CHAP. I.

OUr Affections doe us the greatest service, or dis­service, that well can be imagined: and this they doe, as wee master them; or as they master us. If we master them, they are the winds of the soule, carrying it so as it is neither becalmed, that it moves not when it should; nor yet tossed, that it moves disorderly: If they master us, they raise storms there, and we are storm-like, sudden and violent, carryed as a ship in a tempest. If we master them, they are the very wings of the soule; A Prayer without them, (so we may say of any other performance) is like a bird without wings: Oratio sine malis, avis sine alis. If I cared for no­thing, (said Melancthon) I should pray for nothing: Si nihil cu­rarem, nihil Orarem. If they master us, they are the clogs of the soule; or if they be as wings, it is to make us flee away from God, and goodnesse; from our selves and Duty. Our Affections are the springs of all our services to GOD: we are dry, and cold, and dead without them; with them (well ordered) the soule is set on work, and then the work [Page 2] will be done, when the heart is upon it: David had prepared much for the house of GOD, himselfe gives the reason, Because I have set my AFFECTION to the house of my GOD. 1 Chr. 29. 3. Feare puts on the soule almost as fast as Love doth, that great Centuri­on, or puts it farther back: I cannot doe this and sin; I must doe this, and why? Because I have set my FEARE upon GOD; and knowing the TERROR of the LORD, 2 Cor. 5. 11. I must perswade men. In a word, weare as a dead sea without our affections; and as a raging sea if they exceed the bounds: And no affection beats more strongly upon the soule, (and more like waves against the banks) to exceed its just bounds, and get over, then feare doth: and when it hath got over, no affection sooner drowns the Spi­rits, sinks Reason, and so becomes a Passion indeed, vexatious and troublesome: for where feare is (in excesse) there is tor­ment. 1 John. 4. 18. This tormenting Passion, the stilling its unreasonable motions, is the subject of my Discourse now; but GODS work, To calme the Spirit, to make it stand still, when the earth shakes, (f) Exod. 1 [...]. [...]. Ne con [...] ­ [...]. [...]un. and the kingdomes are moved; I say, His work, Who chid the winds, and commanded the seas, and they obeyed Him, and pre­sently there followed a great calme. Feare, let alone to work its owne effects, (for like water it hath no bounds of its owne) is (g) [...]. Math. 8. 20. in the heart, as the tongue in the body, kindleth a great fire Jam. 3. 5. there from every little matter, quickly raiseth that little to a ra­ging flame, which no man can quench, onely GOD can. And what way He commands and prescribes us▪ (for we must keep to His prescriptions, the same, which the whole City of GOD, All His People, have taken in all troublous times upward to this day) To reason with this unreasonable Passion, To keep it with­in bounds of just moderation, is the maine intendment of this Treatise, wherein, but in passage only, I must make cleare proofe to them, who will be as are many now adayes, willingly ignorant That the Citties feare is just and Reasonable; That all the Causes and reasons both, which can be imagined, from within, and from without, commands the wisest men to feare, yea commends them so fearing, for they are wise men, they can not be afraid with any amazement. But that I may begin in order, I must distinguish first,

CHAP. II.

1. THere is a feare, which sinks Reason, then raiseth up unrea­sonable motions, such which make a man feare where no feare is; heare a noise meerly fancyed; flee, when none pursueth; so betrayeth the succors which reason offers. Wisdom. 17. 12. This feare made the Syrians, and others, infamous in the sacred Writ, to fly, 2 Kings 7 &c. And the Papists, in their houre of Darknesse, and Saint Ma­ries Church in Act. and M [...] pa 1102. Oxford, To shelter their heads against the scalding lead, melted in the fornace of their own conceits, and guilty consciences: for they heard a noise of fire onely, could see none, and yet they thought they should be scalded to death with the droppings of lead melted in a fancyed fire of their owne imagi­nary. This is a Panick feare, a feare where there is no cause of fear; a noise, which GOD causeth the wicked to heare, His enemies and adversaries to feele: the effects thereof, as we heard.

2. There is a naturall feare, which all partake of, that partake of the same common nature: Nay all creatures that have sense, have sense of feare, feare of suffering, 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 Pyrrhos Hogge, that eate his meate quietly in the ship almost covered with waves, while the Passengers there were almost dead with feare: And I have knowne some men, who seemed to have no other sense, but that sense of feeling, fearlesse men; They feared nothing: But this fearlesnesse was not from any cleannesse and serenity of mind; not from a true security and peace from with­in: but from a dead palsie rather, a stupor, a blockish stupidity upon their spirits.

3. There is a feare, which hath a strong foundation in nature: so also must it needs have the same foundation in sin: A corrupt, a sinfull feare: And the more or lesse sin is mastered and subdued [Page 4] in us, so will this feare be; so quieted, or so disquieting: And this all men partake of, and in measure, according to the pro­portion before mentioned. If sin beare rule in us, feare, when it comes, will command in chiefe too, and be exceeding: Weak­nesse and wickednesse are the very essentialls, whereof it doth con­sist, the supporters of it; and when it exceeds its bounds, it be­comes a passion indeed: We suffer much by it, and act or practise in it, I know not how, but as men forsaken of all, wit and reason both. It causeth strange and strong motions within, no passion stronger or stranger then feare doth. It is within us like foule weather upon the sea; It no sooner riseth and getreth mastery, but it cloudeth our Heaven, and sils the soul [...] with thick mists and smoak. The Apostle speaks all in one word, Where feare is, there is torment. [...] 22. 2. It is the very Rack of the soule; it slayeth with­out a sword: Thy slaine men are not slaine with the sword nor dead (c) in Battell. How then were they slayn? with feare, that surpri­sed [...] eye [...] cove [...] ­ed [...] his death, and [...] covered again tha [...] hee might [...]ead his [...] dead upon th [...] Scaf [...]old. [...]. them before the Battell, and did the part of an executioner before the sword came.

But that is not the worst; feare can doe a worse office to a man then slay him; It can put us cleane off from GOD and from Duty, and that is worst of all. What base shifts will the soule use when feare possesseth her? Feare of mans wrath, feare of losse of goods, of good name, of liberty, of life, will put a man upon the losse of all we properly call good; upon strange adventures, upon devilish projects; It will dash his soule upon this rock and the other, till He hath split himselfe, and made shipwrack of those inestimable treasures, (which render a man rich in the lowest estate, and se­cure in the greatest danger) FAITH and a good CONSCI­ENCE: It will make a man seek for security from every thing, but where it should: it will make him look to all means but one; in his distracting [...]eare, he will not look to God, and an upright conversation.

CHAP. III.

THis the wicked know very well, they have learnt it of their Fathers: therefore heare what they have devised anciently, to make the righteous afraid. When the breaches of Ierusalems walls were making up, what was the great designe of the ad­versary then? To make the builders AFRAID. We reade often N [...]he. 6. The adversaries sent and wrote Letters, raised false reports, hired light fellows; All this they did, That they might make the buil­ders ver. 13. afraid. Could they have effected it according to their minds, then the hands of the builders had been weakned from the worke: it had not beene done. ver. 9. If you will do any thing for The LORD, keepe up your spirits, and keepe out feare, that infeebling Passion, which cuts a Mans sinewes, renders him unfit for action. When the heart sinks, then the hands hang downe, and the work ceaseth. If Nehemiah had given way to base and cowardly feare, he had done so and so, and sinned. Besides, he had given matter for an evill ver. 13. report, That the adversary might reproach him.

