THE experience we have had of your forwardnesse in receiving, and faithfulnesse in weighing our former addresses, hath given us aboundant encouragement, to take hold upon this present opportunitie of breathing out something of our sorrows, which your Love, and our Necessitie command us to represent to your consideration and compassion. Much we know, we may commit to the Wisedome and Fidelitie of our Brethren, these Messengers, to impart unto you, concerning our miserable Condition, and unto them shall leave the most. Your own Nationall, but specially Christian Interest, [Page] will not permit you to hide your Eyes from the bleeding Condi [...]ion of your poor distressed Brethren in England, should neither Messengers, nor Letters be sent unto you. But Messengers coming, we should at once neglect our selves, should we not thus a li [...]tle ease our burthened Hearts by powring them out into your Bosomes, and seem [...]gratefull to you, of whose readinesse to suffer with us, and do for us, we have had so great and ample Testimonies.
Surely, if ever a poor Nation were upon the edge of a most desperate precipice: If ever a poor Church were ready to be swallowed up by Satan and his Instruments; we are that Na [...]ion, we are that Church. And in both respects, by so much the more miserable, by how much we expected, not a Preseruation onely, but an Augmentation also, to Happynesse in the one, and Glory in the other. We looked for peace, but no good came, and for [...] of healing, and behold trouble? Our God, who in his former Judgements was as Mo [...]h and Rottennesse (and yet had of late begun to send us Health and Cure) is now turned into a. Lyon to us, and threatens to rend the very [Page 3] Caule of our Hearts. From above he hath sent a Fire into our Bones, and it prevails against us. From our own Bowels he hath called forth and strengthe [...]ed an Adversary against us, a Genera [...]ion of Brutish Hellish men, the Rod of his anger, and the Staffe of his indignation; under whose cruelties we bleed, and if present mercy step not in, we dye▪ Righteous art thou, O Lord, and just are all thy Judgements! But, O the more then barbarous carriages of our Enemies; where ever God give any of his hidden ones up into their Hands! We need not expresse it unto You, who know the inveterate, and deadly malice of the Antichristian faction, against the Members of our LORD JESUS: And it is well, we need not, for in truth we cannot. Your own thoughts may tell you better then any words of ours what the mercy of Papists is towards the Ministers and Servants of our Lord JESUS CHRIST. But the Lord knows we are not troubled so much with [...] Miseries and Dangers; but that which breaks our Hearts is, The danger we behold, the Protestant Religion, and all the Reformed Churches [Page 4] in, at this time, through that too great and formidable strength, the Popish Faction is now arrived at: If our God will lay our Bodies as the Ground, and as the Street under their Feet, and powre out our Blood as Dust before their fury, The Will of the Lord be done. Might our Blood be a Sacrifice to ransome the rest of the Saints or Churches of Christ from Antichristian fury, we would offer it up upon this Service gladly. But we know their rage is insatiable, and will not be quenched with our blouds; Immortall, and will not die with us; Armed against us, not as men, but as Christians, but as Protestants, but as men desiring to Reforme our Selves, and to draw our Selves and others yet neer unto GOD. And if GOD give us up to be devoured by this rage, it will take the more strength and courage, at least to Attempt the like against all the Protestant and Reformed Churches.
In a deeper sence of this extreme danger, threatning us, and you, and all the Churches, then we can expresse, we have made this addresse unto you: In the Bowels of our Lord JESUS CHRIST, humbly imploring your most fervent Prayers to the God that hears [Page 5] Prayers, who, should we Judge Providences, seems to be angry with our Prayers. (Though we trust, he doth but seem so: And though he kill us, yet will we trust in him.) Oh give us the Brotherly ayde of your re-inforced Teares and Prayers, that the Blessings of Truth and Peace which our Prayers alone have not obtained, yours, conjoyned, may. And give us, Reverend and much Honoured in our Lord, your Advises, What remaines for us further to do, for the making of our own, and the Kingdoms Peace with GOD? We have lyen in the Dust before him; we have powred out our Hearts in Humiliations to him; we have in sinceritie endeavoured to reforme our Selves; and no lesse sincerely desired, studyed, laboured the publike Reformation; neverthelesse, The Lord hath not yet turned himself from the fiercenesse of his anger. And be pleased to advise us further, what may be the happyest course, for the uniting of the Protestant partie more firmely? That we may all serve God with one consent, and stand up against Antichrist as one man: That our God, who now hides himself from our [Page 6] People; may, Return unto us, delight in us, scatter and subdue his, and uur enemies, and cause his Face to shine upon us. The Lord prosper you, and preserve us; so that the great work of these latter Ages may be finished, to his honour and our own, and the Churches happynesse, through CHRIST JESUS.