Lancashires Valley of Achor is Englands Door of Hope, Title page – To the reader
LANCASHIRES Valley of ACHOR, IS Englands Doore of Hope: Set wide open, in a brief Hiſtory, of the Wiſe, Good, and Powerfull hand of Divine Providence, Ordering and Managing the Militia of Lancaſhire; Not onelyonly to the Preſervation, but Exaltation of a Poor, and Praying people, in two Hundreds; Againſt, and above a conſiderable Armie, of Popiſh, and ill-affected perſons in foure Hundreds: Wherein the ſtrift of Piety and Providence, with impiety and humane ſtrength, in the weakneſſe of means, unto graduall, and compleate Victory, is laid out; to advance Gods praiſe, and advantage Englands Faith.
By a well-wiſher to the peace of the Land, and piety of the Church.
Iſa. 8.9, 10. Aſſociate your ſelves, O ye people, and ye ſhall be broken in pieces, gird yourſelves, and ye ſhall be broken in pieces, gird your ſelves, and ye ſhall be broken in pieces. Tak councell together, and it ſhall come to nought, ſpeak the word and it ſhall not ſtand, for God is with us.
Pſal. 46.7, 11. The Lord of hoſts is with us, the God of Iacob is our refuge. Selah. The Lord of hoſts is with us, the God of Iacob is our refuge. Selah.
Jer. 30.16, 17 Therefore all they that devoure thee, ſhall be devoured, and all thine adverſaries, every one of them ſhall go into captivity and they that ſpoil thee ſhall be a ſpoil, and all that prey upon th…e will I give for a prey. For I will reſtore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, ſaith the Lord, becauſe they called thee an out-caſt, ſaying, This is Zion, whom no man ſeeketh after.
LONDON: Printed for Luke Fawne, and are to be ſold at his Shop in Pauls Churchyard, at the ſigne of the Parrot. 1643.
THE EPISTLE To the Reader.
Good Reader,
THou haſt a willing (though weake) Diſcoverie of Gods foot ſteps in Lancaſhire, according to beſt information. Some ornaments of the Hiſtory were laid aſide for reſerved Reaſons. Gods Praiſe, and thy Profit were ſpecially intended. Pray that the means may be aſsiſted to theſe ends: So ſhalt thou ingage, to adde, or alter, upon Information, what may honour God, and helpe thee. I have performed what was proper to mine own profeſsion, leaving the Souldiers part, wherein men, and things were notable, to the Souldiers performance.
LANCASHIRES Houre of ſad Temptation, AND Joyfull Iſſue.
GOds eternall Counſells about his Church, are in time turned into Promiſes, Promiſes into Prayers, Prayers into Providences, and Providences into Praiſes. Providence is the glaſſe of Gods Attributes, and Promiſes, of the Saints grace, Graces and Prayers: It is the wealth and wages of time preſent, the treaſure and incouragement of time future. The recording of providences is not the leaſt portion of Gods praiſe, of our duty, of poſterities patrimony.
The free, and full, and joynt trading of ſpirituall Merchants, in the precious commodity of Prayers in theſe laſt yeers, (wherein ſin in the enemies, and grace in the Saints ſtrove for victory) was ſure to bring in with returns. Is it not even ſo? Let Scotland ſpeak, England, the City, the Parliament. And can Lancaſhire ſay nothing? I am charged to bring in this Teſtimony, which I ſhall do (God ſhining upon my way) orderly and clearly, according to beſt information.
The wiſe God (reſolved to raiſe a double-glorious work in this forlorne Countie, of ruine to the evil, and of reſt to the good) forelaid a double-foundation, of ſin in the enemy, and humiliation in his people. That was a Series of injuſtice, with the effects and attendants: This a courſe of repentance in publike Faſting and Prayer; both held paralell from firſt to laſt.
