The Churchs Deliverance, To the reader
To the Chriſtian and diſcerning Reader, wiſdome to ſee the plague, and grace to hide himſelfe.
WHen great bleſſings breed ſecurity, and prophaneſſe, wee muſt looke for ſodaine iudgements. Theſe are begun and hauehave increaſed in the land, ſo much the more fearefull, becauſe they are eſpecially ſpiritual and the rather dangerous, becauſe they are leſſe diſcerned, or, diſcerned onelyonly with a carnall eye, which conceiuing them natural and ordinary, yeeld them onelyonly carnall and ordinary reſpect: …uery man prouides for his owne, but the houſe of the Lord, lyeth waſte: And ſo we flatter our ſelues that all is well, when nothing can bee well, it going ill wit… the principall, we may ſowe much but reape little, and what wee gather is put into a broken bagge, becauſe the Lords houſe lyeth waſte, and eueryevery man lookes to his owne. Our great deliuerance from that diueliſh plot of the poulder treaſon, as it was wonderfull, ſo it hath paſſed as a dreame, or as a nine daies wonder. And behold now we are awoke, we are a hungery, pinched with famine both of body and ſoule: The bird was in the ſnare, but we hauehave let her looſe. A bleſſing was offered, but the meſſe of pottage hath bene preferred: Benaydad findes fauour, and is become a broken reed to Iſraell: and may not our hands bee pierced therwith? Yea the whole heart is ſick and the head is heauy: & from the crown of the head vntounto the ſole of the foot, there is nothing whole therin: & which is the greateſt miſery, though there be bakon in Gilead yet the hurt of the Virgine Iſrael is not healed. Becauſe the dead flyes doe corrupt the pretious oyntment of the Apothecary, and the hurt of the daughters of Gods people, is healed with ſweete words, crying peace peace ſo that we, looked for peace, but behold trouble, becauſe the Arme of fleſh hath deceiued vsus, and we hauehave not reſted vppon the ſtrong Tower: yet the liueth and is good vntounto Iſrael, euen vntounto thoſe that are true of heart. The wiſe man ſeeth the vally of Achor, and entereth therin as into the doore of hope: And though the plague deuoure but the hindermoſt part of the hoaſt, yet he ſees the plague with the eyes of faith, and feare, and ſo hides him-ſelfe, by departing from euill: that ſo not being partaker in the ſinne, hee may not ſhare in the iudgement: yet muſt iudgement begin at the houſe of God, that ſo the faithfull being tryed may find reſt, while the pit is digged for the wicked. And whoſoeuer ſeekes vntounto the Lord God of Iſrael in his affliction, hee is found of him: The more Iſrael is oppreſſed, the more it increaſeth, and by this we know that the Lord fauoureth vsus, becauſe he ſuffreth not our enemies to triumph ouer vsus: Oh that wee could tryumph ouer them in the remembrance of that wonderfull deliuerance, that our God hath wrought for vsus! How might we by this hauehave triumphed, if we had purſued that victory and rooted out Ameleck, that would hauehave rooted out vsus: but al for the beſt. Ameleck muſt remaine as a pricke in our ſides, to let out our corrupt and prophane blood; our enemies muſt yet be further meanes of our purging and preparing: that when the ſtones are throughly ſquared, Gods houſe may bee perfectly aduanced: And the ſetting vp of the Arke will be the finall ouerthrow of Dagon. In patience therefore (deere bretheren) committee wee our ſelues into the handes of our faithfull Creator. That his hand is not ſhortned, we may ſee in that wonderfull deliuerance. In memoriall whereof, I hauehave now the third time, tendred thoſe meditations, that I might pay my vowes vntounto the Lord, for the ſanctifing of that generall deliuerance by a ſpeciall deliuerance vntounto me: & the rather, becauſe the Lord hath euen now of late deliuered me out of the horrible pit, and reſtored vntounto me the Ioy of his ſaluation, that I might declare the wonders of the Lord in the land of the liuing: The Lord hath renued me as an example vntounto them which ſhall in time to come beleeue this wonderfull worke. And yet, (bleſſed be our faithfull God) this is a day of good tidings. The buſh is not conſumed the ſcepter of Antichriſt is broken, his ſinne repenteth, and the Lord raigneth, and hell is inlarged. And why ſhould I hold my