The Julian Ship Or Paul's Transportation to Rome.  
Who Shall Seprateus Roms.  
Repent And Believ The Gospel.  
Were I a Julius, J' de Choose a Wrack with Paul▪  
Rather Then Caesar's ' Seat, Or Crown Jmperiall  
F.H. 〈…〉    

The Explanation of the Frontispiece.  
THE Ship's the Popish Crew, which would Transport the Realm.  
Paul's the Church Reformed; Aristarch, his Royal Friend at Helm.  
Julius the Roman Captain, Proud Nero's Minister.  
Luke, Paul's Evangelist, and Historiographer.  
The Ship may Split with Plots, The Wind's Conspire her Doom.  
To Paul, and to his Faithful Friends, no harm, no loss, not of an hair shall come.   

Mirmah, Maromah, Maroum.  
Three Discourses by the same Author, concerning Romish and Protestant Witnesses, peculiarly in Relation to the Popish Plot discovered, Anno 1678. and containing a New and certain Discovery of the Pope's being the Antichrist, whose Number of his Name is 666. And of the Destruction of Rome. To be sold by Ben. Billingsley at the Printing-Press in Cornhill.   

THE Julian SHIP: OR Paul's Transportation TO ROME. A Discourse on ACTS 27.15. Made on March 20, 1681/80, the Sunday before the Last Parliament's Meeting at Oxford.  
By WIL RAMSAY Esq B. D. And then Lecturer in Isleworth in Middlesex.  
Printed because of false Breviat's, spread about in CITY and COUNTRY to Traduce the Author as FANATICAL; but who as a Preacher of PEACE, did always Commend and Improve these following Texts.  Rom. 12.9. 
Let Love be without Dissimulation.  Ver. 16. 
Be of the same Mind one towards another.  Gal. 5.15. 
If ye by't and devour One-another, take heed that ye be not consumed One of another.  1 Pet. 2.17. 
Honour all Men. Love the Brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the King.  
LONDON, Printed for Benj. Billingsley, at the Printing-Press in the Piazza of the Royal Exchange in Cornhill. 1681.   

TO THE GENTRY AND CLERGY.  
Gentlemen, and Brethren,  
I Have a Necessity, and assume the Liberty to salute you both under One Title, and in One Epistle, assuring myself, that I shall find no less measure of Candour and Love, than of Censure and Judgement from you both. I cannot fear but the English Nation, however debauched the Age may be, affords a glorious Host of right Spirited Men, who keep their Ancient station of true Honour and Piety, and are always ready with Courage and Cheer to defend the Rights of both, against that vile Scum of the boiling times, men who seek gain from Infamy, from Infamy inherent in themselves, and from spots of infamy which they itch to rub upon others, especially on such whose integrity is vital, and has an active Influence, and renders every base thing Odious.  
I willingly take my refuge to you, that the world may know, how much I abhor the baseness of a false Spirit. This I must do, not for my private right only, but for the right of my Name, whereof I am chief in England (and I think it no whit degraded by my Ministry, or by any Sufferings for it) which was never stained with the least spot of Disloyalty or Dishonour, and shall never be spo●ted by any Degeneracy of mine. It has been signalised with most Royal marks of Honour, witness the Right hand in my Scutcheon with this Motto, Hac dextra Vindex Principis & Patriae, for which I have the Broad Seal of England. In Our late Sovereign's Wars, My Father spent a considerable Estate in raising forces for the Royal Aid, and the Remainder was so engaged, that I now suffer a total loss of it; yet I repent not, but readily spend myself in his Majesty's Service, in which I am most unworthily misrepresented by some. I hazarded my life in three sharp engagements in Ship with the Earl of Ossory, who honoured me with his favour ever after, and Letters, and Title of his Chaplain, and by his Lordship's commendation I was placed in a very beneficial portion of the Church in the Island of Barbadoes, where I laboured in the Indian Fires four years, planted Conformity, silenced the Quakers, after many public Combats, and bodily dangers, reduced hundreds to the Church, and returned not till forced for want of health, resigning freely a living of three hundred per annum. For all which, I have the Testimony of Sir Jonathan Atkins his Majesty's most Worthy Governor there, and his ever most Loyal and approved Martialist, whose Chaplain I went.  