Thus The Adversary did anciently, So hee doth now, Hee takes the same way; his designe and end is the very same with theirs; still Hee sends, hee writes, hee raiseth false reports, hee hires light fellowes (if there bee any lighter then himselfe:) what tongue or hand can doe hee doth, to cause terrour on every side; Their tongue walketh about the City, and all to disquiet the inhabitants Psal. 42. 4. thereof. What shall bee done unto thee thou deceitfull and mis­cheivous tongue? for thou lovest all devouring words: I cannot make full answer to that, but I read; The Lord shall destroy thee for ever, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and roote thee out ver. 5. of the land of the living: here is also a prayer put up against these tongues, these fiery flying serpents; Let the mischeife of their own Psal. 140. 9. 10. lips cover them; let burning coals fall upon them, The Church [Page 6] seekes not her God in vain, shee makes account it is done.

The hand is more rough and violent, and put forth as farre as it could bee, to make both Citty and Country MAGOR-MIS­SABIB [...] 3. feare on every side. What shall bee done unto thee thou violent and bloody man? Man cannot answer that; blood pursues him; the Destroyer shall bee destroyed; God hath sworne by His Holinesse, utter destruction shall come unto them; Hee will UNDOE all that asslict his people Zeph. 3. 1 [...]. Their flesh shall consume a­way while they stand upon their feete; and their eyes shall consume a­way in their holes, and their tongues shall consume away in their mouth; Zeph. 14. 12. This is the portion of them that hate His Church; they shall be utterly destroyed, in the close of this work (for there is a great work to be done upon mount Sion) and about the close of the day they shall be utterly undon. But first they shall bee made a terrour to themselves, and round about: As they thought to do to the Righteous, so it shall bee done to them: As they have determined, so it shall bee unto them, that shall bee their lot and portion of their cup from the Lord in his appointed Time.

But do wee not wrong these harmelesse people, these innocent Lambs (some of them were in sheepes clothing, and they would Mal. 8. 15. bee accounted sheepe till their cloak fell off, and the wolfe ap­peared) what have they done, or spoken to make the City af­fraid? They will tell us, Nothing at all. ‘We doe but fancie our feares; we heare a rumour, we scarce know of what, or from whom, and we are afraid, we know not wherefore. We conceit danger onely, as they, who took shadows for men: or Judges 19. 36. as those, who, beholding at a distance, a field over-grown with tall thistles, thought verily they had been so many spearmen.’ So the adversary saith, and so say they too, who should speakas the Oracles of GOD, for they speak from the Pulpit. And what said they? As the Adversary before them, ‘That there was no cause of feare formerly, nor any cause now; A Phantasme, a conceited thing, a Panick feare the City is possessed with, whereof they can give neither cause nor reason for, neither is reall nor visible.’ They have said; and so they have forced them­selves, as unjust men doe. Now we wil take leave to consider the matter, and their words, and give no more credit to them then we doe to such men, who know no shame. Zeph. 3. 5.

Catholique men, bloody Papists, (universally, all the world over) brawned in villanies, these fellowes, that hate the Lord, make Tumults, lift up the head, and yet no ground of feare, not any. The neighbours house is on fire, there the fire rageth, and the wind blows the flame directly hitherward; it began there, to end here; yet no cause of feare, That our common­house may smell of the smoak, or that it is time for every common man to look to his owne: No reason for that, none at all, speaks the adversary, but he is not so mad as to think any wise man beleeves him. The vile Priests and the Treacherous Prophets, that have polluted the Sanctuary, have done violence to the Law; Zeph. 3. 4. These doe rage, and are swelled with malice: The brutish people, almost as much, make tumults; and they that sung forth their requests, roare like Beares, and are as fierce as the she-beares, fearing their sweet morsels may be taken from them, and their service ordered according to Rule, and yet no ground of feare. The tumult of those, that rise up against The LORD, that would dethrone Him, encreaseth continually, and [...]et no cause of feare. Indeed there is not; no cause we should be afraid, when we look up to GOD, for it is the Tumult of those that rise up against Him, and He will look to His owne Cause and Glory, That shall receive no losse, no diminution at all, but ad­vantage a great deale: But looking down to the Adversary, there is cause we should feare, after a godly sort: so as to make provi­sion against him, and then secure our selves and the cause in GOD. This feare is a Godly feare: The Godly mans feare is his humility, and casting away of Pride; his reverent care to walk in the wayes of God: A feare which drives out security, not a feare which takes away the boldnesse of faith. More of this anon. This here, that there is just cause of feare, but of such a feare that hath been described unto us, which secureth the soule, the godly man, and his cause in God; And great need of such a feare, for what­ever the Adversary saith, no man that hath his eyes in his head will beleeve him; though his words were as soft as butter: and his deeds as smooth as oyle: much lesse now, when his words are as drawn swords, violence is in his hands, & war in his heart. The Adversary is so mad with rage now, That he casteth fire­brands, arrows and death, and cannot deceive his neighbour Pro. 26. 18. [Page 8] now, saying, [...] not I in sport? No sure, no man is so senslesse as [...] beleeve that; for when he seemed to speak faire, we beleeved [...] not, [...] k [...]wing there were seven abominations in his heart: Hee that hateth, may dissemble 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 pot [...]ard covered with silver drosse for a time. But now his hatred (as active as fire) cannot be covered by d [...]ceit, his wickednesse is shewne before the whole congre­gation.

These are Generalls; That I may be more particular, I will quarter out this Legion, the Adversary I meane, for he is many, and behold him as a man of War, in his Ranks and Postures: doubtlesse, if we so behold him, and can look no higher, he will seem terrible, as an Army with banners; or rather, as Goliah before the Israelites; I said not, before David, for he laughed him to scorne, and despised him: but this I may say truly, just cause we have to be afraid, for consider the Churches enemies, how many they are.

CHAP. IV.

1. HOW many adversaries hath the Church? It were well with the Church if she could number her enemies, tell how many adversaries she hath: We say, They are but a few, that can be numbred. The Shepherd can tell his sheep, but hee cannot tell how many Wolves, nor Foxes there be: nor how many dogs, which doe their office the contrary way, hurrying the sheep, and are as bloody as the wolse or foxe, every whit. The Church can say, They are, as in former dayes, encreased that Psal. 3. 1. Psal. 22. 12. 13. trouble me; Many Bulls have compassed me, strong Bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouthes, as a ravening and roaring lyon. Psal. 31. 1. She hath heard the slander of many, feare was on every sicle. While they took, counsell together against [Page 9] me, they devised to take away my life. The Church can onely an­swer, MANY, Many are my Adversaries, many my persecutors; Psal. 119. 15 [...]. Many, that sight against my soule, because I seek the thing that good is. All the luke-warm Protestants, these are not a few; and they are against the Church, for they are not with her: All the light Prophets, and Treacherous Priests, These are exceeding ma­ny, and their rage is exceeding, as is their zeale to their ease, and filthy lucre, to their pleasure also boyled up to the height: All the Devils in hell, and both their hands on earth, right and left, Pope and Popelings, with the Atheists too, these swarm every where, such multitudes there are. But thanks be to God, wee know where they settle, and fixe, though a gadding company, yet we know where they are solden together as thornes; and if their bodies Nah. 1. 10. are not there, yet their hearts are, joyned all together from all the quarters of the world. And now we can give a guesse how many they be, that band themselves against the Church, as the sands by the Sea-shore for multitude: and then it follows, That we may have just cause of feare, In the second place consider we their

