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<DATE>2012-07-02</DATE>
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<NAME>Louis Goldberg</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
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<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD><HI>Of</HI> FEARE.</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>The</HI> CAUSE</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The</HI> VSE</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The</HI> CURE</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
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<P><HI>OR,</HI> Strong Con&s;olations <HI>(The Con&s;olations of</HI> God) Cordiall at all times, but mo&s;t comforta|ble now in the&s;e uncomfortable times, To fixe, quiet, and &s;tabli&s;h the heart, though the earth &s;hake, and make it &s;tand &s;til, To &s;ee the &s;alvation of The <HI>Lord.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Taken from GODS mouth, And</HI> Penned by HEZEKIAH VVOODWARD, <HI>That all His Servants may have a&s;&s;ured confidence for ever.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL>PSAL. 56. 3, 9.</BIBL>
<P><HI>What time I am afraid I will tru&s;t in Thee: When I cry unto Thee, Then &s;hall mine enemies turne back: this I know, for</HI> God <HI>is for me, He will &s;ave me,</HI> becau&s;e <HI>I Tru&s;t in Him.</HI></P></Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>P&s;al.</HI> 37. 40.</BIBL>
<P>Nil terribile, ni&s;i ip&s;e timor.</P></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed for <HI>Thomas Underhill,</HI> and are to be &s;old at the &s;igne of the Bible in <HI>Wood&s;treet.</HI> 1643.</P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
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<HEAD>To the Right HONOVRABLE, I&s;aac Pennington, LORD MAjOR <HI>Of the City of LONDON.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_BY the Ble&s;&s;ing of <HI>God</HI> upon this treati&s;e (con|taining His own directions there) it can heale the heart and the hand <HI>pal&s;ied</HI> with feare: It will be no di&s;honour then to take it into your hand, and to lay the&s;e directions (if it can be) yet clo&s;er to your heart, whereby the City of God have been a <HI>quiet habitation,</HI> <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 33. 20.</NOTE> when, as now, The <HI>bla&s;t</HI> of the <HI>terrible ones</HI> have made the earth to &s;hake and tremble under us: And you now, with &s;uch as you, that <HI>love, feare, tru&s;t</HI> GOD, <HI>doing</HI> your <HI>duty,</HI> and maintaining your <HI>watch,</HI> doe maintayne PEACE, <HI>and at &s;uch a time.</HI> <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">Ezra. 4. 17.</NOTE></P>
<P>Peace is good at all times, but ever be&s;t in the wor&s;t times, <HI>perilous</HI> and <HI>feirce,</HI> as are the times of Refor|mation, <HI>troublous</HI> evermore: when hands and <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Dan. 9. 28. Jer. 20. 3.</NOTE> Tongues are bent to make the <HI>City</HI> of GOD MAGOR MISSABIB, <HI>terrour on every &s;ide:</HI> Then peace is good; Then cordi|alls
<PB REF="3"> are &s;o indeed, &s;trong con&s;olations (they are the con|&s;olations of GOD) <HI>at &s;uch a time.</HI> Peace in and with the world is good, if it could be had upon good termes: But that it not po&s;&s;ible. The world will love their own, And they &s;hall have peace, &s;uch as the world can give; They, who can comply with the world; can give out unto them the right hand of fellow&s;hip, to thru&s;t <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> from His Throne, and out of the world: the&s;e &s;hall have peace, for they are the worlds <HI>fir&s;t born,</HI> and right hands of the times, but you cannot do &s;o. Such a peace, <HI>peace</HI> without <HI>truth</HI> is of vile e&s;teeme with you, you abhor it at &s;uch a price, and upon &s;uch termes as the world bids for it, and doth purcha&s;e the &s;ame. You <HI>follow peace with all men,</HI> and <HI>Holyne&s;&s;e</HI> (That is a point of the highe&s;t wi&s;|dome) <HI>without which no man &s;hall &s;ee the</HI> LORD: you <HI>pur|&s;ue</HI> <NOTE N="(c)" PLACE="marg">Heb. 11. 14. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> this <HI>peace,</HI> as others per&s;ecute it: your zeale cannot boile higher then to their As, as they per&s;ecute it. Pur|&s;ue it &s;o &s;till, and if you overtake it not, (for it flees from you (el&s;e you &s;hould not need to <HI>pur&s;ue</HI> it) if you cannot e&s;tabli&s;h peace in the <HI>City;</HI> yet, in that you have done your <HI>office,</HI> you have <HI>peace</HI> in your &s;oul, a <HI>peace,</HI> which <HI>pa&s;&s;eth all under&s;tanding;</HI> for what&s;oever things are <HI>true</HI> <NOTE N="(d)" PLACE="marg">Phil. 4. 7. 8.</NOTE> are <HI>he|ne&s;t;</HI> are <HI>ju&s;t;</HI> are <HI>pure;</HI> are <HI>lovely;</HI> are of <HI>good report,</HI> the&s;e things you have done, and will doe, you have a&s;&s;ured confidence now in this which follows, <HI>and the peace of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 9.</NOTE> GOD <HI>&s;hall be with you.</HI> What a good word is this, and at &s;uch a time, when the Adver&s;ary doth, as in all times he hath done (it is no new thing, when the <HI>breaches</HI> of Je|ru&s;alems <HI>walls</HI> are making up) he &s;ends, and writes, and lies, and rayles, and bla&s;phemes, what doth he not, after his manner, <HI>to make the work to cea&s;e</HI> <NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Nehe. 4. and 6.</NOTE>. You know your charge concerning him, <HI>An&s;wer him</HI> <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">2 King. 18. 36.</NOTE> <HI>not;</HI> you look to the an&s;wer from a good con&s;cience, That, in zeale to you&punc;
<PB REF="3"> LORD, The <HI>Cities</HI> peace and crown of rejoycing, you have done and &s;poken hitherto: And you are re&s;olved &s;o to do &s;till, To &s;tand up for <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &s;till, To &s;houlder up His Throne &s;till; And you have made up your reckon|ing, you know what it will <HI>co&s;t</HI> you, po&s;&s;ible as much as it hath co&s;t All His faithfull &s;ervants in all ages at <HI>&s;uch a time;</HI> And having &s;o wi&s;ely counted your <HI>Co&s;t,</HI> you can <HI>mock</HI> at <HI>feare;</HI> and laugh at your Adver&s;aries, as the LORD doth, <HI>&s;eeing their day is comming</HI> <NOTE N="(e)" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 37.</NOTE>: for their rage ri&s;eth high, and their ri&s;ing by &s;teps that way, are but &s;teps and degrees to utter de&s;truction, which &s;hall ri&s;e as their rage doth, unto <HI>heaven,</HI> and be <HI>lifted up, even to the skies.</HI> <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Jer. 51. 9.</NOTE> You cannot be deceived now, as, we thinke, good <HI>Jeremiah</HI> was; He <HI>heard the defaming of many, fear was on every &s;ide,</HI> and he heard a <HI>cry:</HI> nay he cryed out him&s;elfe, and &s;aid, <HI>Violence and &s;poile!</HI> Then &s;ayes <HI>Jere|my,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 20. 8. 10. <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters">.</NOTE> O LORD, Thou <HI>ha&s;t deceived me,</HI> and I was <HI>deceived.</HI> He was indeed, but GOD did not deceive him; He had &s;et up <HI>Jeremtah,</HI> and made him &s;o &s;trong for Him&s;elf, and for <HI>&s;uch a time as that,</HI> when the adver&s;aries deeds and words would be as hard as iron again&s;t the Truth and him; but <HI>Jeremiah</HI> &s;hould be hard enough for them; The Adver&s;ary might, to as good purpo&s;e, &s;trike his hand again&s;t a rock as &s;trike <HI>Jeremiah:</HI> &s;hall iron <HI>breake</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 15. 12.</NOTE> <HI>the Northern iron and &s;teele?</HI></P>
<P>No, no, the Adver&s;ary was hard, and cruell, and vi|olent again&s;t <HI>Jeremiah,</HI> but <HI>God</HI> made <HI>Jeremiah</HI> too hard for them all, as He will all His faithfull ones, (&s;tanding up for Him) a <HI>defenced City and a &s;trong brazen</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 20.</NOTE> <HI>wall:</HI> That was the promi&s;e to <HI>Jeremiah,</HI> and in him to all faithfull ones, many thou&s;and yeeres agoe, and you have the comfort, and your fa&s;t &s;tanding from it at this day; <HI>The bla&s;t of the terrible ones, what can it doe?</HI> It was
<PB REF="4"> an&s;wered long agoe; As much as a bla&s;t of winde a|gain&s;t a brazen wall, &s;o the <HI>Spirit</HI> &s;lights what fle&s;h can do again&s;t Him: <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ay 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> 4.</NOTE> They &s;hall &s;ight again&s;t Thee (The Adver&s;ary will make an experiment, what mettal you are made of, &s;o you mu&s;t expect) but <HI>they &s;hall not pre|vaile</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&s;er. 1. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>again&s;t Thee;</HI> There is the comfort, and it is yours, who wil &s;tand up for God <HI>and at &s;uch a time.</HI> As your ex|pectation from the World cannot deceive you (after the experiences of all the faithfull that have &s;tood up for <HI>God)</HI> All hath been done again&s;t them, All &s;hall be done again&s;t you, that <HI>Angry Nations</HI> can doe, <HI>Athei&s;ts</HI> and <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> &s;welled with wrath, and big with rage: So, nor wil The <HI>Lord,</HI> The <HI>Hope</HI> of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> and Saviour there|of <HI>in time of trouble,</HI> He will not deceive you. Then you &s;hall &s;ee your &s;trength pre&s;ently, that you are better bottomed then are the <HI>perpetuall Hills,</HI> and <HI>everla&s;ting Mountains,</HI> a &s;ight worth the beholding and at &s;uch a time. And becau&s;e your work is now to read the times, not book<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s; To get under&s;tanding in them, and what I&s;rael ought to doe; and becau&s;e you feele &s;o many &s;hocks and thru&s;ts made again&s;t you to make you fall, noman more; I will make bold to draw out this Epi&s;tle (again&s;t my di&s;po&s;ition and judgement) beyond its u&s;u|all proportion to per&s;ons of your ranke; That I may make known not to you but to the world of ungodly men, where your &s;trength lyes. Then pa&s;t all que&s;tion it will be &s;aid, their <HI>rock</HI> is not as your <HI>Rock,</HI> the enemies them&s;elves being Judges.</P>
<P>I have by the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of the great Phy&s;itian writ|ten, I hope, from His Mouth, touching the <HI>Cure of Fear,</HI> your Lord&s;hip may have the marrow of it here.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, You <HI>magnify your Office,</HI> contending for Chri&s;t again&s;t His enemies, who would &s;houlder Him out of
<PB REF="4"> His Throne and out of His Kingdome; The&s;e enemies are in a rage, becau&s;e you are a friend to Chri&s;t; they fight again&s;t you, and have faire hopes too, they &s;hall take <HI>revenge on you.</HI> Let them hope till their day comes, when their fle&s;h mu&s;t con&s;ume away, <HI>and their eyes in their holes,</HI> and their <HI>tongues in their mouth,</HI> <NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Zech. 14. 12.</NOTE> you have the an&s;wer of a good con&s;cience within: A GOD to go to, His promi&s;e to cleave to, which you find, in the place you were upon even now; <HI>They &s;hall not prevaile again&s;t thee,</HI> for <HI>I am with thee, &s;aith the</HI> LORD, <HI>to deliver thee:</HI> And not barely &s;o, but a <HI>Mighty</HI> TERRIBLE <HI>one:</HI> There <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 20. 11.</NOTE> you may reade what follows, to your everla&s;ting com|fort, and confu&s;ion of your Adver&s;aries. This an&s;wers all that can be &s;aid or done again&s;t you, all <HI>hard words and ungodly deeds.</HI></P>
<P>GOD <HI>is with you;</HI> All His attributes, power, wi&s;dom, goodne&s;&s;e &s;hall be laid out for you, and for all like you, who lay out them&s;elves, all they are and have for Him.</P>
<P>You have now, as All His faithfull &s;ervants have, written this downe in the Table of your heart. Now you may write what you will, for a <HI>Legion,</HI> now marching on again&s;t the <HI>City of God,</HI> you can <HI>&s;et down quickly</HI> (before feare &s;urpri&s;eth the heart, for it hath &s;udden and violent motions) and write, <HI>fifty:</HI> what? <HI>froggs, lice, flies.</HI> So The Church de&s;pi|&s;ed her proud adver&s;ary, that terrible one, laughing him to &s;corne, regarding his huge Ho&s;t, not &s;o much as <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Kings 91. 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> a legion of froggs, an armie of lice, or &s;warme of flies. The&s;e Egyptian, the&s;e Northerne Troops (the Armies of The <HI>Lord</HI> of Ho&s;ts have been a plague to the Aegyp|tians, and other Nations, as idolatrous as they, never &s;o to a people with whom <HI>God is, a mighty terrible One.</HI>
<PB REF="5"> Certain it is That he, who wil &s;earch into the records of time, &s;hall never read, that an Army of Papi&s;ts, a People of <HI>Gods cur&s;e,</HI> ever did the Church hurt: They have annoyed it, that is granted: For frogs, and lice, and flies in aboundance, can doe &s;o, (&amp; yet not &s;o much un|le&s;&s;e God plea&s;eth, but if &s;o, then) for the <HI>Churches good.</HI> Idolatrous I&s;raell have pillaged Judah, and have taken away much &s;poile (&s;ometime the Lord made the Adver&s;ary vomit it up again:) their rage has reached yet higher, but then their day ha&s;teneth as now it doth, and they come down mightily, this al&s;o was forthe Churches good. Indeed, and to contract; every thing, which we commonly call evill, nay, what properly is &s;o, (&s;inne it &s;elfe) is for the good of tho&s;e with whom the LORD is, a God in covenant, our God. You &s;ee your &s;tability now, your &s;ecurity, your exceeding comfort. It is good to looke upon it with all your eyes, well to con&s;ider on it at &s;uch a time as this, le&s;t you fainte in your minde, as a faithfull &s;ervant of the <HI>Lord</HI> did, <HI>eying</HI> his Adver&s;aries, and not ob&s;erving his &s;tanding, nor his &s;trength where it was, and then he &s;peakes unad|vi&s;edly with his lips. <NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Jer. 22. 14.</NOTE></P>
<P>Truly I thinke it my Duty, being upon &s;uch a Subject, and at &s;uch a time, to make &s;ome enlargement to my <HI>Epi&s;tle</HI> here, now that tongues and hands are &s;o bu&s;ied to cau&s;e feare, which is &s;o encroaching, you cannot keep it out with all your power, unle&s;&s;e you hold fa&s;t &s;till-fa&s;t to this <HI>&s;trong hold, I will be with thee a mighty terrible One,</HI> ble&s;&s;ed be His name for that promi&s;e.</P>
<P>You &s;hall heare your &s;elfe charged as <HI>Job,</HI> perhaps by <HI>Eliphas</HI> a friend, and that, if you will ob&s;erve it <HI>(a)</HI> you will think very &s;trange, and nothing <HI>now</HI> that is <HI>new.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 22. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, 6, &amp;c.</NOTE> Your enemies, and they are many, all that are ene|mies
<PB REF="5"> to Chri&s;t, they will for His &s;ake defame you, &s;peak all manner of evill again&s;t you, for they call you <HI>by their</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exulem me de &s;uo nomine vo|cat. Cic. parad.</NOTE> <HI>owne names.</HI> While they reproach <HI>God</HI> in you, you feele a <HI>&s;word</HI> in your bones: <NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">P&s;al 42. 10</NOTE> But in reference to your &s;elfe, and that good thing within you, <HI>the &s;ouls pillow,</HI> you goe away rejoycing, bearing the reproach; and, being at <HI>peace</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Recta con&s;cien|tia culcitra animae.</NOTE> with <HI>God,</HI> no more moved then the Moone is at the bar|king of dogs. Behold her cour&s;e, &s;aith one, <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Chry&s;o&s;t.</NOTE> the cour&s;e of the Sun too, they run on like mighty Giants: &s;uch is the cour&s;e of a <HI>godly</HI> man, he is for <HI>God, God</HI> is with him, he breaks through all difficulties in this way, as through <HI>&s;piders webs:</HI> he is above all, <HI>hard words,</HI> and <HI>ungodly deeds,</HI> riding upon the high places of the earth. <NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">E&s;ay. 58. 14.</NOTE></P>
<P>Againe, you &s;hall &s;ee the earth &s;mitten <HI>terribly,</HI> that her bloud may be di&s;covered, and her Idols there given up to the <HI>Moles</HI> and to the <HI>Bats;</HI> you &s;hall feele it &s;hake under you, and the Kingdomes totter like a drunken man. All the while you &s;hall <HI>&s;tand &s;till,</HI> <NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Exod. 14. 13.</NOTE> calme in your mind, beholding the <HI>&s;alvation of GOD,</HI> for you &s;tand up for Him, and He is <HI>with you</HI> as a <HI>Mighty Terrible One.</HI></P>
<P>Againe, you &s;hall heare of War, and the de&s;olations that it cau&s;eth; Whether you &s;hall live to heare that GODS <HI>peace</HI> is concluded on, and e&s;tabli&s;hed in the land, I cannot tell, nor, perhaps, the be&s;t <HI>Seer</HI> in your City: But this I can tell you, becau&s;e you have the An&s;wer of a good con&s;cience, and can tell your &s;elfe, you <HI>fear GOD,</HI> and you &s;tand for <HI>Him,</HI> and <HI>He</HI> is with you, a <HI>God</HI> in Co|venant, and a <HI>Mighty Terrible One,</HI> That you, and all &s;uch as you, who follow <HI>peace,</HI> and <HI>holine&s;&s;e,</HI> &s;hall have <HI>peace,</HI> not as the world gives, but peace in <HI>God.</HI> Oh how &s;weet it is! and as &s;ure, as it is &s;weet, in <HI>God;</HI> and yet &s;weeter yet at &s;uch a time, when the Kingdomes totter, the <HI>gods</HI> there are all &s;tarved, nay when the heart-&s;trings and eye-
<PB REF="6"> &s;trings mu&s;t break: O how &s;weet is Peace then! &s;wee|ter then honey was to <HI>Jonathan,</HI> when his &s;oule fainted. This <HI>peace</HI> is yours, for you are <HI>Chri&s;ts,</HI> and Chri&s;t is GODS, <HI>Who&s;e you are, and Whom you &s;erve.</HI> This <HI>peace</HI> is yours, and now it pa&s;&s;eth all <HI>under&s;tanding</HI> indeed, when you &s;hall heare the mo&s;t comfortable word that ever was &s;poken, <HI>Well done good and faithfull &s;ervant.</HI></P>
<P>This is the heritage of them that <HI>feare</HI> the LORD; hard words and ungodly deeds cannot di&s;courage you now, for <HI>God</HI> is with you, there is your <HI>&s;ecurity</HI> <NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg"><HI>Chri&s;tum <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;e cum Pa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters"> &s;umma &s;ecu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">i|tas: Paulum a&s;|&s;e cum Chri&s;to &s;umma foelici|tas.</HI> 1 The&s;. 4. 17, 18.</NOTE>; you &s;hal be with Him anon, there is your <HI>happine&s;&s;e; for ever with the Lord,</HI> you can comfort your &s;elfe in the&s;e words.</P>
<P>Heare me with patience one word more, touching the &s;ucce&s;&s;e of the <HI>great work</HI> in hand, and the <HI>&s;ecurity</HI> of this great <HI>City,</HI> where the <HI>Lord</HI> hath made you a <HI>Watch|man,</HI> and hath found you faithfull, which is your glory, but in The <HI>Lord.</HI> Surely, &s;urely, the work &s;hal pro&s;per, for it is wrought by <HI>God;</HI> your <HI>City</HI> &s;hall not be de&s;troyed, for it is GODS <HI>City.</HI></P>
<P>Surely a work carryed on with &s;o many hands and hearts; &s;o much life, and &s;pirit, love, faith, patience, can|not be di&s;appointed of its end. And for the <HI>City</HI> <NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Where are many thou&s;ands that cannot &s;peak, yet is their language very moving with their <HI>Lord.</HI> Jonah 4. 11.</NOTE>, her fil|thine&s;&s;e is in her <HI>skirts</HI> <NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Lam. 1 9.</NOTE>; Ai and upon her forehead too: But yet a righteous people are there, and <HI>Gaius mine Ho&s;t</HI> <NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Rom. 16. 23.</NOTE>, and many &s;uch as he: She is a refuge to the op|pre&s;&s;ed, a great Sanctuarie at this <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>The day of Jacobs trouble.</HI> Jer. 30. 7.</NOTE> time; and much good is found there: We doe not boa&s;t of her goodne&s;&s;e, but we boa&s;t in The <HI>Lord,</HI> Who hath in&s;tructed her to di&s;cre|tion, To &s;tand up for Him and His Cau&s;e above all the Cities, that are or ever were in the world, <HI>and at &s;uch a time.</HI> Surely the <HI>Lord</HI> will watch over her; &amp; her Watch|men think &s;o too, &amp; pray for her night and day. And be|cau&s;e they be &s;uch, as never &s;ought <HI>God in vaine,</HI> they are
<PB REF="6"> bold and confident, That The <HI>Lord</HI> will watch over this City for good, it &s;hal &s;til be &s;aid, The LORD <HI>helpeth them;</HI> The <HI>North</HI> &s;hall give in unto them, the <HI>&s;outh</HI> &s;hal not keep back: the <HI>Ea&s;t</HI> and <HI>We&s;t</HI> &s;hall confer unto them the ble&s;|&s;ings of the Land and of the Sea. But this is the com|plement of all, <HI>Salvations will God appoint for walls and Bulwarks.</HI> I will conclude with the clo&s;e of a P&s;alm, <HI>Let</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 48. 11, 12, 13</NOTE> <HI>mount Sion rejoyce, let the daughters of Judah be glad, becau&s;e of Thy judgements: walk about Sion, and go round about her, tell the towers thereof</HI> (A goodly pro&s;pect, and <HI>at &s;uch a time) Mark ye well her Bulwarks, con&s;ider her palaces, that you may tell it to the generation following.</HI> What &s;hall they tell? or what is this &s;trength? wherein doth it con&s;i&s;t? or where is it? for it is not vi&s;ible. It follows, <HI>For This</HI> GOD <HI>is our</HI> GOD <HI>for ever and ever: He will be our guide even</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 41. 13.</NOTE> <HI>unto death. Ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord God of I&s;rael from everla&s;ting and to everla&s;ting.</HI> AMEN <HI>and</HI> AMEN.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="7">
<HEAD>By way of <HI>Preface</HI> to the <HI>Reader.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_INeed not tell thee what the times are, how <HI>hard, fierce,</HI> and <HI>perillous;</HI> nor how we are di&s;tract|ed in them; &s;o much thy very looks can tell me: The news, now a-dayes, is &s;o legible, that he who runs may read it, and in mo&s;t mens faces.</P>
<P>There is a <HI>pa&s;&s;ion</HI> now, quick and &s;tirring within us, which may &s;tand us in great &s;tead at this time, as it may be ordered and pointed; if in a right way, and to the right object, no|thing can doe us better &s;ervice to &s;tay and &s;tabli&s;h us: but if out of the way, and from that object, nothing works us more mi&s;chiefe: nothing more un&s;ettles us. It will betray all our &s;uccour; it will &s;hake us, as a leafe with the wind, and make us flee as a Roe before the hunter.</P>
<P>It were &s;ea&s;onable now to reade a Lecture upon this pa&s;sion of <HI>feare,</HI> not as a Philo&s;opher, but as a Chri&s;tian; I cannot &s;ay, &s;o I have done; but I have be&s;towed many &s;ad (yet quiet) thoughts upon its uncomfortable and unquiet motions; and here I have made them legible, That, though the adver&s;ary doth all he can to make us afraid, yet he may not have his will <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3. 6.</NOTE> &s;o farre, as to make us afraid with <HI>any amazement,</HI> for we have made three Conclu&s;ions, are fixed thereupon, and re&s;olved to take the <HI>Product</HI> or <HI>Re&s;ult</HI> therefrom, <HI>That we will doe our Duty,</HI> not di&s;quieting our &s;elves about what The LORD will doe hereafter, or what our foes are doing now. The fir&s;t Conclu&s;ion.</P>
<P N="1">1. That things &s;tand at as great a di&s;tance from an ho|nourable <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>King.</HI> 9. 22.</NOTE> <HI>Peace,</HI> as I&s;rael &s;tood when the <HI>WITCHCRAFTS</HI> of their <HI>mother Jezebel,</HI> and her whoredomes were &s;o many.
<PB REF="7"> If one man &s;in again&s;t another, a third may take up the diffe|rence, and make an agreement betwixt them: <NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 2. 25.</NOTE> The ca&s;e is not &s;o here; Man hath &s;inned again&s;t The <HI>Lord,</HI> and we have provoked Him to His face by our Idolatries and bloud-&s;hed: Man &s;hall not determine this ca&s;e, a ca&s;e of bloud, and betwixt <HI>GOD</HI> and <HI>Man.</HI> There may be e&s;&s;ayes and overtures that way, to <HI>&s;cab-over</HI> the <HI>matter,</HI> but it cannot be; the wound is deep, much venome in the hottome, it hath layne fe&s;tring there the&s;e by pa&s;t yeeres, three or foure, and now The <HI>Lord</HI> is &s;earching into it, making <HI>inqui&s;ition for bloud:</HI> and before He hath done (for that is His manner) He will find it out, and His <HI>&s;word</HI> &s;hall not re&s;t, till He hath <HI>required</HI> and avenged it. That is the fir&s;t Conclu&s;ion. The adver&s;ary makes a &s;econd, That as</P>
<P N="2"><MILESTONE N="2"> 2. He hath done all he can by <HI>fraud,</HI> &s;o he doth and will doe all he can by <HI>force,</HI> not to wa&s;te and de&s;troy onely, not to out <HI>I&s;rael &s;hort,</HI> but cleane off from being a Nation: So the <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;al.</HI> 74.</NOTE> Adver&s;ary hath concluded now. And now the Church makes a third Conclu&s;ion, and thereon &s;he will fixe, and be e&s;tabli&s;hed for ever.</P>
<P N="3"><MILESTONE N="3"> 3. That <HI>God</HI> will make His Church a <HI>cup</HI> of <HI>trembling</HI> in the adver&s;aries hand, as a <HI>burden&s;ome &s;tone</HI> upon his <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Zach.</HI> 12. 2.</NOTE> &s;houlders, as a <HI>torch of fire</HI> in a &s;heafe, or amid&s;t &s;tubble. The <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>ver.</HI> 6.</NOTE> <HI>Lord</HI> doth open <HI>His eyes upon His people;</HI> He doth plead His owne cau&s;e. So the Church hath concluded.</P>
<P>I could &s;et downe &s;ome Premi&s;es whence &s;he draws her Con|clu&s;ion, but it is her LORDS promi&s;e &s;o; and that is enough, gi|ven long &s;ince, but written <HI>for the generations to come.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;al.</HI> 74. 22, 23.</NOTE></P>
<P>The <HI>Re&s;ult</HI> from hence is, <HI>That we do our duty,</HI> as the Church doth, &amp; not trouble our &s;elves with unnece&s;&s;ary quaeres, <HI>what, how,</HI> or <HI>when GOD</HI> will work: He works wonders e|very day, and let Him work as He plea&s;eth, He will work all for good, and all in the fitte&s;t &s;ea&s;on. Let us <HI>doeour duty,</HI> that is
<PB REF="8"> our work; <HI>work out our &s;alvation;</HI> &amp; for the <HI>&s;alvation</HI> of <HI>I&s;|rael,</HI> by all &s;uch means, wherein <HI>GOD, Nature, Grace,</HI> have given us a capacity, and power of working. We mu&s;t lye on our face in deep humiliation, while the <HI>Jo&s;huahs</HI> are &s;earching the tents, that the accur&s;ed thing may be ca&s;t out, for &s;o they have commanded us. We mu&s;t doe for the cau&s;e of Chri&s;t, <HI>as</HI> the <HI>&s;pi|rituall</HI> Lords, Devils, and men doe again&s;t Chri&s;t, to &s;houlder Him out of His throne: This is to doe our duty, to doe <HI>As,</HI> &amp;c. and &s;o doing, we doe our duty heartily, and <HI>&s;hall rejoyce in time to come;</HI> that is very comfortable, as we read it; but there is more comfort in it then &s;o, we &s;hall <HI>laugh at the time to come</HI> <NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg"><HI>Prov.</HI> 21. 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. Ridet ad tem|pera &s;eq<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters">ontra.</NOTE>: Not care &s;o much for the Army in the north, as their fore-fathers did for an Army of <HI>frogs, lice,</HI> &amp; &s;warms of <HI>flies;</HI> nor for any other <HI>mountain</HI> in the way, for he &s;hall be made a <HI>plaine:</HI> Wee have and will do our Duty; They that do &s;o may laugh and &s;ing too.</P>
<P>But the&s;e are but words, the <HI>Lord</HI> knows not the <HI>&s;peech,</HI> but the <HI>power</HI> of our <HI>doing our duty.</HI> And He put it into our hearts, and keep it there for ever. We can hardly &s;et upon it, though we are &s;et upon by the hand of violence, our gods are taken away from us, I mean that we dote upon, which quickned a man as dead in his body, as we in our &s;pirits; For thus it was <Q>The Phi&s;itians knew no way to quicken him out of his <HI>lethar|gy</HI> but by gingling his baggs before him upon the table; then he awakened and &s;tirred him&s;elfe up, for he would hold <NOTE PLACE="marg">Hor. li. 2. S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. Satyr. 3.</NOTE> his bags, as long as he could hold his breath.</Q> This <HI>god</HI> is take~ from us, our liberty too, and that is our <HI>god</HI> al&s;o; Nay our <HI>LORD Chri&s;t</HI> is taking fro~ us, Who gives all to us, He is <HI>GOD</HI> indeed. Now or never we will bethink our &s;elves, and lay out all we have &amp; are to keepe Him, the <HI>LIFE</HI> of our <HI>lives,</HI> and <HI>SOUL</HI> of our <HI>&s;ouls,</HI> we wil keepe Him. There is but this that can di&s;cou|rage us (and it is the greate&s;t encouragement in the world, if we can contend for Him) we may lo&s;e our e&s;tates and lives too.
