to thee good Reader and to all my Christian brethren of England shall men of so many mercies so many rare pledges of farther purposed deliverances all readie put into our hands faint and be afraid Shall we damp and dead our hearts with base servile fear and slavish doubts of infidelity and thereby extremly discountenance our glorious cause and mightily encourage our insulting enemies who would gladly triumph in our pusillanimous terrours and effeminate faintings Ouâ— God forbid Let us call to remembrance and lay it sadly and seriously to our hearts for t is a most certain and undeniable truth that nothing did so cut short the children of Israel from entring into Canaan fruitfull Canaan the desire of their souls because the promised land of peace and plentie as godlesse infidelity still questioning and as it were catechising Gods power and faithfulnes O so let us take great heed that infidelitie and false-fears cut us not short of our hopes of a pure reformation the desire of our souls and of a perfect deliverance from ensuing dangers the promised heart-chearing happinesse of us and our posterity But here I desire I may not be mistaken I have not so prest this dutie of faithfull repose in God out of former happie experiments as to cast any of Gods children into a lethargi of supine securitie or improvident carelesnesse No God forbid this also For I hereby forbid not all fear but do desire we may still and over retain that godly fear which may graciously keep our hearts in such an humble posture and disposition as may preserve us from carnall securitie as may make us fear the Lord tremble at his judgements and not dare to sin against him fear thus still on Gods name and spare not for doubtlesse blessed is the man that thus fears alwayes But I hereby desire onely to beat down and keep-under that slavish f ar and cowardly fainting of spirit which I observe to be too frequent in Gods dearest children to the dishonour of our gracious and bountifull God and the wonderfull weakning and wounding of so glorious a cause as we are interessed in and blessed be our God that ever we had a part in it especially having God on our side and his sure word of promise to support us to back and bear us up in our strictest straits Wherefore my Brethren let us seriously and sincerely often check and controul such unsound and unwarrantable fears with that fair
and favourable reproof from the Lord himself of such false and faithlesse fears in his children Hearken unto me ye that know righteousnesse the people in whose heart is my Law Fear ye not the reproaches of men neither be ye afraid of their revilings For the moth shall eat them up like a garment and the worm shall eat them like wooll but my righteousnesse shall be for ever and my salvation from generation to generation And that especially in the 12 and 13 verses of the same chapter I even I am he that comforteth you who art thou that thou shouldst be afraid of a man that shall die and of the son of man which shall be made as grasse and forgettest the Lord thy maker that hath stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundation of the earth and hast feared continually every day because of the furie of the oppressour as if he were readie to destroy and where is the furie of the oppressour Certainly good Reader here 's a most exact description of the condition of very many of Gods children even at this very day O what fear of the force or fraud is there of men yea of wicked men who shall undoubtedly perish together with their most desperate designes and profoundest policie What startling is there at a base weak project of theirs though our eyes have seen them vanish like a vapour and come to nought What frights and fears are in the hearts of Gods people even every day as the Lord saies because of their seeming furie but certain frenzie and madnesse which yet our God hath crusht and confounded in its highest ruff and deepest danger-threatning bluster For shame therefore for shame let us labour against such groundlesse such causelesse fears and put on godly resolution and invincible courage since the Lord is our God and is good and does good and who hath done all this great good for us Which brings us to my fourth and last Observation on these fore-mentioned pa liamentarie mercies namely That the Lord onely is our salvation and hath engaged himself and his own great Name to deliver us by his faithfull word and promise and that therefore we should patiently wisely and zealously depend on him for deliverance Since I say the Lord onely is our strength and not the failing arm of