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<DATE>2010-09-14</DATE>
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<NAME>Alexis Jakobson</NAME>
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<HEAD>REASONS OF A FAST, Appoynted by the Commi&s;sion <HI>of the Generall A&s;&s;emblie:</HI> To bee kept through all the Kirks of this <HI>Kingdom, on the LORDS DAY;</HI> December 22. 1650.</HEAD>
<P>_THe Commi&s;sion of the Generall A&s;&s;emblie, &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;idering, That how-&s;o-ever this Land lyeth under the Guiltine&s;s of many-fold Provoca|tions of al &s;orts, again&s;t the Co~|mandeme~ts of the Law of GOD, abounding, in all Rancks &amp; Con|ditions of People: Yet, that the de&s;py&s;ing and refu&s;ing of the Go&s;pell, and of the Rich Free Grace of GOD in CHRIST held foorth therein, is the Great Na|tional Sinne of this Kirk and Kingdom, again&s;t which the LORD is mo&s;t evidently and remarkeably, plea|ding a Contraver&s;ie in His pre&s;ent judgements vpon the Land: And, that this is the very Fountayn and Cau&s;e of &s;o great abounding of all other &s;innes. Con|&s;idering,
<PB N="2" REF="2">
al&s;o, that this Sinne having been often men|tioned and held foorth among&s;t the Cau&s;es of former Fa&s;ts, hath been little, or no wayes at all, layd to heart. Yea, nor well under&s;tood what it meaneth by the mo&s;t part of People. And, therefore, having appoyn|ted a Fa&s;t and Humiliation to bee kept e&s;pecially for this Sinne, on the LORDS Day, December xxij. 1650, throughout all the Congregations of this Kirk, it is thought fit, to the effect, That all may haue the more clear and di&s;tinct apprehen&s;ion of the fore&s;ayd Sinne, and bee helped the better, to di&s;cern their guil|tine&s;s therein; To hold foorth unto People, the Mayn Branches thereof, in this Paper which is de&s;yred to bee read in all Congregations.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Sinnes relating to the Gospell-Ordinances.</HEAD>
<P>FIr&s;t: To the WORD. Neglecting to come and attend on the Preaching of the Word, both on the LORDS Day, and on week dayes, in the&s;e places where &s;uch Exerci&s;es, are on the&s;e dayes.</P>
<P N="2">2 Not comming to the Preaching of the Word, for the right end, viz to fynd communion with Chri&s;t, and a ta&s;te of His goodnes and excellencie, &amp; to be built vp in the mo&s;t holy fayth: but eyther out of cu&s;tome or to e&s;chew cen&s;ures, or to &s;atisfy &amp; hold off the challe~ges of a naturall con&s;cience; or &s;ome other by-re&s;pect. And not preparing the heart befor hand in &s;ecret, to come with Godly fear and reverence, humility, &s;piritual hun|gring and thir&s;ting after the Kingdom of God, and the Righteou&s;nes thereof, and de&s;yring as new born babes the &s;incere milk of the Word, to grow thereby,</P>
<P N="3"><PB N="3" REF="2">3 That when People are at the preaching of the word, be&s;yds great carele&s;nes, overlines &s;leeping, wandring of the heart, &amp; in advertencie to what is preached; the Word is not heard as an Ordina~ce and meane appoyn|ted of God to work vpon, and carry in grace and com|fort vnto the heart, but is only reguarded as other di&s;|cour&s;es proceeding from mens ability and parts, and is accordingly e&s;teemed by the mo&s;t part, or at mo&s;t is on|ly made v&s;e of, as a mean of informing the judgement.</P>
<P N="4">4 That in the preaching of the Word, neyther doeth Mini&s;ters &s;peak the &s;ame as the Oracles of God, not re|me~bring them&s;elves to be the amba&s;&s;adours of Chri&s;t, &s;peaking in Gods &s;tead: nor doeth people pre&s;ent the~|&s;elves in &s;o immediat a way befor God Him&s;elf as to re|ceive the Word not as the Word of man, but as the true Word of God; whence it commeth to pa&s;s that there is litle trembling at the Word, and &s;o litle rejoycing in it.</P>
