The Churchs Deliverance, Title page – Dedication
THE CHVRCHES DELIVERANCE, Contayning Meditations and ſhort notes vppon The booke of HESTER.
In remembrance of the wonderfull deliuerance from the Gunpoulder-Treaſon.
BY THOMAS COOPER.
AT LONDON. Imprinted by G. Eld for T. Adams, and are to be ſold at the white Lyon in Paules Church-yard. 1609.
❧To the right worſhipfull, and truly religious Ladies, the mother and the daughter, The Lady Katherine Rotheram, and the Lady Elizabeth Wakerings my very good Aunt, and Couſine; Beloued in the LORD, grace and peace in GOD the Father through IESVS CHRIST our common Sauiour.
RIght Chriſtian Ladies, whome I louelove in the truth, till IESVS CHRIST be perfited in you. It hath pleaſed the LORD of glory, by a long, yet mild and fatherly viſitation, of late to ſummon me, his vnprofitable ſeruant to make ready my Account: In the caſting vp whereof finding my ſelfe indebted vntounto your Ladyſhips, for many chriſtian and extraordinary kindneſſes conferred vponupon me, a diſpiſed brāch and out-caſt in the world: I hauehave indeauoured in theſe my poore laboures to make acknowledgement of my debt, not with any purpoſe to clear the ſcore (for how ſhould true mē bers of Chriſts body not be euer bound to each other) but rather with intent to prouoke to a further debt: becauſe the debt of louelove, as it ought alwaies to be payd, ſo it muſt alwaies be due, and the more it is paid the more the debt is increaſed. Til it be at length perfited, and ſo fully recompenced in heauen. Whether ſeeing it pleaſeth my god very mercifully to haſten me by keeping me through many tedious and linggring infirmities; in an earneſt hungring and fainting after my deliuerance; therfore hauehave I rather haſtened to performe this duty vntounto your Ladyſhips, as to whom in regard of your places ſuch mementos, from a withered branche cannot be vnſeaſonable: and moſt ſeaſonable on his part, to bee preformed, who while hee hath tyme, and can doe no other good, yet hath obtained mercy of the LORD, to pu… his ſeruants in mind of his wonderfull mercies towards them; that the memoriall thereof may hold them in due thankefulneſſe vntounto ſo gratious a father, that ſo their happineſſe in this life may be a pledge vntounto them of that glorious crowne which remaines for the Saintes in that bleſsed Kingdome: Theſe are my heartes deſire vntounto our gratious GOD for you. And that you may be happily furthered therto, and hauehave a true and liuely glaſſe to behold the bounty of our GOD, I hauehave bin bold to committe to your remembrāce that wonderful deliuerance of our Church and State, from that horrible plot of poulder-Treaſon; Wherin eueryevery true hearted Chriſtian and Subiect may take a full view of al GODS former mercies towards him, and if he do beleeue, may ſee in the ſame a ful aſſurance of whatſoeuer bleſſings of GOD are yet laid vp in ſtore for him. The greatneſſe whereof, howſoeuer I hauehave heretofore endeauored once and againe to meaſure, and ſo commend my ſcantling therof, to the due conſideration of a thankeful heart yet ſeeing the meaſure of that bleſſing is like the waters of the ſanctuary, which the more they were meaſured, the more vnmeaſurable they did appeare, till at length they became a deepe, that could not be paſſed ouer. Therfore I hauehave bin glad to take this oportunity of my dayes yet lengthned out, once againe to meaſure this great deepe: And by an hiſtory of a like wonderful deliuerance, to reuiue the dead memory therof in the cares of a ſecure and vnthankefull world. That ſo I might both pay my vowes vntounto my GOD for my life of late renued me as a prey, and as neere as I may hauehave my conuerſation in heauen, imploying the ſmall reſidue of my wretched life in meditations of GODS wonderful mercies which is the onelyonly ſeruice that the ſaints performe in heauen. Oh what a glorious thing it is to be thankfull, when by dooing this duty we come neareſt to the Saints in glory! And how wil this wonderful deliuerance teach vsus to be thankefull? How is this deliuerance of the Iewes from Hamans malice a moſt liuely glaſſe to behold our deliuerance from the bloody Papiſts. And may not the LORD lengthen out my threed vntill I ha…e finiſhed this ſtory. This that I now tender you is but onelyonly the gate into the cittie, if it pleaſe GOD that I may go through the Citty (as Ionas did) who knoweth whether by that time Niniue may repent and turne, and ſo the LORD may repent him of the euil, and reuiue the good that is ready to dye. The patient abiding of the righteous is ioy, and he that beleeueth maketh not haſte: yet If we beleeue, we ſhall ſee greater thinges then theſe, and bleſſed are wee if we ſee a farre off. A leſſon which for a farewell I do heartily commend vntounto your Ladyſhips, not onelyonly to ſee into the preſent, but to behold a farre off, to looke vp to Moſes to the recompence of the reward, and not to eſteeme to be accounted the ſonne of Pharoahs daughter, if we ſee not the preſent bleſſings how can we ſee a farre off? And yet we may ſo doate on the preſent, as not to deſire to ſee a far off, and if we deſire not, is not the Lord iuſt to giuegive vsus our preſent deſire, and ſend leaneſſe into our ſoules. Behold therefore your preſent happineſſe in that wonderfull deliuerance, yet looke vp with Moſes, and ſee therein alſo your future happineſſe. And ſo I heartily commend your Ladyſhips to the view of this glaſſe, and therein alſo to the mercy of the almighty, who giuegive you wiſdome to redeeme the time by ſeeing your faces often herein, and hauing viewed, not to forget what Iacob did gratiouſly remembr,Geneſ. 32, Luke, 17. 12. and what our Sauiour wiſhed to be remembred of his Diſciples: So ſhall you preuaile with GOD, and find fauour with men: your age ſhall bee a crowne of glory, and your poſterity ſhall be bleſſed: They ſhal be of you which ſhal build the old waſte places & ſhal be called the repairers of the breach: the ſtōes of the field ſhal be in league with you & the beaſts of the field ſhal be at peace with you: you ſhal laugh at deſtruction & death and ſhal not be affraid of the beaſts of the earth. GOD hath and ſhall deliuer you from all aduerſity, and you ſhall ſee the felicity of the choſen: theſe bleſſings the LORD of glory increaſe vponupon your Ladyſhips, to your full perfection in IESVS CHRIST. To whoſe bleſſed protection I moſt heartily commend both you and yours.
From my houſe at Couentry Ianuary 1609. Your poore kinſman, moſt bounden in the Lord Ieſus. THOMAS COOPER.