Have they invented tones to win

The women, and make them draw in

The men, as Indians with a female
Tame elephant inveigle the male ?

Have they told Prov'dence what it must do,
Whom to avoid, and whom to truft to?

585.

590 Difcover'd

Ver. 589.] It was a common practice to inform God of the tranfactions of the times. "Oh, my good Lord "God (fays Mr. G. Swathe, Prayers, p. 12.) I hear "the King hath fet up his ftandard at York against "the Parliament and city of London.-Look thou 46 upon them, take their caufe into thine own hand; 66 appear thou in the caufe of thy Saints, the cause in "hand-It is thy caufe, Lord. We know that the "King is mifled, deluded, and deceived by his Popish, "Arminian, and temporizing, rebellious malignant

faction and party, &c."-"They would (fays Dr. "Fchard) in their prayers and fermons tell God, that "they would be willing to be at any charge or trouble "for him, and to do, as it were, any kindness for the "Lord; the Lord might now trust them, and rely upon "them, they fhould not fail him: they fhould not be "unmindful of his bufinefs; his work fhould not stand "ftill, nor his defigns be neglected. They muft needs "fay, that they had formerly received fome favours "from God, and have been, as it were, beholden to "the Almighty; but they did not much question but "they fhould find fome opportunity of making fome "amends for the many good things, and (as I may "fo fay) civilities which they had received from him. "Indeed, as for thofe that are weak in the Faith, and "are yet but babes in Chrift, it is fit that they fhould "keep at fome diftance from God, fhould kneel before him, and ftand (as I may fay) cap in hand to the "Almighty

3

Discover'd the Enemy's defign,
And which way beft to countermine ?
Prefcrib'd what ways it hath to work,

Or it will ne'er advance the Kirk ?
Told it the news o' th' laft exprefs,
And after good or bad fuccefs
Made prayers, not fo like petitions
As overtures and propofitions
(Such as the Army did prefent
To their Creator, the Parl'ament);
In which they freely will confefs,
They will not, cannot acquiefce,

595

600

Unless

"Almighty: but as for thofe that are ftrong in all "Gifts, and grown up in all Grace, and are come to "a fulness and ripenefs in the Lord Jefus, it is comely "enough to take a great chair, and fit at the end of the "table, and, with their cock'd hats on their heads, "to fay, God, we thought it not amifs to call upon "thee this evening, and let thee know how affairs "stand; we have been very watchful fince we were "laft with thee; and they are in a very hopeful con"dition; we hope that thou wilt not forget us; for we "are very thoughtful of thy concerns: we do fome"what long to hear from thee; and if thou pleasest to "give us fuch a thing (Victory), we fhall be (as I "may fo fay) good to thee in fomething elfe when it "lies in our way." See a remarkable Scotch Prayer much to the fame purpofe, Scourge, by Mr. Lewis, No. xvi. p. 130. edit. 1717.

Ver. 602.] Alluding, probably, to their faucy expoftulations with God from the pulpit. Mr. Vines, in St. Clement's Church, near Temple-bar, ufed the

following

Unless the work be carry'd on
In the fame way they have begun,
By fetting Church and Common-weal
All on a flame, bright as their zeal,
On which the Saints were all agog,

605

And all this for a Bear and Dog?

The Parl'ament drew up petitions

To 'tself, and fent them, like commiffions,

610

following words: "O Lord, thou haft never given us
"a victory this long while, for all our frequent fast-
"ing: what doft thou mean, O Lord, to fling into a
ditch, and there to leave us?" And one Robinson,
in his Prayer at Southampton, Aug. 25, 1642, ex-
preffed himself in the following manner:
"O God,

O God, many are the hands that are lift up against ❝us: but there is one God, it is thou thyself, Ŏ Father, who does us more mifchief than they all." They seemed to encourage this faucinefs in their public fermons. "Gather upon God (fays Mr. R. Harris, 66 Faft Sermon before the Commons) and hold him to it "as Jacob did; prefs him with his precepts, with his "promifes, with his hand, with his feal, with his oath,

till we do duwTTE, as fome Greek Fathers boldly fpeak: that is, if I may fpeak it reverently enough, put the Lord out of countenance; put him, as you “would fay, to the blush, unless we be mafters of our "requests."

And all t' advance the Caufe's fervice,
And shall all now be thrown away

In petulant inteftine fray?

Shall we, that in the Covenant fwore,
Each man of us, to run before
Another still in Reformation,

Give Dogs and Bears a difpenfation?
How will Diffenting Brethren relish it?
What will Malignants fay? Videlicet,
That each man fwore to do his best
To damn and perjure all the rest ?
And bid the Devil take the hin'moft

625

630

Which at this race is like to win most.

They'll fay our bufinefs, to Reform

635

The Church and State, is but a worm;

For to fubfcribe, unfight, unfeen,
T' an unknown Church-difcipline,
What is it elfe, but before-hand
T'engage, and after understand?
For when we fwore to carry on
The present Reformation,
According to the pureft mode
Of churches beft-reform'd abroad,
What did we elfe but make a vow

640

645

To do we know not what, nor how?

For

655

If we permit men to run headlong
T'exorbitances fit for Bedlam,
Rather than Gofpel-walking times,
When flighteft fins are greatest crimes.
But we the matter fo fhall handle,
As to remove that odious fcandal:
In name of King and Parl'ament,
I charge you all, no more foment

This feud, but keep the peace between
Your brethren and your countrymen,
And to thofe places fraight repair
Where your respective dwellings are.

660

665

But

Ver. 651.] The Holy League in France, defigned and made for the extirpation of the Proteftant religion, was the original out of which the Solemn League and Covenant here was (with difference only of circumftances) moft faithfully tranfcribed. Nor did the fuccefs of both differ more than the intent and purpose; for, after the deftruction of vast numbers of people of all forts, both ended with the murder of two kings, whom they had both fworn to defend. And as our Covenanters fwore every man to run one before another in the way of Reformation, fo did the French, in the Holy League, to fight to the laft drop of blood.