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<DATE>2014-03-10</DATE>
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<NAME>Brian Matzge</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B16248">
<STC T="S">24903</STC>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE ANSWERE OF A MOTHER VNTO HIR SEDVCED SONNES Letter.</P>
<Q><BIBL>APOCAL. 17. 5. 6.</BIBL>
<P>And in her forehead <HI>was</HI> a name written, A my&s;tery, Great Babylon, the mother of whoredoms and abominations of the earth. And I &s;awe the woman drunken with the blood of Saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Ie&s;us: and when I &s;aw her, I wondred with great maruell.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>2. CORINTH. 6. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.</BIBL>
<P>Be not vnequally yoked with the infidels: for what fellow&s;hip hath righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e with vnrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e? and what communion hath light with darkene&s;&s;e? And what concord hath Christ with Be|lial? or what part hath the beleeuer with the infidel? And what agreement hath the Temple of God with idoles? For ye are the Temple of the liuing God: as God hath &s;aid, I will dwell among them, and walke there, and I will bee their God, and they &s;halbe my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and &s;eparate your &s;elues, &s;aith the Lord: and touch none vncleane thing, and I will receiue you. And I wil be a father vnto you, and ye &s;hall be my &s;onnes and daughters, &s;aith the Lord Almightie.</P></Q>
<P>Ez. W.</P>
<P>ANNO 1627.</P>
</DIV1>
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<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<PB N="3" REF="2">
<HEAD>A LETTER WRITTEN FROM DOWAY 6. OF MARCH 1627. BY A SEDVCED SONNE VNTO HIS MOTHER.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>_DEARE MOTHER,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>It is not the fir&s;t time &s;ince my departur that I haue writ vnto you, nei|ther &s;hall it bee the la&s;t. Nature will find a way to vent her duty were &s;hee neuer &s;o hard oppre&s;t. Out of &s;ight is not out of mind, for were you but as mindefull of your &s;elfe, as I am of you, I doubt not but by the effects you &s;hould find mee a du|tifull &s;onne. But as the blind who &s;ee not them&s;elues, thinke all other not to &s;ee them likewi&s;e, &s;o you forgetting your &s;elf thinke mee forgetfull of you to&punc; God knowes before whom one daye I am to giue an account of my duty to|wards you, how that there pa&s;&s;eth not a day, or night either, when you and yours take your rest, wherein there is not interce&s;sion made for you. If I knew what els in this my &s;tate a childs naturall obligation could effect, in the behalf of a m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ther, I would with what indeauour I could accompli&s;h it. But alas Deare Mother, when your reque&s;t is vnrea&s;onable, nay vnnaturall, as the for&s;aking my religio~, Gods Church, his truth, nay him&s;elfe, it &s;tandes not with the duty of a &s;onne any waye to yeald in the lea&s;t to &s;o vniu&s;t demaunds of a Mother. O that your de&s;ires weare but of that nature (of that good Mo|ther wee reade of in the Maccabees was,) who did encourage her children to &s;uffer euen to death, for God. I doubt not but God would &s;o &s;trengthen me with his grace, that you &s;hould find my duty as ready to obey, as your pietie would bee willing to command. Though it bee not common for a &s;onne to teach his mother, but rather to follow hir in what &s;hee &s;hould direct him, yet when parents mi&s;lead from the way of truth, &s;hall without knowledge, command what is contrary to Gods will, and their childrens con&s;cience, It may bee, nay it is the part of a dutyfull &s;onne, to remember that their command is ami&s;&s;e&punc; &amp; cannot bee followed. All I heare now doe is no more; I doe but informe you that the happines you wi&s;h mee is not true &amp; reall happines. That not lo~ger I now, but your owne &s;oule might bee the obiect of your thoughts. That you would from henceforth no longer bee a&s;traynger from the truth. But &s;ubmit your &s;elf to her, who as a louing Mother would receaue &amp; imbrace you, with all affection within the armes of veritie; fir&s;t bee in&s;tructed by her, Deare Mother, and then &s;hall you learne to gouerne &amp; guide your owne children in thinges that are good. And then I am &s;ure they will bee ruled and guided by you. And this is all, &s;hould I doe lea&s;&s;e, I &s;hould thinke with the A|po&s;tle that I were farre wor&s;e then an Infidell. For how can I behould wolues which pray not for you, but prey vpon you, and hould my tongue. Where were my dutie? I perceauing you to&s;t vp and downe in the waues of herricie, as you are, &amp; your &s;elf ready to &s;uffer &s;hipwrack, and I not &s;o much as offerring you my hand to draw you into the Arke. Which of all tho&s;e blind guides that now peruert your poore &s;oule dare or will affirme, that the foundation one which your &s;aluation purcha&s;&s;ed &s;o dearely by the blood of your Sauiour, your faith is built, is vn|fallable. If fallable why doe you, ha|zard your &s;aluation purcha&s;&s;ed &s;o dea|rely by the blood of your Sauiour vpon &s;and. Deare Mother I as a poore child of your owne bowels, as vpon my ben|ded knees in all dutie of a &s;onne, do<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> de&s;ire you con&s;ider your owne declin|inge age, your life to come, your la&s;t iudgment, (&amp; if you doe not now heere in time) woorke a preuention of that fearefull &s;ente~ce which otherwi&s;e mu&s;t pa&s;&s;e vpon you, (that &s;o you may avoide the wrath to come) endeauour &s;omwhat to examine whether all bee true your fal&s;e prophets preach vnto you, or at least whether they practi&s;e
<PB N="4" REF="3"> what they preach. Fir&s;t try &amp; then tru&s;t. And becau&s;e your capacitie can|not ma&s;ter a better argument then to examine the liues of your profe&s;&s;ers of your owne &s;ect, There begin. See fir&s;t whether your new vp&s;tart myni&s;ters doe not like &s;tage plaiers trickt vp in their neat apparell onely, and barely ackt, and talke, and practi&s;e nothing; they will tell you of Chri&s;ts pa&s;&s;ion his po|uertie, his want, his hunger &amp; thir&s;t, his humilitie, his patience, his labor &amp; trauell, his ignominy in being appre|hended, &s;courged, &s;pitt one, in bearing his cro&s;&s;e: they will al&s;o tell, you of the Apo&s;tles pouertie, their &s;ufferings, their wrongs and afflictions, but who is hee either of your Mini&s;try, or Layetie, will follow your Sauiour in the&s;e his pa&s;|&s;ions, who is there among you that in your &s;elues allow either of fa&s;ting, or watching, or voluntary pouertie, or good woorks, or afflicting your &s;elues for Gods &s;ake. To be de&s;pi&s;ed to for&s;ake the world, &amp; to liue for euer au&s;terely in pennance for &s;innes; they can commend the&s;e things in Chri&s;t &amp; his Apo&s;tles, &amp; yet forbid to bee practi&s;ed by them|&s;elues. They will tell you that our Sauiour payd the price for vs, whereby wee are become heiers of God, Co|heiers with Chri&s;t, &amp; being heiers wee &s;hall inherit, though wee &s;uffer no|thing. For Chri&s;t both &s;uffered and &s;atisfied for vs; but they will not &s;ee what followeth. For where the Apo&s;tle calleth vs heiers of God &amp;c. hee addeth imediately, if yee &s;uffer to gether with him, &s;ignifiing that wee are heiers with Chri&s;t, vpon condition that wee &s;uffer with him, to the end wee may bee glorified with him; for wee are not freed by our Sauiours pa&s;&s;ion from &s;uffering, but the more inuited or rather obligued thereunto, witne&s;&s;e our Sauiour him&s;elfe, hee that will come after mee, let him deney him|&s;elfe, and take vp his cro&s;&s;e and follow mee; But contrary if you will but looke into Gods Church, you &s;hall not onely find Chri&s;t &s;poken of; but truely fol|lowed. You &s;hall &s;ee tho&s;e, who&s;e onely <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">oy is in afflictions for Chri&s;ts &s;ake, who&s;e &s;ong is that of the Apo&s;tle, God forbid I &s;hould reioyce in any thing, but in the cro&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t. Who haue for&s;aken all and giuen their whole E&s;tate to maineteine the poore, and &s;o committed them&s;elues to the prouidence of God; wee haue not tho&s;e who barely commend virtues in our Sauiour, but follow them in deed; al&s;o they are &s;uch that talke little, fast hard, pray much, &s;uffer continually, they are in want &amp; that willingly, to helpe others. Poore they are in meanes, but poorer in &s;pirit; and theirs onely is the King|dome of heauen. I will add no more least I &s;hould &s;eeme rather to preach you a &s;ermon, then to wright you a Letter. Deare Mother &s;ee &amp; bee ac|quainted with tho&s;e who both of this faith &amp; life liues among&s;t you, I am &s;ure their good wayes, will better in|forme you in this kinde then my let|ters. And that you may bee the &s;urer &s;atisfied, let the trauels of any of my bretheren make triall, &amp; let them not doubt; But that they may bee as &s;afe and as well for their calling, &amp; trauell here, as in England. I liue in Doway a halfe weeks iorny from you, tru&s;t my brotherly loue towards them for their &s;afetie, at one of the Engli&s;h hou|&s;es in Doway you &s;hall find mee; I could rather wi&s;h to &s;ee any of my bre|thren heere at Doway, but I pray you if you will not take &s;o hard a iorny for my &s;ake, at lea&s;t let mee heare from you. Direct your Letters to one M. Wetwoods hou&s;e in Doway, who is an Engli&s;h Gentleman. what I haue wrot vnto you Deare Mother, is likewi&s;e written to my poore brethren, and &s;i&s;ters whom with your &s;elfe, I commend in my mo&s;t earne&s;t prayers vnto the &s;afe protexion of God almigh|ty who I hope hath brought mee hea|ther to prouide for your poore deceaued &s;oules. In our Lord and Sauiour fare|well, bee mindefull of your &s;elues that your &s;oules peri&s;h not in that heauie daye of the Lord.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your euer obedient &amp; dutyfull Sonne I. MADD.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB N="5" REF="3">
<HEAD>THE ANSWERE OF A GRIVED MOTHER TO HIR SEDVCED SONNES LETTER.</HEAD>
<P>_THy letter came to my hands, (my deare Child) like IO|SEPHS partye-culloured coate, to his father IACOB, in many things there holds much pro|portion; This is my Sons coate &s;aith<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 37. 33.</NOTE> the good old man; a wicked bea&s;t hath deuoured him: IOSEPH is &s;urely torne in pieces. I cannot &s;ay &s;o altogether; but this is my &s;ons letter, doth your poore aged Mother &s;ay, I know it is the great bea&s;t, hath &s;et his marke vpon him, &amp; appointed him for the prey; I &s;halbe robbed of my Son; Oh! I &s;halbe robbed of my Son: at the be&s;t, the I&s;malites haue carried him into Egypt, a place of gro&s;&s;e idolatry, where hee is; for his letter tells mee it left him at DOWAY, &amp; there mu&s;t mine find him.</P>
<P>What there my Son? Now lett hir, who is aquainted with the deare name of a child, &s;ay, whether there houlds not much proportion, betweene IA|COBS &s;orrow and mine, I goe downe to the graue mourning, I &s;hall lye downe in &s;orrow. Your old Father, &amp; as full of greifes as years, &s;ince thou wente&s;t away, is not; and thou art not, &amp; I am a poore di&s;tre&s;&s;ed Mother, thus hath the Lord &s;hewen me much bitter|ne&s;&s;e. The&s;e thinges are again&s;t mee, euen all the&s;e; but I am robbed of my child; That, that ha&s;tens to bring my gray haires with &s;orrow to the graue, oh come againe my deare child, come againe; that I may &s;ee thy face with comfort once more before I make my bed in the darke; (it is now almo&s;t night with me) and I &s;hall bee &s;eene no more. O returne my &s;on: returne my Son: returne my Son, my Son.</P>
<P>Returne, how readily &s;hould a du|tifull<NOTE PLACE="marg">Son.</NOTE> child come, when a deare mother calls? how &s;oone would hee doe, what the Mother bidds? Were it of the &s;ame nature with hirs in the Macca|bes, how willingly would I imbrace the &s;take, and giue vp my breath in the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ame. But alas! my Mothers reque&s;t is vnrea&s;onable, nay vnnaturall, as the for|&s;aking my Religion, Gods Church, his trueth, him&s;elfe.</P>