Since my return, finding two Enemies of Church and State, Popery and Dissension, I have most hearty and laboriously opposed both, and that, as I am persuaded, with the most proper means: and if any man, of whatsoever side, can inform me better, I shall instantly embrace his instruction. I could never persuade myself, that railing against Mr. Calvin, or against Geneva, or blowing out anger and Passion, and sounding forth persecution against Dissenters, was or can ever be a proper means to do any good. On the Contrary, I have found by certain Trial and by many Experiments of ten years' time, that Apostolical Moderation, and Peaceable Persuasion with those Arguments of peace which the Gospel most abundantly affords, is an effectual way to reduce the most to Unity. And having followed this way more strictly above two years in Thistleworth Parish, I found no small number of Dissenting and Dissatisfied Souls won to a hearty and frequent Communion, even at the Table of Love.  
But this very thing, that many fanatics (as they spoke) followed me, became as a Crime, and some busy Sycophants turned Informers, at Court and Cathedral, that I led a Faction, and made the Church a Meetinghouse; and they carried on this Calumny so close and clandestinely that I could not suspect it, till I found myself supplanted, and scarce then could I beat out the business.  
I therefore now declare to the Whole Church, that I never used any unlawful means or persuasion, nor the least Disloyal motive, to make a Congregation, or to gain the favour of any person, much less of a party. I Conformed entirely to the Church of England in all things, especially in the Doctrine of the 39 Articles. I used no means to gain applause of any, but Christian Moderation, as becomes a Preacher of the Gospel. And I dare confer above 200 Sermons which I Preached in Isleworth Church, for as Practical and Seasonable and Loyal Discourses, as any other man has Preached, or as the times required. The only Sermons which are objected against me are this present and three more already printed: and I was constrained to print this of St. Paul's Voyage, for some had spread in City and Country most false and scandalous Breviates, which were not taken from my mouth, as themselves confess, but were made in Company afterwards from weak Memories and Unsound Heads, and with what ingredient of Prejudice and Malice, I leave to God and others to Judge. I therefore desire to be excused, as Printing it altogether upon constraint, to avoid or avert, or at least to allay a greater evil of Mis-reputation.  
I also entreat, that my design in Preaching that Sermon may be understood, which appears from the final drift of it, which was to move the People to most earnest Prayer, that God would Unite Our King and his Parliament, contrary to the manifest endeavours of the Papists. For I always esteemed it the most dangerous and chief part of the Popish Plot to disturb the close Union and sweet Agreement of the King and his Parliament, without which neither Our Church, nor our State can Flourish or Prosper. And without doubt this is One of his Majesty's greatest Griefs, as his most gracious Declaration does intimate, that he was constrained to make so many Dissolutions and so short Sessions. As for the Reasons or Political Causes of these, I always thought them above the Sphere of a private Man. But, as our Enemies rejoice in these things, I think we ought all to mourn, and to beg of God with public and private Prayers and most unanimous Supplications, that he will please in due season to unite and strengthen the States of the Realm.  
As to my other three Sermons, of Mirmah, Maromah, and Maroum, the matter of them being wholly new (though the assertion Ancient and Orthodox) I judged it necessary to print them to prevent the strange Accounts which many gave of them. The Assertion is this, That the Popish Principles and Practices maketh Witnesses of the late Plot most Credible, that the Evidence of things has been so great that we ought to believe the Matter of Fact, if not with a Divine Faith, at least with all the Assurance of a Humane and Moral Faith: That the Pope is the Antichrist, that very Apocalyptical Beast, the Number of whose Name is 666. That the next thing to be fulfilled, in the Apocalyptical Order of the seven Vials, is the fiery destruction of Rome, that the time is very near; and in most probable account to be fulfilled in this Generation or Century.  
These things, as to the Assertion, are agreeable to all Reformed Divines of Note; especially the Ancient Divines and Bishops of England, and of King James his time. Yet I wonder to hear some Murmur, as if now Divines were better informed of the Pope, and cannot think him a Beast or the Antichrist: if any Divine be so persuaded, My Sermons are the more necessary for his sake. As for the matter in which I handle and prove these assertions, which is the Name of Maroum, and that singular Prophecy of Isaiah, chap. 24.21. I think that matter was never touched before to the same purpose, and I think the Name of Antichrist, to which that Number belongs, was never discovered before, though thousands of brains have been busy in search of it; and I think the discovery I made, is the Divine truth, and that Wisdom of God, which St. John commends to every man that hath understanding, Rev. 13.18. which ought not to be kept hid.  