2. Cruelty. The dark places of the earth are full of it, where the light of the Gospel comes not, is thrust out, or despised. Their Doctrine and Discipline, their Laws, the best things with them are as the bloud of a dead man. What are their manners then? Bloody sure. These sons and daughters of men, stand upon ever­lasting record, To be the most bloody enemies that ever the Church met withall in this world: They are free of the Corpo­ration of the Malignant Church, and have purchased their free­dome there: How? and at what rate? By Massacres, outrages and villauies of all sorts and sizes. If any of the company are not so cruell by nature, yet they must be so by command, and war­ranted to be so, by Law. They may and must pursue their brother with the sword, and cast off all pity: Their rage must teare perpetu­ally, Amos 1. 11. they must keep their wrath for ever. Keep wrath for ever? Yes, for ever; for though they are but Mortall enemies, yet doth their enmity mannage an immortall hatred against the righte­ous; for they pursued him to death; and when he had got into his strong-hold, the grave, there they troubled him, that they did.

They have executed their rage and malice against the Sanctu­aries of the dead, the Graves, the place where Iob was confident he should lye at rest: even thither, to their Sanctuaries, the hand of Job 3. 17. the oppressour reached; There the wicked did not cease to trouble the bones, and sacred ashes of the Martyrs; there, at that Sanctu­ary, the dead were not free from the oppressours, his anger did [...]are perpetually, he did keepe his wrath for ever. They have been cruell to the living and to the dead, and so are they to this day. Histories Ancient and Modern, a cloud of witnesses would croud in here to give evidence to what was last said; but it needs not, all the world is fully satisfied in that point, for in allusion to that which the learned Knight saith touching Henry the eight of Eng­land, I may say touching the Papists; If all their Histories were lost; if all the massacres, outrages, villanies of these mercilesse men were forgot and quite out of mind, they might be renewed and described forth to their life, out of these three yeares story concerning their practice in Ireland, where they have slaine their brethren with a rage that reacheth up to heaven. They have made 2 Chron. 28. 9. that Countrey a Land of wrath, a field of bloud at this day. So they would make this Land also, that is their designe, we shall come to that presently, for I will spend 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: Papists are the executioners of wrath, we need not then adde, They are grievous as wolves, and fierce as she-beares: their Natures such, their Laws such: their words and deeds, how hard and ungodly they are, all the Christian world, the heathen people also, all know and seele. Observe we then,

3. The Adversaries Designe; how mischievous and Divelish; the same which wee read of, Psal. 83. or as Hamans was, not to cut Israel short, but cleane off from being a Nation: Esther 3. 6 And his heart is bent upon this Designe, now, Now he moves every stone, as the Proverbe is; now they put shoulder to shoulder, heaving at the Church, to remoove and shoulder her downe. Why now? Because hee had brought the Church once and againe to the brow of the [...]ill, but, as her Lord before her, she passed through the midst of Luke 4. 20. them shee knowes not how, and went her way; This admirable Rescue enrageth the adversary; Now hee hath them in the [Page 11] open feild, hee sayes, as their fore fathers, I will pursue, I will over­take, I will devide the spoile, my lust shall bee satis sied upon them, I will draw my sword, mine hand shall destroy them Exod. 15. 9. But see the Ad­versaries COLOURS, under which hee marcheth, I meane his pretences, for though hee pursues the enemy with open face, yet [...] hee puts a vizor over it, and that makes the face more ugly: it putts an accent upon the designe, making it above measure horrid, sinfull and abominable. The Adversary fights (I take him single though hee bee many) against God, under a pretence of being for Him: he fights against the life and soul of our lives; he sheds in­nocent blood to his Power; hee treads the Righteous as mire in the streets: doth what hee can to lay the Glory in the dust, and all this he doth under a colour (but blood hath quite washed off the varnish) of Advancing Religion and the glory: he hath engaged himself to subject our consciences, our laws, our liberties, our e­states, to a perpetuall slavery: but observe the manner how he prosecutes all this, for there is the abomination, pretending liber­ty to conscience; establishment to lawes; property in our goods; & a free enjoyment of all unto us, as to free men. Never was there such a thing as this heard of since man was upon the earth: nor was there ever an Hypocrisie so pellucide, so transparent, that every child laughs at it, sees through it, as through the clearest glasse. But The LORD sees it, Hee beholds iniquity and wrong, and hath taken it into His owne hand to Require it: which speaks comfort to the Righteous, as it should terrors to the ungodly.

Now we will look over the Premises, and conclude, The Ad­versary is a Legion, and more, without number for multitudes; without Reason for rage and cruelty: Boundlesse in their malice, bloody designs, and mischievous Projects: restlesse con­tinually, watching thereunto (that I should have added) for their sleepe is taken away unlesse they cause some to fall. Prov. 4. 16.

We conclude: There is just cause of a just feare, which makes the city stand upon their Watch-Tower, gird on their Armour, and, when they have done all, stand fast in the faith▪ To main­tain it, and a good conscience, To do this with all their strength, and To do it continually, praying and watching thereunto: As Rome said once touching her Adversary Carthage; shee [Page 12] would never forbeare to watch against Carthage, till they saw that City quite demolished and laid even with the ground: So this City will never forbeare to keepe watch and ward and her self in a Posture of Defence against Rome now, and her vassals, till she sees them, as the Israelites saw the Egyptians, dead before her upon the sands.

This City stands as much engaged to Watch and Pray too, (so they gird up their loynes) as David did, when Saul pur­sued him, for The City may say as David did at that time, my soul is among Lions; I lye even among them, that are set on fire, Psal. 57. 4. even the Sonnes of men, whose Teeth are speares and arrowes and their tongue a sharpe Sword: fiery Adversaries, who sent and watched the house to kill him. It was even so with the City as wee read in the title of the Psal. 5 [...] Psalme: Oh! great Reason of feare! I mean such a feare, as puts a man upon Duty, To pray and watch too. Why? The Adversary, as wee may remember, did, when time was, watch and guard his Crosse, that Abo­minable pile of images, stocks and stones, such despicable things: much more will the wise in heart, in tender compassion to their lives, and just liberties, keepe watch night and day over them­selves, and this great City, where are so many thousand persons, that cannot discerne between their Right hand and their Left, and also much Cattel. And so (Blessed bee God) they can sanctify The Lord God in their hearts, and are ready alwayes to give an an­swer to every man, that asketh them a Reason of their feare, and hope also, that is in them, with meeknesse. So wee have seen a just ac­count given of our feare, how just it is, no Phancied thing, but Reall and visible: wee will see now what use GOD makes of this affection, in the hearts of the Righteous. And indeed it is very notable to observe the wisdom of God in planting His People there, where they must look for disquietings; And in Implanting in them such an affection as feare is; When wee have observed this, then I shall set downe the meanes how the Righteous have had power, and been able to command over their feares, deporting themselves calmly in such shaking times: And this will make much for the setling our minds in our disquietments, and so I shall bring it downe and make it usefull for the present time.

CHAP. I.

