The churches thank-offering to God her King, and the Parliament, for rich and ancient mercies; her yeares of captivity; her first yeare of iubile; that is, for the marvelous deliverances wrought with God the first wonderfull yeare (since the yeare 88) beginning at September 1640. and ending the ninth of the same moneth following: in all which time, the Lord appeared for his church, as in the dayes of old, out of the middest of the bush, so the church burn'd with fire, and was not consumed. In the preface, the thank-offering is vindicated, and set free, from all the cavills and charges against it; where also it is cleared to be, as every mans duty, so every mans purpose, to offer willingly now, who doth not make full proofe, that he falls short of pagan, papist or atheist; and is wilfully resolved to walk crosse to the most supreme law, the highest reason, and the unquestionable will of God.

SECT. IIII.

Gods marvellous workes for the Church, and with the PARLIAMENT, That it wrought for her Liberties and enlargement every way.

YEs, that is the marvellous worke indeed; not that she hath a Par∣liament, and that continued, &c. But that the Church hath re∣ceived so much good from a Parliament; the finger of God is there, most remarkably there. The Church hath as much cause to complaine of Parliaments, as to speake good of them, though she can blesse God for all. She was never trod downe, never set under-foot, till a Parli∣ment had set their foot upon her. You may beleeve her; the Church did tremble, and had fainted, but that the Lord was her staffe and stay, when she heard newes of a Parliament. Therefore she bestirred her self, and used her weapons to purpose, Prayers and Teares, and so be∣came Israel, a prevailer with God. The Church doth acknowledge, That she never received such enlargements from any meanes here be∣low of humane institution, as from the hands of a Parliament: nor

ever cast into such straits and bondage, as by the same hand. That Court ever made her happy, or miserable; it laid the foundation ever, either for the greatest blessing, or the sorest curse: either it lifts up a Nation, making it honourable; or sinkes a Nation, making it the ba∣sest of Kingdomes. That this Parliament did not doe the later, make her Desolate, and leave her as forsaken, That will be the Wonder, the marvellous working of a God towards His People, if wee con∣sider,

I might say first, the Trust and Confidence we put in that High-Court. We rested-upon it, more then upon God; we waited for it as for the raine, and opened the mouth wide, as the parched ground for the latter raine. So we did well; but our eyes, which should be single to God only, were single b 1.1 towards it, as the only means that could doe us good and recover our sicke and languishing State, And this our vaine Confidence might have spoyled all; for, as God doth curse bold and daring Attempts: so he doth shrinke-up and wi∣ther the Arme of flesh, when man will make it his arme, depend and rest upon it; for then his heart departeth from the Lord c 1.2. There is but one thing, wherein is assurance and strength, strong confidence d 1.3, and the Lord doth commonly reject all other confidences, so as man shall not prosper in them e 1.4. But I passe this; for the Lord hath passed it over, not charging upon His servants their vaine Confi∣dences.

¶ 1.

THis we must chiefly consider; That it was the great Designe of the Adversary; This they plotted and contrived; for this they spent their pretious spirits, that such might be chosen, who might draw to their side, and establish their wicked and mischievous Devi∣ces by a Law; wherein the HEAD and TAYLE, both work'd together; the HEAD contrived; the TAYLE, put forth it is sting, and therewith did much hurt: All conte••••ed and contended, and altogether, not only to make the hope of the righteous Null (as they call it) invalid and of no force; but to take them away from the Earth, Root and Branch, that they might be no more a people; or, if so, then the most despicable and peeled people on the face of the Earth: Thus HEAD and TAYLE contrived and contended. Who are they? I thanke the Reader, that he will not conster my words▪ before I have explained them. By the Head I doe not meane the Ruler of the People; but him, that presumes to rule the Nations, and that with a Rod of Iron (which he cals seeding f 1.5.) Not him, that beareth the Sword, but him, that challengeth two Swords, and hath right to neither I meane him, that is the Head of Heads and Lord of Lords, the POPE, I meane. I confesse I never heard him speake; but I have heard some of his flatterers say;

That a Priest is so much above a King, as a Man i•• above a Beast; * 1.6 as much as God is better then the Priest; so mu••h is the Priest better then the King: He that setteth the King be ore a Priest, set∣teth the Creature before the Creator:

Then how farre thinke you, doth a Pope exceed Kings and Emperours? How much then is that Head above other Heads? It is answered, w••th liberty enough (for they take leave to pen ••heir owne Ch••rter) He is as much higher above Kings, as the Sunne is above the Moone He sits i•• the very ZENITH of the Church, in the highest place there; as hi••h above your Head, as you can looke with your eyes. There's a tall Man indeed. True, but he was a woman once, and that they may not be couz••ned the second time, he must set upon a stoole, (so 'tis related) and before he must know himselfe to be Pope, the st••••ders by must know him to be Iohn, not Ione. And tru••y, bu•• th••t he goes to the stoole every day, he would quite forget that he were a man, for he is above the Sacred Scripture too.