Wherefore I again commend those Discourses to the Whole Church of God, as being of great Consequence and of comfortable Use, especially in these times. And I do this again, with the more earnest heart, because I have found of a Truth, that the discovery is sound and effectual and triumphs over all contradiction and dispute. Neither let any man despise it for my Person, for God did wonderfully call me from mine infancy to this profession, the first of my Family that was of it: and I have spent above thirty years in the Study of Languages and Sciences, but chief of the holy Scriptures which I have known from a Child, and to which as the chief means I ascribe (next to the Grace of Jesus Christ) my Faith and Knowledge of Salvation.  
In fine, I desire the Favour and Civility of all ingenuous men, not to suffer the abuses of idle and empty Talkers, much less the injuries of busy, pragmatical Sycophants, to lessen that Just Reputation of Godly Sincerity and Loyalty, which (as all my Name before me) I pursue and hope to possess by due and proper means, as being with cordial Affection and unshaken Constancy,  
Gentlemen and Brethren, Your faithful Brother and Servant in Christ Jesus, W. Ramsay. Thistleworth, Nou. 14, Anno Christi 1681.   
ACT. 27.15. 
And when the Ship was caught, and could not bear up into the Wind, we let her drive.  
THE Trope is frequent in Scripture, that the Church is Typed by a Ship. As by Noah's Ark, Gen. 6. By the Ship in the midst of the Sea, Mat. 8.23. and 14.24. and Rev. 8.9. Churches are called Ships. And the body of every Church is called its Nave. So the Now-Church of England seems to be aptly represented by this Ship of St. Paul in the Text, which being caught with a Tempestuous Wind, called Euroclydon, could not bear up into Wind; but was driven at the mercy of the Master of the Winds. This will appear by all the Circumstances related of this Ship in this present Chapter. Only I must first premise,  
That the Now-Church of England may be taken,  
First, In a Common sense, as it includes all called Protestants: Or,  
Secondly, In a select sense, as it includes only true Protestants.  
Thirdly, In a Malignant sense, as it includes only Papists or Popishly affected Ones. Or,  
Fourthly, In a National sense, as it includes all English Subjects. We shall use it sometimes in One, sometimes in another sense, as the Circumstances require.  
The Circumstances are principally five, 

1. What Persons aboard?  
2. Whither Bound?  
3. What Built?  
4. What Course?  
5. What Wind?    
1. The Persons Aboard, are of three sorts. 

1. We find Paul and Luke and Aristarchus, ver. 1,  
2. Paul was the great Apostle and Doctor of the Nations.   Luke was the great Evangelist and Scribe of the Holy Gospel. Aristarchus was a Noble Macedonian, and a Zealous Christian of Thessalonica, who Travelled with St. Paul, and St. Luke, to defray their Temporal Charges, to guard them from Injuries, and to help them in all things for the Gospel's sake. These three Persons represent unto us the Now-Church of England in the select sense, Apostolical and Evangelical.  
Aristarchus, interpreted, signifies a most Excellent Prince, as is our Most Gracious and Sovereign Defender of the Faith, whom God preserve, and by him and with him, Our Paul and our Luke. Aristarchus may also represent unto us whatsoever Wise and Christian Statesman or Patriot, who for his Faithfulness to his Country, is as a Noble Macedonian; and for his Zeal in Religion, and Aid to the Protestant Ministry, is as a Pious Thessalonian. Also Thessalonica was the Metropolis of Macedonia, and had its Name from its Victories: so it may represent our Great and Victorious City of London, whose Victory now shines over and out of the Fires of her Enemies. In fine, every Protestant Citizen and Countryman is a Religions Macedonian or Thessalonian in the ship of St. Paul, Guarding and Attending Our Paul, Our Luke, Our Aristarchus, Our Church, Our Gospel, Our Government.  
