An answere vnto a wicked & infamous libel made by Christopher Vitel, one of the chiefe English elders of the pretended Family of Loue maintaining their doctrine, & carpingly answeringe to certaine pointes of a boke called the displaing of the Fam. Aunswered by I. Rogers.

The complaint of a Regenerate man vnto God the Father, shewing the sor∣rowfulnes of his ha••t.

O Lord God, heauenly Father, tho•• that art not only our God, but the God of all the world: we thy creatures, the worke ••f thy hands, make our humble prayers and sup∣plications b••fore thy excellent maiesty. ••esee∣ching thee (O Lord) not to consider vs as we a••e of our selues, ea••th, ashes, and whatsoeuer is 〈◊〉〈◊〉 but as we are in Christ Iesus our Lord, thy sanctified people, whom thou hast chosen before all worlds, to witnes thy ••ame in earth: And to whom t••ou hast made manifest thy Sonne ou•• Sauiour with an vncouered face to our great comfort. ••et alas, we vnworthy wretches finde in our selues such heapes of sinnes, and such lumpes, and loades of im∣pieties: that were we not stayed in thy pro∣myses, wee should perish with mistrust in thy mercies. For we know that thou art a iust God and doest visite the offences of thy childrē with rods, and their sinnes with whips: Yet thy mer∣cy doth neuer faile vs. Yea although we sinne, yet are we thine.

We haue (O Lord) tasted greatly of thy mercies. Many yea••es we haue been fed with heauenly meate. Long time we haue enioyed the benefite of thy gospel (a blessi•••• of blessinges)

our own conscience doth witnes, yea our sinnes are so ripe and so outragious, that they are as∣cended vp vnto the heauens, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 for thy iustice, which we haue sore prouoked with mul¦typlying sinne vpon since. We haue not obayed thy voice. We haue not harkened vnto thy ser∣uants whom thou hast s••••t. We haue propba∣ned thy holy Sabaoth with vaine spectacles, & vngodly tragedies. We professe thy name in our word, but deny it in deedes. Our vanity is too too manifest in our apparrail. Our excesse appeareth in our banquets. Our small reue∣rence towardes thy holy name in our vayne other. Our merciles charitie towards thy mē∣bers is too too manyfest. Yea our whole life is nothing els but abuse of thy creatures, with ingratitude for thy benefites. So that we thy children are to expect and looke for nought els but thy heauy hand, yea thy iudgements in dis∣pleasure.

We and our for fathers haue sinned. Our Princes and Rulers, our Priestes, our Pro∣phets and teachers. Yea from the greatest to the least, all haue followed the bypath of their own imagination & deuice▪ and haue not hark∣ned vnto thy word, to make it the lanthorne to our feete, and the light to our steps. Our own wayes and deuises haue preuayled.

We therfore O Lord our God, prostrate our selues before thy maiesty, beseeching thee for thy deere Sonne our Sauyour Christ Iesus sake, turne not away thy face from vs in dis∣pleasure. Bring not vpon vs wretches, the due punishments our sinnes haue deserued. Looke not vpon vs as we are of our selues, but as we belōg to Christ Iesus: for whose sake thou hast promised to deny vs nothing we aske in his name. Looke vpon thy wonted mercies of old, although the cry of our sinnes be great before thee, yet the righteousnes of our Lord and Sa∣uyour Christ Iesus, is greater: whom we inter∣pose and put betweene thy iustice, and our de∣serts. Yea, by him we appeare with boldnes be∣fore thee this day as childrē, not as strangers, saying: O Our Father, sanctified be thy holy name. Let thy kingdome be inlarged in vs thy children. Let thy will be performed in vs most obediētly, euē as thy saints & holy ones do ful∣fill the same before thee. Geue vnto vs O Lord all earthly blessings this day: that we may vse them to our comfort, and not abuse them in pleasure. Forgeue vs O Lord we beseech thee, our dayly sinnes that we commit against thy di∣uine Maiesty. And geue vs thy holy spirite that we may forgeue all such as by any degree 〈◊〉〈◊〉 trespas against vs. Leade vs not not (O

Lord) into tryall, nor temptation aboue our strength, for then our weakenes will appeare. Delyuer vs (O Lord) from all those euils our sinnes dayly prouoke: And frō all those plagues and punishments which thou hast threatned to bring vpon vs at this time. Delyuer vs from the mouthes of cruell Lions, which dayly ga••e to deuour vs: From blondy Papistes which lye in wayte for vs, and d••ly conspire to bereaue vs of the most comfortable benefit of thy word, and seeke to make our liues a pray vnto their greedy desires. Bring (O Lord) their deuises to nought. Let th•• li••le flock enioy the sweete comfort of thy gospell, that we may praise thy holy name in our own land.

Roote out all sec••es and heresies which are among vs, which Sathan hath stirred vp to dis¦quyet thy church. And Lord if it be thy will, either to conuert them, or put them to silence for euermore. Preserue O Lord God our gra∣cious Queene Elizabeth, in thine own bosome Deliuer her O Lord from all conspiracies, tre∣so••s and trecheries, which Sathan in his mem∣bers shall deuise against her. Make void their cou••cels that consult against her, and let vs O Lord, enioy thy blessing in her long prosperous, and happy dayes. Geue O lord vnto her Coun∣cellors wisdome fortitude, and courage, to pre∣uent

all dangers, and vnto our bishops and tea∣chers geue truth in do••trine, & boldnes to pub¦lish the same without 〈◊〉〈◊〉. And to vs thy peo¦ple geue O lord humble hartes, and obedyent minds that we thy children may now at the last be warned, to reuerence and regard thy holy gospel, and feare thy pu••••shmēt•• forsaking our vain delites in earthly things, so that our whol life may be a dayly watch and looking for thy glorious coming. So that in our hartes we may dayly sa••, Come Lord Iesus come quikly that we maybe losed f••ō th•• woful vale, wherein we doe nothing but prouoke thee with our sinnes▪

Graunt (O Lord) we beseech thee, that thy church may long enioy the liberty of thy word, and geue constancy to thy members our brethe¦ren, which suffer any crosse or tribulatiō ••••her in body or minde, as witnesses of thy trueth. Geue them patience we beseech thee, that they may abide whatsoeuer thy Maiestie hath de∣termined, so that euen in tormentes they may witnes thy holy name.

Graunt vs (O Lord our God) these our petiti¦ons, or so many as are expedient for vs thy chil¦dren, for thy deere Sonne our Sauiour Iesus Christ his sake. To whom, with thee▪ & the holy Ghost, be al honor, praise glory dominion, & power, for euer and euer. Amen.