I Am come now to a full point, the conclusion of the businesse, The entring into Covenant with God; That is the period, the main point indeed. I will tell thee in the intrance what it is; I. I. The great and highest worke; That which will maintain the Militia of a Kingdom fully; It will set it in a Posture for War, or against it, the strength of Battell, even so safe as it shall laugh to scorn all the fury of the oppressor, and aske, Where is it? it will make a Kingdom like a wall of brasse; and render the blast of the terrible ones, of no more force or account against it, then is a puffe of wind against the perpetuall hils, and everlasting mountains; For this worke is an en­gaging the heart of a Kingdom altogether, as one Man unto one God; The I refresting, Intitling Him to the Kingdome, the giving up the government of it into Gods hands, the willing resigning this government up, and leav­ing of it where it is, and must be when all is done, upon the Lords shoulders, so as it shall be now called, The Lords Kingdom, and the people there, the Lords People, the gates and barre; there, (I mean all the fenced places, all the Ammunition, all the Battlements there) the Lords gates, the Lords Battlements; Not the Kings Forts now, [though there shall be no diminu­tion to Hi-Rights and Royalties, His Kingly Power and Authority, which God had given into his hands, No diminution at all, not one jot or tittle is taken thence, Caesar must have his due given him, enough by Gods allow­ance, but then no more for God is God of gods and Lord of Lords, the High and Supream Lord still, and his Law the supream power still; and this is the glory of a King on earth, to be subordinate to the King of Heaven, and a [Page 2] a willing Subject to His Law] I was saying, not the Kings Kingdom now, nor the people, properly, the Kings people now, nor their own; nor the Forts and Battlements there, all these Fortifications there, not the Kings now, but the Lords Kingdom now; the Lords people now; the Lords Battle­ments now. It is just so; for if the King will do as we shall see anon, the Kingdom has done, give himself unto the Lord (which is the prayer of all His good and faithfull people) then the King will not be his own neither, but the Lords, a willing Subject to Him, who is King of Kings; he sits King in the Lords Throne, stands charged by the oath of God, to rule His people (Gods people) with equity; and His poor (Gods poor) with judge­ment, 2 Chron. 8 9. Psal. 72 8 doing all still in subordination to the Supreme Law, and in reference to the Law Book.

I was saying (but I was interrupted, willing to tell the Reader, as shortly as I could, what this Covenanting is) that now we are come to the great work and busines of the time, with much ado and great trouble, through the heat of the day, we are come up to this businesse now at the last, The entering Covenant with God, an endevour, at least, to bring three Kingdomes up unto it to engage them to be the Lords Kingdom; the summe and upshot of the businesse, the fruit and result of all our Fasting, Praying, Preaching; the end and issue of all this is, but to make a People, a People of willingnesses, a willing People to this Work of Covenanting with the Lord, that they will be Psal 110. the Lords People.

II. II, A wonderfull thing, that sith this is all, to enter Covenant with the Lord, that we will be no more our own, but His People, we should be so hardly drawn to the Work, so backward to it! I say again, a wonderfull thing! O ye heavens! be astonished at this, the Lord has brought up Re­bellious children indeed. Take the sons of Belial this once for an example; these sons all the world over, how willing are they to make a League, and Covenant, with their Adversary the Devill; Sin, Death, and Hell. And Israel, His people draw back, will not hear the joyful sound, will not enter Cove­nant with the Lord. O ye heavens! are ye not astonished at this? See again, how these children of disobedience, and sons of Perdition, how these Associate, and knit themselves together, fully resolved to their power, to breake the bands of the Lord, and cast away his cords, and then to root out His people, that their name may be no more upon the earth Thus these Children do; Earth, earth, earth, hear the Word of the Lord, shall not his people do as much for their God and His Cause, as the wicked do for the Devill their Master, and to maintain his worship, and their Idols? yet how hardly are the sons and daughters of God drawn to do, contrary to these sons of Belial, To lay their souls under Sacred bands, To bind themselves with the cords of God, His Lawe, His Statutes, His Judgements.

III. III. It is very remarkable, and sure we will set a marke upon it by the way, how the Lord has forced His People, has used a kind of violence to bring up His people to this Covenanting Work. The Lord suffered the Adversary [Page 3] to buffit His People into Covenant with Him. The Lord suffered the foot of Pride to prevail very much, even to a setting-under, and trampling up­on the heads of the Righteous, as Myre in the Street: Thus The Lord suffered it to be, That His People might stir-up themselves; Protest to serve God better, and avouch Him for their God. And so His People did. But here was much of self in this Work; self ends, and self respects. They groaned under grievous Task-masters: The Proud man had set his right foot upon the Church, and his left foot upon the Common wealth, and swore he would take away their Birth-right from both, Their Laws, Rights, Liber­ties; 1 Pet. 1. 19. [...] the Inheritance of their Fathers: But these outward Liberties, the setting the foot upon these. This pinched indeed, this crushed to the heart; and this was the main Inforcement with the greatest part, To enter into a Protestation, I say, that swayed most with the most. Well, God heard their groans notwithstanding, pittied His People, and took off that head, which consulted against His hidden ones; and withered that hand, and foot, which set so hard upon the Necks of the Righteous. But as is said of the King, he never dies; So of the Churches Adversary, he is still lively and strong, and a Legion he is; for many there are, who hate the Church here; And then he was more mad with rage; then the Nati­ons were indeed angry; So the Adversary and Enemy plotted, and plot­ted: Here he layed a snare, and there a snare; The Lord brake the snares still; For He had a respect to their Protestation, That His People seemed willing to avouch Him for their God; And from that very day See Thank [...]ss [...]. p. 85. The Lord blessed His People, made them strong to do exploits, from that day; But from that day the Adversary was more lively, and active, as was said, to do mis­chief: So they traversed this way, and that way, Till at last they brought about a most bloody Designe. What was that? To cut and slay not a few; To destroy a Mother City in Israel, even her, Who maintains a great Fa­mily; is the great House-keeper under God, The great Hostesse in our Land, that forgets not to entertain strangers, To welcome the out-casts and abjects, those that are thrown-out of Cities, and Towns all over the Land, as Persons, or things of no worth there 2 Cor. 4. [...]. Heb 13 1.: But the world is not worthy of them. These this Hostesse do's entertain, she is not forgetfull: This Mo­ther City was in designe to have been destroyed, even this City▪ and with her, all the faithfull there, and every where, that had an hand with David: Indeed, and indeed, had the Adversary had his will, they had de­stroyed this City, and all with David, all throughout the Land, from corner to corner. What then? Then we entred into Covenant. It was high time; And doubtlesse the hearts of the upright, were upright, touching that matter? But we, we common People, did not Covenant To search every man his own heart, for the finding and casting out the accursed thing therein; And those, who, as alwayes they have done, made void the Laws of God and man. We came not up fully unto that Work; Nay, let me take the boldnesse for to say, sith I speak in the presence of God, and by His [Page 4] grace will waigh and consider what I say, and I will propose it by way of doubt or Proposition, onely thus; Was not that Covenanting too Selvish? I mean, did not the Subjects Rights and Priviledges, take up too much Roomth there? I will not say it did, for, was there not a Cause? That the Worthies, should do as they did? Yet this I may say.

III. IIII. There was not that Spiritually in the businesse, as God requires; The Worthies, all of them, did not (till now) rise to that height of Soul, touching The Lords matters in His worship: The main and chief businesse did not seem to be, the Cause of God, Religion, The Faith, The great Trust of the Kingdom▪ The maintaining the Rights and Liberties of the Gospel, and then of the Church, against those Usurpers, That had taken these Liberties quite away, (pleading their Right from Heaven, the while they set the Church under foot) Against such Opposers, mighty Adversaries, who have let hitherto, and will let till they be removed, and taken quite away: The Covenant did not descend to this Bottome, to this Root (even that discent To the Root, argues an height of zeal too) the eradicating, or rooting-out of that cursed train, the Pope, and his Bishops. Nor did that Covenant expresse a Love, or a Care so diffusive, so spreading toward their Sister Churches of Scotland and Ireland, (as it should have done) when yet they knew (but the present distractions and care to save themselves clouded them a little) sailed in the same Ship with them, were involved in the same dangers from those floods of great Waters, quite covering the Ship of the Church in the same Tempest, even Scotland too. Much more might be said, I will say but this, The Lords thoughts are good and gratious to­ward His People; He will bring His People up to Him, fully and indeed. And what way takes The Lord? He suffers the Adversary to blunder on his own way▪ gives him, as the Adversary calls it▪ Successe in his way, and, as he will have it called, a Victory; The Lord delivers up His Cities, some of them, into the Enemies hand; then suffers the Adversary; gives their Tongue power to move, and to blaspheme His Holy Name: The Adver­sary in his pride, and height of blasphemy, asked a poor People; Where is now your God? What is become of your Praying, and Fasting, and Preaching. What of all that? O wretches! Divels, I had almost said, What is be­come of all this! Look you here, and if you can consider, consider, for it is Higgaion Selah, a matter seriously to be thought upon; That the Pe [...]le of God have prayed and praised (Prayer and praise still go together) and fasted Psal 9 16. and preached, Three Kingdoms into one: as sanctisied means, these have brought them into Covenant with their God, as it is at this day: At that very time when the Adversary so blasphemed, at that point of time, Scotland had great thoughts of heart for England, and England for Scotland; both for Ireland. So they entered into a League, knit themselves together, all as one, To &c. For there is enough said, touching the matter and manner The subject of a short Treatise of that solemnity, though I had said nothing. I shall enquire now into these things, and demonstratively shew, first.

I. I. The necessity of taking this way of Covenanting with God; It is the Sacra Anchora the onely remedy, to save the Ship of the Church. How is that done? (For save the Ship and save all) By maintaining the Rights and Priviledges of the Gospel; or to speak in the vulgar and common speech, To maintain the Protestant Religion: No way to do this, but To Covenant with The Lord so to do; there is a necessity then.

A. No, no Necessity at all, nor cause why this should be the Kingdoms care, for it is the Kings care.

B A poor speech, I will not say simple. Is any one man sufficient for that care? Or dare any man say, he is compitent for such a care? The care of all the Churches lay upon Paul; God fitted him for it, and Paul was not alone, he had, and would have, many helpers. The care of three King­doms is more and more waighty.

A. True, nor is the King alone; as he tells us, The maintenance of the true Religion, is his care, and he vows to discharge that care.

B. Very well! But I wish from my heart, That His Majesty, had not vowed so much for the Church: And more from my soul, if more can be, That he had not done so much against her.

A. His zeal is pardonable, and his care pious and conscientious; he is carefull to discharge his care, as was said; and he knows how to do it well enough: His Majesty has Noble Instruments about Him, helpers to him in the full discharge of that great Trust and care.

B. By your leave Sir, Ile take it; yet, by the help of God, and His Law, I will keep my self within the Bounds of Christian Prudence, and say, The vile Councellors have set the King in a worse way, then ever Jeroboam (who made Israel sin) prosecuted: For Jeroboam took a good way to a cursed end: and that is strange, yet not so strange as true: I say, good, by allowance of the Spirit, who calls Achitophels Counsell good 2 Sam. 17. 14., though tending to a cursed end. A good way Jeroboam went, plain and direct, nei­ther he, nor the People could be deceived in it: The full purpose of his heart was to set up a Calvish worship, which yet he might call true (for I think no man embraceth falshood under that [...]otion) though clean crosse and contrary to that worship instituted, and commanded by God Himself at Jerusalem: I say, he set up a Calvish Religion, and he sayes so too; That was well, say so, and do so; And the good way he took, plain, and direct; For all that he did, had a direct tendency thereunto, to his main scope in the sight of all the People.

Therefore what did he? He appointed Calvish (brutish) Priests; such a service, such Priests; These agreed as the Ma [...]e [...]lips and Lettice: A good way this still, no turnings of the old Serpent in it, but direct and straight. But had Jeroboam then professed in words, To maintain the worship of God commanded at Jerusalem, while yet he did, as he did, set his eye against the Priests of the Lord; spied them out and spurned them out throughout all his Towns and Cities; which he did with that violence and eagernesse, [Page 6] That those Priests, if you marke the story, came by companies to Jerusalem, persecuted by Jeroboam out of their places, where he had Command, or spoyled there, had I say, Jeroboam professed with his mouth all this time, while he persecuted with his hand; To maintain the true worship of God, then every child would have laughed at him: and the soberman, who knowes what it is to mock God (but God is not mocked) would have wept heartily. Ah Lord would the true Israelite have said, what? professe the true worship as at Jerusalem, and set up Calves at Dan and Bethel! Ah Lord? Indeed the true Israelite would have so wept, so mourned! and let him do so still, as he sees cause; for whatever we judge of the King (the Lord He is Judge between him and us) we do know his helpers, what maintainers they are of Religion; what Lawlesse men will do for our lawes: children of Belial with our sacred Coards, and Bands; and what Papists will do touching the Rights and Priviledges of the Church and Gospel. For at this time we will not mention the Rights and Priviledges of Parliament, though of good account with us, yet of no account to the Pearle in the Gospel, that is the Gospel, and at the stake now, have at it, and all at once, and then lose that and lose all.

