The Novelty of Popery Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity, Prayer of thanksgiving
The Authors thankſgiving to God for the finishing of this Work.
O LORD my God and gracious Father, I ſhut up this Work with humble thanks to thy Soveraign Majeſty. I ſhould be ungrateful if this Work done by thine aſsiſtance ſhould not end in thy praiſe. For it is in thy ſtrength O Lord, that I have gone through with it. Thy ſtrength is made perfect in weakneſs. Thou chooſeſt poor weak things to confound the ſtrong. In the ſmalneſs of the inſtruments of thy Work thou ſetteſt forth the greatneſs of thy vertue. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory. For who are we that we ſhould bear ſuch a heavy burden? And what is our ſtrength, that we ſhould be Gods Champions in ſuch a great combat? But this very truth which we defend, giveth ſtrength to them that defend it. And thou refuſeſt not thy help to thy Servants, who in the defence of thy cauſe have no other end but the glory of thy holy Name. Thou O Lord, who haſt been favourable to me from the beginning of my daies, wilt not forſake me in mine old age, and wilt yet make it fruitful to the edification of thy Church. Being beaten with many rods, torn off from my dear flock, lamenting the bruiſe of thy people, deſtitute of neceſſary helps for ſuch a great Work, ſore vexed now almost two years with a grievous ſickneſs, which brought me near my grave, and having in my ordinary calling work enough to imploy a whole man; yet againſt hope I believed in hope, to the undertaking of this great labour, and againſt all likelyhood I have perfected it by thy gratious help. And now I hope, O my God, that this labour of thy Servant, done by thine aſsiſtance, ſhall be made powerful by thy grace, to bring thoſe ſpirits to the right way, that go not purpoſely out of the way, and that err only for want of inſtruction, Againſt mine inclination I have imployed in this Work a multitude of humane teſtimonies; for I know that thy Word alone is the rule of our Faith, and thou receiveſt not men for Judges in thy cauſe. I know alſo that one word of thy mouth is better then all the writings of all men. But we are carried away by the ſtream, and are forced to yield unto the diſeaſe of this age, which having thy Word for ſuſpect as a dangerous Book, ſeek in humane writings a ſhelter againſt Divine rules. We ſhew unto the patrons of errour that they loſe their cauſe even before the Arbitratours whom themſelves have choſen. But O Lord, thou art both powerful and merciful, to bring in an age, in which thy Word alone ſhall be heard, and thy Son conſulted alone for the deciding of all doubts. Do it O Father of mercy, and God of all comfort. Have mercy upon the Nations that lye in deep darkneſs. Let the light of thy Word ſhine before the eyes of all people. As for me, after a long tugging, in a way beſet with thorns, having notwithſtanding my many defects and infirmities, held out againſt the contradiction of an Age contrary to thy Word; I rejoyce to feel the approaches of my deſired reſt, and to ſee my race almoſt at an end. But thou O Lord, wilt ſend labourers into thy harveſt that will labour with more ſucceſs, and whom thou wilt endow with a greater meaſure of the Spirit to defend thy holy truth. Lord it is thy cauſe, Lord it is for thy ſake that we are hated. Stir up thy jealouſie, and thine ancient compaſſions, for thy people which thou haſt redeemed; that many ſouls may be ſaved, and thy holy Name glorified. For, O Lord, though we be worthy to be forſaken, and unworthy to be helped, yet thou art worthy to be glorified. It were a ſmall thing indeed that we are afflicted, but that in our afflictions thy truth is oppreſt, and thy holy Name blaſphemed. Hear then O God and Father of all conſolation; Hear us and forgive us for thy Names ſake. Thou art wiſe in thy Counſels, juſt in thy Judgements, powerful to execute thy Will; But together thou art full of compaſſion, and true in thy promiſes. Do then O Lord according to thy word. For thou haſt promiſed that thou wilt never forſake us, and that thou wilt be with us even unto the end of the World. Thou that haſt redeemed us from the power of Satan by the death of thy Son, wilt deliver us alſo from the hands of thoſe that oppreſs us. The time cometh, and now draweth near, when out of our dead aſhes, after this fiery tryal of thy Church, a great light ſhall break forth, and thou wilt confound the tongues of Babel, and pull down the throne of iniquity of the ſon of perdition. In the mean time give us grace to poſſeſs our ſouls in patience till the meaſure of iniquity be filled up, and while we expect from heaven our Lord Jeſus, who will come to reviſe our cauſe, and to give to every man according to his works. Amen.