THE COVENANT Acknowledged by an English Covenanter: AND The manifested wants of the Common Prayer, or Divine Service, formerly used, thought the fittest for public Worship, by one, whose hearty desires are presented to all the Lovers of Peace and Truth in these Nations: AND Shall be the Prayers of a wellwisher to both, and a very much obliged Servant to all the Promoters of this Just Cause, E. M. Mason.  
LONDON, Printed for JOHN MARRIOT, and are to be sold in Fetter-lane, next door to the Golden falcon. 1660.   

To the moderate Reader or others, whose chance it may be to meet with these few leaves following.  
I Am persuaded that some men will be offended with me because I should appear upon Paper, and I desire to give them some of my weak reasons in way of satisfaction; as being an engaged Covenanter, who oftentimes have had some sad reflections upon my Spirit, for being so silent thorough fear, whether it did not make me, and divers others, accessary to the Death and blood of the late King; which thing I ever abhorred in my thoughts, he being God's Vicegerent, and by him set over us, and by him alone to be judged; who by a poor ague or grief of his distressed heart could have silenced him, but left to try us Covenanters; and also having protested to God with the rest of the Nation, in a solemn League and Covenant, not to diminish his just Power and Greatness, much less his Life; and with it such a destruction both of Church and State, which I have lived to see to my great grief; and done by professing Christians, those that Covenanted also as we did, not with Man but with the dreadful God; and for private ends, I fear, and as now it doth plainly appear by the fruits this Self-interest hath brought forth, (for the good of the whole Nation these many years.)  
Otherwhiles I have had thoughts of the words that our blessed Saviour said to his Apostles, that A Sparrow falls not to the ground without the will of God; and it was his will to bring these heavy afflictions upon the Church, State and King; As the sacred Scriptures in divers places show, how the glorious Majesty and all-commanding power of Heaven and Earth hath done for the sins of divers Nations; all whose ways and judgements are perfect Justice, and uncontrollable Truths.  
And so likewise I had thoughts at other times, of the gracious goodness of our merciful Father, in ordering a way for the Redemption of lost man, by the death and precious bloodshedding of his righteous Son, that holy Oblation: But I observe that Judas had a hand in betraying his righteous Master, for self-ends or envy, but he perished with his ill-gotten moneys, and not alone: For also in that relation I find divers persons of rank and quality, both Priests and learned people too, seeking divers ways by their Emissaries, how they might put him to death, and not without the consent of many of the Commons also, with whom they used such artifices; being Joynt-confederates, that the whole gang of them cry out, His blood be on us and on our children; and it stuck so close to them, that the whole Nation felt the sad issues of their fearful Imprecations. The good God deliver us from the same Judgements; we having slain our King, and taken possession, and banished his Posterity, toplease or share with a Party of self-interested men, in the ruins of Him, the Church, and the Nations Laws and goods, after a solemn Covenant made with hands lifted up to the most high God, and contrary to the consent of most of the whole Nations, who had no hand in his Death, nor means to prevent it, but by Weeping to see and hear what a few Armed men, and their Complices, would violently do, contrary to known Law or right, by a new-devised High Court, by them called Justice, set up by the tyrannising Sword to destroy King, Nobles and Law, to satisfy their own bloodthirsty designs.  
I have had also divers debates in my mind, about some scruples that were often there, when I could not sleep, about the Covenant, and the Hanging of it up in our Churches, as if it were a thing seriously to be performed, or as a Testimony against us, being so solemnly taken in his holy Temple, once made to the God of all the earth, who is able in a moment of time to destroy us poor crawling worms; and so earnestly pressed also upon the people by the Divines, and by them and us so little regarded, as if God were to be jested with and man's Conscience would perpetually be injured, and yet be silent or wink at such high deceiving subtleties.  
And chancing to read in the Turkish History, in the reign of Amurath the sixt King of the Turks, who seeing the great slaughter of his men, and all brought into extreme danger, 
As the Covenant is in our Churches.  and beholding the Picture of the Crucifix in the displayed Ensigns of the Christians, plucked the writing out of his bosom, wherein the League of the Christians was comprised, and holding it up in his hands, with his eyes cast up to Heaven, said:  
Behold, thou crucified Christ; This is the League thy Christians in thy name made with me, which they have without cause violated; now if thou be a God, as they say thou art, and as we dream, revenge the wrong now done unto thy Name and me, and show thy power upon thy perjured people, who in their deeds deny thee their God.  