A. The King cares for the Gospel as well as you; and because of this blood shed, his heart is grieved; he would stop that flood-gate, and hastens as fast as he can; he will have Peace with all men, and pursues it, witnesse that Royall Act he has done in Ireland, therefore what needs there pre­parations, or Covenanting betwixt three Kingdomes?

B. A Royall Act! and what need of Covenanting! I protest I can scarce hold; but I will keep within my bounds with Gods help still, and say and prove. The necessity holds still and holds the stronger, & has all lawes of heaven and earth for so holding, but I will say this first, A wicked Counsellour has put his Majesty upon an hard work, and he has been upon it all this while, how he may undeceive the people, now the work is done, and not till now, not so perfectly done as now; why now? Because he has made a peace with Ireland, and now England is undeceived I hope.

A. Good Reason and Charity to boot so to do: for Ireland is quite wasted with the hurtfull sword: and to give peace there argues a soul­bleeding over the desolations the sword has made there, does it not?

B. No sure, for he has made peace with those—Monsters, I want a word to expresse their villanies, who have laid that land waste; have murthered 100000. thousand souls with a rage reaching to heaven; exercising such Cruelties upon the bodies of men, women, children and sucklings, such cruelties as were never heard of or done, by the Ethenick or Heathenish. Rome, not the like to those executions we now read of in the Tragedy of Ireland: His Majestie has made a peace with them, a league with them. Shall it stand? God has sworn by his Holinesse, it shall not stand. He will have warre with them, who have dealt so and so with His people: There is a Curse pronounced against these murtherers too, which shall cleave un­to [Page 7] them, and to their children after them, faster then does the Ivy to the wall, because they compassed about the righteous with words of hatred: and fought against him without a cause; Because they remembred not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man; Psal. 107. 3. 16, 17. This, Curse of the Lord upon the enemies of the Lord, it shall certainly pursue and overtake them. They loved Cursing, it shall come to them: They delighted not in blessing, it shall be farre from them: And peace shall be as far from them too, as far out of their reach, as it is from their hearts, or as is the highest starre from their lowest finger. We judge not the intentions of the King heere, we leave him to the Sear­cher of hearts, who judgeth Righteously. We are sure, very sure we know the intentions of these murtherers, their purpose is to band themselves against the Church; The Church expected so much, and is provided for their comming; how well fortified she is we shall here anon. Truly she is not carefull touching that matter. But she sees the necessity of doing what she has done, Of asscciating her sons and daughters; kniting themselves together all as one man to stand the firmer against the Common Adversary.

A. You may thank your selves, if the Irish do come against you? You call in the Scots, why should not the King call in the Irish?

B. I would as good reason could be given for every thing that is done, as will be given for this, and then we should do and walk as men. Should not the people of God seek to their God; and for help from the people of God to come-in to help Gods Cause? And should help be sought from the Divell and his Instruments, the enemies of God, to help the King against God and against his good people? more to this anon. It is well now, whatever strength comes against us, let it come: and if this Covenanting with God, has occasioned more stirs (as doubtlesse it has after the old manner) blessed be His Name. Whatever fals out in the world, it is not Chance, the Lord do's it, suffers it to be so, and He is The Lord; He do's all things well, It is the Lord, let Him do what is good in His sight.

Here His people are; They must go Gods way, The way of His peo­ple; our defence and protection is from the Lord; it is not our care, it is His, with reverence be it spoken, let God look to that. His people are gathered together to do Him service; The time was when at such a time, when His people were so gathered together for that great purpose, then did not the Lord suffer a Dog to move his tongue against His people: none must do them hurt at that time, though all lay open to invasion. He did reprove Exo. 34. 24 Kings for His Churches sake. (Oh! the security of a people engaged up­on Gods work!) Reader let us do our work; leave God to His; I will assure you we shall put it hard upon him anon. What is that? We shall, having done our duty, require of Him to maintain and protect His ser­vants.

But yet before I take of my hand hence, I will say this and no more. That the King is liable to Gods reproofe; Thou hast loved them that hate the Lord: and hated them that love the Lord: And now it is in my mind, I will [Page 8] shut up this with a Story out of Tacitus, how a brave Emperesse takes up her Lord Tiberius the Emperour, and layes the grossest, most palpable, pellucide, transparent hypocrisie to his charge, thus it was; Agrippiua comes to Tiberius to intercede with him in behalf of some of Augustus his kinred, against who he had put out a very rough hand: and she finds him, to speak in English, doing before Avgustus his Tombe, as we have seen our Bishops do before the Altars, bending and cringing there, and performing some other devoti­ons, I know not what, to the sacred memory and externall honour of Au­gustus, that diminitive god. The woman could not forbeare; out shee breaks, like a woman full of indignation, Shame upon thee, Tiberius, shame upon thee; what a notorious hypocrite art thou? what! seem to honour Augustus Non est ejus­dem macti­ [...] victimus Augusti & posterius [...]s inje­ [...]. as a god, and abominate his friends and children as if they were Devils? O abomina­ble! how mistaken art thou? Thinkest thou to vail the eyes of the people so? then thou must put out their eyes, for bending with thy knee before thy god, will not bear out, not countenance the injustice of thy hand against Augustus children, No in good faith, Tiberius, it will not; And let me undeceive thee there, for thou canst not by all this deceive the people ‘Thou art but one person,’ Tiberius; Thou canst not truly and really act two so different parts: It is not possible, notwithstanding thy seeming devotions, truly to honour Augustus; and yet to persecute his kinred. The vile Counsellours will not apply here, I will; yet I will make but two Supposi­tions, and two Positions, and then the use of all; The first Supposition [for qui supponit non ponit, Though I do think what I think, and know what I know, yet I say only] suppose That the King do's persecute the Children of God. This supposition granted, this will be the Position, That all his devotions to God: all his protestations to man are null, and of none effect, as his Proclamations and Commissions have been, for he cannot worship before God and persecute His Children.

2. Suppose That the King has made a peace the Irish, the most kankerd Adversaries, That the Church has, or ever had, in the world; do but suppose it so, grant that Supposition; Then this is the Position; I tremble to put it down, but it is Truth; Then the King, what ever shewes are to the contrary, hateth God, and good men; That he do's, God, Angels, and Men are witnesse hereunto; That being supposed, this must be granted in despight of the Devils in Hell, and his servants on Earth; That the King doing so, and so heartily for the Irish, he hates all true English and Scot­tish, all the faithfull in the world; He hates them all; as heartily as he loves the Irish; I must adde, he hates God too. Take both the Suppositi­ons together now, and then the necessity followeth, which hath all Law with it; and that I will call the use, or inference from the premisses; If the King persecute the [...]nred of God, then he cannot honour God: If his heart be towards the Irish, those murtherers for good (as they call it:) then his eye is upon David and his helpers, all the faithfull in the world, for Evill, to do them all the mischiefe they can. Then I hope all the faithfull in the world will make this use of it, and a vertue of necessity, To Associate them­selves; [Page 9] To enter Covenant, To knit themselves together all as one man, against the haters of the Lord, for they see the necessity of so doing, and they have the use; but all must be done orderly, according to Law and equity: for our necessi­ty is not like the necessity of the Irish and English Monsters which has nei­ther Law nor Reason; ours has both, and equity too, this fellowes, from clear demonstration.

II. II. A reasonable and most equitable thing it is, That we should swear to maintain Religion; for the Adversary swears to destroy Religion, and if he destroyes that, he destroyes all; All that the excellent of the world, account excellent. We swear to maintain Religion, then we swear to main­tain all, for Religion is the Gospel, Christ and all; It is the very Pillar of this great Fabrick; It is like a Ship in a storme indeed, but save that and save all.

A. No man will gainsay you in this; Maintain Religion in Gods Name; And defend the Church with all your Power in the same Name; It is but just and equitable so to do; But I pray you where is your Law? This Law bids you maintain, Arch-bishops, and Bishops; their Curats too, and their Service-Book also, our Church-men all, and our Church Officers all, and our Church Services all, Organs and the like. What! Cast-out these? O! I tremble when I think of our holy Service, and holy Servants, and of your oath which runs thus, we swear to root all these Arch-Bishops and Bishops and all, &c. for there is, as was in their oath an &c. and so your Oath runs through all.

B, Yes indeed does it, and we will run after as fast as we can, we will do as we have sworn. But first, know you what you said? It is a wonder indeed that you are so mistaken: Church-men, said you! They are no Church men nor Commonwealths men neither; not the later, for they so sought their own private wealth, that they left the poor subject nothing he could call his own, but his misery: And such Church-men they are too, such Archbishops and Bishops as Titularis non Tutila­ris Rex; de­fuit non praefuit Rei­publicae. Chilperick was a king (of France:) They were as a golden Head set over the Church, but they did not the Office of an Head, of a Foot rather, for they did, to their Power, stamp the Church and Common wealth both to Powder: We have sworn, as they did, To Root themselves in, so vve, To eradicate, and Root them out; and mark now vvhose Oath shall stand: Ile say nothing here touching their Messes of Service, first Messe, and after Messe, the Masse indeed: I have much to say of it, and if it come forth, Ile curtle it that the Reader may have it for his price three farthings, yet that he may rise one farthing higher if need be, I vvill assure him this, If I do not prove by Argument, That the Litur­gie or Forme of Worship, (the peoples Idol now, and the Bishops god) is as uselesse (to say no more) as is unsavory salt; then I will give the Reader my Tongue, and leave to throw it-out after the Liturgy and Salt to the Dung-hill. This in passage.

A. Ay but you ought to sweare in judgement, and to do justice, then [Page 10] you must not swear to Cast-out Arch-Bishops and Bishops, nor their Cu­rates; for the Law of man has setled the one in their Throne, in the house of Lords too, and over their Diocesse: and their Curates in their severall places, setled men too; you cannot swear them out neither, by Law.

B. No? why then wee'll let them alone a little; as their fellows have done, they vvill throw themselves out anon. But I thought verily the man vvould have said, That Gods Law set and established Bishops there; true­ly I thought the man vvould have pleaded for their standing Iure Divino, by a Right from Heaven, as the Bishop did, penning his owne Charter; but the man is vviser now, and the Bishops too: The onely refuge now is, To the Laws of man; vvell, To the Law of man let them go, but that vvill deceive them too; I vvill leave the Reader to Mr. Channell, I name him for honour sake, because indeed he may Glory in his vvork, and Boast in the Lord, for he has undeceived all the Christian vvorld touching that Point; the vvorld thought, and such a fool vvas I, (amongst the rest) I almost thought so too, hearing such braggs and boastings, as if the Bishops had all from Heaven, Their White Sleeves too, the garment of the Saints; so the vvorld thought, That Bishops vvere by Divine Right; yes, and their Curates and their S [...]vice-Book, commonly called the Liturgy; all this vvas established by Law too, and to question that Right, was as dangerous in those times, as to take a Lyon by the Beard. But now we are clear in this point, thank our learned men, Lawyers and Divines, They say, These have no Law for their standing nor Reason neither, not a vvord, not a syl­lable of either, have Bishops for their standing, say our learned men, and Mr. Channell last of all: And truely I beleeve them as verily as I do the Gospell, so clear I am at that point, vvhich Mr Channell hath cleared to all the vvorld, that This and That, Persons and things, vvere brought in by the meer pleasure of man against the Law, [vvhereon I could delate very large­ly too, for he is deceived indeed, and vvillingly so, That vvill not be un­deceived now] ergo say I, These may be cast-out by Law. But I vvill not trust my Law, I will grant, though my indulgency that vvay vvill do the Bishops no good, That the Law has appointed Bishops Lords over Dioces, has setled them in the Church, placed them amidst the House of Peers, made them Spirituall too; (I cannot tell vvhat the Law of the Lord may do, but sure I am, The Law of the Land never did that) But grant all this, give them their challenge, (all the Rope they do deserve) all the Law they do de­sire, grant them their sayings, That the Law of the Land has made them Arch Bishops and Bishops, Lords and Spirituall, all this (truly I can scarce suffer such a thing to drop from my Pen, the Rope vvas more in my thought, and that is Law too) But be it so for this time; yet notwithstan­ding this large grant; If Arch-Bishops and Bishops are all for mounting-up of Altars, Edification of Images, for maintaining Superstitions, Heresies, Blaspemies, horrible Prophanations, even of the Lords Day; Then may vve finde out a Law, or make a Law, and swear unto it vvhen vve have done, [Page 11] To thrust-out such abominable Parsons, or give them the Rope vvithin, so Trussing them up by the Necks.

