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Show 71 11 ~ Pml. Sel\, JO, .. An Addrefs to 'Proteftanu: VoL. I. and I uifl be •ffl)ift Witnif~ Atainfl Sorflrtrs, and ng.ainjltbe Jidrdurerr, and againfl falfe Swearers, and _fucb. tU fear not mr, J.mh rbe Lord of Hofls. Yea, to that Degree, w:1s that .Magtfl:racr degenerated, that they thought it a Vain Thing to iC:rve God, ::tnd ke"' hlS eo.rnmandmenrs. They calh.:d the Proud Happy; yea, they that '!tor..tt W~&iednefs were ftt up, they were advanced ro Places of Honour and Trufl, and they that templed God, were deliver'd: But the Word of the Lord WlS ~nto r.hem a Reprua~1; they had no Delight in it: They made a Mock at Sm, la1d Snares for the Innocent and (like ti!l) made Men Offenders /IJf a Word, for a good Word, a ·word of'R~roof or an Ilarm!efs Opnuon. Well, but what followed? S.bnU 1 not vifit Jor rbefe Thingr, faitb tbe Lord, PMil not my S~ul he ttvengrd on fucll a Nation at this? 0 that Magiftrates .would hear thts! ~o~ as tr~ly fpeaks to us by the Scripture now, as he dtd by. then: t~at wnt 1~ then to the Jews. Truly, 'tis our very Cafe; ~~~faro~ .ImpJ~ties arc dally foun~ anaongftus: Certainly God is offended, hts Sptrlt g_r~ev~d, and Heave~ IS fer againlt us. For the Lord's Sake do your Duty m t~ts prefent .Con;u':Ou. re and miftake not your Jdeafuru: Let every Thmg have ns due Weight and Place.with yo.u; that is the Way.to fucce.ed .. Y.e are now wumly concern'd 10 the Dtfcpvery and Profecunon of a J.efuateal Plot; a. Defign, it feems, to dellroy the King, blow. up your Rehgton, and wrt:fl: the Government out of your Hands : In t~ts, doubdefs, ye do well.; and all juft Care to preferve the Peace ~f the K1ngdom from fuch ftlifch1evoNI Conjpiraciu, is moft commendable m you, .and ~eferves :xnd draws all due Acknowledgments from Honeft and Engb(h Mmds; ~ut, I befeech you, Let God have a Share in your Conc.ern : Re1!lember h~m as "':'ell as yo~r felves. You confefs, this Great Dtfcovery ts only owmg to hts ~oodneh; fhall we be then more zealous for our own Safety, than {or hts <;!lory ; who, when all is done, muft fave us, or yve ~re loft. Let us make .htm our Friend who is ftronv.er than the Combmattons of all our Enem1es ; and guard ~ur felves agai~ft that which can only bring their Evit Devic~s to paiS, (alas!) Our Sin. That is their Scrength :tnd the Poyfon of theu At~ rows: Let us confefs and forfake it; let us humble our Jelves und~r the mighty Hand of God, that it may nor Grind 111 to Powder. And truly, If our Hearts were not harder than .Adamfl1ttr, this Tcftimony he has given us of his Care over us notwithftanding all our repeated Provocations ginn to him fhould bre;k us into deep Contrition. 0 let his Long~fuffering pre~ vail' up0n us to Unfeigne~ Rep~ntance I then fhall w.e ftand clear Men bee fore God; and if fo, he wtll qu1ckly make our Enemtes to flee befon- us. . If there be any Truth in Sacred Hiflory, any Credit robe given to Chn· flian Religion or the Experience of Ages, Thi! that I fay of God and Givernnzent is true: And It is our Duty, yea, our Intereft, the rrucft and ea· fieft W:1y to Safety. God has decreed, T~11t Nation odd Kingdom, tbrtt ~r/J not ferve him, foaU perijh, yea, tbofe Nattoltr {hall be unerly roafled (Ifa1~h 6o. 12.) But great is their Pet~te, that love thy Law; It /IM!I go trell a?ll7) the Righteoui, bur i1 jhalJ go ill with the Wicked; Upon them God hath threatned to Rain Snares, Dijfi(tl/lie.r, Perplexities ; they fh'all not know which W:1y to turn themfelves. I am not agaln{t the Ufe qf A-leans: M~n ha\'e not Wifdom and Power for nothing ; bat then let them ufe them tn the Fear and Nome of God : Cur fed is be that putteth bit Strtn,e.th in Man, and his Confidence in the Arm of Flejh. And in another Place, Wo to t.hem that go down to Egypt for Help, and flay on Horfes and trll}l in Chanou, becaufe they are many;. and in Horfemen, buauje they are very flrong: but they look not to the Holy ont of lfrnel, 'tei1ber fed the Lord. 