The much to-be-lamented Lord Strange (not of his native diſpoſition (as is hoped (if the height of the Sail did not overtop the Ship) …ut through the force of evil Councels, (the common calamity of great perſonages) was carried down thoſe ſt…ong ſtreams of Arbitrary government, and advance of Popery. Witneſſe his Taxations as Lord-Lieutenant, his Popiſh offi…ers, his injurious i…ter…ding in the election of K…ights, &…. The injured, petition the the… exact and dreadfull Court of Juſtice, inforce their P…tition by Declaration. The wiſdom of that juſt Court (at once to expreſſe their diſrelliſh of theſe doings, but hopes of that no…le perſon notwithſtanding) do ſubſt…act the power of L…ncaſhir…, and caſt in the power of Cheſhire. But correction is grievous to him that forſaketh the way. When …uſt and moderate ſenten… prov…s the food of corruption, it gathers ſudden and great ſtrength. He that formerly withdrew his influence from the County, now denies it to the Kingdom, leaves the Houſe of Loras, …reaks that honourable Union, increaſeth the Diſſention, joyns with the North againſt the South, receives Commiſſion from the King to croſſe the Parliament, ſeeketh to ſu…ject and inſlave them (the beſt amends the oppreſſed muſt expect if ſtrength prevail) who had given no cauſe, ſave onelyonly they complained th…y were wronged, and ſought redreſſe. The ſpirit of the …ommiſſion will not ſuffer it to reſt: There muſt be a generall Muſter at Pr…ſton, the people muſt be thruſt into a croud, that th…y who deſire, might ſecurely rob them of their Mag…zin, repoſed (as their proper goods) in Liver-pool, Preſto…, W…rrin…ton. Herein the Lord himſelf, the Sheriff, the Commiſſione…s, had and acted their ſeverall parts with ſucceſſe, little imagining that ſo cloſe a buſineſſe ſhould be told in Manch…ſter. But J…bs meſſenger eſcapes to bring tidings, though but ſad. Now a Ray of divine Providence brake forth, in the wiſe and peaceable way of ſecuring Mancheſter Magazine; which was this; The well-affected in M…n…heſter and thereabouts, appear in the following Petition to the Committee and Deputy-Lieutenants.
To the Right Worſhipfull, they of the Committee, and the reſt Deputy-Lieutenants, entruſted by the Honourable Houſes of Parliament, for the Militia of the County Palatine of Lancaſter.
WEE, whoſe hands are hereto ſubſcribed, apprehending eminent and imminent danger concerning the Magazine here in Mancheſter, do humbly beſeech your Worſhips to give command (if in your judgem…nts you think fit) That the ſame may be removed from the preſent place of fear, and placed where you may confide. And upon intimution thereof, we are all unanimouſly concluded to be ayding and aſſiſting in the execution thereof; we humbly conceiving our proper intereſts to be in it, not onelyonly as ſubjects, but alſo as having born our proportioable parts of charge in procuring the ſame. And we ſhall ever pray, &c.
This preventing Petition found this ſatisfying Anſwer.
WHereas there have been heretofore divers great Leavies of Moneys laid upon this County of Lancaſter by the Lord Strange, late Lord-Lieutenant of the ſaid County, and his Deputy-Lieutenants; for their manner of diſpoſing of which, they have been pleaſed to give an account unto us, and have repayed ſeverall Sums of money in ſome parts of this County, acknowledged by the account to be in their hands th…n undiſpoſed of; and by their ſaid account did aver…, They had beſtowed 440 pounds in Powder, Match, and the like Ammunition, which they delivered up in ſeverall Towns of this County, in other part of re-payment of the ſaid moneys ſo l…avied by them. And whereas the Sheriff of this County, and ſome others, have lately ſeiz…d into their hands and poſſeſſion the ſaid Powder, Match and Ammunition in the Towns of Preſton and Leverpoole, and have threatned and attempted to do the like in Mancheſter, without givi…g any account, either by what Authority, or for what uſ…, they did and do the ſame: We therefore tendering our own inter…ſt, and poſſ ſſion of this ſmall remainder left at Mancheſter, have thought good to take it into our hands, for the defence of the King, both Houſes of Parliament, and this County of Lancaſter.