flesh which we know is an accursed prop and will deceive like the broken reeds of Egypt let us therefore often remember that of good King Jehosaphat which indeed I desire may be a constant and cordiall memento to us all to stablish and strengthen our hearts piously and patiently to wait on the Lord namely Hear me saies that good King O Judah and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem beleeve the Lord your God so shall ye be established beleeve his Prophets and promises so shall ye prosper Even so I say to thee O England and ye noble and renowned inhabitants of London famous over the whole Christian world for the glory of God among you beleeve the many and most sweet and precious-promises which God in Christ hath made unto you so shall ye certainly prevail and prosper lay hold on the promises yea rest and roul your selves and even live upon the promises so shall it undoubtedly go well with thee Now we have a sure word of promise that Babylon shall fall yea saies the Lord by the Prophet in respect of the certainty of it Babylon is fallen is fallen with an ingemination which implies matter of moment and all the graven images of her gods the Lord hath broken to the ground Yea saies the Prophet Jeremie Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed Now then I say good Reader having such a sure word of promise even from the fountain of Truth yea Truth it self let us with Christian courage by faith lay fast hold on it and infallibly beleeve it for Truth hath spoken it and certainly heaven and earth shall sooner perish than one jot or tittle of his precious word and promise shall not be performed Hast thou I say as a reverend and learned Divine once sweetly delivered a sure word of promise abide close by it for certainly whatsoever the work of Gods providence may be which ofttimes I confesse seems even point-blank to crosse and contradict our hopes mainly for triall of our faith and patience yet stick-fast to the word of promise rest and relye on it wait with the patience of the Saints for the performing of it For as the Lord said to the Prophet Write the vision and make it plain upon tables that he may run that readeth it For the vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lie though it tarrie wait for it because it will surely come and it will not tarry See here good Reader what sound and solid grounds of Christian courage comfort and confidence is here Who then would be afraid Who would not strongly and immoveably relie on the Lord his so mightie so sure foundation See I say what an abundant Cornucopia of sweet refection is here for the most drooping heart that may be who then would Tantalize in the midst of such so fair heart-upholding store Alas alas good Reader if under such props and supportations our hearts should flag and faint and sink by fear and infidelity which indeed is the bitter root of slavish fear might not the Lord too justly upbraid us as once he did the murmuring children of Israel the sinfull and rebellious Israelites Since the Lord onely is our fast and firmly-rooted Rock and his works are perfect and all his wayes judgement a God of truth and without iniquitie most just and right If we thus corrupt our selves with sinfull infidelity our spot is not then the spot of his children but we being thus a perverse and crooked generation may not the Lord then I say most justly upbraid us and say Do ye thus requite the Lord O foolish people and unwise Is not God your Father that hath bought you and establisht you O remember the dayes of old of thy old slaverie and bondage of Romish-Egypt the black and palpable fogs of Popish idolatrie and superstition consider the yeers of many past generations ask your fathers and they can shew you your elders and they can tell you And certainly as good Ezra said in such a like case If after these great mercies and deliverances which God hath wrought for us and wherwith he hath so graciously crowned us we should yet again break our covenant with God we should violate his righteous commandments turn his so sweet and precious grace into wantonnesse and make this his patience and goodnesse to us a ground of our licentiousnesse and loosse living would not the Lord and that most justly be angrie with us untill he had utterly consumed us Yes certainly he would For though t is most true that the Lord hath proclaimed himself to the whole world and all generations