A. Stay a little, dare you avouch all this?

B. Yes, and swear it too; and more, I vvill make a challenge, If I do not give better Reason and Law both, vvhy the Arch-Bishops, and Bishops I mean a Bishop rick in the Bishops latitude. should have a Rope from Earth, than they can give vvhy they should have a Bishoprick from Heaven; I mean, If I cannot make better proof, That they should have a Rope, Lege Humana, than they can make Proof of Te­nure or holding their Bishopricks Iurc Divino, Then I vvill hang for them at Tyburn, or burne for them in Smithfield.

A. Durst you (or vviser and better than you) say as much as this five years ago?

B. No indeed, [...] quidem, deep silence then, for it vvas the Power of Darknesse and the Bishops vvere in their Zenith, the verticle point, and height of their Reigne. I vvill speak a little for my betters, It was an Evill time, the Prudent man held his peace, and so he shewed his (own) vvise­dome by his silence and doing nothing; for, Beholding The Lords Day Prophaned, The Lord of the Day Blasphemed, The Honours and Service of the Day defiled, all this while he (vvisely) held his Peace; He obser­ved more, even grievous Wolves hasting to Christs fold, thence removing the Shepheards, and there scattering the sheep: All this while, if they would let him alone, he would let them alone; such was his wisdom: But it was his own, he never learnt it of his God. He bids this man, who ever he is, (But this man was not alone, a thousand with him, were as silent as he was, but if alone, yet God bids him) In my Cause, and against my Enemies be as bold as a Lyon; Then certainly, He that so commands, would as He did, command the Lions mouth, he shall not devour this man, who is as bold as a Lion for Gods sake: Truly we must not flatter our Wisers and our betters, It was their fault, and they are excedingly humbled for it, they were too fearfull, too loath to speak, too forward to flatter: So the Shepheards and their flocks were scattered as we heard; indeed the servants of the Lord, considering the terrours of the Lord, the place ap­pointed for the fearfull, are very much humbled for their silence, and Com­plyance, and if they be carried down with the stream of mighty waters they can accept of their punishment, whereof Augustine discourses very well and usefully in his first Book of the City of God, Cap. 9. Now we return to our Law Book, which tels us, That our Bishops were not made Archbishops nor Lords neither by our Law-Book. Though an Arch-Bishop said once in the face of a great Assembly, That the Holy Ghost made him Bishop. Well said for a Bishop, but when he had said, he had done, and no man was so fool­hardy as to reply, for it was in the High Commission Court, and he was next to the highest there, and by the Laws and Constitutions there, he was made, constituted, and established a Bishop, and maintained his standing there by the same Statute Law, we know no other. But grant them all the Law in [Page 12] the world for their being Bishops (Archbishops we will not mention) yet they are not more Bishops, nor by a better Law, Than Maacha was Queen, yet when she had hoysed-up a filthy thing, I know not what to call it, but an Idol it was, and lifted her eyes and heart unto it, then was she, by the Covenant and Oath the King and Peoyle had taken, Put down from be­ing Queen. So it followes here, and by as good Law, and so I leave it, and will hear now what the Man has to say, why their Curats may not be extirpated or Rooted out also. Truly me thinks they stand together very I mean all the Idol Shepherds in the Land. handsomely in their Service-book (Bishops and Curats) and let them be thrown-out in Gods Name with their Service-Book too, So it will be: why should they not be together still, Bishops and Curats, for such Bishops and such Curats, and such a Service-Book: And out they shall be cast for certainly so contrary, the Church has Prayed this long time, and now the Church shall reap the fruits of her Prayers and long expectations; by help of God and His Law Book the Church will cast out Arch-Bishops, Bishops and Curats.

A. Not Curates sure, they are good men, standing up for the King, and for Religion.

B. So say the Bishops too; explain the termes, and you have your Answer.

For the King; What's that? Against God, the High God, Lord of Lords; against His Christ, Prince of the Kings of the Earth; against Truth, and Peace; against every thing, That has a tendency that way, to the good and happynesse of the King and Kingdom. For Religion now, what is the meaning of that? The Curate shall tell you; For Religion (i. e.) for formes of Religion, a Liturgy, a Service Book; for all their Religion is there. We have lifted up our hands to the High God, That we will throw out all these; who are so contrary, even as is light and darknesse, to That, which we have joyned hands and heart to maintain with our Estates and Lives, that is Religion: and cursed be all those, who obstinately stand Neuters in this great Cause, so neerly concerning God, His King, and Kingdoms.

A. Why are those that stand Neuters cursed men? They are innocent; They will anger no Party; They are for the King, for the Church, for Church-men, and Church Service, as we will call it, and not against the Parliament.

B. Yes, against it, for they are not with it: In this very case also, our Lords words are true, and reach these Neuters.

A. But what Law have you for Neuters?

B. None at all; Law is for an Hare, they say, and a Polt for a Polt. Cat. The very truth is, we have no Law for them at all, But all the Law in Heaven and Earth, is against such: And if we do not throw them out, The Lord will spew them out; As sure as Herod was a Fox; so sure this Neuter is such ano­ther man, a cunning knave, and a very fool too; he stands holding fast a [Page 13] brasse-penny in his hand, beholding the while, the Pearl trampled-under by Swine: He holds fast his own Rights, and will keep his own Priviledges: But for the Gospel and Gospels Rights, whether kept or lost, he is William Indifferent I knew a man in Oxford cal­led so, who when his house (ve­ry old and rotten) was on fire, and he was told of it, said he was in­different.

I know not where to finde this Neuter (as our English Seneca to his little friend, in his yonger dayes To Mr. W L. de­ead 3. epist. 5. he is every where, and no where, &c. But I will rather have it observed, how the Poet describes him, Natat modo, like one that swimes; he is now on this side, now on that; openly for vertue, secretly for vice; as unequall as Priscus, as like himself, as Vertumnus; as various as Protcus Hor 2. ser. Sal. 7. A man, that has his body here, and his heart with the Kings Army: That gives a pound of silver to The Lord Christ (thereby to keep his thousand:) and one hundred to maintain the Warre of Anti­christ.

A man that standeth at an indifferency, so equally poysed, That a Mo­ment turns him, he is as is the time; runs as does the stream; stands as does a Weather Cock; I could tell him now two or three stories, which would make him tremble at the judgements of God, upon Neuters, but I forbear. He will not appear for Christ, his end will be destruction; he must ap­pear, but Christ will not appear for him, not acknowledge him then, at that day. As miserable a man as is in the world, and as Malignant, and hurt­full; They that are so, and appear not, do the most mischief. It is but Law and Reason both, That these should be cast out.

And now to close up the Bishops Case, and the Legality of the proceeding against them, we will note this as follows, That the proceed­ings against the Bishops have been all along these 3 yeers, according to the clearest prints of Law and Justice, that ever were observed in the world: For first, The Worthies un-Bishoped them, thrust them down from their Thrones; (an honour their flatterers gave unto them without Reason; the Worthies took it from them by all Reason, and Law to help.) They took from them their Dignities, Lordships, temporall and spirituall, ren­dred them as contemptible, as they made themselves, and endeavoured to make the Lords day: And, which was most observable, The Church cast them out of their Prayers: Indeed their praying for them still (as Bishops o­ver the Church) had been an intimation of their right to raign (tyrannize rather) over them still: and the Churches subjection to that Antichristian power. But they thrust them out of their chairs and now they vow to root them out from the Land of the living. If we behold this well it will appear to be a very beautifull work, and the order taken therein, makes it so beautifull; It puts me in minde how the Romans dealt once with their Ruler, that ruled them, as the Bishops ruled, with a Rod of Iron; so proudly, so contrary to Law, and all good Reason, That he was called Turquin the proud: he dealt with his People almost as proudly, as the proudest have dealt in Ireland. The People honoured him while he was their King, but when he rendred himself a Tyrant, by his insolencies and [Page 14] cruelties, then they would not endure; they un-kinged him, that was first, and then lifted up their hands, and vowed to root him out, him and all of his name; I note it to shew the Legality of the proceeding with the Bishops; It reacheth higher to the Archbishops; But I have done. You see the Legality and equity of this Covenant, touching the casting forth these Archbishops, Bishops, Curates, and all this, as clear as is the Sunne, next and there I shall be short:

We must observe the exemplarynesse of this Covenanting way: There are a Cloud of Witnesses, who will give their Seal and Warrant hereunto. III. Asa is a man of renown, touching that matter; who ever observes his steps, will go on after him; Never any man was more successefull then he; so victorious as he; he made his Kingdom a Mountain of brasse: The Ethiopian came against Judah with a thousand thousand, and more, thought verily to storme Judah. No; Judah had taken a sure way, To confound his Adversary, They had entered Covenant with God. But I prevent my self here; more of this anone. I might be large here, but I forbear in so cleered a case: The three Kingdoms entering into Covenant now, have done according to the best examples, as all the true Israel have done in all Ages; It is a clear case, as clear as the Sun, I come to the next.

The Seasonablenesse of this Covenanting. IV. Oh the Wisedome of God, The Power of God. Oh the goodnesse, the mercy of God, whose Name is wonderfull! God, indeed, hissed for His people in the North; called upon them to enter Covenant with His people in the South. They readily obeyed: Was that any wonder? No truely; For, besides their own endearments and concernments, (paries cum proximus ardet) their own vows were upon them, and have lain upon their shoulders, almost these fourscore yeers. But let us see the power of God here, we will observe His Wisedome afterwards; His Power first, Who makes the Wolfe to lye down with the Lamb, The Calfe and the young Lyon, and the fatling together, and Isai. 11. 6. a little childe shall lead them. Wat you what? Reader, I pray you let us hear. That as we understand how matters stood betwixt England and Scotland three yeers ago, when the Bishops in both Kingdoms, would have thrust each others sword into each others Bowels: So also, we may under­stand how matters stood betwixt England and Scotland three hundred yeers agone: Ah Lord! But we may remember it rather with praise now, and rejoycing: For we are Bretheren now, and live as Bretheren, and ac­cursed be he with all the curses in Gods Book, that goes about heartily, and indeed, to break the Brother-hood, between Judah and Israel; To sow seeds of discord betwixt these two: God has joyned us together, and we are Bretheren now. We, (and here God is wonderfull) who, some­times Centuries agoe, were Wolves each to other, such devourers, that it was a wonder, (say our Chronicles almost all) that the Nations were so Hos. 9. 12. Cruente Caedibus Tren. fruitfull to bring forth so much flesh, as the sword did devoure; for England brought forth her children, as Ephraim did, to murtherers in [Page 15] Scotland: and Scotland her children to murtherers in England, so they flew one the other, and fell in one day, I know not how many, but as the Poet expresseth it very well, as the Wheat-Stubble before the Reapers. North and South, (indeed it commands our observation) The people there, as op­posite Homer. once, as are the two Poles now, are made one now, brought up toge­ther now to enter into Covenant; whereunto, (and this we must take notice of in passage) Scotland had engaged themselves 70 yeares agon. I pray you let me tell you how that came about, for our purpose is to exalt the Name of God, Scotland was over powred by their Queen there, and her power from France; Then did That Queen, whom every mouth doth blesse: but that which speaks blasphemies still: whom every Church has in their eye, what they can see, and keep of her, indeed she loved the Church and the Nation, Then did Queen Elizabeth send succours into Scot­land, which kindnesse Scotland accepted, and remembred with all thankful­nesse, and then engaged themselves to do the like for England, as their matters should require. We have seen the Arm of the Lord, now I hope we can discern the wisdom of the Lord, and so take altogether accor­ding to our scantling. Let us observe the power of God again, They that were twain, as scourges, nay, as Scorpions each to other; are now made one, as one stick in Gods Hand, wherewith He will beat the Hazaels of the world, till he has consumed them. O the power of God! And His wis­dom too! at such a time, such a seasonable time as this is, when all the Dogs in the world, all the Irish, English, French (all in the Kings Army, having their hearts, and hands there) when all these have their mouthes wide open, to devour the Church for such a Time as this, God made these twain one, That they might be as one Stick in His Hand, To beat these Dogs: for such a time as this! As it was with the Scots, when they were oppres­sed Ezek 37. 19. by their Governesse the Queen Regent, and she helped from France, then did help come from England, seasonably, as a sweet shower fals upon the mowen grasse: so, in such a season as above said, did the Lord remember the Scots of their Engagements, which they will answer now with all readinesse. O the wisdome of God! I pray you let us leave Him to His own Time; let us never make haste, nor distrust Him for after time, he will come-in seasonably to His Churches help; He will do all for His Church, as He did for His servant Mordecai, (In truth the para­lell is wonderfull) and exalts Gods Power and Wisdom, and Glory to the worlds end.