This is the HEAD, a monstrous Head, he is MANY, a Le∣gion and more, for I joyne the whole Body with this Head, and all those Heads too, be they Kings, or be they Emperours, or what heads you can thinke off, who have given up their Head ship to this Head, I meane their power unto the Pope; have made themselves Servants to that SLAVE. Slave! What a word is that to give to such a tall Head? The Pope in a voluntary humility gives himselfe that Title, SERVƲS SERVORƲM. What's that? In plaine English, the basest Servant, S••ave; for a•• a Song of Songs, is an excellent Song; The God of gods, is the true God; the Lord of Lords, is the excel∣ling Lord; th•• Master of Masters, is our Master in Heaven: So a Servant of Servants, is the lowest Servant, the vilest, bas••st Servant, a true Slave. But there is the Head with all the appurtenances and ad∣herents. And see how he contrived and plotted to enlarge his Domi∣nions, to dethrone the Lord Christ, to take from Him, His possession, not onely the ends of the Earth, but the head of Kingdomes. See I say, how he wrought to establish mischiefe by a Law! How hee sought to curse the people of God! For that purpose his Balaams were posted to every place, and Altars built up there; and all to curse those, whom God had blessed, and they must be blessed; but considering the height, the power, the policie of this Head, and yet hee could nor prevaile, he could not curse, that is the wonder, and yet we heare not the halfe.

¶ 2.

VVE must descend to the TAYLE, that Nadar, that despicable part, as that Earth is, whereon the foot stands (if it stands upon a muck-hill) that stinging part; the Text saith, and we feele, the sting is in the Tayle; What is that? the sacred Scripture interprets it, The Prophet that teacheth lies, he is the TAYLE b 1.7. Reader,

looke about thee, and observe in passage, where he or they are, who teach Lyes: They that doe so, though they be dignified with Titles and Honours, and Preferments; though they have their Schooles and Colledges for their encouragement, and to engage them the more to their God; yet if they teach Lyes, they shall not be cal∣led by Him, Who giveth to every man his dues and right name, not Seers, not the Eyes of the Land, but the TAYLE. The Pro∣phet that teacheth Lyes, hee is the TAYLE. And he is many too; and how did he wriggle, I cannot expresse my selfe, how did he struggle, and strive, and contend, to wriggle-in that Head the Pope, to sting the Church and to curse those, that stood on her side? Truly, this was told in Gath; what? What Prophets we have: it was published in the streets of Askelon, and the daughters of the Philistines did rejoyce, and the uncircumcised did triumph: True, but their rejoycing was but short, for the TAYLE could not sting His People. Of the sting in the Taile and poyson in the mouth, the Lord made a preservative, a soveraigne medicine, and Hee turned the curse into a blessing; Blessed be His Name.

Now the Church prayes, the Lord unscale the eyes and unvaile the hearts of those Prophets, that they may see and consider what they have done and doe, and pardon them according to the multitude of His compassions. Amen.

¶ 3.

THat the marvellous workes of the Lord may be raised in our thoughts yet higher, that we may have an high and honourable esteeme of them, we must consider, as followeth.

Here was a Head which thought to establish wickednesse by a Law; here was Tayle-Prophets, who taught lies, and these prevailed so far, that they brought the people on their side, as the sand on the Sea∣shore for multitude: These made the People glad with their lyes, and he was a Prophet unto them, that could prophesie of wine and strong drinke a 1.8. See here, Councell and Strength is for the warre, the Adversary had both, and multitudes so many as we heard, and yet see the over-ruling hand of the Lord Almighty; these prevai∣led not, neither by their strength nor by their councell, nor by their multitudes, as appeareth this Day. There is the marvellous worke of God and a wonder.

To make the wonder yet more compleat, we must take-in a third person the most chiefe and principall, BEE LZEBƲB their Prince and King, the Angell of the bottomlesse pit; hee keepes his nature still, so he keepes his name still; in the Hebrew ABADDON ^b; in the Greeke APOLLYON b 1.9; two names different in language and in sound, but in signification one and the same, A man slayer, a Soule-devourer. He hath his name so in the Hebrew, because he is a mighty let to the comming-in of the Iewes (no such offence to them

in the world as your Images and Image-makers. And hee hath his name so in the Greeke, because the head of this faction mightily op∣poseth the compleating or filling up the number of the Gentiles: For he opposeth with all his might, the spreading of the Gospell, the re∣vealing that mighty arme of the Lord.

We have the principall now, the King and Prince, we will put all together, the Head, the Taile, the bulky-Body, with the King over them. What is the marvellous worke now, what is the wonder? This, That the gates of Hell prevailed not. Wisedome, mighty for plotting and contriving, was turned into foolishnesse. Strength, mighty for action, was turned into weaknesse. Multitudes did fall as drunkards; had not so much power as women, or as wounded men. We have not all yet, this must be considered also, for this is our designe, to advance the name of God in confounding such a Troope, by such weake meanes.

The Righteous, who seemed a very few, a thin scattered people, these spake often (not only, as in an evill time) one to another ^•, but openly, and to the Adversaries face. These I say, though Prudent men, * 1.10 did not keepe silence, no, not in that time, such an evill time * 1.11. I should goe on, but here an Objection will thrust in upon me, to take off from this wonder, and to shorten, if it could be, the Arme of God, even the right hand of the Almighty.

Notes

• b 1.1

  Iob 29. 23.
• c 1.2

  Ier. 17 5.
• d 1.3

  Pro. 14. 26.
• e 1.4

  Iet. ••. 37.
• f 1.5

  Rom. 2. 27. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.6

  Tantum Sacerdes praestat Regi, quan∣tum homo praestat Bestiae, quantum Deus praestas Sa∣cerd••ti, tantum Sa∣cerdo•• praest as R••gi; Qui Regem ante∣poni•• Sacerdo••••, is anteponis Creatu. ram ••reato•••• Sta∣nu laus Ovichovi∣us. I find it in M Iu∣••ls Apol. 4 par.
• b 1.7

  Esa. 9. 15.
• a 1.8

  Mic. 2. 11.
• b 1.9

  Rev. 9. 11.
• * 1.10

  Mal. 3. 16.
• * 1.11

  Am. 5. 13.