Shortly after the Turks got the victory, and the poor Christians miserably put to the slaughter, and Julian one of the Cardinals, Author of the breach of the Christians Articles (though fled) found mortally wounded and near dead; who was sharply reproved by an eminent Christian, Gregory Sanose, but left to perish unpitied in a desert; in which fatal Battle were slain such huge numbers of men, that the hills and mountains, raised with the bones of the slain in this Battle, to this day bear witness; as saith the same Author of the Turkish History.  
Then, good Friends, what may we fear when the great God makes inquisition for blood and breach of Vows? both of the Clergy that had the charge of our souls, and should have given us true counsel, as well as of the poor Laity, who have been led as sheep to the slaughter, when the alarms have founded out of the Pulpits in the beginning of these Times, Curse ye Meroz, curse ye bitterly the Inhabitants thereof, because they came not to the help of the Lord against the mighty: 
Judges 5. 23.  and others violently reproaching the liturgy or Prayer-book of our Church, and all that owned it Malignants and Opposers of the Reformation.  
Besides, I being called, though very unfit and more unserviceable for any public duty, and voted down or turned away February 9 1659. from the discharge of our duties and Conscience enjoined by Oath, for the public service of the City, (which that hasty Vote did not dissolve.) And I humbly conceiving it might be somewhat more than man that brought things so about, that such a poor mushroom, as my unworthy self, should be at all thought on for such affairs, when divers of more knowing worth, degree and fitness were forgotten.  
But thus being put into the traces, and my dull senses lashed by divers able men's disputes, about our national and city-privileges; and hearing Mr. Barbone a just those members (in these words) now sitting to be the Parliament of England, and the same men that acted there the last Summer, and were so by the City and Nation acknowledged, and the Taxes then leavyed by them, gathered by us, and why not now being the same Parliament of England now sitting, it was a wonder to him, being lashed, as I said before, and this gentleman's words, so touching my galled Conscience, began to winch, and being pressed by its discharge, I like blind Bayard said:  
My Lord Mayor, The Gentleman that spoke last concerning the Parliament of England, as he calls the Gentlemen now sitting, surely mistakes the sense of this Court; for truly, my Lord, I am persuaded there is never a Member here but honours the Parliament of England, and will lay their hands under their feet, and sacrifice their lives and estates to do them service, and we honour these that now are set at the Stern as men of worth and quality: But, my Lord, we cannot say by these Gentlemen, though by us once freely chosen, because they were d●ssolved by the late King's death, as by Law hath been undeniably proved; but, my Lord, divers of these did desert their Trust that we reposed in them, and went to the Army, and brought in Oliver the great Oppressor to invade our Rights, and with his and their Adherents by force secluded most of our trusties, and were themselves also dissolved so by him and his Complices, though they acted with and for him a long time; and now, my Lord, your Honour and all us well know, that the same force that pulled down great Oliver's Son, set up these that now sit by the Lord Lambert's assistance, and by his force were the third time dissolved, and now by the strength of an Army are again set in power to act as our Representatives, although not new elected or chosen by us, according to our Laws and English birthrights, as hath been throughly debated in this Court by divers worthy Citizens of able knowing judgements, that intended no hurt to these Gentlemen that now sit, but the right and good of all the Nation and themselves. My Lord, this that hath now been plainly said is truth, and Truth seeks no corners, nor these Gentlemen a Parliament by us chosen.  
The substance of these words was offered at the Guild-hall in the Council of the Commons, February 8. 1659. when the Army was new come to London.  
The next Friday being the 10. of the same month, the Gates of the City were broken down, and our Posts and Chains plucked up, and divers of our Members sent Prisoners to the Tower; and our sorrowful hearts overwhelmed with grief, dreading the fearful issue following; yet trusting still in God, our alone great Deliverer, who comforting our drooping hearts by his gracious appearance in a merciful measure for us, on Saturday the II. of the same month, on which night was great joy expressed by many of the younger sort by Bonfires in every eminent street; and I doubt not but the elder sort, both Laymen and Divines, sacrificed divers humble Prayers and hearty thanks to the most high God our whole deliverer, whose heavenly smiles did then graciously glimmer upon us his poor distressed creatures; whose holy Name be eternally praised by all that fear him; whose goodness we hope will now perfect our now new begun joy.  
I have lived to see our Moses and Aaron, the defenders of our Faith and Church, with their friends and adherents suffer; and I may yet live to see the Troublers of our Peace and Church, with their Corah, Dathan, and all their Abiramists, overwhelmed, or as I desire, converted.  
Then let not our Faith fail us, but stand still and see, how our God will deliver us; and remember when his servants, the distressed Sons of Jacob, were at the brink of the Sea, and Egypt's Host fiercely pursuing, and Israel's fainting spirits sinking, and their doubtful thoughts breaking out into doleful expressions, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou brought us forth to die in this wilderness? 
Exod. 14 11.  Therefore take courage, dear Brethren, of this City, and the bottomless sea of our distrusts may become walls to our fainting spirits, and ourselves though going through these troubled seas in this night of our afflictions, we may yet stand upon the shore of safety, by the power of our God, and see these furious Conjurers and Pharaoh-like taskmasters floating upon the deep waters of Despair, helpless; for it is the same Jehovah, who saved Israel, that will deliver us; and be confident the ark of his Truth, which we trust in, will tumble down the Dagon of their Injustice, let them set it up never so often; and let us believe with faithful Abraham, that The Judge of all the earth will do right. 
Gen. 18. 25.   
I have been also often grieved to hear and see such a dull and negligent garb of public Worship as is now used in divers Churches.  
Over that reverential form of public Worship was that I had the happiness to see, before these times of Trouble and Confusion; which, if at all offensive to any, might by skilful Workmen have been handsomelier mended, than by such self-conceited Bunglers thus ill-favouredly patched up, and pestered with Sectaries of all kind of colours, as if they intended to make it like my Lord Huson's Fool: But the holy Scripture saith, When the blind lead the blind, we must needs fall into the distressed ditch of our confused Fopperies.  
The good Lord give us grace to return and humbly beg mercy through the merits of our dear Saviour, whose offended Father we have most egregiously provoked to displeasure, before his fierce deserved warth break in upon us; and seek our God in sincerity by humiliation and true imitation of the Ninevites unfeigned Fasts, and lay by our hypocritical visards with which we have so long deceived the Nation and ourselves, and walk no more by Satan's Dark-lanthorns, but revive the former pure lights that showed us the right ways to Unity in perfect forms of divine Worship; which teacheth us to pray for the Governors his goodness will be pleased to set over us, and for one another, that our Church and State may once again flourish in unity and concord, with due respect to tender Consciences that are not factious.  
And then it were but equity, if rightly considered, in my weak apprehension, for to suffer us that would join together in the praising of the Almighty glory with our interlocutory voices, in acknowledging and humbly confessing our manifold sins before the great God of Heaven and earth, Angels and Men, in his public fit-to-be-done Worship; and, because it best suits with our Consciences, and the rules of Righteousness in the holy Scripture, which saith, That At what time soever a Sinner doth repent him of his sins from the bottom of his heart, I will put away all his wickedness out of my remembrance, saith the Lord: and likewise, When two or three are gathered together in my Name, there will I be in the midst of them.  
And humbly may I say, and cannot otherwise think, but that when so many multitudes of People, at the known divine Worship of the immortal God in public, but that there be divers that worship him in Spirit and Truth, and do not conceive it an Idol-worship, (as I have heard Mr. Pernes out of his Pulpit call the Common Prayer-Book an Idol) although they knew the words they were to praise God with before they met, rather than unpremeditated disgustings; remembering the rule of a wise man, God is in Heaven and thou art on Earth; and also well knowing that The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.  
Therefore the Confession used in our well-ordered Church, that all the Congregation might bear a part in the humble acknowledgement of their many faults, meekly kneeling upon their bended knees, with holy adorations to the Almighty glory, clapping their trembling hands upon their sorrow-smitten breasts, humbly begging pardon for our manifold transgressions of him who only can grant us pardon, and hear our petitions; and most likely, when so many millions of in-sick humbled souls shall be invocating Heaven with one consent in the same words, betwixt the hours of 9 and 12. upon his days and places appointed for his public Worship in the three nations, over it is now in our Churches; when but one in a Congregation, and that what he pleaseth, and many times so low that few can hear or learn, the matter being changed so often, and many times so thin, that it slides away unheeded, and without an Absolution also of our sins, though never more need.  
Nor can I be of Mr. Pernes opinion, who directed his Auditors to pray in their Families although their folks laughed at them, when so many well-formed prayers are extant for poor Penitents to follow, without ostentation, or vain Fantasies of their own giddy brain; as that Prayer of prayers taught us by the blessed lips of our dear Redeemer, wherein all things needful at once are begged in that holy epitome, which teacheth us how to pray, and to whom, and by him commanded, When you pray, say our Father which art in Heaven, &c. and yet by divers not at all used, for what reason I never yet heard, nor can I think, unless they think it is too mean or too common for their high-gifted Fantasies, or would help the Enemy to obliterate it, that he might do us more evil. Pardon me, I pray, all you that neglect it, for it doth make the common people too too much slight it by such eminent examples.  
Nor would I be herein mistaken, as not to like and allow of voluntary prayers, which ought to be often seriously practised before publicly used by devout souls, it being the only remedy for the saddest complaints of any afflicting conscience, to make his timely addresses to his offended God, for the quieting of his sorrow-troubled soul; and was always allowed in our Churches before and after Sermons, as I have often heard before these times; and now praise be to the highest Lord, by divers rarely gifted Divines, as the Angel of the Church of St. Dunstan's, and many others, whose heavenly expressing language pours forth the dictates of the holy Spirit, filling their Auditors ears with such soul-ravishing meditations, as if the Cloven-working power had inflamed their zealous hearts with heavenly firing raptures. And it was well with us when such men steered the helm of public Worship, that being always most for God's glory: Although private Worship ought to be in great esteem, as best pleasing to God, which our blessed Saviour doth direct; those secret Closet-confessions of a broken and contrite heart, with all the sorrow-shaking throws of a distressed soul, pouring forth his saddest griefs before the heavenly throne, that only can help in time of greatest need; which our old enemy knows is likeliest to prevail with God, whose merciful goodness hath said, Come unto me all ye that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  
But the subtle betrayer of our weak performances, is apt to suggest his old cunning sophistries into our soondeluded souls, as he did our first Mother, These meditations in public, amongst the gifted Brotherhood would make thee highly esteemed and accounted wise, in letting your inspired new-tinded Lights be seen before religious men; for the most tear-melting Hypocrite, that is best able to deceive himself and others, is the Saint, that liketh him best: (Herod had the applause, that It was the voice of a God and not of a man.) 
Acts 12. 22.  For he by no means would have us take counsel of our most endearing Saviour, nor follow his examples; who often withdrew himself apart to pray unto his all-guiding God, to hold an heavenly conference with his Almighty Father about the great work of our Redemption; and he hath also directed us To enter into our closets to pray in secret to our heavenly Father, where we should unburthen our sin-guilty souls with the groans of his heavenly Spirit, nowhere else so sufficiently to unfold our troubled minds and the distresses of our dejected spirits, before a powerful forgiving God, who knows the secret thoughts of our deceitful hearts, before our tongues or brinish tears unfold our shameful griefs, not fit for others ears to hear. Nor can such grief-expressing moans be made by a truly Penitents throbbing breast in public, but our old enemy will be distracting our thoughts with his subtle delusions, which spoil the meditation of the serious prayers that we poor weaklings can perform in the sight of others. The Lord preserve us from his treacheries, whose whole work is to deceive us.  
Therefore a known form of public Worship, that all may use, is surely requisite: For may we not observe by the vile things now done by divers, what want there hath been of the due observance of the great commands of the everliving God, delivered upon Mount Sinai by the voice of the powerful Master, when the Heaven-shaking thunders made the earth to tremble, and Jacob's whole posterity to quake to hear what indignations the wilful breakers of these Heaven-given Laws should be punished with; yet now for more than 12. years in divers Congregations not read to the people nor observed, as our duty binds us: whereby our transgressions (we may observe) are multiplied, our great God's commands too much dishonoured, and by many falsely worshipped, his Name violently taken in vain by our too too many Oaths and breaches of Covenants, and hypocritical Fasts, breaking of Sabbaths, marching of armed men all days alike, dishonouring our Magistrates and Parents, murdering our King, Priests and Commons, odious Adulteries used among us, and many false Witnesses for Sequestrations, and unneighbourly dealings too frequently used amongst us, and too covetous of all manner of our Neighbours goods.  
But when those heavenly-breathed Petitions were poured out by all the Congregation to the Almighty glory, Lord have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this Law; and also, Lord have mercy upon us, and write all these thy Laws in our hearts we beseech thee; O what acclamations of joy those men breathed Petitons made against the walls of heaven, and entered into the holy ears of the Almighty; which by experience we may and aught to know, when his holy, glorious blessings preserved our governors and Nation with tranquillity and peace, both from domestic and foreign foes, for many score years together, when those forms of public Worship were continued, wherein all had a share: But our old enemy (with his busy instruments, who were long ago about to slight this work) knew well, that as long as God was so worshipped by those constant forms of so well an instructing Church, his labours were to no end: But at last he found Feoffees indeed he could trust, who with their schismatic hammers and destroying Pickaxes of Division would now up with Root and Branch, and take the Bramble for the Vine, whose government he well knew would sufficiently scratch both Church and commonwealth, into the sad condition he long ago wished for, as ourselves and the distressed poor stripped Sons of the Church by woeful experience can testify.  
But since the constant Prayers for all occasions of our well-ordered Church were put out of use, how hath all things looked like the Antipodes, as if a Chaos of confusion had infatuated all our Councils and actings, that nothing cometh to good: And since the Pale of our distressed Zion and National Government was broken down by our schismatic Factions, England, Scotland and Ireland have all suffered a just deserved affliction, by the loss of uniformity in Prayer for Magistrates and people: And also those unhappy hands who set about this fatal work, in making way for the Church of Rome to unkennel her subtle Foxes to destroy ours, with the help of our long tusked boars with their basket-hilted swords, who have rooted out and thrown down the Vineyard, and laid waste the inheritance of our dear Mother, and are like to destroy the rest of her tender plants, if God in mercy prevent it not. But God's divine vengeance, whose judgements have fallen upon divers of them, our eyes have seen, that are rolled into their graves with reproach, and their names recorded in infamy for after-Ages to abhor, that nulled these heavenly petitions, From Plague, Pestilence and Famine, from Battle and murder, and from sudden death, Good Lord deliver us. From all sedition and privy conspiracy, from all false doctrine and heresy, from hardness of heart and contempt of thy Word and Commandments. Good Lord deliver us: the which in all likelihood by our humble addresses, and with our hearty united prayers, and truly compunctious tears to his heavenly Majesty, might have moved our gracious God to have had compassion on us, and our King and all his people, which now lie languishing in woeful distresses, because we have rejected those usual means, by which for many years his gracious goodness was pleased to deliver our Land and Governors from Plague, Famine, and intestine Wars, and from factious Schisciomites.  
What a decent sight it was to see the people so reverently worshipping the mighty Lord, when they warbled forth with joint consent, O come let us sing unto the Lord, let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our Salvation; and those eternal dues from all the Earth, in the Landamus, We praise thee, O God, we acknowledge thee to be the Lord, &c. that all the people, both young and old, rich and poor, are in duty bound reverently to worship the Father everlasting, whose infinite Majesty gloriously commands all the whole world: And yet we poor Underlings, the sinful Sons of Adam, must be tongue-tied, and may not bear a part in those heavenly Hallelujahs to our most gracious preserver and powerful Redeemer, because a few of our tender-conscienced brethren will not allow us that freedom to discharge our eternally obliged duties without offending them, who under the name of Liberty of Conscience do manage all kind of mischiefs; 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉  witness the direful Petition Febr. 9 1658.  