The Lord remembring Mordecai in the fittest time, may learn us the under­standing of our own hearts, and of the times, and patiently to wait Gods time. I shall not count it then a digression from the main purpose, to stay a little upon it, I will lay open my thoughts here, That good men may (for the wicked will not) judge of their own hearts thereby, & find a means to make them better. I thought the time long; how long Lord, Holy and True, how long shall the treacherous man, deal treacherously? Shall the Sword [Page 16] destroy for ever? (In our distractions, we call a week a moneth, and a moneth an yeer, and an yeer, ever, an everlasting Time, so we forget pro­sperity, and in adversity we cannot consider) Thou hast said, Lord, Thou will purge out the Rebels. Shal it not yet be? So also I asked after an Asso­ciation and a Covenant, to assure it when shall that be, if that were done, all were done; When wilt thou bring up the hearts of thy people, To this work? When shall it be, that we be no longer vexed with all adversity? I do not blame these desires I perswade my self these are good. Yet I must examine my desires, which way they tend. The purging out of Rebels & Rebelli­on is the Thing desired, a warranted desire, according to Gods will. I hate them more then I do a Toad or a Viper, for a more venemous and hatefull generation there is not in the world, and, which is all, such, whom God hates: I may hate their Rebellion, and, as they are enemies to God, them too. Then the desire to be rid of them, is a good desire. But now, if that Rebell, selfe, and the Rebellion in my own heart, has not vexed me more, or as much, as all that I see in the land: and, if I am notas eager to have it cast out, then that is my blame, and this the good mans lesson. Look to it how that Rebellion has troubled and vexed Thee; whe­ther more than has that, which thou seest in the world? That Rebel­lion in thy selfe grieveth thy Father, and the good Spirit of thy God most of all: Observe thy selfe well now, whether this Rebellion grieveth thee most also? whether thy desires are most intent, and hearty, To have this Rebellion, subdued or cast out. So for the other desire, O! an Association, that we were at a sweet agreement, with our selves knit together, and with our God in Covenant. Indeed I did desire it as be­fore, heartily, and it was a good desire, But if I do not desire as much, To agree with my Adversary in the way: and to be at peace with my God; if not, there was selfe in it, selfe ease, and other selfe respects, and I must blame my selfe for it; which may teach the best man in the world, as before, and so, in the second place, for that is most pertinent here.

My desires are good, but I heartily blame my hastinesse therein. I was too hasty, for I limited God, as if I were wiser then God. Truly I never thought so, but I did, as those do that are halfe of that mind, who have such high thoughts of themselves. I was too hasty touching the time, and season of it; Was I as hasty to be rid of that Rebell my own will, and self, and of the Rebellion, which selfwill caused, was I as hasty at that point for a Rid­dance there? Certainly I was not, Then must I correct my selfe there first.

Secondly, Let us all consider this for it is pertinent indeed; The Day is Gods, so is the Night, He created the Light, He formed darknesse; Time and the season in His, Then let Him alone with His own; let Him dis­pose of it, and of matters to be done in it, when and how it pleaseth Him. Whatever He do's we must not meddle with that, for it is His pre­rogative Royall To be Lord, and, master there; We must not limit Him, [Page 17] Who is infinite, to our time: Time and season is ours to make use of, but the propriety is in Gods Acts 1. Hands, we may quickly be too hasty there; While we have time let us be doing good; we cannot be to hasty at that point, for that is our duty; but to set God a doing at our time, there is hastinesse. We may, nay, we must lift up a prayer for that Remnant, Da­vid and all his helpers, thorowout all the Christian world, with, and in the Parliament; vvith, and in the Assembly, for the Heads of the Tribes there, for all the precious, the Creame, and Crown of the King­dom; We must strive in prayer for them, and endeavour vvith our Estates and lives, &c. vve know vvhat follows, and must do it, else we do not as vve stand bound to do, our worke and duty, to lift-up the Hand against Amalek [...], both on the Mount, and in the Valley. But having done so, we have done our duty, we may rejoyce in the Lord, and expresse it, as Lu­ther did, singing the 46 Psalme. Surely this being granted, That we have done our Duty, we can stand still calme and quiet in Spirit, embracing the promise a farre off, and magnifying Gods Salvation to be made manifest in His Time, and no hastinesse now, being assured, that all Gods vvorks as they have been, so shall they be gloriously beautifull: Why? because, as they have been done, so they shall be done, in season; His time, not ours, therefore in season: We cannot but know how seasonably He work­eth for His people▪ how beautifull His Footsteps and Comings in for their help have been ever, are, and shall be evermore: The Lord will come­in, as he alwayes has done, so seasonably, That His people shall say, O the Power of God, how admirable! O the Understanding of God, how unsearchable! O the Goodnesse, Mercy, Love, and Kindnesse of God to His people, how rich! how aboundant all these! I cannot expresse it. The Point is this whereat we Anchor our spirits, God does all things well, because in His own time, the fittest season. We have a parallell for it, vvhereby to exemplifie this; Thence I digressed, thither I returne now to take a fuller view of this seasonablenesse, M [...]d c [...]s kindnesse was re­m [...]mbred in the fit­test time; so the kindenesse of Englands Queen. [...] 9 4. In the Night of our destra­ctions, The Day of Jacobs troubles, none like it, when all were design­ed to destruction, when the foot of pride set so hard on the neck of the Righteous; Then the kindnesse of England must be remembred: When Englands King deals (I will say but) hardly vvith his good people, then the kindenesse of Englands Queen must be remembred, even then. Surely The Lord does all things in the fittest time, the best season: and, O the sweet simpathy of the Scottish Nation! Brethren indeed, they are made for adversity; Truly they have the minde of Christ; Persecute My people, thou persecutest Me, that was the minde of Christ; Persecute England, The Gospellers there, you persecute us, there is the minde of the Scots. Truely they are more sensible of our paine than we, who smart from the Scorpion; and they will assemble themselves, knit themselves together with us into one Body, to destroy this Legion of—that they may no longer sting in Gods Holy Mountaine: We have Vowed to stand-up against this Gene­ration [Page 18] of Vipers, till they are so subdued, that they shall no longer Sting, or be as grieving Thornes, or vexing Briars to the Church, and people of God. Amen.

V. V. A. But now you have associated your selves, and are knit together (as you say, the wicked are solden together, as thorns, so ye) as one man, now you are so knit together, are you able for this work?

B. Yes, that we are, able through Him, there is no doubt of it, in Whom we can do all things; vve have done our duty, that vve have done touch­ing this matter; The rest vve leave to God, and vvill tell him of his Pro­mise anon.

A. Why, but they (you call Rebels) are as many every day, nay, more than before, and as lively they are, as strong, as formerly they were, and more firmly united.

B. Well, vvhat then? Therefore the Rebels shall not be purged forth; that do's not follow, though it is not the vvork of a day, nor an yeer nei­ther; That vvork is doing, but vve must not make haste; vve have a pro­mise for it, and vve can live upon that, and give God thanks. God can do greater things; The Church never Questions His Power, He can take away the iniquity of the Land in one day; vvith the same speed He can take away the Rebels, as He did the Northerne Army, send forth His vvinde, Zech. 3. 9. blow them away in one night: He can do so, but it is not his manner so to do; He vvill hold his people in expectation, and it is good for them they should be so held: If there vvere not sore trials, and long vvaitings, vvhere vvere Faiths mastery? there must be a distance between the Pro­mise and performance, that the Saints may learn to salute, to kisse the Pro­mise afar off, and be glad too, vvith exceeding joy, as at the sweetest em­bracement. Heb 11 13 [...].

A. Salute and embrace afar off! how can that be?

B. Very vvell, and it must be so; The Antipasses Gods faithfull Witnes­ses, the Martyrs, could embrace and kisse a Fagot so near at hand, that pre­sently it set them all on a flame, so near it vvas. O vvonderfull! Yes, for it is granted, They did embrace and kisse the Fagot: But so they had not done, if they had not seen the Promise afar off, and embraced it; ‘I will be with thee in the fire, it shall not burn thee: and in the vvater, it shall Esay. 43 2. not drown thee, for thy Head is above.’ I pray you observe it; Gods people see and embrace the promise afar off, and can vvait vvith patience till it come. They are a vvaiting people, God has vvaited upon them, they must vvait upon Him; so exercising their patience, yea every Grace. O blessed be His Name! If He do's not deliver His people now, He will sustaine them now: If He suffers Rebels amongst them, this is also sanctified unto His servants, for the overcoming the Rebellions, and casting out that Re­bell Selfe in their own hearts: All administrations of Mercies, all distributi­ons of sorrows all for the Churches good, all shall tend to the advantage of the Soule, That shall prosper by all; and if the Soule (that excellent [Page 19] thing) far above the excellency of the Sunne when he shines in his full strength, if the Soule prospers, all prospers, for the Soul is all: And all The Lord do's or suffers to be done, has a direct tendency to this great end, That His Church or People may prosper as their Soules prosper. Gods way is alwayes straight, and Mans crooked motions shall tend directly to His end, the purging and whitening of His Church, and making them meet for Dan. 11. 35 Glory: When that end is attained, Then you shall hear that the Rebels are purged, and sent to their own place. So all is in reference to His People, for the Churches good; all this trouble shall greatly advance the Churches peace and quiet; This Sowre shall yeeld Sweet to them: Hereby the iniquity of Jacob is purged, &c. for this will fall in again in the seventh Section. Here I Isa 27. 9. shall tell what the Lord has done towards this Promise; I will purge out from you the Rebels. Truly He has done so much, That, if we see no more done, Ezek. 20. 38. yet for ever blessed be His Name, for that the Lord has done; Our eyes may be closed shortly and covered with dust; What if it be so? yet we can salute, we can Kisse this Promise afarre off, and say, Praised be His Name for what our eyes have seen fulfilled in all the peoples sight, touching this Promise, I will purge out the Rebells. We have seen Archbishops and Bishops laid flat on their backs, as men in their graves. Al but they will rise again, they say; Yes, at the last day, we say; howsoever we have seen them laid flat, The height of our desires was three years agoe, The taking away of three Innocent Ceremonies (for such a Pope there was) Good Lord! He would give us a full mercy; we have seen three and four, that is, seven abomina­tions taken away; The Lord be praised for what we have seen. That which we have seen is enough to defray all our ex­pence of Spirits, Time, and Purse. Luther thought if he could be instrumentall for throwing out of Indulgences and Pardons, those cursed things, O how well appaid would he be! how would he boast in his God! Would [...]e so? His God would use him for greater things than those, The Lord broke down before his servant, this Wall, and that wall, shewed him these and those abominations, and what Luther did, all the world knows: ‘The Lord loves to bestow mercies with a full hand;’ and blessed be His Name, as it is Holy, Esay 6. 3. Blessed, Blessed, Blessed, for what He has done towards this promise, and for what our eyes have seen; even so, Amen