<P>And is it &s;o my Son? an vnrea&s;onable<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mothe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> reque&s;t indeed, and vnnaturall; O but harken my child; and if it bee &s;o, let thy owne Mother bee hated: O harken my child! I be&s;eech thee&punc; euen by the throwes of thy fir&s;t birth harken! &amp; the Lord giue thee an open eare, while the true Mother plead<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> with the harlot<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. king.</NOTE> for hir Son, and hee that is wi&s;er then Solomon bee iudge betwixt vs, euen he bee iudge. He ea&s;e me of my aduer&s;ary: euen he ea&s;e me of my aduer&s;arie whoe vexeth me very &s;ore, &amp; makes me goe<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 1&punc;</NOTE> heauily all the day, troubling me and breaking my heart. The Lord looke on the trouble of his handmaide, and re|member hir, &amp; giue hir, hir Son againe, as I haue de&s;ired, and to my power la|boured, to giue him to the Lord againe, all the dayes of his life by keeping his Religion, his Church, and his Truth: and rather then for&s;ake the&s;e or any of the&s;e, to lye in the fetters vntill the<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 10<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> iron enter into his &s;oule: and after to giue vp his breath in the flame; to re|&s;i&s;t euen vnto blood. O my child con&s;i|der! it is neither the chaine if not PAVLS; nor the pri&s;on if not Silaces; nor the flame if not BRADFORD'S that makes the Martyr: indeed child it is not. But is it PAVLS chaine? noe<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 1. 16.</NOTE> rea&s;on the bearer &s;hould bee a&s;hamed; A pri&s;oner in the Lord? &s;ure there is a cau&s;e of reioycing. At the &s;take for a good cau&s;e? now there is cau&s;e of &s;in|ginge, of clappinge the hands.</P>
<P>But the body may bee giuen to the<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. cor. 13</NOTE> fire (my child) and loue may bee wan|ting: the cro&s;&s;e may bee taken vp, yet not Chri&s;ts, nor he followed; The body may bee &s;tript, and whipt, pinch't nay almo&s;t &s;tarud, and yet who requi|red the&s;e thinges at your hands? But let the cau&s;e be &s;uch as the&s;e Saints were, and then let the &s;ufferers glory; for to &s;uch is it giuen not only to be|leeue,
<PB N="6" REF="4"> but al&s;o to &s;uffer for the name of the Lord IESVS. And now let the har|lot<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ip. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> &s;peake, for I know &s;hee told thee what thou &s;houlde&s;t &s;ay; what could I haue done vnto my &s;on, that I haue not done; for his better keeping of the&s;e, euen all the&s;e? Yet would I not &s;eeme a proud Iu&s;ticiary, for how few are tho&s;e HANNAHS? who giue their chil|dren backe to the Lord, who pre&s;ent them fir&s;t in the Temple? who breed their children as they ought; as they are bound to doe? as the Grandmother LOIS, and the Mother EVNICE bred Timothy? I cannot &s;ay I did: in how<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">im. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> com|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ap. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">5.</NOTE> many thinges might I faile? I know in many. But let the Harlot accu&s;e mee. Child can&s;t thou &s;peake nothing for thy Mother? my good child &s;peake, I know thou can&s;t. Whereunto hath the deare affection of thy parents tended? Whitherto all their care? their paines? their co&s;t? their praires? their feares? their hopes? Their hopes! here it was indeed, here it was, I thinke. I know wee offended; for &s;urely wee doated vpo~ thee child, forgiue vs that wronge: Wee thought thee our po&s;&s;e&s;sion, the &s;on of our right hand, the &s;taffe on which our old age might leaue: But how often doe parents hopes deceiue them? how &s;oone may a hopefull blo&s;|&s;ome die in the bud? a forward &s;pringe bee nipped with a could winde? or a &s;harp fro&s;t? doe not parents, I pray you, doe not doat vpon your children, or thinke of them aboue what is meet. There are many moneths yet vnto your harue&s;t, and a little time makes great alteration! I tell you parents, and I tell you weepinge, our extraordinary expectations on earthy thinges, ordi|narily di&s;apoints vs; &s;omtimes our or|dinary, but that doth le&s;&s;e trouble vs. Marke this I pray you, it falls out ma|ny times, that a beloued RACHEL proues barren; and hated LEA fruit|full. I pray you marke it, there is much v&s;e in it. It falls out &s;o with mee, and I am &s;ure I was not the fir&s;t, neither can I bee the la&s;t, wee haue &s;o many doaters; my po&s;&s;e&s;sion is become vani|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y; my BENIAMIN a BENNONI, the Lord hath knapt my &s;taffe a&s;under. But why &s;hould my aduer&s;ary boa&s;t again&s;t mee; I thinke hee will not, lea&s;t his RACHEL al&s;o proue barren: &s;o the Lord can make him or hir: when wee bottome our &s;elues vpon them, or &s;et our affection on them too much, but come, what would the Harlot &s;ay? I know &s;hee would &s;peake.</P>
<P>Why, he &s;uckt in haeri&s;y with his<NOTE PLACE="marg">Harlot.</NOTE> very milke, &amp; his &s;tronger meats was mingled with it. And when you &s;ent him to the fountaine, and as you thought to the &s;pringe head, you were quite mi&s;taken, for they are but bitter waters, vncleane, and muddy.</P>
<P>Mi&s;taken indeed I was, &amp; much de|ceiued,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mother.</NOTE> for had not the fountaine beene impure, or had not the Bea&s;ts foote mudded it, I had not beene robbed of my child: nor at this time been plea|dinge for him. But there was a bad hearb in the good pottage; a dead flie in the &s;weete oyntment, a &s;ubtill Serpent in the plea&s;ant garden thus wee parents, druncke with our owne hopes, little fore&s;ee our childrens dan|ger; how &s;oone they may fall vpon a &s;helf, &amp; there make &s;hipwracke of faith and a good con&s;cience, and all. A pa|rent art thou, when will thy doubts? thy feares haue an end? And now what &s;hall I &s;ay to thee my aduer&s;ary? I mu&s;t not, I dare not, giue thee reueiling words, but the Lord rebuke thee; euen he rebuke thee, and bee iudge betwixt vs, whether in that way which thou calle&s;t here&s;ie, wee doe not wor&s;hip the GOD of our fathers beleeuing, &amp;c.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts. 24. 14.</NOTE></P>
<P>What? and not to &s;ubmit to our holy Church? not come within hir armes for in&s;truction? what is this but to bee<NOTE PLACE="marg">Harlot.</NOTE> as a doue without the Arke? to bee to&s;&s;ed vp and downe vpon the waues of here&s;ies, &s;till ready to &s;uffer &s;hip|wracke: let your &s;on then haue your hand mother, who &s;o piou&s;ly rea|cheth foorth his, whereby to draw you into our Arke. I thanke my<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mother</NOTE> good child knowing his &s;imple heart: and tender childlike affection, for I beare him witne&s;&s;e that hee hath a zeale, though not accordinge to knowledge, the time of his ignorance. O Lord remember not; &amp; find out a time to take away the &s;cales, and bee mercifull to all &s;uch as &s;in not of ma|licious wickednes that are in &s;ome er|ror of iudgment, not of practi&s;e, and now my Son. I dare not giue thee my right hand of fellow&s;hip, no I dare not child; wee haue a better card whereby to &s;aile; a more &s;ure direction whereby wee fetch our compa&s;s; a more cer|taine and infallible Oracle, whereunto
<PB N="7" REF="4"> all the Prophets and Apo&s;tles giue wit|ne&s;&s;e. Wee know Churches may erre, and men may bee mi&s;taken as men; Pe|ter was &s;o, whereupon PAVL re&s;i&s;ted<NOTE PLACE="marg">gal. 2. 11</NOTE> him to the face, for he was to bee bla|med. Alas my Child! PAVL and PE|TER may and did take vpon them the care of the Churches; the care of them is one thinge, the waight of them is another, thats too heauy for mans &s;houlders; they were but &s;tons (child) in that &s;pirituall building. But heare my voice, and I will tell thee: Wee ac|knowledge (the Scriptures teach vs &s;o) that the Church of the liuinge God (I call it neither ours nor yours, but ble&s;|&s;ed is the man that hath his name writ|ten<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. 3. 15.</NOTE> therein) is the pillar &amp; ground of trueth; no foundations wheron the building mu&s;t relie; but as it is built vpon the foundation of the Prophets &amp; Apo&s;tles IESVS CHRIST him&s;elfe being the chiefe corner-&s;ton, in whom<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 2. 20.</NOTE> all the building coupled together, groweth to a holy Temple in the Lord. Why? but all this while you are but<NOTE PLACE="marg">Harlot.</NOTE> vpon the &s;and, no true foundation, nor infallibility of &s;upportinge. Will you haue a Sons &s;oule, hazarded vpon &s;and? hazard my childs &s;oule Harlot; O pretious thinge! O rich Iewell! O<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mother.</NOTE> ine&s;temable trea&s;ure! Why it is amid&s;t the thinges of the world, like DAVID<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 18. 3.</NOTE> amonge the people; worth ten thou|&s;and of them &amp; much more of all the thinges in the world (my deare child) run not the hazard of that. Hazard a foote thou maie&s;t, &amp; yet thou wilt not, thou ha&s;t another; a legge, thou ha&s;t an other; an hand, thou ha&s;t an other; an arme, thou ha&s;t another; an eye, thou ha&s;t an other. Here are not paires (my child) loo&s;e one and loo&s;e all. O vn|ualluable lo&s;&s;e, and vnrecouerable! the redemption thereof mu&s;t cea&s;e for euer. What would not a parent now doe, to put a childs &s;oule out of hazard? Then heare mee my &s;on, &s;on of my bowels harken; Is that &s;oule in danger, that is in the Arke; made by Gods owne ap|pointment both for the matter and the manner, directed by him to that mor|ninge &s;tar, from which it hath a cer|taine cour&s;e. Li&s;ten my child, child of my bowels li&s;ten; is that corner-&s;ton a &s;andy foundation? can the waight of men &amp; angels pre&s;&s;e it? can the gates of hell remoue it? Indeed my child, if that &s;tone fall vpon thee or me, wee are cru&s;hed in peeces; &s;o are wee if wee fall vpon it, heedle&s;ly, carle&s;ly, pre&s;ump|tuou&s;ly, but come vnto it in the whole<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> 21. 4. Rut<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> 2. 16</NOTE> obedience of thy heart, &s;ticke, cleaue vnto it, as RVTH to NAOMIE, bee not intreated to leaue it, or to depart from it, &amp; thou can&s;t not mi&s;carry. Harken my &s;on, &s;on of my bowels harken, can the blowinge of the winde? can the beating of the &s;torme, remoue that hou&s;e which the wi&s;e builders hath founded vpon a ROCK? Thou doe&s;t my Son beleeue CHRISTS words, I know, thou doe&s;t beleeue them. Then harken my Son this once, Son of my bowels harken. He that layeth a foun|dation diggeth deepe, certainly &s;o did this wi&s;e builder, beyond all humane traditions, here was no &s;etling. Beyond all will-wor&s;hip, a counterfeit ground; Beyond all &s;atisfaction of his owne, this was not &s;ollid: Beyond the inter|ce&s;sion of Saints and Angels, this was not &s;afe; Beyond the righteou&s;nes of his be&s;t workes; here hee would faine &s;tay, but it would not hold the waight; &s;till he digges further, for the &s;oule that &s;eeketh the Lord, is not &s;atisfied vntill he find him. Where haue yee laid my LORD (&s;aith MARY) let me find him or all is nothing; well hee digges deeper, eue~ as hee that &s;eekes a trea&s;ure; or as a thir&s;ty man after a &s;pringe of water, or like tho&s;e 3. mighty, hee will through the whole hoa&s;t of the PHI|LISTIMES,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam&punc; 23. 16.</NOTE> but hee will digg through tho&s;e &s;andy bottomes, and get to the rocke. And now vpon it hee is, and by it &s;upported, &amp; from it refre&s;hed, for behold here is &s;trength to hold him vp; here are waters, liuing waters, to com|fort him for this rocke is CHRIST; It is good beinge here, here will hee &s;et vp his re&s;t; here will hee abide for euer; If the Rock faile not, he cannot faile; ble&s;&s;ed is the man that hath this foundation; thrice ble&s;&s;ed is hee that hath this water to drinke; hee will neuer dig it in broaken pits. Can the raine or haile fall now vpon this man? as vpon a wilderne&s;&s;e? to whome that man (&s;o Chri&s;t the Rocke is cal|led, and ob&s;erue the number) will bee as a hiding place from the wind, and<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;aiah. 3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">. 1. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> as a refuge fro~ the tempe&s;t; as riuers of water in a drie place, and as the &s;had|dow of a great rock in a weary land. Now the raine may fall, &amp; the flood<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> come, and the winds blow, and beate
<PB N="8" REF="5"> vpon this hou&s;e, and behold it &s;tands, for it is grounded vpon a rocke. See (child) a mount Sion now, which<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tth. 5.</NOTE> &s;tands for euer, &amp; the bla&s;t of the migh|ty &s;hall bee as a &s;torme again&s;t the wall: Oh my child I though my eyes<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 25. 4</NOTE> bee &s;hut vp, yet am I, as it were in BA|LAAMS rapture; who can tell the &s;trength of this man? for as the rocke is, &s;uch is his &s;trength, as the &s;trength of an Vnicorne; no poi&s;on &s;hall hurt him, no &s;orcery &s;hall make again&s;t him, he hath a refuge from the &s;torme; a &s;ha|dow<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 25. 4.</NOTE> from the heat, a &s;trength in di|&s;tre&s;&s;e. Who can now tell the joyes of this Iacob? or number the fourth part of the comforts of this ISRAEL? Let my &s;trength bee as this mans &s;trength; and let my la&s;t end bee like his. Deare child&punc; I as an affectioned mother to my owne bowels, by my &s;orrowes in thy fir&s;t birth, by tho&s;e &s;ince, wherewith I trauell with thee, till Chri&s;t bee for|med in thee, by that &s;olemne vow, thou made&s;t to God in Bapti&s;me; by that &s;tronge bond of nature, and deare name of a Mother, I doe de&s;ire nay &s;hee that might command, doth be&s;eech thee to con&s;ider, by what hath beene &s;aid, and y^e Lord make it profitable, whether my reque&s;ts that thou woulde&s;t returne, bee vnrea&s;onable? or vnnaturall? whether my rea&s;ons for it, are any way dange|rous or ha&s;ardous; or rather whether the one be not pious, the other &s;afe and certaine; directing thee vnto that church, which is guided by a certaine cour&s;e; it may float, it cannot &s;inke; &s;etting thee vpon a &s;ure foundation, it may &s;hake, it cannot fall; no more then the corner-&s;ton which cannot bee re|moued; Intreating thee to put away tho&s;e lyes, which are in thy right hand. All tho&s;e IDOLS which cannot<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">iah. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 11. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;erue <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ace.</NOTE> healp; All tho&s;e &s;parkes w^t which you may compa&s;&s;e your &s;elfe, and yet lye downe in &s;orrow to, per&s;wading thee to put away all tho&s;e vanities, (they are too long to name) which weighed in the ballance, will bee found too light; &amp; al&s;o to digg to the Rock which cannot faile. Oh my child con&s;ider! It is not for any of your good workes, that you are condemned; noe my child; they are amiable, and they are com|mended yea chere&s;hed, whither wee heare of them there or &s;ee them here, nay we confe&s;&s;e you haue them, who go beyoud the workes of many among&s;t vs; who carry a great &s;hew of holi|ne&s;&s;e. Goe on in them my child, goe on in them, yet I know thou wilt con&s;i|der, that there are many circum&s;tances, belonging to euery action, from which the worke euer receiues it's true e&s;te|mate. Thou mai&s;t heare &s;omwhat more of this anon; becau&s;e thou doe&s;t not walke vprightly, according to the trueth &amp; purity of the go&s;pell. I would driue this naile to the head now; Why con&s;ider child, whether your rocke bee as our rocke; euen our emmyes beeing iudges, what will bee come of their Gods? their rock in which they tru&s;ted?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 31. and 31. and ver&s;. 37. &amp;c.</NOTE> let them ri&s;e vp and healp you, &amp; bee your protection. But &s;ee my child, this rocke is hee euen this is hee, which I haue pointed out vnto thee, &amp; there is none with him, only Chri&s;t (my Son) only Chri&s;t; Can there be hazard my child? can here be danger? can&s;t thou thir&s;t at the fountaine? can&s;t thou &s;inke vpon the rocke? In thy owne righ|teou&s;nes thou mai&s;t, the interce&s;sions of Saints and Angels may deceiue thee. BAAL may bee bu&s;ied (my child) per|aduenture<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. 18.</NOTE> he may bee &s;leeping. Abra|ham may bee ignorant of thee, &amp; I&s;rael may not acknowledge thee. I &s;ay that it may bee, that thou mai&s;t &s;ee plainly how at the be&s;t here is aventure here is a hazard; but hee that keepeth I&s;rael neither &s;lumbreth nor &s;leepeth; and this is hee, which I point out vnto thee, there can be no hazard here, this rocke is a mighty redeemer, he will &s;u&s;taine thee alone, he mu&s;t haue no healper; whome wilt thou ioyne with him who&s;e name is euerla&s;ting? I tell thee (child for the &s;umm of all is this) ther's nothing though neuer &s;o louely; in thine eyes, which can make thee the righteou&s;nes of God; but that which was made &s;in for thee. Tell me then, were any of the&s;e thinges crucified for thee? how long &s;hall vaine thoughts, which &s;eparate fro~ God, lodge within thee? returne then my Son, returne my Son; or in ca&s;e thou doe&s;t halt be|tweene two opinio~s, &s;urely the Lord the iealous God, who will not giue his ho|nour to another, nor &s;uffer DAGON to &s;tand by him, will haue this controuer&s;y again&s;t thee; and what Saint or Angel &s;hall plead for thee? thou ha&s;t commit|ted<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 2. 13</NOTE> two great euils, thou ha&s;t for&s;aken the fountaine of liuing waters, and he|wed thy &s;elfe out ci&s;ternes broaken
<PB N="9" REF="5"> ci&s;ternes that can hold no water. Re|turne then my Son, returne my Son, my Son.</P>
<P>O my Deare Mother you haue almo&s;t<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sonne. Mother.</NOTE> per&s;waded me to returne. Almo&s;t my Son? why not altogether? What a cake halfe baked? Altogether my Son or it is nothing. Thou mu&s;t make &s;traight &s;teppe, &amp; ca&s;t of that which ba~ges on &s;o fa&s;t, lea&s;t that which is halting bee tur|ned<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12. 1. 13.</NOTE> out of the way. The Lord calls for thy heart, giue it him my Son; &amp; follow him wholy, or elce thou &s;halt neuer with Caleb and Io&s;huah, come into that good Land. Oh my bowels doe yerne vpon my Son! the Harlot &s;hall rather haue him, then I will haue him deuided. Come away from hir my Son, come away, what hath the Harlot more to &s;ay?</P>
<P>Ho Mother, why what mine eyes<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sonne.</NOTE> haue &s;eene, the liues of your Mini&s;ters &amp; Profe&s;&s;ours, why your very lights &s;eeme to bee darkne&s;&s;e: your Seers &s;ee not: your Watchmen keepe not &s;enti|nell; your Amba&s;&s;adors for Chri&s;ts honorable name! who in Chri&s;ts name &s;hould intreate the people to bee recon|&s;iled, the&s;e liue as without God in this pre&s;ent world; for plea&s;ure is their God, &amp; their belly their &s;hame. And which is yet more, their heads and ru|lers, who Lord it ouer the re&s;t, are Chiefe in this Tre&s;pa&s;&s;e, can here bee truth, (Mother) can here bee truth? I tell you Mother: they are as abomina|ble, in their practi&s;e many of them, as NADAB and ABIHV or ELIES two Sones; are the&s;e the fruits of truth among&s;t you? why you &s;eeme to haue but the very Carka&s;&s;e of the mini&s;trie, &amp; you doe not &s;o much as couer it with a &s;eemly cloth; doe not your Mi|ni&s;ters tricke it &amp; trim it many like Stage-players, (&amp; indeed to &s;uch may they bee re&s;embled) for &s;ome thing they act for y^e time, as Chri&s;ts pa&s;sion, like a kind of Tragedie then come they downe and Ruffin it, as much as in them lieth, Crucifying againe the Lord of life by the foulenes of their actions. Can here bee truth? And for your Profe&s;&s;ors, they make a great noy&s;e, yet doe they content them&s;elues with the lampes of an outward pro|fe&s;&s;ion, without the oyle, they will come in and &s;itt down too, as gue&s;ts, yet without y^e weding garment. They wil talke of Chri&s;ts &s;ufferings, but what will they &s;uffer for him? I tell you (Mother) I know it, you haue ma|ny who will bee counted children of the light, yet walke in palpable dark|ne&s;&s;e, doing the deeds of it, can here bee truth Mother? O child take heede you wound not a holy profe&s;&s;ion,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mother.</NOTE> through the vizard of it; but I haue many things to &s;ay vnto thee, &s;ome thing to the Harlot to, but they will come forth as in a throng, perhaps in no very good order; becau&s;e I would &s;crue it together in as little roomth as I might. And fir&s;t my Son, I know thou dide&s;t not publi&s;h this in gath, nor tell it in y^e &s;treets of ASKELON. If wee had not carried our wickedne&s;&s;e in our foreheads, my child would not haue vncouered our &s;kirts. I know thou would&s;t pre&s;erue the credit of thy owne ne&s;t. But the Harlot cannot but know the&s;e things. Though neuer by thy relation, for they are not practi&s;ed altogether in corners; but before I&s;rael &amp; before y^e &s;on; and they will bee as openly puni&s;hed, for God hath a con|trouer&s;y for it, &amp; wo bee to them by whom this offence commeth. But &s;tay Harlot, might I not &s;ay to thee, as the<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Chro. 28. 20.</NOTE> Prophet vpon another occa&s;ion, Are there nor with you? euen with you Sins again&s;t the Lord your God? What meaneth elce tho&s;e 6000. infants heads<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acte Mon. p. 1054.</NOTE> found in your Gregories ponds? who&s;e fathers mu&s;t needs bee holy men liuing &s;o neare the &s;moake of his ho|line&s;&s;e kitchin. What meaneth elce, that fare-well which one of your owne pro|&s;elits bids to Rome, when he came forth, of hir,</P>
<LG>
<L>Roma vale, vidi, &s;atis est vidi&s;&s;e: reuertar</L>
<L>Cum leno, meretrix, &s;curra, cinae|dus ero.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Now farwell Rome, I haue thee &s;een, it was enough to &s;ee:</L>
<L>I will returne when as I meane Baud, Harlot, Knaue, to bee.</L>
</LG>
<P>I could a&s;ke thee what meaneth &s;uch? &amp; &s;uch abominations? &s;uch wherin thy &s;i&s;ter Sodome neuer exceeded thee, but what were this but for the pott to proue it &s;elfe faire by the cettles black|ne&s;&s;e? or it were &s;omwhat though not altogether, like the replie of the He|brew, reproued by Mo&s;es, for &s;triking
<PB N="10" REF="6"> his fellow. Thou killed&s;t the Aegyptian,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 2.</NOTE> what was that to the le&s;ning of the Hebrews falt? Let my heart euer looke inward, and take a reproofe as a plai|&s;ter. Wee de&s;erue thy reproofe, euen the &s;pitting in our face, for wee are vncleane. Your &s;ins are no excu&s;e for ours, nor ours for yours, wee &s;hall each beare our owne burden, puni&s;hment will find vs both out, and in the day of the Lords vi&s;itation, he will vi&s;it our &s;ins vpon vs, let Baall plead for Baall, &amp;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 2.</NOTE> wickedne&s;&s;e proceed from the wicked man, &amp; let him defend it, it will find him out at length, &amp; in due time the foote &s;hall &s;lide. And it &s;hall bee bitter|ne&s;&s;e in the end, that the Prei&s;ts, whe|ther yours or ours, haue made the &s;a|crifice to bee abhorred, &amp; for the pro|fe&s;&s;ors too, that they haue cau&s;ed the name of the Lord, to bee bla&s;phemed, and his holy wayes to bee &s;poken again&s;t, nay I tell thee, &s;ome of the&s;e both mini&s;ters and profe&s;&s;ors too, that haue thus profaned the couenant, &amp; di&s;honored that holy thinge, they haue taken vpon them, are made contempti|ble, and ba&s;e before all the people. Oh that they were wi&s;e, then would they vnder&s;tand; they would con&s;ider their latter end. But to thee my child, I know the Harlot will harken, and let hir &s;o. Wee confe&s;&s;e my child that the Prei&s;ts mouth &s;hould keepe knowledge, &amp; his lipps teach many Holine&s;&s;e becau&s;e the Lords hou&s;e, &amp; his Prei&s;ts &s;hould for euer bee cloathed with righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, then would the Saints &s;hout for ioy; for they doe wi&s;h that all the congre|gation were holy; Prei&s;t and people,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Numb. 16. 3.</NOTE> euery one of them. Yet was it rebellion in Korah and his company to thinke them all &s;o; &amp; &s;urely a great fault in thee, to be as far wide in the contrary; what one of your mini&s;ters, or profe&s;|&s;ors? &s;ai&s;t thou, &amp;c. Oh my deare Son, number not the godly with the wicked, it will not profit, wi&s;dome will bee iu|&s;tified of hir children, who&s;e &s;pot is not like your &s;pot: I am taking vp againe<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 32</NOTE> &s;ome of Balaams words; they were &s;trang comming forth of a trunck; how wilt thou condemne my child, where the Lord hath not condemned? how wilt thou accu&s;e, where the Lord hath<NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 23</NOTE> not accu&s;ed? Wee haue a people (my Son) whom thou maie&s;t &s;ee, from the<NOTE PLACE="marg">Numb. 3. 13.</NOTE> topps of y^e Rocks, from the hills thou mai&s;t behould them, Lo. This people &s;hall dwell by them&s;elues &amp; &s;hall not bee counted among the nations. It is as dangerous to call good euill, as euill good. Wee haue (my Son) a holy mini|&s;trie among&s;t vs, wee haue a holy people, though but like two little flocks of kidds, whereas the ARAMITES fill the countrey. It mu&s;t needs bee &s;o,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Ki<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. 20.</NOTE> how can it bee otherwi&s;e? why my child, did&s;t thou not &s;ee them euen now a people vpon the rocks, &amp; vpon the hills? there mu&s;t bee &s;weat to get thi|ther, &amp; how loth are we to take pains? this deepe digging is a weari&s;ome worke, it is a &s;owing in feare; good Child marke, an outward forme with|out the power, &s;taieth this man by the way; a lie another; one man &s;ets vp Idolls in his heart, &amp; re&s;ts vpon them; Another puts a &s;tumbling blocke be|fore his eyes, &amp; will not ouer; a Lion<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezech. 13.</NOTE> is in the way &s;aith another, &amp; hee lies &s;till &amp; turneth like a doore vpon the hindges. An armie of the Phili&s;tims will oppo&s;e me, I cannot through; the chil|dren of Anack are there, I &s;hall neuer gett the land, thus ea&s;e &s;laieth the fool, &amp; vaine thoughts deceiue, as if victory could bee gott by &s;leeping, or a crowne with ea&s;e. But there is a CALEB &amp; a IOSHVA too, who walke wholy with the Lord, &amp; through they gett notwith&s;tanding all oppo&s;ition. Thus my Child there is a remnant, there are a few, &amp; not &s;o few but Elias may di&s;cerne them, for hee is not alone. But (my &s;weet Son) pray thou for the life and pro&s;perity of the&s;e few, euen for thy Mother and hir childrens &s;ake, for by them, it is, that thy fathers hou&s;e, and thou&s;ands more enioy their &s;afty, &s;itting vnder their vins and figtrees; for the&s;e are the Mo&s;e&s;es that &s;tand in the gap to turne away the wrath of the Lord, lea&s;t it &s;hould begin and make an end in one day. The&s;e are they, who intercead for the people, when the plague is begun &s;tanding betweene the liuing and the dead. The&s;e are they who are as oft vpon their knees, as the people in their &s;inne. The&s;e are the MICHAAHS though there be 400.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezec. 13. 11. &amp;c.</NOTE> again&s;t him that will not daube with vntempered maurter, &amp; &s;o build a mudd wall, but deale plainly to turne away ruin from the King &amp; people, if<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 22.</NOTE> they might bee heard; though they bee &s;mitten on their cheekes, and fed with the bread of affliction; But the &s;oules
