My desire is that this Doctrine may be a Looking-glass for this Nation, in which we may behold the several miracles of mercy that God hath bestowed upon us: A Nation not worthy to be beloved, and yet beloved above all Nations of the world; God hath made us like Saul, taller by the head in mercies than all other Nations: There was indeed a time when this Island was called Albion, ab albis Rupibus; but at that time it was black, and defiled, worshipping of stocks and stones, even the Devil in stead of God: We had our Druids, our Flamens and Archiflamines; We offered our Sons and daughters alive in sacrifice, Non ad honorem, sed ad injuriam religionis: Our religion was Tristissimum superstitionum Chaos, as Camden saith: but it pleased God, presently after the death of Christ to send the Christian Religion among us: Christ made haste to convert England; Some say that James the brother of John, some S• mon Zests, some that Peter and Paul, but all agree that Joseph of Arimathea preached the Gospel here, and here he died: And that which makes much for the mercy of God to this happy Island; the first Christian King that ever was in the world, was King Lucius a Britain; and the first Christian Emperor was borne in England, even Constantine the Great: And when we came afterwards to be woefully drowned with Popish heresies and Idolatry; the first King that ever shook off subjection to Antichrist, after he was discovered by Luther, was King Henry the eighth; and the first King that ever wrote in Print that the Pope was Antichrist, was King James of famous memory; God hath made us not only Protestants, but reformed Protestants; We have enjoyed the Gospel of peace, and the peace of the Gospel for almost an hundred years: In this Century God hath multiplied deliverances upon deliverances; we have had our 88. and our Gunpowder deliverances, but as Benjamins mess did exceed all his brethren's, and as Josephs sheaf was lifted up above the sheaves of his brethren; so the mercies of these two last years do far exceed all the mercies that ever this Nation did receive since the first Reformation, mercies that deserve to be engraven in every one of our hearts: And if Achilles was happy in Alexander's ⟨p. 5⟩judgement, because he had a Homer to record his fame:
My desire is that this Doctrine may be a Looking-glasse for this Nation, in which we may behold the severall miracles of mercy that God hath bestowed upon us: A Nation not worthy to be beloved, and yet beloved above all Nations of the world; God hath made us like Saul, taller by the head in mercies than all other Nations: There was indeed a time when this Island was called Albion, ab albis Rupibus; but at that time it was black, and defiled, worshipping of stockes and stones, even the Devill in stead of God: We had our Druides, our Flamines and Archiflamines; We offered our Sonnes and daughters alive in sacrifice, Non ad honorem, sed ad injuriam religionis: Our religion was Tristissimum superstitionum Chaos, as Cambden saith: but it pleased God, presently after the death of Christ to send the Christian Religion among us: Christ made haste to convert England; Some say that James the brother of John, some S• mon Ze•tes, some that Peter and Paul, but all agree that Joseph of A•imathea preached the Gospell here, and here he died: And that which makes much for the mercy of God to this happy Island; the first Christian King that ever was in the world, was King Lucius a Britaine; and the first Christian Emperour was borne in England, even Constantine the Great: And when wee came afterwards to be wofully drowned with Popish heresies and Idolatry; the first King that ever shooke off subjection to Antichrist, after he was discovered by Luther, was King Henry the eighth; and the first King that ever wrote in Print that the Pope was Antichrist, was King James of famous memory; God hath made us not only Protestants, but reformed Protestants; We have enjoyed the Gospell of peace, and the peace of the Gospell for almost an hundred yeares: In this Century God hath multiplied deliverances upon deliverances; we have had our 88. and our Gunpowder deliverances, but as Benjamins messe did exceed all his brethrens, and as Josephs shease was lifted up above the sheaves of his brethren; so the mercies of these two last yeares do farre exceed all the mercies that ever this Nation did receive since the first Reformation, mercies that deserve to be ingraven in every one of our hearts: And if Achilles was happy in Alexanders ⟨p. 5⟩judgement, because he had a Homer to record his fame:
