An exposition with practical observations continued upon the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters…

Obser. 1 First, That 'tis a great judgment for a people to be under oppression: 'Tis a very sad affliction for a nation, family, or person to be under oppression, and broken in judgment, when good men, and good causes are crushed and slighted, and wicked men and bad causes prevail and prosper, when a mans innocency shall be no help to him. Solomon saith this to be a great evil, in Eccles. 3.16. wickedness was got into the place of judgment: God hath promised to deliver his people from this judgment, In righteousness shalt thou be established, thou shalt be far from oppression, Isa. 54.14. But these times are not yet come, all the world (for the most part) at this day is under oppression, 'tis sad to have our estates and our liberties to be broken for conscience, Conscience-oppression is the worst oppression; and this was our condition not long since, nay and is the condition of many of our deer brethren in many places of this Kingdom, it was not long since that he which departed from iniquity made himself a prey; was it not come to that pass that the meanest, yea the basest persons in a City or Country had power enough in their hands to undo the best Ministers in a Kingdom? Oh how was the Kingdom oppressed, Parliaments broken, the edge of the Law turned against the godly party, witness the banishing of men, Ministers were oppressed in their estates, in their liberties, but especially in their consciences, if they would not be like the fiddlers boy, be ready to dance after every pipe, in so much that when the Lord gave us a little reviving, we were even as men in a dream: when we were under it we were ready to say, O we shall never be delivered, how is it possible that we should be rescued from the oppressors? how was heaven filled with our cries and earth with our moans! thus it was; and worse now it is in many places of the Kingdom with many of our brethren: but let ⟨p. 467⟩them and us be comforted in this, it was thus with Israel, when God delivered them out of captivity, but for our adversaries that text may be verified of them, Isa. 30.12.¹ They trust in oppression; what is their language but this? we will get a great Army and muster up strong forces, and then we will be master of the field, and bring the Rebels under, so that they trust in oppression, and make cruelly their arm of power, take away that and their cause falls to the ground: