A PRESENTATION TO London: Being In ANSWER to the Young Men and Apprentices, Returned to some part of their Petition and Address; directed by them to the Major, Aldermen, and Common-Councel Assembled and this is directed to them for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Information. And to the Citizens of London, for their better satisfaction; if the Lord shall so work upon their hearts, as to bring them into Moderation, and the Spirit of Meekness, fit for his Instructions.  
Whereas you say; It hath pleased the Good, and only wise God for your and the Nations crying Sins, to manifest his displeasure for many years together against these Nations, and yet you say this honourable City, hath been no great sharers in the calamity, which your Brothers in other parts bathe suffered, etc.  
Answ. Friends, it's very true because of ●●●rs and the Nations crying Sins, the Lords displeasure is amit you, and the Nation, and his judgements hang over your City, and the Nation, even because of your crying Sins; O the pride, the hypocrity, and double dealing, and wantonness, and all other, the abominable wickedness which abounds among you, which are your Sins, which indeed is the cause of God's displeasure against you, and the Nation, which he will show one way or other upon you, for iniquity is full; but seeing that your sins have provoked the Lord, is it not now time to come to humility and repentance? and to forsake your Sins, that the displeasure of the Lord may be turned from you, or is it a time for you to be envious, and to seek revenge upon men, and to make Insurrections, and Tumults, and Bloudsheds, and so to add Sin unto your Sins; it's not a time for you to proceed thus, for hereby you will gain God's displeasure more unto you, and not turn his wrath away: and its true, this City hath been wonderfully preserved from the miseries, and calamities, which have come upon some in this Nation, and therefore its time for you to answer the Lords love unto you, by meekness, and fear, and righteousness, and not to abuse his mercies, by ●●●●●●g the words of ●he 〈◊〉 and setting yourselves to sight as against him in his proceed, though the time is at hand, even because of your own multiplied iniquities, when you may bring calamity and misery upon this City, and it may partake of the Nations tribulations and sorrows, and then you complain of the general decay of Trading, but what can you attribute that unto, but to your Sins also; for there hath been so much double-dealing, deceit, and wickedness in the way of your Trading, that it is just with the Lord to turn your former mercies into a present judgement in that respect, but in this case you ought to be contented, and to be still, and not to murmur against God, nor against any others in the Nation, but the rather to repent, that wrath may be turned from you.  
And whereas you seem to make an appeal to your Lord Major, Aldermen, Common-council men of this City, as if they should be instruments for the settling of the three Nations, and for the removing of the troubles, and for the peace of his Church, etc.  
Answ. Alas my Friends! these troubles, distractions, and miseries that is approached, and which further may ensue, is the fruit and effect of yours, and the Nations Sins, and cannot be removed nor remitted, but as you and the Nation repenteth, and turneth from your Sins, so that you take a wrong course to remove the judgements of the Lord from you, and this Nation; for its certain, that repentance from Sin, that removes the judgement for Sin, and it's not adding one Sin to another; neither is it in the hand of those to whom you do appeal to remove the judgements of the Lord, for what are they but mortal men like yourselves, and transgressors with yourselves, and have a part in the Sins acted by you, and must have a part in the same judgements, though you stir them up to improve themselves, and their Talon for the peace of the Church, as you say, when as alas its Jesus Christ only that must keep his Church in peace, by his good Spirit, and not mortal men with mortal weapons; though you say the discharge of their trust may make these Nations happy, or leave them miserable; to which I say if they be faithful to their trust, than they will keep your City in peace, and doubtless they should be blessed therein, but yet the happiness of these Nations dependeth not upon them, nor upon what they can do, for while many are supposing that they improve their trust, its possible they may be persecuting righteousness under the name of Heresy, and persecuting Christ in his People under the name of a deceiver and false prophet, this hath often come to pass in this City and Nation, men have improved their power and places to the dishonour of God, and the persecuting Christ in his Members, while as they have been thinking they have been punishing Sin, Heresy, and Error, and in such cases some have improved their Talents not truly for God, but rather against him; but whereas you say, you humbly present that the privileges of the Gospel, the faithful preaching and dispensing of Gods holy Word and Sacraments, with the labour of so many of his faithful Servants in the Ministry, and you humbly desire the Ministry may be contenanced and encouraged, the Universities upheld and maintained, etc.  