have found him to be The Lord the Lord mercifull and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodnesse and truth keeping mercie for thousands forgiving iniquitiâ— transgression and sin yet it is as true that he will by no means clear the guiltie but will visit the iniquitie of fathers upon the children and upon the childrens children unto the third and fourth generation Wherefore I say let our onely fear be to offâ—nd this God as loving and obedient children to disobey so loving so gracious and indulgent a Father of mercies and God of so many comforts and consolations yea to provoke so patient a God so loath to strike when stirred yea constrained thereunto by our unsufferable sins so ready to help and heal what sin hath wounded Let us then be seriously advised since such free favour is shown unto us to behold the majestie of the Lord and to learn righteousnesse and not to do unjustly in the land of uprightnesse lest whiles we will not learn righteousnesse by the historical miseries of others I mean Germanie and Ireland God make us a historie of wo and wretchednesse â—o others round about us Yea I say let us contrariwise be coâ—strâ—ined cordially to love such a God of love who so dâ—lights to load â—s with his love in such unparralleld unpattern'd measure as never any Nation could produce the like presidents But let this our love be free and filiall not mercenarie and so as reverend M Calamie before mentioned in his said Fast-Sermon meretricious love onely or else mainly for love of reward or fear of punishment but let it be pure and sincere and out of an honest heart and good conscience as unto the Lord the onely searcher of the heart and reins and who is onely pleased with sinceritie and integrity of heart truth in the inner-parts And now to wind-up all and to conclude leâ— holy love I say and perfâ—ct obedience be the precious râ—â—ribution of all these rare and singular mercies of our bountifull God unto us unto us I say a Nation so iâ—â—â—deserving such an 〈◊〉 of oveâ—-flowing favours a Nation so well-deserving an â—npattern'd-deluge of direst destruction a Nation so freely so extraordinarily beloved a Nation so meretoriously deserving to be extremly hated a Nation I say so fill'd and fraught and beautifide with blessings and yet a Nation and people so defiled and stained with siâ—s and transgressions of deepest dies In sad and most serious consideration whereof I desire that what that good Prophet Samuel prest on the people of Israel might take deep impression on mine own and all my conscionable and Christian Readers hearts Though O England thou be a sinfull Nation yet fear not turn not aside from following the Lord but serve him now with all your heart And turn not aside with disloyall apostacie to base and bloodie and blasphemous Rome or any of her Romish innovations and Nation-confounding high provocations for then should ye go after vain things which cannot profit or deliver you in the day of your distresse for they are vain But cleave and adhere fast to the Lord and to his pure and holy worship for the Lord will not forsake his people for his own great Names sake because it hath pleased the Lord to make us his people above all Nations round about And as for me your poore and unworthie brother that I may use the said holy Prophets own words God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray continually for my land and nation But I desire by this Prophets blessed direction to admonish and shew you the good and right way to conserve and increase all these many and most rich mercies and deliverances to you and your springing posterity Onely fear the Lord and serve him in truth with all your heart for consider how great things he hath done for you And now for a full and finall close and conclusion of all give me leave good Reader to use my most dear and even blessed Saviours holy and wholesome exhortation to that dispâ—ssessed man in the Gospel on whom he had wrought that great miracle Go home to thy friends saith our Saviour and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee and hath had compassion on thee So I to my self and all my godly Readers Let us go home to our own hearts to our own houses yea and to Gods house too and tell our own souls our wives children and friends yea and teach our children to tell their posterity after us how great and how good things the Lord our God hath done for us for England Scotland and Ireland three most sinfull Nations and how he hath had compassion on us meerly for his own free mercies sake and because mercie best pleased him And then and therewithall let us again and again ruminate and recogitate yea practise and perform that pregnant precept of our great Lord and Master Christ Jesus to that poore and infirm man who had for many