<P N="5">5 That people in the hearing of the Word, contents them&s;elves with mans teaching, and doeth not in the conviction of their own blindnes &amp; vtter inability of them&s;elves to perceive the things of the Spirit, and of the in&s;ufficiencie of the outward means without Gods immediat work therewith vpon the heart; imploy Him &s;elf to teach them inwardly by His Spirit, joyning with the outward means, according to the promi&s;e of the Covenant. They &s;hal be al taught of God: whence it commeth to pa&s;s that there is &s;o much Preaching, and &s;o little profiting, &s;o much Learning, and &s;o little &s;peed comming in the knowledge of GOD.</P>
<P N="6">6 The not mixing of the Word preached with
<PB N="4" REF="3">
Fayth, whyle as in the hearing thereof; even the&s;e who &s;eem to giue mo&s;t heed thereunto do for the mo&s;t part, rather imploy the judgement, to con&s;ider and judge of the pertinencie, coherence, the way of utte|ring of the doctrine delivered; or in a meer &s;peculatiue way to apprehend the matter &amp; trueth of what is &s;po|ken than they do labour, with the heart to clo&s;e with, embrace and apply to them&s;elues the Trueth preached.</P>
<P N="7">7 No care to lay up, &amp; hyde the words of CHRIST in the heart, to remember the &s;ame for u&s;e making: But letting them &s;lip and run thorow; which the Apo|&s;tle accounteth a neglecting of the Great Salvation of GOD, (HEB. 2.1.3.) Nor imploying the Spirit to bring the Word that hath been heard; but forgot|ten, to remembrance: Not making con&s;cience to con|ferre on the Word Preached, and to whet it on, upon an other. Not taking payns, nor delight in it, in pri|vate, to reade, and meditate on it.</P>
<P N="2">2. IN relation to the Sacraments. And fir&s;t in general &amp; co~mon: Not making v&s;e of them as Seals of the Covenant of Grace, and promi&s;es thereof made to us in Chri&s;t; but laying al the weyght of confide~ce vpon the~ &s;elves &amp; being co~tent with the deed done, which was the ordinary &s;in of the Iews in the v&s;e of Circumci&s;ion, &amp; other Rits and ceremonies of the Law, &s;o often char|ged vpon them in Scripture. Then particularly.</P>
<P>In Bapti&s;me. 1 In Parents bringing their Children therevnto, eyther out of meer fa&s;hion and cu&s;tome, as meerly to have a difference put between them, and vn|chri&s;tned people, or in effect as vnto a meer ceremonie:
<PB N="5" REF="3">
and not from any &s;en&s;e that they are vnclean from vn|clean, born dead in &s;ins, and children of wrath of them|&s;elves, defyled with original guilt and corruption, nor from a de&s;yre that they may be &s;piritually regenerated, incorporated vnto Chri&s;t, to be made partakers of the vertue of His Death &amp; Re&s;urrection, to be wa&s;hed from their filthines in the blood of Chri&s;t, and to get intere&s;t in the Covenant of grace, and promi&s;es thereof, &s;ealed vp vnto them. 2 Not &s;etting them&s;elves in the admini|&s;tration of this Sacrament to con&s;ider &amp; pryze the free love and grace of God, which hath prevented vs, &amp; our &s;eed in provyding &s;uch a fountain for &s;in &amp; vnclea|nes in Chri&s;t, making &s;uch a Covenant with vs, &s;o well ordered in al things, &amp; &s;ure preventing vs and our &s;eed with the &s;eall thereof; nor to apply the Covenant and the promi&s;es thereof for our &s;elves and our &s;eed, and this Sacrament as the &s;eall of the &s;ame. 3. The great &amp; evident &s;lighting of the admini&s;tration of this Sacra|ment, while as few in the Congregation joyneth therin eyther for their own edification, or to hold vp the bap|tized to God, that He might ble&s;s His own ordina~ce to them, and receive them in among&s;t His Children in Chri&s;t: and many with-draweth them&s;elves from the admini&s;tration thereof, as if it did not concern them&punc; and only the Mini&s;ter and Pre&s;enter were to be actors in it. 4 Parents not making con&s;cience, to make known vnto their Children when they come to years of Capacity their Bapti&s;m, the ends and v&s;e thereof, and the obliga|tion therby layeth vpon them as con&s;ecrated to Chri&s;t. 5 The not making v&s;e of this Sacrament all a-long the cour&s;e of our, lyf for renewing &amp; &s;trengthening our co~|fort
<PB N="6" REF="4">