A second sort of Persons we find, ver. 1. and 42. Julius a Centurion, the Commander of the ship, with his Soldiers of Augustus' band: to which we may join, the Pilot and Master of the Ship, with the Sailors and Mariners and the whole Ships Crew, ver. 11. and 30. These represent the Church of England in the Malignant sense, that is, the Popish Church, or Romish Party among us. For Julius was the Minister of the Roman Emperor, who then was the Cruel Nero, and, together with the other Pagan Emperors, is by St. John called The Red Dragon, because made Red with the Blood of Christians: Which Red Dragon gave his Power and Seat and great Authority to the Beast, the Pope, Rev. 13.1, 2. Then Julius the Centurion aptly represents every Popish Power, or Civil Romish Minister among us; and his Soldiers the Popish Laity, Hirelings or Pensioners, or whatsoever Popish instruments or helps. The Pilot and Master, and Ships-Crew, represent more properly the Popish Clergy with their Adherents, and all that are Popishly affected. In Relation to the present great Popish Plot; Julius imports the Chief Civil-Agent therein; the Pilot and Master, the Chief-spiritual Ones. Only mark, This Julius was no Caesar, and we pray God avert such a Judgement from us, that ever any Caesar should be such a Julius.  
There was a third sort of persons in the Ship. There were with Paul, certain other Prisoners, ver. 1. These, joined with St. Paul and his Company, may represent the Church of England in the Common sense, as it includes all that are called Protestants. But if we take all these sorts of persons together, that is, all that are Aboard the ship, they represent the Church of England in the National sense, that is, the whole English Nation. So much for the first Circumstance, who are Aboard?  
The second Circumstance is, Wither bound? We need not hale them. For we may read afar off, as it were in their Forecastle, in the greatest Characters, ver. 1. It was determined that we should sail into Italy. It was determined that the Whole Nation of us, The Now-Church of England in the largest sense, should go to Rome. Julius the Commander of the Ship had received Commission for this, which he durst not neglect or disobey; for he could not answer such a default before his Lord, Augustus Nero. It was determined (the Chap. before) by Porcius Festus, by King Agrippa, and by Bernice, that we should all sail into Italy to Rome, that we should all be shipped together and transported to Popery. The French Agrippa, and the Pompous Berenice, were thus kind unto us. And what was Father le Cheese, Agrippa's Consessor, but a well fed Porcius Festus? And was not Coleman at least, their most humble Julius? Have we not the Letters of his Commission taken from his own hands and confessed with his own Mouth? in which it was fully determined, that we should all sail into Italy. That the whole Nation of us should serve Augustus Nero, or the Beast in his stead. That the beast should receive his power again over us, which alas! he has lost so long. That we should worship him with a new Zeal, and that for his sake we should set up his Image over us, that is, a Popish power; in which we need fear nothing, but two things. An Arbitrary Rule to destroy our bodies, that is, our Lives and Liberties at Pleasure: and an Antichristian Religion to destroy our Souls of Necessity. This is the second circumstance. It was determined we should sail into Italy.  
The third Circumstance is, of What built the Ship, or, whence the Ship? We find it ver. 2. First, we entered into a ship of Adramyttium. The Original Word, is Chadermouth, which the Greeks mollifying, pronounce Adramuttion. It's compounded of Chader, a Conclave or privy Room, and Mouth, Death. So that the ships name was, the Conclave of Death, as if we would call it Portmouth, the Port of Death; Mouth signifying Death in the Hebrew. Therefore this ship of St. Paul doth rightly represent unto us that ship of the Plot which was built in the Jesuits Conclave; or, which is all One, in the Conclave of Rome, to us the Conclave of Death. For there we were all shipped for death, both Bodily and Spiritual, Temporal and Eternal. Our Enemies had made themselves sure of us. Their ship was so well built, their plot was so well laid, that they counted us as much their Prisoners, having got us into their Chadermouth, as Julius accounted Paul and his Fellows his Prisoners, when he had put them into this ship of Adramyttium. I dare engage my Life for a Sacrifice, says Coleman to Porcius Festus, if we succeed not &c. And his Word was made true, but not to his own Mind. But mind now, whom had they shipped in this ship of Death? Not only Paul and Luke, but also Aristarchus our Sovereign Lord, the best of Princes; and with him, every Noble Macedonian, every faithful Patriot; every Christian Thessalonian, every zealous Citizen and Protestant. Thessalonica itself, they devoted to the Flames. They succeeded in that: they burned our fairest Protestant City: but she coming victorious with double Glory out of the midst of the Popish Furnace, she proved herself a Thessalonica indeed. In a word, the Whole Nation was put into this ship, their Chadermouth, to be transported to Rome or Death or Hell: yet Paul and Luke and Aristarchus, that is, only Our chief and best Ones, were marked out for presents to Nero, for sacrifices to his holy power. And we shall see wonders in their Rescue. For see we,  
