The Kings Chronicle in Two Sections, Dedication – License
TO THE HIGH COVRT OF PARLIAMENT, There or elſwhere ſcattered, for the faith of the Church, and ſervice of the Goſpell; Grace and Peace be multiplied.
LEt me crave your Honorable patience, while your eye runs over this Epistle and Preface: both as ſhort, as poſſibly I could make it. For the Book it ſelf, it cannot crave, haply it may command your eye and eare both, for this Reaſon. It is a CHRONICLE fully and wholy taken out of the Book of God. It treats of Kings and Princes, Prieſts and Levites too, of common-people alſo; their ſeverall ways here on Earth, with ſeverall notes upon theſe wayes, taken from Gods mouth too.
I will take leave to tell you, how I fell upon this work. I heard a great cry, and I was one, who helped to make it greater; we complained of the Times and of you, not a word of our ſelves, and thus we ſpake unadviſedly enough after our manner; our expectation is cleane fruſtrate: we looked for good, behold evill: for peace, behold a Sword: Summer is come and gone, we are not delivered. Delivered! never in worſe caſe then now. That we thought would do us good, hath done us hurt. Then, as that ſtubborne people, never well full nor faſting, called out Moſes, Moſes (he was in all the blame ſtill) ſo we called out upon you, and wiſhed ten times, as they did, that we were, as we were, in Egipt again. Thus we, poore ſimple ones, have done and doe, ſtanding all the while in the bottom and upon the levell of our own Imaginations.
By the good hand of God upon me, I did according to the charge, SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES; they teſtifie of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, yes, and of all that ever was, is, or ſhall be done in the world, for, or againſt His Kingdom there, wherein theſe times are eminently, very infamous and very glorious both.
I thank God, that I did ſearch the Scriptures: for now I can give a full and cleare account of all the affairs now a days. 1. That they are what they have bin, nothing NEW, that is now under the Sun. What is now irregular and our of Rule is not new, but as it hath bin done by theſe, whoſe will was their Bias, ſo they run apace furiouſly, I had almoſt ſaid, but very directly to their own and their peoples ruin: And they that walked regularly after the line of Heaven, obtained the Sabbath and port of all their labours, were a bleſſing to themſelves, and to the place where they lived. 2. I can reprove my own folly now, and theirs, who are but a little wiſer, That we have not a faith to live upon, for we make haſte; we ask and we have not, becauſe we asked amiſſe; we expected, and our expectation is vain, becauſe we were too haſty, and expected without the book: we would have God goe our way, and do things juſt when and how, we would have Him: as if wiſdom were with us, and we could tell the fitteſt time.
Our complaints are as wild as our thoughts; we complain as if ſome ſtrange and new things were done now, when indeed there is nothing now that is new; Man was mad upon his Idols in ancient times; he is but mad now. And when his Idols *Ier. 50 38.were ſtruck-at, he would ſtrike too, and be in a rage; he do's no more now. The Nations were angry, when Chriſt had taken to Himſelf power aReve. 11. 18., then they made Tumults; they do but the ſame now: And in proportion to their rage now, ſhal their judgment be anon, it ſhall reach unto Heaven, and be lifted up even to the skies. bIer. 51. 9.2 Chron. 28. 9.They brake His bonds before and caſt away His Cords, They are not more like to Devils now. The Lord laughed at thoſe furious fools then; He laughs now: He ſaw their day was coming cPſ. 37.; we thank Him for His Eye ſalve, we ſee as much now. The LORD Chriſt has few friends, that will own His cauſe, that will ſtand by Him, and that troubles a few in the world: That is no new thing neither: Time was when all forſook Him, Diſciples and all: And then His Adverſaries wrought their will on Him, but then He wrought moſt gloriouſly, for from the Croſse and the grave (the Adverſaries thought Him ſure enough, they had their will on Him, when they had Him there, but from thence) He hath brought life and immortality to light, through the Goſpell. He is the ſame, and by the ſame 2 Tim. 1. 10.croſſe-ways and wills, can worke as gloriouſly ſtill; and there is nothing now that is new.
3. But that, which pleaſeth me moſt of all, is, I have found a price, and I find it put into your hands, I meane, A way opened unto you, whereby to deliver a Nation, brought even to the mouth of deſtruction; which you ſhall do, not by commanding the Sword to be ſtill, (for it is the Lords Sword, and out of your command; you are no more able to ſtop it in it's way, then you can the Sun in it's courſe) but by ſtriking at the root, Idolatrous perſons and things; by removing them from before the eyes of His jealouſie: and by caſting them out: If not, the Lord has ſworne, and He will not repent, that He will do with you, and with your Land (for it is yours now, and not the Lords, ſo long as Idols are countenanced there, and they are countenanced, ſo long as they are not throwne out, whether perſons or things) as you ſhould have done to the Idols there; & as He hath done to Iſrael and Iudah, becauſe of thoſe Idols; They did not caſt them forth from before His Eyes; therfore they are caſt out of their own Land, and from being a Nation. Now the choiſe is eaſie; you muſt caſt-out theſe abominations, els you and your Land muſt be caſt-out; it is at your choiſe, chuſe you whether.
