The Marks of the Children of God and their Comforts in Affliction, Chapter 13
Holie meditations and praiers.
CHAP. 13.
O Lord God almightie, al good and all wiſe, we are confounded before thy holy maieſtie, not (ô Lord) for the troubles and extreame calamities wherewith we are oppreſſed in theſe daies full of tribulations, anguiſhes and teares: but foraſmuch as we hauehave offended thee, & for aſmuch as our ſinnes, our ingratitude, & rebelliōs hauehave kindled thi wrath againſt vsus: and chiefly foraſmuch as the wicked and infidels, take occaſion by thy iuſt iudgemēts & corrections to blaſpheme thy holy name. Alas Lord, wee yeelde our ſelues guilty before thee, confeſsing that we are inexcuſable, and vnworthie to be named thy children: yea, wee are worthie to bee reiected of thee, wee are worthie of hel, & to be creatures accurſed for euer. For (ô our good God) whē we were the children of wrath, thine enemies, abādoned to all euil, thou hadſt pitie vppon vsus poore and abhominable ſinners. Thou haſt caſt the eyes of thy fauour vppon vsus. Thou haſt giuen thy welbeloued Sonne Ieſus Chriſt to the ſhameful and curſed death of the croſſe for vsus. Thou haſt giuen vsus thy holy goſpell, that bleſſed and ioyfull tidings of our ſaluation: Thou haſt accompanied it with thy ſpirit to lighten vsus, to draw vsus vntounto thee, to make vsus partakers of the treaſures of thy Kingdome & of eternall life. Thou haſt ſtretched out thy hand from heauen to the depth of hell, to pul vsus backe, and to make vsus thy happie children. Thou haſt done according to the good pleaſure of thy will, inaſmuch as thou ſheweſt merciemercy on whom thou wilt ſhewe merciemercy. Alas Lord, ought not we to acknowledge the daye of thy viſitation, and the time of ſaluation? Ought not we to feele the abundant riches of thy incomprehēſible grace towards vsus, to louelove, ſerue, praiſe, and adore thee? to renounce our ſelues, the world and the fleſh, and all that which is contrarie to thy glorie: yea to abhorre all that doth diſpleaſe thee? to walke as the children of light, and to conſecrate our ſelues vntounto thee, to bring foorth fruites worthie of thy Goſpell, and becomming the Children of ſuch a Father: to be as bright lights in this darke world, to giuegive light to the poore ignorāt ones, to drawe thē with vsus into the way of ſaluation. But alas, ô Lord our God, we (quite contrarie) hauing brought into thy Church the world and the fleſh, hauehave kept in our ſelues theſe enemies of thy glory, theſe plagues of our ſoules, & hauehave ſerued them. Our infidelitie & our fleſh hauehave made vsus louelove the earth more than the heauen, the world more than thy kingdome, the filthines and duſt of vaine riches, more than the treaſures of heauenlie and eternall good things, the ſmoke of humane honors, more thā the glorious eſtate to be thy childrē, & brethren of thy ſonne Ieſus Chriſt. Couetouſnes the roote of all euill, hath hardened our harts to deſpiſe thy poore ones, euen Ieſus Chriſt in his members. Wee hauehave ſlaundered thy holy Goſpell by fraudes, deceipts, & robbings: occupying our traffique and doing our affaires, as people hauing no knowledge of thee. The aire in the Cities where thy word hath bin preached, hath bin ſtinking & infected, with the whoredomes, adulteries, and other infamous acts that there hauehave bin committed. Gluttonie & drū kennes hauehave made brutiſh thoſe, that for thy bleſsings and bountie ought to hauehave praiſed thee. Euerie man thinking onlie how to profit & aduance himſelf in this world, to the deſpiſing of thy holy ſeruice, & the building of thy Church. The profeſsion of thy holy religion hath ſerued many, but for the cloke of their iniquities. Wee hauehave put out truſt in the arme of fleſh, & in brokē reeds, ſeeking cōfort for thy Church of the enemies of it, in forſaking the fountaine of liuing waters, and the almightie. Crimes, treſpaſſes, blaſphemies and iniquities hauehave bin winked at & ſupported, in defiling the ſeate of thy iuſtice, without puniſhmēt: thy threatnings & promiſes reiected as vanities, the holy Miniſterie of thy Word deſpiſed, the chaſtiſements which thou haſt exerciſed