<PB REF="8"> That is true; All may be lo&s;t, &amp; mo&s;t happily lo&s;t in &s;uch a con|tention; Nay it is not <HI>lo&s;t,</HI> it is <HI>gained,</HI> and the greate&s;t gain, for <HI>He is worthy,</HI> for Who&s;e cau&s;e we do expend all this, if it be our deare&s;t blood, and all: He became <HI>poor</HI> for us, to make us <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 8 9.</NOTE> rich^e; nay, a <HI>Cur&s;e</HI> for us, to make us a <HI>Ble&s;&s;ing.</HI> If we think of this, goods &s;hal go and life too, and ble&s;&s;e God with all our hearts, that He put &s;uch a <HI>price</HI> into our hand, to lay out our &s;elves for Chri&s;t, to &s;uffer for Him: Indeed it is as glorious a work as to <HI>be|leeve</HI> in Him; we cannot do the one without the other, but &s;uffer|ing hath the preheminence, that no man may be di&s;mayed at his &s;ufferings, if called thereunto, and for Chri&s;t, for <HI>unto you it</HI> is given in the behalfe of Chri&s;t, not onely to beleeve on Him, but <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Philip.</HI> 1. 29.</NOTE> al&s;o to &s;uffer for His &s;ake.</P>
<P>I have done prefacing, The <HI>Lord</HI> give us under&s;tanding in the times, and what I&s;rael ought to do.</P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>PROV.</HI> 29. 25.</BIBL>
<P>The feare of man bringeth a &s;nare: but who &s;o putteth his tru&s;t in The <HI>Lord,</HI> &s;hall be &s;afe.</P></Q>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="license">
<PB REF="9">
<P> IT is ordered by the Committee of the Hou&s;e of Commons in Parliament con|cerning Printing, this 22. day of Decem|ber 1642. that this booke Intituled <HI>(The u&s;efulne&s;&s;e of Feare, &amp;c.)</HI> be printed.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>John White.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="1" REF="9">
<HEAD><LIST>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD><HI>Of</HI> FEARE.</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>The Just Cause</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The True Use</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The Soveraign Cure</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST></HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>SECT. I.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>The &s;umme and &s;cope of this Treati&s;e; The kinds of Feare; The &s;trange effects there from; What the wor&s;t effect; What the great de&s;igne of the Adver&s;ary; How he pro&s;ecutes it; His advantage if he can effect it; His power and malice that way gives us ju&s;t cau&s;e of feare.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAP. I.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>The Introduction to, and purpo&s;e of this Treati&s;e.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>_OUr <HI>Affections</HI> doe us the greate&s;t &s;ervice, or di&s;|&s;ervice, that well can be imagined: and this they doe, as wee ma&s;ter them; or as they ma&s;ter us. If we ma&s;ter them, they are the <HI>winds</HI> of the &s;oule, carrying it &s;o as it is neither becalmed, that it moves not when it &s;hould; nor yet to&s;&s;ed, that it moves di&s;orderly: If they ma&s;ter us, they rai&s;e &s;torms there, and we are &s;torm-like, &s;udden and violent, carryed as a &s;hip in a tempe&s;t. If we ma&s;ter them, they are the very <HI>wings</HI> of the &s;oule; A <HI>Prayer without them,</HI> (&s;o we may &s;ay of any other performance) is like <HI>a bird without wings:</HI> <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">Oratio &s;ine malis, avis &s;ine alis.</NOTE> If I <HI>cared for no|thing,</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Melancthon)</HI> I &s;hould <HI>pray for nothing:</HI> <NOTE N="(b)" PLACE="marg">Si nihil cu|rarem, nihil Orarem.</NOTE> If they ma&s;ter us, they are the <HI>clogs</HI> of the &s;oule; or if they be as <HI>wings,</HI> it is to make us flee away from <HI>God,</HI> and goodne&s;&s;e; from our &s;elves and Duty. Our Affections are the <HI>&s;prings</HI> of all our &s;ervices to GOD: we are dry, and cold, and dead without them; with them (well ordered) the &s;oule is &s;et on work, and then the work
<PB N="2" REF="10"> will be done, when the heart is upon it: <HI>David</HI> had prepared much for the hou&s;e of GOD, him&s;elfe gives the rea&s;on, <HI>Becau&s;e I have &s;et my</HI> AFFECTION <HI>to the hou&s;e of my</HI> GOD. <NOTE N="(c)" PLACE="marg">1 Chr. 29. 3.</NOTE> <HI>Feare</HI> puts on the &s;oule almo&s;t as fa&s;t as <HI>Love</HI> doth, that great Centuri|on, or puts it farther back: I cannot doe this and &s;in; I mu&s;t doe this, and why? <HI>Becau&s;e I have &s;et my</HI> FEARE upon GOD; and <HI>knowing the</HI> TERROR <HI>of the</HI> LORD, <NOTE N="(d)" PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5. 11.</NOTE> I <HI>mu&s;t per&s;wade men.</HI> In a word, weare as a dead &s;ea without our affections; and as a raging &s;ea if they exceed the bounds: And no affection beats more &s;trongly upon the &s;oule, (and more like waves again&s;t the banks) to exceed its ju&s;t bounds, and get over, then <HI>feare</HI> doth: and when it hath got over, no affection &s;ooner drowns the Spi|rits, &s;inks Rea&s;on, and &s;o becomes a <HI>Pa&s;&s;ion</HI> indeed, vexatious and trouble&s;ome: for where <HI>feare</HI> is (in exce&s;&s;e) there is <HI>tor|ment.</HI> <NOTE N="(e)" PLACE="marg">1 John. 4. 18.</NOTE> This tormenting <HI>Pa&s;&s;ion,</HI> the &s;tilling its unrea&s;onable motions, is the &s;ubject of my Di&s;cour&s;e now; but GODS work, To calme the Spirit, to make it <HI>&s;tand &s;till,</HI> when the earth &s;hakes, <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>(f)</HI> Exod. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">. <HI>Ne con<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span">.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">un.</NOTE> and the kingdomes <HI>are moved;</HI> I &s;ay, His work, Who <HI>chid</HI> the winds, and commanded the &s;eas, and they obeyed <HI>Him, and pre|&s;ently there followed a great calme.</HI> Feare, let alone to work its owne effects, (for like water it hath no bounds of its owne) is <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>(g) <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">.</HI> Math. 8. 20.</NOTE> in the heart, as the tongue in the body, <HI>kindleth a great fire</HI> <NOTE N="(h)" PLACE="marg">Jam. 3. 5.</NOTE> <HI>there</HI> from every little matter, quickly rai&s;eth that little to a ra|ging flame, which no man can quench, onely GOD can. And what way He commands and pre&s;cribes us&punc; (for we mu&s;t keep to His pre&s;criptions, the &s;ame, which the <HI>whole City</HI> of GOD, All His People, have taken in all <HI>troublous times</HI> upward to this day) To rea&s;on with this unrea&s;onable Pa&s;&s;ion, To keep it with|in bounds of ju&s;t moderation, is the maine intendment of this Treati&s;e, wherein, but in pa&s;&s;age only, I mu&s;t make cleare proofe to them, who will be as are many now adayes, <HI>willingly ignorant</HI> That the Citties <HI>feare</HI> is <HI>ju&s;t</HI> and Rea&s;onable; That all the Cau&s;es and rea&s;ons both, which can be imagined, from within, and from without, commands the wi&s;e&s;t men to <HI>feare,</HI> yea commends them &s;o fearing, for they are wi&s;e men, they can not be <HI>afraid with any amazement.</HI> But that I may begin in order, I mu&s;t di&s;tingui&s;h fir&s;t,</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="3" REF="10">
<HEAD>CHAP. II.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>The Kindes of feare, The di&s;quietings therefrom, and &s;harp effects; The wor&s;t effect of all, is,</HI> It maketh a man choo&s;e &s;inne rather then affliction.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P N="1">1. THere is a <HI>feare,</HI> which &s;inks Rea&s;on, then rai&s;eth up unrea|&s;onable motions, &s;uch which make a man <HI>feare where no feare is;</HI> heare a noi&s;e meerly fancyed; flee, when none pur&s;ueth; &s;o betrayeth the &s;uccors <HI>which rea&s;on offers.</HI> <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">Wi&s;dom. 17. 12.</NOTE> This <HI>feare</HI> made the <HI>Syrians,</HI> and others, infamous in the &s;acred Writ, to fly, <NOTE N="(b)" PLACE="marg">2 Kings 7</NOTE> &amp;c. And the Papi&s;ts, in their houre of Darkne&s;&s;e, and Saint <HI>Ma|ries</HI> Church in <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Act. and M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">+pa 1102.</NOTE> <HI>Oxford,</HI> To &s;helter their heads again&s;t the &s;calding lead, melted in the fornace of their own conceits, and guilty con&s;ciences: for they heard a noi&s;e of fire onely, could &s;ee none, and yet they thought they &s;hould be &s;calded to death with the droppings of lead melted in a fancyed fire of their owne imagi|nary. This is a <HI>Panick</HI> feare, a feare where there is no cau&s;e of fear; a <HI>noi&s;e,</HI> which GOD cau&s;eth the wicked to heare, His enemies and adver&s;aries to feele: the effects thereof, as we heard.</P>
<P N="2">2. There is a naturall <HI>feare,</HI> which all partake of, that partake of the &s;ame common nature: Nay all creatures that have &s;en&s;e, have &s;en&s;e of <HI>feare,</HI> feare of &s;uffering, It is naturall; The Beares will roare; Ravens Crye; Doves Chatter; Lambs Bleat; The Swine are troubled in a windy night, though I read of <HI>Pyrrhos Hogge,</HI> that eate his meate quietly in the &s;hip almo&s;t covered with waves, while the Pa&s;&s;engers there were almo&s;t dead with feare: And I have knowne &s;ome men, who &s;eemed to have no other &s;en&s;e, but that &s;en&s;e of feeling, fearle&s;&s;e men; They feared nothing: But this <HI>fearle&s;ne&s;&s;e</HI> was not from any cleanne&s;&s;e and &s;erenity of mind; not from a true &s;ecurity and peace from with|in: but from a <HI>dead pal&s;ie</HI> rather, a <HI>&s;tupor,</HI> a blocki&s;h &s;tupidity upon their &s;pirits.</P>
<P N="3">3. There is a <HI>feare,</HI> which hath a &s;trong foundation in nature: &s;o al&s;o mu&s;t it needs have the &s;ame foundation in &s;in: A corrupt, a &s;infull feare: And the more or le&s;&s;e &s;in is ma&s;tered and &s;ubdued
<PB N="4" REF="11"> in us, &s;o will this <HI>feare</HI> be; &s;o quieted, or &s;o di&s;quieting: And this all men partake of, and in mea&s;ure, according to the pro|portion before mentioned. If <HI>&s;in</HI> beare rule in us, <HI>feare,</HI> when it comes, will command in chiefe too, and be exceeding: <HI>Weak|ne&s;&s;e</HI> and <HI>wickedne&s;&s;e</HI> are the very <HI>e&s;&s;entialls,</HI> whereof it doth con|&s;i&s;t, the &s;upporters of it; and when it exceeds its bounds, it be|comes a <HI>pa&s;&s;ion</HI> indeed: We &s;uffer much by it, and act or practi&s;e in it, I know not how, but as men for&s;aken of all, wit and rea&s;on both. It cau&s;eth &s;trange and &s;trong motions within, no pa&s;&s;ion &s;tronger or &s;tranger then <HI>feare</HI> doth. It is within us like foule weather upon the &s;ea; It no &s;ooner ri&s;eth and getreth ma&s;tery, but it cloudeth our <HI>Heaven,</HI> and &s;ils the &s;oul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> with thick mi&s;ts and &s;moak. The Apo&s;tle &s;peaks all in one word, <HI>Where feare is, there is torment.</HI> <NOTE N="(b)" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> 22. 2.</NOTE> It is the very <HI>Rack</HI> of the &s;oule; it &s;layeth with|out a &s;word: <HI>Thy &s;laine men are not &s;laine with the &s;word nor dead</HI> (c) <HI>in Battell.</HI> How then were they &s;layn? with <HI>feare,</HI> that &s;urpri|&s;ed <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> eye<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> cove<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">|ed <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> his death, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> covered a+gain tha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> hee might <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ead his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> dead upon th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Scaf<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">old. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span">.</NOTE> them before the Battell, and did the part of an executioner before the &s;word came.</P>
<P>But that is not the wor&s;t; <HI>feare</HI> can doe a wor&s;e office to a man then &s;lay him; It can put us cleane off from GOD and from <HI>Duty,</HI> and that is wor&s;t of all. What ba&s;e &s;hifts will the &s;oule u&s;e when feare po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth her? Feare of mans wrath, feare of lo&s;&s;e of goods, of good name, of liberty, of life, will put a man upon the lo&s;&s;e of all we properly call <HI>good;</HI> upon &s;trange adventures, upon devili&s;h projects; It will da&s;h his &s;oule upon this rock and the other, till He hath &s;plit him&s;elfe, and made <HI>&s;hipwrack</HI> of <HI>tho&s;e</HI> ine&s;timable trea&s;ures, (which render a man rich in the lowe&s;t e&s;tate, and &s;e|cure in the greate&s;t danger) FAITH and a good CONSCI|ENCE: It will make a man &s;eek for &s;ecurity from every thing, but where it &s;hould: it will make him look to all means but one; in his di&s;tracting <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">eare, he will not look to God, and an upright conver&s;ation.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="5" REF="11">
<HEAD>CHAP. III.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>The de&s;igne of the wicked ever was and now is To make the Godly afraid: The advantage if they can effect it: Tongue and hand im|ployed about it: Their judgement from the Lord: Their pre|tence, and &s;carce that, for their works are manife&s;t.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>THis the wicked know very well, they have learnt it of their Fathers: therefore heare what they have devi&s;ed anciently, to make the righteous <HI>afraid.</HI> When the breaches of <HI>Ieru&s;alems</HI> walls were making up, what was the great de&s;igne of the ad|ver&s;ary then? To <HI>make the builders</HI> AFRAID. We reade often <NOTE PLACE="marg">N<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">he. 6.</NOTE> The adver&s;aries &s;ent and wrote Letters, rai&s;ed fal&s;e reports, hired light fellows; All this they did, <HI>That they might make the buil|ders</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 13.</NOTE> <HI>afraid.</HI> Could they have effected it according to their minds, then the hands of the builders had been <HI>weakned from the worke: it had not beene done.</HI> <NOTE N="(d)" PLACE="marg">ver. 9.</NOTE> If you will do any thing for The LORD, keepe up your &s;pirits, and keepe out <HI>feare,</HI> that infeebling Pa&s;&s;ion, which cuts a Mans &s;inewes, renders him unfit for action. When the heart &s;inks, then the hands hang downe, and the <HI>work cea&s;eth.</HI> If <HI>Nehemiah</HI> had given way to ba&s;e and cowardly feare, he had done &s;o and &s;o, and <HI>&s;inned.</HI> Be&s;ides, he had given matter for an evill <NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 13.</NOTE> report, <HI>That the adver&s;ary might reproach him.</HI></P>
<P>Thus The Adver&s;ary did anciently, So hee doth now, Hee takes the &s;ame way; his de&s;igne and end is the very &s;ame with theirs; &s;till Hee &s;ends, hee writes, hee rai&s;eth fal&s;e reports, hee <HI>hires</HI> light fellowes (if there bee any lighter then him&s;elfe:) what tongue or hand can doe hee doth, <HI>to cau&s;e terrour on every &s;ide;</HI> Their <HI>tongue walketh about the City,</HI> and <HI>all to di&s;quiet the inhabitants</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 42. 4.</NOTE> <HI>thereof.</HI> What &s;hall bee done unto thee thou deceitfull and mi&s;|cheivous tongue? for thou love&s;t all devouring words: I cannot make full an&s;wer to that, but I read; The <HI>Lord &s;hall de&s;troy thee for ever, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place,</HI> and roote thee out <NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 5.</NOTE> of the land of the living: here is al&s;o a prayer put up again&s;t the&s;e tongues, the&s;e fiery flying &s;erpents; <HI>Let the mi&s;cheife of their own</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 140. 9. 10.</NOTE> <HI>lips cover them; let burning coals fall upon them,</HI> The Church
<PB N="6" REF="12"> &s;eekes not her <HI>God</HI> in vain, &s;hee makes account it is done.</P>
<P>The hand is more rough and violent, and put forth as farre as it could bee, to make both Citty and Country MAGOR-MIS|SABIB <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> 3.</NOTE> <HI>feare on every &s;ide.</HI> What &s;hall bee done unto thee thou violent and bloody man? Man cannot an&s;wer that; blood pur&s;ues him; the De&s;troyer &s;hall bee de&s;troyed; God hath &s;worne by His Holine&s;&s;e, <HI>utter de&s;truction &s;hall come unto them;</HI> Hee will UNDOE <HI>all that a&s;&s;lict his people</HI> <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">Zeph. 3. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>Their fle&s;h &s;hall con&s;ume a|way while they &s;tand upon their feete; and their eyes &s;hall con&s;ume a|way in their holes, and their tongues &s;hall con&s;ume away in their mouth;</HI> <NOTE N="(b)" PLACE="marg">Zeph. 14. 12.</NOTE> <HI>This is the portion of them that hate His Church; they &s;hall be utterly de&s;troyed,</HI> in the clo&s;e of this <HI>work</HI> (for there is a great work to be done upon mount Sion) and about the clo&s;e of the day they &s;hall be utterly <HI>undon.</HI> But fir&s;t they &s;hall bee made a <HI>terrour</HI> to them&s;elves, and round about: As they thought to do to the Righteous, &s;o it &s;hall bee done to them: As they have determined, &s;o it &s;hall bee unto them, that &s;hall bee their lot and portion of their cup from the Lord in his appointed Time.</P>
<P>But do wee not wrong the&s;e harmele&s;&s;e people, the&s;e innocent Lambs (&s;ome of them were in <HI>&s;heepes clothing,</HI> and they would <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 8. 15.</NOTE> bee accounted <HI>&s;heepe</HI> till their cloak fell off, and the wolfe ap|peared) what have they done, or &s;poken to make the City af|fraid? They will tell us, Nothing at all. <Q>We doe but fancie our feares; we heare a rumour, we &s;carce know of what, or from whom, and we are afraid, we know not wherefore. We conceit danger onely, as they, who took &s;hadows for men: or <NOTE PLACE="marg">Judges 19. 36.</NOTE> as tho&s;e, who, beholding at a di&s;tance, a field over-grown with tall thi&s;tles, thought verily they had been &s;o many &s;pearmen.</Q> So the adver&s;ary &s;aith, and &s;o &s;ay they too, who &s;hould &s;peakas the <HI>Oracles of</HI> GOD, for they &s;peak from the Pulpit. And what &s;aid they? As the Adver&s;ary before them, <Q>That there was no cau&s;e of feare formerly, nor any cau&s;e now; A Phanta&s;me, a conceited thing, a <HI>Panick</HI> feare the City is po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with, whereof they can give neither cau&s;e nor rea&s;on for, neither is reall nor vi&s;ible.</Q> They have &s;aid; and &s;o they have <HI>forced</HI> them|&s;elves, as <HI>unju&s;t</HI> men doe. Now we wil take leave to con&s;ider the matter, and their words, and give no more credit to them then we doe to &s;uch men, who <HI>know no &s;hame.</HI> <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">Zeph. 3. 5.</NOTE></P>
<PB N="7" REF="12">
<P> Catholique men, bloody Papi&s;ts, (univer&s;ally, all the world over) brawned in villanies, the&s;e fellowes, that hate the Lord, make Tumults, lift up the head, and yet <HI>no ground of feare,</HI> not any. The neighbours hou&s;e is on fire, there the fire rageth, and the wind blows the flame directly hitherward; it began there, to end here; yet <HI>no cau&s;e of feare,</HI> That our common|hou&s;e may &s;mell of the &s;moak, or that it is time for every common man to look to his owne: No rea&s;on for that, none at all, &s;peaks the adver&s;ary, but he is not &s;o mad as to think any wi&s;e man beleeves him. The vile Prie&s;ts and the Treacherous Prophets, that have polluted <HI>the Sanctuary,</HI> have <HI>done violence to the Law;</HI> <NOTE N="(c)" PLACE="marg">Zeph. 3. 4.</NOTE> The&s;e doe rage, and are &s;welled with malice: The bruti&s;h people, almo&s;t as much, make tumults; and they that &s;ung forth their reque&s;ts, roare like Beares, and are as fierce as the <HI>&s;he-beares,</HI> fearing their &s;weet mor&s;els may be taken from them, and their <HI>&s;ervice ordered</HI> according to <HI>Rule,</HI> and <HI>yet no ground of feare.</HI> The tumult of tho&s;e, that ri&s;e up again&s;t The LORD, that would dethrone Him, encrea&s;eth continually, and <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">et no cau&s;e of feare.</HI> Indeed there is not; no cau&s;e we &s;hould be afraid, when we look up to GOD, for it is the Tumult of tho&s;e that ri&s;e up again&s;t <HI>Him,</HI> and <HI>He</HI> will look to <HI>His</HI> owne Cau&s;e and <HI>Glory,</HI> That &s;hall receive no lo&s;&s;e, no diminution at all, but ad|vantage a great deale: But looking down to the Adver&s;ary, there is cau&s;e we &s;hould <HI>feare,</HI> after <HI>a godly &s;ort:</HI> &s;o as to make provi|&s;ion again&s;t him, and then &s;ecure our &s;elves and the cau&s;e in GOD. This <HI>feare</HI> is a <HI>Godly feare:</HI> The Godly mans <HI>feare</HI> is his humility, and ca&s;ting away of Pride; his reverent care to walk in the wayes of God: A <HI>feare</HI> which drives out &s;ecurity, not a feare which takes away the boldne&s;&s;e of faith. More of this anon. This here, that there is ju&s;t cau&s;e of <HI>feare,</HI> but of &s;uch a <HI>feare</HI> that hath been de&s;cribed unto us, which &s;ecureth the &s;oule, the godly man, and his cau&s;e in <HI>God;</HI> And great need of &s;uch a feare, for what|ever the Adver&s;ary &s;aith, no man that hath his eyes in his head will beleeve him; though his words were as &s;oft as butter: and his deeds as &s;mooth as oyle: much le&s;&s;e now, when his words are as drawn &s;words, violence is in his hands, &amp; war in his heart. The Adver&s;ary is &s;o mad with rage now, That he ca&s;teth fire|brands, arrows and death, and cannot deceive his neighbour <NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 26. 18.</NOTE>
<PB N="8" REF="13"> now, &s;aying, <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> not I in &s;port?</HI> No &s;ure, no man is &s;o &s;en&s;le&s;&s;e as <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> beleeve that; for when he &s;eemed to &s;peak faire, we beleeved <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> not, <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> k<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">wing there were &s;even abominations in his heart:</HI> Hee that hateth, may di&s;&s;emble for a time, and lay up deceit within him; for words, which are wounds, and lying lips and a wicked heart may be like a <HI>pot<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">ard covered with &s;ilver dro&s;&s;e</HI> for a time. But now his hatred (as active as fire) cannot be covered by <HI>d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ceit,</HI> his wickedne&s;&s;e is &s;hewne <HI>before the whole congre|gation.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e are Generalls; That I may be more particular, I will quarter out this <HI>Legion,</HI> the Adver&s;ary I meane, for <HI>he is many,</HI> and behold him as a man of War, in his <HI>Ranks</HI> and <HI>Po&s;tures:</HI> doubtle&s;&s;e, if we &s;o behold him, and can look no higher, he will &s;eem terrible, as an Army with banners; or rather, as <HI>Goliah</HI> before the <HI>I&s;raelites;</HI> I &s;aid not, <HI>before David,</HI> for <HI>he laughed him to &s;corne,</HI> and <HI>de&s;pi&s;ed him:</HI> but this I may &s;ay truly, ju&s;t cau&s;e we have to be <HI>afraid,</HI> for con&s;ider the Churches enemies, <HI>how many they are.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="4" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAP. IV.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>Without number for multitude.</HI> 2. <HI>Without rea&s;on for rags and cruelty.</HI> 3. <HI>Boundle&s;&s;e in malice, mi&s;chievous in projecting, and watchfull in executing thereof.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P N="1">1. HOW many adver&s;aries hath the Church? It were well with the Church if &s;he could number her enemies, tell how many adver&s;aries &s;he hath: We &s;ay, They are but a few, that can be numbred. The Shepherd can tell his &s;heep, but hee cannot tell how many Wolves, nor Foxes there be: nor how many dogs, which doe their office the contrary way, hurrying the &s;heep, and are as bloody as the wol&s;e or foxe, every whit. The Church can &s;ay, They are, as in former dayes, <HI>encrea&s;ed that</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 3. 1. P&s;al. 22. 12. 13.</NOTE> <HI>trouble me; Many Bulls have compa&s;&s;ed me, &s;trong Bulls of Ba&s;han have be&s;et me round. They gaped upon me with their mouthes, as a ravening and roaring lyon.</HI> <NOTE N="(c)" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 31. 1.</NOTE> She hath heard <HI>the &s;lander of many, feare was on every &s;icle. While they took, coun&s;ell together again&s;t</HI>
<PB N="9" REF="13"> <HI>me, they devi&s;ed to take away my life.</HI> The Church can onely an|&s;wer, MANY, <HI>Many are my Adver&s;aries,</HI> many my per&s;ecutors; <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119. 15<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> Many, that &s;ight <HI>again&s;t my &s;oule, becau&s;e I &s;eek the thing that good is.</HI> All the luke-warm Prote&s;tants, the&s;e are not a few; and they are again&s;t the Church, for they are not with her: All the <HI>light</HI> Prophets, and <HI>Treacherous</HI> Prie&s;ts, The&s;e are exceeding ma|ny, and their rage is exceeding, as is their zeale to their ea&s;e, and filthy lucre, to their plea&s;ure al&s;o boyled up to the height: All the Devils in hell, and both their hands on earth, right and left, Pope and Popelings, with the Athei&s;ts too, the&s;e &s;warm every where, &s;uch multitudes there are. But thanks be to God, wee know where they &s;ettle, and fixe, though a gadding company, yet we know where they are <HI>&s;olden together as thornes;</HI> and if their bodies <NOTE PLACE="marg">Nah. 1. 10.</NOTE> are not there, yet their hearts are, joyned all together from all the quarters of the world. And now we can give a gue&s;&s;e how many they be, that band them&s;elves again&s;t the Church, as <HI>the</HI> &s;ands by the <HI>Sea-&s;hore for multitude:</HI> and then it follows, That we may have ju&s;t cau&s;e of feare, In the &s;econd place con&s;ider we their</P>
<P N="2">2. Cruelty. The dark places of the earth are full of it, where the light of the Go&s;pel comes not, is thru&s;t out, or de&s;pi&s;ed. Their <HI>Doctrine</HI> and <HI>Di&s;cipline,</HI> their Laws, the be&s;t things with them are as the bloud of a dead man. What are their manners then? Bloody &s;ure. The&s;e &s;ons and daughters of men, &s;tand upon ever|la&s;ting record, To be the mo&s;t bloody enemies that ever the Church met withall in this world: They are free of the Corpo|ration of the Malignant Church, and have purcha&s;ed their free|dome there: How? and at what rate? By Ma&s;&s;acres, outrages and villauies of all &s;orts and &s;izes. If any of the company are not &s;o cruell by nature, yet they mu&s;t be &s;o by command, and war|ranted to be &s;o, by Law. They may and <HI>mu&s;t pur&s;ue their brother with the &s;word, and ca&s;t off all pity: Their rage mu&s;t teare perpetu|ally,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Amos 1. 11.</NOTE> <HI>they mu&s;t keep their wrath for ever.</HI> Keep wrath for ever? Yes, for ever; for though they are but Mortall enemies, yet doth their enmity mannage an immortall hatred again&s;t the righte|ous; for they pur&s;ued <HI>him to death;</HI> and when he had got into his &s;trong-hold, the <HI>grave,</HI> there they troubled him, that they did.</P>
<PB N="10" REF="14">
<P> They have executed their rage and malice again&s;t the <HI>Sanctu|aries of the dead,</HI> the <HI>Graves,</HI> the place where <HI>Iob</HI> was confident he <HI>&s;hould lye at re&s;t:</HI> even thither, to their <HI>Sanctuaries,</HI> the hand of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 3. 17.</NOTE> the <HI>oppre&s;&s;our reached;</HI> There the wicked did not cea&s;e to trouble the bones, and &s;acred a&s;hes of the Martyrs; there, at that <HI>Sanctu|ary,</HI> the dead were not free from the oppre&s;&s;ours, <HI>his anger did <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">are perpetually, he did keepe his wrath for ever.</HI> They have been cruell to the living and to the dead, and &s;o are they to this day. Hi&s;tories Ancient and Modern, a cloud of witne&s;&s;es would croud in here to give evidence to what was la&s;t &s;aid; but it needs not, all the world is fully &s;atisfied in that point, for in allu&s;ion to that which the learned Knight &s;aith touching <HI>Henry the eight of Eng|land,</HI> I may &s;ay touching the Papi&s;ts; If all their Hi&s;tories were lo&s;t; if all the ma&s;&s;acres, outrages, villanies of the&s;e mercile&s;&s;e men were forgot and quite out of mind, they might be renewed and de&s;cribed forth to their life, out of the&s;e three yeares &s;tory concerning their practice in <HI>Ireland,</HI> where they have &s;laine their brethren with a rage that <HI>reacheth up to heaven.</HI> They have made <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chron. 28. 9.</NOTE> that Countrey a Land of wrath, a field of bloud at this day. So they would make this Land al&s;o, that is their <HI>de&s;igne,</HI> we &s;hall come to that pre&s;ently, for I will &s;pend no more time, nor blot any more paper in making knowne how cruell they are, how they breathe forth threatnings, and how exceeding mad with rage: Papi&s;ts are the executioners of wrath, we need not then adde, <HI>They are grievous as wolves, and fierce as &s;he-beares:</HI> their Natures &s;uch, their Laws &s;uch: their words and deeds, how hard and ungodly they are, all the Chri&s;tian world, the heathen people al&s;o, all know and &s;eele. Ob&s;erve we then,</P>
<P N="3">3. The Adver&s;aries De&s;igne; how mi&s;chievous and Diveli&s;h; the &s;ame which wee read of, <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 83.</NOTE> or as <HI>Hamans</HI> was, not <HI>to cut I&s;rael &s;hort,</HI> but cleane off from being a Nation: <NOTE N="(b)" PLACE="marg">E&s;ther 3. 6</NOTE> And his heart is bent upon this De&s;igne, now, Now he moves every &s;tone, as the Proverbe is; now they put &s;houlder to &s;houlder, <HI>heaving</HI> at the Church, to remoove and &s;houlder her downe. Why now? Becau&s;e hee had brought the Church once and againe to the <HI>brow</HI> of the <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ill,</HI> but, as her Lord before her, &s;he pa&s;&s;ed through the mid&s;t of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 4. 20.</NOTE> them &s;hee knowes not how, and went her way; This admirable Re&s;cue enrageth the adver&s;ary; Now hee hath them in the
<PB N="11" REF="14"> open feild, hee &s;ayes, as their fore fathers, <HI>I will pur&s;ue, I will over|take, I will devide the &s;poile, my lu&s;t &s;hall bee &s;atis &s;ied upon them, I will draw my &s;word, mine hand &s;hall de&s;troy them</HI> <NOTE N="(c)" PLACE="marg">Exod. 15. 9.</NOTE> But &s;ee the Ad|ver&s;aries COLOURS, under which hee marcheth, I meane his <HI>pretences,</HI> for though hee pur&s;ues the enemy with open face, yet <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE> hee puts a vizor over it, and that makes the <HI>face</HI> more ugly: it putts an <HI>accent</HI> upon the de&s;igne, making it above mea&s;ure horrid, &s;infull and abominable. The Adver&s;ary fights (I take him &s;ingle though hee bee <HI>many)</HI> again&s;t <HI>God,</HI> under a pretence of being for <HI>Him:</HI> he fights again&s;t the life and &s;oul of our lives; he &s;heds in|nocent <HI>blood to his Power;</HI> hee treads the Righteous as mire in the &s;treets: doth what hee can to lay the <HI>Glory</HI> in the du&s;t, and all this he doth under a <HI>colour</HI> (but blood hath quite wa&s;hed off the varni&s;h) of Advancing Religion and the glory: he hath engaged him&s;elf to &s;ubject our con&s;ciences, our laws, our liberties, our e|&s;tates, to a perpetuall &s;lavery: but ob&s;erve the <HI>manner</HI> how he pro&s;ecutes all this, for there is the abomination, pretending <HI>liber|ty</HI> to con&s;cience; e&s;tabli&s;hment to lawes; property in our goods; &amp; a free enjoyment of all unto us, as to free men. Never was there &s;uch a thing as this heard of &s;ince man was upon the earth: nor was there ever an Hypocri&s;ie &s;o pellucide, &s;o tran&s;parent, that every child laughs at it, &s;ees through it, as through the cleare&s;t gla&s;&s;e. But The LORD &s;ees it, Hee beholds iniquity and wrong, and hath taken it into His owne hand to <HI>Require</HI> it: which &s;peaks comfort to the Righteous, as it &s;hould terrors to the ungodly.</P>
<P>Now we will look over the <HI>Premi&s;es,</HI> and conclude, The Ad|ver&s;ary is a Legion, and more, without number for multitudes; without Rea&s;on for rage and cruelty: Boundle&s;&s;e in their malice, bloody de&s;igns, and mi&s;chievous Projects: re&s;tle&s;&s;e con|tinually, watching thereunto (that I &s;hould have added) for their &s;leepe is <HI>taken away unle&s;&s;e</HI> they cau&s;e <HI>&s;ome to fall.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 4. 16.</NOTE></P>
<P>We conclude: There is ju&s;t cau&s;e of a ju&s;t feare, which makes the city &s;tand upon their Watch-Tower, gird on their Armour, and, when they have done all, &s;tand fa&s;t in the <HI>faith&punc;</HI> To main|tain it, and a good <HI>con&s;cience,</HI> To do this with all their &s;trength, and To do it continually, praying and watching thereunto: As Rome &s;aid once touching her Adver&s;ary <HI>Carthage; &s;hee</HI>
<PB N="12" REF="15"> <HI>would never forbeare to watch again&s;t Carthage, till they &s;aw that City quite demoli&s;hed and laid even with the ground:</HI> So this City will never forbeare to keepe <HI>watch</HI> and <HI>ward</HI> and her &s;elf in a Po&s;ture of Defence again&s;t <HI>Rome</HI> now, and her <HI>va&s;&s;als,</HI> till &s;he &s;ees them, as the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> &s;aw the <HI>Egyptians,</HI> dead before her upon the &s;ands.</P>
<P>This City &s;tands as much engaged to <HI>Watch</HI> and <HI>Pray</HI> too, (&s;o they gird up their loynes) as <HI>David</HI> did, when <HI>Saul</HI> pur|&s;ued him, for The City may &s;ay as David did at that time, <HI>my</HI> &s;oul <HI>is among Lions; I lye even among</HI> them, <HI>that are &s;et on fire,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 57. 4.</NOTE> even the <HI>Sonnes of men, who&s;e Teeth are &s;peares and arrowes and their tongue a &s;harpe Sword:</HI> fiery Adver&s;aries, <HI>who &s;ent</HI> and <HI>watched the hou&s;e to kill him.</HI> It was even &s;o with the City as wee read in the title of the <NOTE N="(d)" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 5<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> P&s;alme: Oh! great Rea&s;on of <HI>feare!</HI> I mean &s;uch a <HI>feare,</HI> as puts a man upon Duty, To pray and watch too. Why? The Adver&s;ary, as wee may remember, did, when time was, watch and guard his <HI>Cro&s;&s;e,</HI> that Abo|minable <HI>pile of images,</HI> &s;tocks and &s;tones, &s;uch de&s;picable things: much more will the wi&s;e in heart, in tender compa&s;&s;ion to their lives, and ju&s;t liberties, keepe watch night and day over them|&s;elves, and this great City, where are &s;o many thou&s;and per&s;ons, that cannot di&s;cerne between their Right hand and <HI>their</HI> Left, <HI>and al&s;o</HI> much <HI>Cattel.</HI> And &s;o (Ble&s;&s;ed bee God) they can &s;anctify The <HI>Lord God in their hearts,</HI> and are <HI>ready alwayes to give an an|&s;wer to every man, that asketh them a Rea&s;on of their feare,</HI> and <HI>hope</HI> al&s;o, that is in <HI>them, with meekne&s;&s;e.</HI> So wee have &s;een a ju&s;t ac|count given of our <HI>feare,</HI> how ju&s;t it is, no Phancied thing, but Reall and vi&s;ible: wee will &s;ee now what u&s;e GOD makes of this affection, in the hearts of the Righteous. And indeed it is very notable to ob&s;erve the wi&s;dom of <HI>God</HI> in planting His People there, where they mu&s;t look for di&s;quietings; And in Implanting in them &s;uch an affection as <HI>feare</HI> is; When wee have ob&s;erved this, then I &s;hall &s;et downe the meanes how the Righteous have had power, and been able to command over their feares, deporting them&s;elves calmly in &s;uch &s;haking times: And this will make much for the &s;etling our minds in our di&s;quietments, and &s;o I &s;hall bring it downe and make it u&s;efull for the pre&s;ent time.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="section">
