ABSTRACT
O My Dear God, who can I make my Applications unto, but to Thy Divine Majesty, who knowest the secretsof my Heart, and the desiresof my Soul is not hid from Thee; and Thou knowest that I am wholly?innocent of all those evil things which Oats, or any other wickedMen lay to my charge. O that it may please Thee to send the Spirit of Truth?into Mens Hearts that they may believe Truth; for Thou art Immortal, invisible,and Eternal, who hath done great things for me; and I hope will yet do greater, for Thy own Clory, tho’ the Devil will endeavour to hinder it; but not?any thing can hinder thy Intentions; for by Thee all things live, move, andhave their beings; and there’s not any Person can comprehend Thee any farther than Thy Divine Majesty will reveal himselt to them : And Thou didst?make all things good, and bound them by Laws, both to pay their Submissionsto Thy Divine Majesty, and to make themselves happy: But Man by breaking?these Laws became sinful, and consequently iniserable; and the Angels presuming to act contrary to the Divine Knowledge which God had given them,became Devils; and God’s Justice in flinging them out of their heavenly Habitations, made them haters of God; and in this presumptious state they are?full of Malice and Envy against all his Proceedings, and they mortally hate allMankind that would be obedient to Him, and use all their endeavours to?make Men as Rebellious as themselves: But the Wisdom of God sent his Sonto conquer these Enemies of Mankind, and He has conquered them: And we?may be more than Conquerors thro’ Him, if we be sincere to God and our ownSouls. God bears me record, That it’s the desire of ray Soul that all Mankind?should be obedient to his Will: And as for my self, I would neither speak,act, nor think any thing that I knew was contrary to his Will; and as for?my medling in Publick Matters, I had a Call for it; but I never declared it toany King, though I have known Three. But can any mortal think, I could?do these things of my self; No, no, I can assure you, I am assisted by a Powerabove my self; for I could not in my own strength have Fasted fourteen Days?and Nights without the taste or relish of any thing in this World; and Godthat knows all things, knows that its Truth. And I have fasted so many Days?at several times, that I cannot number them; and there was no other motivebut the love of God, the love of the ting, and the good of the Kingdom;?that moved me to it; for I sought no Reward, nor did I receive any Gifts;but all my Intentions was to divert God’s Judgments, and to entreat Mankind?to do those things that may be pleasing in his sight; which the Lord grant theymay obtain. But the Devil is my Enemy, and would darken my Glory; but?I hope through Christ, I shall be more than a Conqueror, which the Lordgrant, I wish it were seriously considered what great evil Scandal does, especially?when it lights upon Magistrates, and asperses them with Popery whenthey are innocent; for by that Notion, the Jews destroyed Christ, pretending,?that he would bring in the Ramans. Therefore seeing Lying does so much mischief, it ought to be severely punished.