on our brethren neglected, without thinking what our ſelues hauehave deſerued. Wee hauehave not felt ſorow for the afflictions of thy children, to mourne with them, and to feare thy iudgements. And what ſhal we ſay more, ô Lord? Our iniquities are as mountaines, our ingratitude and rebellions, as the great deepe, our whole life, before thee, being nothing elſe but a cō tinuall ſinne and deſpiſing of thy holy Maieſtie. If they who neuer heard ſpeak of thy ſonne Ieſus Chriſt, and that hauehave not knowen thy will, are iuſtly puniſhed in thy wrath; what iudgement, what condemnation, what hells and curſſes hauehave we deſerued, hauing ſo villainouſly, ſo long, ſo obſtinately, deſpiſed thy holy inſtructions, thy promiſes, thy threatenings, and the examples of thy iudgements, which thou haſt exerciſed before our eyes. Alſo the voyce of our ingratitude is aſcended before thee: our iniquities hauehave, and doo crie vengeance againſt vsus. Theſe are the procurers and aduocates of thy iuſtice, ſoliciting theſe iudgements againſt vsus. Our ſinnes hauehave ſtrengthned our enemies, & hauehave made them conquerours ouer vsus. We hauehave ſowen iniquitie, and we hauehave reaped afflictions: as thou ſeeſt, ô Lord our God, that thy children are baniſhed, ſpoyled, and impouriſhed, that they are cruellie dealt withall, trodden vnderunder foote, and expoſed to the laughter of thine enemies. Our perſecuters make a ſcorne of thoſe, ouer whō thy name is called on, & they make their boaſt of the euill that they doo: They ſcatter thy flockes: They throwe downe the ſcepter of thy ſonne Ieſus Chriſt: They depriue thy children of the paſture of thy word. Thoſe temples (O Lord) thoſe temples where not long ſince, thy praiſes did ſound, in which thy holie Goſpell was preached, the Sacraments purelie miniſtred, thy name religiouſlie called on: Theſe temples, O Lord, are now defiled with Idols and idolatrie, the abominable Maſſe is eſtabliſhed againe, falſe tales and lies are preached. Theſe temples where thy people aſſembled in ſo great number to praiſe thee, and to behold thy louing countenance, are now filled with people blaſpheming thy holie name, and treading vnderunder their feete the bloud and glorie of thy ſonne Ieſus Chriſt. This youth of orphanes, fondlings, and others that went to ſchoole, being brought vp in the knowledge of thee, & nouriſhed in thy feare, is now giuen vp to the enemies of thy trueth, to be inſtructed in the damnable doctrine and ſeruice of Antichriſt. O good God, our ſunne is turned into darknes, the Moone into bloud, our health into ſicknes, our life into death: And yet, if thou ſhouldeſt puniſh vsus yet more rigorouſlie, than hetherto thou haſt done, & that for one ſtripe wee ſhould receiue an hundred. If thou ſhouldeſt tranſport the kingdome of thy ſonne from vsus, to the Turkes, and the Iewes: If thou ſhouldeſt ſend ſuch a famine of thy word, as running through the forreſts to hauehave ſome refreſhing, and finding none, our ſoules ſhould faint: Yea Lord, if thou ſhouldeſt throw vsus down into hell: we confeſſe that it were verie right, and yeeld our ſelues guiltie, acknowledging that we hauehave well deſerued it. Notwithſtanding, O good God and father, there is merciemercy with thee, yea thy mercies are infinite to ſwallowe vp the multitude and grieuouſnes of our ſinnes. Thou art a God gracious & pitifull, ſlowe vntounto wrath, abounding in merciemercy and trueth, keeping merciemercy for thouſands, pardoning iniquitie, tranſgreſsion & ſinne. Thou haſt ſaid that thou wilt not the death of a ſinner, but rather that hee turne and liue. Conuert vsus then, O Lord, that we may be conuerted, and that we may liue before thee. We are poore ſinners, we confeſſe it: but yet thy ſonne Ieſus Chriſt came into the world to ſaue ſinners. Behold vsus then, O Lord, not in our ſelues (for wee are vnworthy of thy grace) but behold vsus in the face of thy ſonne Ieſus Chriſt, and for his ſake, bee at tone with vsus, and be mercifull and fauourable vntounto vsus: that in the multitude of our ſinnes the greatnes of thy grace may ſhine: if thou regard our iniquities, who is he that is able to ſtand before