THE juſt God of Heaven, being provoked by Sin, beyond the Bounds of Grace & Pardon, (though he be the Fountaine of Mercy it ſelf) yet will he manifeſt his Power when he is ſo provoked, which makes him to ſuffer Monſters to Tyrannize, Scillaes, Mariuſes, Neroes, Diocleſians &c. which brought little Laud to our diſpleaſed Affections: ſuch ravening Wolvet, like cruell Beares, are fitteſt to aſſociate the hungry ſtarved Monſters, beyond the Alpes high Hils, and not to mixe themſelves into our mercifull government; for the King of Iſrael is a mercifull King, & out Lawes are full of pitty, and, which is above all, we profeſſe the worſhip of a gratious, and mercifull God; and thus we learn, that when a people are oppreſt with Tyranny, let them call upon the Lord, and returne from all their evill wayes; and then the Lord will ſet them free, and give them victory over thoſe Tyrants, that ſo cruelly oppreſſe them: as bleſſed be his holy name, he hath now done for us; covering their faces with ſhame amongſt us; ſo that we may ſay with the Poet:

When the Lord made England firſt a Proteſtant church, he beſtowed upon her a great Bleſſing: he made her the spouſe of Ieſus Chriſt, whoſe Members are his Saints on earth: this was a happy marriage for our Nation and herein have we bin happy ever ſince. Onely what hath bin Eclipſed ſince by Popery, makes us miſerable moſt of all; though by many other wayes we ſin: yet this hath bin our greateſt miſery. God was provoked by our ſins, when he did threaten us with Famine. Plague Warres, & we have often felt his gentle Chaſtiſements, but we did not repent, and turn unto the Lord, & enter into Covenant with him: we cryed like wanton Children whilſt we felt the ſmart, but hated not the Cauſe; God ſent us good Miniſters to gather his people unto him; but the envious mans tares sprang up faſter in our rotten hearts, then Gods good ſeed: and Satan raiſed up oppoſers, even of thoſe godly Preachers themſelves, to ſtop their mouthes: Then the Lord permitted blind unpreaching Prelates, & Miniſters to be thruſt into our Churches; who, whilſt they allured us with the beauty of the Temple walls, & drew our affections to behold the huge Cedars of the church Mountaines; but fed us not with the Word of God: they fed us with Leaves and Acorns, like the Beaſt of Rome, and with-held from us the truth of Scriptures, the ſavory venſon for our ſoules; and O how blind we were, to ſit ſtill; as if we had enough! But oh, the ſad groans, and heave ſighes that paſſed from the Soules of Gods holy people, the zealous Profeſſors amongſt us! When Biſhop Laud was made Arch-biſhop of Canterbury; his diſaffection to the Truth of Proteſtant Religion, cauſed his deſigns to be expected as Tyrannous in his Metropolitan See, and to be as terrible to the Church & Children of God, as the fierce winds and ſtormes, to the halfe-drowned Paſſengers in the turmoyling waves of the troubled ſea many were our prophets to foretel this ſad diſaſter. And if we looke upon this Monſter, we ſhall ſee how high in pride he ſoar'd, whilſt all Oppoſers of his will were indangered thereby to incurre his great diſpleaſure, whoſe proſecution was without pitty.

This Ork directed his courſe like a Canterbury Tyrant, againſt the faithfull, godly, & Religious Proteſtants, labouring to ſuppreſſe Purity: yet being zealouſly affected with Romiſh ſuperſtition, and blind Popery, roaring in a blind devotion; yet was his ſent ſo ſharpe, that it was hard for any ſincere, godly Profeſſor, to ſhun his pawes, either in himſelf or his Agents So was his power alſo great, in ſo much, that few could eſcape him; ſo that alwayes, his Priſoners had little hope, either to fight or flye. Amongſt the reſt, look upon Reverend Mr. Burton, a grave, and worthy, Religious Divine; how he ſuffered under him, and that for no juſt cauſe, that I could ever heare; but becauſe he was ſo pure, ſo holy, & that tyrants will grew ſo great, that neither piety nor pity, wife, nor Children, would work upon him: No, he muſt have bloud, his eares muſt be cut, & that in vild diſgrace upon the Pillory, when the tender eyes of all ſpectators, could not refraine weeping, to behold ſo ſad a spectacle. Looke upon D. Baſtwicke, a meek, courteous, affable Gentleman; yet to pleaſe the fancy of the bloud-thirſty Monſter, muſt ſuffer his eares alſo to be cropt. And how hath Maſter Pryme, that admired Lawyer, whoſe Pious, and Godly Converſation, is tranſcendent above moſt; yet had his eares twice clipt, his Cheekes burnt with an hot Iron, his Bookes burnt before His Face, & each of them conſtrain'd to live in exile, from wives, Children, families, flock, friends: O monſtrous cruelty, thus to trample on the blond of holy Chriſtians; what ſhall I ſay of D. Laiton, M. Lilborn, Nathaniel Wickins, and many others who have bin cruelly impriſoned, cenſured, whipt, fined beyond the bonds of charity, or Chriſtian ty, who have bin afflicted with the vaſt Cave of his illegall, and unjuſt proceeding Courts, and his large family of Rotchet Prelates; which comely Matrons, have curbed the mouthes of faithfull Miniſters, whilſt this great Goat keeper himſelf, hath deſtroyed the graſſe upon the Mountaines, prepared to f • ed the ſheepe.