<PB N="11" REF="6"> of the Saints are in Gods hands, when others goe on and are puni&s;hed, &amp; others from chamber to chamber when the &s;courge commeth, yet &s;hall not bee hidd. Wee haue our Watchmen too, who blow the trumpet though the Ad|ders ears bee charmed; Wee haue our &s;heepheards too, who &s;eeke not ours, but vs, who will mo&s;t gladly be&s;tow, and will be be&s;towed for our &s;oules, though the more they loue, the le&s;&s;e<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 12.</NOTE> they are beloued; yet is the word as fire within them, &amp; knowing the ter|rors of the Lord, they will per&s;wade men. Now con&s;ider (my Son) was not Arons Prie&s;thood, an holy-Prie&s;t|hood, though Nadab, and Abihu did that the Lord commanded them not? Were not the Sacrifices holy, though Elies Sons were wicked? that the offe|ring of the Lord was abhorred, was the peoples fault. Yet woe befell them, who gaue the offence, &amp; it &s;hall certainly ouertake all &s;uch as goe on, in their &s;teppes. But all this while there is no warrant for abhorring the offering. There is a trea&s;urie in earthly ve&s;&s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s, the trea&s;ure &s;anctifies not the ve&s;&s;ell, nor the ve&s;&s;ell polluts the trea&s;ure. Mo|&s;es Chaire cannot make the Scribe the holier; nor can the vnholine&s;&s;e of the Stribe pollute Mo&s;es Doctrine; No mans &s;ins &s;hould bring the &s;eruice of God into di&s;like. What if the whole Church vi&s;ible be, (as for ought I know it is) in a Sardin condition; not onely weake and &s;icke, but euen ready to die. Yet may there be many names which haue not defiled their garments &amp; &s;o there are. And they like trees planted by the riuers of waters, cannot care for<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ierem.</NOTE> the years of draught, nor feele when the heat commeth, neither cea&s;e from yeelding fruit. They are of the Lords plantation euer fat and well liking, as the dew from the Lord, &amp; y^e &s;hewers vpon the gra&s;&s;e, that tarrieth not for man; nor waiteth not for the Sons of<NOTE PLACE="marg">Micah. 5. 7.</NOTE> men. Me thinkes I am againe in Ba|laams rapture, how goodly are thy tents O Iacob? &amp; thy habitations O I&s;rael? as the valleys are they &s;treatched forth; as Gardens by the riuer &s;ide, as the Al|loe-trees that the Lord hath planted, as the Ceaders be&s;ids the waters. Thus (my Child) the Lord can pre&s;erue him a &s;eed, euen where Sathans kingdome<NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">4. 9.</NOTE> is, he can haue his &s;aints in Neros hou&s;e, &amp; an Obadiah in Ahabs Court. And it &s;hall be their glory &amp; crowne of reioycing: That where Sathans throne is, they haue kept their names &amp; haue not denied their faith. Oh! my Son, come and &s;ee their comline&s;&s;e&punc; thorrow the beauty the Lord hath put<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezech. 16. 14.</NOTE> vpon them, it will informe thee more then many lies: The&s;e are they my Son; who count all things but lo&s;e, that they may win Chri&s;t; whom yet they know not after the fle&s;h; much le&s;&s;e the cro&s;&s;e; much le&s;&s;e the nailes of it, or any other rotten relique. The &s;pirit quick|neth; the fle&s;h profiteth nothing. The&s;e are they who goe alwayes bound in the Spirit, not knowing what things will beefall them, but they pa&s;&s;e not, neither is their life deare vnto them. For they are ready not to bee bound onely, but al&s;o to &s;uffer for the name of the Lord Ie&s;us. Nothing can bee too deare for him; who hath done &s;o much for them. And yet (ob&s;erue me my Child) before they will goe into y^e face of per&s;ecu|tion, they will haue as &s;ure a warrant as Iacob had to meete his brother E&s;au. Lord which &s;aid&s;t vnto me, returne; &amp; I<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 32. 9.</NOTE> will deale well with thee. And hauing this, nothing can bee too deare for him; who hath done &s;o much for them, nei|ther Goods, nor liberty, nor life, now into the face of this E&s;au they goe, and behold! to the admiration of beholders&punc; the &s;terne face of this E&s;au is changed, (there are pre&s;ents &s;ent before my child.) The face of per&s;ecution is vnto them now no other then the face of God, &amp; behold! in &s;tead of blowes ki&s;&s;es. This is as &s;trange as was the hea|ling<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Reg. 2. 11.</NOTE> of the waters, &amp; indeed, the wa|ters of affliction are healed, to the children of God; and &s;hall neuer proue deadly vnto them, it is like Sam&s;ons riddle, &amp; none but the children of God can vnfold it. Onely they with Sam&s;on can find &s;warmes of bees &amp; honney too in the carka&s;&s;e of a Lion. But marke Child. Sam&s;on goes not down to meet<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 14. 5.</NOTE> the Lion; the Lion roars vpon Sam&s;on in the way, then the Spirit of the Lord came mightely vpon Sam&s;on, &amp; he rents him as if hee would haue rent a kid. There came a Lion and a Beare; &amp; takes away a lamb, out of Dauids flock, he &s;hall not keepe it, Dauid goes after and getts his lamb againe, yea he &s;hall de|liuer it out of his very mouth, now he<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 17. 34, 35.</NOTE> ri&s;eth again&s;t Dauid too; but little Da|uid &s;hall haue &s;trength, to catch him by
<PB N="12" REF="7"> the beard; to &s;mite him and &s;lay him too. The Saints will neuer thru&s;t them|&s;elues into the mouth of the Bea&s;t, they haue more wi&s;edom then &s;o, but when the Harlot will play the Beare, and the Lion, with them, as many times &s;hee doth, &s;he is forced in &s;pite of all hir mallice, to yeld them honey, &amp; it pro|ues &s;o &s;weet, that they &s;hall take plea|&s;ure in infirmitie, in reproaches, in ne|ce&s;&s;ities, in per&s;ecutions, in di&s;tre&s;&s;es,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 12. 10.</NOTE> for Chri&s;t his &s;ake, who&s;e power, doth &s;o re&s;t vpon them, that when they are weake, then are they &s;trong. How &s;weet &s;hall the waters be when the Lord hath healed them? What plea&s;ant fruit &s;hall grow from a bitter roote when the Lord hath watered it, or hath changed his nature? Tribulation &s;hall worke patience; patience experience; experience hope; &amp; hope maketh not a&s;hamed, &s;ee what ki&s;&s;es are here; I &s;hall be more particular, anon. I haue to doe with a child, a child not in years but vnder&s;tanding, the Harlot will keepe thee &s;o; the Lord &s;hew thee hir deceit, I goe on in the Generall. That both life and goods &amp; liberty are to be kept, yea &amp; to bee improued too, till they &s;tand in competition, with the pu|ritie of the Go&s;pel, &amp; now that they doe wee haue our warrant what to do, &amp; our woe too if wee doe it not; and to the Saints the choice is ea&s;y, neither are their liues now deare vnto them, it is now nece&s;&s;ary, &s;ay they (the loue of Chri&s;t con&s;trains them, that wee goe, not that we &s;hould liue. O! (my Son) how faine would I haue thee rightly vnder&s;tand this? why know my child&punc; the&s;e doe not thru&s;t them&s;elues into da~ger, as they will not cowardly auoid it. They dare not pray for per&s;ecution, again&s;t it they may; that they may not be hurt of it they do; nay in this parti|cular, they wre&s;tle with God, for they know that this E&s;au hath a &s;tearne looke; &amp; there mu&s;t be much adoe to gett ki&s;&s;es from him. Aske thy &s;elfe (Child?) whether a good &s;on, doth not quake to &s;ee the rode in his fathers hand, though perhaps but to beat a &s;eruant. I tell you Child; they will not they mu&s;t not ca&s;t the cro&s;&s;e, of what kind &s;oeuer in y^e way: but in y^e way they will goe, &amp; if they meete with it, as twenty to one but they &s;hall; either in one kind or another (for their way is &s;trawed with it) balke the way; they will not to preuent the cro&s;&s;e, but vp they take it as the man the &s;heepe, and after Chri&s;t they goe, counting it excee|ding ioy. Thus much for y^e generall, now more perticularly; how faine would I haue my Child againe? their bodies are the temples of the Holy-Gho&s;t, thou knowe&s;t it my Child, the Scripture &s;aith &s;o much, thou read&s;t them, I know thou reade&s;t them; my Child will not let the Harlot put out<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 119 v. 105.</NOTE> his candle; or take away his lampe, in a darke night, for then thou mu&s;t needs fall vpon the bedd of hir fornications, for &s;he hath a faire tongue, but my Son doth keepe his lamp by him, I know he doth; why then thou mai&s;t &s;ee by this time, that the bodies of the Saints are the Temples of y^e HOLY-GHOST; they dare not, they mu&s;t not, whip them, nor &s;corch them, nor pine them; the&s;e are not the marks of the Lord Ie&s;us; Who required them at their hands? They know y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> the &s;ufferings of Chri&s;t mu&s;t abound in them; if they looke to haue the con&s;olatio~s abound through Chri&s;t:<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 1. 5.</NOTE> They know that they mu&s;t beare about, in their bodies, the dieing of the Lord Ie&s;us, that the life of IESVS may bee<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 4. 5.</NOTE> made, manife&s;t in their bodies&punc; knowing well that there is a fal&s;e pennance, and a counterfeit Martyrdome, my &s;weet Child, they neuer were, nor neuer will bee their owne tormentors. Their bodies &s;hall bee deliured vp to the whip, &amp; to the candle &amp;c. they will not giue them|&s;elues one &s;tripe, their pennance is a more inward thing, it mu&s;t needs bee &s;o, it doth come from an inward cau&s;e, but a Bonner mu&s;t doe it, &amp; let him doe it, as often as the Iewes whipped Paul:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. Mon. p. 1854.</NOTE> let him giue as many &s;trips too, hee will bee weary anon, nay if his breath hold let him make the number euen, they will goe away reioyceing. A Tirrill &s;hall doe it; (vnle&s;&s;e our Engli&s;h Mutine, will in an holy indignation &amp; reuenge, burne that hand which had &s;ub&s;cribed, to that which would haue di&s;troyed the whole body and &s;oule too.) And let him doe it, but ROSE ALLEN hath an other fire within, euen zeale vnto the trueth, &amp; this burns &s;o within hir, that outwardly, &s;hee feels but little paine. A &s;tony-hearted keeper &s;hall doe it, who&s;e charge perhaps is as hard as hee, &amp; let him doe it, they haue a meat which the keeper knows not of, they liue not by bread alone, yet if the
