SECT. XIII.

I thank God I have such thoughts as these. David had them in his low condition,* when he was as the man that had been long dead, lying in the Grave, and out of the mind of others, but full of hope in his own mind. God's Rod and his Staff comforted him, and so it does me, and being thus filled with God's promises, I find no room for the vain and empty things of this World. And as David's hopes came to pass at last, so shall mine, and the hopes of all that fear God. I have studied all I can to find Comfort in Sorrows but I can find none, but in God and a good Conscience, all the rest is vanity of vanities, and vexation of Spirit. The Sum of all is fear God, and keep his Commandments, for that is the whole Duty of Man, and that will bring a man peace at the last.

What did all our Wit and Wealth and Power do us good in Twenty years War? We ruined our selves at the last. They that fought so long, could never obtain their ends, all ended in destruction, but God bringeth all things to pass at the last. When shall we be setled, and how? Never till we embrace and hold fast the true Religion. Christians were persecuted, but they conquered still by suffering. Jews trusted to Egypt for Chariots and for Horses, but all was a broken Reed. Leave thy Fatherless Children to me, I will preserve them alive, and let thy Widdows trust in me. We shall have the better of it at the last. When you see it you will believe it, but we believe it, before we see it. Ye have not so much Faith, it seems, as we have, according to our Faith, so shall it be Page  55unto us. Lord we believe help thou our unbelief. Lord increase our Faith.

What is contended for among us? A Temporal King∣dom, The Good Old Cause, who shall be greatest, who shall be uppermost? This will not do, but whosoever will be least among us, he shall be greatest, he shall be upper∣most, this will do. I like the Praying People, as they call themselves, for their Prayer, I should like them better if they would leave their fighting, I dare not trust them in their long Prayers to devour Kings Houses, and Priests Houses, and Widdows Houses, and Fatherless Houses, and Strangers Houses. Let them lay down the Arms of Flesh, and take up the Arms of the Spirit, and we will pray with them, and if occasion be, fight with them and for them in a good cause when lawfully called, not against Lawful Pow∣ers, but against unlawful Rebels and Invaders. And for the other Party, were it not for the palpable, intollerable Errors of Papal Supremacy, Infallibility, Transubstantia∣tion, Truce breaking, Assassination, &c. In other Truths we would gladly give them the right hand of fellowship. But what essential Doctrine do we Protestants differ in, if we can tell? Let there be no strife between us, for God's sake, for we are Brethren. What my Brother, the Son of my Mother, that sucked the same Paps together, my Mothers Children were angry with me, and wounded me in my Mothers House. Quò non penetras livor improbe, quidne scabrae malignitatum clausum? 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. O this is hard, Who can bear it? What not all the Eno∣ticows, Interims, Confessions, Comprehensions, Conde∣scentions, Will nothing do? A wide Door is opened for all Christians to unite against the Common Enemy the Turks that are as Hanibal at our Gates, but we do not stir a foot to agree among our selves, because of Pride and Profit, to put by the Plague, and Shame of Christendom. There wants not a great price in our hand if we had a Page  56heart to take it. Now is the time, now is the day of Sal∣vation or never.

Thus I poor wretch strive to settle and comfort my self and you, all I can, but all is nothing without God. When the Woman in the time of Famine, cryed out to the King passing by upon the Wall, saying, Help my Lord, O King. He said, if the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? Out of the Barn-store, Or out of the Wine-press? So we may cry our hearts out for help from God or man, except our hearts rely upon God alone, and our Conscien∣ces are pure from the blood of all men.

I Communicate my thoughts to the World, to com∣fort them under God with such Comforts, as I have recei∣ved from God, if they will imbrace them, if they find fault, let them produce better, if they can (if they do I shall not find fault, but thank them.) Si non, his utere mecum.

I have embosomed my own Soul, my heart is enlarg∣ed. I am filled as the Moon at the full. O si esset fenestra∣tum pectus. It is my love, and goodness not to be despised from the menarest Swain.

These good thoughts come into my mind, in these di∣stracted times, and surely the worst of trouble occasion and stir up the best of thoughts, and such ages, by the good hand of God have produced most excellent of men. I take it for a great mercy, that there are such rare Saints and Servants of God, that keep themselves unspotted from the World, in the midst of a crooked and perverse Generation, hating the Garments spotted by the Flesh, abounding so much more in Grace and Goodness as the World abounds in Sin and Wickedness, of whom the World is not worthy, nor am I worthy to pour water on their hands, or carry their Books after them, but desire to sit at their feet to learn and imitate their great Learning and Piety, whom God preserve. These things comfort me till deliverance come, and will comfort me, if it were Page  57come, because I believe that the Grace of God is suffici∣ent for us all, though the Thorn be in the Flesh, and the Messengers of Satan be sent to buffet us. Let the Reader pardon me for this largeness, in so sad a season, and upon so solemn an occasion of Fasting and Praying in our great∣est extremity. I shall ask his pardon but this once; I will trouble him no more in this kind. I hope I shall never have the like occasion, the Storm will blow over. I have told him my mind in this matter, if he pleases to hear it; if not, I am where I was, and he is where he is, let him use his discretion. But whether he will pardon me or no, for 'tis hard to please, I may pray for him, though he be my deadly Enemy, and that will not hurt him (tho he would hurt me,) except he refuses to pray for him∣self.