What lamentation was there then amongſt the Saints, and godly people; how did they mourn to ſee the Church ſilled with popery and ſuperſtition, and Popiſt Innovations, and inſtead of the Miniſters of God (in many places) were ſet the Prieſts of Baal. The good people of the land prayed for Reformation, but reſted (almoſt) deſpairing of releaſe.

The Scots they riſe, and tell our Kingdome, that the Orcke of Canterbury, that great Monſter, and his Agents, have kept away their ſiſter, the Church of England, from Chriſt her spouſe, and have polluted her with Popery; & that themſelves alſo, are in danger of the ſame ſad diſaſter and proteſted that they would loſe their lives, before they would permit that their Doctrine ſhould be corrupted.

Hereupon a Parliament was called, which gave both us and them hope of Reformation; we poore ſoules were ſo taken with the Parliament; that we thought our ſelves in Heaven at a trance, as if all was then done; but yet neglected the chiefeſt thing on our part, Repentance, and Converſion to God: we forgot the Lord, and thought our deliverance paſt: ſome few dayes paſſed ſweetly, but politike Canterbury was ſo diligent; and Catulous of his owne Inventions; he laboured in the day, and contrived in the night to hinder our Deſignes, and to obſcure the bright day ſtarres then appearing; & though not for his Sect, whoſe intents were wicked▪ but being provoked by our ſins, God thwarted our hopes in that Parliament, by a diſſolution therof: This gave his graceleſſe Laud, great ſatiſfaction, his heart began to ſore againe, as high as ever: but this bred ſad thoughts upon the hearts of good people, but they were conſtrain'd to patience, waiting Gods appointed time.

The Scots were counted Rebels, and traytors, Souldiers were banded, warres were begun, bloud was ſhed on both ſides, and oh how beyond all admiration was the ſword ſo ſoone ſheathed againe: had they gone or, O the lamentable spectacles that our eyes would have ſeene ere this, our Chan • els might have flowed with bloud, and husband, wife Child, &c. have pariſht before each others eyes: yet none able to helpe, the ſword spareth neither the gray haire, nor the tender babe, old age, nor virginity? But ever bleſſed be our God who hath preſerved us.

The Tyrant of Canterbury, provided a ſorrowfull cup, for the Saints he drove his flock, and called his Goates together, themſelves conſtituted ungodly Oaths, & ſinfull Canons, to confirme their Deſignes, and their ſilken Doctors, labour to eſtabliſh them, whoſe readineſſe and diligence, was, as if they ſoar'd on Eagles wings, to perfect the ſame; whilſt good and godly men, wept & bewailed the Calamities we then groned under.

The great Monſter, ſtill inflamed with cruell Rage, would have all power, and all Lawes ſubject to him, and his Courts: nay, he would have mens meanes forced from them, and like a cruell Ork, in his owne quarrell, drawes the 3. Kingdomes to a Controverſie, to make them ſwimme in bloud; but O our God, Deliver us we beſeech thee from cruell bloud-thirſty Tyrants. And ever bleſſed be our good God, who in our greateſt need, in the midſt of this diſtreſſe, haeh ſet us free againe, by an happy Parliament, from that forlorne and wofull Condition, in which we were, under ſo great Perills? O let us therefore praiſe our good God, & enter into Covenant with him of new Obedience, and write the memory thereof to our unborne Poſterity for ever.

Let us looke upon this cruell Ork, as he is a Traytor convicted by the High Court of Parliament, and lying under the heavy ſentence of death: by whom we have ſo long bin plagued, and groaned under yet now (by Gods providence we ſhall find) the troubled State ſet free.

Let us againe caſt our eyes upon Gods, moſt ample bleſſings in the teſtimony of his favours, that we enjoy a mercifull King that loveth his people, and as carefull of our peace and profit: Let us, I ſay, magnifie the felicity of our Realme of England, for the gratious and mild government of our Royall Soveraigne, and the calling ſitting, and confirming, of that great Aſſembly of wiſe Senators in Parliament, whoſe proceedings appeare like the Balme of Gilead, to our diſeaſed Nation.