in the Fayth and a&s;&s;urance of our Regeneration &amp; Adoption; and of our intere&s;t in God, as our GOD and Father in CHRIST: and for &s;trenthening through Chri&s;t our re&s;olutions &amp; endeavours of Mortification, and newne&s;s of lyf. Which is a great de&s;py&s;ing of this Ordinance.</P>
<P>In the Lords Supper, 1. The great profanation ther of, by the comming and admitting there vnto: of many gro&s;s Ignorants, who ca~not di&s;cern the Lords Body, nor knoweth how to examine the~&s;elves, ma~y profane Ones, Godle&s;s Livers, without the Wor&s;hip of GOD, in private, and into many places al &s;orts of per&s;ons pro|mi&s;cuou&s;ly without making a difference between the precious &amp; the Vyle: whereby the Blood of Chri&s;t, is much profaned (altho the con&s;titutions of our Kirk were they well ob&s;erved&punc; doth &s;ufficiently guard again&s;t the&s;e evills) Which no doubt is one of the mayn &s;ins, for which GOD hath beene provoked to &s;uffer &s;o much of our blood to be &s;hed. See 1, Cor. 11.30.</P>
<P N="2">2. The little or no care or payns that is taken for preparation to &s;o high and holy an Ordinance, where|in we are called to the neare&s;t and mo&s;t familiar Com|munion with Chri&s;t, that is: heere vpon earth: mo&s;t part contenting them&s;elves giving their pre&s;ence at a Preparation Sermon, many not making con&s;cience of &s;o much as this. Very few &s;eparating them&s;elves, as is needfull to examine them&s;elves; that being &s;en&s;ible of their Guiltyne&s;s, Spirituall inlacks &amp;c. They might come with humble, broken, and contrite Spirits, with Spirituall hunger and thir&s;t, for Chri&s;t Crucified. And &s;incere purpo&s;es of heart, to for&s;ake their former &s;infull
<PB N="7" REF="4">
cour&s;es, and to renew their Covenant with GOD, in the &s;trength of CHRISTS Grace.</P>
<P N="3">3 The great and lamentable Blocki&s;hne&s;s of the mo&s;t part, in the participation of this Ordinance, who may be, have &s;ome kynd of amazement at the Solemnityes thereof, but doth no wy&s;e therein exercy&s;e them&s;elves in remembring the Lords Death, till He come agayn to apply the &s;ame to them&s;elves: for peace with GOD, and mortifying the Body of Sin, for working deep Re|pentance, and Go&s;pell &s;orrow for Sin, and getting the Love of Chri&s;t, more kindled in them, and their hearts enlarged with greater thankfulne&s;s towards Him, Who loved vs, and gave Him&s;elf for vs. And on the other hand the great heartle&s;s &s;infull Dejection of many &s;en|&s;ible Souls, who at no tyme are readyer to be plunged in legall heavyne&s;s; &amp; feeding as it were on gall, and Worm-wood: then at this Ordinance, wherein they ought to be mo&s;t rejoycing through Fayth, on the pro|pitiation in the Death of Chri&s;t, &s;o familiarly &s;et foorth therein to them.</P>
<P N="4">4 That the tyme and occa&s;ion of this Sacrament, is v&s;ed by the mo&s;t part, only for &s;ome outward re&s;traint of gro&s;&s;er &s;ins, for a day or two before and after; but all &s;uch goodnes being as a morning clowd, no con&s;tan|cie nor reall reformation: but pre&s;ently turning to wonted, naturall, worldly, and carnall cour&s;es; Not|with-&s;tanding renewed remembring of the Death of CHRIST, and Profe&s;sion of renewing Covnants with GOD.</P>
<P N="3"><PB N="8" REF="5">3. IN Relation, To the Ordinance of Di&s;cipline: 1. Which partiality in the admini&s;tration of there|of, with re&s;pect of per&s;ons, and according to affection; which appeareth in that, whyle as Offences and Scan|dalles, in meaner per&s;ons, are taken notice of, challen+ged and cen&s;ured: There is not the lyke Chri&s;tian-Freedom, Faythfulne&s;s and Zeall u&s;ed, towards &s;uch as are more eminent for Wealth, Place, or Dignitie, in the World.</P>
<P N="2">2 Want of a Spirit of Meekne&s;s, &s;ometymes in the admini&s;tration thereof; whereby men, if GOD per|adventure would give them Repentance, might bee recovered out of the Snare of Satan. And, on the other hand, want of Zeall often tymes, to &s;aue others with fear, plucking them out of the Fyre.</P>
<P N="3">3 Much Vilifying, Contemning of the Cen&s;ures &amp; Exerci&s;e of Di&s;cipline: Yea, hateing thereof, and the Officers of the Kirk for it.</P>