SEE What a place the Church lives in! where she hath no rest, nor must look for any. They who were disquieted yesterday, must look to be disquieted a­gaine: They that suffered, must suffer, and per­haps unto bloud. Last yeeres were vexatious and troublous; so are these: the next following may be worse: If better, The Church will be very thankfull: if much more trou­blous, The Church hath counted the cost, she cannot be decei­ved, but she can be very thankfull too. We see the Changes and Turnings in the world: They, who sate at rest as we doe, two yeares agoe, They sit as a widow now: at five a clock all was peace, (for so I heard a Minister of their owne say) and before sixe, behold War, and the terrours thereof on every side. This world now answers to the Israelites Wildernesse once, variety of feares and troubles here. Our life is as a Checquer work, in­terwoven with black and white, here Good, there Evill, but the Evill takes up the greatest part: Blessed be God, that it is so, else even His owne People would be much in love with the place, where their Rest is not; They would build Tabernacles here, ne­ver think of removing hence. If the cloud of feare and discontent did not sometimes overshadow them; if there were not unsetled times, we would settle on our lees; if there were not a want, [Page 14] when we are at the fullest, we would be so full of earth, that there would be no roome for heaven; If we had no feare, we should have no Care; But we are still in feare, for something is still wanting, and we feare and are troubled lest that want should not be supplyed: That want is supplyed, and then wee are in more feare then before, lest we come to be at a losse again. To explaine this: We have a full estate, and health is wanting; we have plenty of all things, and health withall, but now the feare is, That the spoiler may come, men skilfull to destroy, and take away all, goods, life, and all. But suppose now we could be secure, That none of this could happen to us; our estates could be secured to us, and our health too, suppose it so, for we may suppose impossible things: then Abrahams Gen. 15. [...]. feare troubles us, we have not a child to inherit: and then, WHAT is all our ful­nesse unto us? We make but a [What] of all the rest of our en­joyments, because a child is wanting, for so that good man did, though God be there as a portion: Then A child is given us, but what a feare there is lest the child be taken away againe? why then, if we would keep him, we must sacrifice him. That is true, but that is a death too; we cannot think of the withering of that Gourd, (such a thing as that was, a child, is quickly withered) and so the goord withers, and we dye: That we feare is come upon us; It grows up as a flower, and is cut downe like the grasse. And all this That Gods people may not fixe and fasten upon such reeds, which, if you leane and beare upon, they break and pierce too: And yet we will leane upon them, we will be very glad of our gourds; then The LORD knaps them asunder, Jonah 4. 6. withers them, and then we are troubled exceedingly.

In the last place, suppose we have health, and wealth, and peace withall, and children round about our table, yet there is a feare That we may be taken away in the midst of all our fulnesse. What is our life? We know what the Apostle answers, and every day James 4. 14. saith as much, It appeareth for a little time, & then vanisheth away. A man is well to day, and dead to morrow, and this feare (if there be not a hand over it to subdue it) holds us in bondage all our life time. Heb. 2. 15.

But Blessed be God, so He unbottomes His People, drawing the heart to Himselfe. If it were not for these feares, Faith [Page 15] would have no mastery: but so it is, we are in such feares often, and that is almost to be in death as often: so in this our wilder­nesse, and God beareth with our manners here; weaneth His peo­ple Acts 13. 18. [...]. from drawing so hard at the breasts of the world: Assureth them, This is not the place of their rest, but there remaineth a Rest to his people, which shall last as long as Eternity is long, for ever. Therefore they may beare patiently their disquietings, their changes here below, for a moment, a little, a small Esay 26. 20. 54. 7. mo­ment, quickly over, and then they shall see evill no more. Zeph. 3. 15. Shortly they shall be above in the heaven of Heavens, where all is peace for evermore. And their disquietments and fears make them work more strongly after this place now: so God makes all work for their good, whereof in the close This here must be con­sidered, even

CHAP. II.

BLessed be God, wee are in feares, often it is best for us so to be; wee should surfeit every day of our sweets, if the feare of loosing them did not allay the lussiousnesse of the same: wee should bottome our selves too strongly upon our mountaine, if wee were Confident (wee are too consident) it cannot be re­moved. Dayly experience tells us so much therein, That wee cannot stand fearelesse upon the strongest and best bottomed comfort, that hath its bottome upon the earth. And Blessed bee God for all this, even for this affection of feare: So also, 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 most wakeing affection, most serviceable of any, if it doth Its office. It is the house-porter, the bodies Spiall: and the soules too, still keeping watch: It is, next to love, the most Commanding affection: our keeper, and Truths keeper also; It is the best King in the world, (the great or little) for it keeps both tables. I should speake more of it, but I [Page 16] find my self prevented here in a Booke called The Childs portion, Pag. 1 [...]2, 163. whereto I would referr the Reader, if please him, I would rather speake somewhat more touching the usefulnesse of this affection, God sanctifying the same.

It makes the people of God to put no confidence at all in the flesh: I meane by [Flesh] All things under the moone: They cannot feare now the changes of things here below, and vexation from them, for they have been so used to it, That, which they feared from the creature so often came upon them, That now they expect no stability in the creature at all, but changes, and troubles, and vexations from it evermore. They can now suffer the spoiling of their goods with joy. They did indeed put some confi­dence in such things, They thought such things to be a HIGH WALL, (a) but it was (and they see it now to be) a meere con­ceit Prov. [...]. [...]. onely, and no more. They know now, and they are fearlesse about it, That the theefe and the robber breaks in upon these treasures every day; therefore it is nor their treasure, they ac­count not of it so: they have laid up their treasure in a safe place, where they feare not the thiefe nor the moath, and it is well they are so well instructed to discretion.

I remember a Story worth the noting, of Paulinus, Bishop of Nola: he had abundance of wealth, but no affection to it; bags Aug. deciv. De [...] lib. 1. c. 10. V [...] ­l [...]ate pauper­ [...]imu [...] [...] c [...]p [...]o s [...]me sanct [...]. full, and coffers full, but his heart was not set upon that fulnesse, but on a better treasure, and full of the same. It was well for him that he had a Treasure, which Man could not give, nor take away: For, though he was a very rich man but as yesterday, yet was he stript of all presently, and as poore as Iob. The Goths, a barbarous people, almost as any we can see or heare of, brake in­to that City Nola, like so many Devils, and did flee upon the prey, flee presently upon all the Bishop had in this world, and took it Cum ab cis [...]e­neretur, si [...] corde suo, ut ab co postea cog­no [...]imus, p [...] ­cabatur: Domi­ne, non excru­cier propter au­rum & argen­tum: ubi e [...]m sunt omnia mea tu s [...]is. ibid. &c. into their possession, and the Bishop prisoner also. Now mark his Prayer, for that was all the refuge he had now, being in the hands of Robbers: LORD GOD, Let me not be greatly troubled for my silver and gold: Thou knowest, Lord, it is not my Treasure, That is laid up according to Thy Commands, Who didst tell us long before, That this would happen, These barbarous people would break in upon us for our sinnes: therefore, Lord, I was warned, and laid up my Treasure, as Thou hast charged me, and as Thou knowest. What a [Page 17] wise man was this! Truly all his neighbours counted him so; for though they were not so wise before-hand, yet now they had learnt by sad experience, Si non prae­dente sapientia certe consequen­te experientia didicerunt. (an after-wisdome, that comes too late) That so they should have done too; They should have laid up their Treasure where their Teacher did, and charged his people so to doe. For mark how it hapned to those after-wits, They counted the wedge of gold their Treasure, and all their care and feare was To secure that, so they hid it in the ground. The Robbers came, they knew there was silver and gold both, and they would have it, and by torments the enemy forced the di­stressed Captives, To tell where they had hid their treasure. Nay the Adversaries cruelty was such, That they tormented some poore wretches, that had neither silver nor gold, upon supposition that they had both, and dissembled the having of it. Other some, the richest men amongst them, were so hardy, That they would die upon the rack rather then discover where their gold was; and so they were admonished (saith the Author) by suffering such Si autem to [...] ­queri quam au­rum prodere maluerunt ad­monendi crant, qui tanta pati­ebantur pro au­ro, quanta essent sustinenda pro Christo. ibid. &c. things, rather then betray their gold, WHAT THEY SHOULD HAVE SUFFERED FOR CHRIST. Other some againe, the fewest of them, could not be forced to betray their Treasure, or forgoe the same, for, indeed, they had not laid it upon earth, but in heaven, where Robbers could not break-in, and steale: So well they had profited by their feare about such uncertaine things, that now they were not carefull about them at all. They could take joyfully the spoiling of such goods, knowing in them­selves, That they had in heaven a better and enduring substance. Heb. 10. 34. And so the Father concluses, No man kept his gold but by denying In e [...] tormenta nemo Christum confitendo ami­sit: nemo aurum nisi negando servavit. it: that is, by taking off his love and feare from it: and no man kept Christ, but by confessing him, (that is) by giving up his love and feare unto him.