yeers together been a poore lame creeple just our case in the spirituall sense and whom our Saviour had wonderfully cured Behold thou art made whole sin no more saies our Saviour lest a worse thing come unto thee So let us all say to our own souls in particular and to our land and Nation in generall behold we are all hitherto strangely saved and delivered out of the hands of our malicious and malignant enemies O let us take heed and labour by the help of Gods Spirit that we sin no more especially that realm ruinating sin of back-sliding to Romish idolatrie and Popish superstition lest a worse thing come unto us For certainly as a wise husband will discreetly bear with many failings yea and main faults and infirmities too in his wife whom he loves but iâ— she once defile his marriage-bed by adulterie O he can by no means endure that indignity and disgrace So undoubtedly it is with the Lord our God who hath married his Church and children to himself who will as we all have deep daily experience and as was most remarkably evident in King David bear with many grosse and foul faults and failings in them but if once they defile his marriage-bed as I may so call it violate their faith not that I think or beleeve t is * possible for his truly elected-ones and effectually-called-ones to fall away totally or finally from true faith or soul-saving grace and pure profession or religion by commiâ—ting idolatrie spirituall adulterie and foolish and faithlesse superstition he will by no means put-up or endure this heinous yea this hideous and most hatefull sin this infallibly punishment-provoking sin especially I say if it be stubbornly and stiffely persisted in but as was notably manifested in King Solomon will undoubtedly be avenged on us for this insufferable disloyaltie and the fire of his conjugall jealousie will most infallibly break-out upon us to our utter destruction without remedie
From which so high and dangerous an indignitie to our good God the Lord for Christs sake by the irresistible power of his good Spirit preserve and uphold England Scotland and Ireland and all thaâ— have by Gods gracious power and good providence shaken-off and broken in pieces that heavy yea that hellish yoke of Romes Anti-Christian tyrannie Amen and Amen All glorie be to God alone FINIS Gods 2. royall Prerogatives or attributes Mercie and Iustice Mans happinesse Satans fall foâ— pride Satan tempts man Mans fall Iob 33. 24. â—uk 1. 69. Mans restauration by the promised-Seed A combat denounced twixt the womans seed and the Serpents-seed Matt. 28. 20. The cause of the Combate 1 Ioh. 3. 1â— True religion The prosecution of the Combate In France Germanie England Scotland c. The ill-successe of the malignant Combatants The blood of the Saints is the seed of the Church Matth. 28. 20. Psal 34. 19. Mans necessity is Gods opportunitie Psal 35. 17. England the Land-mark of Gods mercies The Pope began to be pusht-down by King Hen. 8. King Edw. 6. Queen Elizabeth Spanish-Armado 1588. Powder-plot by Papists 1605. The main occasion of this Treatise Parliamentarie-Mercies The Mount of Straits The Mount of Mercies Iesuiticall-Priests and pontifick Prelates like Simeon and Levi. Contrarie juxta se posita mag is illucescunt Dangers and Deliverances opposed shew the more gloriously The first Parliamentarie-Remonstrance Psal 73. 1. The root and growth of this their plot The ripenesse of it The means of curing it The boyling obstructions against the cure The counter-checking of thoseobstacles The root and râ—ce of the plot was The Complotters Jesuited-Papists Prelates and Pontificians Profane and irreligious Courtiers Their Principles to work by To set the King people at jarres about Prerogatives and Liberties To suppresse the power and purity of Religion To countenance all their own and to disgrace all the opposite party To cause the King to disaffect Parliaments Note this wel Primo regis Caroli oâ—us servesâ—ere caepit This plot waâ— first machinated in King Iames his dayes The first Parliament at Oxford dissolved Sad effects of the dissolution of that first Parliament Rochel lost West Indie voyage diverted Câ—â—es attempted Peace with Spain without Parliaments consent The Palsgraves cause deserted Billetted Souldiers over the Kingdom German horse A second Parliament dissolved Sad events on the breach of this Parliament also A third Parliamentdissolved By which cruell usage Sir Iohn Ellâ—ot a most worthy Member of the House and pious patriot died then in prison More bad issues on the breach of the third Parliament Parliaments Parliament Members mightily vilified