<PB N="13" REF="15">
<HEAD>SECT. II.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>The wi&s;dome of God in planting His Church in the world, not the place of their re&s;t: And in implanting in them, This Affection of Feare; The True u&s;e thereof; The advantage His people get by it.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAP. I.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>This world no paradi&s;e: The Church expects her heaven above, her Purgatory here: It is her Lords plea&s;ure &s;o, and &s;he is content, and thankefull.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>_SEE What a place the Church lives in! where &s;he hath no <HI>re&s;t,</HI> nor mu&s;t look for any. They who were di&s;quieted ye&s;terday, mu&s;t look to be di&s;quieted a|gaine: They that &s;uffered, mu&s;t &s;uffer, and per|haps unto bloud. La&s;t yeeres were vexatious and troublous; &s;o are the&s;e: the next following may be wor&s;e: If better, The Church will be very thankfull: if much more trou|blous, The Church hath counted the co&s;t, &s;he cannot be decei|ved, but &s;he can be very thankfull too. We &s;ee the Changes and Turnings in the world: They, who &s;ate at re&s;t as we doe, two yeares agoe, They &s;it as a widow now: at five a clock all was peace, (for &s;o I heard a Mini&s;ter of their owne &s;ay) and before &s;ixe, behold War, and the terrours thereof on every &s;ide. This world now an&s;wers to the I&s;raelites Wilderne&s;&s;e once, variety of feares and troubles here. Our life is as a Checquer work, in|terwoven with black and white, here <HI>Good,</HI> there <HI>Evill,</HI> but the Evill takes up the greate&s;t part: Ble&s;&s;ed be <HI>God,</HI> that it is &s;o, el&s;e even His owne People would be much in love with the place, where their Re&s;t is not; They would build Tabernacles here, ne|ver think of removing hence. If the cloud of feare and di&s;content did not &s;ometimes over&s;hadow them; if there were not un&s;etled times, we would &s;ettle on our lees; if there were not <HI>a want,</HI>
<PB N="14" REF="16"> when we are at the fulle&s;t, we would be &s;o full of earth, that there would be no roome for heaven; If we had no feare, we &s;hould have no Care; But we are &s;till in feare, for &s;omething is &s;till wanting, and we feare and are troubled le&s;t that <HI>want</HI> &s;hould not be &s;upplyed: That want is &s;upplyed, and then wee are in more feare then before, le&s;t we come to be at a lo&s;&s;e again. To explaine this: We have a full e&s;tate, and health is wanting; we have plenty of all things, and health withall, but now the feare is, That the &s;poiler may come, <HI>men skilfull to de&s;troy,</HI> and take away all, <HI>goods, life,</HI> and all. But &s;uppo&s;e now we could be &s;ecure, That none of this could happen to us; our e&s;tates could be &s;ecured to us, and our health too, &s;uppo&s;e it &s;o, for we may &s;uppo&s;e impo&s;&s;ible things: then <HI>Abrahams</HI> <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">Gen. 15. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>feare</HI> troubles us, we <HI>have not a child to inherit:</HI> and then, WHAT <HI>is all our ful|ne&s;&s;e unto us?</HI> We make but a <HI>[What]</HI> of all the re&s;t of our en|joyments, becau&s;e a child is wanting, for &s;o that good man did, though <HI>God</HI> be there as a <HI>portion:</HI> Then A child is given us, but what a feare there is le&s;t the child be taken away againe? why then, if we would keep him, we mu&s;t &s;acrifice him. That is true, but that is a <HI>death</HI> too; we cannot think of the withering of that <HI>Gourd,</HI> (&s;uch a thing as that was, a child, is quickly withered) and &s;o the <HI>goord</HI> withers, and we dye: That we <HI>feare</HI> is come upon us; It grows up as a flower, and is cut downe like the gra&s;&s;e. And all this That <HI>Gods</HI> people may not fixe and fa&s;ten upon &s;uch reeds, which, if you leane and beare upon, they break and pierce too: And yet we will leane upon them, we will be <HI>very glad</HI> of our <HI>gourds;</HI> then The LORD knaps them a&s;under, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jonah 4. 6.</NOTE> withers them, and then we are troubled exceedingly.</P>
<P>In the la&s;t place, &s;uppo&s;e we have health, and wealth, and peace withall, and children round about our table, yet there is a <HI>feare</HI> That we may be taken away in the mid&s;t of all our fulne&s;&s;e. What is our life? We know what the Apo&s;tle an&s;wers, and every day <NOTE PLACE="marg">James 4. 14.</NOTE> &s;aith as much, <HI>It appeareth for a little time, &amp; then vani&s;heth away.</HI> A man is well to day, and dead to morrow, and this feare (if there be not a hand over it to &s;ubdue it) <HI>holds us in bondage all our life time.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 2. 15.</NOTE></P>
<P>But Ble&s;&s;ed be God, &s;o He unbottomes His People, drawing the heart to Him&s;elfe. If it were not for the&s;e feares, Faith
<PB N="15" REF="16"> would have no ma&s;tery: but &s;o it is, we are in &s;uch feares often, and that is almo&s;t to be in <HI>death</HI> as often: &s;o in this our wilder|ne&s;&s;e, and <HI>God</HI> beareth with our <HI>manners here;</HI> weaneth His peo|ple <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 13. 18. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> from drawing &s;o hard at the brea&s;ts of the world: A&s;&s;ureth them, This is not the place of their re&s;t, but there remaineth a Re&s;t to his people, which &s;hall la&s;t as long as Eternity is long, for ever. Therefore they may beare patiently their di&s;quietings, their changes here below, for a moment, a little, a &s;mall <NOTE N="(c)" PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 26. 20. 54. 7.</NOTE> mo|ment, quickly over, and then they &s;hall <HI>&s;ee evill no more.</HI> <NOTE N="(d)" PLACE="marg">Zeph. 3. 15.</NOTE> Shortly they &s;hall be above in the heaven of Heavens, where all is peace for evermore. And their di&s;quietments and fears make them work more &s;trongly after this place now: &s;o <HI>God</HI> makes all work for their good, whereof in the clo&s;e This here mu&s;t be con|&s;idered, even</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAP. II.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>The wi&s;dom of God in planting this affection of feare in His People.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>BLe&s;&s;ed be God, wee are in feares, often it is be&s;t for us &s;o to be; wee &s;hould &s;urfeit every day of our &s;weets, if the feare of loo&s;ing them did not allay the lu&s;&s;iou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the &s;ame: wee &s;hould bottome our &s;elves too &s;trongly upon our mountaine, if wee were Confident (wee are too con&s;ident) it cannot be re|moved. Dayly experience tells us &s;o much therein, That wee cannot &s;tand fearele&s;&s;e upon the &s;tronge&s;t and be&s;t bottomed comfort, that hath its bottome upon the earth. And Ble&s;&s;ed bee God for all this, even for this affection of feare: So al&s;o, and that The Lord hath put a vanity and vexation into the Creature, and feares many; feare make us all pull up our feet, and walke more warily; feare feeds us with food Convenient: So it clothes us: feare is our watch keeper: It is the mo&s;t wakeing affection, mo&s;t &s;erviceable of any, if it doth Its office. It is the hou&s;e-porter, the bodies <HI>Spiall:</HI> and the &s;oules too, &s;till keeping watch: It is, next to <HI>love,</HI> the mo&s;t Commanding affection: our keeper, and Truths keeper al&s;o; It is the be&s;t King in the world, (the great or little) for it keeps both <HI>tables.</HI> I &s;hould &s;peake more of it, but I
<PB N="16" REF="17"> find my &s;elf prevented here in a Booke called <HI>The Childs portion,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Pag. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">2, 163.</NOTE> whereto I would referr the Reader, if plea&s;e him, I would rather &s;peake &s;omewhat more touching the u&s;efulne&s;&s;e of this affection, God &s;anctifying the &s;ame.</P>
<P>It makes the people of God to put no confidence at all in the fle&s;h: I meane by <HI>[Fle&s;h]</HI> All things under the moone: They cannot <HI>feare</HI> now the changes of things here below, and vexation from them, for they have been &s;o u&s;ed to it, That, which they feared from the creature &s;o often came upon them, That now they expect no &s;tability in the creature at all, but changes, and troubles, and vexations from it evermore. They <HI>can now &s;uffer the &s;poiling of their goods with joy.</HI> They did indeed put &s;ome confi|dence in &s;uch things, They thought &s;uch things to be a HIGH WALL, <HI>(a)</HI> but it was (and they &s;ee it now to be) a meere con|ceit <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">.</NOTE> onely, and no more. They know now, and they are <HI>fearle&s;&s;e</HI> about it, That the theefe and the robber breaks in upon the&s;e trea&s;ures every day; therefore it is nor their <HI>trea&s;ure,</HI> they ac|count not of it &s;o: they have laid up their <HI>trea&s;ure</HI> in a &s;afe place, where they <HI>feare</HI> not the thiefe nor the moath, and it is well they are &s;o well in&s;tructed to di&s;cretion.</P>
<P>I remember a Story worth the noting, of <HI>Paulinus, Bi&s;hop</HI> of <HI>Nola:</HI> he had abundance of wealth, but no affection to it; bags <NOTE PLACE="marg">Aug. deciv. De<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> lib. 1. c. 10. <HI>V<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">|l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">ate pauper|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">imu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">o &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">me &s;anct<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">.</HI></NOTE> full, and coffers full, but his heart was not &s;et upon that <HI>fulne&s;&s;e,</HI> but on a better <HI>trea&s;ure,</HI> and full of the &s;ame. It was well for him that he had a <HI>Trea&s;ure,</HI> which Man could not give, nor take away: For, though he was a very rich man but as ye&s;terday, yet was he &s;tript of all pre&s;ently, and as poore as <HI>Iob.</HI> The <HI>Goths,</HI> a barbarous people, almo&s;t as any we can &s;ee or heare of, brake in|to that City <HI>Nola,</HI> like &s;o many Devils, and did <HI>flee upon the prey,</HI> flee pre&s;ently upon all the Bi&s;hop had in this world, and took it <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Cum ab cis <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e|neretur, &s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> corde &s;uo, ut ab co po&s;tea cog|no <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">imus, p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">|cabatur: Domi|ne, non excru|cier propter au|rum &amp; argen|tum: ubi e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">m &s;unt omnia mea tu &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">is.</HI> ibid. &amp;c.</NOTE> into their po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, and the Bi&s;hop pri&s;oner al&s;o. Now mark his Prayer, for that was all the refuge he had now, being in the hands of Robbers: LORD GOD, <HI>Let me not be greatly troubled for my &s;ilver and gold: Thou knowe&s;t,</HI> Lord, <HI>it is not my</HI> Trea&s;ure, <HI>That is laid up according to Thy Commands, Who did&s;t tell us long before, That this would happen, The&s;e barbarous people would break in upon us for our &s;innes: therefore,</HI> Lord, <HI>I was warned, and laid up my Trea&s;ure, as Thou ha&s;t charged me, and as Thou knowe&s;t.</HI> What a
<PB N="17" REF="17"> wi&s;e man was this! Truly all his neighbours counted him &s;o; for though they were not &s;o wi&s;e before-hand, yet now they had learnt by &s;ad experience, <NOTE N="(c)" PLACE="marg">Si non prae|dente &s;apientia certe con&s;equen|te experientia didicerunt.</NOTE> (an after-wi&s;dome, that comes too late) That &s;o they &s;hould have done too; They &s;hould have laid up their Trea&s;ure where their Teacher did, and charged his people &s;o to doe. For mark how it hapned to tho&s;e after-wits, They counted the wedge of gold their <HI>Trea&s;ure,</HI> and all their care and feare was To &s;ecure that, &s;o they hid it in the ground. The Robbers came, they knew there was &s;ilver and gold both, and they would have it, and by torments the enemy forced the di|&s;tre&s;&s;ed Captives, To tell where they had hid their trea&s;ure. Nay the Adver&s;aries cruelty was &s;uch, That they tormented &s;ome poore wretches, that had neither &s;ilver nor gold, upon &s;uppo&s;ition that they had both, and di&s;&s;embled the having of it. Other &s;ome, the riche&s;t men among&s;t them, were &s;o hardy, That they would die upon the rack rather then di&s;cover where their gold was; and &s;o they were admoni&s;hed (&s;aith the Author) <HI>by &s;uffering &s;uch</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Si autem to<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">|queri quam au|rum prodere maluerunt ad|monendi crant, qui tanta pati|ebantur pro au|ro, quanta e&s;&s;ent &s;u&s;tinenda pro Chri&s;to.</HI> ibid. &amp;c.</NOTE> <HI>things, rather then betray their gold,</HI> WHAT THEY SHOULD HAVE SUFFERED FOR CHRIST. Other &s;ome againe, the fewe&s;t of them, could not be forced to betray their Trea&s;ure, or forgoe the &s;ame, for, indeed, they had not laid it upon earth, but in heaven, where Robbers could not break-in, and &s;teale: So well they had profited by their <HI>feare</HI> about &s;uch uncertaine things, that now they were not carefull about them at all. They could take <HI>joyfully the &s;poiling of &s;uch goods,</HI> knowing in them|&s;elves, That <HI>they had in heaven a better and enduring &s;ub&s;tance.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10. 34.</NOTE> And &s;o the <HI>Father</HI> conclu&s;es, <HI>No man kept his gold but by denying</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">In e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> tormenta nemo Chri&s;tum confitendo ami|&s;it: nemo aurum ni&s;i negando &s;ervavit.</NOTE> <HI>it:</HI> that is, by taking off his <HI>love</HI> and <HI>feare</HI> from it: and no man kept <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> but by <HI>confe&s;&s;ing him,</HI> (that is) by giving up his <HI>love</HI> and <HI>feare</HI> unto him.</P>
<P>2. It is &s;o with and about their children too; Their di&s;creet <HI>feare</HI> hath taught them, not to be carefull about children neither: The <HI>Lord</HI> gave them, He may take them; They can ble&s;&s;e His <HI>Name</HI> in all: They did not &s;et their <HI>hope,</HI> nor their <HI>hearts</HI> on &s;uch peri&s;hing things, and then, when <HI>God</HI> takes them away, their <HI>hope</HI> is where it was, and <HI>heart</HI> al&s;o, even in heaven, where their <HI>Love,</HI> and JOY, and TREASUREIS: And they can &s;ubmit to their FATHER in heaven; It is <HI>Hee,</HI> The LORD, He hath done
<PB N="18" REF="18"> it, and they are &s;ilent; It is His will &s;o, thereto they re&s;olve all, and there they re&s;t, &s;aying, <HI>The will of the</HI> LORD <HI>be done.</HI> So their feare (the Lord &s;anctifying it) hath taught them touching their Children.</P>
<P>3. They have brought their hearts to the &s;ame point touch|ing their <HI>life</HI> al&s;o; that is a precious thing: skin after skin, a man will part withall to &s;ave his life: And yet, they are not now <HI>fear|full</HI> about it; it is of &s;mall continuance here below: and, while it doth continue here, it is full of changes and &s;orrows. They are the le&s;&s;e carefull about it. They that have been mo&s;t afraid, and &s;o would &s;ave their life, have &s;ooner lo&s;t it, and upon the greate&s;t di&s;advantage. They, who have <HI>loved their life more then Chri&s;t,</HI> Who is the life of their life, have lo&s;t their life, and Him too: and They that have <HI>hated</HI> their <HI>life</HI> in this world for <HI>His</HI> &s;ake, have made no account of it in reference to <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and their love to Him, have <HI>kept it unto eternall life.</HI> <NOTE N="(c)" PLACE="marg">John 12. 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> That is the <HI>life</HI> they think upon, of being BLESSED FOR EVER; That is a <HI>life</HI> indeed. This here, in compari&s;on, abides but a moment, a &s;mall, a little moment, not worth the &s;etting our <HI>feare</HI> upon, ever &s;ince we could look through it, what a life it is. They make no ac|count of any thing, but what &s;ets them backward or forward toward eternity, where they &s;hall live <HI>ble&s;&s;ed for ever</HI> in eterni|ty: <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> nitas fa|cit bonum infi|nite melius; malum infinite pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">us.</NOTE> The thought wher<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> of makes that which is good, infinitely better; and that which is evill, <HI>infinitely wor&s;e.</HI> Thereon, upon Eternitie, they place their <HI>feare</HI> now, and concerning this life they are fearle&s;&s;e. We have &s;eene what u&s;e the righteous make of <HI>feare,</HI> they work good out of it: and by the&s;e unquiet motions here below, they get an e&s;tabli&s;hment in God. I come now in the third place to the meanes whereby the righteous Nation can and doe ma&s;ter their feares, keeps them under &s;o, as they are a <HI>quiet habitation,</HI> when all about them are full of &s;tirs, a tumultuous people.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="section">
<PB N="19" REF="18">
<HEAD>SECT. III.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>The meanes of the righteous mans e&s;tabli&s;hment, and how his</HI> feare, <HI>the di&s;ea&s;e of it is cured.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>_WE &s;ee the righteous are a people that are not afraid with any amazement. They feare, but with a <HI>godly feare;</HI> They <HI>feare,</HI> but nothing &s;o much as &s;in, and the frown of their God; They <HI>fear,</HI> but &s;o, as they can look up with confidence, and down to the means of their &s;afety with comfort; They <HI>feare,</HI> and yet they can gird up their loines, and put on their armour; They <HI>feare,</HI> and yet doe <HI>tru&s;t perfectly;</HI> They <HI>feare,</HI> and are di&s;quieted, but not <HI>greatly.</HI> Their hearts may &s;hake, and their heads ake with <HI>feare,</HI> and yet then they can calme their hearts, and re&s;t their heads in the lap and bo&s;ome of their <HI>everla&s;ting Father,</HI> there laying their &s;elves downe quietly, a&s;&s;ured they may re&s;t in &s;afety, and the end will be peace. How comes this to be &s;o? The An&s;wer is, They expect troubles in the world, afflictions there; and they expect, nay they know <HI>God</HI> will deliver them out of them all: For they LOVE God heartily, &s;o they FEARE HIM, &s;o they TRUST IN HIM, &s;o they OBEY HIM, even from the heart, walking in His way, doing His work; They <HI>keep continuall watch</HI> a|gain&s;t their Adver&s;ary, and over them&s;elves. All this mu&s;t be con&s;idered on di&s;tinctly and apart, and &s;o we &s;hall learne the way how to &s;ettle the heart in the mo&s;t un&s;etled times: The chiefe &s;cope and mark we would carry all levell unto.</P>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="20" REF="19">
<HEAD>CHAP. I.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>The righteous mans expectation from the</HI> world, <HI>and from his</HI> GOD, <HI>&s;hall not be deceived: He expects all the evill the world and their</HI> god <HI>there, can doe again&s;t them; And from His</HI> GOD <HI>all that is truly called</HI> Good, <HI>or is made &s;o: All this he is &s;ure of, therefore he waits patiently for</HI> God. <HI>He will come &s;urely and in &s;ea&s;on, Ble&s;&s;ed are all they that wait for Him.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>THe righteous are in continuall expectation: Of what? Of troubles in the fle&s;h, of afflictions in the world: Ever &s;ince they under&s;tood them&s;elves, they &s;ate downe to con&s;ider what it would <HI>co&s;t</HI> them, To doe their Ma&s;ters work; To &s;erve Him in &s;inceritie and truth; and Their brethren, in love to their &s;oules, and faith of the Go&s;pel: In this great work now, (whereunto evermore Chri&s;tians &s;tand &s;o engaged) the building them&s;elves up, and <HI>Ieru&s;alems wall</HI> in faith and love, They have <HI>counted</HI> their <HI>co&s;t,</HI> and they know what they mu&s;t find at the bottome of their reckoning, <HI>troubles</HI> from within, <HI>di&s;quietings, per&s;ecutions</HI> from without, of all &s;orts and &s;izes: And it was well, and they ble&s;&s;e God with all their hearts, Who hath in&s;tructed them to di&s;cretion, To <HI>count</HI> their <HI>co&s;t</HI> &s;o &s;oone as they thought of <HI>Temple-work,</HI> The <HI>edifying</HI> (the building up) them&s;elves and others in their mo&s;t holy faith. This was the u&s;e they made of their <HI>Re&s;t</HI> and <HI>Peace,</HI> GOD was graciou&s;ly plea&s;ed to afford unto them: They knew this <HI>Temple-work</HI> would co&s;t them deare, Labour and Trouble both: They expected all this, and whatever it be it is but an&s;werable to their expectation: they looked for it, and now it is come, it is welcome: They are fit to entertaine it, they are fitted for it, as the burden is fitted for the &s;houlder, and the yoak for the neck.</P>
<P>I will tell a knowne and &s;ad &s;tory of a man that lived in pro|&s;perity all his life long, God &s;pake to him once and againe, and every day by every mercy he gave unto him; but he would not hearken, and that was his manner <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Jer. 22. 21.</NOTE> from his youth, he would not obey Gods voice, what cared he what God &s;aid, he was inpro|&s;perity,
<PB N="21" REF="19"> had no changes, and expected none; Towards the end, as the manner is, The <HI>Lord</HI> made a breach upon him, &s;orrows o|verwhelmed him like a mighty flood. O, &s;aid he, <HI>I never looked for this:</HI> Ai, that was true enough; and therefore his &s;orrowes pre&s;&s;ed his &s;oule we know not how low. <HI>We looked for peace,</HI> &s;aid they. <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">Jer. 8. 15. ver. 19.</NOTE> Why did they &s;o? For fir&s;t, They had provoked GOD <HI>to anger with their Images, and &s;trange vanities:</HI> Second|ly, (for I ha&s;ten here) The word is gone forth of His mouth, Who cannot lye, <HI>In the world affliction:</HI> Yet &s;ay they, <HI>We looked for Peace,</HI> what followes? <HI>No good came; we looked for a time of health, and behold trouble.</HI> A mi&s;erable ca&s;e to be &s;o deceived, and in point of Peace.</P>
<P>The righteous not &s;o, They are not deceived; They expect trouble, what the gates of hell can doe again&s;t them. All this is done again&s;t them, they are not troubled at it; They had their ma&s;ters word, it would be &s;o, and &s;o it is. Where is their com|fort now? <HI>In</HI> ME PEACE; Trouble round about, and War at the doores, making breaches upon them; That which upholds them is, and fully to their expectation, IN ME PEACE.</P>
<P>I will aske a Que&s;tion, and re&s;olve it in two An&s;wers; when I have cleared them, then I will conclude this point.</P>
<P>Is the Church never deceived in her expectation? <MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."></P>
<P>No, never deceived in the world, in her expectation therein; <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="An&s;w."> &s;he expects no favour from it, but all the evill that can be done again&s;t her; and &s;he is &s;ure to have it from the world: And</P>
<P>2. Nor &s;hall their expectation in GOD be fru&s;trate; and there is the comfort.</P>
<P>I will cleare the&s;e premi&s;&s;es, and then conclude.</P>
<P N="1">1. The Churches expectation from the world is never decei|ved. What doth &s;he expect? As afore&s;aid, <HI>Affliction</HI> and <HI>Per&s;e|cution</HI> thence; Her <HI>Lord</HI> hath bid her expect it, for the world love their owne, not His people, as they love not <HI>Him;</HI> and they mu&s;t not look to fare better then their <HI>Lord:</HI> Affliction in the world, Per&s;ecution from the world, is a part of the Churches Dowry. See what a <HI>Ioynter</HI> her Good <HI>Lord</HI> hath made His <HI>Church</HI> and People! He hath given to her All, Him|&s;elfe and All, the world and All, ALL THINGS <NOTE N="(b)" PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3. 21</NOTE> ARE YOURS, you &s;hall profit and receive benefit from all, even from
<PB N="22" REF="20"> all that is called evill in the world: <HI>All is yours.</HI> There we reade the particulars of her Dowry, and among&s;t them, DEATH, af|flictions, per&s;ecutions, pains, &s;orrows, troubles in the fle&s;h, (that is <HI>Death)</HI> and all this is in the <HI>Churches</HI> Dowry: no Part or Par|cell of it is &s;o large as this, for it containes <HI>nece&s;&s;ities, di&s;tre&s;&s;es, &s;tripes, impri&s;onments, tumults, labours, watchings, fa&s;tings;</HI> all this a very DEATH to a mans &s;en&s;e, and pre&s;ent feeling. Is it not think you <HI>Death</HI> to be as the Church is in &s;ome of her people al|wayes? <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor 6. 4, 5.</NOTE> In <HI>journyings, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by her owne Countreymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the City, in perils in the wilderne&s;&s;e, in perils amongst fal&s;e brethren,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 11. 26.</NOTE> <HI>in wearine&s;&s;e, and painfulne&s;&s;e.</HI> That was <HI>Pauls</HI> ca&s;e you wil &s;ay. Nay it is the <HI>Churches</HI> ca&s;e with &s;ome of her &s;ons and daughters, and it will be their ca&s;e unto the worlds end. And certainly all this is a very <HI>death:</HI> To &s;ojourne in <HI>Me&s;ech,</HI> to dwell in the tents of <HI>Kedar,</HI> among&s;t them <HI>that hate peace,</HI> a very <HI>Death</HI> all this, wor|king <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 120.</NOTE> indeed graciou&s;ly and gloriou&s;ly, through GOD, that or|ders all for Good; but a very death to &s;en&s;e, to fle&s;h and bloud. But it is her portion in this life (and no longer, but <HI>durante vit&acirc;,</HI> a &s;pan, a little <HI>moment,</HI> in compari&s;on to eternity, in the heavens, where <HI>God</HI> hath time enough to doe them good, and refre&s;h their hearts after their hard labours here, with joyes there un&s;peaka|ble, and long-la&s;ting plea&s;ures, la&s;ting as long as eternity is long, <HI>for ever:</HI> but I &s;ay their &s;orrowes la&s;t no longer but <HI>durante vit&acirc;)</HI> and di&s;po&s;ed to her as a <HI>Legacie</HI> by her EVERLASTING FATHER, and &s;he is content. Content! A poore and beggerly expre&s;&s;ion; &s;he rejoyceth in her portion: for all that, which went before comes in at la&s;t with advantage, adding very much to the weight of her crowne: &s;o &s;he ble&s;&s;eth <HI>God</HI> for all, but for nothing &s;o much as for <HI>death,</HI> for it makes the world nothing to her while &s;he lives, and when &s;he dies, &s;ets her cleare of all, that we call <HI>Evill;</HI> makes her compleat throughout, FITTED and <NOTE N="(d)" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Col.</HI> 1. 11.</NOTE> <HI>Meet</HI> for after<HI>-Glory.</HI> Death in &s;ome &s;ort is like the <HI>Whale,</HI> which &s;wallowed <HI>Ionah,</HI> a terrible thing; but it wa&s;teth the man to Land, &s;etteth him cleare from all winds and &s;tormes.</P>
<P>But <HI>Death</HI> is Part of the Churches Dowry; her lot To bee made the <HI>portion of foxes;</HI> To bee per&s;ecuted in this world: &s;hee hath &s;o much of Heaven in her, that &s;hee mu&s;t fare the wor&s;e
<PB N="23" REF="20"> in the world, which knowes none, favours none heartily but <HI>its owne;</HI> Without controver&s;y, per&s;ecution is the note of a True Church, There is <HI>God</HI> or &s;omething of <HI>God,</HI> &s;ome plaine cha|racter of His Image, again&s;t whom the A&s;&s;emblies of violent men, The <HI>Nimrods,</HI> The <HI>E&s;aus,</HI> The <HI>Neroes</HI> of the world do bend them&s;elves.</P>
<P>But can this People endure all this hard&s;hip? are they able to <MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."> beare up again&s;t all this per&s;ecution from the tongues and hands of violent men?</P>
<P>Yes, no doubt of that, for <HI>God</HI> hath fitted them for &s;hocks, and <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;."> brunts, and violent bla&s;ts; Hee hath made their faces like flints, their &s;houlders like bra&s;&s;e, their Hands and Armes like Iron. What <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 1. 5, 7. Jer. 1. 18.</NOTE> can the Adver&s;ary doe now? The bla&s;t of the terrible ones, what can it availe? It is an&s;wered; As much as a &s;torme again&s;t <HI>a bra|zin</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 25. 4.</NOTE> <HI>wall:</HI> &s;o the SPIRIT &s;cornes what <HI>fle&s;h</HI> can doe again&s;t <HI>Him. Greater is He That is in you, Then hee that is in the world.</HI> <NOTE N="(k)" PLACE="marg">1 Joh. 4. 4.</NOTE> The&s;e people are re&s;olved upon that, and they have <HI>over|come the world;</HI> &s;hould then &s;uch men as they <HI>feare,</HI> when they heare the <HI>Defaming of many,</HI> (which they looke to heare) and crying out <HI>violence and &s;poile?</HI> Should &s;uch men as the&s;e feare? <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 20. 8, 10.</NOTE> No, They cannot bee affraid with any amazement, for <HI>I am with them &s;aith The</HI> <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">Jer. 1. 19.</NOTE> LORD, they are a&s;&s;ured of that. What then? Then what They will follows, for They will ask nothing, but ac|cording to His will. If they have written down that, as one &s;aith, then they may write what they wil, for GOD is <HI>with them,</HI> then all is with them, That can make for their provi&s;ion and protection; <HI>They &s;hall dwell on high, their place of Defence &s;hall be the munitions of Rocks;</HI> BREAD <HI>&s;hall be given them;</HI> their WATERS <HI>&s;hall bee &s;ure</HI> <NOTE N="(b)" PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 33. 16 <HI>Ac &s;i dice<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">et p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ris &amp; inte|g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">is Dei culto|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ibus nihil de|futurum panis <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nim &amp; a quae nomine &s;ignifi|cat omnia, &amp;c.</HI> Cal. Jer. 20. 11.</NOTE> <HI>God</HI> is with them, Then All That is in <HI>God,</HI> His <HI>Good|ne&s;&s;e, wi&s;dome, Power,</HI> All &s;hall be laid out for them, to make all that is needfull for them, &s;ure unto them. And then touching their Adver&s;ary, though hee bee a <HI>Legion,</HI> this followes; <HI>hee &s;hall fight again&s;t them, but hee &s;hall not prevaile again&s;t them: The</HI> LORD IS WITH ME <HI>as a</HI> MIGHTY TERRIBLE ONE, <HI>therfore my per&s;ecuters &s;hall &s;tumble &amp; be greatly a&s;hamed; his ever|la&s;ting confu&s;ion &s;hall never bee forgotten.</HI> Nay, the adver&s;ary &s;hall bee &s;o far from hurting them, that hee &s;hall do them good, and they &s;hall hurt him; for now that <HI>God</HI> is with them, they have
<PB N="24" REF="21"> Armes of &s;teele, and feete of bra&s;&s;e, and they &s;hall <HI>thre&s;h the moun|taines like &s;traw, and the hills like Chaffe, and come upon Princes as</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ai. 41. 15. 25.</NOTE> <HI>upon morter.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Are the Righteous people a&s;&s;ured of all this?</P>
<P>Yes, for the Lord hath &s;aid it, as wee have read, Hee hath given His word for their &s;ecurity, they take it, are &s;ecure, fixed and Re&s;t thereon. As their expectation from the world never deceived them &s;ince the world was, and they were in the world; So, nor &s;hall their expectation from <HI>God</HI> faile them, they have an a&s;&s;ured confidence of That. Shall the expectation of the Righteous faile? No, the <HI>Lord</HI> forbid, nay the <HI>Lord</HI> forgive u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> to them any &s;uch mi&s;giving thoughts within them. The <HI>hope of the Righteous &s;hall bee gladne&s;&s;e: but the expectation of the wicked &s;hall peri&s;h.</HI> <NOTE N="(b)" PLACE="marg">2 Pro. 6<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. 10. 18.</NOTE> Can the Righteous feare this, That their hope &s;hal fa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">le them? No; It cannot bee, for they have <HI>&s;et their hope in God.</HI> The hope of the wicked &s;hal be <HI>cut off: they &s;hall be afraid and a&s;hamed</HI> o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> (the word) <HI>their expectation; and of</HI> (the Content<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters">ents there) <HI>their Glory,</HI> <NOTE N="(c)" PLACE="marg">E&s;ai. 20. 5.</NOTE> And now, LORD, <HI>what</HI> <NOTE N="(d)" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 39. 7.</NOTE> <HI>wait I for? &s;ayes</HI> DAVID. As if the &s;ervant of The LORD had &s;aid; doe I waite, doe I expect, doe I looke for Peace, Comfort, e&s;tabli&s;hment and &s;atisfaction from the world? do I &s;eeke <HI>great things</HI> for my &s;elfe therein? Thou knowe&s;t, LORD, what I wait for, none of all this from the world; But, as it followes, <HI>my hope</HI> is in <HI>Thee.</HI> What an un|rea&s;onable thing were it, how unworthy of GOD, The <HI>God</HI> not of &s;ome but of all con&s;olations, how unworthy a thought of Him, To thinke, That a poore creature, who hath &s;et his <HI>hope</HI> in GOD, expects all from <HI>Him,</HI> from The world nothing at all; how un|worthy a thought, That This GOD will deceive this poore crea|ture, that waites for Him; though Hee <HI>hideth His face,</HI> yet lookes for Him: He frownes upon him, an&s;wers him Roughly, yet this &s;oul expects from <HI>Him;</HI> notwith&s;tanding what is &s;aid or done, the poore &s;oule will not returne <HI>to vanity,</HI> hee will not looke to the world, hee will wait, hee hath <HI>&s;et</HI> his <HI>hope</HI> in GOD, hee will looke for <HI>Him;</HI> Will the LORD deceive this Man, that expects all from Him, hath &s;et his hope upon Him? It is &s;ure enough, <HI>Hee</HI> will not; <HI>The needy &s;hall not bee alway forgotten; the hopes of th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> afflict|ed &s;hall not peri&s;h for ever:</HI> <NOTE N="(e)" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 9. 18.</NOTE> The poore and needy mans ex|pectation (&s;et upon God) is not delayed, but deferred, and &s;train|ed.