Thus wiſdom and honeſty, in a way of manifeſt authoritie, got the leading of ſubtiltie and injuſtice; the Snare at laſt is broken, and a Seed of defence happily ſowne. But if Mancheſter will not be cheated of their Magazine, they ſhall be forcibly diſpoiled; Forces are ſummoned to Bury for that end, but the confluence of the well-affected to Mancheſter for defence, did them the favour of diſiniſſion for that time: And leſt this buſineſſe ſhould appear in its own colours, it is coloured over by a meeting of the Array at Wigan; the ſleeping Magazen is adjudged to travell, part to Bury, part to Ratchdale, and part to lie in Mancheſter, upon an order from the King, publiſhed at Mancheſter Croſſe to that purpoſe: Under this new colour the Lord Strange returns with his Forces to Bury, calls a ſecond Muſter; ſome of the Towne of Mancheſter, and thereabouts, (more forward in this than forecited) attend his Honour, think to make all well by ingaging themſelves to buy ſo much Powder, and lay it in the empty place, and to ſweeten and ſink all former bitter and clogging paſſages, they invite him to a Banquet, upon condition that he come peaceably with his own attendance; they unhappily forgetting, or not conſidering, that it was not a little Powder that was ſought, or the ſubmiſſion of a few fearfull men, but a Town, and not a Town onelyonly, but a County, nor that onelyonly, but the honourable rule and government of it; things out of the teach of their arm, but hopefully within the compaſſe of his own power. According to this deſire, (not according to the condition) was the march for Mancheſter ordered; his Honour came attended with many Horſe, they entred the Towne in an Hoſtile and inſulting manner, with cocked Piſtols, and ſhouts, that the town was their own, their own. The Sheriffe reade the Commiſſion of Array, which evidenced a compoſition for War, not for Peace. Some wiſe and well affected, (foreſeeing what others did not beleeve, till they ſadly ſaw) had laid in ſome Muſquetteers and Pikemen againſt ſuch a time, reſolving to lie hid, if not forced out of Peace. But the unconditioned carriage of theſe in-comers, beats the Drum, to bring our men in ſight, onelyonly to put them in remembrance of the conditions agreed on: They will not remember, but forcibly ride upon our men, give them courſe language, ſtrive to diſarm them, ſorely wound one, and cruelly ſlay another; and had not God mercifully ſent water from heaven to quench this fire, and moved them to be the Peace-keepers, which were not the peace-conluders, they that have ſince ſought our blood, had themſelves been ſatisfied with blood. But bleſſed be God that heaven and earth did concurre to quiet this dangerous Commotion. Let Mancheſter and the neighbourhood never forget how their hands were bleſt from blood, whileſt the hands of thoſe that ſtrove with them, were imbrued therein. By this time the Array had gotten enough done; the unappeaſable crie of blood is againſt them, ſeconded by the bitter crie of ſome truly pious in the Town, who were in extreme danger to be pulled in pieces, they and their houſes, by the part-taking and incenſed Raſcalitie, the admirers and adorers of greatneſſe, being feaſted with the Crummes that fall from their Tables.
God fore-appointing the hour of Temptation, and reſolving in a courſe of ordinary (though to us unuſuall,) means, to ſhew us his ſalvation, ſent a man before, a skilfull and faithfull Engineer, to be ready to concur with our neceſſitie, and deſire, to take courſe for our own defence, which now will admit neither diſpute nor delay. This prepared and provided inſtrument is entertained, fals to artificiall and reſtleſſe motion, till the Mud-wals at the ſeverall paſſages were finiſhed, when God gave an Alarum from the plundering, diſarming Array in Cheſhire, Sept. 13. being Tueſday, to heighten the ſpirits of the well-affected in the Town, above the oppoſition of the male-content, that the oppoſed ſtoopes might be ſet down, and the chaines, coupling the Works, compleated, he well-knowing they had almoſt as much work to do, as time to do it in. All this time that God was contriving our preſervation in a way of probable meanes, Satan in a contrary courſe was plotting our ſubjection or deſolation, and when the door of our defence was once ſhut, not before, (oh the waking watchull providence of God!) but preſently after the floodgates of our oppoſition were opened; for it was about Friday night, Sept. 23. ere the Works were finiſhed, and the Lord appeared on Sabbath-day morning, and it was Friday night, if not Saturday night, ere the defendants were anchored againſt windes and waves.
Thus we are come to Mancheſter Seige, of which I will not give a full and particular account, becauſe it is already performed by ſeverall good hands; onelyonly obſerve three things;
1. The time in which it fell out.
2. The ſeverall temptations in it, with their Iſſues.
3. And ſome remarkable paſſages.
THe time when it began was September the five and twentieth, the Sabbath day, about nine of the Clock, Churchtime. God was fo…ced, as ſometimes Paul, Galath. 4.20. to change his voice, to awaken and enliven his ſleepie and dead-hearted people. Sabbath-dayes Alarums, of all Alarums, are never to be forgotten. Severall Battels have been fought, and ſeverall Aſſaults made in ſeverall places on the Sabbath day; let England ſtudy the meaning: Our Saviour tels us there is an affliction in the time, Mat. 24.20. Pray that your flight be not on the Sabbath day. God hath a controverſie with the people for their Sabbath dayes ſervices. Yet obſerve the breath of the enemie. Saul breathed threatnings and ſlaughter againſt the Diſciples of the Lord: The enemies mocked at their Sabbaths; Their breath blaſteth holy perſons, times, actions. The Epiſcopall breath fetch him out of the Pulpit, ſcatters the people, ſuſpend him, ſuſpend the place. This Seige-week was unskilfully joyn'd with the Nationall Faſt-week; for thus ſuccours came into Mancheſter from all parts of the Kingdom, Armies of Prayers, Legions of Angels. The enemies Lot, ſo warily caſt, fell not unlike to Hamans Lot, Eſther 9.1. The enemies of the Jewes hoped to have power over them, but it was turned to the contrary, that the Jewes had rule over them that hated them.