that formerly haue been professors but now are fallen off 3. To them that do still feare the Lord and hold on in his way 4. To all the people of the place in generall 1 To the looser prophaner sort the exhortation is Oh put away all your drunkennesse formication uncleannesse oathes blasphemies let him that was filthy be filthy no more let him that stole steale no more oh that you would think of leaving all these base unworthy desperately foolish wayes and think of turning to the Lord with your whole heart and your whole soul You that have layen rotting and stinking in your lusts many yeares together thou that art an old gray-headed sinner think at last of returning to the Lord. Ah poor creatures what meane you will you ruine the place you live in and damne your own soules eternally If men had but common humanity in them they would not continue in their grosse and hideous abominations that would pull downe wrath upon their wives and children friends and neighbours the towne and place in which they live But this is a small matter in comparison if they had but a tender regard of their own soules if they made any account of their owne salvation if they had but so much as a principle of selfe-love in them they would cast away those sinnes that will certainly damne them in the end There is none of the sinnes which thoulovest so dearly and huggest them with so much tendernesse and will not be brought to part with them upon any termes thou hadst rather part with thy life then with such a lust there is none of these thy most beloved sinnnes but it will cost thee the losse of everlasting life it will cost thee the losse of God It will cost thee the losse of the Kingdome of Heaven The word speakes it out aloud No fornicator nor Idolater nor adulterer nor effeminate person nor theefe nor covetuous person nor drunkard nor reviler shall ever inherit the kingdome of God 1. Cor 6. Poor man doest thou know what the Kingdome of God meaneth from whence thou art for ever to be shut out or doest thou know what that for ever is which is the line and measure of thy torments Sit downe and pause a while and think what eternity is thy life is but a minnute a dreame a shaddow it is gone before thou think of it count over the houres of the day and is the day so long a thing it is but the running of a few such and then there is a period set to all thy pleasures How quickly mayest thou on thy death-bed look over all thy life past and account it as a very little thing as a meer point and beginning only of that which is life but canst thou look beyond eternity canst thon conceive when everlastingnesse will have an end all thy pleasures are gone and passed they are passed over as in a dreame and now thou art in the midst of eternity before thou art aware How fearfull then will these thoughts be what must I be ever thus Must I be tormented in these flames without end Is there no hope no possibilities of being otherwise then I am After I have suffered so many millions of yeares is there for ever still behind Try a little in thine owne thoughts and see where thou canst put bonds and limits to that which is for ever Try where thou canst put a stop beyond which thou canst think of no more is it better to be everlastingly happy or everlastingly miserable after a score for two of yeares Think of these things I beseech you by all the calls mercies judgments of the Lord by all the riches of his patience forbearance long-suffering exercised towards you Oh do not put off the thoughts of these things Do not any more chuse abominable things which his soule hateth Seek ye the Lord while he may be found call ye upon him while he is neer Let the wicked for sake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him returne unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon 2. To those that have forsaken their former profession the exhortation to them is O Returne Returne to the good old way of God returne to the ordinances returne to the use and exercise of holy duetyes to the use of prayer confession of fin and the like if you do not fearfull will your Judgment be I hope some of them that are gone astray do belong to the Lord but truly you must come back by weeping-crosse I could tell you sad storyes in this kind I speak not by heare-say I have knowen them that have smarted deeply for sleighting the ordinances neglecting prayer for low and undervaluing thoughts of Christ and his bloud I could tell you of some that living under such a temptation but for a week or two in that short time had lost all their former communion with God and being delivered from the snare accounted their recovery as a new conversiō The experience of one in this kind was so eminent that I thought I was bound to make it publick that it might serve to stop and restraine them which are so prone to apostacy in the present age and I shall set it down as neer as I can in the same words and expressions as I had it frō the persons own hand Being not well established I was soon drawn away in my hearte secretly to decline frō that good old way which formerly I walked in I heard one upon justification and Christs comming in the flesh upon that place Christ in you the hope of glory in such a manner as I never heard the like before that I was struck with amazement with the manner of his plansible speech And having heard a good report of the man and had some experience before that he was an able mā to minister comfort to them that were in distresse I was exceedingly taken with what came from him And in his poynt of Iustification