<PB N="25" REF="21"> Why? To open the mouth and heart wider, that the more comfort may come in at la&s;t; and that their heart and JOY there may be <NOTE N="(g)" PLACE="marg">Joh. 16. 24. P&s;al. 40. 1. E&s;ay 8. 17.</NOTE> FULL. <HI>They have waited patiently</HI> for The LORD, they waited upon <HI>Him.</HI> They, When He <HI>hid His face, then they looked for Him:</HI> They waited the time, when He would be graci|ous. Now hearken, <HI>Therefore will The</HI> LORD <HI>wait that He may be gracious unto you: and therefore He will be exalted, That he may have mercie upon you: for The Lord is a God of judgement, Ble&s;&s;ed</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 30. 18.</NOTE> <HI>are all they that wait for Him.</HI></P>
<P>Ai, but <HI>hope deferred maketh the heart &s;ick.</HI> That is true, but <NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 13. 12.</NOTE> there is a time comming, when the heart &s;hall recover, be made every whit whole, and perfectly well againe: and it &s;hall be the more haile and comforted, the &s;icker it was: for <HI>When the de|&s;ire commeth it is a tree of life.</HI> Therefore though The <HI>Lord</HI> tarry, the &s;oule will patiently wait for Him, becau&s;e He will <HI>&s;urely</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Hab. 2. 3.</NOTE> <HI>come,</HI> and <HI>will not tarry.</HI> And when He, That was &s;o long expe|cted, waited-looked-for, when He commeth (and then He comes, and Tarries not, when the Churches &s;ea&s;on is come) then He makes amends for His long tarrying (as the world thought, and &s;ometimes the Church al&s;o, and in her ha&s;te counted it <HI>&s;lackne&s;&s;e)</HI> He tarryed &s;o long, that He might come in &s;ea&s;on, that His peoples joy might be brim-full: when their hearts, wearyed with long <HI>waiting,</HI> &s;hall the more rejoyce, and their wi|thered bones <NOTE N="(o)" PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 66. 14</NOTE> &s;hall flouri&s;h like an herbe: For it &s;hall be &s;aid in that day, (after their long waltings) <HI>Loe This is our</HI> GOD, <HI>we have waited for Him; This is The</HI> LORD, <HI>we have waited for</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 25. 9.</NOTE> <HI>Him:</HI> and we are glad He is come; with all our hearts doe we rejoyce in His &s;alvation, for it is His, a marvailous, great, excee|ding &s;alvation, the greater, the longer it &s;tayed: And now the&s;e waiting people &s;hall <HI>renew their &s;trength, they &s;hall mount up with</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 40. 31.</NOTE> <HI>wings as Eagles, they &s;hall run and not be weary, and they &s;hall walk and not faint.</HI></P>
<P>We are concluded now upon the&s;e Points,</P>
<P N="1">1. That the righteous mans expectation from the world will not deceive him; what the world and the god therein can doe a|gain&s;t him, &s;hall be done, he expects it, therefore they &s;hall not be able to doe him hurt.</P>
<P N="2">2. His expectation from <HI>God</HI> cannot deceive him; for GOD
<PB REF="22"> is faithfull: They that wait for Him, (doe expect all from Him, and from the world nothing but affliction thence) &s;hall not re|pent of their waiting, for GOD will come in &s;ea&s;on, and not tar|ry, when they &s;hall be mo&s;t glad of His comming, and &s;ay, It is be&s;t of all that He came not &s;ooner: for now their hearts are brim-full of joy: So they have concluded: In a&s;&s;ured confidence hereof, the&s; people are not afraid now with any amazement: As their <HI>hope</HI> is in GOD, &s;o is their <HI>heart</HI> and <HI>love</HI> &s;et upon Him al&s;o. This followes,</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAP. II.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>The Righteous love</HI> God: <HI>That Love ca&s;teth forth Feare: Sad ob|jections cleared to the hearts of the righteous: God comes-in to &s;uccour and re&s;cue tho&s;e, whom He loveth, not always when they call, but alwaies in &s;ea&s;on, and fitte&s;t time: Seldome to their</HI> wil, <HI>but ever to their</HI> weal, <HI>when they &s;hall &s;ee lea&s;t in them&s;elves, and mo&s;t in God: The per&s;ons, whom</HI> God <HI>loveth, &s;hall be afflicted, but</HI> for their good.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>THe Righteous <HI>love</HI> GOD: And <HI>Love</HI> to the &s;oule is like the <HI>Rudder</HI> to the Ship, it turnes about all the powers and fa|culties of the &s;oule, and all to <HI>God;</HI> It lades and unlades all the goods there, all for GODS <HI>glory;</HI> it receives all in, and gives all forth for that &s;ame great end: &s;o <HI>Love</HI> doth. I have &s;aid all, when <HI>I</HI> have &s;aid, The Righteous <HI>love</HI> GOD. It <HI>formes</HI> every work they doe; and nothing forms a man or his work &s;o dexte|rou&s;ly as <HI>Love</HI> doth, Love to God, Love to His Truth, Love to His People, Love to their peace; This inflames mens mindes, works them &s;uddenly to great perfection, facilitates the work, makes it &s;lide on. Nay farther, as one ob&s;erves truly, <Q>That all other Affections, though they rai&s;e the minde, yet they doe it by di&s;torting, and uncomeline&s;&s;e of exta&s;ies, or ex|ce&s;&s;es; but onely <HI>Love</HI> doth exalt the mind, and nevert<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ele&s;&s;e, at the &s;ame in&s;tant, doth &s;ettle and compo&s;e it:</Q> So in all other ex|cellencies, though they advance Nature, yet they are &s;ubject to
<PB N="27" REF="22"> exce&s;&s;e: onely Charity admitteth no exce&s;&s;e. The righteous love God. I have &s;aid all.</P>
<P>Why, but all will &s;ay as much: No man in the world, but wil <MILESTONE UNIT="Ob."> &s;ay, <HI>I love</HI> GOD: he dares not, nay he is a&s;hamed to &s;ay other|wi&s;e.</P>
<P>True, I will reply &s;hortly to this, and once for all, for all will <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> &s;ay as much touching their <HI>feare</HI> too, and their <HI>tru&s;t</HI> al&s;o, &amp;c.</P>
<P>As the <HI>Kingdome</HI> of <HI>God,</HI> &s;o the <HI>love</HI> of <HI>God</HI> is not in <HI>word,</HI> but in <HI>power:</HI> GOD <HI>doth know</HI> (that is, approves) <HI>not the &s;peech of them, that &s;ay</HI> <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 4. 19, 20.</NOTE> <HI>&s;o, but the power of them, that doe &s;o:</HI> That love The Lord, not in <HI>word,</HI> but in <HI>deed.</HI> We have all, I verily beleeve it, a kind of faint, weak, wateri&s;h <HI>love,</HI> which indeed the Scrip|ture calls an hatred, when the creature hath the &s;trength, and as I may &s;ay, the fir&s;t-borne of our love: and <HI>God</HI> the after-birth, which is of no account with <HI>Him,</HI> but counted as afore&s;aid. The righteous people <HI>love God;</HI> They &s;ee an excellencie in <HI>God,</HI> a tran|&s;eendent goodne&s;&s;e. As it was &s;aid of <HI>Peter</HI> and <HI>Iohn,</HI> when they &s;aw their boldne&s;&s;e, They <HI>tooke knowledge of them that they had</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 4. 13.</NOTE> <HI>been with Ie&s;us:</HI> So, doe we ob&s;erve the Saints love to Chri&s;t! We mu&s;t take knowledge, That the City of God doe <HI>know</HI> The <HI>Lord Chri&s;t,</HI> they have and doe &s;ee His Goodne&s;&s;e; They are with Him by their graces of <HI>love,</HI> and <HI>faith;</HI> they <HI>conver&s;e</HI> with Him day and night. Therefore they <HI>&s;o love God,</HI> even <HI>as</HI> they <HI>glo|rifie Him,</HI> As <NOTE N="(b)" PLACE="marg">Rom. 1. 21. Exod. 15. 11. 1 Tim. 6. 15.</NOTE> GOD, <HI>glorious in holine&s;&s;e, fearfull in prai&s;es, doing wonders: The onely Potentate, The King of Kings and Lord of Lords.</HI> They <HI>Love</HI> GOD <HI>as</HI> they are <HI>thankefull</HI> to <HI>Him, as</HI> To GOD, in Whom they live, move, and have their Being: in Who&s;e hands is their <HI>Time,</HI> their Breath, and all their wayes: from Whom they have all things richly to enjoy, to whom He communicates Him&s;elf: &s;o they glorifie Him, &s;o they are thank|full, and &s;o they <HI>love</HI> HIM with an exceeding love, a love that commands in chiefe; the great <HI>Centurion,</HI> it commands all within and without, to &s;peak, to doe, to &s;trive for <HI>God,</HI> for &s;o they love HIM with a predominate <HI>love,</HI> which carryeth the &s;oul on high. And where this love of God rules, there <HI>peace</HI> rules, be the earth never &s;o unquiet. Get we this <HI>love</HI> rooted in our hearts; it is the fitte&s;t of any thing to expell <HI>feare,</HI> to keep downe the wor|kings of it, for it maintains and guards Rea&s;on, and rai&s;eth the
<PB N="28" REF="23"> &s;oule above the world, &s;o as it can bid defiance to <HI>death,</HI> and then to unrea&s;onable men, and devils too. If I beare a true <HI>love</HI> to <HI>God,</HI> &s;tronger then death, if &s;o, then I can beare any thing; I can goe through fire, and water, all along before the face and no&s;e of the adver&s;aries, (if I am called to do it) and feare nothing. The <HI>love</HI> of GOD con&s;traines me, yea commands me, and, as the <HI>peace of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 4. 7. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> <HI>God, keeps</HI> and <HI>&s;afeguards</HI> me al&s;o; It <HI>keeps</HI> my <HI>heart</HI> and <HI>mind,</HI> my <HI>&s;oul</HI> and my <HI>&s;pirit, through Chri&s;t Ie&s;us:</HI> It keeps my under|&s;tanding, that there be no defilement there through the errors of wicked men. It keeps my <HI>will,</HI> that there be no perver&s;ene&s;&s;e there, not &s;ubdued and brought under: It keeps my <HI>affections,</HI> that they be cleane and holy; that my hatred be to all <HI>iniquity,</HI> and my love to <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> for I <HI>love God,</HI> how then &s;hould I think or doe thus and thus, and &s;o &s;in again&s;t him? The <HI>love</HI> of God keeps me in perfect peace, &s;o far as that <HI>love</HI> is perfect in me. If a man can re&s;olve him&s;elf (by the Spirit) <HI>That God loves him,</HI> That he is in Chri&s;t reconciled unto Him, This is enough To di&s;&s;olve the thicke&s;t cloud of feare, overca&s;ting the &s;oule; enough to take off the edge, and blunt that eager and keene pa&s;&s;ion, which &s;o cuts, and lanceth the &s;pirits: for then, he can &s;ay al&s;o, <HI>He loves GOD with a CHILD-like love,</HI> as a child loves the father; &s;o as he can repo&s;e him&s;elfe in his fathers lap or bo&s;ome, in a&s;&s;ured confidence <HI>He careth for him;</HI> and then he can be as bold as <HI>Paul</HI> was, and as well per&s;waded, <HI>That neither death, nor life, nor An|gels, nor Principalities, nor powers, nor things pre&s;ent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, &s;hall be able to &s;eparate us from the love of God,</HI> <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. 38, 39.</NOTE> <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>The work then of a Chri&s;tian is to cleare this point; for when that is done, all is done; he lives as a man in the upper Region of the world, <HI>riding upon the high places of the earth,</HI> above the winds <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;av 58. 14.</NOTE> and &s;tormes, which infe&s;t and trouble us here below. I remem|ber I have read of one, who being upon a tempe&s;tuous &s;ea, and his &s;hip almo&s;t covered with waves, and the pa&s;&s;engers there al|mo&s;t dead with feare, was, not with&s;tanding, very cheerfull and comfortable, calme and quiet in his mind, rather inclined to &s;ing then to mourne: Being asked the rea&s;on of his &s;ettlement, and &s;o quiet repo&s;e of &s;pirit, an&s;wered thus: <HI>My Father is the Pilot of the &s;hip; He is at the &s;terne, holds the helme: He loves me, I love</HI>
<PB N="29" REF="23"> <HI>Him,</HI> The winds and &s;tormes fulfilling his word, <NOTE N="(b)" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 148. 8</NOTE> <HI>He bids them ri&s;e, and they are up, and &s;o blu&s;tering: then (He chideth) He rebuketh them, then they fall and are &s;till. I know and am well per|&s;waded,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 8. 26.</NOTE> <HI>whether &s;tormes or calmes, I &s;hall get to my Heaven, and in pa&s;&s;age thither nothing &s;hall doe me hurt, every thing &s;hall doe me good from His hand that loves</HI> <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Chry&s;o&s;t. <HI>Faci|le impetratur &s;emper quod filius po&s;tulat.</HI> Ter<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ul. de po<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n. c. 11.</NOTE> <HI>me. And this makes me fearle&s;&s;e, this calmes me within, what unquiet motions &s;oever are without.</HI> Oh of what mighty concernment is this, in the&s;e times! when <HI>the commandement is gone forth to re&s;tore and to build Ieru&s;alems wall,</HI> (evermore TROUBLOUS TIMES) <NOTE N="(c)" PLACE="marg">Dan. 9. 25.</NOTE> That every man &s;hould labour to cleare his &s;pirit (by the Spirit) at this great point, <HI>The love of</HI> GOD <HI>towards him, his love to</HI> GOD; for this makes faire weather within, however tempe&s;tuous it is abroad. Here comes in an Objection, I will re&s;olve it at the fir&s;t, and once for all.</P>
<P>A man may love GOD, and feare Him too, (which followes <MILESTONE UNIT="Ob."> next) and obey Him al&s;o, and all this from the heart, and yet he may be afraid: he may have a great deale of <HI>love,</HI> and <HI>faith</HI> too, and yet have a great deale of feare; he may love, and feare God above many, and yet feare the creature more then is meet.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>Iacob,</HI> a very good man, he loved <HI>God</HI> with all his heart, yet <HI>Iacob was</HI> GREATLY <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">Gen. 32. 7.</NOTE> <HI>afraid.</HI> [GREATLY,] Marke that.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>David,</HI> a man after <HI>Gods</HI> owne heart, yet heare him what he &s;aith, <HI>Fearfulne&s;&s;e and trembling are come upon me, and terror hath overwhelmed me.</HI> <NOTE N="(b)" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 52. 5.</NOTE></P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Ieho&s;haphat,</HI> a very good King, yet <HI>he feared.</HI> <NOTE N="(c)" PLACE="marg">2 Chr. 20. 3.</NOTE></P>
<P N="4">4. The Di&s;ciples, choi&s;e men all, &s;uch as loved their Ma&s;ter with all their heart, and with their whole &s;oule, yet <HI>fearfull.</HI> <NOTE N="(d)" PLACE="marg">Mat. 8. 26.</NOTE></P>
<P>Before the An&s;wer, note this: A man may love God much, and yet feare much hurt from the creature. And a man may have no <HI>love</HI> to <HI>God,</HI> and yet no feare of the creature: &s;o &s;tupified his &s;pirit may be. Now I an&s;wer, indeed the Context an&s;wers it for me.</P>
<P><HI>Iacob</HI> was greatly afraid and di&s;tre&s;&s;ed; how then? his feare <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> did not put him off from duty, but engaged him thereunto. Now &s;ee how wi&s;ely he di&s;po&s;eth of things, then rouls him&s;elfe and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 32. 7, 8, 9, &amp;c.</NOTE> all his upon GOD, wraps up his &s;oule, and all his concernments
<PB N="30" REF="24"> in a promi&s;e, and there is an end of the matter, and enough for <HI>Iacob.</HI></P>
<P>2. <HI>Davids</HI> ca&s;e was extraordinary, a thick cloud was over his &s;pirit, and the face of God was clouded towards him too. He <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> ex|e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">et Deus, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">|la e&s;t tenta &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">|t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tudo quae <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">be&s;cat.</HI> Cal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. in P&s;al. 55.</NOTE> had troubles within, and &s;torms without; whether <HI>Saul</HI> pur&s;ued him, or his owne &s;on, it is not re&s;olved, but he was in the &s;traits, and <HI>God</HI> was not &s;o pre&s;ent to &s;en&s;e, and then we mu&s;t <HI>give the &s;toute&s;t heart leave to quaile,</HI> &s;aith Ma&s;ter <HI>Calvin.</HI> The Conclu&s;ion is &s;ure and certaine; Cleare your evidence, That <HI>God</HI> loves you, and you &s;hall cleare your &s;pirits of the&s;e thick fogs which <HI>feare</HI> rai&s;eth. Nay, if you cannot cleare your evidence, but God will keep you humble all your dayes, in a hanging, and doubtful e&s;tate, yet ca&s;t your &s;elfe upon Him; though He kill, yet tru&s;t in Him. But more of this a little after.</P>
<P>3. <HI>Ieho&s;haphat</HI> feared al&s;o, for hee heard that which would quicken any man that had life in him: <HI>There commeth a great multitude again&s;t thee.</HI> <NOTE N="(e)" PLACE="marg">2 Chron. 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> Then <HI>he</HI> FEARED. <NOTE N="(f)" PLACE="marg">ver. 3.</NOTE> But take the following words, <HI>And &s;et him&s;elfe to &s;eek the Lord, &amp;c.</HI> His Feare put him upon Duty. Then be remembred <HI>God,</HI> in Who&s;e hand is power and might, <HI>Art not Thou God in heaven?</HI> <NOTE N="(g)" PLACE="marg">ver. 6.</NOTE> Then he pleads his intere&s;t in his God, <HI>Art not Thou</HI> OUR GOD? <NOTE N="(h)" PLACE="marg">ver. 7.</NOTE> Then he cals to mind the right hand of the Almigh|ty, what He had done of old. O ble&s;&s;ed be God for that feare, (as was &s;aid before) you cannot have too much of that feare, which renders you much in &s;eeking, which makes you love much, feare much, obey much.</P>
<P>4. The Di&s;ciples were fearfull, but they were prayerfull; They would not let GOD <HI>alone;</HI> they would <HI>give Him no re&s;t.</HI> GOD &s;eemes to be (for he &s;peaketh to our capacity) as <HI>Ionah,</HI> a&s;leep, when the Ship of the Church is covered with waves. Nay The <HI>Lord Chri&s;t</HI> was, at that time, as clothed with our fle&s;h, &s;o &s;ubject to our infirmities, and was a&s;leep: And then the Di&s;ci|ples are fearfull, All will be ca&s;t away, Chri&s;t and all. Indeed they that feare the Church will be drowned, doe feare that Chri&s;t will be drowned too: for if the Body drowne, the Head mu&s;t drowne; and if the Head drowne not, the Body cannot drown: it may be overwhelmed with great waters of affliction. While the Head is above, the Body is &s;afe enough. But &s;uch was the
<PB N="31" REF="24"> Di&s;ciples infirmity at this time, and &s;uch was our Lords infirmi|ty at that time, that then He was a&s;leep. What then? They a|woke <HI>God</HI> with their prayers, as we know the manner is. A ble&s;|&s;ed feare then (as was &s;aid) which makes a man a wake Chri&s;t by his importunity; which puts a man upon duty, makes him more prayerfull, makes him love more, and cling to his Father the fa&s;ter, &s;o <HI>Iacob,</HI> &s;o <HI>David,</HI> &s;o <HI>Ieho&s;haphat,</HI> &s;o the <HI>Di&s;ciples</HI> feared, &s;o as they did their Duty the better.</P>
<P>But much may be &s;aid touching this <HI>love</HI> of GOD: It is not <MILESTONE UNIT="Ob."> &s;uch a <HI>Cure</HI> of <HI>feare,</HI> not &s;uch a buckler to a per&s;on; we &s;ee here how the fore-mentioned were <HI>terrified,</HI> yet they <HI>loved</HI> GOD. Look I pray you and it is a &s;ad &s;ight, <HI>Thou art become cruel to me, with Thy &s;trong hand Thou oppo&s;e&s;t Thy &s;elfe again&s;t me. Thou lifte&s;t me up to the wind, Thou cau&s;e&s;t me to ride upon it, and di&s;&s;ol|ve&s;t my &s;ub&s;tance.</HI> <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">Job 30. 21, 22.</NOTE> I will defer the An&s;wer to this till anon. The Objection now runs thus: Not how the <HI>Lord</HI> hath dealt with particular per&s;ons, whom He loves dearly: nor what tho&s;e per&s;ons have &s;aid, when they walked in darkne&s;&s;e, and &s;aw no light, [We mu&s;t take it for granted, That there are &s;ad expre&s;&s;i|ons breaking forth of the lips, when there are grievous apprehen|&s;ions within the &s;oule] But How he hath dealt with a whole Nation, and that the <HI>dearly beloved of Hi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;oul;</HI> He hath delive|red &s;uch a Nation into <HI>His enemies hands:</HI> <NOTE N="(c)" PLACE="marg">Jer. 12. 7.</NOTE> So that they who hated them, have Lorded it over them, have dealt <HI>hatefully</HI> and de&s;pitefully with them. <NOTE N="(d)" PLACE="marg">Ezek. 23. 28, 29.</NOTE></P>
<P>This cannot be denied, and &s;ince His <HI>Iudgements are manife&s;t,</HI> and the Rea&s;ons of them al&s;o are written and made legible for <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> our in&s;truction, we &s;tand charged to take good notice of them here, I meane The Rea&s;ons, which moved The <HI>Lord</HI> to proceed in wrath again&s;t His <HI>dearly beloved,</HI> and to ca&s;t them out of their owne Land, and into the hands of them, from whom <HI>their mind</HI> was <HI>alienated</HI> fir&s;t.</P>
<P N="1">1. When GODS <HI>People</HI> doe not walke As His People; when He takes them neere unto Him&s;elfe, and they walk loo&s;e with him; not as a &s;eparated and peculiar people to Him, whom He hath &s;eparated, and be&s;towed upon them &s;peciall and peculiar mercies. When His people walke &s;o <HI>contrary</HI> to Him, and their owne Prote&s;tation, Then His manner is to walke <HI>contrary</HI> to
<PB N="32" REF="25"> them. He may goe out of that path when He li&s;teth, and exempt a Nation from the generall rule: But this is His <HI>manner;</HI> He may d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">al<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> with us according to His <HI>Prerogative Royall,</HI> which is ever in &s;hewing mercy: He may doe &s;o, but it is extraordinary, as we have cau&s;e to ob&s;erve above all the Nations in the world.</P>
<P N="2">2. When His People do not do according to the CHARGE, <NOTE N="(l)" PLACE="marg">Deut. 25 19</NOTE> <HI>utterly to root out the name of Amalek,</HI> that old and ancient enemy to His Church, and the very &s;ame to this day: when this charge is neglected or &s;lighted, and the contrary is done; <HI>Ama|lek</HI> is countenanced, encouraged, fo&s;tered, &s;uffered to get head; Then it &s;hall come to pa&s;&s;e, That the&s;e Adver&s;aries and enemies &s;hall be <HI>pricks</HI> in your eyes, and <HI>thornes in your &s;ides,</HI> and &s;hall <HI>v<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">xe you in the Land wherein you dwell,</HI> <NOTE N="(m)" PLACE="marg">Num 3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. 35.</NOTE> <HI>&s;aith the Lord.</HI> They &s;hall be &s;nares and traps unto you, untill ye peri&s;h from off the good Land, which The Lord your God hath given you. <NOTE N="(n)" PLACE="marg">Jo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. 23. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"></NOTE> It is the good word of The Lord, which is the &s;ame for ever.</P>
<P>3. When the Rulers, the Princes and Judges of the earth are like the evening wolves, ravening the prey: <NOTE N="(o)" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 22.</NOTE> What then? Then, for their &s;akes, <HI>Zion mu&s;t be plowed as a field.</HI> <NOTE N="(p)" PLACE="marg">Mich 3. 11 Z<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ph. 3. 3. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">zech. 22.</NOTE> When the Prie&s;ts violate the Law, profane the holy things, devoure &s;oules, hide their eyes <HI>from the Sabbath,</HI> put no difference be|tweene the holy and profane: What then? Then <HI>peace is taken from the earth:</HI> When the Sabbaths are gone, when the people <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mic. 5. 12, 13.</NOTE> oppre&s;&s;e, exerci&s;e tyrannie, and vexe the poore and needy: When the Prie&s;ts are become bruti&s;h, the people no better: when they that are good, and have power, &s;it &s;till, and contend not again&s;t the &s;treame: Then we reade this, <HI>All ye bea&s;ts of the field, come to</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 56. 9.</NOTE> <HI>devoure, yea all the bea&s;ts of the forre&s;t.</HI> <NOTE N="(q)" PLACE="marg">Jer. 12. 9.</NOTE> His Watchmen are blind, and the Pa&s;tors are become bruti&s;h: <NOTE N="(r)" PLACE="marg">Jer. 10. 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> what then? Then <HI>all their flocks &s;hall be &s;cattered.</HI> Behold the noi&s;e of the <HI>bruit is come,</HI> and a great commotion to make <HI>Cities de&s;olate,</HI> and <HI>a den of dragons.</HI></P>
<P>In the&s;e ca&s;es, The Lord is provoked very much, even til there be <HI>no remedy.</HI> <NOTE N="(&s;)" PLACE="marg">2 Chr. 36. 16. Jer. 12. 7.</NOTE> And then He for&s;akes His hou&s;e, leaves His heritage, gives up the <HI>dearly beloved of His &s;oule into the hands of her enemies,</HI> lets in judgements like a floud, and it carryeth down all, good and bad, with the impetuou&s;ne&s;&s;e of its &s;treame. What, good and bad together? Will the LORD de&s;troy the righteous
<PB N="33" REF="25"> with the wicked? Yes, No man knoweth either <HI>love,</HI> or <HI>hatred</HI> by <HI>all that is before the eye.</HI> <NOTE N="(p)" PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 9. 1.</NOTE> All things come ali<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e to all; The &s;ame Common de&s;truction takes away all together, makes no difference: And there is a great rea&s;on for that, which we mu&s;t take in, in pa&s;&s;age, for,</P>
<P>The Righteous did comply too much with the time, went along with the &s;treame, &s;ided with the &s;tronge&s;t in &s;ight, or looked on heareing Bla&s;phemies, beholding iniquity and wrong, In the mean time, &s;aid and did nothing; <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Jure i&s;tam <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">am quando di<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> initus affli|guntu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, cum eis <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">maram &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nti|unt, cupus a|mando dul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">edi|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">em peccan<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">i|b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> eis amari e&s;&s;e nolue unt.</HI> Aug. d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> civ. l. 1. c. 9.</NOTE> &s;tood not up <HI>in the gap;</HI> And therefore now he is thru&s;t down al&s;o, hurried along with the T<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rrent and breaking in of mighty Waters: he is over-whelmed in the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">lood, even the&s;e good Men for the rea&s;on afore&s;aid: No difference at all in the &s;uffering, for the manner and time thereof; but in the fruit, i&s;&s;ue and end, an infinite di&s;tance, and inequality. <Q>Where we note, That this difference between the good &amp; bad, in a Common Calamity, is not vi&s;ible, not di&s;cernable by the Eye, &amp; yet a great, wide, and an ever-la&s;ting difference; the good are delivered in it; The bad utterly de&s;troyed by it; The good <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Manet di&s;&s;imi|l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tud<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> pa&s;&s;o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">um etiam in <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">il<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">|tudine <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">a&s;&s;io|num, &amp; licet in eodem tormento non e&s;t idem <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">tus &amp; viti|um. Nam &s;icut &s;ub uno igne aurum ru<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">lat, pal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> fumat, &amp;c.</HI> Aug. de ci. l. 1. c. 8. Am<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">s 9. 9.</NOTE> pur<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ed; The bad con&s;umed. Good and bad are in the &s;ame ca|lamity, But as the Gold and Chaffe are in the &s;ame fire, The one &s;hines there, the other &s;mokes, As the &s;tubble, and the wheat|corne are under the &s;ame flaile, the one is brui&s;ed there, the other clean&s;ed; freed of its Chaffe, and fitted for the &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ive, not a Corne <HI>&s;hall be lo&s;t.</HI> So al&s;o one and the &s;ame violence carryes away all the good and the bad all together; de&s;troyeth, wa&s;teth the one with an utter de&s;truction: <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ut trieth, purgeth, purifieth the good.</Q></P>
