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1647And now that, through the mercie of God, we are come to a cessation of the Warre, Jehovah of Armies give us a timely, compleat, and comfortable conclusion of the same, for his infinite mercie sake in Christ.

In this briefe Relation (Beloved) I have said little of the latter times, as hoping they are fresher in your own memories, and easier to make use of.

And observe I pray you, Many have been our provoking rebellions, Many have been the dangerous destructive designes of our enemies, Many have been Gods preventing mercies and gracious deliverances, Many his fatherly chastisements and most loving warnings and admonitions, and yet We, We (I say) revolting from God almost by a perpetuall backsliding.

You may also see in this short Commemoration, Truth striving in some of Gods Saints for power against Ceremonies, and yet oppressed. Annex we, to those few before mentioned, the many we have read, or heard of, or known in our times: And then we may well admire Gods goodnesse to us, and blesse his Name that he hath shewed us some reviving, and at the present hath given us ease from such snares of Conscience, and such hopefull beginnings of Reformation, and let us beseech him to perfect the same according to the patterne shewed to us in his holy word.

And now England, England, Deut. 10. 12.what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to feare the Lord thy God, to walke in all his wayes, and to love him, Duet. 32. 29.and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. O that we were wise, and understood this, and that we would consider our latter end! Psal. 116. 12.Let us every one study a Quid rependerem Jehovae! Make vowes and pay them unto God. Psal. 50. 14.Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows unto the most High. But take heed of making vows and not paying them. Eccles. 5. 2. 4. 5.For better it is, not to vow, then that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

Here you are to understand.

1. God numbers all the gracious Kings and Magistrates he hath set over us, and all his faithfull servants, the Ministers that instruct us. Micah 6. 4. Jer. 44. 4.I sent before thee Moses, Aaron and Miriam, and all my servants the Prophets. I think verily, never did any Kingdome enjoy so many, such faithfull, painfull and powerfull Preachers of Gods word in any one age, as this Kingdome hath enjoyed in this age, Acts & Mon. Voll. 3. M. Prynne his Catalogue in Anti-Armin.(now the Lord our God adde unto them an hundred fold:) But he will call us to an accout, what use we have made of all the endeavours and labours of our godly Kings and Magistrates, and of our faithfull Ministers.

2. God numbers all the mercies he bestows upon us, and all the judgements and warnings that he gives us, as to the Israelites he reckons up their Psal. 78. 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29.Manna, quatles, and water too. And in another Prophet, the severall judgements, as the famine, by want of raine, by blasting and mildew, the pestilence, warre and Sodom Amos 4. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.like overthrows.

3. God numbers our ingratitudes for favours, and our evill requitals of them, and our mis-improving his judgements.Psal. 78. 31, 32.How often doth he repeat this sharpe reprehension, yet have ye not returned unto me, sayth the Lord. Amos. 4. 6, 8, 9, 10, 11.Yea, he numbers all our hypocrisies in our turnings to him too, and that is most odious unto God. Psal. 78 34. 35.When hee slue them, then they sought him, and they returned and enquired early after God. And they remembred that God was their Rock, and the high [Page 22] God their redeemer. Neverthelesse(sayth he)they did but flatter him with their mouth, and lyed unto him with their tongues; for their heart was not right with him, Psal. 73. 37.neither were they stedfast in his Covenant.