<P N="4">4 Not making u&s;e of it, as a Spirituall Medicine, and Means of Salvation: but as a meer Puni&s;hment, which as it is in it &s;elff a mi&s;s-apprehen&s;ion and abu&s;e of this Ordinance: So is (no doubt,) the cau&s;e of &s;o much impatience and indignation agayn&s;t it in people; and of &s;o much inaequality, and mixture of &s;elfi&s;h affe|ction, in the admini&s;tration thereof.</P>
<P N="5">5 The great Formality, that is every where, in the v&s;e thereof, whyle as, &s;o bee it, that per&s;ons under cen&s;ure continue out their &s;et tyme and dayes of cen|&s;ure, little care or re&s;pect is had of the effects for which it was in&s;tituted: To wit, Humiliation of hearr, and
<PB N="9" REF="5">
Godly &s;orrow, bringing foorth Repentance, not to bee repented of; which maketh the admini&s;tration thereof, to look too lyke the way of Popi&s;h Pennance.</P>
<P N="4">4. IN Relation to Prayer: 1. Great neglect thereof by mo&s;t part of per&s;ons and families throughout the Land in private and &s;ecret.</P>
<P N="2">2 Many more imminent per&s;ons in the World, ac|counting the performance thereof in their families, (al|tho this bee incumbent to them, by their Place and Station,) a di&s;paridgement; and therefore turning it over vpon others, as a Service bee low them.</P>
<P N="3">3 In the publick Prayers of the Kirk, Peoples lying by, from joyning therein, al along with their Spi|rits, which &s;hould bee &s;tryving together with the Mi|ni&s;ter; either mutering words of their own; or taking liberty to them&s;elues, to bee ydle in the work, and raving in their thoughts: As if the Mini&s;ter only were to bee an Actor in that Service.</P>
<P N="4">4 Not u&s;ing this Ordinance, as a mean of commu|nion with GOD, and of obtayning ble&s;&s;ings from Him: But u&s;ing it meerly as a Duety; and many as a matter of meer task. Whereof many may bee con|vinced by this; That they do not make con&s;cience, nor &s;etteth them&s;elues to ob&s;erue what commeth of their Prayers; how they are taken off their hand, what &s;peed they haue come, and what an&s;wer they get.</P>
<P N="5">5 The little care that is had either by Mini&s;ters, or others, to pray in the Spirit; or to imploy the Spirit of Grace, and Supplication for this Service: The mo&s;t part
<PB N="10" REF="6">
in their performa~ces thereof, too evide~tly acting meer|ly their own memory, invention, wit, &amp;c. And that often tymes with apparent affectation.</P>
<P N="5">5. RElating more immediatelye to CHRIST Him|&s;elf, and the Free Grace of GOD in Him, which is the Matter and Object of the Go&s;pell, as:</P>
<P N="1">1 Gro&s;s ignorance in the mo&s;t part, and great &s;hort comeing of the be&s;t in the knowledge of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t His Per&s;on, offices, His bles&s;ings and benefits, of the Covenant of grace; e&s;tabli&s;hed in Him and the way of making v&s;e of Chri&s;t and the covenant of grace.</P>
<P N="2">2 Undervaluing and mi&s;pry&s;ing of Chri&s;t, commu|nion with Him, &amp; His &s;piritual graces and bles&s;ings. Which appears mo&s;t evidently, by the great neglect of the v&s;e of the&s;e means and exercy&s;es, publick, privat &amp; &s;ecret wherein He offereth Him&s;elf to be &s;ought &amp; found: the great wearying of them: great willingnes and readines to be&s;tow tyme and payns vpon things worldly even vanityes &amp; trifls than on the&s;e; preferring the intere&s;ts of creatures to the intere&s;ts of Chri&s;t; and not giving Him the preheminence above al: by the rea|dines which appears in people in tymes of tryall to co~|ply with &s;inful cour&s;es; to the prejudice of Chri&s;ts cau&s;s and the hazarding of their own peace with God, for maintayning their ca&s;e; temporary &s;afety and worldly commodities rather then to deny them&s;elves: take vp their cro&s;s and follow Him.</P>
<P N="3">3 Not receiving of Chri&s;t, nor making v&s;e of Him as He is held foorth in the Go&s;pell, in His fulnes of grace,
<PB N="11" REF="6">
