have no peace, the Canaanite no rest, heresy no hatching,
schism no footing, Diotrephes no incoming, the papists no couching, and
Jezebel no fairding. Our church looked forth as the morning, fair as the
moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners. Then God's
tabernacle was amiable, His glory filled the sanctuary, the clear fresh
streams watered the city of our God; the stoutest humbled themselves,
and were afraid. If an idiot entered the Lord's courts, so great power
sounded from Barnabas and Boanerges, the sons of consolation and
thunder, that they were forced to fall down on their face, and cry,
"This is Bethel, God is here."

But alas! Satan envied our happiness, brake our ranks, poisoned our
fountains, mudded and defiled our streams; and while the watchmen slept,
the wicked one sowed his tares: whence these divers years bygone, for
ministerial authority, we had lordly supremacy and pomp; for beauty,
fairding; for simplicity, whorish buskings; for sincerity, mixtures; for
zeal, a Laodicean temper; for doctrines, men's precepts; for wholesome
fruits, a medley of rites; for feeders we had fleecers; for pastors,
wolves and impostors; for builders of Jerusalem, rebuilders of Jericho;
for unity, rents; for progress, defection. Truth is fallen in the
streets, our dignity is gone, our credit lost, our crown is fallen from
our heads; our reputation is turned to imputation: before God and man we
justly deserve the censure of the degenerate vine; a backsliding people,
an apostate perjured nation, by our breaking a blessed covenant so
solemnly sworn.

Yet, behold! when this should have been our doom, when all was almost
gone, when we were down the hill, when the pit's mouth was opened, and
we were at the falling in, and at the very shaking hands with Rome; the
Lord, strong and gracious, pitied us, looked on us, and cried, saying,
"Return, return, ye backsliding people; come, and I will heal your
backslidings." The Lord hath been so saving, and the cry so quickening,
that almost all of all ranks, from all quarters and corners, are
awakened and on foot, meeting and answering the Lord, saying, "Behold we
come unto Thee, for Thou art the Lord our God, other lords besides Thee
have had dominion over us, but by Thee only will we make mention of Thy
name." All are wondering at the turn, and looking like them that dream,
and are singing and saying, "Blessed be the Lord who hath not given us
for a prey to their teeth;