Answ. Alas, my Friends! what do you think concerning the Lord God? surely you have low thoughts of him, and little belief in him, do not you think he will maintain the privileges of the Gospel, and the faithful preaching and dispensing of his Word, and his faithful Ministry without you, do you think that he hath forgotten to be gracious, or that his power is insufficient to maintain his own cause, and to uphold the rights and privileges of his own Kingdom? do you think that he hath need of you? or a multitude of wild and heady men, and Youth to fight in his cause, to uphold his Gospel, and Ministry, and Ministers? alas no! you are deceived in this matter, for his own Arm shall do all this, and he will do it without you, and not be beholding to you in this matter; his Gospel, nor the privileges of it shall not fall; the true Ministry, the preaching and dispenring of God's Word and Ordinances shall not perish, though you the silent, for the Lord by his own power will maintain and carry on these things, and all others belonging to his Kingdom, without the help of mortal men, or without the help o● the Arm of flesh: so that you may put up your Swords and be still in this matter, and leave it to God who is sufficient for these things, without a multitude of men, or without the Arm of flesh; but do you intent really as you speak? or do you make this pretence only a Cloak, and you propound these things that are ●ood in themselves, as to be the cause of your undertaking, when as you have some other design to promote; would you bring in a strange Nation, even Tyrants and their Adherents to devour the Land, and even to destroy yourselves and your City, would you set up an oppressing Monarchy which the Land hath once spewed forth: these things are to be doubted, that if your designs did prevail, the fruit of your work would tend thereunto, for I must tell you, that the faithful teachers of God's Word, and the faithful Ministry, desire not your help to prosecute their cause, and the cause of the Gospel, but they trust to the Lord to be maintained, countenanced, and encouraged by him alone, who is sufficient in that cause; though it is true the false Ministers, and the Antichristian Teachers through all Christendom, for many generations, they have sought unto the Arm of Flesh to set them up, to maintain and defend them, and their Gospel and false Church; thus it is through the Pope's Dominion, and among some Protestants also, they cry unto the Magistrates, unto the Kings, and Parliaments, for the making cruel Laws to defend them, and to the Rude World they cry Help us, and save us, and defend us, by fight with carnal weapon, for Heresies and Errors and such like, and they stand in their Ministry, in their call to it, and maintenance of it, and defence in it, by the Arm of Flesh, and their Church is upheld thereby also, but this is but Antichrists way, and these are Antichrists Ministers, and his false Church hereby is defended in the world, and this shows that the weapon of the Spirit of God is wanted by them, which the Apostles had, and it is very doubtful, O ye Apprentices of London, that your Ministers have prayed you and Preached you into such a work, as that you should stand up to maintain them, and fight for them, and their Church, against such that do oppose them, but I must tell you if their defence be not in another hand then in yours, they are like to come to perpetual ruin, and their Gospel, and their Teaching, and their Sacraments, and their Church cannot stand, if they have not the Lords help more than yours. And as for the Universities which you contend for, alas many of you are ignorant concerning them, and what abomination is committed among them: oh! if you knew but the profaneness, and ungodliness, and the ill education that is among them, it would turn your zeal for them backwards, and it's not from humane Studies that the faithful Ministers of Christ come, but who are so indeed, are made so by the eternal gift of God's eternal Spirit, both in this age and in ages past, so that O ye Prentices, Be still, be still, and do not ruin yourselves and your City, by rage, and fury, and disorders, upon such a proceeding, for your ground of quarrel is not perfectly good, nor your endeavour in the cause aforesaid well accepted of the Lord.  
But if your quarrel be upon the Account, or about the matter of Church and Ministry, leave that to the Lord, and to your Ministers, that they may defend themselves, their Church, and Ordinances, and Worship, by the Spirit of God, if they have it, for that is the weapon of Ministry, Church, and Gospel-warfare, and not carnal weapons, nor the multitude of an host of men. Let your Ministers come forth in the best authority of spirit that they have, and plead the cause of their Worship, and Gospel, and Ministry like Christians, and not like Jews and Heathens; for they use carnal weapons, killing and murdering about Church and Religion, that is the Papists practices, and not the practice of the Saints; so that ye Apprentices, seeing you state your quarrel against the Army, upon the account of Church and Ministry, my advice is to you, proceed no further upon that ground, but give your trust to the Lord, for the maintaining of all things related to his own Kingdom: but the cry is, Those Sectaries, those Sectaries, away with them; your trouble seem to be concerning them lest they prevail; but wherefore are you troubled in this matter? like as if you knew not that what the Lord purposeth must come to pass; who are of God will stand, this you need not doubt, and who are not, will come to nought: and its vain for mortal man to oppose the Lords purpose. But this was the cry in days past; how did the Bishops and Prelates in their days cry against the non-conformists, as Heretics, and such like, even as the Ministers now cries against Sectaries? But consider, how did the Bishops proceed, but in being the chief cause themselves of raising war against the then non-conformists, thinking thereby to have smitten them all? but you know it proved otherwise, and as they thought to do unto others, so was it done unto them; which thing may be an example to you; for as they thought to have destroyed the then called Puritans, in like manner were themselves destroyed, and this may possibly fall upon you: therefore consider, for I tell you as an equal man between you and them, that there is more sincerity towards God, and a fear of his Name in some of them called Sectarians, then there is amongst you and your Ministers, though I do not here justify the Sectarians (so called) in all things; neither do I in every thing condemn your Ministers; but this I say and do know, if that you and your Ministers raise a war against those called Sectarians, the effect thereof will prove your own sorrow, and their advantage; so this is my advice to you, rest and be still, and that will prove your own peace and happiness. And as for the poor Soldiers which you so much hate in the City, alas you might conceive their advantage is but small which they have for their sufferings and tribulations, who have greater reason to cry out of their distresses and want of pay, than you have of want of Trading, or any thing that has yet happened to you, only there is a secret power which carries them on in opposition to you, though as for the Persons themselves they are many of them profane, and sinful as others, yet there hath been a power and presence sometimes going along with bad instruments; therefore take heed and beware lest ye oppose and gainsay the work and power of God, which his purpose is to bring to pass in this his day, who is setting up his Kingdom, in the midst of tribulations, that comes upon men.  