peace? Surely if my ſight fayle me not, I ſee in that deliuerance, Amelecks vtter ouerthrow: Oh that Moſes handes may be held vp ſtill, that Ameleck may be deſtroyed from vnderunder heauen, for the better ſtrengthning of my weake knees and feeble hands to the due meditation of that wonderful deliuerance! I hauehave ſpared ſome few houres from my publicke ſtudie, and ſpent them in the meditation of a like wonderfull deliuerance of the Church of God in former times. Very malitious was the enemie when nothing would ſatisfie him but the vtter rooting out of the Church of God. And ſurely much more malitious our enemies, that had plotted the extreame ouerthrow both of Church and common-wealth. 2. Very patient and wiſe was the Lord in giuing the aduerſary ſo far his deſire, as euen to hauehave brought his miſchiefe to the poynt of execution; to make his confuſion the greater, and the Churches deliuerance more admirable & comfortable. And ſurely that our Aduerſaries had brought their plotte within leſſe then eight houres execution after two yeares ſecure contriuing, and ripening thereof: This as it magnified the admirable prouidence of the Lord in ordering the actions of the wicked, ſo it tended tò the greater aſtoniſhment and confuſion of Gods enemies, and, notwithſtanding the careleſſe ſecurity of the Atheiſt, yet hath, and ſhall make, to the eternal comfort of the true beleeuer. 3. Wonderfull was the Lord in diſapoynting the practize of Haman and deliuering of his Church: but that the enemie was caſt in the pit, which he had digged for others. Oh! how did this magnifie the iuſtice of God, how did it confirme the faith of the afflicted? And ſurely did not the Lord ſhew himſelfe much more wonderfull in our deliuerance? Was it a ſmall matter to deliuer vsus as a prey out of the ſnare of the Fowler, vnleſſe alſo our aduerſaries were conſumed with the poulder which they had prepared to blow vsus vp, by an ouer-ruling hand of the Almighty?
This was the Lords dooing, and it ought to be maruailous in thy eyes: And marke what I tell thee? Neuer looke to ſee the face of God in glory for thy final releaſe out of all thy troubles, vnleſſe thou doſt ſee the eſpeciall louelove of thy God in this deliuerance: and ſo ſtill deſireſt to ſee further; to the increaſe of thy moſt holy faith; that ſo beleeuing thou maiſt ſee greater things then theſe: yea beſt able to ſee a farre off, euen the finall deliuerance of the Church out of all her troubles. For thy further direction and prouoking therefore to this Chriſtian duty, In the feare of God make vſe of this hiſtory which I doe tender thee as a glaſſe, wherein thou maiſt dayly view that wonderfull deliuerance. I hauehave as the Lord hath inabled me, conſidered thy weakeneſſe, and prouided accordingly: That thy edge may be ſtill ſharpened, and the dulneſſe thereof preuented. I hauehave deuided the ſtory in it parts: tendering thee onelyonly for a taſte, ſome briefe obſruations on the two firſt Chapters: which containe onelyonly the preface and the preparation to the hiſtory: yet furniſhed and eſpecially concluded, dy the diuine diſpenſation, with ſuch fit variety of matter, as may ſerue thee well for a full enterview of Gods prouidence in the deliuerance of Princes and Kingdomes from treaſons and conſpiracies. Here for the time I make my firſt pauſe: ſtudying breuity, becauſe this wanton age cannot indure long diſcourſes, and my health will not indure long ſtudies: if thy appetite be ſharpned, pray for health, and liberty of the Goſpell: and (ſo thou luſt not after quailes) thou maiſt ſhortly by Gods mercy hauehave more variety. For the preſent conſider my weakeneſſe, and magnifie Gods power: let the Printer beare his owne burthen, and yet as he hath prouided, ſo eaſe thy ſelfe, and him, and me: Read with prayer, appetite, and humility: So maiſt thou attaine the kernell: And for the ſhell neglect it … it ſpeake the language of Canaan: let it guide thee to our common Citty which is above: whether I am haſting: and to this end, tender thee this light, that wee may happily meere there. The Lord haſten his worke, confound Antichriſt, perfect the gathering in of the firſt borne, ſet vp his ſtanderd and glorifie his ſonne, in all his Sayntes. So be it.
Thyne in our common Sauiour, THOMAS COOPER.