thee? Wee hauehave been vnfaithfull, but thou remaineſt ſtill faithfull. Thou canſt not renounce thy merciemercy and goodnes: we haueforſaken thee, but thou haſt promiſed not to forſake vsus. Wee hauehave forgotten thee, but thou haſt ſaid, that though a mother ſhould forget her childe, yet wouldſt not thou forget vsus. Thou haſt made a couenant with vsus, wherein thou haſt promiſed to pardon our ſinnes, and to remember our iniquities no more. Thou haſt promiſed, that though our ſins were as red as ſcarlet, thou wouldeſt make them as white as wooll: if they were as red as crimſon, that they ſhould be made as white as ſnowe. We are heauie laden, and labour with our iniquities. But Ieſus Chriſt hath called vsus to him, and hath promiſed to refreſh vsus. HaueHave pitie thē on vsus, O Lord, hauehave pitie vponupon vsus. Let our miſeries moue the bowells of thy merciemercy. Forgiue vsus (O our GOD) forgiue vsus for thine owne ſake, for the glorie of thy name, and for thy ſonne Ieſus Chriſts ſake: Impute vntounto vsus the goodnes that is in him, that the euill that is in vsus may not be imputed. Thou haſt pumſhed the iuſt, that thou mighteſt pardon the wicked: Accept thou the merites of his death and paſsion, for ſatiſſaction of all that is in vsus, worthie of thy wrath and indignation: and make vsus to feele the fruites of our reconciliation with thee. If thou wilt afflict our bodies, hauehave yet pitie of our ſoules. If thou wilt impouriſh vsus on the earth, depriue vsus not yet of the riches of heauen. If thou wilt take away the bread of our bodies, yet leaue vsus the ſpirituall bread of our ſoules. Though wee bee in reproach among our enemies, yet let not thy name be blaſphemed. Though we bee accurſed of the world, yet let vsus bee bleſſed of thee. Though the world hate vsus, yet let thy louelove abide vponupon vsus. O Lord we are thine, forſake vsus not. Thou haſt ſaide, I am the Eternall, this is my name, I will not giuegive my glorie vntounto Images, nor my praiſe vntounto another. For thine owne ſake then, euen for thine owne ſake hauehave merciemercy vponupon vsus. For why ſhall thy name bee blaſphemed for our ſakes? Not vntounto vsus Lord, not vntounto vsus, but vntounto thy name giuegive glorie and honour, in ſhewing foorth the riches of thy graces, of thy truth, and of thy might. Thou art the God of glorie, ſanctifie thy name, in drawing light out of our darknes, and lift out of death, making perfect thy power in our infirmitie, and thy great grace in our vnworthines, to thy praiſe and glorie. Heare the blaſphemies of thine enemies, boaſting them ſelues in their counſels and their forces, triumphing and reioycing in our confuſion: as if we were not thy people, thy children, thy Church: as if wee were caſt off of thee: as if thou were not able to helpe or keepe vsus. Neuertheleſſe, thou art our creatour, and wee are the worke of thy hands: Thou art our ſhepheard, wee are thy flocke: Thou art our father, wee are thy children: Thou art our God, wee are thine inheritance: Thou art our redeemer, wee are the people whome thou haſt bought. It is thou alſo (O our God) who by thy word alone, haſt created the heauen and the earth, the ſea and al that is in them: it is by thee that all things liue, be, and hauehave their mouing: it is of thee, by thee and for thee, that all things are. It is thou which dooeſt whatſoeuer thou wilt. And there is neither counſell, wiſedome, nor ſtrength againſt thee. Repreſſe then, O Lord, the rage and furie of thine enemies, breake their forces, diſsipate their counſels, confound them in the bold enterpriſes which they hauehave taken in hand againſt thee, and thy ſonne leſus Chriſt. Maintaine the reſt of thy flocke, which thou haſt kept vntill this day. Eſtabliſh againe the Churches that are ruined and diſperſed. Suffer not the memorie of thy name to be aboliſhed from the earth: rather let thy word ſound, and thy Goſpell bee preached, where it hath not yet been heard, to gather thine elect vntounto thee, and to magnifie thy name: And that ſo wee may ſee it floriſh more & more, and the kingdome of thy ſonne Ieſus Chriſt our Lord to bee aduanced for euer more. Amen.