The fourth Circumstance, what course the ship steers? Not what course the Commander had devised, or the Sailors. For than we had all been undone, and carried to Rome before this. For ver. 2. They meant to sail by the Coasts of Asia, in which coasts was Built that Adramyttion, that Portsmouth, that door of death which was prepared for us, there they had chalked out an infallible way of destruction for us all. But God regarded his servants in this Ship: and for his Church and Gospels-sake he steered his Paul, and his Luke another way. He brought them first to Sidon, to Agrippa's Confederates, and gave Paul favour even in the eyes of Julius, and no few friends in Sidon, ver. 3. So God raised us up friends to help us from amidst our Death-plotting Enemies. From Sidon, Julius thought to sail strait to Myra: he mistook it for a Roman word, and thought to work wonders in a moment. But the God of Paul countermanded the Winds, and steered them under Cyprus, and over the Sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, ver. 4, 5, led them a way which they thought not of, for the way of the wicked the Lord turned upside down, Psal. 146.9. at length by his permission they came to Myra in Lycia: where this first ship, having served Paul more than Julius, finished its course. So has our God made the Popish Plotters to serve most wonderfully the Gospel's turn, even while they sought to destroy it. The Parallel of this first ship seems to reach as far as the matter of Toleration, procured by Our English Julians: by which they doubted not to Hobgoble us all, to ship us and transport us, as so many stockfish, and to sell us to Rome at what rate they pleased. But that ship, their Chadermouth failing them,  
The sacred History tells us, ver. 6. That at Myra in Lycia, Julius found a ship of Alexandria, sailing into Italy, and put us therein. Myra, from the Greek is interpreted a place of Myrrh; and Lycia a place of Wolves. Myrrh is a funeral Odorament, and the Wolves of our Land are the Plotters of Rome. Then Myra in Lycia was that funeral Consult of Wolves, that is, of the Jesuits: in which they had bound up together as in a funeral Bundle, the sacred Life of our King, with the lives of our Paul's, of our Luke's, of all our Aristarchus', of every noble Macedonian, of every zealous Thessalonian among us. This was their Alexandria, in which they thought to conquer all. In this ship, says St. Luke ver. 7. We sailed slowly many days, over-against Cnidus, under Crete, over-against Salmone, and after much ado, came to the fair havens, nigh whereunto was the City of Lasea. Of these places, Observe, First of Crete, Tit. 1.12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, etc. The Cretans are always Liars, evil Beasts, Idle-bellies. Cnidus interpreted imports the Art of slandering, Salmone of flatterring, Lasea of Fraud, subtle, and foxlike Circumvention. All these put together, lying, slandering, flattering, fraud, subtlety, dissimulation, circumvention, represent unto us the Mystery of Jesuitism, with which (as with the Devil's Compass) they steered their Alexandria, sailing slowly many days, till with much ado they came to the fair Havens of some vain and presumptuous hopes.  
For in the height of their Alexandrian hope, behold what befell them and their Alexandria: Their wicked, horrid and plagiary design against Paul and Luke and Aristarchus, against King and Church and State, was strangely discovered and brought into light. And our gracious Paul according to his excellent spirit advised our Julius and his Company to desist and proceed no farther. His Reasons you have ver. 9, 10. First, that the time of sailing was now spent, and sailing was very dangerous. For the Jewish Fast of September was over, at which time of year, Our Popish Plot was fully discovered. Paul also told them, that the event of a farther Voyage would be with much hurt and damage not only of lading and ship, but also of their lives. This discovery being made, and that by the help of their own Confederates, was surely sufficient to make them desist, had not more than a devilish wickedness wholly possessed and overruled them. But mark the devilish Obduracy of the Popish Clergy.  