<P>It is good to note this with all ob&s;ervation; for heere we have a Cleere difference betwixt the <HI>good</HI> and the <HI>bad,</HI> betwixt the per&s;ecuted now, and the per&s;ecutors afterwards, The good may fall, but they &s;hall bee holpen <HI>with a little help:</HI> And their fal|ing by the &s;word <HI>and by &s;poyle many dayes,</HI> &s;hall be to them as of old it was, <HI>To trie them, and to purge and make them white.</HI> <NOTE N="(&s;)" PLACE="marg">Dan. 11. 33</NOTE> But for the wicked it is not &s;o with them, but as we heard. It is a comfortable &s;peech; <HI>Rejoyce</HI> <NOTE N="(t)" PLACE="marg">Micah 7. 8.</NOTE> <HI>not again&s;t me O mine ene|my:</HI> When <HI>I fall I &s;hall ari&s;e;</HI> But when thou falle&s;t, Thou &s;halt fall; Thy ca&s;ting down &s;hall bee like <HI>the fall</HI> of <HI>a mill&s;tone</HI> <NOTE N="(u)" PLACE="marg">Rev. 18. 21</NOTE> in|to great waters, Thou &s;halt ri&s;e no more: <HI>When I fall, I &s;hall ari&s;e;</HI> This is the heritage of them that love The <HI>Lord:</HI> when their
<PB N="34" REF="26"> Adver&s;arie falls he &s;hall <HI>ri&s;e no more,</HI> This is the portion of his mea&s;ures for ever.</P>
<P>The conclu&s;ion is, It &s;hall be well with them that love The <HI>Lord.</HI> Nay it is well with them now, though not to <HI>&s;en&s;e,</HI> yet to <HI>faith.</HI> The ca&s;e of <HI>David</HI> was not ordinary; <HI>Iobs</HI> ca&s;e extraordi|nary: That which follows will give &s;ome light and &s;ome &s;ati&s;|faction to both.</P>
<P>It is a mo&s;t prevailing argument, which the &s;i&s;ter u&s;ed in behalfe of her brother <HI>Lazarus;</HI> LORD, <HI>behold he whom Thou lo|ve&s;t</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">John 11. 3.</NOTE> <HI>is &s;ick.</HI> This will prevaile &s;ure; It is the mightie&s;t argument in the world, LORD, The <HI>Per&s;on, whom Thou love&s;t;</HI> The <HI>Cau&s;e, the Faith, the Truth, the Religion,</HI> WHICH THOU LOVEST is <HI>now in jeopardie;</HI> The Malignants oppo&s;e it, oppre&s;&s;e it, they would thru&s;t it out of the world, and the profe&s;&s;ors of it; That which THOU LOVEST, <HI>the&s;e &s;ons of the earth doe hate; Tho&s;e whom Thou love&s;t, the&s;e men would cut off from being a Nation.</HI> Certainly GOD will come in for re&s;cue now, and worke a glo|rious Deliverance. And yet perhaps not at the ju&s;t and &s;et time of our over-ha&s;ty expectation: Before Deliverance comes, this per&s;on, whom <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> loveth, may be &s;urpri&s;ed with fearful|ne&s;&s;e; <HI>trembling</HI> may <HI>come upon him,</HI> and <HI>horror</HI> may over-whelme him, that it may. The <HI>Cau&s;e,</HI> the <HI>Truth,</HI> which GOD loveth, may &s;eem to be delivered up into the enemies hands, &s;o as they may lay the <HI>Glory</HI> of it (for a time, and in the eye of man) in the du&s;t. Let us con&s;ult with the context once more, and with good con&s;ideration. There we read; <HI>Lord, he whom Thou love&s;t, is &s;ick; when Ie&s;us heard that He abode two dayes &s;till in the place where He was.</HI> <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">John 11. 3.</NOTE> That is a &s;trange matter; we &s;hould thinke, and &s;o the &s;i&s;ters thought too, That when <HI>Ie&s;us</HI> heard, That The man, whom He loved was &s;ick, He would have made ha&s;te away, and come with all &s;peede to His &s;ick friend; But it was not &s;o, when He heard THAT, <HI>He abode two dayes &s;till in the &s;ame place.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> Was this His kindne&s;&s;e to His friend? <HI>Ie&s;us loved Martha and her &s;i&s;ter and Lazarus:</HI> But His abode two dayes longer, and when He heard that <HI>Lazarus</HI> was &s;ick, made no cleare proofe of it unto them at that time. Je&s;us came indeede, but when <HI>Martha,</HI> and <HI>Mary,</HI> and the <HI>Iewes</HI> al&s;o thought it was too late, when the breath was departed, the body laid in a cave, and <HI>a &s;tone</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">ver 38.</NOTE>
<PB N="35" REF="26"> <HI>laid</HI> upon it foure dayes before <HI>Ie&s;us</HI> came. Then, and then when the ca&s;e was &s;o helple&s;&s;e, and hopele&s;&s;e, then Je&s;us came. Truly, that is His manner now, but &s;ee mighty rea&s;on for His &s;o long tarrying then. Had He come quickly, as &s;oone as He was &s;ent unto, and called for, po&s;&s;ible it was, That He, who opened the eyes of <HI>the blinde,</HI> might have cau&s;ed <HI>even</HI> this man <HI>Lazarus</HI> &s;hould <HI>not have dyed:</HI> <NOTE N="(b)" PLACE="marg">ver. 37.</NOTE> &s;o &s;ome there rea&s;oned at that time, and &s;o we have rea&s;oned (in &s;uch ca&s;es) ever &s;ince. The Per&s;ons, or the Cau&s;e, which Je&s;us loveth, have beene in jeopardy; to the eyes of man, in an helple&s;&s;e and hopele&s;&s;e condition; If God had come in to his &s;ervants and their cau&s;e &s;o &s;oone as they cal|led for Him, then their hopes had flouri&s;hed, but &s;taying till the ca&s;e is de&s;perate to &s;en&s;e &amp; rea&s;on, their hope is peri&s;hed. Surely, &s;o the &s;ervants of God have rea&s;oned many a time. But let the &s;ervants of The <HI>Lord</HI> well ob&s;erve The <HI>Lords</HI> comming in to the&s;e two &s;i&s;ters, at that time, and they can never di&s;tru&s;t The <HI>Lord</HI> at any time. Had their <HI>Lord</HI> come in unto them, when they called for Him, He might have cau&s;ed that even <HI>Lazarus</HI> &s;hould not <HI>have dyed.</HI> But then what &s;ingular thing had Hee done? A Phy&s;itian, an ordinary man, had done many a time as much as that before Him. But when as He abode two dayes longer in the &s;ame place, where He was, when He heard of <HI>La|zarus</HI> &s;ickne&s;&s;e; and &s;tayed yet two dayes longer by the way (of &s;et purpo&s;e to let the la&s;t enemy alone to compleat its conque&s;t, to clo&s;e the pits mouth upon <HI>Lazarus,</HI> and to role a &s;tone over him) and now comming in for re&s;cue, and taking the <HI>prey</HI> out of the hands of the <HI>terrible one;</HI> This made Chri&s;t admired in all, <HI>that did beleeve:</HI> for now, they mu&s;t needes &s;ee, The <HI>Glory</HI> of GOD, whereas, had <HI>Ie&s;us</HI> came at their call, before <HI>Death</HI> had made its conque&s;t, they had &s;eene no more but the meere exer|ci&s;e of power, and skill, which might be put forth by a meere man. Je&s;us &s;aid plainly (without a figure, for he called death a <NOTE PLACE="marg">John 14. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> &s;leepe before) <HI>Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your &s;akes.</HI> Why glad that His friend <HI>Lazarus</HI> was dead? and glad for their &s;akes? They were all very &s;orry that <HI>Lazarus</HI> was dead; and it grieved them to the heart, that Je&s;us came not &s;ooner, for if Je&s;us had beene there, their <HI>Brother had not dyed,</HI> &s;aid the &s;i&s;ter: Then why was Je&s;us glad that he was not there? Becau&s;e, that they pre|&s;ently
<PB N="36" REF="27"> beholding His glorious worke in rai&s;ing a putrified car|ke&s;&s;e, they would then <HI>beleeve,</HI> and <HI>rejoice</HI> with <HI>an exceeding joy,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">If any thing <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> to the advantage of His people <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> (<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">peaking to our capaci+ty) is glad, and there is joy in Heaven even new.</NOTE> which they had not done, had Je&s;us beene there before, and cau|&s;ed that <HI>Lazarus</HI> had not dyes. We may conclude now; That the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ord <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ill come in for the &s;afegard and re&s;cue of His people, <HI>whom He loveth,</HI> of His <HI>Cau&s;e,</HI> which He &s;o favoureth, in &s;ea&s;on, the fitte&s;t time, when His beloved people &s;hall <HI>mo&s;t admire His comming,</HI> beholding the exceeding glory thereof. When is this time? Then, when the Righteous mans hopes are dead to the world, &s;en&s;e and rea&s;on&punc; and when the malignants hopes flou|ri&s;h, Then The <HI>Lord</HI> comes in, That is His Time, when the wicked thinke they have their hope in their hands, and when the Righteous are emptied of all creature-confidence, they &s;et no hope there, but all in God: Then The Lord comes in, when they are to &s;en&s;e, as <HI>dead bones,</HI> then they &s;hall flouri&s;h like <HI>an herbe,</HI> for <HI>then the hand of the Lord &s;hall bee knowne towards His</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&s;ay 66. 4.</NOTE> <HI>&s;ervants,</HI> when they are <HI>Orphanes,</HI> poore, peeled, helple&s;&s;e, com|fortle&s;&s;e people, then the <HI>Lord</HI> comes with His comforts, and how doth he comfort? <HI>As one whom His mother comforteth.</HI> Then they &s;hall be comforted indeed, <HI>For as a mother comforteth her</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 13.</NOTE> <HI>childe, &s;o will I comfort you, and you &s;hall be comforted:</HI> From the&s;e premi&s;es the conclu&s;ion is worth the repeating, and re|calling again and again. <Q>The Lord comes in ever to His be|loved people mo&s;t &s;ea&s;onably, in the fitte&s;t and be&s;t time, when they can &s;ee the <HI>mo&s;t</HI> of <HI>God</HI> that can be &s;eene, and the <HI>lea&s;t</HI> of the creature.</Q> He will come in them, when His people &s;hall &s;ay, if He had come &s;ooner, it had not beene &s;o well, we had not loved Him &s;o much, admired Him &s;o much, we had not &s;eene &s;o much of His Glory, we had not &s;o <HI>rejoyced in His &s;alvation.</HI> So they love God, and &s;o they are beloved of Him, therefore they are not afraid, at no time <HI>greatly</HI> troubled. If there be a cloud of feare, there is an eclip&s;e of <HI>Gods Love,</HI> onely we mu&s;t remem|ber we make an allowance to the be&s;t man, when wee weigh him upon the ballance, for hee is &s;uppo&s;ed ever in a Chri|&s;tian. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Homo &s;upponi|tur in Chri&s;tia|no.</NOTE></P>
<P>Before we clo&s;e, let us note this from the premi&s;&s;es, That The <HI>Lords</HI> manner is, To exerci&s;e the per&s;ons whom Hee loveth, with the &s;ore&s;t afflictions; <HI>Ie&s;us loved Martha and her</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">John. 11. 3.</NOTE>
<PB N="37" REF="27"> <HI>&s;i&s;ter</HI> and <HI>Lazarus:</HI> therefore Hee would try their patience; He would not come to them at their call, till the ca&s;e was de&s;perate; till, that they feared, had taken hold of them, and overwhelmed them; <HI>whom the Lord loveth Hee cha&s;teneth, and &s;courgeth every</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12. 6.</NOTE> <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">on whom Hee receiveth. It is</HI> the manner of Parents &s;o to doe, not &s;courage &s;trange children, but him, whom they love they will &s;courge. The <HI>Lord</HI> hath delivered up The dearly beloved of His Soule; whither? As we have read, <HI>Into the enemies hands.</HI> It was ever &s;o, it is &s;o at this Day; hee, whom GOD <HI>loveth,</HI> is &s;poil|ed, robbed, pillaged; the enemies bend all their malice again&s;t him, whom GOD <HI>loveth;</HI> And <HI>God</HI> &s;uffers them &s;o to do, for ex|cellent ends &s;poken of before, for the&s;e here To hide pride from their eyes by hiding the creature from them, To try their pati|ence; To rai&s;e up their hope after an enduring &s;ub&s;tance; To try them, I &s;aid, and to pu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ge them to make them <HI>white even</HI> <NOTE N="(c)" PLACE="marg">Dan. 11. 35.</NOTE> <HI>to the time of the end.</HI> To make them <HI>Meet</HI> for the <HI>inheritance of the Saints in light.</HI> <NOTE N="(d)" PLACE="marg">Colo&s;. 1. 12.</NOTE> It is notable, The <HI>Lord</HI> u&s;eth the&s;e vile wretches, as &s;cullions, To <HI>purge</HI> and <HI>whiten</HI> His ve&s;&s;ells, oppoint|ed for honour. Indeed the rod of the wicked may bee &s;o heavy upon the back of The Righteous, and may rai&s;e within them &s;uch a thick cloud, that hee can hardly di&s;cerne a <HI>Fatherly love</HI> and <HI>Hand</HI> through it (for there are &s;trange apprehen&s;ions and trem|blings within the heart, when there is a cup of trembling in the hand:) But it will be faire weather anon; The thick cloud &s;hall bee di&s;&s;olved, and The <HI>FATHERS love</HI> will &s;hine forth the clearer, the thicker the cloud hath been, The FATHERS <HI>love</HI> over-rules the Adver&s;ary, binds him, <HI>mea&s;ureth out</HI> the effects of their fury and mallice, orders all as Hee did that long captivity, FOR THY <NOTE N="(c)" PLACE="marg">Jer. 24. 5.</NOTE> GOOD, whom Hee loveth; That is the comfort and the conclu&s;ion of this point, <HI>for their Good, whom Hee loveth,</HI> And who make Him their feare.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="38" REF="28">
<HEAD>CHAP. III.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>The Righteous feare God,</HI> as <HI>God; they that doe &s;o, cannot feare the creature.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>THe <HI>Righteous feare</HI> GOD; what then? I have &s;aid all. They <HI>feare</HI> GOD, then they feare neither men, nor Divells. If wee ob&s;erve, wee meete with this expre&s;&s;ion often, I FEARED. what? The Creature, what hee could doe again&s;t me; I was afraid of a Man, and then hee de&s;erted his Duty, ran away from GOD and from him&s;elfe. Wee read againe, I know not how of|ten, <HI>I feare</HI> GOD; And then hee feares nothing, hee goes on, as bold as a lion, the enemy is behind him, a mountain of <HI>&s;traits</HI> on each hand, a &s;ea of troubles before him, yet he goes on with the more courage: hee &s;ets GOD before his eyes, Whom hee &s;erves, Whom hee feares, His <HI>Cau&s;e,</HI> His <HI>Glory,</HI> and goes on, breaks through the <HI>&s;traits,</HI> as you will doe through a &s;piders web. Hee feares <HI>God,</HI> of whom &s;hould he be afraid? He fears <HI>God,</HI> he keeps him&s;elfe from every evill work, though he might commit it in &s;ecret, <NOTE N="(d)" PLACE="marg">Levit. 19. 14</NOTE> no eye upon him, His Lords eye, Which <HI>runs through the world,</HI> <NOTE N="(e)" PLACE="marg">2 Chron. 26. 9.</NOTE> That is upon him, That awes him, even to the ob|&s;erving his thoughts, and bringing them into &s;ubjection, and them mo&s;t of all. So he <HI>feares</HI> GOD, And the Armies of men, or De|vils, not &s;o much as the wicked have feared an Army of flies. Let <NOTE N="(f)" PLACE="marg">E&s;ai. 33. 14.</NOTE> <HI>&s;inners in</HI> ZION, who &s;eeme to maintain the e&s;tabli&s;hed Re|ligion with their mouth, and per&s;ecute it with their hand, let them be afraid, <HI>fearfulne&s;&s;e mu&s;t &s;urpri&s;e the Hypocrites,</HI> tho&s;e that profe&s;&s;e one thing, and doe another: But this man feares <HI>God,</HI> that is, <HI>He walks righteou&s;ly, &s;peaketh uprightly, de&s;pi&s;eth the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 15.</NOTE> <HI>gaine of oppre&s;&s;ions, &s;haketh his hands from holding of bribes, &s;top|peth his eare from hearing of bloud,</HI> (Oh how far is he from &s;hed|ding of it) <HI>&s;hutteth his eye from &s;eeing evill.</HI> Reade on. <HI>He &s;hall dwell on high, his defence &s;hall be the munitions of rocks, bread &s;hall be</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 16.</NOTE> <HI>given him, and his waters &s;hall be &s;ure.</HI> And he is &s;ure of all this, for he <HI>fears</HI> GOD, and all we reade before is but the re&s;ult of that <HI>feare.</HI> Why then, Lions, and Beares, and Wolves, and Foxes, I meane (for &s;o the Scripture doth) by the&s;e, bloody and treache|rous
<PB N="39" REF="28"> men, the&s;e may be hungry and &s;tarved too, they may feare famine. The righteous, who feare God, they feare it not; In fa|mine, <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Fides famem non metuit.</HI> Hieron.</NOTE> that is, in every extremity, they &s;hall be provided for, they &s;hall have <HI>enough,</HI> for they have <HI>God,</HI> and he is <HI>All.</HI> I will con|tract. Indeed, and in truth, the <HI>feare of</HI> GOD (for it contains the whole Duty of man) is <HI>excellent.</HI></P>
<P>Now I know what All will &s;ay; for I know their hearts and their language there by my owne. I and every man will &s;ay for him&s;elf, <HI>I feare</HI> GOD too, that I do: hee that feares not an oath, (that is too paticular) he that feares not to &s;in before The Lord; nay, he, that doth violence to the law, and &s;heds blood to his power, the Man that neither feareth God nor reverenceth man, wil &s;ay, I <HI>feare</HI> GOD too. It is as commonly &s;aid as any thing in the world, for every man &s;ayes it, as was &s;aid, and an&s;wered before. It is not con&s;iderable then what men <HI>&s;ay,</HI> but what men <HI>doe;</HI> not what they profe&s;&s;e with the tongue, but what they act with the hand. They profe&s;&s;e, &s;aith <HI>Paul,</HI> that they <HI>feare</HI> GOD, (for they that <HI>know</HI> GOD, <HI>feare Him)</HI> but <HI>in works they deny Him, being a|bominable,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Titus 1. 16.</NOTE> <HI>and di&s;obedient, and unto every good worke, reprobate.</HI> They walk cleane contrary to that man, that <HI>feares God,</HI> (wee heard how he walketh, and how he &s;peaketh) and yet they <HI>feare</HI> GOD. It is but a bare profe&s;&s;ion &s;o, with the mouth onely. But ob&s;erve what their ca&s;e will be when their <NOTE N="(b)" PLACE="marg">Jer. 2. 24.</NOTE> <HI>month</HI> com|meth, and they mu&s;t ca&s;t-out their &s;orrows, they will be <HI>afraid;</HI> then <HI>fear fulne&s;&s;e will &s;urpri&s;e them,</HI> and heare them what they <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ai. 33. 14.</NOTE> &s;ay; <HI>Who among us &s;hall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us &s;hall dwell with the everla&s;ting burnings?</HI> And &s;o much be &s;po|ken to my owne heart, and to theirs, who profe&s;&s;e to <HI>feare</HI> GOD, yet walk &s;o notoriou&s;ly contrary to what they doe profe&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>We al&s;o, who, not perhaps &s;o notoriou&s;ly wicked, yet are pre|tenders to this <HI>HOLY AFFECTION,</HI> (profe&s;&s;ing wee <HI>feare</HI> GOD, when indeed it is not &s;o) we doe not feare Him in <HI>Po|wer,</HI> which appeares thus: When danger pre&s;ents its &s;elfe, where are we then? Almo&s;t dead with feare, which could not be, if we feared GOD in <HI>Power.</HI> When trouble &s;hews it &s;elfe, we &s;hake at it as at &s;ome new and &s;trange thing, never looked for, nor feared till it come: And the&s;e &s;haking fits declare, That we, what&s;oever we &s;ay and pretend, do not <HI>feare</HI> GOD: <HI>feare</HI> will
<PB N="40" REF="29"> not be concealed no more then folly can; when <HI>he that is affraid,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 10. 8.</NOTE> <HI>walketh by the way, his wi&s;dom faileth him, and he &s;aith to every one he is affraid:</HI> And he can give a Rea&s;on for his feare, which is this, That hell is let loo&s;e now, and Divels are broke-in among&s;t us, in the &s;hape and likene&s;&s;e of men. Grant it to be &s;o, as &s;o it is, yet the Righteous he that feareth God in Power) feareth not, (that is) he is notvoid of feare, but he is above his feare, he is as bold as a Lion, for he <HI>feareth</HI> GOD; how? <HI>As God:</HI> That cal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">es and quieteth his &s;pirit: we do not as the Righteous do, maintaine the feare of <HI>God;</HI> Set up <HI>God</HI> ruling as chiefe over all. Certaine it is They that feare <HI>God</HI> indeed <HI>as</HI> GOD do &s;o: do &s;et Him up in their hearts, and &s;o ruling in the world. They that feare the Creature, do &s;et the Crea|ture above <HI>God:</HI> they make <HI>God</HI> the Vial, and Man the pourer forth of the wrath: whereas it is cleane contrary. And, Oh! the torment they feele within (if their hearts be not as <HI>Nabals</HI> was, like a &s;tone) when terrours is round about! They &s;hewed them|&s;elves <HI>gods</HI> again&s;t GOD: and row they &s;hew them&s;elves &s;laves towards men, who&s;e bodies and con&s;ciences are alike rotten. <HI>Who art thou that thou art afraid of a man?</HI> <NOTE N="(g)" PLACE="marg">E&s;ai. 51. 12.</NOTE> Reade and re&s;olve that Que&s;tion. He that forgetteth The LORD his Maker, makes no more account of <HI>Him,</HI> then of a meer man, nor &s;o much neither, though He &s;tretched forth the Heavens, and laid the foundations of the Earth: and makes a meere man a <HI>God,</HI> heightens that low and <HI>diminutive</HI> thing (for, in Compari&s;on, he is a very &s;mall thing, very little more then nothing, not &s;o big as a drop of water, or the &s;mall du&s;t of the Ballance) <NOTE N="(h)" PLACE="marg">E&s;ay. 40. 15.</NOTE> <HI>that &s;hall dye, and be made as gra&s;&s;e;</HI> A goodly thing, if we ob&s;erve it well, to make our object, to &s;et our feare upon. O wonderfull Ignorance of our &s;elves, and of <HI>God!</HI> Ai, It is want of knowledge, therefore we &s;et our feare upon peri&s;hing things, and we peri&s;h with them. Truely upon due con&s;ideration, <HI>who</HI> would not <HI>feare Thee</HI> O Lord? He hath &s;aid ten times, <HI>feare not;</HI> <NOTE N="(i)" PLACE="marg">E&s;ai. 41. 10.</NOTE> <HI>I am thy God: I am with thee, I will up|hold thee, &amp;c. I am God,</HI> and <HI>Thy God,</HI> It is enough. He created the <HI>Smith</HI> <NOTE N="(k)" PLACE="marg">E&s;ai. 54. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> that blowes the coale. He is The <HI>Lord Generall</HI> of all the forces of Heaven, Earth, and Sea; Ma&s;ter of the <HI>Armoryes:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 50. 25.</NOTE> There is not a Sword, not an in&s;trument there, but it is for His Work, He gives it forth, &s;tamps His Commi&s;&s;ion upon it, <HI>Go &s;o far, do this, and no more; not an inch farther, not to the lo&s;&s;e of a haire</HI>
<PB N="41" REF="29"> <HI>more;</HI> no marvaile, The Righteous are as bold as a Lion, they fear nothing, for they feare GOD: They <HI>Sanctify the Lord of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 8. 13.</NOTE> <HI>H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">s Him&s;elfe.</HI> What then? Then He will <HI>be a Sanctuary,</HI> The Righteous know it, they are a&s;&s;ured of it, and it is enough to qui|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tand calme the &s;pirit, when the Earth is moved, and the <HI>Nati|ons are an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ry.</HI></P>
<P>This will &s;eeme &s;trange, which follows, THE RIGHTE|OUS ARE NEVER SO SAFE AND SECURE AS IN AN EARTHQUAKE. And yet, why &s;hould it &s;eeme &s;trange? It is demon&s;trated and made evident to &s;en&s;e and rea|&s;on. In a &s;haking Time, when the Kingdoms are moved; Nay in that time, which is not yet come, but ha&s;ting and coming a|pace, when there will be <HI>a great earth-quake, &s;uch as was not</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Revel. 16. 18.</NOTE> <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n were upon the earth, &s;o mighty an earthquake and &s;o great,</HI> The Righteous then will cling the fa&s;ter to The Arme of The Almighty, (there is &s;ecurity you will &s;ay) And then, at &s;uch a time as that, The Arme of the Almighty holds them the fa&s;ter: We parents doe &s;o; If my childe be in danger, If my childe &s;hake, I will hold it fa&s;t, if I can, perhaps I cannot, It is not f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r want of love, but for want of &s;trength: GOD can hold them fa&s;t, for none can take His children out of His Hands, There is no want in Him, neither of <HI>Love</HI> nor <HI>Power,</HI> Therefore it follows, clee|red to &s;en&s;e and rea&s;on both, <HI>That when the Kingdome is moved, w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">en it totters like a drunken man,</HI> nay, when that <HI>Earth-quake</HI> &s;hallbe, then the Righteous &s;hall &s;tand mo&s;t &s;tedfa&s;t, &s;ecure, and &s;teady, even then when that Earth-quake &s;hall be, &s;o mighty an Earth-quake and &s;o great, never &s;o &s;ecure as then, then they &s;hall lift up the head, for then they hold fa&s;t by Gods Arme, and they <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">inde by good experience, that he holds them fa&s;t.</P>
<P>I <HI>feare</HI> GOD, &s;aid <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">Gen. 42. 28.</NOTE> I am an Hebrew &s;aid <HI>Ionah</HI> <NOTE N="(b)" PLACE="marg">Jonah. 1. 8.</NOTE> and <HI>I feare The Lord God of Heaven, Who hath made the Sea and the dry land.</HI> This put in &s;ecurity for them both, That, though they might be overcome through infirmities, yet willingly they would doe no wrong. But that is not the point we are now upon, This is it, which is cleere from hence, That the true feare of <HI>God</HI> &s;ecureth the &s;ervants of The <HI>Lord,</HI> again&s;t the wrong and injurious dealing from man. Man (for his mercies are cruell)
<PB N="42" REF="30"> will doe the faithfull what wrong he can, but he cannot hurt them, nor are they carefull concerning that.</P>
<P>I remember a &s;hort An&s;wer from a true &s;ervant of GOD to an over-hearing and tyrannicall <HI>Lord, Am not I your head and Com|mander?</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> The need hath an Head; All things &s;hal be don<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">l have it, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">u n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">|mand as God will have it. <HI>Ch<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t.</HI></NOTE> Yes &s;aid the faithfull &s;ervant, but your <HI>head&s;hip</HI> hath an <HI>Hea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> That is over you and me both, I FEARE HIM. Cannot I thru&s;t thee into pri&s;on? Yes, if <HI>God</HI> will give you leave, and I FEARE HIM: And if He permits you &s;o to doe, yet His <HI>Word</HI> is not bound, nor can His influence be re&s;trained any more then can the influence from the Sunne. <HI>I feare</HI> GOD, &s;aid he: and this was all the an&s;wer this domineering Lord could get from this good man: For he profe&s;&s;ed, That no <HI>mans terrour</HI> could make him afraid: The terrour of The LORD, that could doe it; none could daunt his &s;pirit, but He, Who could ca&s;t bo|dy and &s;oule both into hell. Him indeed he feared with all his heart, his CREATOR, therefore he could not feare his crea|ture. We have here our le&s;&s;on, if we do thereafter, we may reade our comfort, <HI>Be not afraid of their terrour, neither be troubled,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. 3. 14.</NOTE> <HI>but &s;anctifie, &amp;c.</HI> We have proceeded in our <HI>Cure</HI> thus farre; Expectation of evill from the world, and of good from a Good <HI>God,</HI> works a great <HI>Cure</HI> of <HI>Feare:</HI> Love to Him, feare of Him, is very &s;overaigne al&s;o. We proceed now to <HI>Tru&s;t</HI> in <HI>God,</HI> and that is &s;overaigne indeed: it e&s;tabli&s;heth, it fortifies a man migh|tily, it makes a man &s;tand like Mount Sion, he cannot be moved, for he &s;tands better bottomed then are The everla&s;ting hills or <NOTE PLACE="marg">Hab. 3. 6.</NOTE> perpetuall mountains.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="4" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="43" REF="30">