The second particular humbly desired by you is; the freedom and privileges of Parliaments, as being the great Charter of the People, which you account very dear unto you, and by which you hope to see (you say) a settlment in Church and State, and you humbly conceive that to be the probable means to establish the true Protestant Religion, reform the Laws, secure the Liberties, promote Learning, & e.  
Answ. Now Friends, do but truly consider, and with a humble mind, what the work of the Lord hath been in these Nations for divers years, and how he hath proceeded to overthrow, and overturn Powers and Authorities, Princes, and Rulers, and made them of no account before him, and though the instruments which God hath used in that matter in plucking down men and powers, hath been as much corrupted as those that have been overturned, and when as the measure of iniquity in one was filled up, the Lord threw that power down even as it were by the iniquity of another, and because of the oppressions of Rulers among us, the Nation hath groaned, and been left without a Comforter from any man, and could not repose confidence in its Princes and Rulers, and this was, that the Nation might look unto the Lord, and that through him they might be saved, and expect healing from him alone, and in all these overturnings you need not fear, but the hand of the Lord hath been in them, and his Arm hath suffered, and even brought these things to pass, and therefore why should you murmur against God, and be unsatisfied in what he hath done; and the Nation hath not found much freedom, no, nor any great deliverance from Parliaments, no more than it did from Kings, neither in Protectors, nor in any other hath the Nation found salvation to this day, but the Lord hath broken and confounded these one after another, and it's he alone, and not another, that must settle a happy and lasting Peace both in Church and State, and he that must establish true Religion, and reform the Laws, and secure our Liberties, and preserve our lives, and encourage all virtue, it is the Lord that will do all these things for this Nation, and it's not any other in whose hand the salvation of a person or a Nation is, and how he shall do this, and by what means, leave that to him; limit him not to the way of Parliaments, or otherways, for if the Nation can be but patiented and still, he will bring to pass these things in his day and season, for Kings, Parliaments, and Protectors, have had their day, and the Nation hath had trial what all such could do, and they have all been insufficient to save us.  
Wherefore, O Nation and City, Be still, be still, and be patiented under the hand of God which is upon you, combine not mischief one against another, nor desire the overthrow one of another, but be still be still, this is the word of the Lord to you, be at quiet in your Spirits, and wait upon the Lord to receive what he brings forth, for O ye Apprentices, and young men of London, your rude proceed in these causes will but destroy yourselves and your City, if you proceed any further, for what is a multitude of men but as briars and thorns in battle before the Lord: if he purpose a work you cannot prevent it, and if he prevent a work, its vain for you to endeavour it, these things are in the hand of the Lord, and Nations are unto him as clay in the hand of a Potter; but now I do not speak as your Enemy, for I love your City and wish it well, alack, neither will I justify the Army, nor the men that you oppose in opposition to you, for their ways are corrupted I know, and their own ends they seek, and they are for condemnation some of them, and their iniquities are fully ripe, and God will bring them down, but yet let you them alone, the Lord will deal with them, and he can execute his judgement with his own hand without you, and if you can be but quiet for a little season, it will make for your peace hereafter, but if your Spirits rage and swell, you may work misery unto yourselves, and to your City, but you cannot redeem it from misery; so do not talk of the Church, as if you would fight to uphold it, leave that to the Lord, for Christ will look to that, to govern it and preserve it out of all, and from all its Enemies, and it belongs not unto you, but that which the Lord requires of you is patience and submission to his will, and to be still to be still, till he appears with salvation and deliverance to this City and Nation, to deliver them from all oppression, and oppressors, whose coming is at hand, and blessed are all they who are found in patience at his coming.  
LONDON. 10th. Mo. 1659. E. H.  
THE END.