<PB N="13" REF="7"> keeper bee &s;o keind as to giue it them, they will take it for they will not hate their owne fle&s;h, but in due time and<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 5. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">8. 29.</NOTE> place nuri&s;h it and cheri&s;h it, as the husband the wife, and the Lord the Church: the&s;e know not (my Child) what to make of that for euer au&s;tere liuing in pennance for &s;in. But they are very well aquainted with a &s;orrow for &s;in, &amp; affliction of &s;oule, which as hath been &s;aid, is an inward thing, comming from an inward principle, and this is &s;uch that it doth not onely make them ab&s;taine, from meate, but &s;ome tims with Dauid, to forget to eate their bread, or if they doe remem|ber it, to mingle it with weeping. Then they be &s;uch (my Child) as fa&s;t too and fa&s;t often, not re&s;ting vpon it, as an e&s;&s;entiall part of Gods Wor&s;hipp, but as a notable healp and prepara|tiue thereunto, fitting them for that wherin they are aboundant, prayer, ioyning that with it knowing that &s;om &s;innes will not bee ca&s;t out with|out it. And thus they doe for a time, not defrauding them&s;elues ouer long: lea&s;t they &s;hould bee found to neglect their bodies, which mu&s;t bee cared for, that they may bee &s;eruiceable&punc; they doe my Child, they mu&s;t &s;omtims &s;ett a &s;ide their water, &amp; v&s;e a little wine<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. Tim. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. 23.</NOTE> for their &s;tomacks &s;ake, &amp; their often infirmities; &s;omtims a bitt of fle&s;h on the friday, &amp; an egg on the &s;atarday, to the pure, dayes &amp; meats are pure; but &s;till re&s;pecting the maine, that they bee &s;eruiceable to God, &amp; his Church, whereunto they haue euer &s;o wake|full an eye, knowing well their &s;ea&s;on when to keepe vnder their bodies, &amp; to bring them into &s;ubjection&punc; lea&s;t at any time or by any meanes, they &s;hould bee reproued. This they doe frequently but by no meane re&s;ting on the outward act. That is but the carka&s;&s;e, but ioyning many excellent works with it; brea|king of their &s;ins by repentance, y^t is a principall thing, for now their worke is accepted. Dealing their bread to the hungery; that is another: feruent prayer that was in the fir&s;t place and now it comes againe to bee con&s;idered a part, that thou mai&s;t know, that we haue them who pray too &amp; pray much: but fir&s;t marke my Child, vpon all the&s;e, the doore is &s;hut, knowing they haue a God that &s;eeth in &s;ecret. The&s;e are they, who are frequent and frequent in prayer, carried vpon the wings of faith, without the help of Saint or Angel, not by number but by weight which is vnto them as Goliahs &s;word to Dauid, nothing like that. Like the worthie&s;t of Dauids wortheys, what difficulties doth it goe thorrow? what waters of comfort doth it fetch? the time would faile me, I leaue it to a &s;ilent admiration. That &s;oule on which the &s;pirit of prayer, &amp; &s;upplication is powered can tell and none but that, it is po&s;&s;ible for me and thee to admire that whereof wee haue no experience, I doe &s;o, &amp; &s;ee I am againe in Balaams rapture. Behold here they ri&s;e vp as a great Lion, and lift vp them&s;elues as young Lions, they &s;hall not lie down till they eate of the pray, and drinke the blood of the &s;laine. This is Mo&s;es<NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 23. 24. Exod. 18. 11.</NOTE> hand lift vp, Amaleck falls before it. Hereby heauen &s;uffers violence, they take it by force, God &s;hall haue no re&s;t elce. The&s;e haue their teares too, I &s;ay not all haue, nor all at all tims, it is cer|tain my Child, there may bee a wee|ping heart, when there is a drie eye, as there may bee and often is a wett eye and a drie heart, all naturs, all con&s;ti|tutions are not alike, yet teares they haue, &s;om of them Ieremies riuers, &s;ome teares to fill a bottle, &s;ome of them haue teares to couer the place they pray in, teares to water the couch. MARIES teares to wa&s;h with; teares to eat, teares to drink; teares to &s;ow with; teares to water with; E&s;ay. 16. 9. they haue their ioy too; but that as a Clu&s;ter of Grapes, in re&s;pect of the vintage, to refre&s;h them traueling thorrow this wilderne&s;&s;e, light is &s;owen for the righteou&s;e, they know they &s;hall reap in due time, there|fore they faint not.</P>
<P>Come now my &s;weet Child, &s;ett the pennance of your Augu&s;tine, or your Capuchins, or Anachrit, I know not what name you haue for them, of y^e &s;trickte&s;t frier, &amp; compare it with the pennance of the&s;e afore mentioned, &amp; like Dagon before the Arke, it falls be|fore it I know well you haue much bodily excerci&s;e you &s;ee many things, which haue indeed a &s;hew of wi&s;dome, in voluntary religion and humblene&s;&s;e<NOTE PLACE="marg">Colo&s;&s;. 2. 23.</NOTE> of minde, &amp; in not &s;paring the body But are not many things in great e&s;timation among men, &amp; yet in the eyes of God &amp; his Saints vile &amp; contemptible&punc; yea beggarly rudiments. Come wee Child
<PB N="14" REF="8"> to your voluntary pouerty, a thing your letter tels mee, thou doe&s;t much gaze vpon, to that parting with all, and ca|&s;ting them&s;elues vpon Gods Proui|dence. It is trueth child, the prouidence of God is a large and &s;ure inheritance to his cho&s;en, it &s;upplieth Eliahs meate; by &s;uch a means as hee little lookes for. It &s;heweth Abraham a Ram tyed in the bu&s;h, where and when he little expects it. But marke alwaies this is when ordinary means faile, God wil bee &s;een but only in the Mount, I mu&s;t not, I dare not part with my bread in hope that a rauen will bringe me more, not giue away my &s;heepe with expectation to meete with one in the Bu&s;h. I per|ceiue thou knowe&s;t them, who haue ca&s;t away all, and liue in voluntary po|uertie, choo&s;ing it rather. I promi&s;e thee, I know not how they will an|&s;were the parting with their ma&s;ters goods, certainely they mu&s;t needes fall &s;hort in their reckoning. Why Mother? may they not doe what they will with their owne? Their<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. 19.</NOTE> owne, let a Nabal &s;ay &s;oe. Why wee are not our owne; much le&s;&s;e are the things ours, which wee po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e; wee are but &s;eruants, child, wee are but &s;tewards and factours. The Saints though their affections are taken of from things below, nay in compari&s;on they are but as dong, they haue the Moone vnder their feete, yet looke with what their ma&s;ter hath intru&s;ted them, they will not part with, I warrant thee, but they will haue their mai&s;ters order fir&s;t; and this they haue not by any extraordinary way, but by ordi|nary; they are acquainted with their ma&s;ters will wel enough, they know both where and when, to whom and what they giue, they are not one of So|lomons fooles child, they know the way to the citie wel. Is it po&s;sible that he who is in tru&s;t with much, &amp; hath the bowels of mercy too, &s;hould de|taine it, for want of his ma&s;ters order. See here mournes the widdow, there eries the fatherle&s;&s;e, this backe is na|ked, that bellie pintched; looke yonder &s;teward, there are many families in caues &amp; rockes, the &s;word of the ene|my draue them, they came not thither voluntarily, I warrant thee, haue I tru|&s;ted thee with much? lap it not vp in a napkin, thou &s;ee&s;t the waters, there is my order, now ca&s;t thy bread; giue the portion, giue it to &s;eauen and al&s;o to eight, thou rich and wealthy woman, &s;ay to thy husband, in ca&s;e he be not &s;o mindfull of my &s;eruants pa&s;sing by, &s;ay vnto him; An holy man of God often pa&s;&s;eth this way, he takes a great deale<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. King. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> 4. 8..</NOTE> of paines &s;ure, It may be he &s;erueth at the Alter, and yet cannot liue by it; he treadeth forth the corne, and for ought wee know, his mouth may be muzled, let vs make him a little chamber. I pray thee, and let vs &s;et for him there a bed, and a table and a &s;toole, and a candle|&s;ticke, let him not want his conuenien|ces, hee will labour the more cheere|fully, well done woman, let him not,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 12 24. 25.</NOTE> there is that &s;cattereth and yet increa|&s;eth: and there is that witholdeth more then is meete, but it tendeth to pouerty. The liberall &s;oule &s;halbe made fat: and he that watereth, &s;hal be watered al&s;o him&s;elfe. Nay I tell thee farther, your workes of mercy done in a right man|ner haue an a&s;cending power in them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts. 10. 4.</NOTE> as well as your prayers, &amp; an attractiue too, let him not want his conuenien|ces, thou doe&s;t well vnder&s;tand my or|der, haue I giuen thee but little? away with tho&s;e 2. mites, let thy extreame pouertie abound vnto a rich liberali|tie. Thou poore widdow that thinke&s;t there is no way but one with thee,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Kin 8. 17.</NOTE> fetche this &s;eruant of mine a little wa|ter, that thou wilt readily doe, nay but bring him a mor&s;el of breed too, as &s;car&s;e as it is with thee; make him a little cake euen out of thy handfull, thou wilt refre&s;h my &s;eruants bowels. I will remember thee; Thy handfull &s;hall be ble&s;&s;ed, &s;o &s;hall thy oyle too, thou and thy child &s;hall haue enough, I can doe much for them that tru&s;t mee; I neuer faile them, doe it woman, the &s;aints doe beleeue and tru&s;t their ma&s;ter, they que&s;tion not his &s;ufficiency I will warrant thee, they will di&s;tri|bute and giue to the poore, they wil be mercifull and they will lend, and yet do they mea&s;uue their affaires by iudg|ment, and as becommeth the wi&s;dome of the Saints. They know that charitie mu&s;t haue an eye within doares, all mu&s;t not goe forth. They know full well, that hee who biddeth them part with their coate, giues them leaue to keepe one for them&s;elues, he that char|geth them to helpe others, doth giue them that wi&s;dome as not to leaue them&s;elues helple&s;&s;e; He that hath gi|uen
<PB N="15" REF="8"> them wherewithall to &s;hew mercy to others, giues them that care as that they doe not come to craue mercy from others. Since their ma&s;ter hath intru|&s;ted them as &s;tewards in his hou&s;e, to giue euery one their portion, they will carefully doe it, knowing withall that the &s;ame ma&s;ter alloweth them, meate, &amp; drinke, &amp; cloath, I meane a Iacobs competency; Let the children &s;tand a&s;ide a little, it may be your Hermit is not one of that number, &amp; therefore he dares not keep his goods. Well then wee will &s;uppo&s;e him but as a &s;eruant in the hou&s;e, waiting vpon the chil|dren, yet when the children haue done, may hee fit downe if it plea&s;e him, it is his good ma&s;ters bargen, and it &s;hall be his &s;hame, if when his Ma&s;ter allowes him it, he will refu&s;e, or fit downe na|ked. Marke (my good Child) that thou mai&s;t not admire this voluntary beg|gerry, I &s;ay the Lord his Ma&s;ter gaue that Hermite (whom now thou admi|re&s;t, becau&s;e he hath throwen away his goods) a right vnto the creatures, at lea&s;t as a &s;eruant in the hou&s;e, and he &s;hould haue beene well adui&s;ed not only how he v&s;ed them and kept them; for there was not all the danger, but how he parted with them too, there lieth as much I haue giue~ you the hearb of the field, &s;aith the Lord. MOVNT SEIR I haue giuen to the children of E&s;au for a po&s;&s;e&s;sion; let his brother Iacobs po&s;terity take heed they medle not with a foote of it, what they haue they mu&s;t haue for their money, if E&s;au will part with it for nothing, or giue away all in hope his mercifull brother will releeue him, he may; but let him looke to it. See&s;t thou then my child, this Hermit, call him by what name thou wilt; hath he ca&s;t away his goods as the creple his cloake? Let him looke to it, they were his ma&s;ters, who gaue them him to v&s;e, and he mu&s;t come to his accompt; Seruant what ha&s;t thou gained? I haue ca&s;t them away Sir, I doubt that wil not bee a &s;afe an&s;were, let him looke to it, I will not aduen|ture my talent &s;o. But they are gon &amp; doth he now thinke hee hath denied him&s;elfe, becau&s;e he hath denied him|&s;elfe the&s;e, &amp; they are gon; Why child, his &s;ins may be as clo&s;e as euer they were, his goods were neither his right hand, nor his right eye I warrant thee. If &s;o, they had not beene &s;o ea&s;ily par|ted with. Alas a little money is ea&s;ily turned ouer board, when the Philo&s;o|pher keepes &s;om things that is dearer to him then that, that is nearer then his &s;hirt or &s;kin either. So doth that Her|mit too, child it is a great venture el&s;e, but wee iudge no mans heart. Looke vpon him child, &amp; I will tell thee what thou maie&s;t di&s;couer by thy eye, thou &s;ee&s;t the cell or hole he lies buried in, doe&s;t thou not? why I tell thee child, he may as well deny him&s;elfe that, nay the earth he &s;ta~ds on the aire he breathe in, the light he &s;ees with, &s;urely he might, as well as that liberty he might enioy, yea &amp; is bound to aproue too, or tho&s;e other nece&s;&s;aries, which like a proud &s;eruant he would not take when his rich Ma&s;ter offered them. But now thou my child fly the&s;e things, &amp; learne the wi&s;edome of the Saints; How &s;hould they pinck, where the Lord hath not pinched? how &s;hould they &s;cant them&s;elues, where the Lord hath not &s;canted? are then the creatures be|fore<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nehe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. 8. 10.</NOTE> thee and me? Through our Ma&s;ters bounty, and rich liberallity they are &s;o, well then my child, wee may eat of the fat, and wee may drinke the &s;weet, and wee may cloth our &s;elues with the wool: &s;o the v&s;e of them is ours (our ma&s;ters plea&s;ure is &s;o) are we but as &s;eruants, and &s;hall not abide in the hou&s;e for euer; the abu&s;e of them whe|ther in not &s;anctifying them by the<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gala<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. 5. 13.</NOTE> word and prayer, or not &s;ending por|tions vnto them, for whome nothing is prepared or in not v&s;eing our liberty &s;o as wee giue no occa&s;ion to the fle&s;h; or in what kind &s;oeuer, is ours and is &s;et vpon our &s;coare, and without re|pentance &s;hall in the end make for our great conuincement; I haue done the&s;e and the&s;e thinges for thee, wherefore then ha&s;t thou de&s;pi&s;ed the commande|ment of the LORD: to doe euill in his &s;ight? Here is a conuincement indeed, let vs looke to it child, if Gods daily re|newed mercies lead vs not to repe~tance, cau&s;ing vs to renew our obedience, they will in the day of our reckoning make vs &s;peechle&s;&s;e, if they bee not as load|&s;tons to draw our iron hearts vnto God; they will proue in the great day of the LORD, as a heauy weight to cru&s;h vs in peeces. This de&s;erues our care, let vs loooke to it; lea&s;t our meat<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> and drinke make vs vncleane, and our owne cloathes, filthy. Thus my child&punc; <HI>I</HI>
