The Hand of God Discovered at Whitney, Title page – Epistle
Tragi-Comaedia. BEING A BRIEF RELATION OF THE STRANGE, AND Wonderfull hand of God diſcovered at WITNY, in the Comedy Acted there February the third, where there were ſome Slaine, many Hurt, with ſeverall other Remarkable PASSAGES. Together with what was Preached in three Sermons on that occaſion from Rom. 1.18. Both which May ſerve as ſome Check to the Growing Atheiſme of the Preſent Age. By JOHN ROWE of G. C. C. in Oxford, Lecturer in the Towne of WITNY.
It is time for thee, Lord to work, for they have made voyd thy Law.
Pſal. 119.126.
Verily he is a God that judgeth in the Earth.
Pſal. 58.11.
foreign. Onatus apud Stobaeum.
OXFORD, Printed by L. LICEFIELD, For HENRY CRIPPS. Anno Dom. 1653.
TO MY HONOVRED and much beloved Friends, the Inhabitants of the Towne, & Pariſh of WITNY.
Dearely beloved in the LORD,
THE publiſhing of theſe few Papers, both the precedent Narrative, and the enſuing Sermons of right belong to You, and you may challenge them as your owne. Among you it was that theſe wonders of the Lord were ſeen, and upon you it was that the Lord hath ſhewen himſelfe marvelous. Doe not quarrell with the Almighty for ſetting you up as the publik Theatre whereon he would manifeſt his holyneſſe, juſtice, & other Attributes to the world. We are his Creatures, and it were enough if we could ſay no more, but It is his pleaſure to have it ſo. Yet there is other reaſon why we ſhould quiet, and compoſe our ſelves, and ſhake off all thoughts, and reaſonings that are apt to ariſe, ſaying as the Church doth. We will beare the indignation of the Lord, becauſe we have ſinned againſt him. Though you are the people that doe only ſuffer, yet you are not they that are only aymed at. The Lord hath ſpoken from heaven to the whole Nation, by what he hath done amongſt you, and teſtified by a clear and eminent ſtroake againſt the monſtrous unparraleld Atheiſme, irreligion, profaneſſe, which is walking up and downe in all places.
Though the Lord hath began with you, yet he may not end with you. If his dealing with you make not others wiſe, their plagues may be farre greater then yours have been; and if ſo, it will be a mercy that you were corrected ſo ſoone, and not ſuffered to goe on in your ſinnes; which would have brought heavier ſorrowes in the end. Amongst you it was that theſe meane Sermons had their riſe, which were not in the leaſt intended for the Preſſe, when first they were Preached. But the deſires of ſome amongſt you to have written Coppies of them, the longings and importunity of others to have them publiſhed, the good of the Towne in generall (which might ſeeme to require a ſtāding, & laſting remēbrance of theſe things) ſeemed to be ſome call to me for the publiſhing of them. To which I may adde the conſideration of ſome little good the Lord I hope was pleaſed to doe by theſe plain and meane Sermons: the hearts of ſome being a little awakened, and the affection of others ſtirred, and raiſed, and ſome provoked to attend on the word thereby. Which ſparks being of the Lords owne kindling, I thought it my duty to keep them alive as much as lay in me. I hope you will beare with my rudeneſſe of ſpeech, and plain ſpeaking: the Lord being my witneſſe, that it is not a pleaſure to me, to make bare your nakedneſſe, or diſcover your ſhame, my ayme only being, that you may lay to heart your ſinnes, ſeek pardon for them, and reformation of them. My care hath been as much as may be, to abſtain from all perſonall reflections, and not to make uſe of any ones Name, that I might not grieve the ſpirits of any by making them publike to the world, although if I had inſiſted on ſome particulars, the ſtory might have been ſet forth with more advātage in the eyes of ſome. Some enlargments there have been in the Sermons, & ſome larger explications of a few Scriptures, it being not poſſible within ſuch a ſcantling of time, as is allotted, to ſpeake fully to all things. Yet this you will find, you have ſcarce any materiall paſſage omitted of what was Preached, and the Additions which are (I hope) not altogether unprofitable or unneceſſary. Some Notes are put into the Margin, which need not trouble the leſſe skilfull Reader, all obſcurity being avoyded in the body of the Sermons themſelves. My humble deſire, and requeſt to you is, that you will not lay aſide this little Book as ſoon as it comes into your hands, though the things are mean and contemptible, if you conſider the perſon, parts, and years of him that brings them unto you, and the manner of his delivering them; yet are they great, and of moment, if you conſider him that ſends them to you, ſo farre forth as the mind of God is revealed in them, and his particular will made known concerning you. Some few houres will ſerve to Reade over the whole Book, and if at leaſure times, you put your Children or Servants to reade but a little, it may be better then to let it lye moulding in your Windows. Poſſibly you may meet with ſuch a remembrace, if the Lord work with it by his Spirit, as you may bleſſe him for all your dayes. I can only ſay as the Apoſtle doth with a little change. Brethren my hearts deſire, and prayer to God for the people of Witny is, that they may be ſaved. I trust the Lord hath ſome of his election yet ſcattered amongst you, ſure I am there are ſome of his called, and faithfull ones already to be found in the middeſt of you. How long I may be left to ſpeak to you, I know not. This I can aſure you, I pray, and ſigh at the throne of Grace for you, as well as I can. And I could wiſh I had better prayers, and more ſighs and groanes, then my poore barren heart can afford. There could not be a greater joy to me, then to ſee the Kingdome of our Lord Jeſus taking place in greaer power in your ſoules: to ſee that high valuation, and eager thirſts in the hearts of many of you after a poore deſpiſed, neglected, forſaken Christ, whom the world (but it may break our hearts to ſpeak it) begins to grow weary of, though the world be not worthy of ſuch a one.
Now the God and Father of our Lord Jeſus bleſſe you with the knowledge of himſelfe, and this his deare Sonne, and grant that the ſavour of his knowledge may be ſpread amongſt you more abundantly. Theſe are the conſtant prayers of
Your unworthy Friend, and Servant, in the Goſpell John Rowe.