For ver. 11, 12. The Pilot and Master of the ship with the Company of Sailors and Seamen, that is, the Popish Clergy, Cardinals, Provincials, and other Jesuits and Priests suffered not Julius to hearken to Paul; but gave him all hopes of the best success, and that they might yet obtain their purpose, and find a commodious Haven to winter in, even Phenice in Crete. In this they all joined Votes and Voices, and prevailed with Julius that he consented to them, and would not hearken to Paul, and so their design for Phenice was concluded. What this Phenice in Crete imports, is not hard to unridle. Crete, as St. Paul told us, is the famous seat of Liars; and Phenice, that especially which is in Crete, is famous for that credit, which the Romans themselves call fidem Punicam, Phenicean credit, which never fails to fail. Then Phenice in Crete, is lie in lie, plot in plot, fraud upon fraud, a plot of plots. This was the Popish Alexandrian plot. They resolved and it was determined, that although their Chadermouth failed, yet their Alexandria should not. The result of the Consult was to deny, and abjure the discovered plot with such impudence, that Heaven and Earth could not possibly believe: and not only so, but their Resolution was this, while they denied their own plot with a Cretian lie, that at the same time they would lay a worse plot at the Protestant door with a Phenician lie. This was their Phenice in Crect. And this was a very cunning and subtle Haven for them to Winter in. Therefore ver. 12. This Haven is said to lie toward the South-west and North-West: that is, in the form of an half Moon, within which their Alexandria might have wintered safe and secure from all Wind and Wether, and could they have got in here, they had saved themselves, and had carried us all, Our Paul's, our Luke's, and our Aristarchus', Our Church and State to Rome. But God forbade such a thing: yet they went very far toward it; they sailed very fair for it a while, with a fair south-gale. For as you have ver. 13. The southwind blew softly upon them, and supposing they had obtained their purpose, losing from the fair havens, they sailed close by Crete, their beloved land, sed praevenit jactum anchorae Deus. But  
It was not long, till ver. 14. There arose against them a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. This was the breath of Jehovah our God, which blew our Enemies from their expected port, from their refuge of Lies, from their dear Phenice, and saved us from their base Phenician designs: which we consider with astonishment to the praise of Providence in the  
Fifth Circumstance, how they wind? What is that Euroclydon? Many read it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉: and so the Latin renders it Euro-aquilo. The North-East wind. The Word seems to import much of the American Hurricane in it, which rising in the East, Whirls towards the North, and thence to the West, and gathering force round the Compass, comes to its fullest mischief in the South. However this is certain, it was Eurotyphonicus. was a sudden Violent, Tempestuous and Mighty Wind rising from the East, with which their Alexandria was so caught, that she could not bear up into the Wind, but was violently beaten from the desired Phenice. Now this disappointment was wonderful in our eyes. For they had brought their ship in sight of their Phenice, they had a fair soft south-gale for a time, they thought they had obtained their purpose, they had wiped their mouths clean of the Plot, as if it had never touched their Lips, they denied it, they abhorred it, they cursed it, they abjured it to very Death, they got Martyrs, not a few, zealous Martyrs for their Lie, they had made ridiculous, odious, infamous, all that should mutter against them; the Discoverers of the Plot were made the Plotters; Our Pawles, our Luke's, our Aristarchus', even they were accused; the Alexandrian-Crew was every day heard loud in Huzzah's. Phenice was in their hearts, in their eyes, almost in their hands: they thought surely to Winter there, and the next spring to transport us all. Their Midwife Sham-plots, their Cnidian, Salmonean, Lasean, Cretian, Phenician Lies, Tricks, Juggle, Conjure, Equivocations, Mental Reservations, Oral Prolations, Perjuries, Forgeries, precious Subornations, most holy bloody Oaths of Secrecy, but above all their stupendious, unparallelled, miraculous Martyrdoms, which Heaven and Earth and Hell do admire, that so many men should die for a lie in envy to the Martyrs of Jesus who died for the Truth. These things, I say, made up their hopes so full and fair, that they doubted not to Winter in Phenice, and next spring to go where they pleased. But the Lord forbade. There came a North-East Wind from the Lord, and so beat upon their Crete that they utterly lost all sight and hope of Phenice. To be brief, this was the Euroclydon of the last Parliament, That Typhonical Wind which blew upon the Plot from the Trial of Stafford: with which their Alexandria was caught, and could not bear up into the Wind any longer. This is the sum of the Text, and when the ship was caught and could not bear up into the Wind, we let her drive. But you will say, Do not the Papists bear up into the Wind still? I answer, No: but let us examine what follows the Text, and we'll find, they have given up themselves to the Mercy of the Winds a long time; and are in a sad drift, driven they know not whither, even whither the Master of the Winds shall drive them: and were it not that Paul and Luke and Aristarchus are in the ship, they had perished long ago. Time will not suffer me to be particular in all points. I must be content to observe one or two things.  