You are about it, you will ſay, you have made an Ordinance againſt Idolatry, and we muſt be humbled for it, every man of us. Bleſſed be God for that, and His bleſſings be upon your ſouls. But do ye conſider what an engagement you have laid upon your ſouls; or do we ſilly ones conſider what it is, to be humbled for this high provocation? To loath our ſelvs, becauſe of our whoriſh hearts, and abominable Idolatries, wherwith we have broken the Lords heart *Ezek. 6. 9., as His Highnes is pleaſed to expreſſe His loathing of that ſin; This is to be humbled; and then preſently follows a caſting-out, as we do that we loath, and our ſtomack riſeth againſt dEſa. 30. 22.. But herein you muſt lead us the way, els, like Behemoths legs, we ſhall break before we bow; we muſt ſee you humbled before us, as all the worthies of Iſrael, before the Lord for this thing; but we ſhall never believe our eyes neither, till we ſee you, as you may ſee them, caſting-out Idols, and their ſervices, till they were all caſt-out, I mean al theſe abominations; and ſo I met with a 4h thing.
4. The exacteſt patterne of poſturing a Kingdom that ever was looked upon; the very work you are upon now. Shall it proſper? The Lord knows, I cannot tell, and yet I have enquired of the Oracle. I can tell, it is your work, and woe unto you if you do it not; but how you hand-it I cannot tell, nor by what line and levell you go; nor do I take upon me to judge therof; but till you make anſwer to God in that point, you will never be anſwered. Truely I cannot tell vvhat to ſay to men or their vvork. The Oracle (that is the word of God) tels me, they are fickle, inconſtant, prepoſterous too, they begin where they ſhould end, and end where they ſhould begin, the manner of Men.
This only I can tell, for ſo the Oracle tels me, that when the Worthies of Iſrael, Kings and Princes there, Priest and People too (in the Nonage of their King) fell upon this great worke, the Poſturing their Kingdom, they began vvith an Ordinance againſt Idolatry; That is the Land vvaſting ſin: nor did they mock God, for vvhoſoever lifted up his hand to a ſtrange god, him they cut-off d2 Chr. 15. 13.. Then behold breaking, cutting, burning, drowning, caſting out of Idols, all, untill they had utterly deſtroyed them all *2 Chro. 31. 1.. Nay they caſt down the taleſt perſon, and Image in the Land; The Queen Mothers Image her ſon Aſa the King did not ſpare her, no not her. Then the work went on, and they proſpered.
Now (as was ſaid) I take not upon me to judge by what line and levell, the work is carried-on, if, as Iudahs vvork was, we can the more heartily wiſh your proſperity in the name of the Lord, for our lives, to ſay no more, the life of our lives is wrapt-up with it: if otherwiſe, and you work not as you have them for an enſample, yet the worke of the Lord ſhall go-on, that ſhall proſper; He is vvorking now, to make His Church a quiet habitation: and He vvill bring His work about through the ſtraits and by the croſſe ways and wils of men, though you ſhould deſert the work and vvith-draw your hands from ſhould ring up the Lord Chriſt to His Throne (He cals for your hand to honour you, and wo to you if you with-draw, but I ſay, He needs you not) He can ſet Himſelf in His throne without you, & His vvork ſhall go-on in deſpight of Devils or men. As ſure as the Lord lives, His work ſhall go on. What a proud word is that from a mans mouth! Yes, if it were not from Gods mouth. Lift up thine eyes round about, ſaith the Lord; Eſa. 49. 14.now hearken what we ſay; what ſhall we behold, a company of Pillagers, Robbers, Spoylers? It grieves our hearts to lift up our eys round about and behold. The Lord give us patience, that we may ſtand ſtill and heare Him out, and wait till He hath done His whole work; for hearken what He ſaith to ſtay the heart; All theſe gather themſelvs and come to thee; what to ſpoyle, and rob the Church? No, to adorne and beautifie her; The Church ſhall have many Ʋid calv.children; they ſhall flock-in unto her, as the Chickens to the Hen, as Children to their Mother, and their graces ſhall abound, and there is the Churches ornament. But ſhall this be? Yes the Lord hath ſworne it ſhall be, As I LIVE, ſaith the LORD, thou ſhalt ſurely cloath thee with them Eſa. 49. 19.all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee as a Bride doth: For thy waſte and thy deſolate places and the Land of thy DESTRVCTION, (Mark that, this Land ſhall be glorious for all this, it ſhall rejoyce over her enemies, the Land of thy destruction) ſhall even now be too narrow by reaſon of the Inhabitants, and they that ſwallowed thee up ſhall be farr away. As I LIVE, ſaith the LORD. And this work in His Hand ſhall be perfected in His time. Our time is now, His time not yet, till His whole work be performed. Bryars and thorns are now ſet againſt the Lord in battell. *Eſa. 27. 4.As ſure as the Lord liveth, He will go through them, and burn them together, in His own time, when theſe thornes have bin to His people, as thoſe were to Manaſſeh, when they have humbled His people, been a ſanctified meanes to purge the iniquity of Jacob (for that is the fruit of thorns to the ſervants of God) when their hearts ſhall be therby prepared for the great work of Reformation; then the Lord will goe through theſe Bryars and thornes, there ſhall be no more feare of them. In the meane time, the Lord will helpe His people with a little helpe, ſo much as ſhall revive their hopes, when they be fainting, and keepe up their ſpirits, in aſſured Confidence, That the work ſhall be done then, when Jacob ſhall moſt rejoyce, and Iſrael ſhall be right c1 Kin. 8. 59, 60, 61.glad *Pſ. 53. 6..
Amen.
IT is this three and twentieth day of December, 1641, ordered by the Committee of the Houſe of Commons in Parliament concerning Printing, that this Book, entituled, The Kings Chronicle be printed.
IOHN WHITE,