and disgraced Quarto Caroli Knight-hood money Tonnage and Poundage Book of Rates Ship-money Forrests enlarged Coat Conduct-money Traind-bands Arms taken away Gun-powder engrossâ—d The Forrest of Dean Many Moth-eating Monopolies Restraint of habitations trading Corporall â—â—xations and punishments inflicted on many good Subjects Star-Chamber Court a main fomenter of Suits and Censures Oppressions for Religion and Cases of Conscience No lâ—sse than transcendent barbarous crueltie Iudges displaced and discountenanced for their honestie The Privie-Councill Table a great favourer of these illegalities Selling of justice and places of judicature Prelatespranks in the Church Suspensions excommunications The high-Commission-Court little inferiour to the Spanish-Inquisition In Citie and Countrey men and women forced to flie into forrein parts Into Holland and New-England Who they were which got most preferments Court sermons what and to what end Godly Ministers thrust from their livings The faction now grown to its heighth Three parts of now perfecting thewhole plot Psal 62 9. Malum consâ—lium consultori pessimum Psal 7. 14 15 16. How they began to put their threefold plot aforesaid into full execution Scotland attempted A new Liturgie and Canons put upon them But rejected Dux faemina facti Virg. in his Aen. Zach. 4. 10. * Cap 3. 9. A great disturbance in the Church 1 Kin. 18. 44. All Scotland opposeth it They are proclaimed Rebels in all Churches in England An armie raised against them The Scots do the like The first Pacification God in the Mount Psal 33. 10 11 12. The malignant partie displeased with the Pacification Chiefly the Arch-Prelate Laud and the Earl of Straford Preparation for war again A Parliament motioned to an ill intent Psal 94. 20 The Scots prosecuted again The Earl of Straford in Ireland cals a Parliament whereby they deeply engage themselves for this war A Prosopopoeia to Ireland as touching this act and her present state A short yet sharp check to England also The Earl of Straf returned home Simeon and Levi. A fourth Parliament called April 13. 1640. The said 4th Parliament dissolved Mark this O England for thy comfort Reverend Mr. Case in his 12. Arguments of comfort to England May 5. 1640. Violent courses again exercised to get money Very ill usage to some eminent Parliament Members A scandalous Declaration published A forced loan of money urged in the city of London Aldermen imprisoned for refusing it The Apprentises rising in Southwark side and at Lambeth Exod. 8. 19. The Clergie continue their Convocation New Canons made A new-forged Oath with a monstrous c. in it Punishments on those that refused to take it Exod. 1. 9 10. Pharaohs speech to his Nobles Pharaohs policie proved meer follie The Arch-Prelate of Canterbury his speech to his Pontificians in the Synod Exod. 18. 11. Large taxations laid on the Clergie towâ—â—d the war Bellum Episcopale Praiers against the Scots as against rebels The Souldiers marching forward to York Turn rude-Reformers Non omninâ— laudo admirer tamen Iudg. 5. 23. 31. The Papists did enjoy almost a full toleration Sir Francis Windibank their great friend A Popes Nuncio Great libertie to the Papists A Popish private Parliament in England Divers notable private contrivements of the Popish partie for the full perfecting of the plot See here by all these particulars if England was not bought and sold to destruction England brought into a Mount of Straits Psal 94. 20. Jer. 16. 16. Gen. 10. 8 9. Nimrod a mighty hunter 2 Chron. 16. 9. Psal 65. 2. Nehem 9. 17. Psal 46. 1. Luk 8. 48. Exod. 14. 13. Deut. 3â— 35 36. Admirable comfort in deepest distresse Mr Cala. Fast-Ser The introduction to the now subsequent Parliamentarie-mercies A mightie and strange overture of things for the better The Nobility begins to be sensible of our sorrows The Kings royall Standard set up at York The Peers do petition the King The Scots also were vexed as well as we They enter our Kingdom with a strong Armie The Scots at New-castle The intention of the Scots Armyâ— printed and published in private The King entertains good counsell at York Sept. 24 1640. A treatie at Rippon A cessation of Armes agreed A fifth Parliament called to begin Novem 3. 1640. Râ—dis indigestaque moles Seges ubi Trâ—jâ— fuit God in the Mount Psal 68. 34. 32. Psal 46. 9. Psal