he did labour to beat off from repentance and from confession of sin or begging of pardon for sin and held it out that these were a calling in question the faithfullnesse of God for he shewed that all that the Saints had to do was to beleeve and render prayse and as he sayd he spake his owne experience that he had found more of God in one dayes walking in beleeving then in many yeares in walking in that strict course of praying and fasting and keeping dayes of humiliation and blamed those Ministers that did hold forth such doctrines These things he backed on with such Arguments that it did take much upon the affections of them that heard him For I never heard him pray but he would sometimes give thanks and that so sweetly that it did even ravish the soules of them that heard him and did much presse on to that duty Thus hearing him at severall times by degrees I fell from the good
Tragi-Comaedia BEING A BRIEF RELATION OF THE STRANGE AND Wonderfull hand of God discovered at WITNY in the Comedy Acted there February the third where there were some Slaine many Hurt with severall other Remarkable PASSAGES Together with what was Preached in three Sermons on that occasion from Rom. 1.18 Both which May serve as some Check to the Growing Atheisme of the Present Age. By JOHN ROWE of G. C. C. in Oxford Lecturer in the Towne of WITNY It is time for thee Lord to work for they have made voyd thy Law Psal 119.126 Verily he is a God that judgeth in the Earth Psal 58.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Onatus apud Stobaeum OXFORD Printed by L. LICEFIELD For HENRY CRIPPS Anno Dom. 1653. TO MY HONOVRED and much beloved Friends the Inhabitants of the Towne Parish of WITNY Dearely beloved in the LORD THE publishing of these few Papers both the precedent Narrative and the ensuing Sermons of right belong to You and you may challenge them as your owne Among you it was that these wonders of the Lord were seen and upon you it was that the Lord hath shewen himselfe marvelous Doe not quarrell with the Almighty for setting you up as the publik Theatre whereon he would manifest his holynesse justice other Attributes to the world We are his Creatures and it were enough if we could say no more but It is his pleasure to have it so Yet there is other reason why we should quiet and compose our selves and shake off all thoughts and reasonings that are apt to arise saying as the Church doth We will beare the indignation of the Lord because we have sinned against him Though you are the people that doe only suffer yet you are not they that are only aymed at The Lord hath spoken from heaven to the whole Nation by what he hath done amongst you and testified by a clear and eminent stroake against the monstrous unparraleld Atheisme irreligion profanesse which is walking up and downe in all places Though the Lord hath began with you yet he may not end with you If his dealing with you make not others wise their plagues may be farre greater then yours have been and if so it will be a mercy that you were corrected so soone and not suffered to goe on in your sinnes which would have brought heavier sorrowes in the end Amongst you it was that these meane Sermons had their rise which were not in the least intended for the Presse when first they were Preached But the desires of some amongst you to have written Coppies of them the longings and importunity of others to have them published the good of the Towne in generall which might seeme to require a stāding lasting remēbrance of these things seemed to be some call to me for the publishing of them To which I may adde the consideration of some little good the Lord I hope was pleased to doe by these plain and meane Sermons the hearts of some being a little awakened and the affection of others stirred and raised and some provoked to attend on the word thereby Which sparks being of the Lords owne kindling I thought it my duty to keep them alive as much as lay in me I hope you will beare with my rudenesse of speech and plain speaking the Lord being my witnesse that it is not a pleasure to me to make bare your nakednesse or discover your shame my ayme only being that you may lay to heart your sinnes seek pardon for them and reformation of them My care hath been as much as may be to abstain from all personall reflections and not to make use of any ones Name that I might not grieve the spirits of any by making them publike to the world although if I had insisted on some particulars the story might have been set forth with more advātage in the eyes of some Some enlargments there have been in the Sermons some larger explications of a few Scriptures it being not possible within such a scantling of time as is allotted to speake fully to all things Yet this you will find you have scarce any materiall passage omitted of what was Preached and the Additions which are I hope not altogether unprofitable or unnecessary Some Notes are put into the Margin which need not trouble the lesse skilfull Reader all obscurity being avoyded in the body of the Sermons themselves My humble desire and request to you is that you will not lay aside this little Book as soon as it comes into your hands though the things are mean and contemptible if you consider the person parts and years of him that brings them unto you and the manner of his delivering them yet are they great and of moment if you consider him that sends them to you so farre forth as the mind of God is revealed in them and his particular will made known concerning you Some few houres will serve to Reade