When these decent Orders were used in our well-disciplined Church, with what reverence did my eyes behold both old and young adore their holy Maker, and since this named Reformation, how unreverently do most demean themselves in his sacred Temples, the place of his divine worship, where children, boys and unmannerly servants clap on their hats before their Masters, Magistrates, Ministers, Judges and all degrees of men, and yet forbear it at home, but presume to affront God with as much unhandsome worship as the Reformation is pleased to suffer to avoid Superstition. When I have observed in inferior Courts, as at Sessions and elsewhere in cooler air before men, only earthly Judges and upon wooden benches, highly reverenced, as if it were some great fault to be covered before them, who are but the Keepers of the laws of Men, when our everliving God, who made the glorious heavens, with all the mighty vast moveables, who keep their course for the observation of times and seasons, ever since the Creation, with the massy globe we trample upon, which he hath hung in the air by the power of his all-commanding word, with the proud waves of the great Deep, who keep their violent ebbings and flowings in their appointed channels, round the circumference of the earth with admiration and wonder: And yet this infinite incomprehensible all-powerful God, that giveth us all good things here, and eternal life hereafter, is so unhandsomely served by us his poor creatures, and may not be suffered without offence (forsooth) to tender Consciences to use our dear Mothers decent dressings in her humble ornaments to do her divine adorations to this glorious King, for fear of ushering in Superstition; as if rational men might not teach their children and servants such respective observations in holy worship (to our great God, before whom the Cherubims and glorious Angels tremble when they come before him) as in civility we do to one another, and before our earthly Judges which die like men.  
And why those decent postures of humbly kneeling when the Sacrament is received, and those known prayers fitted for that posture said, as The body of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for thee, &c. and likewise those agonizing words, The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ which was shed for thee, &c. all those known prayers used by all the Communicants, to keep the evil one from hindering our serious meditations, and humble invocations upon our bended knees, whiles others were singing those hallowed Hymns, while the holy sacrificed Oblation was remembringly performed by all the believing Communicants; over that that I have seen of late by divers, who are very observant to see how the deliverer prays and receives, whilst divers are at gaze to see what others do, more than seriously I fear to consider the great work we are about which brings life or death. Truly I like not the new way though performed by able men, but will have none but their select permitted, when they cannot see into the hearts of men more now, than the inspired Apostles could, who charged us to examine ourselves upon great penalties. The people would indeed go up to Jerusalem to worship, after the accustomed manner, and Jeroboam would devise a new way to restrain their old way of Sacrificing, but it became a fault, I pray God it may be none to our Restrainers from the usual Sacraments.  
Likewise, I have wondered why the Birth of our blessed Saviour should not be solemnised, (as formerly it was) by as wise and learned men as are now, to keep in memory a day for his birth; since God so miraculously, and of his own goodness, hath been pleased to discover how our God was made man, and that holy born man made God to redeem us, and therefore in my weak judgement fit to be kept in perpetual memory to all generations of Christian men, until the Resurrection, when there will be no distinction of Gods: At last I did conceive it was the old enemy of man's happiness, that would obliterate the great God's birthday, under some reforming pretence, that in time he might bring in Infidelism, and by degrees damp the light of the holy Scriptures, the great work he is now about; the Lord prevent him with the birth of our dear Saviour whom he would have forgotten: Then let him alone to bring several gods amongst us, as Ashteroth, Molech, Mahomet, or any of those heathenish Baboons; but God, who is always good to his, is now raising up one instrument or other to keep the memory of his holy child's birth on foot, as may be spoken to his glorious honour, and the immortal praise of that virtuous Lady Parthenia Lowman, who hath given to St. Dunstan's west, and two or three adjacent parishes 100 l. apiece, the improvement whereof she hath ordered to be given to glad the hearts of the Poor upon the birthday of our blessed Lord, with a commemoration-Sermon also to continue his sacred memory to all succeeding generations.  
What offence likewise to any did that soul-ravishing Emphasis and general applause of all the Congregation to the honour of our most endearing God, Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the holy Ghost, &c. fit to be acknowledged and used by all the sincere Worshippers of God throughout the whole world. And this interlocutory Doxology holy David did allow, and sure his judgement was right, being by testimony of holy Writ, A man after God's own heart, when he breaks forth into holy raptures in Psal. 67. Let all the people praise thee, O God, let all the people praise thee; and with this promised blessing, ver. 6. Then shall the Earth bring forth her increase, and God, even our God, shall give us his blessing. To speak the very truth, there are so many holy sentences, and heavenly ejaculations, and divine prayers for all occasions, that it makes my amazed soul to wonder and tremble, that we should neglect, nay with contempt slight and cast out, such a well-framed form of public worship, that instructed the simple and unlearned to rightly worship God, by her constant rules of public worship. But I have done: This is a work indeed for some angelic Orator, to let us ignorant know the heavenly use might be made of such a mercy we once enjoyed, though now slighting that Manna so wisely provided for us.  
