orth, and
strengthened an adversarie against us, a generation of brutish hellish
men, the rod of his anger, and the staff of his indignation, under whose
cruelties we bleed, and if present mercy step not in, we die. _Righteous
art thou, O LORD, and just are all thy Judgements!_ But O the more then
barbarous carriages of our enemies, where ever GOD gives any of his hidden
ones up into their hands, we need not expresse it unto you, who knows the
inveterate and deadly malice of the Antichristian faction against the
Members of our Lord Jesus. And it is well we need not expresse it unto
you, for in truth we cannot. Your own thoughts may tell you better then
any words of ours, what the mercie of Papists is, toward the Ministers and
Servants of our Lord Jesus Christ. But the Lord knows we are not troubled
so much with their rage against us, or our own miseries and dangers; but
that which breaks our hearts is, the danger we behold the Protestant
Religion, and all the Reformed Churches in at this time, through that too
great and formidable strength the Popish Faction is now arrived at. If our
GOD will lay our bodies as the ground, and as the street under their foot,
and poure out our bloud as dust before their fury, the wil of the Lord be
done, might our bloud be a sacrifice to ransome the rest of the Saints or
Church of Christ from Antichristian fury, we would offer it up upon this
service gladly. But we know their rage is insatiable, and will not be
quenched with our blouds, immortall, and will not die with us, armed
against us, nor as men, but as Christians, but as Protestants, but as men
desiring to reform our selves, and to draw our selves and others yet
nearer unto God. And if God gave us up to be devoured by this rage, it
will take the more strength and courage (at least) to attempt the like
against all the Protestant and Reformed Churches. In a deeper sense of
this extream danger, threating us and you, and all the Churches then we
can expresse, we have made this addresse unto you; in the bowels of our
Lord Jesus Christ, humbly imploring your most fervent Prayers to the GOD
that hears Prayers; who (should we judge by providences) seems to be angry
with our Prayers (though we trust he doth but seem so, and though he kill
us, yet will we trust in him) Oh, give us the brotherly aide of your
re-inforced tears and payers, that the blessings of truth and peace which
our prayers alone have not obtained, yours combined, may. And giv