2. It is so with and about their children too; Their discreet feare hath taught them, not to be carefull about children neither: The Lord gave them, He may take them; They can blesse His Name in all: They did not set their hope, nor their hearts on such perishing things, and then, when God takes them away, their hope is where it was, and heart also, even in heaven, where their Love, and JOY, and TREASUREIS: And they can submit to their FATHER in heaven; It is Hee, The LORD, He hath done [Page 18] it, and they are silent; It is His will so, thereto they resolve all, and there they rest, saying, The will of the LORD be done. So their feare (the Lord sanctifying it) hath taught them touching their Children.

3. They have brought their hearts to the same point touch­ing their life also; that is a precious thing: skin after skin, a man will part withall to save his life: And yet, they are not now fear­full about it; it is of small continuance here below: and, while it doth continue here, it is full of changes and sorrows. They are the lesse carefull about it. They that have been most afraid, and so would save their life, have sooner lost it, and upon the greatest disadvantage. They, who have loved their life more then Christ, Who is the life of their life, have lost their life, and Him too: and They that have hated their life in this world for His sake, have made no account of it in reference to Christ, and their love to Him, have kept it unto eternall life. John 12. 2 [...] That is the life they think upon, of being BLESSED FOR EVER; That is a life indeed. This here, in comparison, abides but a moment, a small, a little moment, not worth the setting our feare upon, ever since we could look through it, what a life it is. They make no ac­count of any thing, but what sets them backward or forward toward eternity, where they shall live blessed for ever in eterni­ty: [...] nitas fa­cit bonum infi­nite melius; malum infinite pe [...]us. The thought wher [...] of makes that which is good, infinitely better; and that which is evill, infinitely worse. Thereon, upon Eternitie, they place their feare now, and concerning this life they are fearlesse. We have seene what use the righteous make of feare, they work good out of it: and by these unquiet motions here below, they get an establishment in God. I come now in the third place to the meanes whereby the righteous Nation can and doe master their feares, keeps them under so, as they are a quiet habitation, when all about them are full of stirs, a tumultuous people.

CHAP. I.

THe righteous are in continuall expectation: Of what? Of troubles in the flesh, of afflictions in the world: Ever since they understood themselves, they sate downe to consider what it would cost them, To doe their Masters work; To serve Him in sinceritie and truth; and Their brethren, in love to their soules, and faith of the Gospel: In this great work now, (whereunto evermore Christians stand so engaged) the building themselves up, and Ierusalems wall in faith and love, They have counted their cost, and they know what they must find at the bottome of their reckoning, troubles from within, disquietings, persecutions from without, of all sorts and sizes: And it was well, and they blesse God with all their hearts, Who hath instructed them to discretion, To count their cost so soone as they thought of Temple-work, The edifying (the building up) themselves and others in their most holy faith. This was the use they made of their Rest and Peace, GOD was graciously pleased to afford unto them: They knew this Temple-work would cost them deare, Labour and Trouble both: They expected all this, and whatever it be it is but answerable 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 shoulder, and the yoak for the neck.

I will tell a knowne and sad story of a man that lived in pro­sperity all his life long, God spake 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 Jer. 22. 21. from his youth, he would not obey Gods voice, what cared he what God said, he was inpro­sperity, [Page 21] had no changes, and expected none; Towards the end, as the manner is, The Lord made a breach upon him, sorrows o­verwhelmed him like a mighty flood. O, said he, I never looked for this: Ai, that was true enough; and therefore his sorrowes pressed his soule we know not how low. We looked for peace, said they. Jer. 8. 15. ver. 19. Why did they so? For first, They had provoked GOD to anger with their Images, and strange vanities: Second­ly, (for I hasten here) The word is gone forth of His mouth, Who cannot lye, In the world affliction: Yet say they, We looked for Peace, what followes? No good came; we looked for a time of health, and behold trouble. A miserable case to be so deceived, and in point of Peace.

The righteous not so, They are not deceived; They expect trouble, what the gates of hell can doe against them. All this is done against them, they are not troubled at it; They had their masters word, it would be so, and so it is. Where is their com­fort now? In 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.

I will aske a Question, and resolve it in two Answers; when I have cleared them, then I will conclude this point.

Is the Church never deceived in her expectation? Quest.

No, never deceived in the world, in her expectation therein; Answ. 1 she expects no favour from it, but all the evill that can be done against her; and she is sure to have it from the world: And

2. Nor shall their expectation in GOD be frustrate; and there is the comfort.

I will cleare these premisses, and then conclude.

1. The Churches expectation from the world is never decei­ved. What doth she expect? As aforesaid, Affliction and Perse­cution thence; Her Lord hath bid her expect it, for the world love their owne, not His people, as they love not Him; and they must not look to fare better then their Lord: Affliction in the world, Persecution from the world, is a part of the Churches Dowry. See what a Ioynter her Good Lord hath made His Church and People! He hath given to her All, Him­selfe and All, the world and All, ALL THINGS 1 Cor. 3. 21 ARE YOURS, you shall profit and receive benefit from all, even from [Page 22] all that is called evill in the world: All is yours. There we reade the particulars of her Dowry, and amongst them, DEATH, af­flictions, persecutions, pains, sorrows, troubles in the flesh, (that is Death) and all this is in the Churches Dowry: no Part or Par­cell of it is so large as this, for it containes necessities, distresses, stripes, imprisonments, tumults, labours, watchings, fastings; all this a very DEATH to a mans sense, and present feeling. Is it not think you Death to be as the Church is in some of her people al­wayes? 2 Cor 6. 4, 5. In 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 wildernesse, in perils amongst false brethren, 2 Cor. 11. 26. in wearinesse, and painfulnesse. That was Pauls case you wil say. Nay it is the Churches case with some of her sons and daughters, and it will be their case unto the worlds end. And certainly all this is a very death: To sojourne in Mesech, to dwell in the tents of Kedar, amongst them that hate peace, a very Death all this, wor­king Psal. 120. indeed graciously and gloriously, through GOD, that or­ders all for Good; but a very death to sense, to flesh and bloud. But it is her portion in this life (and no longer, but durante vitâ, a span, a little moment, in comparison to eternity, in the heavens, where God hath time enough to doe them good, and refresh their hearts after their hard labours here, with joyes there unspeaka­ble, and long-lasting pleasures, lasting as long as eternity is long, for ever: but I say their sorrowes last no longer but durante vitâ) and disposed to her as a Legacie by her EVERLASTING FATHER, and she is content. Content! A poore and beggerly expression; she rejoyceth in her portion: for all that, which went before comes in at last with advantage, adding very much to the weight of her crowne: so she blesseth God for all, but for nothing so much as for death, for it makes the world nothing to her while she lives, and when she dies, sets her cleare of all, that we call Evill; makes her compleat throughout, FITTED and [...]. Col. 1. 11. Meet for after -Glory. Death in some sort is like the Whale, which swallowed Ionah, a terrible thing; but it wasteth the man to Land, setteth him cleare from all winds and stormes.