There are stops and pawses, nay, Lions and Shee-Bears, Wals, What hin­ders and retards the businesse. and Mountaines in the way, we shall get over them all at the last. Indeed we of the Common sort move very slowly, not like men who would leap over walls and skip over Mountains; and the Richer sort are nothing nimble neither, very sluggish in their motions, specially if they move toward their Purse, the drawing or emptying of that. I can easily beleeve the Covenant was penned in Scotland, who well understood, and mean to perform what they wrote, to their eternall praise, which is in the Gospell. There is one expression in the Covenant (nay two) which we poor men cannot perform to our wills, and Rich men will not understand to their Power; and that retards, holds-back, and sluggs the motion very [Page 18] [...] [Page 19] [...] [Page 20] much; ‘We Covenant to endeavour with our Estates, and Lives, (i. e.) we will let Estates go, and Lives go, and all go, That the Gospell may not go; we will lay-out all, all we have, and all we are, That we may maintain the Rights and Liberties of the Gospell; for, maintain the liberties of Christs Kingdome, and God will maintaine the Liberties of our Kingdome; and for the maintenance hereof, Thus we Vow to do, to expend our Estates and our Lives.’ The Scottish Nation, a poor people, for we must remember how they were oppressed plundered, persecuted four years agoe; yet so they have done: And verily, wheresoever the Gospell shall be preached in the whole world, surely there shall also this, that they have done for the maintenance of the Gospell, be told also for a memoriall of them; such great matters they have done for the Gospell, as men, that know a Pearle, and can estimate it. Truly we poor men cannot perform here as we would, but a poor mans Myte has been accepted, where there is no more. And happily some of us have done what we can, and then it was a resolved case a thousand years ago, That a poor man may be liberall, when a rich man giving an hundred times more, yet not unto a proportion to what God has given him, shall be called a Niggard, a Covetous man; and now you have said the worst of him. I will say but this more, certainly the rich men do not understand what they have sworn, and this is my reason; There was an hundred thou­sand pounds to be collected this last moneth, a great summe you will say; Yes, but I assure the Reader, upon the knowledge I have had of this City these twenty years, and of the vast expences now drawn from the rich men there this last year, (which the Lord returns seven fold into ther Bo­soms) That yet there are ten men who could and would make up this large summe, and send it away; I say, would, if they valued the Pearle in the Gos­spell, (It is Religion, it is the Gospell, call it what you will, it is the Pearl) as they do the Pearle in the world, that is, their money. Reader! do these men understand what they swear? We will with our Estates, I will not adde, and with our Lives: If they will not part with their money now, at such a needfull time: not give out that, I mean in a proportionable summe to what God has given them, and with a reference also to the Pearle now in danger to be trod under foot by Swine; If they give not now like themselves in a proportion to that, which God and his Cause, and all good men, call from their hands; if not help now (with their Estates, asmall proportion thereof to what God has given them) to save a Kingdom, then not with their lives sure, though the Pearle is worthy the purchase at the highest rate; for we re­member, That a Merchant sold all that he had, and bought the Pearle, Mat 13.

A hard matter to perswade with Merchants in these dayes so to do, from whom (some of them) we may more easily draw blood, then their mo­ney. The Scottish people have done their duty, To vindicat and keep the Pearle trod-under by Swinish men, they have sold all; The English swear to do as much, Some in Scotland, Some in England will be faithfull, they have counted their cost, understood what they did, and so have Covenan­ted; [Page 21] and by help of God, they will stand to it. There is no more required to make a Kingdome as a Mountain of Brasse: In the next placethen we will well consider, what is the vertue, force, and efficacy of this Covenanting with God.

VI. VI. It is very prevayling every way. It is a sure way, it never failed the Church; They associated themselves, entered into Covenant, and then all was sure. King Asah, King Ezekias with other, are great examples here: It is a safe way, and it is an onely way. Aske from one end of Heaven to the other, what is the readiest way to compleat the Militia of a Kingdome? It is Answered, this is the way, Come up to Gods termes, enter into Covenant with Him. So Asa did, and untill he had done that, he had done nothing. It is true, he took away the Sodomites; he threw down the Altars; thrust aside their Service; And what of all that? Sodomites had thrust in againe, Altars had been hoysed up again, If he had not Covenanted against all these. It is so still, We must every man, for his own part, Covenant against the accursed thing in his own heart. So also, against the accursed Persons and things in the Kingdome, to throw them out, else Fasting do's no good, nor Praying, nor Preaching neither; Covenanting must go together with all these, else nor the Kingdom, nor the Christian Souldier there; can be in any safe Posture. What is done to day, in this Posturing work, will be undone to morrow, If we do not Covenant against Idol-men, and Idol things and with the Lord, So engaging our heart, to cast them all out. But do as aforesaid, and the Kingdom is sure; so is the Person too. There is no hope but in this way; mark it. We have trespassed against our God, sayes Sheshaniah. What had they done? They had taken the daughter of a strange God, I know not how many strange Wives; and then they had ta­ken the readiest way in the world, To stock up their Kingdom by the roots, yet, sayes he, There is hope in Israel concerning this thing; Though such a grievous Trespasse be committed, and the Chiefe in the Kingdom are Chiefe in that trespasse; Yet there is hope. What hope? Even now therefore let us Ezra 10 2. make a Covenant with our God; There is the hope; If any thing under the Cope of Heaven will do it, That will do it. What? Away with the daugh­ters of a strange God, Set them packing, who would thrust us from God, and God from us; Let us thrust them away and Covenant so to do, and then we shall keep our God, and close to His worship; And if we keep God and close to Him at that point, All is kept, for God is all; and he will keep us all, if we keep to Him and stand to the Covenant; There is the hope of Israel concerning this matter, sayes good Shechaniah, It is a sure way, it is an only way to save a Perishing, a down sinking Kingdom, brought to the Pit of destruction, upon which are all the Symptom's of death, and for which the grave is made, because it is so vile, Come, let us make a Cove­nant; It is the onely hopefull way to save such a Kingdom. An hopefull way say I! I will say a great word, and I will boast of the way, but in the Lord, There is more then hope, There is a certainty of Successe in this Covenanting; It never failed the Righteous, it never shall faile unto the [Page 22] worlds end; I know what the good man will say now, heare him.

VII. VII. A, This way has fayled the most Righteous King, that ever had his Kingdom in this world, Josiah by name, it fayled him, even him.

B. No, it did not, he Covenanted with his God, and so kept close to his God, and God to him all his dayes, and at death they were not divided; he that breathed after GOD all his life long, breathed his soul into Gods hand at his death, and so departed, and is now for ever with the Lord: This Covenanting with God did not deceive Josiah.

A. It failed his people all, his whole Kingdom (and that is my mean­ing) They were carried away at last, though first their King made a Cove­nant with his God, yea, and made His People stand to it.

B. He did indeed, and it shall ever be spoken to his Praise, when that Scripture is Read, Josiah made a Covenant with God; and caused to stand to it. But if we observe it well, we shall tremble, for here is a But, will spoyle all; But Judah did not stand to it.

Stand to it; alas no, The Covenant did not faile, they failed the Co­venant: The people dealt wickedly there; The King layed an inforcement 2 Chr. 34, 35. upon them, hi very example was of force, to pull and drag the People to enter Covenant, to lay them under those sacred bands, to make them stand to it; but there was not an heart in them; much they did in seeing such a glorious example before them, but they did nothing in truth. They were not a whit humbled for all the Blood, that Manasseth had shed, not for the Idols he had set-up, they were as Idolatrous as their King: Not a whit hum­bled were they, for all their abominations, theirs and their Princes; not a Ier. 15 4. Pag. 121. whit; therefore wrath came upon them. Indeed I should be large in this point, but I finde it somewhat inlarged in the Kings Chronicle, whereto I will referre the Reader. I will say but this here, never was there such a Back-sliding people, no not in our dayes, never was there such a Departing from God, as at that time in Judah: I tell you what makes me think verily it was so; read the last of the Chronicles, what a declining, what a falling­back was there from their God, from His worship, of all degrees, of all estates, high and low, Rich and Poor! To what an height of Provocati­ons did they rise! But for ought I can observe in that Chapter the Prince and People did not more wickedly in those dayes, then we have done in our dayes: our abominations have risen to the same height. But yet I observe what I Read in Jeremy, and that is thus: I find more good­nesse Ier. 38. in one Ethiopian, then was in all the Princes of Judah. I would In­treat the Reader to mark that Chapter; As our Lord sayes of the Centurion a stranger to the Common wealth of Israel; I have not found so great faith; no not in Israel: So, not so much goodnesse in all the Princes of Judah, as Mat. 8. 10. in that one Ethiopian. Not so much goodnesse! said I, there was no good­nesse in the Princes at all, all nought, all Rebellious and fallen off from God. They did not pray to God, they prayed to the King, That Jere­my might be put to death. Certainly, Reader, Certainly, though we (I say [Page 23] we, for Scotland and England are one,) though we are a very wicked, a ve­ry wretched People, fallen very low, parted very far from our God, yet not fallen so low, as Judah was at that time; not so farre departed, but a Covenant with our God, will fetch us back again; for there are many No­bles in Scotland, many Princes there (I find Priests called Princes there) 2 Chron. 17. 7. a Psal. 110 3. [...] A people of Devo­tions. 2 Cor. 8, 23. to say nothing of the Common people, a very willing people, a people of willingnesses, (a) willingly, offering Devoting their estates, and lives now To help in the battle of the Lord; and day of Jacobs trouble; who have sworn, and will stand to it To maintain the Cause of the Lord, as it shall require, and as we read before. And there are a people in England too Nobles and Princes there (I mean by Princes the Messengers of the Churches, and the Glory of Christ) who have given up themselves to the Lord, and to maintain His Cause; some Nobles I say, not many, but some there are, vvho, their eternall praise, have entred Covenant and will stand to it; when others, to their eternall dishonour, enter into a Covenant to day, and break out from it on the morrow, stand not to it, no not an houre: As if they might take the Covenant of God, as a Papist takes the Oath of God, swear to day, and forswear next day; Adjure to day, calling God to witnesse: and perjure anone, so blaspheming that Holy, Holy, Holy, Name, making the Oath of God, like a Gipsies knot, fast now in shew, loose presently in fight. We have some Nobles, that do abominate this Blasphemy, they enter Covenant with God to day, and are more and more resolved and en­gaged for God and His Cause every day, from hence forth, and for ever. I could say as much of a people too, very many in Cities and Towns both, a very willing people, If they cannot give to the Cause, they can die for it, as a Martyr said; if their estates be none or gon, (they cannot be prodigall there, as the Cause commands) then their lives shall go, they will be pro­digall of their blood, and thank God He has honoured them so, Who gave His blood for them. And so we are where we were, in a way which ne­ver failed. And shall it faile the Righteous now? God forbid, nay God forgive us such a thought. But let us look to our standing now, I mean to the standing to our Covenant, for that bears up the weight of the businesse; This standing to it, let us look to that: we are now come up to God, to His Tearms, to His Command, not more knit together amongst our selves, as knit to God. What now? Now the Nations are angry. An­gry! They are stark mad; look ye on this side, and but a little beyond Lincoln, and behold how they rage there! See also in the South, and in Ireland, What are the the thoughts of those Monsters there? They think to joyn with our Monsters here [Monsters! Yes. They are Nobles many of them. True, but the more monstrous, if Nobles by birth. Certainly, if those Nobles (not to mention the black Regiment, those Buls of Bashan, nor the Calves of the people, Some call them Cavel: Gentlemen; I have called them Rogues twenty times with an Accent, for I will call a Spade, a Spade, Theeves, Robbers, Murtherers, all these by their names, so let them [Page 24] go, the vvay of Cain, vvho slew his Brother. I am a speaking of the Nobles, vvho beat their own Mother, even her, that bare them, that suckled them, that dandled them upon her knees, vvarmed them in her bosome; These Nobles, vvho have set their Mothers House on fire over her head; (and are not these Monsters, for they have done yet more villany) if these Nobles should see their own visage represented unto them now, as it vvill be short­ly, in the very next History, they vvould be gastred at the sight of such Mon­sters, as the King was at the vvriting on the vvall. Truly me thinks I see them now, and they troubled my Spirit, and Interrupted me, I was saying, Dan. 5. 6. The Monsters in Ireland will joyn now vvith these in England; will be folden together like thorns, vvill come out now against those all, vvho are joyned in Covenant with their God, and vvill do; What vvill they do? All the mischief they can; They will storm the City of God, as they can, to their Power. That is true, They will do vvhat they can do, all the Mischief they can. But vvhat can they do? for vve do not question their will. These have shed blood to their Power, vvith a Rage that reacheth-up to Heaven; They have cursed David and his Helpers by their gods; They have blasphe­med The God of Heaven; They have thrust the Ministers of the Lord out of their Houses, or slaughtered His Servants there, even All the faithfull in the Land, unto vvhom their hand could reach; They have gods, as Jero­boam had, vvhich he called honestly, truly, and very vvell (as vve call Priests now and their gods) Calves, for such are their Priests, Idol-Bru­tish-Priests; Their Services such, Idol-Bruitish-Services. I vvill ask again, vvhat can these cursed People do against a Kingdom united in its self, and in Covenant vvith their God? What can they do? Ile tell you what, for the Spirit tells it me, They vvill Associate and gird themselves, and gird themselves all for the Battell, and to Storme the Church of God, that they Esay 8. 9. will do. Well, yes, very well; now hear vvhat the Lord vvill do, and vvhat He will do, He can do, That is a Comfort; What vvill He do? He vvill ungird His Adversaries as often; He will break them, and break them, and break them (tis no idle repetition) so often till He has broken them all to Fritters, like a Potters Vessell, so He vvill break them; in break­ing He vvill break them, Breach upon Breach. Briars and Thorns! vvill they Array themselves for Battell against the Lord? He is a Consuming fire (unto them) they shall be devoured every one, in the Fornace, vvhich their rage and fiery indignation against His people, has made seven times hot­ter then ordinary. Rebells! that have lifted up the horn, have spoke proud­ly, have dared to thrust at the Righteous, nay, The Lord of Glory out of His Throne; The Lord will thrust-sore at them, He vvill make them like an O­ven and their Faces like Flames, He vvill purge them out. But when? Even now, at this time▪ we have His word for it, for we are in Covenant with our God: I will speak an high word and comfortable to the fearfull in heart, but humbly before our God, and if proud men will hearken, let them hearken; This is the word and our Confidence, Now that we have entred in­to [Page 25] Covenant with our God, To stand close to Him, To His Cause, To His wor­ship; Now that we have engaged our hearts to all this; what now? Now we have ingaged God to us, God must help us; We will by His Grace stand to our Covenant, and appear for Him; It is an high word now to amaze proud men, God must appear for us, and stand by us, and He cannot be idle. Must is not for the King, you will say; yes, for the KING of Kings, and LORD of Lords; This King must help us. The unjust judge did right the the Widow, must not the Judge of all the world do right▪ He must, He must; There are Mighty Reasons why, and Arguments as strong to assure the hearts of the Faithfull; That God will and must help His people now at this time, you shall hear them anon.