Having thus cast in my two poor inconsiderable Mites, the one for the Liberties of my native Country, the other for my dear Mother the distressed Church of England in these troublesome times: I hope my friends will sparingly censure the weak smokings of this smothering flax; and for my foes to this just cause and me, the good Lord forgive them and pardon me, in time of greatest need (if any trouble come) for thus discharging my Conscience as being a Covenanter and loving well-willer to the Church and State. Pardon me also, I pray you, ye great learned lights of the Church, for thus presuming to offer with my roughhewing hands and unpollished Pen, in touching things so far above my feeble reach, (and with the greatest, accept of the will for the deed) you know the poor widow would cast into the Treasury all that she had; and it was the poor Shepherds, inconsiderable persons, I humbly conceive, that had the happiness to see that heavenly sight of the blessed choir of Angels, when they proclaimed Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will towards men; yea their poor ears had the honour to hear that unexpressible soul-ravishing mirth, that that Hierarchy of Angels made at the birth of our dear mother's newborn bridegroom: And we poor weaklings would heartily rejoice to hear and see the Church again comforted; therefore I hope you will excuse me, poor despicable worm, (and with humble reverence I'll but remember you) A Carpenter was dry Nurse to the holy Son of the most high God; and divers mean men have had a hand in repairing of Churches though they could not perfect them; and I am confident the Church with her decencies and truths will again be in high esteem with moderate men, when these foggy mists of our misled understandings are dispersed, as God hath already begun to manifest his divine power after his own way, 
The wicked fly when none pursue.  without one blow strucken by man as yet, and many of the opposers of Church and State nonplused or amazedly astonished and vanished; and a great part of that prophesy uttered by the late King performed, and all the rest of it hasting by divine justice to be made known to all the world, as in the King's Book of his prophecies is foretold:  
Nor will he suffer those men long to prosper in their Babel, who build it with the bones, and cement it with the blood of their Kings. I am confident they will find avengers of my death amongst themselves▪ the injuries I have sustained from them shall be first punished by them, who agreed in nothing so much as in opposing me. Their impatience to hear the loud cry of my blood, shall make them think no way better to expiate it than by shedding theirs, who with them most thirsted after mine; who have cause to fear, that God will both further divide, and by mutual vengeance afterwards destroy. 
{non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, page 179.  A great part of which prophecy hath already been manifested to the observers of it, and the rest expected.  
But let us the lovers of Zion and her sacred-truths, that have had the hateful names of Malignants, &c. cast upon us, move like sober men that truly fear God, and desire no revenge, but the love of our Brethren that have been too much misled by fanatic humours, (for love covereth a multitude of sins) whereof we are all guilty, and remember it is said 2 Sam. 24. The anger of the Lord was moved against Israel, and he movedDavid to number Israel and Judah; and Israel was punished, but the holy-hearted King, when he saw the people in perplexity, cried out, Lo I have sinned, and I have done wickedly, but these sheep what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me and my father's house: And how did our dear slain Sovereign, that meek Christian and tender-hearted King, imitate that holy forespoken-of King, when he said pag. 142. aftertimes may see what the blindness of this Age will not, and God may at length show my Subjects, that I chose rather to suffer for them than with them. Haply I might redeem myself to some show of liberty if I would consent to enslave them; I had rather hazard the ruin of one King, than to confirm many Tyrants over them, from whom I pray God deliver them, what ever becomes of me.  
Here was his Christian Charity showed indeed, whose blessed Soul, I confidently believe, is crowned in eternal bliss, and enjoys that full happiness there, that was but promised To be be made Glorious here: But his Martyrdom will make his Name renowned to all generations to come, and his Murderers as infamous to all succeeding Ages.  
FINIS.