But Death is Part of the Churches Dowry; her lot To bee made the portion of foxes; To bee persecuted in this world: shee hath so much of Heaven in her, that shee must fare the worse [Page 23] in the world, which knowes none, favours none heartily but its owne; Without controversy, persecution is the note of a True Church, There is God or something of God, some plaine cha­racter of His Image, against whom the Assemblies of violent men, The Nimrods, The Esaus, The Neroes of the world do bend themselves.

But can this People endure all this hardship? are they able to Quest. beare up against all this persecution from the tongues and hands of violent men?

Yes, no doubt of that, for God hath fitted them for shocks, and Ans. brunts, and violent blasts; Hee hath made their faces like flints, their shoulders like brasse, their Hands and Armes like Iron. What Esay 1. 5, 7. Jer. 1. 18. can the Adversary doe now? The blast of the terrible ones, what can it availe? It is answered; As much as a storme against a bra­zin Esay 25. 4. wall: so the SPIRIT scornes what flesh can doe against Him. Greater is He That is in you, Then hee that is in the world. 1 Joh. 4. 4. These people are resolved upon that, and they have over­come the world; should then such men as they feare, when they heare the Defaming of many, (which they looke to heare) and crying out violence and spoile? Should such men as these feare? Jer. 20. 8, 10. No, They cannot bee affraid with any amazement, for I am with them saith The Jer. 1. 19. LORD, they are assured of that. What then? Then what They will follows, for They will ask nothing, but ac­cording to His will. If they have written down that, as one saith, then they may write what they wil, for GOD is with them, then all is with them, That can make for their provision and protection; They shall dwell on high, their place of Defence shall be the munitions of Rocks; BREAD shall be given them; their WATERS shall bee sure Esay 33. 16 Ac si dice [...]et p [...]ris & inte­g [...]is Dei culto­ [...]ibus nihil de­futurum panis [...]nim & a quae nomine signifi­cat omnia, &c. Cal. Jer. 20. 11. God is with them, Then All That is in God, His Good­nesse, wisdome, Power, All shall be laid out for them, to make all that is needfull for them, sure unto them. And then touching their Adversary, though hee bee a Legion, this followes; hee shall fight against them, but hee shall not prevaile against them: The LORD IS WITH ME as a MIGHTY TERRIBLE ONE, therfore my persecuters shall stumble & be greatly ashamed; his ever­lasting confusion shall never bee forgotten. Nay, the adversary shall bee so far from hurting them, that hee shall do them good, and they shall hurt him; for now that God is with them, they have [Page 24] Armes of steele, and feete of brasse, and they shall thresh the moun­taines like straw, and the hills like Chaffe, and come upon Princes as Esai. 41. 15. 25. upon morter.

2. Are the Righteous people assured of all this?

Yes, for the Lord hath said it, as wee have read, Hee hath given His word for their security, they take it, are secure, fixed and Rest thereon. As their expectation from the world never deceived them since the world was, and they were in the world; So, nor shall their expectation from God faile them, they have an assured confidence of That. Shall the expectation of the Righteous faile? No, the Lord forbid, nay the Lord forgive u [...] to them any such misgiving thoughts within them. The hope of the Righteous shall bee gladnesse: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish. 2 Pro. 6 [...]. 10. 18. Can the Righteous feare this, That their hope shal fa [...]le them? No; It cannot bee, for they have set their hope in God. The hope of the wicked shal be cut off: they shall be afraid and ashamed o [...] (the word) their expectation; and of (the Content [...]ents there) their Glory, Esai. 20. 5. And now, LORD, what Psal. 39. 7. wait I for? sayes DAVID. As if the servant of The LORD had said; doe I waite, doe I expect, doe I looke for Peace, Comfort, establishment and satisfaction from the world? do I seeke great things for my selfe therein? Thou knowest, LORD, what I wait for, none of all this from the world; But, as it followes, my hope is in Thee. What an un­reasonable thing were it, how unworthy of GOD, The God not of some but of all consolations, how unworthy a thought of Him, To thinke, That a poore creature, who hath set his hope in GOD, expects all from Him, from The world nothing at all; how un­worthy a thought, That This GOD will deceive this poore crea­ture, that waites for Him; though Hee hideth His face, yet lookes for Him: He frownes upon him, answers him Roughly, yet this soul expects from Him; notwithstanding what is said or done, the poore soule will not returne to vanity, hee will not looke to the world, hee will wait, hee hath set his hope in GOD, hee will looke for Him; Will the LORD deceive this Man, that expects all from Him, hath set his hope upon Him? It is sure enough, Hee will not; The needy shall not bee alway forgotten; the hopes of th [...] afflict­ed shall not perish for ever: Psal. 9. 18. The poore and needy mans ex­pectation (set upon God) is not delayed, but deferred, and strain­ed. [Page 25] Why? To open the mouth and heart wider, that the more comfort may come in at last; and that their heart and JOY there may be Joh. 16. 24. Psal. 40. 1. Esay 8. 17. FULL. They have waited patiently for The LORD, they waited upon Him. They, When He hid His face, then they looked for Him: They waited the time, when He would be graci­ous. Now hearken, Therefore will The LORD 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, Blessed Esay 30. 18. are all they that wait for Him.

Ai, but hope deferred maketh the heart sick. That is true, but Pro. 13. 12. there is a time comming, when the heart shall recover, be made every whit whole, and perfectly well againe: and it shall be the more haile and comforted, the sicker it was: for When the de­sire commeth it is a tree of life. Therefore though The Lord tarry, the soule will patiently wait for Him, because He will surely Hab. 2. 3. come, and will not tarry. And when He, That was so long expe­cted, waited-looked-for, when He commeth (and then He comes, and Tarries not, when the Churches season is come) then He makes amends for His long tarrying (as the world thought, and sometimes the Church also, and in her haste counted it slacknesse) He tarryed so long, that He might come in season, that His peoples joy might be brim-full: when their hearts, wearyed with long waiting, shall the more rejoyce, and their wi­thered bones Esay 66. 14 shall flourish like an herbe: For it shall be said in that day, (after their long waltings) Loe This is our GOD, we have waited for Him; This is The LORD, we have waited for Esay 25. 9. Him: and we are glad He is come; with all our hearts doe we rejoyce in His salvation, for it is His, a marvailous, great, excee­ding salvation, the greater, the longer it stayed: And now these waiting people shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with Esay 40. 31. wings as Eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.