First, That ver. 16. They were by that Stafford-Enroclydon suddenly driven under the Island Clauda: for being driven from their Crete, from their refuge of lies, they found their cause to halt fearfully. Stafford notwithstanding his toughest stiffness fell, and ver. 17. fearing lest they should fall into quicksands, they were put to all their shifts, they took up their boat, used helps, undergirded their ship, took down their sails, and being exceedingly tossed, they lightened the Ship, casting out the very tackling, ver. 18, 19 etc. This signifies the Popish vain hopes and shifts in and since the last Prorogation and Dissolution: since which  
We may say, that of ver. 20. Neither Sun nor Stars in many days have appeared unto us: and no small tempest has laid (and yet lieth) upon us: and (had we not known our God) all hope that we should be saved had been taken away. But, God be blest, we find, ver. 21. We have St. Paul to stand up in the midst of us, to comfort and cheer us and to give us Assurance of that God whom he preaches, that he hath determined (contrary to our Enemies) to save us, that an hair of our head shall not perish, ver. 22. Now I exhort you to be of good cheer, says St. Paul, for there shall be no loss of any man's. Life among you, but of the Ship. Two things he tells us,  
1. The ship shall be lost, that is, the Now-Church of England in the Malignant sense, The Popish Church, the Romish Bottom, their trusty Alexandria shall be broken in pieces, it shall sail no more in the English Seas You may read, ver. 39 The sailors discovering a certain creek with a shore, thought to thrust in the Ship there, and to save themselves and the Vessel, and ver. 40. they made all shifts to do it: but ver. 41. Falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground: and the forepart stuck fast and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves, So now our Popish Sailors may perhaps have some hopes in the Oxford Creek and Shore, and may think to thrust in their Alexandria there, and to save the Vessel of their Plot. But I trust rather the Word of St. Paul, The Ship shall be lost. They'll find at Oxford two Seas meet, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons; there they shall run their Alexandria aground. The forepart shall stick fast and remain unmoveable: their Chieftains shall stick where Stafford stuck. As for the hinderpart of the ship, the rest of the Popish rout, that shall be broken in pieces with the violence of the Waves. Our English Seas will spew them out, and our Loyal ground will swallow themalive. And this is the loss of the ship; to this shall the Popish Alexandria be driven by the Winds of the Lord our God. But of our lives who are in the ship, Paul tells us, there shall be no loss of any man's Life among you. This is understood of the Now-Church of England in the select sense, as it includes all true Protestants. We must confess even they were, or now are in utmost danger: neither could they, nor yet can they save themselves. Paul and Luke and Aristarchus, they were in the ship which was lost, and when it was lost and they suffered loss with the ship: yea, they were in other peculiar danger, no less unavoidable than ship wrack, without God. For, ver. 42. The Soldier's counsel, was to kill the Prisoners, and Paul in the first place. But God turned the heart of Julius to save Paul, and with Paul the rest. So may the Lord turn the hearts of our Popish Julius' to save our Paul's, our Luke's, our Aristarchus'; Our Gospel, Our Government. Therefore also even Julius and his Companions were saved with Paul and his Companions.  
The History tells us not that Julius became a Christian, yet because he befriended Paul, we have some hope of him, even so we have hope still of the Popish Julius' among us; that not only their Lives but their Souls too may be saved with us. But to conclude all, let us mark. with what difficulty even Paul and his Company were saved.  