made between the King and Parliament Insanire cum ratione Who is for the King and who for the Parliament interpreted The gentrie at York assembled again The King resolved for Ireland but contradicted therin by the Parliament Freeholders of Yorkshire discourteously used The Militia interdicted to be exercised by the King Captain Phillip Skippon summoned to York to the King The K sends to the Lord Keeper to remove Midsommer Term. The L. Keeper and divers other Lords leave the Parliament An objection The Answer Gods over-powring wisdom and mercie still preventing our hastning mischiefs Instrumentally by the pious prudent demeanour of the Parliament The Lords gentry of Ireland petition his Majesties return to London So do others Our dear Brethren of Scotland also mediate with his Majestie to return The gentry Commons of Yorkshire petitioned his Majesties return to London The Knights Gentlemen others of York-shires Answer to his Majesties demands The Declaration or Remonstrance May 19. 1642. Another Declaration or Remonstrance May 26. 1642. Sir Io Hotham cleared from the imputation of treason laid on him The Magazine brought to the Tower of London The Popish pernicious plot against Hull timely discovered The exercise of the Militia ratified by the Parliament in York Lancas c. Serjeant Major Skippon cleared by the Parliament Parliamentarie Votes clearing Serjeant Major Skippon See here one notable advantage of the legall continuation of this Parliament Midsommer Term not to be adjourned from Westm to York Delinquents to be proceeded against Votes of ParliameÌ„t against the Kings proceedings in York Two Acts of Parliament in Ric. 2. Hen. 4. proving such proceedings to be flat treason An Ordinance of Parliament sent to York touching their train'd-bands Two Orders of both Houses sent into Lancas and to all Counties in England and Wales To oppose the illegall proceedings at York The Parliaments care to see to the arms and ammunition of the Kingdom The Militia exercised in divers Counties An Ancient of Sir Ioh. Hothams imprisoned at York The 19. Propositions sent to his Majesty from the Parliament for an accommodation A harsh message returned to the Parliament in replie to their 19. Propositions The summe of all these former passages considered together A clear deseâ—ption of the ayms of the malignant partie Mr Denzell Holles in his most excellent Speech to the Lords June 15. 1642. The loyall laudable ayms and ends of 〈◊〉 the Parliament in all the forecited particulars An irrefragable testimonie of the Parliaments integrity A most blessed marriage twixt Peace Truth 2 Kin. 20 19. God in the Mount 2 King 6. 11 12. Num. 23. 23. No enchantment against England no divination against the Parliament Deut. 32. 31. We have a Rock to rest on our adversaries have but an Egyptian Reed to relie on Psal 103. 1 2 3 4. The summe of all A fourfold Vse or Observation Observation To admire adore Gods free grace and mercie Ezek. 36. 22 23. Isa 16. 11 1â— How to look on our sins Mark this wel Deut. 7 6 7 8. Psal 50 15. Gods way of saving a people by free mercy Psal 147. 20. Observation Thankfulnesse and obedience To God Psal 115 1. Psal 108. 1 2 3 4 5. Thankfulnesse must produce universall obedience True repentance is the golden-key to open the doorâ— of Gods treasurie To our renowned Parliament-Worthies Mr Calamie in his Fast Sermon p. 1â— A sutable simile Why we ought to be most obligedly thankfull to this blessed Parliament The Parliaments most just Panegyrick or due praise Envie and ingratitude against this present Parliaments proceedings The true cause of Parliament calumniations and slanders Act. 13. 10. What the Parliament intends yet farther to do * The first and famous Remonstrance of the State of the Kingdom set forth Decemb 15. 1641. Observation To make ' us more faithfull and lesse fearfull King Davids encouragement Psal 44. 1. Ver. 2. 3 4. Davids experimental faith 1 Sam. 17. 37. Nehem. 6. 11. Sweet encouragements to relie on God Infidelitie a mostdangerous means to deprive us of our happie hopes Advise not to be secure or carelesse also What fear is requisite in times of danger A great failing in Gods people Isa 51. â— A precious preservative against false fears in Gods children Observation God onely is our salvation therefore to wait on him for deliverance Psal 3. 8. Isa 36. 6. 2 Chron. 22. 20. Isa 21. 9 Ier. 51. 8. Mr Carall Pastour of Lincolnes-Inne Haba 2 2 3 Infidelitie is the root of slavish fear Deut. 32. 4 5 6 Ezra 9. 13 14. Exod. 34. 5 6 7 Isa 26. 10. Mr Calamie in his Sermon on the Fast 2 Sam. 12 20 21 22 23 24. O England take heed of Romish idolatrie and superstitious innovations Mark 5. 19. Go tell whaâ— great things God hath doâ—â— for thee Ioh. 5 14. Sin no more lest a worse thing come unto thee The sin of Romish idolatrie a most dangerous sin A â—it simile Luk. 22. 32.