I suppose now even a good People, somewhat slow of Belief touching this matter, being fearfull now, hearing of the breaking-in of more grievous Wolves into the Lords Vineyard; I mean, hearing that the Irish—[I should call them Brethren now, but I cannot call these Children of the Devill, These Enemies of Christ, I cannot call these by so friendly a name; I must call them and their Legion by their right Names, as their Father is called, Abaddon, Apollyon, Destroyers, Murtherers all, hearing that these] are coming-in to joyn vvith the English—[I cannot call them Brethren nei­ther, Rev. 9 11 but] Monsters here; supposing I say, that a good people are slow of Belief, and too much shaken vvith fear now; I vvill speak to their hearts first from the Mouth of The Lord, as follows;

‘If all the good men in the House of Parliament vvere sick Men all, and all the Bad there (some there may be) as bad as those that have run from them:’ if all our Men of War, good Men there, vvere wounded men all; and all the bad, as bad as are the Irish and English Monsters; and so bad they are, if any there, vvho, in shew stand up for God, but in vvord and heart are against him: If some in our Councells for vvar, in our Com­mittees for all concernments of the Church, and State, vvere as false and treacherous (God knowes vvhat they are) as bad and rotten as some have been suspected to be: If so be the Scottish Army never joyn vvith ours, [our hearts joyn, and our prayers joyn, that is as good, nay, bet­ter, though vve think it best of all, that our Armies may joyn, that vve might be all as one Stick in Gods Hand, to beat the dogs away, vvhich so infest, pester and trouble his people, Amen, but] If not so, yet, as it vvill follow anon, vvell, for God is good to Israel still: If the Irish—The English—Legion of Devils, I had almost said; if these vvere Devils indeed, not Flesh, but all Spirit, as their father is; and if This Legion vvere multiplyed by such a number as they have hairs on their head; vvhat then? Then vve shall all be destroyed, every Mothers Childe. No, as sure as God lives and loves His people, as sure as His Sonne is King and rules in the the vvorld amidst His enemies there; so sure This Cause, and all the Helpers in it, shall prosper: and all that the Adversary does, shall helpe but to advance the prosperity thereof, so sure God vvill issue-forth great [Page 26] good out of this great evill and sore affliction; These bloody men shall be so far from hurting the Church, that they shall do the Church infinite good. The Adversaries thoughts, are, as his were, and as alwayes they have been, Esay. 10 7. bloody, devouring, and destructive; But Gods thoughts are all mercy and Truth all towards His people, to edifie and build them up by these desola­tions, To stablish them by these shakings; To heale them by these wound­ings. What men do wickedly, God orders holily; They think evill against the Church, but God means it unto Good: He is contriving a way now to make His Name, and His Church Glorious.

Can this be so, do the fearfull say, they doubt it very much, whether this Pacification in Ireland, those bloody execrable—there; Those Out­rages, Insolencies, those—here, shall turne to the Churches good; Can this be! Can God bring good out of this evill? Can He bring Com­fort out of this sorrow? Glory out of this Crosse? Life out of this Death Can He do it? Yes indeed, He can: But truely we should never question His Power, no nor His Good-will neither, towards His people: Can, said I! He will, He will, nay, He must, He must, else he does not like a God, after His manner from the beginning of the world; for evermore it was thus; when the Envy, the Malice, the Rage, the—wrathfull executions of the Churches Adversaries rose like a mighty Flood to the Highest-top, against the Church, Then presently the Lord God so ordered it, That His People have had Rivers, Floods, Brooks of Honey and Butter, streaming down towards them: from whence? From the love of God, issuing good towards them still out of every evill, even from these Floods of ungodlinesse before mentioned: From the Rage, Envy, Hatred, Malice of the Churches Adversaries, have streamed down to the Church Floods of Honey and Butter; The highest Comforts, the strongest Consolations from out of the lowest bottome, the place of Dragons, whereinto the wicked have smiten the Righteous, even from thence. He give the Reader but one Instance here, amongst many, whereby to exemplifie this. I conceive verily, That the most envious hate­full Act that ever was offered to the Lord Christ, untill this day, was acted upon His Body, when he hanged upon the Crosse; He had shed His pre­cious Blood four times a little before; 1. In the Garden. 2. When He was Crowned with Thorns. 3. When He was whipt at the Post. 4. And when His Arms and Legs were nailed to the Crosse, (which Commands our E­states and Lives for Him now, He say no more) Notwithstanding all this (for the Lord Christs Adversaries then, as now, may be glutted with Blood, they cannot be satisfied) A Souldier then would have more Blood yet, and and so with his Spear opens the Lord Christs Side and Heart together, both at one thrust. Ah Lord! never was there such an horrid Act heard of from the beginning of time to that day, untill now, as it is at this day! But what followed then? And forthwith came there out Blood and water: Look you there, what the Souldiers Rage and Envy has done! He has opened Joh 19 34 the Heart of Christ to all the world of Beleevers, and let-out from thence [Page 27] streaming towards them, floods of Honey, and Butter, from that very time to the worlds end.

What shall I say! O the thoughts of God towards His people! O the love of Christ, How inexpressable! there is blood to justifie, water to san­ctifie, there is all! There are the two Sacraments, Seals of the Righteous­nesse of Faith, Rivers, Floods, Brooks of Honey and Butter. So the Soul­diers Rage wrought then, so wonderfull for the Churches Comfort then, when he pierced the side of Christ, hanging on the Crosse: Shall we doubt what will be the effect of his rage now, now the Souldiers are piercing the living Body of Christ, as dear to Him as the Apple of His Eye, now in Glo­ry? Doubtlesse, and he has an hard heart that do's not firmly beleeve it, That these Souldiers now, thrusting their Spears now into the sides of Christ still, with the same hatred and envy, as once that Souldier did, do make but a passage wider open whereout to flow unto the Church floods of Ho­ney and Butter. All their Malignity shall serve but to whiten the Church first, and then let in streaming into them the strongest Consolations. As sure as the Lord lives, this must be so. These Souldiers are now with one hand filling up their measures of Iniquity: and with the other com­pleating the Church, and the Consolations of God towards His People, That their joy may be brimme full. The higher the enemies rage against the Church, Riseth, the higher shall the Consolations of God rise toward The Church. It is so, and it must be so; But who is sufficient to expresse those things! Gods administrations towards His people, how wonderfull! His mercy is over all His works, He saveth man and beast; But specially His people, The haires of their head are said to be numbred, To tell us how safe and secure these people are; nothing shall do them hurt, every thing shall do them good, even the rage and bitter wrath of their Adversarie; That great evill the adversary and enemy intendeth against the Church, shall tend (see how the enemy is mistaken!) to the greatest advantage of the Church: So as the Church shall say; We could not have wanted these roaring Lions, Leaders in this warre against us; we could not have wanted those grievous Wolves, bloody Souldiers; Its good for us, that these have done so much hurt (in their intentions) unto us; These have been a sanctified means to open our mouthes the wider to our God in praying to Him, and praysing of Him; These have, by purging out, and scouring of our filthinesse, made us more meet for Glory; we could no more have wanted them, than a great house can want its Sinks and Conveyances where­by to carry-out the filth; or Scullions, who serve there to clense and whiten Dan. 11. 35 the vessels appointed for honour, even for the Masters use. And now do those servants of the Lord, intend their spirits, calling upon all within them, and without them, To praise their God, Who works so and so for them; do's them good by all that fals out; makes the wounds from their Adver­saries, healing to His people; and of their poyson and venome towards His people, a most soveraigne Balme; Blessed, Blessed, Blessed be God [Page 28] for this unspeakable mercy, Amen. His people will endeavour heartily To live to His praise, Amen. To lay-out themselves all they have, and are, to advance the Name of their God, Amen. We have seen now by one exam­ple how God has wrought for His people; He is the same still, He changeth not; He must do the like, now, for He stands still in the same relations to His people; The same engagements are upon Him still; His people have the same Reasons and Arguments also, whereby to prevaile with their God, as all the faithfull had before them, who Commanded God Esay 25 11 by His own command, mastered, over-powered the Almighty in HIs own strength, overcame Him with HIs own weapons, Reasons and Arguments, I mean, taken out of His own Armory, The Word of God, more firme, mighty, and stable to assure His peoples standing now against their Adver­saries, than the Earth and Heavens have for their continuance.

VIII. VIII. The Reasons are thesefour, and the last contains the chiefest of the Arguments.

1. His peoples importunity; They give God no rest, God must help them: for though He bear long, He will not be disquieted alwayes. God hears the Ravens when they cry; He must hear His people when they pray. He will have His people Command Him; They do Command Him, He must do what He will have His people Command Him to do.

2. His people Rowle themselves upon Him, they Trust Him. A man must not deceive his Trust, God must not; A poore people are persecuted, Esay 62 7. hurried, ferrited from place to place, They betake themselves to the Rock, The Munitions of Rocks: must not our Rock (not like their Rock, the enemies themselves being Judges) be to them, a feeble folke, as the Rocks are to the (d) Esay 55 16. (e) Deut. 32. 31. (f) Prov. 30 16. Cunnies?

3. His people are in a low estate, God must remember them now, a poor people, as contemptible, Psal. 102. 17. [...] Nude nude nuditissi is Esai 51 18 k. Psal. 20. 7. as naked as the barest shrubs; their Arms ta­ken from them, a destitute, a fatherlesse people, who found no man up­on earth, that would take them by the hand, (they that should have taken His people by the hand, took them by the throat) His people observing that, laid fast-hold on the Almighties hand. What! but one hand to rest upon, none besides on earth, none besides in heaven, and will the Lord pluck away that hand, the onely prop? His people Trust in Him, relie upon Him, not in men, not in horses not in Chariots; not in Armies, not in Navies, not in Treasures, They remember the Name of the Lord their God; and shall not those rise now and stand upright? God remembred Noah, and every living thing, and all the Cattell. What a good word is that? every living thing, and all the Cattle. God must remember David and all His helpers; Them and all their Gen. 8. 1. troubles. He will help His people, nay, He must; have we misgiving thoughts touching this matter? now God forbid, nay, God forgive, let us pray that these misgiving thoughts may be forgiven us.