<HEAD>CHAP. IV.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>The Righteous are faithfull, they tru&s;t God: He never deceives them, that tru&s;t in Him: They commit all to Him, &s;ecured in His faithfulne&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>THe Righteous, they <HI>Tru&s;t</HI> GOD, and They know Whom they have tru&s;ted, To whom they have committed their lives, liberties, and e&s;tates, their children, all they have; and they know He is faithfull and true, and now they are fearele&s;&s;e, now they heare of robbing, and &s;poiling, and pillaging; nay, though it come home to their own hou&s;es, they can &s;uffer the &s;poiling of their goods with joy: They <HI>Tru&s;t God,</HI> He is their Guardian, they are not carefull, they are, as was &s;aid, <HI>fearele&s;&s;e.</HI> Ma&s;ter <HI>Dearing</HI> hath <Q>an excellent Speech, indeed he was an excellent man; Commit your health, your &s;ickne&s;&s;e, your bo|dy, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Lett. 13.</NOTE> your Soul, your life, and your death to the protection of Him, That dyed for us, and is ri&s;en againe: A &s;ick body (let me &s;ay with reference to the pre&s;ent, a per&s;on, an hou&s;e marked out by the &s;poilers) with &s;uch an <HI>aid,</HI> hath a greater trea&s;ure then the Queens Iewell-hou&s;e.</Q> It hath indeed, a greater trea&s;ure then hath the Kings Iewell-hou&s;e. That hou&s;e may be emptied of the trea&s;ure there: He may make an hole in all our Ci&s;terns, and let-out all our comforts. All &s;uccours from earth may fail, nay the heart, and that is the &s;tronge&s;t Fort, may faile, but <HI>God</HI> never failes. <HI>Tru&s;t in the Lord for ever.</HI> Why for ever? There <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 26. 4.</NOTE> is a mighty rea&s;on or ground for everla&s;ting Tru&s;t, becau&s;e in <HI>The</HI> LORD JEHOVAH <HI>is</HI> EVERLASTING STRENGTH. <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 23. 4.</NOTE> <HI>I will feare no evill,</HI> &s;aith <HI>David.</HI> A very bold and confident &s;peech. <HI>Feare no evill!</HI> He might &s;it in darkne&s;&s;e, walk in the &s;ha|dow of death, the rod might be &s;ore upon his back, much evill might be towards him, and much might be upon him, and yet <HI>feare no evill?</HI> No, for what-ever befell him, it was The <HI>Lord,</HI> from His hand, His rod, and where-ever he &s;ate, and where&s;o|ever he walkt, <HI>God</HI> was with him, <HI>Thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy &s;taffe, they comfort me.</HI> WHAT TIME I AM AFRAID, <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 56. 3.</NOTE>
<PB N="44" REF="31"> I WILL TRUST IN THEE. Ai, it was a point of great di&s;cretion, To tru&s;t in The <HI>Lord.</HI> Truly <HI>in vaine is &s;alvation ho|ped</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">er 3. 23.</NOTE> <HI>for from the hils, and from the multitude of mountaines: Truly in The</HI> LORD <HI>our</HI> GOD <HI>is the &s;alvation of I&s;rael.</HI> Then truly, &s;aith the Godly man, <HI>When I am afraid,</HI> when I &s;ee all things out of cour&s;e, I will <HI>tru&s;t</HI> IN <HI>The Lord;</HI> He will doe all things well, and all tho&s;e contrarieties of wills, and workings, &s;hall work together for the good of all them that Tru&s;t in Him, (whereof anon.) Therefore I will tru&s;t in The <HI>Lord</HI> for ever: I will commit life and livelihood all to Him, A faithfull Cre|ator, and I know Him to be &s;o. <HI>When I am afraid, I will tru&s;t in Thee.</HI> So the godly man hath made his conclu&s;ion, thereon he re&s;teth his &s;oule, and is confident, as bold as a Lion, for he doth <HI>Tru&s;t</HI> in <HI>The Lord. I will &s;ay of The</HI> LORD, HE IS MY <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="3 letters">l <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">1. 2.</NOTE> REFUGE, <HI>and my</HI> FORTRESSE, MY GOD, <HI>in Him will I tru&s;t.</HI> Will he &s;o? Is the good man re&s;olved upon it, That he will tru&s;t in GOD? Yes, that is plaine in the Text. Now mark, <HI>God</HI> will not deceive this Tru&s;t. Indeed an hone&s;t man will not, he will not deceive me, if I tru&s;t in him; much le&s;&s;e will GOD doe it, a faithfull Creator. Now The <HI>Lord</HI> will de|liver <HI>this man,</HI> how often? as often as he falls into the &s;traits. <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ob. 5. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>In &s;ixe troubles, yea in &s;even there &s;hall no evill come unto him:</HI> (That is) Neither devils, nor men, neither their coun&s;els, nor their &s;trength, neither &s;word, nor pe&s;tilence, nor devouring bea&s;ts, &s;hall be able to doe this man any hurt. If the devou|ring pe&s;tilence, if the <HI>oppre&s;&s;ing</HI> &s;word, if famine, if wild bea&s;ts, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 46. 16.</NOTE> (tho&s;e foure &s;ore judgements) come into the Land, (a noble Scholler calls the&s;e plagues, the <HI>great winding &s;heets of the world)</HI> the&s;e &s;hall doe this man no <HI>hurt.</HI> Ob&s;erve what you reade, The <HI>terrors by night</HI> &s;hall not affray this man, nor the <HI>arrow</HI> by day, nor the <HI>pe&s;tilence that walketh in darkne&s;&s;e,</HI> nor the <HI>de&s;tru|ction</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al 91.</NOTE> <HI>that wa&s;teth at noon day.</HI></P>
<P>True, you will &s;ay, none of all this &s;hall hurt this man, for all this is more immediately the <HI>Sword of the Lord</HI> <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">1 Chron. 21. 12.</NOTE> the very <HI>Hand</HI> of <HI>God:</HI> <NOTE N="(b)" PLACE="marg">ver. 13.</NOTE> and The <HI>Lord</HI> will order it &s;o, That His <HI>Sword</HI> &s;hall not &s;lay this man; His <HI>Hand</HI> &s;hall not hurt him. But this man mu&s;t looke that the <HI>&s;word</HI> of the enemies will overtake him; he mu&s;t looke to fight with men after the manner of Bea&s;ts, they
<PB N="45" REF="31"> will hurt him &s;ure, for they are Adver&s;aries, and for their might and cruelty called <HI>Lyons,</HI> and <HI>Adders,</HI> and <HI>Dragons,</HI> the&s;e will hurt this man &s;ure enough.</P>
<P>No, all the&s;e, with all their might and malice too, &s;hall not <HI>hurt</HI> this man: But he &s;hall <HI>hurt</HI> them, he &s;hall wound them in the <HI>head,</HI> which is the &s;eate of life; <HI>He &s;hall tread upon the Lion</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">l 91. 1.</NOTE> <HI>and the Adder, the young Lyon and the Dragon &s;halt thou</HI> TRAM|PLE <HI>under foot.</HI> And why &s;hall this man be &s;o delivered, and be &s;o victorious? That is worth the enquiring unto; it is an|&s;wered; Becau&s;e this man made <HI>The</HI> LORD <HI>his refuge,</HI> even the mo&s;t HIGH <HI>his habitation: Therefore &s;hall no evill befall</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 9.</NOTE> <HI>him;</HI> becau&s;e this man hath <HI>&s;et</HI> his LOVE, his <HI>Heart,</HI> his <HI>Delight,</HI> his <HI>Hope,</HI> his <HI>Tru&s;t,</HI> he hath &s;et <HI>All</HI> upon GOD, Therefore <HI>God</HI> will deliver him: This man hath <HI>ex<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ed</HI> GOD above all <HI>gods;</HI> He hath &s;et Him <HI>on high,</HI> he hath <HI>knowne His Name,</HI> (that is) hee hath tru&s;ted in <HI>Him;</HI> Therefore will The <HI>Lord</HI> &s;et this man on <HI>high;</HI> he &s;hall ride upon the high places of the earth, over the heads of his Adver&s;aries, <HI>Becau&s;e he hath knowne My Name.</HI> O Ble&s;&s;ed man, and in a ble&s;&s;ed condition! for he had covered him|&s;elfe with the Armes of the Almighty, and under that &s;helter he doth tru&s;t. What then? It follows; <HI>His Truth &s;hall be Thy Shield and Buckler.</HI> A weake and fooli&s;h Que&s;tion will thru&s;t in here, I will quickly re&s;olve it.</P>
<P>May we not tru&s;t in the creature? in meanes, they may be faire <MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."> and likely; In in&s;truments, the&s;e are honourable and &s;pecious; may we not tru&s;t in the&s;e?</P>
<P>No, Be the&s;e in&s;truments or meanes never &s;o excellent and <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;."> glorious, yet they are but fle&s;h, we mu&s;t not tru&s;t in them. Ne|ver did any <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> from the beginning of time to this Day, pro&s;per that put his <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters">u&s;t in meanes, in in&s;truments. <HI>Some tru&s;t in cha|rets <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> in hor&s;es.</HI> <NOTE N="(b)" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 20. 7.</NOTE> And what of them? how &s;peede they? They are <HI>brought downe and faden.</HI> <NOTE N="(v)" PLACE="marg">ver. 8.</NOTE> nay, there is a cur&s;e upon the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hat tru&s;t in man, and make <HI>fle&s;h</HI> their <HI>Arme.</HI> <NOTE N="(d)" PLACE="marg">Jer. 17. 5.</NOTE> And this cu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">e mu&s;t neede<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">vertake them, <HI>For their heart de|parteth from the</HI> LORD: Then <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">o re&s;olve the que&s;tion, we may e&s;teeme honourably of the in&s;truments, but wee mu&s;t &s;et GOD above them; We mu&s;t &s;et Him on high, as we read before; we mu&s;t prai&s;e GOD for them; we mu&s;t not <HI>Idolize</HI> them: we
<PB N="46" REF="32"> mu&s;t u&s;e the meanes; we mu&s;t not tru&s;t in them: we mu&s;t give the in&s;trument his due prai&s;e, but all the <HI>glory to</HI> GOD. There is another Que&s;tion more worthie the re&s;olving.</P>
<P>It is commonly &s;aid by every man, I doe <HI>tru&s;t in</HI> GOD. But wilt thou know, O man, whether thou doe&s;t as thou &s;aye&s;t? Try thy &s;elfe by this, and deale truly with thy owne &s;oule. Where art thou when the LORD takes away the <HI>&s;tay</HI> and the <HI>&s;taffe,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 3. 1.</NOTE> the whole <HI>&s;tay</HI> of <HI>bread,</HI> and <HI>the</HI> whole <HI>&s;tay</HI> of <HI>water</HI> (that is) every thing, that thy &s;oule tooke delight in, being but <HI>fle&s;h,</HI> where art thou then? upon the ground, a dejected man, thy &s;pi|rit is quite fallen; why then a&s;&s;ure thy &s;elfe, thou did&s;t make <HI>fle&s;h</HI> thy foote and thy arme too, thereon thou did&s;t tru&s;t, and not on GOD: <HI>Fle&s;h</HI> upheld thee, and not <HI>&s;pirit:</HI> had&s;t thou tru&s;ted in GOD, He had upheld thee now, never more firmely then when the <HI>&s;tay</HI> and <HI>&s;taffe</HI> of the creature is taken away: Then The <HI>Arme</HI> of the <HI>Lord</HI> upholds mo&s;t gloriou&s;ly, when it &s;u&s;taines alone, made bare of fle&s;h. I know &s;ome &s;uddain di&s;a&s;ter, &s;ome unexpected breach (yet nothing is &s;uddain or unexpected to a faithfull man) may make his confidence quaile, and his &s;pirit fall: but if he fall flat, and there lye with his face upon the ground, and upon &s;eri|ous con&s;iderations, cannot rai&s;e him&s;elfe and get up his &s;pirit, then certain it is, The creature was his &s;tay and confidence. I meane thus, If when the &s;tay and &s;taffe is taken away, the heart fainteth away and dyes. If the &s;pirits be &s;unke then, they will not up again, then certain it is, That <HI>&s;tay</HI> and <HI>&s;taffe,</HI> be it the <HI>wedge</HI> of gold, <HI>husband, wife,</HI> or <HI>childe,</HI> that was the prop that &s;tayed the heart up: but now the&s;e <HI>bearers,</HI> the&s;e <HI>&s;upporters</HI> are taken away, the per&s;on is down, his &s;pirit flat and &s;unke.</P>
<P>But thou mai&s;t &s;ay, Th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">u wa&s;t never put to that &s;trait yet; God never yet tooke from thee the <HI>&s;tay</HI> and <HI>&s;taffe.</HI> Say, Ble&s;&s;ed be His Name. And yet doe not <HI>tru&s;t</HI> to this <HI>tru&s;t,</HI> doe not bee confident of this &s;trength. It is not tryed yet as gold in the Fur|nace. That which holds thee up now, may not be &s;ufficient in the day of Trouble. Thou thinke&s;t now, That Thou doe&s;t tru&s;t in <HI>God,</HI> and He upholds thy Spirit, whereas perhaps the creature is thy &s;tay and thy &s;taffe; Examine the truth of this betimes, and take all advantage of experiences from what GOD hath done, and from promi&s;es what He will doe, and all to make improve|ment
<PB N="47" REF="32"> of this <HI>Tru&s;t in God.</HI> Till our &s;trength be tryed, till we have &s;ome experience, we cannot tell how great the rebellion of the fle&s;h will be under <HI>Gods</HI> afflicting hand. It is an ea&s;ie thing to be valiant before the combat, to dreame of a good courage before the heart be tryed,: but indeed To bee un&s;haken in the mi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t of a tempe&s;t; and To &s;tand upright, when the ground under us doth tremble, This is to know a&s;&s;uredly That we are &s;trong in|deed, That we have boldne&s;&s;e and can tru&s;t <HI>perfectly.</HI></P>
<P>Surely never was there more cau&s;e then at this time, To <HI>&s;et</HI> our <HI>hope</HI> in GOD, To make good our confidence, To exerci&s;e this grace of <HI>&s;aith</HI> and <HI>tru&s;t,</HI> To looke back to what <HI>God</HI> hath done, how wonderfull He hath wrought for tho&s;e that put their tru&s;t in Him: And &s;o to gather experience, that is a great meanes to &s;upport the heart, and to engage it to tru&s;t in <HI>God.</HI></P>
<P>I remember a pa&s;&s;age, which &s;urely is worth the noting, this it is. <HI>David</HI> comes ha&s;tily to <HI>Abimeleck,</HI> and after &s;ome gree|ting, <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 21.</NOTE> and &s;ome other pa&s;&s;ages betwixt them, demands of the Prie&s;t, <HI>Whether he could help him to a &s;word?</HI> Yes, &s;aid the Prie&s;t, here is in my keeping <HI>The &s;word of Goliah the Phili&s;tine, whom</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">ver&s;e 9.</NOTE> THOU SLEWEST: If thou wilt take that, take it, for here is no other. No other, thought <HI>David,</HI> (for &s;o he &s;aid) if thou had&s;t all the &s;words in the world, yet there is none LIKE THAT, <HI>give it me.</HI> And why &s;o? There were other <HI>Giants</HI> in the world, and other <HI>&s;words</HI> as great as that, why <HI>none like that?</HI> The Text re&s;olves it, That was the &s;word where with <HI>David</HI> &s;lew <HI>Goliah</HI> the Phili&s;tine. <HI>None like that</HI> &s;word, That revived <HI>Davids</HI> &s;pirits (indeed they were fainting) with the &s;en&s;e of experience of GODS faithfulne&s;&s;e: He had wrought wonder|fully for <HI>David,</HI> a weakling, and yet He gave him &s;trength to &s;lay the Giant with his owne &s;word; none <HI>like that;</HI> a double weapon with a double edge, it had &s;laine behind him, it would &s;lay before him: <HI>God</HI> had delivered him from <HI>&s;uch a death,</HI> and there was the &s;word now in his hand, a memoriall of <HI>&s;uch a de|liverance,</HI> He would put his Tru&s;t in GOD for after-time. This is the Poynt then we are engaged upon, even To put our Tru&s;t in GOD: and, that we may do &s;o, To Con&s;ider well what <HI>God</HI> hath done, and then To exerci&s;e our <HI>faith</HI> upon it, for the better improvement of our <HI>Tru&s;t in Him.</HI></P>
<PB N="48" REF="33">
<P> Surely the very &s;et time is now come, That &s;o we &s;hould doe, improve our <HI>Tru&s;t</HI> in GOD, <HI>live by faith now,</HI> (that is) live upon <HI>God,</HI> with <HI>God,</HI> in <HI>God,</HI> to <HI>God;</HI> to make up a life in Him alone. Therein is a&s;&s;urance, and &s;trength, <HI>&s;trong confidence:</HI> <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">Pr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">4. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">.</NOTE> And <HI>The</HI> LORD <HI>will reject all other confidences,</HI> <NOTE N="(b)" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">2. 3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> &s;o as <HI>man &s;hall not be held up by them, nor pro&s;per in them.</HI></P>
<P>You will &s;ay, you mu&s;t have FAITH fir&s;t before you can <MILESTONE UNIT="Ob."> exerci&s;e it and live upon it.</P>
<P>True, and before you have it, you &s;hall know how you got it. <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;."> It is an <HI>admirable</HI> grace, and wrought by the <HI>operation, (c)</HI> effe|ctuall <NOTE N="(c)" PLACE="marg">Col<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s; 2. 12. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> working of <HI>God,</HI> (the great Worke of <HI>God)</HI> but we mu&s;t worke too, u&s;e all diligence, and all the meanes <HI>God</HI> hath &s;an|ctified for the getting of the &s;ame; u&s;e the means faithfully, and you &s;hall get the Tr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">a&s;ure, a Trea&s;ure indeed, &s;uch as we heard. A man may live upon it, if he have nothing el&s;e. <HI>Cry after this grace, life up thy voice for it, as for hid trea&s;ure,</HI> (it is the gift of <HI>God)</HI> but &s;o it mu&s;t be &s;ought for, or it will never be had; it is the principall thing, with all thy getting, get <HI>faith.</HI></P>
<P>You will &s;ay, There is need of <HI>Patience</HI> too. Yes, and that it hath a perfect work to calm, quiet, and &s;ilence the rea&s;oning of our &s;pirits. There is no po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing of a mans &s;oule without <HI>pati|ence,</HI> &s;pecially now in &s;uch a <HI>perilous,</HI> and <HI>exceeding (e) feirce time</HI> as this is, now the Divell is loo&s;e, and rageth among&s;t us; <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> Mat. 8. 28.</NOTE> great need of <HI>Patience.</HI> Yet, I &s;ay, we &s;tand in more need of <HI>faith,</HI> for there is no grace like that at this time. <HI>Thou &s;halt forgive Thy Brother &s;even and &s;even times, &s;aith the</HI> LORD CHRIST. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 17. 4.</NOTE> We would think this would follow now, LORD ENCREASE OUR LOVE; let that have a perfect work, that we may forgive an offender even &s;o often; But the Apo&s;tles &s;aid, <HI>Lord increa&s;e our faith:</HI> Yes, That is the mother grace, get that, &s;trengthen that, all is done. Shee is a mother in I&s;rael, never alone, but honourably accompanied &s;till with her children, <HI>Patience, Meckene&s;&s;e, Love, Hope, Ioy,</HI> all the&s;e. Would I then re&s;t quietly in a &s;tormy night, when the winds blow, the raine and haile beat upon my hou&s;e; would I be &s;ecure when terrour is round about; would I &s;tand &s;till, unmoveable in an <HI>earth-quake?</HI> Then I mu&s;t &s;ay when I clo&s;e mine eyes, and when I awaken, <HI>Lord encrea&s;e my faith.</HI> You have need of <HI>faith;</HI> It is impo&s;&s;ible to do or &s;uffer any thing
<PB N="49" REF="33"> without it, but, by it, All things are done and &s;uffered, that we thinke impo&s;&s;ible and mo&s;t terrible: but nothing is impo&s;&s;ible to <HI>faith:</HI> Therefore we mu&s;t cry after this grace, and lift up <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 3. 22.</NOTE> our prayer for it; it is life <HI>unto the &s;oule, and grace to the neck:</HI> Thereby we walk in our way &s;afely, and at the end, we lye downe, and are not afraid: for <HI>faith</HI> makes The LORD our <HI>confidence,</HI> and therefore we will &s;ay evermore, <HI>Lord encrea&s;e our faith,</HI> it is the onely nece&s;&s;ary thing: For, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 18. 14.</NOTE></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, it purifieth the heart, it <HI>&s;ubdues iniquity,</HI> it overcomes the world, nay it gives you victory over the King of terrors: I doe not meane <HI>Death,</HI> though that is a mo&s;t terrible King, but <HI>Sin,</HI> which is the &s;trength and &s;ting of death, which makes a man &s;eek for death as for hid trea&s;ure, that he might be rid of tho&s;e thoughts of eternity, which is are the poi&s;on of vipers, and <HI>gall</HI> of A&s;ps. It &s;ets an edge upon our feares and our &s;orrows. This evill, a pure evill, <HI>Faith</HI> &s;ubdueth and ma&s;tereth through <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> in the <HI>power of His might,</HI> and &s;o we are made more <HI>then Conquerours,</HI> by laying hold-fa&s;t on Him, The Rock of our &s;al|vation.</P>
<P>Secondly, Faith bottomes the heart upon GOD, which was &s;aid before, and Faith encourageth the heart to duty (which follows) To live to <HI>God,</HI> To improve all we have and are To His <HI>Glory;</HI> &s;o a&s;&s;ureth the per&s;on, as He walks before Him here now, &s;o he &s;hall live in Glory for ever with The <HI>Lord.</HI> Faith then is the principall thing, that excellent, that admiring grace, get that, and we have all things compleatly fitted both to do or to &s;uffer as good &s;ouldiers of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. I will &s;hut up this with the words wherewith the righteous have concluded their <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 33. 21, 22</NOTE> P&s;alme, and clo&s;ed up their hearts again&s;t feare, <HI>Our heart &s;hall rejoyce in Him: becau&s;e we have tru&s;ted in His holy Name. Let thy mercy, O</HI> Lord, <HI>be upon us, according as we hope in thee.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="5" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="50" REF="34">
<HEAD>CHAP. V.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>The Righteous obey from the heart: True &s;ound and &s;incere obedi|ence is never found but in keeping to</HI> Gods <HI>Work, and in His way: They meet with Lions and Bears there, but they have a &s;afeguard over them, and are not afraid: They are &s;ure they are in their way, and upon Duty, which mu&s;t be done, and the work pro&s;per and in|crea&s;e with the increa&s;e of</HI> God: <HI>And all this in the fitte&s;t time, when the Adver&s;ary &s;hall be mo&s;t confounded, and</HI> God <HI>mo&s;t glorified.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>THe Righteous <HI>obey</HI> from <HI>the</HI> <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">Rom. 6. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>heart.</HI> An hearty obedi|ence, that is obedience indeed, and it is ever found in GODS <HI>way</HI> and Work. Such an obedience then, a walking in GODS <HI>way,</HI> an engaging the heart to GODS <HI>worke,</HI> is a &s;overaigne meanes To quiet and calme the &s;pirit, when here is trouble on every &s;ide. For thus The righteous man rea&s;oneth; Some Lion, &s;ome <HI>E&s;au,</HI> &s;ome fierce Adver&s;ary, &s;ome great trouble or cro&s;&s;e may meet me in my way: Yes, but I am in GODS way, I am doing my duty, let GOD alone for the re&s;t; He will work for my comfort. As the valiant Romane &s;aid (I allude to it) when it was told him, That the enemie would be upon his back quick|ly, <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">go autem Sacrifico.</NOTE> <HI>Let him come,</HI> &s;aid he, <HI>I will keep to my &s;ervice, I will do my duty</HI> for all that. I would rather in&s;tance in <HI>Nehemiah;</HI> he &s;aw and heard enough to have daunted any mans &s;pirit, that was not <HI>&s;uch a man as him&s;elfe,</HI> That had not <HI>another &s;pirit,</HI> and could &s;et his <HI>face like a flint:</HI> And yet he was not <HI>carefull,</HI> he was not <HI>a|fraid,</HI> &s;hould &s;uch a man as he feare, imployed in GODS <HI>worke,</HI> and in His <HI>way?</HI> Should he fly? No not he. Let the adver&s;ary rage, and roare, and &s;end, and write, and flatter, and lye, and &s;lan|der, and bla&s;pheme, (the adver&s;aries did all this, and more) yet he would to his <HI>worke,</HI> and abide by it, for he was upon Temple|work, a &s;worne Man to doe his <HI>Lord</HI> &s;ervice; And this <HI>Lord</HI> hath &s;worne to protect that man. Truly it is &s;o. Let a Lion, a &s;he-beare, or the devill meet &s;uch a per&s;on, cro&s;&s;e him in the way, he need not be carefull nor afraid, being groundedly re&s;ol|ved
<PB N="51" REF="34"> of this, I am in <HI>Gods</HI> way, upon His worke. O let me be &s;til found <HI>&s;o doing.</HI> What? GODS work, and in His way, a mighty comfort this. It is as a Cordiall to the heart, when we &s;uffer from the hand there; That there and then we have done our duty, <HI>Gods work</HI> in <HI>Gods way,</HI> &s;o <HI>obeying from the heart.</HI> The An|gels are a &s;afeguard about us; They beare us up: what would we have more for our &s;ecurity? The ca&s;e is evident, it is an excee|ding comfort, a marvailous e&s;tabli&s;hment to a man &s;urrounded&punc; <Q>with terrors,</Q> That he is in GODS <HI>way,</HI> upon His <HI>worke.</HI> It is a Soveraigne Cordiall now in the&s;e perilous and exceeding feirce times; It &s;tayes and chears the heart, and &s;ilenceth the rea&s;oning of the Spirit. What? That I am in <HI>Gods</HI> way, and upon His work; <HI>the heart may meditate terrour now, when the Nations are angry,</HI> &amp; <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 33. 18.</NOTE> the Kingdom totters like a drunken man. We will con&s;ider with all our hearts the ca&s;e that <HI>Nehemiah</HI> was in, and his courage, for it is very notable; his ca&s;e is the ca&s;e of our Worthies, even of all that are able to &s;tand in the gap for the help of the Church: And this time runs parallel with that then, after the very &s;ame <HI>Line:</HI> Therefore we will heare what <HI>Nehemiah</HI> &s;ayes, and rea|&s;on the ca&s;e about him. What &s;ayes he? <HI>Should &s;uch a man as I flee?</HI> And <HI>Who is there, that being as I am, would goe into the Tem|ple</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 6. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>to &s;ave his life?</HI> A very bold &s;peech; I pray you, &s;ince it is not too late, and it may be of much u&s;e now, let us examine this mans confidence.</P>
<P>Why might not &s;uch a man as hee flee? what manner of man was he? A faithfull man; one that feared <HI>God above many:</HI> There is the An&s;wer for that. A faithfull man cannot be fear|full; a man full of faith cannot be full of feare: BEING AS I AM; In what a ca&s;e was <HI>Nehemiah</HI> in then? In a very &s;ad and perplexed ca&s;e &s;ure; All the rea&s;on he had, if hee had no more then we have, could not tell him, which way to take; for he had heard no le&s;&s;e then <HI>ten times,</HI> That from all places the Ad|ver&s;ary would be upon him: <NOTE N="(c)" PLACE="marg">Nehe. 4. 12.</NOTE> And when The Lord brought that coun&s;ail to nought, they fell upon another, (The devils mint <NOTE PLACE="marg">* <HI>Fabricator.</HI> Prov. 6. 14.</NOTE> is &s;till going, his &s;ervants are &s;till hammering there) <HI>The Ad-Adver&s;ary &s;ent to Nehemiah no le&s;&s;e then</HI> FOURE TIMES to procure a brotherly conference about an an <HI>Accommodation</HI> for&s;ooth (but <HI>they thought to doe him</HI> <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Chap 6. 2. 3. 4.</NOTE> <HI>mi&s;chiefe)</HI> And when <HI>Ne|hemiah</HI>