nor living in fayth by Him, more e&s;pecially in Not re+ceiving and making v&s;e of His free gifted and impu|ted Righteou&s;nes for Iu&s;tification, acceptation befor God, and for peace of co~&s;cience. while as mo&s;t part &s;e|curely re&s;t on meer outward church priviledges: many confyde in their own Morall Hone&s;tly, performan|ces,; and Duetyes. So going about to e&s;tabli&s;h their own Righteou&s;ne&s;s, and following Duetyes this way to make their Peace, and Reconciliation there by with GOD: AND even the Be&s;t Profe&s;&s;ours no not &s;o purely &amp; inteirly re&s;t on his righteou&s;nes as the Go&s;pell requyreth: as well appear by the&s;e things a|mong&s;t many others: heartle&s;s fears, mi&s;s-be-lieff, I car|ring to apply Chri&s;t, and to make v&s;e of the promi&s;es, not rejoicing in Chri&s;t, and His propitiation with hu|mility, when there is a di&s;covery, challenges and appre|hen&s;ions of want, &s;hort comming &amp; failing of duetyes, which in effect is in a degree, and in part an e&s;tabli&s;hing our own righteou&s;ne&s;s and not &s;ubmitting to the Righ|teou&s;ne&s;s of GOD. Not making v&s;e of Chri&s;t, for San|ctification, according to the promi&s;es of the Covenant, and not acting in a way of dependence on Him, in al the performances of our common Chri&s;tian calling, and of particular lawful vocations, for direction, quickning, &s;trength to mortify corruptions, to every duety and to carry vs through agayn&s;t di&s;cowragements, &amp; tenta|tions: but acting only or mo&s;t part by the &s;trength of our own wits, abilityes, and payns</P>
<P>In not making v&s;e of the Mediation and interce&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t, in approaching to the Throne of Grace, in prayers, &s;upplications, and thank&s;givings: while as
<PB N="12" REF="7">
many doeth neglect prayer altogether albeit they have &s;ome cour&s;e of performancce of this duety, yet knoweth not what it is to put their prayers vp to GOD thorow the Mediator, tho they may perhaps name His Name, but doth as that Uzziah who would offer in|cen&s;e him&s;elf, neglecting the high prie&s;t: and even be|lievers them&s;elves doth not directly, di&s;tinctly, and &s;teadfa&s;tly in their approaches to God, eye Chri&s;t, to offer in al their &s;ervice through Him, nor do come with that humble boldne&s;s and full a&s;&s;urance of fayth in God as a Father, where with the interce&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t war|randeth them to come, Heb. 10.19.20, 21, 22</P>
<P N="4">4 Not walking as becometh the Go&s;pell of Chri&s;t, in Righteou&s;nes, godlines, and &s;obriety: many not-with|&s;tanding their profe&s;&s;ion of the go&s;pell, and claming intere&s;t in Chri&s;t, and His grace, yet living loo&s;e, pro|fane, godle&s;s, carnall, and earthly in their way, in effect turning the grace of God, vnto wantone&s;s &amp; &s;ecurety, and taking liberty to &s;in, becau&s;e grace doth abound. And even be&s;t not &s;o con&s;trayned with the love of Chri&s;t, to live to Him, who dyed for them, not &s;try|ving to keep the thoughts of the love of Chri&s;t, and the free grace of God, in Him, vpon their hears, &s;o fre&s;h &amp; con&s;tant, as they &s;hould be, to keep the~ watchfull, ten|der zealous, &amp; enlarged for God, and His Honour.</P>
<P N="6">6. In relation to the operations of the Spirit wherein the Go&s;pel is the Mini&s;tration, &amp; maketh it effectuall, as:</P>
<P N="1">1 Profane mocking, mi&s;calling, &amp; mi&s;-interpreting the tender &amp; acurat wolking of the Godly in the
<PB N="13" REF="7">
wayes of God; as vnnece&s;&s;ary and prowd precy&s;ene&s;s: And their Spirituall exercy&s;es, as fanta&s;tickne&s;s, me|lancholy, or madne&s;s. Which is a horrible &s;in, &s;ib to that which is vnpardonable: yet, very frequent a|mong&s;t carnall and naturall people.</P>
<P N="2">2 The meer naturall and morall way of living, in a civill hone&s;ty, and &s;itting down contented therewith, of the mo&s;t part of people not labouring in their con|ver&s;ation, to walk after the Spirit: i. e. upon Spirituall Principles, according to the Spirituall Rule, (of Gods revealed Will in His Word,) nor for Spiritual ends the Honour of God, Glory, and immortality.</P>