4. And the last of the Reasons, which I would have well observed, because I shal draw the chief Arguments from it, wherwith to cömand, I say cömand [Page 29] God, (for He sayes, Command ye me) To come-in for His peoples help. His people do say, now of themselves, then of their Kingdome, of all the Esai. 45. 11 Rights, and Priviledges, of all you can think of more, they say of all, as Jehoshaphat sayes concerning the battell; The Battell is not yours (sayes He) 2 Chron. 21 16. but Gods; We must note the words; As if He should have said thus to His people. You have done your duty, yee have praid to God, you have praised Him, you have done all faithfully; be no more sad, nor carefull touching the enemies ap­proaching, They are not more your enemies, then Gods enemies; let Him alone with them, and with the Battell, It is not yours now but Gods: The Swords and the spear these in the enemies hands are His: He made the Smith that blowes the Coals, And our Wals and Towers, Gates and Barres, not ours now, but Gods; You have given up this Kingdome to the Lord, you have entitled Him to, and intrusted Him with the Kingdoms and all its Concernments: If He now will give away His Esai 54. 41. own, so; if He will lift up the Right hand of His Adversaries, so; It is the Lord, let Him do as seemeth Him good: He is the Lord still, But hold ye still to this, You are 1 Sam 3. 18. 2 Sam. 16. 26. not your own now, the Kingdome is not yours now, the Fortifications there, not yours, nothing yours now, all is The Lords; hold to that, and be no longer sad, nor carefull touching the Warre: The Battell is not yours but the Lords. Truly we have said as much; if we can understand what we have said; Lord, the Kingdome, the Battell, the Cause, we are engaged upon, is not ours, It is Thine Lord, Thine, and we Thine, and all Thine: Thy Cause, we stand up for, Thy Christ, our Lord, Thy Cause, Thy Kingdome, and Thy Glory: All is Thine, nothing ours, nothing we, Thou art all in this busi­nesse, All the Concernments in this great businesse. Thy Concernments every one: The Battell is not ours, but the Lords: so His people say, who have done their work, and having so done, they do assure themselves, that now God must do His work: I had almost said, His duty, for it is according to His Word, wherein he has caused His Servants to put their trust. I come to the Arguments now. The Lord has strong Arguments why he can­not shew mercy: but His people have stronger Arguments, vvherefore he must shew mercy: The Lord will help His servant now, and suggest to him what Argments He will use, and vvhat Arguments I must use, for His good pleasure is so, He hath instructed me in all this. The Lord sayes vvhy he should not shew mercy.

Do's your expectation rise so high now, touching the making bare My Arme towards your Kingdome? Think you to command Me now? Remem­ber every Mothers Child of you, and be confounded because of your shame Ezek. 16. A seed of evill doers, as your forefathers! therefore must I call your name also, as I commanded them to be called, Lo-ammi Hosca 19. for you are not My people. No, in nothing like My people: If my friend Abraham were now amongst you, or Israel my old servant to take notice of your manners and fashions, they could know you no more to be My people, then they could acknowledge Esay 164. 16 So Trem. expounds the place. those, that were of their own posterity, their own sonnes and daughters; so degenerate ye are, as they anciently were, so fallen off: [Page 30] Ye have despised all My Corrections, set at naught all My Reproofs, ye lightly esteemed My Words. I have written to you, as to my people before you, the great things of My Law, but they were counted as a strange Hos. 8. 12. thing; Ye have polluted My Ezek. 20. 21. Vbi con­queritur Deus se contempto Judaeos ad extremam impietatem porlapsos esse tantum dicit viola­ta fuisse Sabbata, ac si in eo­rum obser­vatione praecipue consisteret Religio. Calv. Sabbaths, ye have prophaned My Day by a Law; and they, that served in My House suffered it to be so, they opposed it not, though they could read, what Respect I had to that Chief 1 Chr 6 10. There were four­score more with Aza­riah, but he being the Chief in opposing the King, God gives Him all the honor. 2. Chr. 26. 17. Priest, who stood-up against the Prophanation of My House, and My Sacrifice there. You have prophaned My Day; Then I was presently 2 Hosca 5 12 Moath to your Land, then ye consumed and pined away, and became as Rottennesse, and yet you considered-it not: Now I am as a Lion unto you (for the Moath was but the Lions Harbenger) so in tearing I tear you to pieces, and yet you do not acknowledge your offence, to seek My Face; no, not yet, after all this evill is befallen you. Ye are a Peevish, a sullen, a froward, a murmuring, a stubborne, a rebellious people. Say on, Lord, for we confesse all, a wicked, unkinde, unthankfull people, (we have polluted Thy Sab­baths, all thy Holy Things) we are all this, and more, a people whose sinnes are hightened, are aggravated by receits of Mercies, by the Means of Grace vouchsafed to us, by Time and Place (when and where we lived) and other Circumstances, hightned above all the sinners in the world; An unsavory people we, as the Salt, or as the unprofitable wood of the Vine, which hath lost its fruitfulnesse; such we are.

But, Lord, wilt not Thou respect a people, till they be a reformed Peo­ple, till they be Gentle, and Meek, and Good, and Gracious, and Holy, and like Thy Self? Ah Lord! Then Thou wilt never respect us, we shall never be as aforesaid; What Thou wilt have us to be, Thou must make us to be, Holy as Thou art Holy; and what Thou commandest us to do, Thou must give us Grace to do, and then it is done. Thy love is Free, Thy promise is without Condition, not any if there, not, if ye will be my people, but, Ye shall be my Jer. 32. 38, 39. people: and I will be your God; And I will give you one heart, and one way, &c.

We remember, Lord, very well, how Thou hast commended Thy love to­wards us; ‘While we were yet sinners Christ died for [...], Rom. 58, 10. us: when we were Enemies then were we reconciled;’ The thoughts of this freest Mercy, freest love, wounds and pierceth our hearts, it melteth us into godly sorrow, and forceth us to love Thee again. While we were yet sinners; when we were Enemies; Then Thou didst set Thy Heart upon Thy People. What so free as Grace! What so Reasonlesse as Thy Love! Thou lovest Thy people because Thou lovest Deut. 7. 7, 8. them; The reason is in Thy Self; If it be in us, it is Thy pitis towards us, when we lay as that, Cast-out, in our Blood, when we walk­ed after our manner, frowardly in our way, for then Thou saidst, It is a time of Ezek. 16. 8. love; then Thou saidst, I will heal Esay 57. 17. you. This was love in Thee, Thy servants cannot say what [...], Ephes 3 19. love; and misery in us they cannot ex­presse [Page 31] how great! such exceedings in all this, that all passeth knowledge. But that is the argument, we are miserable indeed, and Thou art mercifull in­deed; And Thou didst say, when Thy people lay in their Blood, It is a time of love; and when they went on frowardly, Thou saidst; Ile heal you. And, Lord, didst Thou set Thine heart upon Rebells once, how much more now will Thy heart be towards them, now they have laid down their weap­ons; now their uncircumcised hearts are humbled for all their heart-and­land-abomitions! They have loathed themselves now for their Commissi­ons, and Omissions, Ignorances and Negligences; Thy Ministers chief­ly, greatly humble themselves now, because they have turned their backe against Thee at any time, and did not set their Faces as Flints against those Bishops and Curates, who set their foreheads, as Brasse, against Thee; would They can­not won­der that the land is stung with a ge­neration of Vipers, whom it warmed & hatched in its Bosom. Ezra 9. not suffer Thee to Rule in Thine own House, not by Thine own Law, and Rule there. Thy servants lie prostrate before thee for this, accepting their punishment, what ever it be; Thou must not spurn them, now prostrate at Thy feet; surely Thy servants are exceeding humbled now, That they suffered Thy Sabbaths, Lord, Thy Day to be blaspemed by a Law; when they remember That, they are ashamed, and sit down as Thy servant did, astonied; Thy loving kindnesse has melted their hearts, and Thy Good­nesse makes Them fear before thee; and now their pursuit is more earnest after Grace then after Glory; They would be sanctified thorowout in Bo­dies, souls and spirits; Surely, Lord, Thy servants have the affections of Children towards Thee, Thou must be so to them: Thou didst love Thy people being Enemies, how much more being made Friends, one with Thee now in Covenant? Truly, Lord, Thou must love them now; Thy people can argue the Case with Thee, they have an if now; If Thou shewedst such love, such aboundant favour to a people when Sinners, when Enemies; how much rather wilt Thou be the same to them, now, that they are made Friends? so Thou hast taught Thy people to argue with Deut. 32. 19 Thee, because it is Thy Good pleasure to be Overcome. Thou say'st we are sin­ners, no such sinners in all the world as are we; we say so too, and ac­knowledge it heartily; But all this doe's but Commend thy love unto us: It is but to advance Thy free Mercy towards us in and through the Lord Jesus Christ; our sinnes are hightened indeed, no sinnes so highly provoking as our sinnes, the sinnes of Sons and Daughters, &c. But though we could highten them to the utmost, yet not above our High and Mighty Redeemer, who saveth to the utmost, those that come unto Him: We have multiplied Transgressions: Thou has said, I will abundantly (multiply to) Esa 557. [...] We can appeal to and glory in free grace for full par­don. pardon. Thy people will not let their hold go from off this Argument, but they will move Thee with another.

Our little ones, Lord, our Children and Sucklings, a Seed of evill doers Thou say'st, and we say so too; But yet Thy heart was towards those in Nineveh, Thou didst pitie them; We Fathers do so, and Mothers doe so; As a Father pitieth his Children! O, it is an exceeding pity! There is more [Page 32] pity in God, infinitely more: And we have more to say, why Thou shouldest pitie our little ones; They never trampled-under the Pearle; They never hid their eyes from the Sabbath: They never complied with Thine Enemies; They never dealt treacherously with Thy Friends: Tru­ly, Lord, Thou must pitie them.

And the whole land; It is Thy Land now, and much people there, who are Children in knowledge, never had any means to make them Babes in Christ; let them know, they had a Prophet amongst them. Give us Bishops in­deed, Curates indeed, who can naturally care for thy people, as a Father for his Children. Truly, Lord, we do confesse a wicked heart has deceived us. But this is Truth also, our Guides have misguided us; they were appoin­ted as fathers, spirituall fathers unto us, We poor ones thought verily, we might follow our Guides; we might trust our fathers; Ah Lord! bloody Fathers have they been to us; bloody fathers! These were appointed Lea­ders to go before us, They went before us, and we followed, and down we were tumbled all into the Ditch, and there, like swine, we lay in the myre. Good Lord! pitty a poor, dark, ignorant people; Give us good Lord, Bishops indeed, Curate, spirituall fathers indeed; Trust Thy people with such a mercy. Thou knowest the hearts of the Children of men; we think, had we such Leaders, we should walk orderly; had we such a mer­cy let down unto us, vve should be drawn up unto Thee. Alas, Lord, what desire Can we have after that, which we know not! we never saw our Bishops do any thing but what we see plainly now, deceived us; we saw him Cringing, and ducking before a Table, which he called an Altar; and then we, observing all that, thought we might call it a god; he bad us indeed carry our selves circumspectly, and reverently in the Church, especially towards the Chancell, for there was a providentiall eye over us, Dr. Valen­tine sedu­cer of the people in Detford. which he had * with our cost, painted-up in our window, This was all we have seen our Bishops and Curates do before us in the place, they call the Church. And for that we have heard we professe in thy presence, That we never heard a word of thy sacred Scripture opened unto us by them; not a word touching the Things of the Lord Christ, made they known to us; not a word. Dead preaching without the Book, or clean crosse to thy Book. Good Lord thrust out these, and give us Pastors after thine own heart.

We know, Lord, what thou wilt say now: Ye have had Bishops and Cu­rates after your own hearts; like People, like Priests; Sottish people, brutish Priests, They desiled My house, and polluted my Sabbaths, and you loved to have it so.