<PB N="52" REF="35"> returned the Adver&s;ary &s;till the &s;ame An&s;wer, <HI>Foure times together,</HI> I AM DOING A GREAT WORKE WHICH MUST NOT CEASE, <HI>while I come downe to you to Parley</HI> about an <HI>Accommodation,</HI> (which was never in the adver&s;aries thoughts, for they THOUGHT <HI>to doe him</HI> MISCHIEFE:) Then the Adver&s;ary &s;ent his &s;ervant the <HI>fift time,</HI> with an open <NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 5.</NOTE> letter in his hand, and a loud lye, a Bla&s;phemie rather, in his mouth, which was as we finde it written: <HI>(a)</HI> And all this to <NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 6, 7.</NOTE> make the <HI>Builders afraid, and the worke to cea&s;e;</HI> which prevailed &s;o far with <HI>Shemajah,</HI> (I will mention no more of the fal&s;e bre|thren;) <NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 10</NOTE> That he pent him&s;elfe up (like a wi&s;e man, who was re&s;olved to &s;ave one) in a place, which had gates, <HI>Doores, and Barres</HI> (which the City had not at that time:) and he per&s;wa|ded <HI>Nehemiah</HI> &s;o to doe al&s;o (by a <HI>Spirit,</HI> as he &s;aid, of <HI>Revelation)</HI> To &s;linke a&s;ide from the worke, letting that cea&s;e till the brunt of oppo&s;ition were over, and in the meane time provide for his life, <HI>Let us meete together in the hou&s;e of</HI> GOD <HI>within the Tem|ple, and let us &s;hut the doores of the Temple, for they will come to</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 10.</NOTE> <HI>&s;lay thee. And Nehemiah &s;aid,</HI> No <HI>man, being as I am, would goe into the Temple to &s;ave his life, I will not goe in.</HI> No truly, <HI>being as</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 11</NOTE> <HI>I am</HI> I will tru&s;t to an open place, that hath neither Walls nor Bulwarks; I am doing my duty; upon my Ma&s;ters worke; in His way, I am doing a great worke, which mu&s;t not re&s;t, It is not nece&s;&s;ary that I mu&s;t live (though I know <HI>my times</HI> are (my life is) in my GODS hands, not at the di&s;po&s;e of the Adver&s;ary) but the worke mu&s;t be done, that is nece&s;&s;ary at this time: <HI>Being as I am</HI> upon This worke, and in This <HI>way,</HI> I will not goe into the Temple to &s;ave my life, not I. <HI>Should &s;uch a man as I flee?</HI> and <HI>being as I am?</HI> No, I Will doe my <HI>Worke,</HI> my <HI>Duty,</HI> I will walke in the way boldly (wherein never man mi&s;carried yet) and for my poore life (well hazarded in &s;uch a worke and &s;uch a way) and all my concernements about it; all the&s;e I have com|mitted into His hands, Who is as a &s;trong City; <HI>Salvation</HI> will <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 26. 1.</NOTE> GOD appoint for <HI>walls</HI> and <HI>Bulwarke.</HI></P>
<P>There is an end of that di&s;pute, That I am in <HI>Gods</HI> way, &amp; upon His work, an&s;wers all doubts, &s;ilenceth all gain&s;ayers. A man may be reproached and per&s;ecuted, &amp;c. in this way, but he can|not be di&s;tre&s;&s;ed there, nor for&s;aken. The experience of all times, &amp;
<PB N="53" REF="35"> of all the faithfull in all times will give cleare evidence here|unto.</P>
<P>The practi&s;e of <HI>Luther</HI> runs parallel with this of <HI>Nehemiah;</HI> Hell gates opened upon him, when he opened his mouth for <HI>God,</HI> and for His <HI>cau&s;e,</HI> and to promote His <HI>Glory.</HI> It is notable to reade how <HI>Luther</HI> encouraged <HI>Melanchthon</HI> again&s;t his <HI>oppre&s;&s;ing feares,</HI> and him&s;elfe al&s;o <HI>in The</HI> LORD: The enemy <HI>lives</HI> &s;aid <HI>Me|lanchthon</HI> and is &s;trong: GOD <HI>lives</HI> for ever, an&s;wered <HI>Luther,</HI> and is <HI>Almighty.</HI> We cannot beare up again&s;t the tide of &s;uch oppo&s;ition, &s;aid <HI>Melanchthon,</HI> an excellent man, but his &s;pirit was fallen at that time quite: Nor men, nor Devils can hinder now we are in Gods way, and upon His worke, &s;aid <HI>Luther;</HI> We carry GOD along with us, His <HI>cau&s;e</HI> is in our <HI>&s;hip,</HI> though the &s;torm ri&s;eth high, yet <HI>God</HI> is above; The floods of ungodline&s;&s;e &s;hall not make us afraid: That <HI>God</HI> is with us, (He is with us while we are with Him:) that it is His cau&s;e we are engaged upon, an&s;wereth all doubts, &s;ilenceth the rea&s;oning of a timerous &s;pi|rit, and fortifies it mightily again&s;t all di&s;putes and debates from within the &s;oule or from without.</P>
<P>The great que&s;tion is now, <HI>will God re&s;tore Ieru&s;alem?</HI> &s;hall her breaches be made up? &s;hall her <HI>wall</HI> be rai&s;ed even now? This is the que&s;tion, and it is much doubted, and the very be&s;t have carefull thoughts about it. But &s;urely they doe not well to be &s;o carefull, neither do they wi&s;ely inquire into the matter. It is true; Jeru&s;alems <HI>wall</HI> and her breaches there, &s;hould take up the <HI>fir&s;t-borne</HI> of our thoughts; but not the <HI>time</HI> when, nor the <HI>man|ner</HI> how the&s;e breaches &s;hall be &s;topped, and the <HI>walls</HI> &s;et up. The times and &s;ea&s;ons for the accompli&s;hing hereof, the meanes too, and the manner how, The Father hath <HI>put in</HI> His <HI>own power.</HI> The work goes on a pace; Ble&s;&s;ed be His Name for all tho&s;e that have offered them&s;elves willingly to this worke; I &s;ay it, goes on with the encrea&s;e of <HI>God;</HI> and the times are TROUBLOUS, <NOTE N="(d)" PLACE="marg">Dan. 9. 25.</NOTE> which is a good &s;igne too. But whether this be the SET time, when GOD will perfect this work, it is not for us to en|quire; Think we of doing our duty, and upon our COST; It &s;hall be done and perfected in GODS <HI>time,</HI> &amp; that is the be&s;t time: and for the Church, the very <HI>&s;ea&s;on</HI> of Time, and that we may re&s;olve upon. The LORD is wi&s;e <HI>in coun&s;ell and mighty in worke;</HI> and
<PB N="54" REF="36"> there the Church re&s;teth. He may not do all this, this yeer, or the next, or the third year; for This work, Temple-work, the re&s;tore|ing the Kingdom of I&s;rael, goes on <HI>&s;urely,</HI> but <HI>&s;lowly;</HI> mighty Ad|ver&s;aries <HI>&s;et</HI> them&s;elves again&s;t it, and <HI>decree</HI> again&s;t it, and will hinder as long as <HI>God</HI> plea&s;eth, till His <HI>&s;et time</HI> comes. Truly we wonder He hath done &s;o much for a people at this time, who have done &s;o much again&s;t Him now and in all times: But Now &s;ets a mark upon our frowardne&s;&s;e, and makes it exceeding &s;in|full. And yet His patience is not wearied, though at every dif|ficulty, and cro&s;&s;e way, we are at a &s;tand. He works gloriou&s;ly every day, and reviveth &s;till his &s;ervants hopes: And yet He may not make the earth to bring forth <HI>in one day, nor</HI> a Nation to be <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. 66. 8.</NOTE> borne <HI>at once;</HI> and what are a few yeares in His account? not &s;o much as a few minutes in ours. The earth &s;hall bring forth, even to our large&s;t expectation, That is certaine; And the manchilde &s;hall be borne perfect and compleate, thats out of doubt: per|haps not &s;o &s;oone as we would have it, we are too ha&s;ty. It may &s;eeme to &s;tick even at the birth &s;o long, that the Adver&s;ary may lift up his horne with faire hopes, That it will never come forth: But it &s;hall come forth in due time (thats <HI>Gods</HI> time, and it is His promi&s;e) when they that &s;ee it &s;hall the <HI>more rejoyce,</HI> the more their &s;orrow and angui&s;h was becau&s;e it &s;tuck at the birth &s;o long: And <HI>the bones of the Righteous &s;hall flouri&s;h like an Herbe.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 14.</NOTE> Why like an <HI>Herbe?</HI> Becau&s;e they were dried like an <HI>hearth</HI> with long expectation: for now <HI>The hand of the Lord &s;halbe known (the more</HI> gloriou&s;ly the longer the &s;top was) <HI>towards his &s;ervants, and His Indignation towards His enemies;</HI> for <HI>God</HI> hath given His &s;ervants leave to make this conclu&s;ion from His owne words, <Q>kind and gratious, He hath brought to the Birth, He will give &s;trength to bring forth (in his appointed time) And there His people &s;et up their re&s;t, doing their Duty, walking in Gods way, and doing His work.</Q> And this &s;u&s;tains them in their fainting fitts; quiets and &s;ettles them in troublous times, They do their duty, They are upon their worke, This I &s;ay, for it cannot be &s;aid too often, is as comfortable to them, and cordiall as this remem|brance was to the good king, when he heard the &s;entence of Death, Behold Lord I have <HI>walked before Thee in Truth and with</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Kings. 20. 3.</NOTE> <HI>a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in Thy &s;ight.</HI></P>
<PB N="55" REF="36">
<P> I may not conclude yet, for there is a great difficulty be|hind; but Let every man, according to his mea&s;ure, and pro|portion of gifts, and power <HI>God</HI> hath put into his hand, offer him|&s;elf with a willing mind, wholly up to <HI>God</HI> in His way and <HI>work,</HI> &s;o doing his Duty, and committing the i&s;&s;ue and &s;ucce&s;&s;e to <HI>God,</HI> in a&s;&s;urance hereof, That The <HI>Lord</HI> does all things well; orders all for the advancing His own <HI>Glory,</HI> and His Churches good: He will, in His own good time, performe His whole work upon <HI>mount Zion,</HI> and on <HI>Ieru&s;alem, and then He will puni&s;h the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ai. 10. 12.</NOTE> <HI>&s;tout-hearted, and bring down the Glory of their lookes.</HI> And, in the meane time, for this man, that attends his Duty, minds that wholly; is onely carefull at that point, The <HI>Lord</HI> will guide him with His eye, will uphold him with His hand, &s;o as he &s;hall not da&s;h his <HI>foot again&s;t a &s;tone.</HI> Now the difficulty follows, and that will make us da&s;h and fall too, if we look not to our bottome, and our &s;tanding there upon. We &s;hall heare now of &s;ad and grievous things that befell them, which have &s;tood to the cau&s;e of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and done their duty: But ble&s;&s;ed be <HI>God,</HI> though wee &s;hall heare &s;uch things, which &s;hall make &s;ome eares tingle, yet we &s;hall not heare, That the righteous have for&s;aken their <HI>way,</HI> or their <HI>duty,</HI> though they have been <HI>&s;ore broken in the place of dra|gons,</HI> and <HI>covered with the &s;hadow of death:</HI> YET, no not YET &s;hall we heare, <HI>That their heart turned back,</HI> nor that <HI>their feet have declined from</HI> THY WAY: No, though all this, which we <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>(b)</HI> P&s;al. 44. 17. 18. 19.</NOTE> &s;hall heare, is or may come upon them, what though? YET they are re&s;olved, as their Fathers before them, The re&s;olution of a gracious &s;pirit ever, To keep clo&s;e to GOD, and to <HI>Duty,</HI> To <HI>&s;tir <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">p them&s;elves again&s;t the hypocrite;</HI> <NOTE N="(c)" PLACE="marg">Job. 17. 8. 9.</NOTE> <HI>To hold on their way,</HI> for they have <HI>cleane hands,</HI> and cleane hearts, wa&s;hed white in the bloud of the Lambe. What followes? We need not make it a Que&s;tion, <HI>They &s;hall be &s;tronger and &s;tronger.</HI> Having now pre|mi&s;ed this, I come to that, which is &s;aid again&s;t it, to <HI>&s;care</HI> the fearfull-hearted, mentioning onely that fir&s;t, which occa&s;ioneth it; I had &s;aid, rather The <HI>Lord</HI> hath &s;aid it for me, <HI>He that keeps clo&s;e with</HI> GOD, <HI>holds on his way, doth his duty, is re&s;olved at that point, The LORD hath &s;worne by His holine&s;&s;e, He will uphold this man,</HI> he &s;hall not da&s;h his foot. I will be bold to &s;ay, This is <HI>good Divinity,</HI> and as comfortable as any you can meet with in
<PB N="56" REF="37"> all your readings. Now hearken what is &s;aid to <HI>&s;care</HI> the I&s;rael of GOD out of it, all His <HI>Antipa&s;&s;es</HI> that they may let-in feare, and let goe Duty. The Adver&s;ary &s;hall never effect this while hee breathes; with <HI>Gods</HI> help I &s;hall be able to beat him with his owne weapons, and fetch comfort, and light, and glory for the righteous, from out of his darkne&s;&s;e, and mo&s;t ignominious u&s;a|ges of Gods people, doing their duty, and holding to His way and work.</P>
<P>But the fearfull have looked upon all this already, and they object,</P>
<P>He that does his duty, keeping to Gods way and worke, may <MILESTONE UNIT="Ob."> da&s;h his foote and fall too, and ri&s;e no more in this world, if he be re&s;olute upon that way, and to doe his duty therein; as like to da&s;h upon danger and to be &s;wallowed up of it too, in no way more likely then in GODS way, and when we doe our Duty. Take we for example the Patirarchs, Prophets, Apo&s;tles, that <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 11.</NOTE> cloude of witne&s;&s;es in the little booke of Martyrs, they walked in <HI>Gods</HI> way and did their <HI>Duty,</HI> and did they not da&s;h upon danger? To come neerer to our own times. Looke upon tho&s;e TWO WITNESSES, tho&s;e few <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Vocatur</HI> An|tipas <HI>non ficto &s;ed vero nomi|ne: tot pene lite|ris &amp; &s;yllabis Martyres hujus temporis decla|rat fore</HI> Anti|papas. Revel. 2. 13.</NOTE> <HI>Antipa&s;&s;es,</HI> faithful Magi|&s;trates; and faithfull, Mini&s;ters, and faithfull people, oppo&s;ing, in all ages of the world, upward to this day, and &s;o will all their Dayes, <HI>Roome</HI> and their abominable Idolatries, and then you will &s;ay they doe their Duty and are in <HI>Gods way;</HI> But &s;ee I pray you, and marke well how they are u&s;ed, you would not u&s;e a Dog &s;o; And &s;ee where they lye, A goodly recompence for doing their <HI>Duty,</HI> and walking in <HI>Gods</HI> way, will the world &s;ay.</P>
<P>No matter what the world &s;aies, not a pin matter, nor how they <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> u&s;e the &s;ervants of <HI>God:</HI> They are <HI>vile</HI> and <HI>refu&s;e</HI> with the world, becau&s;e they doe their Duty, and are the excellent there, not <HI>of the world:</HI> A &s;ure Te&s;timony of perdition to the world of ungod|ly men, who&s;e <HI>&s;uper&s;titions</HI> may be out of <HI>ignorance,</HI> but their <HI>cruelty</HI> is out of <HI>malice.</HI> But to the point. It is granted, That if ever the Devil, (that Legion, for I mean with him, all his &s;ervants) &s;tand with open mouth and out-&s;tretched arme again&s;t a man; it is then, when he walks in GODS <HI>way,</HI> and doth his <HI>Duty.</HI> The wicked are carryed with an indignation again&s;t no <HI>way,</HI> no <HI>work</HI> but that, onely becau&s;e it is an <HI>holy way,</HI> and a <HI>godly work.</HI> There|fore
<PB N="59" REF="37"> a way of <HI>&s;uffering</HI> it may be, a way of <HI>peri&s;hing</HI> it cannot be.</P>
<P>Not a peri&s;hing way! See yonder, <HI>The Bea&s;t &s;hall make war</HI> <MILESTONE UNIT="Ob."> <HI>again&s;t them, &s;hall overcome them and kill them;</HI> Then &s;ee where <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 11. 7.</NOTE> their bodies lye, and how long, and how merry the Adver&s;ary is over them, very jocund and glad when he hath done &s;uch an ex|ploit upon tho&s;e that <HI>tormented them.</HI></P>
<P>We have a proverbe, he that <HI>laughs after laughs too,</HI> and more <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;."> heartily; he that laughs before, is as he that girdeth-on his harnes&punc; he knows not what may happen to damp his mirth: But he that laughes after &s;ees all clear before him, and is as he, that putteth his harne&s;&s;e off. Certainly, for It was never que&s;tioned yet, The&s;e <HI>witne&s;&s;es</HI> &s;hall have their time again to laugh, when the Adver|&s;aries &s;hall <HI>gnaw</HI> their <HI>tongues for paine.</HI> But to the point. We have &s;eene the wor&s;t that can befall the men of GOD in GODS <HI>way</HI> and upon His <HI>worke;</HI> and how &s;mall a thing do we &s;ee? Some <HI>Dead bodies.</HI> I mu&s;t take leave now, To &s;peake according to my under&s;tanding and to his capacity, al&s;o who, if he meets with a <HI>Dead body,</HI> takes it to be a <HI>Carke&s;&s;e,</HI> all life is gone: Doubt|le&s;&s;e the&s;e are not <HI>carke&s;&s;es, for</HI> if &s;o, They had not layne &s;o long a|bove ground, in the <HI>&s;treet of the great Citty:</HI> nor had the Adver|&s;ary any Cau&s;e to <HI>rejoyce over them</HI> (indeed he hath not, but I &s;peake with re&s;pect to the offence of a <HI>dead body,</HI> lying uncover|ed) or hinder their bodies <HI>to be put in the graves.</HI> <NOTE N="(c)" PLACE="marg">Rev. 11. 9.</NOTE> They were <HI>my&s;tically</HI> dead &s;ure, for &s;uch al&s;o is their <HI>re&s;urrection,</HI> their com|ing to <HI>life again:</HI> I think thus it was, and yet I cannot expre&s;&s;e it in words what <HI>Antichri&s;tian Rome,</HI> far more cruel then <HI>heathen|i&s;h Rome:</HI> (She was a Dragon fell and Cruell, but not &s;o Cruell, as a <HI>Lamb</HI> with <HI>hornes,</HI> as Shee is, that looks like a &s;heepe, and is &s;o in her clothing, but inwardly is a greevous wolfe: O beware of her, and her Religion: &s;he is MYSTERY BABYLON the GREAT, <HI>The mother of Harlots, And abominations of the earth,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 17. 5.</NOTE> and hath no more good in her, then what can be found in the <HI>bottomle&s;&s;e pit,</HI> from whence her Power and Authority <HI>a&s;cendeth.)</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 11. 7.</NOTE> I was &s;aying, That <HI>death</HI> there is not properly &s;o called; but <HI>my|&s;tically;</HI> thus I thinke it was, Rome with her &s;worne &s;ervants, hath done (and will doe) all the indignities, that are Imaginable again&s;t the&s;e <HI>witne&s;&s;es, &s;u&s;pending, putting out of office, Defaming, Defacing, Degrading;</HI> Truly I know not what, but what <HI>Rome</HI>
<PB N="60" REF="38"> (that delights in proud wrath) could doe, &s;hee hath done, and will doe again&s;t the&s;e witne&s;&s;es. And how far doth their malice reach? To the <HI>Body,</HI> no farther: And that was <HI>Dead</HI> in <HI>law</HI> be|fore (the <HI>Body is dead becau&s;e of &s;in)</HI> The <HI>Body,</HI> It is GODS build|ing, we mu&s;t thinke and e&s;teeme honourably of it, for it &s;hall be a <HI>Glorious body:</HI> but as it is here, and in compari&s;on, the people of GOD put little or no account upon it, and it is according to the Spirits allowance; The Body is not mentioned in the Scrip|ture, but with this addition, a <HI>Dead, a vile, a corruptible Bodie:</HI> The <HI>Soule</HI> &s;tands for All, and indeed it is All, that we might put e&s;teeme upon it more then upon all the world. We &s;ee <HI>Bodies</HI> and <HI>dead</HI> bodies there, then the Adver&s;ary can but kill the <HI>Bodie,</HI> their proud wrath can reach no farther: They can but take downe that Tabernacle, which, had it &s;tood a little longer, would have fel of its &s;elf; God has never given a man His &s;ecurity, That his Body &s;hall be kept from peri&s;hing. The &s;treame of the promi&s;e runs &s;till to|wards the <HI>Soule;</HI> I was in the very mouth of Danger, &s;ayes <HI>Paul,</HI> almo&s;t &s;wallowed up there: I was delivered at <HI>that time: Nero</HI> (he was the Lyon) had not power over me at that time: And the <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 4. 17.</NOTE> LORD &s;hall <HI>deliver me, there</HI> is his &s;ecurity: from what? from <HI>Nero?</HI> No, hee &s;ayes not &s;o; for at length (when <HI>Paul</HI> had fini&s;hed his <HI>te&s;timony)</HI> he was given up to that devourer: The <HI>Lord &s;hall deliver me from every evill worke:</HI> An evil worke, a complying with the workers of iniquity, and with their wicked wayes, that is wor&s;e then the <HI>Devourers</HI> mouth, a thou&s;and times wor&s;e: &s;o nor <HI>Paul</HI> nor the <HI>witne&s;&s;es</HI> did doe. Now take all, <HI>will pre&s;erve me to His heavenly Kingdome,</HI> Thats all indeed; and makes amends for all, <HI>will pre&s;erve me to His heavenly King|dom,</HI> where the <HI>dead bodies</HI> now, that have all the di&s;honours put upon them, that are conceivable, &s;hall be glorious Bodies. We have viewed the <HI>Bodies,</HI> now we con&s;ider where they lie.</P>
<P>2 Where lye they? In <HI>the &s;treet,</HI> All the di&s;grace that can bee imagined &s;hall be put upon them, that will doe their Duty, if they come into their Adver&s;aries hand, and it &s;hall be done a|gain&s;t them in the <HI>opene&s;t place,</HI> where the Adver&s;ary may glut his eye in the exerci&s;e of <HI>proud wrath,</HI> wherewith his heart is filled. To expre&s;&s;e it as we read, The Adver&s;ary having made him&s;elfe drunke with blood, will make the&s;e <HI>witne&s;&s;es</HI> a GA|ZIMG-STOCK,
<PB N="61" REF="38"> by <HI>reproches and afflictions; a &s;pectacle to the world, Angels and men.</HI> <NOTE N="(d)" PLACE="marg">Heb. 10. 13. 1 Cor. 4. 9.</NOTE> Why then, who is on Gods &s;ide, who? he that is re&s;olved to take Gods part mu&s;t expect &s;uch u&s;age, but then he may expect &s;uch an exceeding and &s;uperlative com|fort as will countervail and make amends for all. If all the comforts in the world were di&s;tilled into one <HI>elixir,</HI> &amp; put into the&s;e witne&s;&s;es hands, it would not be &s;o cordiall as this which follows; All this villanous u&s;age upon the&s;e <HI>Bodies</HI> &s;hall bee done; where? where <HI>al&s;o our</HI> LORD CHRIST <HI>was Crucifi|ed.</HI> That was without the Gates of Jeru&s;alem. True; and with|out the territories too, by a <HI>Law</HI> not their own, for the <HI>Iews</HI> could put no man to Death, but from <HI>Cae&s;ar Tiberius,</HI> he was the Emperour in Rome; It is very comfortable: what follows? There al&s;o our <HI>Lord was Crucified: But rejoyce in as much as ye</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 4. 13.</NOTE> <HI>are partakers of Chri&s;ts &s;ufferings; that when His glory &s;hall be re|vealed, ye may be glad al&s;o with exceeding joy.</HI> Who would not rejoyce to be put to <HI>open &s;hame</HI> for <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> where Chri&s;t was put to open &s;hame for him? A great <HI>Commander</HI> refu&s;ed a Crowne of gold in that place, where the <HI>Lord</HI> Chri&s;t had put upon him a Crowne of thornes. There is a continuall &s;pring of comfort from thence, which abundantly makes amends for all the <HI>proud wrath,</HI> put forth again&s;t the&s;e <HI>Bodies,</HI> in the <HI>&s;treet of the great City: There al&s;o our Lord was crucified.</HI> They &s;hall &s;uffer no more, but what their <HI>Lord</HI> hath &s;uffered before them; and in that He hath <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 4. 13.</NOTE> &s;uffered that <HI>&s;hame,</HI> He &s;uffered it for them, that their &s;hame now might be their <HI>glory.</HI> Truly there is a comfort contained in the&s;e words, that is not expre&s;&s;ible but by the mouthes of the&s;e <HI>witne&s;|&s;es;</HI> And they felt it then, even a joy un&s;peakable. I &s;ay then, when that <HI>wicked woman,</HI> that abominable &s;trumpet, with her <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 11. 10.</NOTE> lovers, were &s;o jocund and joyfull over them, making <HI>merry and &s;ending gifts one to another:</HI> for this is a conclu&s;ion of experience, That GOD leaves not His <HI>Servants (Orphanes) comfortle&s;&s;e:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">John. 14. 18. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> At &s;uch a time as this, when they are in the eyes of man, <HI>father|le&s;&s;e,</HI> friendle&s;&s;e, helple&s;&s;e, in the hands of <HI>proud wrath,</HI> exerci&s;ing all the indignities, that are imaginable upon them, and glutting their eye therewith, then they are <HI>orphans,</HI> (you will &s;ay) for all have left them, and there they lie as you &s;ee. But now marke the promi&s;e, <HI>I will not leave you (Orphans) comfortle&s;&s;e: I will come</HI>
<PB N="62" REF="39"> <HI>to you:</HI> nay He is come, it is in the pre&s;ent ten&s;e, now He is come in, for all the creature-comforts are gone forth, then <HI>God</HI> comes <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> in, in that &s;ea&s;on and nick of time: And if there be any comfort in His pre&s;ence, as &s;ure there is, for He is The <HI>God</HI> of comforts, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">God &s;peaks to His people mo&s;t comforta|bly in a Wil|derne&s;&s;e. The &s;weete&s;t com|forts come forth of the greate&s;t &s;traits.</NOTE> the Father, not of &s;ome, but of <HI>all con&s;olations:</HI> then they are &s;ure to find it at &s;uch a time, when they are, in the eye of the world, <HI>comfortle&s;&s;e,</HI> free among the dead, put to open &s;hame, and the Adver&s;ary, jocund and merry over them. Then is <HI>Gods</HI> time to come-in, and that is His <HI>Promi&s;e,</HI> and it is comfort enough for the pre&s;ent: For after-time reade on, how the&s;e faithfull &s;er|vants have concluded, That, after the rate of their &s;orrows and &s;ufferings, &s;hall their comforts and con&s;olations be: And by the mea&s;ure of their &s;hame and reproach for <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> here, &s;hall their robe of Glory be cut-out hereafter, wherewith they &s;hall be ve|&s;ted in heaven. So they have concluded, and cannot faint in their mindes.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Con&s;ider how long the <HI>Bodies</HI> &s;hall lye there; how long &s;hall they be &s;o di&s;pitefully u&s;ed? <HI>Three dayes and a halfe.</HI> They are long dayes, as we account length of time, who account GODS Patience a <HI>&s;l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ckne&s;&s;e;</HI> But were they three thou&s;and yeeres, yet that length of time makes no difference in eternity. Their &s;oules are &s;afe enough; Souls and Bodies &s;hall meet againe, The &s;pirit of life from GOD <HI>&s;hall enter into them:</HI> and then they, that were &s;o merry and glad over them, &s;hall be &s;ad enough, <HI>for great feares &s;hall fall on them:</HI> And quickly after the&s;e <HI>turmoiles</HI> they &s;hall be for <HI>ever with the Lord,</HI> more glorious then the &s;un when he &s;hines in his &s;trength; for their bodies were put to open &s;hame for Chri&s;t, and where He <HI>was crucified</HI> (Oh it was a &s;weet con|&s;ideration) and &s;o long, three <HI>whole long Dayes:</HI> now they &s;hall have &s;uch a length of Glory, that we have not a thought to mea|&s;ure it. He that hath ob&s;erved this, hath let it &s;inke down into his heart, and he will hold to the <HI>way</HI> and <HI>worke</HI> of The LORD, &amp; his countenance wil be no more <HI>&s;ad:</HI> He may heare &s;ad things, and ob&s;erve cro&s;&s;e <HI>wayes,</HI> and cro&s;&s;e <HI>wills;</HI> hee may &s;mart under the execution of <HI>proud wrath:</HI> But he hath re&s;olved all into this, <HI>The will of The</HI> LORD <HI>be done.</HI> He is mo&s;t content, That GOD &s;hould goe that way, which &s;hall make mo&s;t for His <HI>Glory,</HI> Who will make, as we &s;hall &s;ee anon, all cro&s;&s;e <HI>wayes</HI> and <HI>wills</HI> meet at
<PB N="63" REF="39"> that highe&s;t point; and in a &s;weet harmony, con&s;ent, good agree|ment, and a full an&s;werablene&s;&s;e to His mo&s;t <HI>Holy will.</HI> In the mean time he doth, and by the grace of <HI>God,</HI> is re&s;olved to do his duty, and to hold to the <HI>way,</HI> all the faithfull have gone in before him, maintaining his watch over his enemies, him&s;elf al&s;o, and his own wayes, &s;o finding abundance of Peace. This followes.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="6" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAP. VI.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>Now Gods Worke goes on, and His Servants do their duty. The Divell rageth and watcheth to doe mi&s;cheife: Therefore the Righteous maintayne their</HI> watch <HI>and guard al&s;o; but &s;pecially over them&s;elves, Con&s;idering the</HI> manner <HI>of their Adver&s;aries, and of their</HI> Ma&s;ters <HI>comming.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>VVAtchfullne&s;&s;e over the Enemy, and a mans &s;elfe, is the great duty of a Chri&s;tian, renders him <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed,</HI> highly honoured of GOD; and <HI>&s;ecure</HI> again&s;t his Adver&s;ary;</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is he that watcheth,</HI> <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">Rev. 16. 14.</NOTE> for he will keep his gar|ments, &s;o that <HI>the &s;hame</HI> of his <HI>nakedne&s;&s;e &s;hall not appeare:</HI> And <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>(b)</HI> Rev. 3. 18.</NOTE> The LORD wil honour tho&s;e Servants, whom He <HI>finds watching,</HI> with the greate&s;t honour that can be imagined: <HI>He will gird him&s;elfe, and come forth and &s;erve them.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 12. 37.</NOTE></P>
<P>Secondly, Secure. They who are found watching, are &s;ecure again&s;t their Adver&s;ary; he comes like a <HI>roaring</HI> Lion, thinking to doe mi&s;chiefe, (for that is the purpo&s;e of his heart) but he can doe them no <HI>hurt,</HI> for he finds them waking in their watch-tower.</P>