<P N="3">3 Not ob&s;erving and yeelding vnto the knockings of the Spirit, whereby Chri&s;t maketh tender to come in to hearts, that He may &s;up with them, and they with Him: re&s;i&s;ting and quenching His motions, whereby He &s;tirreth vp to Duetyes &s;tiffling or putting by His challenges, whether in publick or &s;ecret, which tendeth to repentance, humiliation, or with-draw-ing from &s;in; not being tender of His pre&s;ence and con&s;olations, to entertayn the &s;ame; but grieving Him, by mi&s;pryzing them, refu&s;ing them, carele&s;s walking, in not attending on His direction and guiding, in giving way to known &s;infull thoughts, and lu&s;tings in a continued tract, altho not growing vp to a full accompli&s;hing of them; and &s;ometymes in giving way even to gro&s;&s;er out-brea|kings, and in not watching agayn&s;t predominant cor|ruptions, whereof even the be&s;t are much guilty.</P>
<P N="4">4 Not delighting in, nor improving Spiritual com|pany and &s;pirituall exerci&s;es.</P>
<P N="7">7 Of Mini&s;ters, in relation to their preaching of the Go&s;pell, as:</P>
<P N="1"><PB N="14" REF="8">1 Many not labouring to &s;ett foorth the Excellency of Chri&s;t in His Per&s;on, Offices, and the vn&s;earchable Riches of His Grace, the new Covenant, and the way of living by Fayth in Him: nor making this the mayn and chief Theme, and matter of their preaching, as did the Apo&s;tle, 1. Cor. 3.2. 2. Cor. 4.5. Colo&s;&s;. 1.28. Nor preaching other things with a relation to Chri&s;t; To wit, Not preaching convictions, reprooffs, di&s;|coveries of &s;in, and of &s;hort commings in Duetyes, and threatnings, to leade to Chri&s;t, to pryze Him the more highly, and to embrace Him the more earne&s;tlie; e&s;pe|cially for ju&s;tification; and pre&s;&s;ing Duetyes, in a meer legall way; not urging them, as by the authority of Gods Commandements; &s;o from the love of Chri&s;t, &amp; the grace of the Go&s;pell, nor poynting and directing people to their furniture for them in Chri&s;t: often tymes craving hard, but giving nothing wherwith to pay.</P>
<P N="2">2 What they preach of Chri&s;t, and the matters of the Go&s;pell, not preaching the &s;ame in a Go&s;pell way whereof. See 1. Cor. 3. from the beginning at length.</P>
<P N="3">3 Not commending as they ought, neither their own work, whether of meditation, or delyverie, nor their hearts to Chri&s;t, that He might give the increa&s;s: but going about the work, either altogether in their own &s;trength, or much that way.</P>
<P N="4">4 Often tymes not &s;peaking, becau&s;e they believe, and many not &s;eeking for communion with Chri&s;t, in their own per&s;onall e&s;tate; and to feele the power of the Word, vpon their own hearts: that they might &s;peak &s;o.</P>
<P>The&s;e branches of contemning and abu&s;ing of the Go&s;pell, are thought fitt for the better Information of
<PB N="15" REF="8">
all to bee held foorth at this tyme, as beeing mo&s;t ob|vious, recommending with all to Mini&s;ters, to apply them&s;elues, to make a more full and particular di&s;co|very thereof; as is not doubted, but they will do, ac|cording to their wi&s;dom and vnder&s;tanding, in the Go&s;pell; and the experience they have by ob&s;ervation of their own hearts, and of the wayes and con&s;ciences of people.</P>
<P>It is al&s;o found needfull and appoynted, that in re|guard it is not one or two, but many provocations of the people of God in this Land. which have drawn on the pre&s;ent &s;ad calamities and judgements: and that the &s;er|vants of God, tho they have conde&s;cended vpon many &s;innes of the King and his Family of Iudicatories and of the people as vndoubted Cau&s;es thereof: yet are per|&s;waded, that there is need of a further di&s;covery. Ther|fore vpon the fore&s;ayd day of Humiliation, &amp; at other tymes both in publick and private earne&s;t &s;upplications to be made to God, for light and unanimity to His &s;er|vants in this matter; that the cau&s;es of Gods wrath be|ing more fully and throughly &s;een; and the hearts of al humbled accordingly befor God, wee may bee yet &s;ett in a Way to fynd the Lords Mercy in due tyme.</P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="9">
<PB REF="9">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