<PB N="16" REF="9"> thinke thou knowe&s;t now how to iudge of voluntary poverty, I may call it beg|gery. I haue more yet to &s;ay to bring thee out of liking with bodily exer|ci&s;e, will-wor&s;hip, and the&s;e a&s;&s;umed, not commanded &s;eruices, not only &s;hewes and &s;haddowes, but &s;uch as hold the heart contented, without the trueth, for what can plea&s;e the heart, better then &s;omethings of its owne chu&s;ing; which &s;hall not bee &s;o &s;harpe (I wrarant thee) but that he may keepe vpon the lees, &amp; detaine it's old &s;ent &s;till. O my child, let but thy heart once goe a whoringe this way, it is &s;trang, how it will dote vpon the&s;e things, as a harlot vpon his louers, no co&s;t &s;hal bee thought too much; riuers of oile &s;hall goe, no trauell too longe; a thou|&s;and miles on pilgramage if you will&punc; No paines too hard, no pennance too painefull, the heart will as ea&s;ily turne in vnto the&s;e thinges, as the I&s;raelits were per&s;waded to returne into Egipt; or SISERA, per&s;ued by Barak, intrea|ted to turne into Iaels tent. Alas child <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ny tent wil &s;erue the turne for a time, to take a little milke in, and &s;o to bring it a &s;leepe, when like a wearied child, it is willing to re&s;t, or like a per&s;ued SISERA, it would faine be at quiet. A Cloi&s;ter may &s;erue the turne; a Selb, a Crucifix; a &s;tripe a pilgrimage; a little holy water; a dirige; an Aue-Marie, let the heart but haue a Saint one its &s;ide, or a pardon about its neck, and what can hurt him. O child! why do&s;t thou gaze vpon the&s;e thinges? what is this? but for thee to make lies thy re|fuge? &amp; vnder fal&s;hood to &s;eeke to hide thy &s;elfe, for what are the&s;e? or any of the&s;e? or ought el&s;e, of the&s;e a&s;&s;umed &s;eruices, but like the Harlots wipinge hir mouth? or Pilat's wa&s;hing his hands. Good child fall not a &s;leepe here, or if thou ha&s;t in the&s;e IAELS Tents taken of the milke, and it's plea|&s;ant vnto thee, yet for thy &s;oules &s;ake, keepe thy eies waking for behold a &s;tronger then Barak pur&s;ues thee, iudg|meet well hee al&s;o lay to the line, and righteou&s;nes to the plummet, and the<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ai. 28. 17.</NOTE> haile &s;hall &s;weep away the refuge of lies, and the water &s;hall ouerflow, the&s;e hiding places, and thou &s;halt not &s;tand when the ouerflowing &s;courge &s;hall pa&s;&s;e ouer, thou wilt bee trodde~ downe by it: for the bed is &s;horter, then that a man can &s;treatch him&s;elfe on it, and the couer narrower then that he ca<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> wrap him&s;elfe in it. Good child &s;leepe not. How willingly would a poore mother keepe hir child waking; when if he &s;leepe, his &s;leepe would proue an iron &s;leepe, he will neuer wake againe. How &s;hall I indure the death of my Sonne? O harke vnto thy mother child&punc; that would faine keepe thee waking, that &s;o di&s;couering thy danger, thou maie&s;t get forth of thy IAELS tent, and take &s;anctuary at the rockes, the mighty god of this &s;aluation, I tell you child a thou&s;and &s;tripes on thy body, cannot deface the print of one &s;in, that is writ with the pen of a diamant, as many knockes on thy brea&s;t, will not &s;often thy hard heart, which is as an a|damant. All your holy water not &s;princkled, but powerd till the challace be drie, will not wa&s;h away one &s;in, it is as the &s;pot of a Leopard or as crim|&s;en of deepe die in the woole and in the cloath. The Harlots wiping hir mouth will not &s;erue hir, nor Pilats wa&s;hinge his hands; nor Eli&s;has &s;taffe, a man may bee at great coa&s;t, he may part with riuers of oile, and yet his countenance looke neuer a with more chearefull in the day of the Lord. He may kneele till the &s;tronge men are weary, yet may the heart continew &s;till &s;tiffe. Hee may goe on pilgrimage to this &s;aint, and the other relique, ye<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> and bare foote till he pinch his fe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">te, &amp; prick them too, yet may he bee neuer the nearer heauen, his heart may re|maine vntouched &s;till, nay it's certaine child, that nothing is a greater enemie to true mortification, then the coun|terfaits, nothing holds a man off more from the power, then loue with the forme, nothing more preualent then the&s;e Iaels Tent's to rock thy heart in &s;ecurity, and to keepe it in it's owne heardne&s;&s;e, till a dart &s;trike thorrow the liuer, and a naile the temples: the Harlot will neuer clen&s;e the heart, if &s;he thinkes to make all cleane, by wi|pinge hir lips. Pilate &s;hall &s;tand guilty<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 30. 20.</NOTE> of inocent blood for euer, becau&s;e hee thinkes be is cleare of it, now that hee hath wa&s;hed his hands, the blood &s;tickes nearer then &s;o; the Prophet will neuer be &s;ent for, if his &s;taff will &s;erue the turne; But when a man lookes on his &s;ins, as tho&s;e that put to death the LORD of GLORY: or as that &s;peare which pearced his &s;ides, &amp; &s;o is
<PB N="17" REF="9"> pricked at the heart, and receiues the &s;entence of death within him&s;elfe, this man now lookes vpon the true cruci|fix, his &s;inn's are alway before him. Will yee now put on this man, all your Sauls armour? alas! it is but com|ber&s;ome, neither will it keepe out the pibble, but his a&s;&s;ault is inward, will you giue him &s;ome of your Balme? your holy water; your oyle; your dau|binges; you are phi&s;icians of no vallue. All his money is &s;pent, vpon trifles al|ready &amp; yet the bloody i&s;&s;u remaineth&punc; Wil your pope now freely giue him his pardon? &s;ince all his money is &s;pent; Alas he knowes he &s;hall goe foorth from thence a&s;hamed, and with his hands vpon his head; the LORD will<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ierem. 2. 36, 37.</NOTE> reiect tho&s;e confidences. What would this man haue? I maruaile what &s;eekes he after? A ran&s;ome &s;ure. A pardon. And if he get it he mu&s;t haue it, without money or money worth, he mu&s;t be brought to a kinde of beggery in him|&s;elfe, to a kinde of nothing; to a wor&s;e then nothing. What &s;hould a &s;ound man doe with a Phi&s;ician? A whole man with a plai&s;ter? an vncondemned man with a pardon? he is &s;o, he is emp|tied now of one of his greate&s;t ene|mies, him&s;elfe, he leaueth vnto nothing within him nor to any earthly thing without him. Now compare the pen|nance of your Capu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ine, Franci&s;can, or Dominican, who will not part with his hole, for as much land as the little bird flieth ouer, nay he hopes that his contentedne&s;&s;e in &s;o little a place on earth, &s;hall procure him a large man|tion in heauen, though he bee a thefe here, not eating his owne bread, be|cau&s;e he worketh not with his hands. I &s;ay compare his voluntary religion, his humblene&s;&s;e of minde, his not &s;pa|ring<NOTE PLACE="marg">Collo&s;. 2. 18. 23.</NOTE> the body, all his bodily excerci&s;e, with this mans pennance, if I may call it &s;o, and it wilbee no more, like vnto it, the~ the Harlots wipeing the mouth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. 4. 8. Prou. 30. 20.</NOTE> is to the clen&s;ing the heart, then Pilats wa&s;hing his hands, to the purginge his con&s;cience: I &s;ay no more like it, then Eli&s;ha's &s;taffe is to Eli&s;ha him&s;elfe, then SOLOMONS nedle worke, to<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Kings 4. 29.</NOTE> the little lillie. I meane then art vnto nature. There is but imitation in the one (my child) art is but natur's ape, there is life in the other, all the power in the world cannot produce it. And ob&s;erue it, the effects of that man<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> pennance, and this mans &s;orrow, are as different, the one &s;eekes after trifles, &amp; bables, &s;uch as neuer plea&s;ed any but children and fooles, empty thinges, lies and vanities, for as the wound is, &s;uch is the remedy; The heart was neuer touched, the other labours after the one thing which is nece&s;&s;ary, and nothing will content him, till the Lord hath reached forth his hand of mercy vnto him, &amp; thereby inabled him, to reach back his to the Lord, wherby he recei|ueth blood to iu&s;tify him, and water to &s;anctify him, for his hand of faith doth not only receiue, but al&s;o purgeth the heart from all dead workes, it doth not only take, but it doth al&s;o worke by loue, behold now the ioy and peace of this man, at what ea&s;e doth he now lie? let vs looke vpon him. Perhaps we would &s;et vp a Tabernacle by him nay certainely wee would continew with him for euer. Hee finds his be<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> large enough for his wearied body to re&s;t vpon, the plai&s;ter great enough for the wound, the couering large enough to wrapp him&s;elfe in, and now heare him what hee &s;aith, Lord vnto mee thou wilt ordaine peace, for thou ha&s;t<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ai. 26 12. 23.</NOTE> wrought all my workes for mee, The &s;orrow's of them who offer vnto other Gods &s;hall bee multiplied, their offe|rings I will not offer, nor make men|tion of their names, within my lips&punc; but I will remember thee only and thy name, thou art the portion of my inhe|ritance, &amp; of my cup, thou maintaine&s;t my lot, the lines haue fallen vnto mee in plea&s;ant places, yea I haue a goodly heritage, I will ble&s;&s;e thee O LORD who ha&s;t giuen me this coun&s;ell, for now my heart is glad and my glory re|ioyceth, my fle&s;h al&s;o &s;hall re&s;t in hope, for thou ha&s;t not left my &s;oule in Hel<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, thou ha&s;t &s;hewen mee the path of life, in thy pre&s;ence is fulne&s;&s;e of ioy, at thy right hand are plea&s;ures for euermore&punc; O my child come, &amp; &s;ee the comeli|ne&s;&s;e of this man now, through the bewty the Lord hath put vpon him, &amp; as he is &s;uch are the Kings Sons, tho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> harde&s;t of them euen now, and thou dide&s;t ob&s;erue their practi&s;e: Come a|way my child, ca&s;t of all tho&s;e dead workes, which thou doe&s;t eye &s;o much, &amp; learne what the Lord requires at thy hand, &s;urely not thou&s;ands of rams, not ten thou&s;and riuers of oyle, not the &s;on of thy body, for the &s;in of thy &s;oule&punc;
<PB N="18" REF="10"> but to breake of thy &s;ins by repentance,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ut. 4. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">cah. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, 7, 8.</NOTE> and that there bee an healing of thine errour, to doe iu&s;tly, &amp; to loue mercy, and to walke humbly with thy God; approouing thy &s;elfe as the child of God, not by the&s;e a&s;&s;umed &s;eruices, which will not hold weight whe~ righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e is put to the &s;cale, but as the Saints doe by purenes, by knowledge, by longe &s;ufferings by keindnes, by the holy Gho&s;t, by loue vnfained, by the word of trueth by the power of God, by the armour of righteou&s;nes, on the right hand and on the left&punc; Oh my bowels doe yearne vpon my child, my heart is inlarged? Thou art not kept &s;traite in me (my Son) but I am kept &s;traite in thee. Thou maie&s;t plainely conclud, by what is &s;aid, &s;ee ho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> dearly my Mother loues: yea and the Lord knoweth too, who is trueth it &s;elfe, that my de&s;ire of thy returne hath no le&s;&s;e loue in it, then it hath &s;afty too, for I wi&s;h aboue all things that thou mai&s;t<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hn. 3. 