We are concluded now upon these Points,

1. That the righteous mans expectation from the world will not deceive him; what the world and the god therein can doe a­gainst him, shall be done, he expects it, therefore they shall not be able to doe him hurt.

2. His expectation from God cannot deceive him; for GOD [Page] is faithfull: They that wait for Him, (doe expect all from Him, and from the world nothing but affliction thence) shall not re­pent of their waiting, for GOD will come in season, and not tar­ry, when they shall be most glad of His comming, and say, It is best of all that He came not sooner: for now their hearts are brim-full of joy: So they have concluded: In assured confidence hereof, thes people are not afraid now with any amazement: As their hope is in GOD, so is their heart and love set upon Him also. This followes,

CHAP. II.

THe Righteous love GOD: And Love to the soule is like the Rudder to the Ship, it turnes about all the powers and fa­culties of the soule, and all to God; It lades and unlades all the goods there, all for GODS glory; it receives all in, and gives all forth for that same great end: so Love doth. I have said all, when I have said, The Righteous love GOD. It formes every work they doe; and nothing forms a man or his work so dexte­rously as Love doth, Love to God, Love to His Truth, Love to His People, Love to their peace; This inflames mens mindes, works them suddenly to great perfection, facilitates the work, makes it slide on. Nay farther, as one observes truly, ‘That all other Affections, though they raise the minde, yet they doe it by distorting, and uncomelinesse of extasies, or ex­cesses; but onely Love doth exalt the mind, and nevert [...]elesse, at the same instant, doth settle and compose it:’ So in all other ex­cellencies, though they advance Nature, yet they are subject to [Page 27] excesse: onely Charity admitteth no excesse. The righteous love God. I have said all.

Why, but all will say as much: No man in the world, but wil Ob. say, I love GOD: he dares not, nay he is ashamed to say other­wise.

True, I will reply shortly to this, and once for all, for all will Answ. say as much touching their feare too, and their trust also, &c.

As the Kingdome of God, so the love of God is not in word, but in power: GOD doth know (that is, approves) not the speech of them, that say 1 Cor. 4. 19, 20. so, but the power of them, that doe so: That love The Lord, not in word, but in deed. We have all, I verily beleeve it, a kind of faint, weak, waterish love, which indeed the Scrip­ture calls an hatred, when the creature hath the strength, and as I may say, the first-borne of our love: and God the after-birth, which is of no account with Him, but counted as aforesaid. The righteous people love God; They see an excellencie in God, a tran­seendent goodnesse. As it was said of Peter and Iohn, when they saw their boldnesse, They tooke knowledge of them that they had Acts 4. 13. been with Iesus: So, doe we observe the Saints love to Christ! We must take knowledge, That the City of God doe know The Lord Christ, they have and doe see His Goodnesse; They are with Him by their graces of love, and faith; they converse with Him day and night. Therefore they so love God, even as they glo­rifie Him, As Rom. 1. 21. Exod. 15. 11. 1 Tim. 6. 15. GOD, glorious in holinesse, fearfull in praises, doing wonders: The onely Potentate, The King of Kings and Lord of Lords. They Love GOD as they are thankefull to Him, as To GOD, in Whom they live, move, and have their Being: in Whose hands is their Time, their Breath, and all their wayes: from Whom they have all things richly to enjoy, to whom He communicates Himself: so they glorifie Him, so they are thank­full, and so they love HIM with an exceeding love, a love that commands in chiefe; the great Centurion, it commands all within and without, to speak, to doe, to strive for God, for so they love HIM with a predominate love, which carryeth the soul on high. And where this love of God rules, there peace rules, be the earth never so unquiet. Get we this love rooted in our hearts; it is the fittest of any thing to expell feare, to keep downe the wor­kings of it, for it maintains and guards Reason, and raiseth the [Page 28] soule above the world, so as it can bid defiance to death, and then to unreasonable men, and devils too. If I beare a true love to God, stronger then death, if so, then I can beare any thing; I can goe through fire, and water, all along before the face and nose of the adversaries, (if I am called to do it) and feare nothing. The love of GOD constraines me, yea commands me, and, as the peace of Phil. 4. 7. [...]. God, keeps and safeguards me also; It keeps my heart and mind, my soul and my spirit, through Christ Iesus: It keeps my under­standing, that there be no defilement there through the errors of wicked men. It keeps my will, that there be no perversenesse there, not subdued and brought under: It keeps my affections, that they be cleane and holy; that my hatred be to all iniquity, and my love to righteousnesse, for I love God, how then should I think or doe thus and thus, and so sin against him? The love of God keeps me in perfect peace, so far as that love is perfect in me. If a man can resolve himself (by the Spirit) That God loves him, That he is in Christ reconciled unto Him, This is enough To dissolve the thickest cloud of feare, overcasting the soule; enough to take off the edge, and blunt that eager and keene passion, which so cuts, and lanceth the spirits: for then, he can say also, He loves GOD with a CHILD-like love, as a child loves the father; so as he can repose himselfe in his fathers lap or bosome, in assured confidence He careth for him; and then he can be as bold as Paul was, and as well perswaded, That neither death, nor life, nor An­gels, nor Principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, Rom. 8. 38, 39. &c.

The work then of a Christian 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, riding upon the high places of the earth, above the winds Esav 58. 14. and stormes, which infest and trouble us here below. I remem­ber I have read of one, who being upon a tempestuous sea, and his ship almost covered with waves, and the passengers there al­most dead with feare, was, not withstanding, very cheerfull and comfortable, calme and quiet in his mind, rather inclined to sing then to mourne: Being asked the reason of his settlement, and so quiet repose of spirit, answered thus: My Father is the Pilot of the ship; He is at the sterne, holds the helme: He loves me, I love [Page 29] Him, The winds and stormes fulfilling his word, Psal. 148. 8 He bids them rise, and they are up, and so blustering: then (He chideth) He rebuketh them, then they fall and are still. I know and am well per­swaded, Mat. 8. 26. whether stormes or calmes, I shall get to my Heaven, and in passage thither nothing shall doe me hurt, every thing shall doe me good from His hand that loves [...], &c. Chrysost. Faci­le impetratur semper quod filius postulat. Ter [...]ul. de po [...]n. c. 11. me. And this makes me fearlesse, this calmes me within, what unquiet motions soever are without. Oh of what mighty concernment is this, in these times! when the commandement is gone forth to restore and to build Ierusalems wall, (evermore TROUBLOUS TIMES) Dan. 9. 25. That every man should labour to cleare his spirit (by the Spirit) at this great point, The love of GOD towards him, his love to GOD; for this makes faire weather within, however tempestuous it is abroad. Here comes in an Objection, I will resolve it at the first, and once for all.

A man may love GOD, and feare Him too, (which followes Ob. next) and obey Him also, and all this from the heart, and yet he may be afraid: he may have a great deale of love, and faith 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.

1. Iacob, a very good man, he loved God with all his heart, yet Iacob was GREATLY Gen. 32. 7. afraid. [GREATLY,] Marke that.

2. David, a man after Gods owne heart, yet heare him what he saith, Fearfulnesse and trembling are come upon me, and terror hath overwhelmed me. Psal. 52. 5.

3. Iehoshaphat, a very good King, yet he feared. 2 Chr. 20. 3.

4. The Disciples, choise men all, such as loved their Master with all their heart, and with their whole soule, yet fearfull. Mat. 8. 26.