over the whole Book and if at leasure times you put your Children or Servants to reade but a little it may be better then to let it lye moulding in your Windows Possibly you may meet with such a remembrace if the Lord work with it by his Spirit as you may blesse him for all your dayes I can only say as the Apostle doth with a little change Brethren my hearts desire and prayer to God for the people of Witny is that they may be saved I trust the Lord hath some of his election yet scattered amongst you sure I am there are some of his called and faithfull ones already to be found in the middest of you How long I may be left to speak to you I know not This I can asure you I pray and sigh at the throne of Grace for you as well as I can And I could wish I had better prayers and more sighs and groanes then my poore barren heart can afford There could not be a greater joy to me then to see the Kingdome of our Lord Jesus taking place in greaer power in your soules to see that high valuation and eager thirsts in the hearts of many of you after a poore despised neglected forsaken Christ whom the world but it may break our hearts to speak it begins to grow weary of though the world be not worthy of such a one Now the God and Father of our Lord Jesus blesse you with the knowledge of himselfe and this his deare Sonne and grant that the savour of his knowledge may be spread amongst you more abundantly These are the constant prayers of Your unworthy Friend and Servant in the Gospell John Rowe A BRIEFE NARRATIVE OF The Play Acted at Witny the third of February 1652. Together with its sad and Tragicall End IT may not seem so proper nor be so pleasing to every Reader to set down all the Circumstances about this Play forasmuch that somewhat might be said touching the rise and originall of it the nature of the Play it self and the book from whence it
wisedōe and all my power I will put forth all my glory and excellency to destroy you If temporall judgments will not prevaile God hath eternall punishents in a readinesse for obstinate and incorrigible sinners Tophet is prepared c. Hell is in readinesse eternall flames everlasting burnings are prepared and those that would not be tamed and brought into order by the judgments of God in this world will be still and calme enough when they are thrown there Then thy pride and stoutnesse of heart against the Lord thy stubbornnesse and incorrigiblenesse will do thee little good This hath God prepared Ps 7.11 12 13. God is angry with the wicked every day if he turne not he will whet his sword he hath bent his bow and made it ready he hath also prepared for him the instruments of death Are not the judgments of God in this world terrible enough do they not strike deep enough do men beare up themselves against the Almighty and wax proud against him notwithstanding these Oh! he hath yet a deadly instrument left behind he can strike them into hell and then they are struck to purpose Art thou not afraid of the first death the worst as thou supposest of temporall evills because that is but a short passage But there is the second death when thou shalt be ever dying and yet never dye thou shalt be alwayes in the pangs and agonyes of death and yet never past death it selfe The judgments of God in this world they are but as the Alphabet as the A.B.C. to that great O quantum erit istud Consistorium quod Majestate divina apparente to millibus Angelorum celebrabitur quanto majoris Majestatis tanto majoris terroris horror is erit impi is Luth. and last judgment It was Luthers expression Oh how great sayes he againe shall that consistory be When the Divine majesty shall appeare and so many thousand Angels and by how much the greater the Majesty of that court shall be so much greater will the dread and horror be that will fall upon wicked men 2. If you be a reformed people the Lord will delight in this place as much as ever he hath loathed it The Lord doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men No Judgment is his strange work had you not put him to it he had never done that which he hath Returne now unto the Lord make a covenant with him this day to serve him with a perfect heart and a willing mind Choose the Lord for your God and give up your selves in Christ Jesus to him to walk with him unto all well pleasing then will he rejoyce over you to do you good he will set himselfe to blesse you with his whole heart and with his whole soule Blessed shall you be in the towne blessed in the field blessed in your basket and blessed in your store Blessed when you rise up and blessed when you lye down All the people that passe by you shall say Behold Witny the Place which the Lord hath blessed The Lord shal take away your reproach and it shall no more be said this is Witny whom the the Lord hath plagued but this is Witny whom the Lord hath loved whom the Lord delighteth in Yea the Lord himselfe shall Blesse you out of Lion You shall have all the Gospell mercyes knowledge shall increase and the feare of the Lord abound amongst you others shall bee provoked by your zeale they shall come and see the religion that is in Witny and say Behold the place that was eminent for sin and judgment is now become eminent for Holinesse and mercy And now I may say as Moses did after he had thundered out all the curses and sweetly laid forth all the blessings of the Lord upon their obedience or disobedience to the Law I have set life and death before you this day Oh chuse the way of life and you are blessed blessed shall you here and blessed for evermore FINIS