2</NOTE> pro&s;per: and bee in health euen as thy &s;oule may pro&s;per. Returne then my &s;on; returne my &s;on, my &s;on. And that thou mai&s;t make ha&s;t for a mothers af|fection, thinkes the &s;horte&s;t time longe, I will quit thy argument, which thou thoughte&s;t fit for my capacitie &amp; indeed it was &s;o, with an other as fitt for thine, for thou art but a child yet, and knowe&s;t nothing as thou oughte&s;t to doe: And I know it &s;hall fall as right, as thine did, but then with a different effect. Thine did but foile the forme of godline&s;&s;e, that was among&s;t vs, the power was not touched, the trueth re|maines the trueth &s;till, &amp; wilbee iu&s;ti|fied of hir children, mine &s;hall take away the trueth and power you &s;eeme to haue, and &s;hall tell thee plainely, there is none indeed, come then child, harken while this argument &s;mites the Harlot this once, I will not &s;mite hir the &s;econd time, for I &s;hall labour to driue the naile to the head, &amp; to fa&s;ten hir to the ground with it, that &s;he ri&s;e not againe, and all this my child in a deare affection to thee, that &s;o I may get thee out of hir tent, and free my &s;elfe from the feare, and thy &s;elfe from the danger, of hauing that other naile in thy Temples. Harken then while the wiles and deceits of this Harlot are di&s;couered vnto thee, the&s;e are plaine by what hath beene &s;aide, by hir name and by hir practi&s;e, as hir name is, &s;uch is &s;hee&punc; Or how crewell &s;he is towards thy poore &s;oule, that doth likewi&s;e appeare, by hir willingnes thou &s;houlde&s;t be deui|ded, &amp; &s;o mai&s;t plow in two &s;orrows, &s;erue God and Baal. Nor this, how &s;he-would poi&s;on thy yong years with the doctrine of diuils, that thou mai&s;t kill thy king and bee &s;ainted too, nurtering thee vp as it were with blood, though clo&s;ly, that when futther yeares come, thou mai&s;t with greedine&s;&s;e &s;eeke the prey, and like a bloody whealp of a fierce lione&s;&s;e, thou mai&s;t take &amp; &s;poile not a few, the&s;e thinges are bloody thinges, they mu&s;t bee &s;o, they come from a bloody bea&s;t, but this is not all&punc; My endeuour is now to bring thee in hatred with the &s;trumper, for I &s;hall pluck of hir vizard, which being made in &s;ome thing a more accurat manner, hath beguiled many, and tho&s;e too, who &s;eemingly are the children of trueth, but indeed haue not receiued the trueth, in the loue of it, therefore they fall away, and I &s;hall plainly &s;hew vnto thee &s;uch an vgly face, as being looked vpon with a cleare eye &s;hall put the beholder into a feare, &amp; won|der too, that there could bee any, that would doate vpon it. I &s;hall then, as it were pluck downe apartition, and &s;hevv thee the Harlots abominations in that place; I &s;hall then pluck downe another, and thou &s;halt &s;ee what i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> done there, what &s;hee doth in the darke, and in the chambers of hir ima|genary, wee leaue to him, who&s;e eyes do behold the mo&s;t &s;ecret paths of man. We will follow hir &s;uch a way as is plaine, &amp; beaten wee cannot mi&s;take hir footing, none but the Harlot and hir in&s;trume~ts euer troad in it, the path of trueth is peace, and all hir waies righteou&s;nes. The &s;trumpets path is pa|ned with crewelty, and hir foot&s;teps drop blood. Now looke child vpon th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> bea&s;t, &s;hee hath not only made the na|tions drunck with the cup of hir for|nications, but &s;hee is likewi&s;e a fil|thy &s;wine, drunck with the blood of the Martirs of the Lord IESVS: looke vpon hir, what an vgly face is there&punc; now looke vpon hir hands child, thou &s;halt &s;ee them red with the blood of the Saints, &s;o are hir cloaths too, can here be trueth, child? can here bee trueth? it cannot bee, why my child, ha&s;t thou not heard (though thou art
<PB N="19" REF="10"> but as of yi&s;terday) ha&s;t thou not read, how that great whoare one of the dra|gons in&s;truments, per&s;ecuted the wo|man, and ca&s;t water like a flood after the woman, flying to &s;aue hir &s;elfe, witne&s;&s;e that little booke of Martyrs Heb. 11. Why my child, a&s;ke the later times, &amp; they &s;hall teach thee, enquire of thy forefathers, &amp; they &s;hall tell thee &amp; not only the whoares cruelty, in the city of ORANGE, or of that in<NOTE PLACE="marg">Anno 1572.</NOTE> ROANE, or that in DEIPE, but hee will tell thee of that horrible ma&s;&s;acer in PARIS, where the bloody whoare and hir in&s;truments went forth like a di&s;troying Angel, &amp; within the &s;pace of three dayes or little more cruelly<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts &amp; Mon. 1947. 1948.</NOTE> murthered aboue, ten thou&s;and, and all this after a marriage fea&s;t. Can here be trueth (my child) I a&s;&s;ure thee &s;hee hath killed the mother vpon the child. witne&s;&s;e that lamentable Tragedy acted in Garniey, where the infant, bur&s;ting from the mothers wombe, in the mid&s;t<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts. Mon: 1764.</NOTE> of the flame, and taken from hir, was by the whores in&s;trument &s;acrificed a|gaine to the flame, there to receiue it's babti&s;me, cur&s;ed bee their wrath, for it was feirse, and their rage for it was cruell, into their &s;ecret let not my &s;ons &s;oule come, nor let thy glory bee ioyned with their a&s;&s;amblies, for in their wrath they haue &s;laine millions, and the in&s;truments of death were in their habitations. Wilt thou looke nerer into thine owne country, why then &s;ee our Marian dayes, I know my childs eyes will &s;tand with tears, what pri&s;ons were empty? what racking? what tea|ring? what whipping? what &s;courging? burning? what bone fires were made of the blood of the Saints? Cur&s;ed be their wrath for it was cruell, and their rage for it was feirce, come a little nearer (child) yet, perhaps thou mai&s;t di&s;cerne thy owne pre&s;eruation though then in thy cradle, ha&s;t thou not heard of our fift of Nouember? I know thou ha&s;t. I mu&s;t now take a little leaue, I a&s;&s;ure thee, I thought that after that very day the name of a papi&s;t would pre&s;ently haue rotted, &amp; that the &s;tinke &amp; &s;te~<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ch of it would haue gon ouer all the earth, and &s;urely it did, and doth &s;o, &amp; it is vn&s;auory in the no&s;trells of the very heathens, and would be &s;o vnto all, but that the&s;e Iaels Tents affoard &s;o much &s;weet milke, where with to bringe the heart a &s;leepe in &s;ecurity. But my child; thou doe&s;t remember this day, doe&s;t thou not? thou doe&s;t; why then thou &s;tande&s;t amazed at the bea&s;tly cruelty of the whore and of hir chil|dren, and at the exceeding loue, and &s;uper-aboundant mercy (words are too &s;canty) at the admirable kindne&s;&s;e of our God. Tell me for thou &s;halt bee iudge, was not our land at that time compacted? as it were into a compen|dious body, which was to &s;it in Parla|ment, as the repre&s;entatio~ of the whole land, and now had it but one necke? had not the whore &amp; hir in&s;truments, watching their oportunity, and finding it, laid this neck as vpon the blocke, that they might &s;tricke it of at a blow; A blow indeed, who&s;e rage would haue reached vp to heauen, which would haue &s;ent vp the body's of men, like the &s;parcles of a &s;miths forge, and haue made as many diui&s;ions of each, as there are &s;parcles, cur&s;ed bee their wrath, for it was cruell, and their rage for it was feirce. But my child &s;ees the goodne&s;&s;e of God too. There was now but a &s;tep betweene vs and death, the graue was opened, wee were brought to the brinke, and miraculou&s;ly &s;nat|ched from it, for the Lord &s;taid the blow, like Abrahams hand, and wee are all at this day, like brands taken out of the fire, euen thou too in re&s;pect of thy naturall life, he that is &s;uffitient for ad|miration or thinks either. Let him con|&s;ider this, here is matter for him. But thou my &s;weet child, O my bowels yearne vpon my child, if thou can&s;t not &s;ufficiently admire the one, as indeed thou can&s;t not, yet for euer dete&s;t the other, let thy &s;oule neuer come into their &s;eceet, let not thy glory be ioyned with their a&s;&s;emblies, the in&s;truments of cruelty are in their habitations, now tell me, can here bee trueth? Child can here be trueth? it is impo&s;sible, why child, here is nothing but fire and &s;word (I know well that the Harlot hath hir foxes &s;kine too, I wott well my child, I wot well) but if that will not &s;erue, then like a hungry lyon, &s;he teareth to peeces &amp; deuoureth at once. Ob&s;erue now (good child) for thy &s;oules &s;ake marke, the paths of trueth, all hir wayes are peace, &s;he goeth plainely and quietly not like a boi&s;te|rous winde, that would rent the rockes, but with a &s;oft voice &s;he &s;inkes into the heart with meekne&s;&s;e wel knowing
<PB N="20" REF="11"> the temper of it; I will &s;hew thee, trueths weapons (my Child) I pray thee ob&s;erue them well there are none like them, not in&s;truments of cruelty, I warrant thee, meekne&s;&s;e, gentlne&s;&s;e, longe &s;ufferinge; if at any time, or by any means (except fire or &s;word) thats the whores marke trueth abhores it, &s;he may win the people to hir. Ob&s;erue further yet Child, is this trueth oppo|&s;ed? as indeed &s;he is, too much, too much, thats trueths de&s;tiny (my Child) not hir fault, is &s;he to&s;&s;ed &amp; tumbled, &amp; hurried? &s;ee hir temper &amp; thou wilt admire hir, &amp; for euer dete&s;t the Bea&s;t, how doth &s;he follow after righteou&s;nes, Godlines, faith, loue, pa|tience<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tim. 11.</NOTE> &amp; meekne&s;&s;e? Is &s;he hurried and at length brought to the &s;laughter? &s;hee is &s;o. That &s;hall make hir light breake out as the noone day, &s;hee knowes it well, &s;ee my Child hir tem|per &s;till, &amp; behold in it y^e paterne of y^e &s;aints. Thou ha&s;t &s;eene a &s;heep brought to thee &s;laughter? I know thou ha&s;t &s;o goeth trueth. Thou ha&s;t &s;eene a lamb before y^e &s;hearer, ha&s;t thou not? &s;o &s;tands trueth, Chri&s;t hath giuen hir a le&s;&s;on euer his owne example, &s;he hath learnt it, &s;he openeth not hir mouth, I warrant thee; I would not thou &s;houlde&s;t leaue trueth's temper yet, for I hope that by feeling hir pul&s;e, thou wilt a&s;&s;ure thy &s;elfe &s;he is of a &s;ound con&s;titution, and plainly di&s;couer the contrary, &s;he is &s;o far from fier &amp; &s;word, or any &s;uch cruelty, y^t &s;he followeth peace with all men, as far as is po&s;&s;ible; &s;he is no &s;tricker with the fi&s;t, no &s;miter with the tongue (there's a &s;miting with the tongue my Child) but hir tongue is bound to the peace, &amp; good behauiour, I will &s;hew thee hir children as like the mother as may bee, good Child ob&s;erue their carriage, being reuiled we ble&s;&s;e, being per&s;ecuted wee &s;uffer it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cor. 12. 13.</NOTE> being defamed, we intreat; why this is the &s;trange&s;t relation as euer was heard of, it is indeed, and neuer to bee found but among&s;t the children of trueth, &s;hall I parralell it? it may be I may in Dauid, &amp; yet &s;hall make a Sauls heart mealt, Dauid hath the &s;kirt of Sauls robe in his hand, his heart &s;mits him for it too, he cryes out to Saul, what ge&s;ture v&s;eth he now? he &s;peakes to his per&s;ecutors, what ge&s;ture &s;hould he v&s;e? I hope Dauid may &s;tand vpon his points to Saule now; the wilder|ne&s;&s;e of Engedi, or at lea&s;t the aduantage Dauid had of Saul in y^e caue, makes them equall, doth it not? O by no means Child, Saul is y^e Lords anointed &s;till &amp; Dauids Mai&s;ter too, &amp; if Saul doe but ca&s;t his eye backe vpon Dauid, of goes Dauids hatt, I warrant you, he &s;toops with his face to the earth &amp; he bowes him&s;elfe, there's Dauids ge&s;ture, what is Dauids voice? what titles giues he to his enimye, who hunts him like a<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 24. 9.</NOTE> Partridge? Why, not very plea&s;ing ones &s;ure, are they not &s;uch as coller &amp; rage laide vppermo&s;t? oh no, heare them; my Lord the King, y^e Lords anointed, my father &s;peakes Dauid, what is y^e matter of his words? Wherefore doth my Lord heare mens words, (&s;aying) Dauid &s;ee|keth they hurt behould my father, &s;ee yea &s;ee the &s;kirt of thy robe in my hand, I might haue had thy head as ea|&s;ily. But I would thou could&s;t &s;ee, how my heart hath &s;mitt mee for cutting of the lap of y^e coat of y^e Lords anointed O heare yet further my Lord Saule: I am much di&s;plea&s;ed with thy cham|berlin ABNER whom thou ha&s;t made the keeper of thy head &amp; were I iudge in I&s;rael he might perhaps lo&s;e his own head for it, he is worthy to die, but as y^e lea&s;t he &s;hould out his office, he is too &s;leepie for y^e charge. Why &s;o? becau&s;e he hath not kept his mai&s;ter the Lords anointed, how doth that appeare, why ABNER may &s;ee here, &amp; my Lord Saul may harken, though ABNER be a valiant man &amp; who like him in I&s;|rael, yet is he not fitt to be the keeper of the head of y^e Lords anointed they mu&s;t haue a &s;urer watch then &s;o, why I tell thee Abner &amp; heare thou me. thy Mai&s;ters head was in great daunger this night, &amp; thou laie&s;t by him &s;lee|ping, for now &s;ee where the Kings &s;peare is, and the cru&s;e of water, are they not in my hands? Why they were this night at thy Mai&s;ters boul&s;ter: &amp; was not thy Mai&s;ters head vpon it? cer|tainly Abner, &amp; let my Lord Saul heare, had but a Phili&s;tim come in, or but a halfe Ie&s;uited I&s;raelite thy Mai|&s;ter, though the Lords anointed had beene &s;mitten to the earth at once there had not needed a &s;econd blow, &amp; his head had gon with the pott and &s;peare, but a Dauid came into your camp this night, a poore per&s;ecuted flea indeed one of trueth's children, &amp; God forbid that he &s;hould &s;trech forth the hand,
<PB N="21" REF="11"> again&s;t the Lords anointed or &s;uffer it to bee done. Why he was no more able to hurt, then a dead dogg could bite, and therfore art thou O Lord my King, &amp; thou al&s;o Abner aliue, at this time, &amp; your eyes may behould both, the &s;peare and pott, that was &s;o neare thy Mai|&s;ters Pillow, &amp; my Mai&s;ter Saul may heare my voice too, and now I hope both my Lord and Abner from this very day will euer bee able to di&s;cear|ne trueth &amp; inocencie, from wicked|ne&s;&s;e which euer proceedeth fro~ y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> wic|ked man, &amp; be able to point at it too with the finger, (&s;aying) there it is, and behold child, Saule, doth it, he knowes the voice of Dauid, &amp; it mealts into tears, &amp; &s;ee what he faith, thou art more righteou&s;e then I, thou ha&s;t re|warded me good when I rewarded thee euell, and now my Child, thou ha&s;t plainly &s;eene trueth's guize, &amp; hir childrens carriage how meeke I how harmele&s;&s;e! Thou mai&s;t likwi&s;e di&s;cer|ne the Bea&s;ts marke, &amp; from whence wickedne&s;&s;e doth proceede, I know no motiue in y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> World, except the &s;ecret working of Gods Spirit, more preuai|lent to cau&s;e, thee to come away, vn|le&s;&s;e thou ha&s;t not a Saul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> de&s;cerning: Why now, what &s;hall I &s;ay to thee my Son? I will take &s;om of the following words, &amp; apply them: changing them a little. Why doth my Son drinke of the whores cupp? do&s;t thou know what poi&s;on is in it? or what euill is in hir hands? Now therfore I pray thee, let my Child heare the words of his Mo|ther; if the Lord hath left thee to y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> coun&s;ell of thy owne heart, which he may doe as not bound to the creature, a rebellions creature, &amp; this is to be acknowledged, let him accept an offe|ring, euen the calues of thy lips, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> he, who is the trueth would lead thee into all trueth, but if they bee the children of men who haue enti&s;ed thee, &amp; be|giuled thy poore &s;oule, which will li|kewi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e bee acknowledged, I will not pronounce the Lords cur&s;e again&s;t them, for I haue not Dauids &s;pirit, but y^e Lord be mercifull to the blind lea|ders of y^e blind, and reward them not, after their dealing, for they haue dri|uen thee out this day from y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> abiding in y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> inheritance, of the Lord &s;aying, for|&s;ake the rocke, euen the onely rock of thy &s;aluation&punc; &amp; goe &s;erue other gods, I proceed my Child as thy letter leads mee, thou woulde&s;t &s;eeme to per&s;wade thy &s;elfe, thou art another Io&s;eph &s;ent before, to prouide for thy mother and hir children, &amp; were it &s;o my Sone, &amp; that now I haue heard from thee, let hir who hath the heart of a mother, &amp; is aquainted with the yearnings of the bowells, &s;ay, whether &s;he thinks not, although no wagen is come, that I would pre&s;ently take my &s;taffe, and trudge away, yea and not feele the weary &s;tepps, though my legges bee old, this thought would &s;till be better then wine to refre&s;h me, I &s;hall &s;ee my &s;on before I die. But, alas, the ca&s;e is different, how doth a beguiled heart deceaue thee, your Aegipt hath proued but an iron furnace to our I&s;rael &amp; at y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> be&s;t a &s;taffe of reede, I dare not ven|ture my &s;elfe, &s;o, no nor yet, thy bro|ther neither, though thou like a good Iudah wilt vndertake for thy brother Benjamin, thy mother will not tru&s;t thee to bee thy brothers keeper, vnle&s;&s;e thou coulde&s;t keepe thy &s;elfe better, why &s;hould I be robbed of both my children? Alas Child I well know, your Aegipt is full of inchauntments, a&s;ke a mother now; &amp; &s;he will <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ell thee whe|ther &s;hee will venture a child as boies venture pins, &amp; points, hazard too that they may finde one, &s;he will not doe it (Son) a Child is dearer then &s;o, againe Child, good Child harken, why &s;hould I &s;end my Child ouer to you for bread?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Amos 8. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> Why our &s;taffe is not yet broaken, it is Gods goodne&s;&s;e, it is not, if it &s;hould bee, which our vnthankfulne&s;&s;e threa|tens, what haue wee to doe with the broaken reede of Aegipt, that would deceaue vs, wee haue yet &s;tore of bread (my Child) in our fathers hou&s;e, re|belliou&s;e children, wee are yea wee are, but through our fathers pa|tience we haue it, &amp; the children are fat and well liking vpon it, but if we were thru&s;t out of dore, as wee haue well de&s;erued it, yet we could not eat your Gibeon<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ti&s;h bread, which hath no|thing to &s;hew its antiquity but y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> it is dry &amp; mouldy; nor could wee goe to eate among the &s;wine, Hu&s;kes, &s;uch emty things; wee doe daily pray Lord giue vs euermore of this bread that if the Lord &s;hould be deafe towards vs, as he may iu&s;tly bee, he hath called to vs &amp; we haue not harkned, how could wee expect that Baall could heare vs? I tru&s;t we &s;hould neuer &s;eek to Eckro<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&punc;
<PB N="22" REF="12"> we know we haue a God in I&s;rael, &amp; we hope we &s;hall not goe from y^e li|uing to y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> dead, we know an Idall is nothing, they that make him, are like him, &s;o is euery one that &s;eeketh to him. To &s;peake yet more plainly; wee haue Moy&s;es and y^e Prophets, &amp; they are read among&s;t vs euen to this day &amp; it is wonderfull in our eyes, &amp; y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;aints &s;ee wounders in it, if we do not be|leiue them, neither &s;hould we beleiue, though one were &s;ent from your dead vnto vs, certainly Child wee &s;hould not. But to cut of all hope of comming ouer vnto you, &amp; yet to con|firme this hope of thy returne to vs; I tell thee, be&s;ids that Chri&s;t hath &s;et a &s;word to &s;top the way vnto thee, which in &s;ome cau&s;es may deuide betweene Mother and Child, brother &amp; &s;i&s;ter, there is a keind of gulfe betwixt vs, yet<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 10. v. 34</NOTE> pa&s;&s;able on thy part, that &s;trengthe|neth my hope, a gulfe? is indeed Child a gulfe, why &s;o? why there is a &s;ea betwixt vs, no le&s;&s;e full of blood, then that other is of water, how &s;o<NOTE PLACE="marg">Son.</NOTE> mother? why Child did I not tell thee, what hauock the whore hath made of the Churches, what threat|nings &s;he hath breathed forth, what riuers of blood &s;he hath &s;hed, how <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">he hath killed and &s;courged &amp; per&s;ecuted the Saints and Martyrs, of the Lord Ie&s;us, that vpon hir may come all the righteou&s;e blood &s;hed vpon y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> earth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reuela|tion.</NOTE> from the blood of righteou&s;e Abell vnto the blood of all the Prophits, Apo&s;tles and Martyrs, that haue been &s;laine &s;ince. O Child what a &s;ea is heare? Certainly, he that hath any light will not venture here, &amp; he that hath none walketh in darknes, &amp; knowes not where hee &s;hall fall, &amp; plunge him|&s;elfe. Well now Child, there is no coming for vs to thee; thou mai&s;t to vs, &amp; how am I &s;traightened till thou com|me&s;t? as long as thou art there, thou art liable to hir plagues, &amp; how great will they be! Why Child thou &s;ee&s;t plainly, that in hir is found the bloud of Pro|phets, &amp; of Saints, &amp; of all that are &s;laine vpon the earth &amp; the cupp &s;hee hath <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">illed to others; mu&s;t be filled to hir double, how greate will hir plagues <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ee? Come forth from hir my Child, my &s;weet Child come forth, for liuing there, thou mu&s;t partake of hir &s;ins, &amp; then mu&s;t thou receiue of hir plagues, &amp; how cane&s;t thou &s;tand in that burning? Oh! my Child thou art now in daun|ger, indeed, thou art now in hazard, &amp; how am I &s;traightened? Why I tell thee, the &s;entence is pa&s;&s;ed vpon the great whore, the execution ha&s;teneth, &amp; though it be deferred, it is at the dores, for can y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;oules vnder the Altar cry aloud and not be heard? O! my child come forth of hir, why doe&s;t thou lin|ger man? wilt thou fir&s;t know that<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reuela<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> 6. 10.</NOTE> Aegipt is de&s;troyed? come away euen before y^e day breake, come away euen before the dow be leauened, &amp; if thou<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 10. 26.</NOTE> wilt in y^e other &s;ence, before the whole lumpe be &s;owred, there is no lingring Child, for Gods &s;ack and for thy &s;oules &s;acke come away, why do&s;t thou lin|ger? my deare Child con&s;ider, other &s;ins &s;peake, blood cryes, &amp; here is not Abels blood alone, he was but one, here is the voice of bloods, eue~ of all, which were &s;laine for the word of God, &amp; the te&s;temony which they heald, O my Child, what a thundering noi&s;e is heare? Certainly the widdowes cry to the vniu&s;t iudge, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> he would<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> auenge hir of hir aduer&s;aries, was not &s;o loud &amp; yet &s;ee though he lieth &s;till for a while, vp &s;aith he I will ari&s;e, &amp; auenge this trouble&s;ome bawling widdow, I loue my re&s;t well, but behould there is no remedy, I &s;ee &s;he is re&s;olued to weary mee, I will vp that I may be quiet; for though I reguard neither God nor man yet I haue a great re&s;pect to my owne re&s;t, &amp; I will vp and right hir; And now Child I haue done with thee, my words haue an end; &amp; how loth am I to leaue thee, or to cea&s;e in|treating thee how doe my bowelis yearne? how am I &s;traightened? but the Lord hath heard my controuer&s;y, &amp; who knoweth whether he may not looke on y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> affliction of his Seruant, &amp; bring thee againe, &amp; &s;hew mee thy face once more, if not I am before him let him doe with me what &s;eemeth good in his eyes, but yet before I leaue thee, one thing I begg of thee, and &s;ince the Son will haue the old Mother crouch and bend to him, why &s;ee Child, a Mo|ther will not &s;tand vpon hir points, &s;hee will doe any thing to haue hir Son againe, I doe begg one thing of thee, &amp; I begg it on my knees, it is this, that thou would&s;t rou&s;e vp thy &s;elfe, for there is a great matter in hand. What is that? Why the great God of heauen and earth is at this in&s;tant &s;peoking to thee,
<PB N="23" REF="12"> &amp; &s;o &s;low is man of hearing, that it is po&s;&s;ible, for God to &s;peake once and againe, and yet man may not perceiue it, alas what is mans &s;peaking now? well Son, &s;ince thou ha&s;t notice of it, for thy &s;oules &s;ake rou&s;e vp thy &s;elfe; it is y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Lord my Child which brings whom the example of the vniu&s;t Iudge to thee, in his owne words rou&s;e vp thy &s;elfe<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">uc. 18. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. 6.</NOTE> (Child) the Lord &s;peakes vnto thee, &amp; he that &s;peakes boare the eare, that thou maie&s;t haue an hearing eare. Heare what the vniu&s;t Iudge &s;aith, &amp; &s;hall not God auenge his own Elect, which cry day &amp; night vnto him, though hee heare them longe, I tell thee hee will auenge them &s;peedily, there remaineth now but a little &s;ea&s;on, vntill their fellow, &s;er|uants al&s;o, and their brethren, that &s;hould bee killed as they were &s;hall bee fulfilled, this the bloody, whore will di&s;pach, as &s;oone as &s;hee may, &s;hee is about it, &amp; thus &s;he trea&s;ureth vp wrath again&s;t the day of wrath, &amp; fil|leth vp the mea&s;ure of hir iudgment: which &s;hall bee giuen to hir double; O come away from hir my deare Child&punc; come ha&s;tily linger not, throue thy dowe vpon thy &s;houlders, there is no time to leauen it, &amp; trudge away, &amp; the Lord which can per&s;wade IA|PHETH to dwell in y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> tents of SHEM; &amp; if LOTH will prolonge the time in &s;o eminent a danger, can&s;t in mercy to him, cau&s;e him to come out of SODOME, before the brim&s;tone and the fire &s;hall fall, extend his mercy vnto thy &s;eruant, &s;eeke him out, who is g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n a&s;tray &amp; cau&s;e him to returne to thee, who art the &s;heepheard &amp; Bi&s;hop of his &s;oule, &s;o &s;hall I euer prai&s;e thy name&punc; who ha&s;t giuen mee my Son againe, in whom I may haue comfort here, &amp; through they mercy<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, ioy with him hereafter.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<TRAILER><FIGURE>
<FIGDESC>image with two cherubs</FIGDESC>
</FIGURE></TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