<P>So we come to the <HI>Duty;</HI> we have &s;een the honour of it, the &s;ecurity in it: now &s;ee the <HI>nec<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;itie,</HI> to be now, as in all times, the &s;ervants of The LORD have been, WATCHFULL. They are bold and fearle&s;&s;e, becau&s;e they make their <HI>watch</HI> &s;trong: They maintain a wakefull eye over the Adver&s;ary, to prevent his com|ming again&s;t them, To hinder <HI>the work.</HI> What needs that? you <NOTE PLACE="marg">Nehe. 4. 1. Jer. 31. 28.</NOTE> will &s;ay, The <HI>Watchman</HI> of I&s;rael keeps His &s;ervants, <HI>I will watch over them to build and to plant, &s;aith the Lord:</HI> And His Angels are a guard about them. True, But all this doth not make them
<PB N="64" REF="40"> carnally &s;ecure; but indeed the more watchfull: <HI>Gods</HI> watching over His &s;ervants, His giving His Angels charge over them, doth not give them licen&s;e to &s;nore in the daytime, or to &s;leep in their harve&s;t: No, they are in <HI>Gods</HI> way, and upon <HI>Gods</HI> work, then, as The <HI>Lord Chri&s;t</HI> &s;aid to His Di&s;ciples, <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Mat. 26. 45.</NOTE> <HI>Sleep on now and take your re&s;t.</HI> He knew that could not be, No time for &s;leeping then: So the&s;e &s;ervants of The <HI>Lord</HI> cannot <HI>&s;leep</HI> now, now they are in Gods way and work, for they mu&s;t look for all the oppo&s;ition the devill and his Angels can make again&s;t them, but the fruit of all that old enmity, that is in the Spirit, which rules in and among&s;t the children of di&s;obedience. There is no enemie in all the world, but, if you doe meet him, it will be in GODS <HI>way,</HI> and when you are upon GODS <HI>worke,</HI> Church-work, Tem|ple-work, making up the breaches in Jeru&s;alems walls: there the Adver&s;aries are, there, &amp;c. then they will appeare in their likene&s;&s;e, the <HI>Lion,</HI> the <HI>Adder,</HI> and the <HI>Dragon, Sanballat</HI> and <HI>To|biah,</HI> and the <HI>Arabian</HI> <NOTE N="(c)" PLACE="marg">Nehe. 6. 1.</NOTE> <HI>too,</HI> and <HI>the re&s;t of your enemies,</HI> there they will meet you upon That WALL, and perhaps be upon you before you are aware. If the Adver&s;ary may have his will, ye &s;hall neither <HI>know</HI> nor <HI>&s;ee.</HI> And behold a &s;trange greeting; you <NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 4 11.</NOTE> had as good meet with a Beare robbed of her whelps, for you wil find that Adver&s;ary, the very &s;ame he was, very <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">Nehe. 4. 1.</NOTE> <HI>wroth, taking great indignation again&s;t the work, and the way; perhaps</HI> he will now, as then, mock too, and grin like a dog.</P>
<P>So it hath been ever &s;ince the fir&s;t re&s;toring of the Church; When <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> came into Egypt, and made his demands, very peremptory, (for &s;uch are the demands of GOD touching His &s;ervice) he would have all to an hoofe, not leave &s;o much as a hoofe in Egypt: Then we reade what followed. How it was after their returne from Babylon, <HI>Ezra</HI> and <HI>Nehemiah</HI> have told us. It was &s;o in latter times towards the clo&s;e of the former <HI>Centurie,</HI> and beginning of this, when <HI>Luther</HI> appeared in <HI>Ger|manie,</HI> &s;poiling the Pope and his <HI>Merchants</HI> of that great gaine and in-come by <HI>Indulgences, (It</HI> was an ordinary Merchandize with tho&s;e cunning Merchants, for among&s;t their wares they have the precious <HI>&s;oules of men.</HI> <NOTE N="(d)" PLACE="marg">Rev. 18. 13.</NOTE></P>
<P>So I &s;ay, it was when <HI>Luther</HI> appeared in <HI>Germanie,</HI> that glo|rious in&s;trument, confounding the Pope and his cunning Mer|chants,
<PB N="65" REF="40"> re&s;cuing the cau&s;e of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and advancing His Glory; Then, and not till then, <HI>Germanie</HI> was full of <HI>&s;tirs,</HI> a <HI>tumultuous</HI> Nation; Hell &s;eemed to be let loo&s;e, and the devils roaring upon him; But then <HI>Luther</HI> was as bold as a Lion, yet as wi&s;e as a Serpent; He was upon GODS <HI>worke,</HI> and in His <HI>way,</HI> that made him bold and confident; and &s;o he would have <HI>Melanchthon</HI> then to be <HI>&s;trong in The Lord,</HI> (his incouragements are notable;) he did live <HI>amongst Lions,</HI> his <HI>&s;oule lay amongst tho&s;e that were &s;et on fire,</HI> that <HI>kept him waking and watchfull;</HI> but thus he did encou|rage him&s;elfe in The LORD, he was in <HI>Gods</HI> way, and upon His work. A marvellous comfort, and which commands an holy &s;ecurity; his heart might <HI>meditate terrour,</HI> but it commands <HI>watchfulne&s;&s;e</HI> too, even to doe as the Builders or Reformers did in ancient dayes, <HI>Make your praier unto God,</HI> and <HI>&s;et watch again&s;t them day and night,</HI> becau&s;e <HI>of them:</HI> For, as the Adver|&s;aries &s;aid then, &s;o they &s;ay now; and therefore what the &s;er|vants did then, &s;o they mu&s;t doe now, <HI>Set the people</HI> in their <HI>cour|&s;es with</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Nehe. 4 89.</NOTE> <HI>their &s;words, their &s;peares, and their bowes, and the builders every one gird his &s;word by his &s;ide,</HI> and &s;o build. And though they doe put off their clothes, which the builders then did not, (&s;aving <HI>that everie one put them off for wa&s;hing)</HI> yet they mu&s;t keep a &s;trong watch, and their &s;word under their pillow. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Read <HI>M. N<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">w|cemens</HI> Ser|mon upon <HI>Neh.</HI> 4. 11. wherein, by the good hand of God with him, he hath di&s;covered the adver&s;aries <HI>skirts</HI> upon their face; he hath &s;hewn the Nation their nakedne&s;&s;e, and the 3. Kingdoms their &s;hame; he hath ca&s;t abo|minable filth upon them, &amp; made them as they are, vile.</NOTE></P>
<P>This is watchful<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ne&s;&s;e, and as needfull now as then (for now the breaches are &s;topping up) <HI>now the</HI> enemy &s;aith, <HI>The builders &s;hall not</HI> know <HI>neither &s;ee till we come in the mid&s;t amongst them and &s;lay them.</HI> We are a&s;&s;ured that all the enemies in the world, are now &s;etting them&s;elves again&s;t this <HI>way,</HI> and con&s;ulting how they may hinder this <HI>worke:</HI> It is temple-worke, the re&s;toring and building Ieru&s;alems walls. There is need of watchfullne&s;&s;e then, mighty cau&s;e to maintaine a continuall watch over this <HI>Legion</HI> (for he is <HI>many</HI> and full of wrath) as great cau&s;e to watch as <HI>David</HI> had, when <HI>Saul &s;ent, and they did watch the hou&s;e to kill him. (* title of the</HI> 59 <HI>P&s;al.)</HI></P>
<P>It is ob&s;ervable, That where the &s;ervants of The <HI>Lord</HI> have their warrant for their greate&s;t &s;ecurity, there they may ob&s;erve cau&s;e enough why they &s;hould be exceeding watchfull. <HI>A vine|yard of red wine is My Church,</HI> My people, <HI>unto Mee,</HI> mo&s;t plea|&s;ant and mo&s;t Delightfull: <HI>I The</HI> LORD <HI>doe keep it: I will water</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>(d)</HI> Rev. 18. 13.</NOTE>
<PB N="66" REF="41"> <HI>it every moment le&s;t any hurt it, I will keepe it night and day.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 3.</NOTE> There is &s;ecurity. Ob&s;erve now what a mighty Adver&s;ary the Church hath (not to &s;peake of the little foxes, and other grie|vous Bea&s;ts, wherewith <HI>Gods</HI> vine-yard is annoyed) <HI>Leviathan,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 1.</NOTE> the <HI>peircing &s;erpent,</HI> even <HI>Leviathan that crooked &s;erpent;</HI> The &s;pirit meanes, All the divells in hell, and all his &s;ervants on earth, their force and fraud both: And how prevailing by the&s;e wayes, This Adver&s;ary is, we may collect by the in&s;trument. The LORD brings forth again&s;t him, <HI>His &s;ore, and great, and &s;trong &s;word;</HI> very comfortable to the Church all this, but it is very &s;tirring and com|manding to keep their watch &s;trong, their garments <HI>white</HI> and clo&s;e girt unto them. Bee &s;ober, bee vigilant, becau&s;e your adver|&s;ary the divell, as a roaring lion, walketh about &s;eeking whom <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 5. 8.</NOTE> he may devoure. The conclu&s;ion is, The Righteous mu&s;t be full of eyes; They had need to &s;et a Thou&s;and eyes over this Adver&s;ary rather; that is fir&s;t; And then</P>
<P>Secondly, Then thou&s;and eyes over them&s;elves, even that every man maintaine over him&s;elfe now, a double watch, con&s;ider|ing they are the &s;ouldiers of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, engaged in the warre <HI>with the Lambe,</HI> and going out again&s;t the <HI>Lambes enemies,</HI> and mu&s;t keep them&s;elves, according to the charge, <HI>from every wicked thing:</HI> therefore had they need (as the devout Spaniard &s;aid) to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 23. 9.</NOTE> &s;et ten thou&s;and eyes over them&s;elves: then againe, con&s;ider, A mans enemies are tho&s;e of his own hou&s;e; enemies al&s;o, and tho&s;e the &s;tronge&s;t within his own brea&s;t.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Adde to this; That we know not the <HI>day, nor the houre;</HI> but the comming of the <HI>Lord</HI> will be at midnight, in the midnight of the world, when they &s;ay <HI>all is peace,</HI> and think they may be &s;ecure, and &s;o fall all a&s;leep, then He comes as a <HI>thiefe.</HI> Put all this together, and it will command watchfulne&s;&s;e; wee &s;hall double our watch, we &s;hall make it &s;trong, That we may be in a readine&s;&s;e, with our <HI>loines girt,</HI> our <HI>armour at hand,</HI> for, as we &s;aid, we know not at what time danger and trouble may come. We know not the houre, when the generall Judgement, nor when the particular &s;hall be; we <HI>know not the houre;</HI> when we lye downe, we know not how we may be awakened, with what cry, nor what noi&s;e we may heare at midnight. What lyeth in the wombe of a day, is darkne&s;&s;e unto us; and what a night may
<PB N="65" REF="41"> bring forth, lyeth in the &s;ame wombe of darkne&s;&s;e al&s;o: Wee cannot &s;ee into an houre before us. Happy is that man that makes his watch &s;trong, that fortifies him&s;elfe in The <HI>Lord</HI> his <HI>God,</HI> That keeps him&s;elf in His feare all the day long, and night al&s;o; That clo&s;eth his eyes with GOD, and makes his <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> the end of his thoughts: &s;o &s;leeps, as in the lap or arms of The Al|mighty. This man is prepared, and what ever the cry be, with which he is awakened, he is in a readine&s;&s;e, his <HI>loines</HI> girt, his <HI>lampe</HI> burning, and oyle for &s;upply. So he goes forth to meet, and if he meet with enemies, nay, with devils, he is in a readine&s;&s;e, and as bold as a Lion: But if he goe forth to meet his LORD and CHRIST, O how joyfull is he! Him he &s;erved all his life long, with Him his la&s;t thoughts clo&s;ed, when he fell a&s;leep: therefore in the morning of his awaking, he is bold, and confi|dent, joyfull and glad; all his dayes he watched for this time, as the Watch-man for the morning.</P>
<P>To draw to a conclu&s;ion. Truly this Mother-City, the City of <HI>God,</HI> have done even thus as we heard, and as we all &s;hould doe &s;o they wait for GOD, &s;o they <HI>love</HI> GOD, &s;o they <HI>feare Him,</HI> &s;o they <HI>Tru&s;t</HI> in HIM, &s;o they <HI>obey:</HI> And, to make clear proof that &s;o they do, &s;o watchfull they are over the Adver&s;ary, And them&s;elves. And &s;o, they thank their GOD, they have profited very much by all the <HI>hatred,</HI> the <HI>hard words,</HI> &amp; <HI>ungodly deeds</HI> from the adver&s;ary: his violent dealing hath made their <HI>love</HI> the hot|ter, their <HI>feare</HI> more refined, and fixed, their <HI>confidence</HI> better bottomed, more &s;etled upon the rock, their <HI>obedience</HI> more pure, more &s;ingle, and more hearty, and their <HI>watch</HI> a thou&s;and times &s;tronger, again&s;t their enemies, and over them&s;elves. Thus all things tend to the advantage of His people, and work <HI>together</HI> for their good, which mu&s;t be con&s;idered on, now in the la&s;t place.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="7" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="66" REF="42">
<HEAD>CHAP. VII.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>We mu&s;t not judge ha&s;tily of</HI> Gods <HI>works, The&s;e are wrought in an excellent Method, though they &s;eeme confu&s;ed to us, and doe worke</HI> together <HI>for the good of them, that love</HI> God; <HI>whereunto the pre&s;ent time gives cleare evidence.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>GReat are the works of The Lord, <HI>Sought out of them that take plea&s;ure therein;</HI> SOUGHT OUT with diligent inquiry, not with a curious prying into them, much le&s;&s;e with an over-ha&s;ty cen&s;uring and judging of them; here we mu&s;t walk &s;oftly, taking lea&s;ure.</P>
<P>We mu&s;t not judge of the <HI>acts</HI> of GODS <HI>providence</HI> by pieces, here a part and there a part; as we do not a peice of <HI>Arrace,</HI> not halfe unfolded: &s;tay till GOD hath done His <HI>whole worke,</HI> hath accompli&s;hed it upon <HI>mount Zion,</HI> then unfold the work, and behold a glorious &s;ymme<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">try and uniformity <HI>all together</HI> workeing for the good of tho&s;e, that <HI>love Him.</HI> If we looke upon GODS works apart and alone, here one piece and there another, they will be as unplea&s;ing to the eye, as are the members of a body divided, and lying apart from the head: They will &s;eeme fearfull and terrible, wondrous cro&s;&s;e to the marke they tend to.</P>
<P><HI>Io&s;eph</HI> mu&s;t be a prime and cheife man in <HI>Egypt;</HI> look you how cro&s;&s;e all things goe! he is &s;old for a &s;ervant, and it was well he &s;caped &s;o; when he had gained no little favour, and became a great ma&s;ter, then his feet were put in the &s;tocks.</P>
<P>Things went as cro&s;&s;e with <HI>David</HI> too. How long? To the very day (I reckon within a few houres) he was to be King, that very day the <HI>people &s;poke of &s;toning of him.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 30 6.</NOTE></P>
<P>GODS providence &s;eemed as &s;trange, and as cro&s;&s;e towards <HI>Mordecai;</HI> and as favourable to <HI>Haman,</HI> That Enemy and Ad|ver&s;ary; <HI>Mordecai</HI> mu&s;t ride in &s;tate through the city, and <HI>Ha|man</HI> mu&s;t lead the hor&s;e, and lacquie by; and &s;o it was. But be|fore that day came, <HI>Haman</HI> was very confident, That he &s;hould &s;ee <HI>Mordecai</HI> &s;et on high upon a gallows, which he had provided for his purpo&s;e. Truly the admonition is &s;ea&s;onable; <HI>Iudge no|thing</HI>
<PB N="67" REF="42"> <HI>before the time, but</HI> remember the&s;e are GODS workes, and He will work like a GOD, His <HI>providences,</HI> what ever they &s;eeme to be now, they wil appeare to be admirable, exceeding glorious; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Little can we by the begin|ing of any action, gue&s;&s;e at Gods inten|tion in the conclu&s;ion.</NOTE> Now here is a piece of providence, and it &s;eemes terrible; here is another piece and cau&s;eth di&s;tractions; A third piece, and that cau&s;eth a <HI>&s;word;</HI> here is a fourth piece, and Oh how cro&s;&s;e it is to the high marke it tends to! for there be thoughts of <HI>accommo|dation,</HI> of compounding the cau&s;e of Chri&s;t, and that is a cro&s;&s;e way indeed: &s;o we judge before the time, &s;tay a little while and we &s;hall &s;ee all the&s;e cro&s;&s;e wayes meet, and ki&s;&s;e each other: &s;o as we &s;hall &s;ay, in the clo&s;e of the work, All was carried on in a curious Method; things &s;eeme to be carried very confu&s;edly in our eye, up and downe, and then a cro&s;&s;e as upon wheeles: But there is a <HI>wheele within the wheeles and</HI> eyes, (providences) <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezech. 1.</NOTE> round about. If we could &s;ee we would &s;ay; All things are carried in an excellent Method. The lines of Gods providence drawn in the circumference of the world, &s;eeme no le&s;&s;e confu&s;ed then the moaths in the &s;un.</P>
<P>But we &s;hall &s;ee one day, That not one line could be &s;pared; And that all tend Directly to the great <HI>center, The Glory of the Workman</HI> and <HI>The re&s;t of His people.</HI> We think we &s;ee crooked|ne&s;&s;e, an unevenne&s;&s;e in the lines and wayes of Gods Providence; But we are deceived; mans wayes are unequall, Gods wayes are equall: &s;tay a little, we &s;hall &s;ay &s;o too. I &s;aid well, &s;tay a while, as tho&s;e that <HI>live by faith,</HI> and do not <HI>make ha&s;te,</HI> untill GOD hath wrought His whole worke, till we can put <HI>all together;</HI> Then we &s;hall di&s;cerne plainly, That <HI>all together</HI> worked gloriou&s;ly for the promoting the great, &s;upreame and &s;overaigne ends, GODS <HI>Glory</HI> and HIS <HI>Churches peace,</HI> in the exalting His people, pluck|ing down and confounding the Adver&s;ary.</P>
<P>Nay GOD hath not wearied out His people, with expectati|on; Though He hath not yet accompli&s;hed His <HI>whole worke,</HI> yet He gives His people leave to behold &s;ome pieces thereof; And &s;ee how wonderfull and admirable they are, what &s;trange pro|vidences, cro&s;&s;e wayes, as was &s;aid, hath he made to meet; contra|ry natures, and wills have wrought effectually towards the &s;et|ling of Truth and Peace, that the&s;e might meete in a &s;weet agree|ment. Take a view of it at once, and behold the poy&s;on of A&s;pes,
<PB N="68" REF="43"> viperous tongues, embalming; wounds, healing; weakne&s;&s;e, &s;trengthening; temptations, fortifying; &s;traits, enlarging; per|ver&s;e coun&s;els, en&s;naring (the perver&s;e coun&s;ellours:) fears, &s;up|porting; di&s;tractions, uniting; troubles, quieting; &s;tops &amp; pre&s;&s;ures to beare down the &s;pirits of men, heightening the &s;ame. Thus the LORD hath done in this &s;hort time. What then may the people of GOD expect to &s;ee in after time, when the work is done, and they can put <HI>all together,</HI> who have &s;een &s;uch &s;trange providences, and glorious workings thereof already? He that hath wrought &s;o gloriou&s;ly, and hath given His people &s;uch a di&s;cerning, will worke much more, and will be admired in the clo&s;e of His whole work when His people can put all together.</P>
<P>Now we are to con&s;ider with more enlagement what The LORD hath done, making cro&s;&s;e wayes meete in a good agree|ment, and cro&s;&s;e &s;pirits to &s;tand in a po&s;ture for the &s;afeguarding His Kingdome; And what a good GOD do His people &s;erve! who would not feare Him? who would not &s;erve &s;uch a <HI>God?</HI> who would not tru&s;t Him now? Hee makes all work for good; All that we call evil; and to &s;en&s;e it is &s;o, is good to them; never any thing in the world fell out to The people of GOD whereof they could not &s;ay, <HI>this is good now,</HI> for it works thereunto; and which is yet more comfort, they can &s;ay confidently, <HI>it will be better anon,</HI> within an hower, a minute, a little minute. GODS Hand is with them, and through Him they improove all, good and evill, all is good to them; they find it &s;o or they make it &s;o: or, rather again&s;t the nature thereof, it is made &s;o to them: things di&s;agreeing are made to agree very well, and impo&s;&s;ible things to be po&s;&s;ible, for &s;o we read, if we read the Hi&s;tory of the&s;e la&s;t months. Can a man imagine, (who walkes by &s;en&s;e) but that the noi&s;e of &s;words, and &s;taves would &s;ilence the lawes, and daunt the &s;pirits of men utterly? yet it was not &s;o, This noi&s;e wakened the lawes, and rai&s;ed the &s;pirits the higher: would we not think that the &s;word would make divi&s;ions? It was taken up for that end, and &s;o it works mo&s;t naturally. But &s;o it &s;hall not do, It &s;hall worke contrary effects: it &s;hall cement and &s;odder men to|gether: It &s;hall make many to be as one man, of one mind in a hou&s;e, and &s;o to &s;eek the peace of I&s;rael.</P>
<P>Yea but the &s;word drawes blood, makes havock in the Land, It robbs, and &s;poiles, &amp;c.</P>
<PB N="69" REF="43">
<P> Very true: but it had made more havock, had it come upon us, and found us &s;leeping: then it had cut all our throats. It had raged all the Land over with a rage <HI>reaching unto heaven,</HI> as now in <HI>Ireland.</HI> Ble&s;&s;ed be <HI>God,</HI> we know our friends now, we &s;ee our enemies, the Papi&s;ts and Athei&s;ts all the World over. It is not a Kingdome divided again&s;t it &s;elfe, but one Kingdome divi|ded again&s;t another: The <HI>Kingdome</HI> of CHRIST again&s;t the Kingdome of Antichri&s;t. And this Antichri&s;tian kingdom will rage as they can, <HI>to their power to &s;hed blood,</HI> But The LORD hath them in His chaine, and hath cau&s;ed His people to &s;et a <HI>watch</HI> over them: and hath &s;ent forth His Ho&s;t again&s;t them: There is this good in it now, and it is a great good, The enemies of the Church are in part manife&s;t now: they &s;hall be more ma|nife&s;t anon. So are her friends, &s;hee knowes now and can re|&s;olve her &s;elfe in the que&s;tion, <HI>Who will ri&s;e up for mee again&s;t the evill doers?</HI> or who <HI>will &s;tand up for me again&s;t the workers of ini|quity?</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 94. 16.</NOTE> The Church cannot for&s;ake her confidence now in her GOD; He that hath wrought HITHERTO will worke: He that hath di&s;covered the Adver&s;ary: He that hath made their madne&s;&s;e &s;o manife&s;t, will goe on to doe yet more: what will He do? The Church can an&s;wer, That which &s;hall be be&s;t for her &s;ons and daughters both for the <HI>time, manner</HI> and <HI>meanes</HI> of doing it, though all this they leave in their LORDS hand, let Him work as He plea&s;eth, if in the dark, and His foot-&s;teps are upon the waters, and no print of them, yet, as Ma&s;ter <HI>Bradford</HI> &s;aid, &s;o &s;aith the Church, <HI>She will follow her</HI> LORD <HI>in the dark.</HI> Though he &s;eeme to goe by compa&s;&s;e, by the bow, as we call it, yet Hee goes the &s;traighte&s;t, and neere&s;t cour&s;e to His GLORY, carrying all levell thereunto. The Church is marvailou&s;ly contented with this, (That all works for her <HI>Lords</HI> Glory) her &s;pirit &s;hall work after Him, even the &s;trength of her &s;pirit, in that way He goes, though clouded and over-&s;hadowed with da<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">kne&s;&s;e: for &s;he is confident, This very way wherein &s;he &s;ees not the prints of all his foot-&s;teps, (&s;he &s;ees very much) tends mo&s;t directly to her full comfort here, and her glory hereafter.</P>
<P>The Church hath &s;eene &s;o much of <HI>God,</HI> &s;uch &s;weet experien|ces, &s;o many providences, &s;o &s;trange, &s;o wonderfull, &s;uch com|mings-in of <HI>God</HI> unto her, when in her Egypt, in her wilder|ne&s;&s;e,
<PB N="70" REF="44"> that &s;he cannot di&s;tru&s;t him now. <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 22. 4.</NOTE><HI>Our fathers tru&s;ted in thee:</HI> What follows? Thou <HI>did&s;t deliver them: They cryed unto thee,</HI> and they <HI>were delivered.</HI> Though we are full of chan|ges, yet <HI>God</HI> is the &s;ame to His Church for ever: And to di&s;tru&s;t now after all this, were a provocation as was theirs (by <HI>unbe|liefe)</HI> at <HI>the</HI> SLA, <HI>even at the</HI> RED <HI>Sea.</HI> The Church cannot que&s;tion <HI>Gods</HI> love to her, nor dare &s;he que&s;tion His <HI>Power;</HI> Hee is GOD, The <HI>King</HI> of His Church, He reigneth in the mid&s;t of His enemies, and then like Him&s;elf, mo&s;t gloriou&s;ly. He brought along Captivity upon His people for THEIR GOOD. He hath <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 24 5.</NOTE> ordered our di&s;tractions &s;o, that they have beene for <HI>our good.</HI> How &s;o? GOD will have it &s;o, and we need not ask a que&s;tion, when we &s;ee it to be &s;o, di&s;tractions for GOOD. They have ten|ded to union, and joyning together, the good with the good ne|ver fa&s;ter, the bad with the bad never clo&s;er, like the &s;cales of the <HI>Leviathan,</HI> they &s;tick together that they cannot be &s;undred. Cro&s;&s;e &s;pirits, who will be oppo&s;ite, and &s;purne again&s;t the pricks for <HI>their hurt,</HI> the&s;e &s;hall be &s;uffered and countenanced for the <HI>good of His people,</HI> To make them more in <HI>love</HI> with <HI>Truth,</HI> to <HI>contend</HI> for it more earne&s;tly, in a more orderly and unanimous way, now that they &s;ee <HI>all the wicked,</HI> all the Malignants of the world are bent and doe contend again&s;t them: Then we mu&s;t conclude, All tends to advance GODS glory and His peoples good; Their <HI>fears</HI> have wrought for GOOD; it hath made them <HI>wait patiently for God;</HI> it hath made their <HI>love</HI> more per|fect, their <HI>feare</HI> more refined, their <HI>dependance</HI> more glorious, their <HI>obedience</HI> more &s;incere and hearty, their <HI>watch</HI> ten thou&s;and times &s;tronger again&s;t their adver&s;aries, and over them&s;elves. Ble&s;&s;ed be GOD who hath done all this, made their <HI>fears</HI> and di&s;quietings to pull downe and &s;poile their owne &s;trong-holds, <HI>Nature</HI> and <HI>Sin,</HI> and to build up and fortifie their impregnable Forts, <HI>Love</HI> to <HI>God, Feare</HI> of <HI>God, Confidence</HI> in <HI>God, Obedience</HI> unto <HI>God,</HI> and <HI>Watchfulne&s;&s;e in all.</HI></P>
<P>To &s;hut up all. The Righteous <HI>wait</HI> patiently for <HI>God;</HI> they <HI>love</HI> Him, they <HI>feare</HI> Him, they &s;tay them&s;elves upon Him, they <HI>obey</HI> from <HI>the heart,</HI> (if their Obedience were not hearty, their Tru&s;t were pre&s;umption) they make their watch &s;trong over them&s;elves, and again&s;t their adver&s;aries: Goe thou thy way
<PB N="71" REF="44"> now, thou art in Gods way, and doe likewi&s;e, and be no longer <HI>&s;ad:</HI> if thou &s;tande&s;t alone now, and there be none that will take thee by <HI>the hand,</HI> unle&s;&s;e to thru&s;t thee downe, yet <HI>fear not:</HI> Though an Ho&s;t encamp about thee, thou art in <HI>Gods</HI> way, and upon His work, fear not: He will hold thee by His hand, He wil be thy <HI>Arm every morning, thy &s;alvation al&s;o in the time of trouble.</HI></P>
<P>Onely keep to your &s;trong hold, <HI>(i. e.)</HI> hold fa&s;t your confi|dence. Let <HI>&s;inners in Zion</HI> be afraid, fearfulne&s;&s;e mu&s;t &s;urpri&s;e the Idolatrous Nation, they have no <HI>God</HI> to look unto, no <HI>chambers</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 26. 20.</NOTE> to enter into, while the indignation pa&s;&s;eth over: They are now like a tottering wall, and a broken fence; they are falling and da&s;hing to pieces like a potters ve&s;&s;ell. The Lord <HI>&s;ees their</HI> day <HI>is comming,</HI> for they are very proud, their rage ri&s;eth high, and &s;o many &s;teps and degrees to their utter ruine, and everla&s;ting con|fu&s;ion. As the righteous work out their &s;alvation with feare and trembling, &s;o doe the wicked work out their de&s;truction with joy and gladne&s;&s;e over the ruines they have made in the world: you can wait upon <HI>God,</HI> you <HI>love</HI> Him, you <HI>feare</HI> Him, you <HI>tru&s;t</HI> in Him. We have concluded. <HI>Our fathers tru&s;ted in Thee: they</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 22. 4, 5.</NOTE> <HI>tru&s;ted, and Thou did&s;t deliver them. They cryed unto Thee and were delivered. For the armes of the wicked &s;hall be broken, but</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 37. 17.</NOTE> <HI>The Lord upholdeth the righteous.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