Ver. 43. Those that could swim, cast themselves first into the Sea, and got to land. The best among us may be put to swim for our lives: and if the sea, wherein we must swim, prove not a Sea of blood, which God of his infinite Mercy prevent, and avert by his Almighty power: yet certainly the Sea we must swim in, is very tempestuous, and the billows break higher and higher, till God shall rebuke them and bid them be still. But alas! all cannot swim; some must be put to harder shifts. Therefore ver. 44. Those that could not swim, got some on boards, some on broken pieces of the ship, and so it came to pass that they escaped all safe to land. All! All! None lost; no, not One of two hundred threescore and sixteen souls, ver. 37. But pray mark  
Who these all were? they were they who had Paul and Luke and Aristarchus with them. That is all who keep and observe the Apostolical and Evangelical Faith; and who maintain the Aristarchical, that is, the true, best, ancient, just and lawfully established Government among us, which is by King and Parliament. God has joined these, no man must divide them. The Papists would take away the Parliament from the King, and God knows too many join with the Papists in this point, which is the greatest point the Papists can wish to gain. On the other hand, there be Commonwealth-men, who would take away the King from the Parliament: those shall not be saved from the storm, for they want an Aristarchus on their side. But let us with our Paul, and with our Luke, love and preserve our Aristarchus to the last, for our Aristarchus both loves and serves us. This is one English Glory, an Aristarchy, not an Aristocracy, where many hold the Sceptre; but an Aristarchy, where our Sovereign Lord and King is honoured and obeyed of all as most excellent and supreme, as the anointed of the Lord among us. Whom we obey for the Lord's sake according to his Laws, and the Laws of the Nation; and for whom we pray to the Lord, that he will keep him as the man of his right hand, making him a Ruler according to his own heart. Let us then cleave faithfully to our Paul, to our Luke, to our Aristarchus; and there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of us. Be what ye ought to be, be yourselves, be true Englishmen and faithful Christians: maintain the English Law, and the Protestant Faith; Give God, the King, and your Brethren their due: and I bid you with St. Paul, Be of good cheer, for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. The Popish Alexandria shall be broken in pieces. The forepart sticks already fast, the hinder part cannot hold long. However,  
We are all in the hands of God; we are all at the Mercy of the Almighty. The Tempest of his wrath is still upon us, even upon us, Our Sins continue it. 'Tis his Mercy we are not consumed. Repent we, Fast we, Pray we with St. Paul, that the Angel of the Lord may be with us also, strengthening us, guarding us, guiding us in the midst of these raging Waters, which are ready to swallow us up. Let us call upon the Lord Jesus, as his Disciples did in the like case, Mat. 8.25. Awake Lord, save us, we perish. He seems to sleep and forsakeus, because indeed we have forsaken him, and have slept in our sins a long time. Rise we to Repentance, and he will rise to Salvation; for he's ordained of God to be Our Saviour, to be our Refuge from the storm, our hiding-place from the Wind, our Covert from the Tempest, even from this very Tempest, from this Euroclydon, which shall destroy his Enemies: but shall not touch the hair of the head of any man that faithfully trusteth in him. So understand we this Text, And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the Wind, we let her drive. Now with Tears of Repentance, and with Hearts of Faith, casting ourselves into the Arms of his Gracious Providence, let us with St. Paul bow our knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and Pray for ourselves and for the Whole Nation.  

O God, who dost whatever pleaseth thee in Heaven and in Earth, in the Seas and in all deep places, who for our Example and great Consolation didst so wonderfully save from the tempestuous Winds and Seas, thy Servants Paul and Luke and Aristarchus, and a great multitude with them for thy Mercy's sake. Look now we beseech thee with thy wont pity upon thy Church which is among us; Open the bowels of thy most tender compassions upon this sinful and ungrateful Nation. Save us from the storms of Popery, from the rage of Antichrist, from the evils of our own sins, which, if thou savest us not, shall prevail over us to utter destruction. O Lord, whatever loss or damage of Temporal State we may suffer, suffer us not to make shipwreck of our Faith. A hair of our heads shall not fall without thy leave; O save our Souls for thy Mercies sake. Save thy Flock, even for thine infinite Mercies in Jesus Christ, to whom, with thy  and Holy Spirit, be praise and honour for ever and ever more and more without end. Amen.   
FINIS.