'Twas his Reproof to the Nation that ptofetThd him, that they fhould: feek to the Stratagem.r, and rely upon the Strength of Heathen Nation.r, rather th~n upon Faith in him, the Living GOd: And the Reafon he gives rn the tbtrd Vc1je is great, viz. The Egyprianr are Men ar.d not God, nnd their Horfu Flejh, and not Spirit , when the L"rd {ball ftretcb out his Htmd, both be that belpetb jhallfall, and be that is holpen fha/J fa/J down,. and tbey aU fl. aD faU together. If then the ijand of Goii be fo much llron~er than Man, fot the VoL.L Ah Addrefs to 'ProteflantJ.' 7H t~e Lord's Sake, let us lay hold of ir 1 let that fight our Battei d d 6 c1de the Conrrover!J.: He that trtifler.b in1he Lord, }hall newr be ~o~'}ount ~ ed. Ir was the Saymg of a Great Ktng and a Great Conqueror B b p I I have leaped over a Wall,,ly thee 1 have run 1brough a Troop f!f 'p(1 1 ~e 5 &t · 19. who preferved the ljrae/ites from lharaob's F11ry th;ew'·d a · 1h' e 10' \Yalls. of ]er~cho,, when ~he Priefts blew the Rams-horn's, and gav~wG~d~o= hts m1ght~ Vt8:ones ~ wtth more of the like Kind. And we muft not th' k that.God IS alter'd, or Faith i~ in it felfweaken'd, that no Wonders are1~e~ ferv ~ for .the latter and Chr1ftian Ages. The Truth is, Faith (generally f~eakt~g~ ts loft, and t~at.holy Confidence nowadays is efteemed Prefump~ tron: Tts become a Pnnctple, that j11ch Tbings are not to be expeOril· fo that we f!Iut up, or bar from our felves the true and moft powerful Way of Deliverance. Let us not betake our felves to the common Arts and Strata~ems of ~ations, incredulous of the Strength of the God of 1(· rat!, who JS the God of true Chriftians too. 0! th::n our Faith m:Jy be grearer rhan our Arms! no Matter for the Strength of our Enemies if God be our ~trength : And truly, 'tis vain to acknowledge a Provident~ in Hu-man Thtngs, and not to confide in him and rely upon him that provides fo~ us. I WtU Young (faid David) and now I nm Old1 hut I never Jaw rhe R!gbteoit1 forfakM, nor his Seed begging Bread: It !ha11 go well with the Righteous. -:J;herefore fear God, put away the Evil that provokes him and truft not In Man, but in the Living God, and it fhal1 yet go well with England. What noble Feats did the Ancients do by Faith! and !hall Chrifiianshave lefa than Jews had ? Is not God the fame ? Yes ; he is Un·(haRgeahle . But ala.sl we are ~ot the fame; that's our Mifchief. Chrift did not ~any Mrgbty Works!" forne Places, becaufe they believed him not: If oufConfidence be not tn God, our Hopes will prove vain, and our Succefs will f:lil us. YJ'e !hall but have Men of our Side, not God; Flefh and not Spirit: And tf we fhould be fo unhappy as to make this ?Ur Strength both thd He~pers and Helped will fa1l together. But lea Ninev(b teach' us better Thtngs~ and may her Zealous King be the Example of ours ~ and let all the People fay .Amen! The Suitablenefs of which Story to our prefent 0<:· calion makes me chufe to end this firft Part of my Add refs with it. FGr Word came unto the King of Nineveh ; Ttt Forty Days, and Nineveh· .fbaU he overthrown. .And be arof'r from his Tbrone, and he laid hU Robe from him, and cover'd him with Sack~clotb, and fate in A.jhes. And be ca11- jed it to he proclaimed and publijhed through Nineveh, (by the Decree of the King 6nd hi;s Nobler) faying, Let neither Man nor Beajl, Herd nor Flock taHe any Tbmg ; let them not feed, nor drink Water. But let JUan and Be aft he (OVered with S~ck.~c~orh. and cry tnigbtily unto God : yea, Let them turn every one from h1s Ev1l Way, andjrom the Violence that U in their 1Jandr. Who can tell, if God will turn an r'Jent, and turn away from bU fierce .Anger, ~bat u;e perijh not. .And Go faw rbeir Wor~s, tbar they tunted from therr Evtl Way; and God repentld from the Evil, that be faid that be would do unto them, and be did it not, Jon. 2. 6, 7, 8, 9, to. ' 0 God! Thou that worke/1 Wonders in tbe Earth, wbofe POfJJtr (annot he controuled, in w!Mfe Handr are the Souls of Mel{ and the Spirits of all Fltjh, who can"fl turn them in a Moment: T11rn 1bou the Hearts of King and People unto rbee, and o·ne unto another. Do thou proclaim a FaR from Sin throughout tbift Sinful Kingdoms: L,t Wicli:ednefs and Oppreffion find no · Place among us. Turn aroa1 thy Fieru Wrath, Wipe an•ay our Reprod(b, «ltd Lov1 III Fretly, 0 God! for tby drar Son's So!r.e. THE |