Truth, Lord, and herein we are at a stand, for we cannot plead igno­rance; we cannot say, the times of this ignorance Acts 17 30.. We have rebelled against the light, and groped at mid-day as at midnight. To confesse all at once; We have polluted Thy Sabbaths, and then all vvas polluted, even Thy whole land Throughout; and most just it were, That Thou shouldest require this of us, and dung our land throughout with our Carkasses, and [Page 33] water it with out blood from corner to corner: Just it vvere that thy plagues should abide, should rest on us, for we have polluted thy Rest; just it were that our land should keep it Sabbaths now, lye Fallow without an In­habitant there, to plow it up; This were Justice. But remember, Lord, That this horrible prophanation, vvas not so much our sinne, as the sinne of our Bishops and Curates; Their sinne, Lord, who told us vve might Fiddle and Dance, and Riot on Thy Day: and that such (man like) exercises, would make us fit for Warre. Nay, they did not only tell us so, but they did force Thy servants to do, all the world knows what, To prescribe grievousnesse, To coun­ter-mand Thy Command, and this in thine own house. Truly, Lord, we could plead vvith Thee here; We poor simple ones thought verily, vve might trust our Bishops and Curats, do as they did, and commanded us to do; their words came as Oracles to us. We suspected Bishops, as Lords ever, but never as fathers; we did not suspect, That fathers, they vvould give us for bread a stone, for a fish a serpent. Spirituall Fathers, so they vvere called too; vve could not imagine that Spirituall Fathers would command their children to walk as men, and live as beasts. Good Lord, though we vvere content to have it so, yet spare Thy people, but spare not those Bishops and Curats, who have made, yea forced Thy Israel to sin: and pitty the land and its Inhabitans, vvho sit in darknesse, and see no light, vvho seek for bread now in desolate places, where they are more like to meet with grievous Wolves then with bread. Good Lord pitty the land, a barren land. Barrennesse! Barrennesse! as the places whereon never fell dew nor rain: Truly Lord Thou must pitty Thy land. Thou art making these Barren places, Edens now; Those dark places, Goshens now; Thou art about it Lord, Thou must not leave the work half done. We poor men can sit down, and count our cost; Thou hast counted it already. Thou sawest all the mountains in thy way, all the oposition, man would make against this work; Thou sawest what the Potsheards of the earth vvould do, all our perverse, our froward dealings; Thou hast accounted all this cost, and hi­therto Thou hast proceeded to build us-up; In Thy strengh hitherto Thy servants have marched valiantly, and done exploits. What Thou hast begun, Thou must finish. We have more to say yet; If we cannot move Thee for our selves; if Thou vvilt not be moved for our little ones, those dear pledges of our hopes; Nor for our Land, because defiled with blood, and Idols; and we have polluted Thy Sabbaths there, yet we have somthing more to say, which must move Thee. I. I.The Woman Lord, so forced once, so persecuted still, against whom the mouth of the devourer is so wide open (c), casting-forth so great a flood; This woman, so gloriously cloathed, nothing of earth upon her, is Thy Sons Spouse. Truly, Lord, Thou must own her Thou must give forth Thy hand unto her now in this low estate; Thou must remember her, Revel. 12. and save her, Thou must render her, for her shame double, for she must rejoyce in her portion, therefore must she possesse the double, everlasting joy shall be unto them (a): so Thou hast promised, and so Thou must performe with thy people: so also, Isai 61. 7. [Page 34] everlasting confusion must be recompenced to Thine and her Adversaries, a double destruction to them; so Thy people have Jer. 17. 18. prayed, and so Thou hast commanded, fill to her Rev. 18 6 double.

Truly, Lord, all the Christian world stand now at a gaze, what thou wilt do now touching this poor woman and her Concernments. What will the Righteous Lord doe? Truly we should not make it a question; Thou must work graciously for Thy servants; Thou must gloriously issue-forth all Thy Churches Concernments. The Church has Thy Isa 54 11, 12, 13, 14, &c. word for it, and Thou hast commanded her to Trust unto it; she do's trust, and she do's ex­pect glorious matters. Truly, Lord, Thou must not deceive Thy peo­ples Trust, not the expectation of all the Faithfull in the world.

Why, Lord, Thine Enemies make a Tumult now, never so madd with rage as now; They that hate Thee lift-up their Head, and speake with a proud Lip. and yet pretend to be friends with thee, and to this wo­man, and do nothing against her, but for her altogether; To maintaine the Lawes, Rights, and Priviledges of Thy Kingdom. The Prince of Rob­bers sayes so; They that are as the mountains of Prey to Thy People, these Prince Ruperts Warrant annexed to the end Psal 83 1. say so, they Rob, and Spoil, and Murther the poor, and helplesse men, and do yet worse to women: They Vow and Swear to do yet more vio­lences and wrong, to the Power in their hands; and yet ‘To maintaine the Laws and Liberties of Thy people still:’ Keep not Thou, silence, O Lord; hold not Thy peace, and be not still, O God: The poor and needy com­mit themselves unto Thee, a Refuge from the Storm; Thou must deliver the needy when they crie unto Thee, the poor and them that have no helper. Psal. 72. 12 Thou must not sit still now; Thou must rise and take To Thy Self Power; Thou must right the Cause of the Fatherlesse; Thou must stop the Mouth That speaketh Blasphemies; Thou must dispossesse the Land of these un­clean Spirits, The Eyes of all thy people in the world are fastened upon thee now, and are stedfast towards Thee; Thou must not deceive the ex­pectation of all the Faithfull in the world touching this woman and her concernments.

Truly, Lord, Thy servants make no question here▪ as their Conversati­on is without Covetousnesse, so without fear also, (which causeth too much carefulnesse) They can boldly say; The Lord is our Helper, He has helped hitherto; He do's help, he do's save, he do's deliver even now, every day; Thou do'st purge out the Rebellious every day; if not every day Cutting-them-off from the Land of the Living, then by purging them out of thy servants hearts, and that is the greatest deliverance. Thy servants know, Lord, what thy Great end is; if the Rehellious in Thy peoples hearts were subdued there, then there were no work for the Rebells to do now in Thy Land; They must be purged-out presently, even this very hour, if the Rebellious in Thy servants hearts were purged-out. There is the stop, the mountain in the way, there is That which lets the Churches Victories; Thy Israels Tents are not thorowly searched (then) not pur­ged: [Page 35] Therefore the Rebels are so strong, therefore they must prevaile yet longer. Were thy Israels hearts truly humbled for the pollution of Thy Sab­baths, O that every ser­vant of the Lord figh­ting the Battels of the Lord, did well consider this. See Alarum second Se­ction, Cha. 5, 6. and sect. 3. ch 8 & 9. Psa. 81, 14, 15 The ser­vants of the Lord do not more desire the remove of the sword, than they do the re­move of the sins, which cau­sed the sword. Isa 10 12. Jer 51. 31. 35. 36 37. Rev. 18. 18. the prophaning of Thy Day; for their little or no Zeale, when time was, against the Prophanation of Thy Day, Thy House, Thy wor­ship and service there; were their Hearts truly humbled for all this, To an accepting of this sore punishment, though it should abide, yea, Rest yet lone ger upon their Backs, because they have suffered the Day of Thy Rest to b [...], prophaned by a Law: Were it so, That Thy People were so humbled Then they know what Thou wouldst do, even as Thou hast spoken long since, I should soon have subdued their Enemies, and turned mine Hand against their Ad­versaries: The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves. Thy Servants know full well, That these Adversaries and Enemies, all the Rebels in the Land, are but as Instruments in Thy Hand, as a Batte-Axe to Cut down the Rebellious there, that will not consider their wayes, and be ashamed; as a Rod in Thy Hand To correct and chastise Thy Children; as a Besome in Thy Hand, To sweep clean the Floor of Thy Church; as Scullions To cleanse, whiten and purifie the Vessels appointed to honour: And when this work is done, this whole Work is performed, upon Mount Sion and Jerusalem, Then, Then these Battle-Axes, shall be thrown away; Then these Rods and these Besomes shall be thrown-out, and cast into the fire; Then these Scnllions all, even their Princes and all, shall be sent to their own place: And then shall the violences done to Sion, and to her Flesh, be upon Babilou; for then The Lord will stretch forth His Hand upon Babylon, and her helpers all, and Rowle her down from the Rocks, and make her as a burnt Mountain: Thus it must be, Lord, for Thou hast said it, and strong is The Lord God, who judgeth Her. In the mean time; Thy People, Lord, are not afraid, not a whit afraid; They incourage themselves in Thee, and they boast in Thy Name all the Day long. I will speak a word more in the Ears of the fearfull; Thy people, Lord, are no more afraid of these Rebels in the Land (Instruments in Thy Hand) then Children are afraid, seeing some Instruments of Death, Car­bine, Pistoll, or Cannon in their Fathers Hand; fully assured they are, Their Father intends not to shoot at them, not at his Children; No, the Father is making ready, and bending these Instruments against the Faces of His and His Childrens Enemies; against them He intends all this: And let the fearfull attend to this and a little more. Why, Lord, thy Church do's not lie at the mercy of Instruments, whose mercies are cruell (ra­ther) none at Prov 12. 10. Plane nulla Jur. all. Thy Church lyeth at the mercy of a God, who is all mercy, and has the Instruments all, English, Irish, French, all these Malig­nants in His Hands, the Hands of a Father.

Truly, Lord, Thy people are assured, That these Instruments in their Fa­thers Hands, shall not kill his Children: Kill! They shall not hurt His Children. Not hurt! These Instruments, in a Fathers hand, must do His Children good; and the more Malignant, the more good. It must be so, Lord; Instruments in a Fathers Hand must work for the good of His Chil­dren; they know it, and are as confident and fully assured of it, as that [Page 36] their Father ever liveth and ever loveth His people. Amen; for so sayes the Faithfull and true witnesse, Amen.

2. The Heathen rage now, they take counsell together all against Thy Sonne, Thine Anointed, our Lord and Christ. We know thou hast taken to Thy Self Power now, Thou wilt see to Thine own House, Thou Sonne of David. Psal. 2. Thou do'st laugh now; but wo to the world, the men of the earth there Revel. when Thou do'st Laugh, for now they shall howle bitterly, When Thou shalt speak unto them in Thy wrath, and vex them in Thy sore Displeasure.

3. Thy Name, Lord, Thy Glory is engaged upon it; for Thy Name­sake, for Thy Glory-sake Thou must do it, maintain Thine own Cause: The Cause Thy servants stand-up for, is not theirs, but the Lords, Thy Cause; and though Thy servants have offended Thee, yet, the comfort is, The Cause never offended Thee; Thou art as well pleased with it, as with Thy Sonne; yea, in Him, Thou lovest Thy People as Thou lovest Thy Sonne: But Thy Cause, Lord, Thy Sonnes Cause, His Churches Cause, Thou must help it, Thou must deliver it, Thou must bring it forth to victo­ry. Thy Cause, Lord, Thy Glory, That is engaged. Were the Cause ours, and no more but our selves interested in it, let it sink, or let it swim, Thy people could not be carefull about it; they would be as carelesse of it, as those have been, who have turned Taile upon Thy servants in the House of Parliament, and dealt treacherously with Thee. But, but, The King­dome is Thine, The Battell Thine, The people Thine, The Cause Thine, The Glory Thine, (ours by free gift, and so returned back with all thank­fulnesse) All is Thine; Thou must look to Thine own, Thou must do it; We are not our own, Thy Purchase Lord, engaged to Thee, Thou must help us; We have done our duty, blessed be Thy Name for That Grace, we have Fasted; we have prayed, we have Covenanted, taken Thee for our God; we said, in uprightnesse of heart, Thou art our Rock, our high Tower. Truly, Lord, Thou must be our Refuge (heaven is our place of Esa 45. 11. Josh. 1 5. Heb. 13. 5. [...]. Five Ne gatives to ascertain the affir­mative, and to give the Church strong Consolati­ons for ever. [...] Randevouz still) in life and in death, whereto we must continually resort. Thou must do it, it is Thy Cause, and Thy Glory; Thy people will not let Thee alone, they will give Thee no rest; Thouhast bid them, saying, Com­mand ye me; They take Thee at Thy Word, they command Thee to prosper This Cause in all the peoples sight: It must bee so, Lord, for so Thou hast Commanded, and, not wee, but Thou hast said it, I will never, never, never, never, never, leave Thee not forsake Thee.

Thou didst not give so full an assurance to thy servant Joshua, but Thou hast said it so often, and given so full an assurance to thy servants now a dayes: Thou didst assure indeed Thy servant Joshua, That Thou wouldest hold him fast, Thou wouldest not let go Thy hold of him (a), Thou wouldest bear him up in Thine hand; A full assurance this: Yet Thou hast given a fuller assurance to Thy servants now a dayes, so as they can say boldly, and beleeve perfectly, that Thou wilt never forsake Thy Kingdome; never forsake Thy Church; never forsake Thy Battell; never forsake Thy Cause, never forsake that [Page 37] matter, wherein Thy Name, Thy Glory is engaged. In confident assurance hereof, All Thy faithfull servants, all the world over do stand still (calme and quiet in their mindes, not sad nor carefull, having done their duty) expecting the Salvations of the Lord, and ascribing salvation to their God, Praise, Glory, Honour, and Thansgiving To Him, That sitteth upon the Throne for evermore: So be it:

Amen.