Before the Answer, note this: A man may love God much, and yet feare much hurt from the creature. And a man may have no love to God, and yet no feare of the creature: so stupified his spirit may be. Now I answer, indeed the Context answers it for me.

Iacob was greatly afraid and distressed; how then? his feare Answ. did not put him off from duty, but engaged him thereunto. Now see how wisely he disposeth of things, then rouls himselfe and Gen. 32. 7, 8, 9, &c. all his upon GOD, wraps up his soule, and all his concernments [Page 30] in a promise, and there is an end of the matter, and enough for Iacob.

2. Davids case was extraordinary, a thick cloud was over his spirit, and the face of God was clouded towards him too. He [...] ex­e [...]et Deus, [...] ­la est tenta s [...] ­t [...]tudo quae [...] [...]bescat. Cal [...]. in Psal. 55. had troubles within, and storms without; whether Saul pursued him, or his owne son, it is not resolved, but he was in the straits, and God was not so present to sense, and then we must give the stoutest heart leave to quaile, saith Master Calvin. The Conclusion is sure and certaine; Cleare your evidence, That God loves you, and you shall cleare your spirits of these thick fogs which feare raiseth. Nay, if you cannot cleare your evidence, but God will keep you humble all your dayes, in a hanging, and doubtful estate, yet cast your selfe upon Him; though He kill, yet trust in Him. But more of this a little after.

3. Iehoshaphat feared also, for hee heard that which would quicken any man that had life in him: There commeth a great multitude against thee. 2 Chron. 2 [...]. [...]. Then he FEARED. ver. 3. But take the following words, And set himselfe to seek the Lord, &c. His Feare put him upon Duty. Then be remembred God, in Whose hand is power and might, Art not Thou God in heaven? ver. 6. Then he pleads his interest in his God, Art not Thou OUR GOD? ver. 7. Then he cals to mind the right hand of the Almigh­ty, what He had done of old. O blessed be God for that feare, (as was said before) you cannot have too much of that feare, which renders you much in seeking, which makes you love much, feare much, obey much.

4. The Disciples were fearfull, but they were prayerfull; They would not let GOD alone; they would give Him no rest. GOD seemes to be (for he speaketh to our capacity) as Ionah, asleep, when the Ship of the Church is covered with waves. Nay The Lord Christ was, at that time, as clothed with our flesh, so subject to our infirmities, and was asleep: And then the Disci­ples are fearfull, All will be cast away, Christ and all. Indeed they that feare the Church will be drowned, doe feare that Christ will be drowned too: for if the Body drowne, the Head must 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 safe enough. But such was the [Page 31] Disciples infirmity at this time, and such was our Lords infirmi­ty at that time, that then He was asleep. What then? They a­woke God with their prayers, as we know the manner is. A bles­sed feare then (as was said) which makes a man a wake Christ by his importunity; which puts a man upon duty, makes him more prayerfull, makes him love more, and cling to his Father the faster, so Iacob, so David, so Iehoshaphat, so the Disciples feared, so as they did their Duty the better.

But much may be said touching this love of GOD: It is not Ob. such a Cure of feare, not such a buckler to a person; we see here how the fore-mentioned were terrified, yet they loved GOD. Look I pray you and it is a sad sight, Thou art become cruel to me, with Thy strong hand Thou opposest Thy selfe against me. Thou liftest me up to the wind, Thou causest me to ride upon it, and dissol­vest my substance. Job 30. 21, 22. I will defer the Answer to this till anon. The Objection now runs thus: Not how the Lord hath dealt with particular persons, whom He loves dearly: nor what those persons have said, when they walked in darknesse, and saw no light, [We must take it for granted, That there are sad expressi­ons breaking forth of the lips, when there are grievous apprehen­sions within the soule] But How he hath dealt with a whole Nation, and that the dearly beloved of Hi [...] soul; He hath delive­red such a Nation into His enemies hands: Jer. 12. 7. So that they who hated them, have Lorded it over them, have dealt hatefully and despitefully with them. Ezek. 23. 28, 29.

This cannot be denied, and since His Iudgements are manifest, and the Reasons of them also are written and made legible for Answ. our instruction, we stand charged to take good notice of them here, I meane The Reasons, which moved The Lord to proceed in wrath against His dearly beloved, and to cast them out of their owne Land, and into the hands of them, from whom their mind was alienated first.

1. When GODS People doe not walke As His People; when He takes them neere unto Himselfe, and they walk loose with him; not as a separated and peculiar people to Him, whom He hath separated, and bestowed upon them speciall and peculiar mercies. When His people walke so contrary to Him, and their owne Protestation, Then His manner is to walke contrary to [Page 32] them. He may goe out of that path when He listeth, and exempt a Nation from the generall rule: But this is His manner; He may d [...]al [...] with us according to His Prerogative Royall, which is ever in shewing mercy: He may doe so, but it is extraordinary, as we have cause to observe above all the Nations in the world.

2. When His People do not do according to the CHARGE, Deut. 25 19 utterly to root out the name of Amalek, that old and ancient enemy to His Church, and the very same to this day: when this charge is neglected or slighted, and the contrary is done; Ama­lek is countenanced, encouraged, fostered, suffered to get head; Then it shall come to passe, That these Adversaries and enemies shall be pricks in your eyes, and thornes in your sides, and shall v [...]xe you in the Land wherein you dwell, Num 3 [...]. 35. saith the Lord. They shall be snares and traps unto you, untill ye perish from off the good Land, which The Lord your God hath given you. Jo [...]. 23. [...] It is the good word of The Lord, which is the same for ever.

3. When the Rulers, the Princes and Judges of the earth are like the evening wolves, ravening the prey: [...] 22. What then? Then, for their sakes, Zion must be plowed as a field. Mich 3. 11 Z [...]ph. 3. 3. [...]zech. 22. When the Priests violate the Law, profane the holy things, devoure soules, hide their eyes from the Sabbath, put no difference be­tweene the holy and profane: What then? Then peace is taken from the earth: When the Sabbaths are gone, when the people Mic. 5. 12, 13. oppresse, exercise tyrannie, and vexe the poore and needy: When the Priests are become brutish, the people no better: when they that are good, and have power, sit still, and contend not against the streame: Then we reade this, All ye beasts of the field, come to Esay 56. 9. devoure, yea all the beasts of the forrest. Jer. 12. 9. His Watchmen are blind, and the Pastors are become brutish: Jer. 10. 2 [...]. what then? Then all their flocks shall be scattered. Behold the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion to make Cities desolate, and a den of dragons.

In these cases, The Lord is provoked very much, even til there be no remedy. 2 Chr. 36. 16. Jer. 12. 7. And then He forsakes His house, leaves His heritage, gives up the dearly beloved of His soule into the hands of her enemies, lets in judgements like a floud, and it carryeth down all, good and bad, with the impetuousnesse of its streame. What, good and bad together? Will the LORD destroy the righteous [Page 33] with the wicked? Yes, No man knoweth either love, or hatred by all that is before the eye. Eccles. 9. 1. All things come ali [...]e to all; The same Common destruction takes away all together, makes no difference: And there is a great reason for that, which we must take in, in passage, for,

The Righteous did comply too much with the time, went along with the streame, sided with the strongest in sight, or looked on heareing Blasphemies, beholding iniquity and wrong, In the mean time, said and did nothing; Jure istam [...]am quando di [...] initus affli­guntu [...], cum eis [...]maram s [...]nti­unt, cupus a­mando dul [...]edi­ [...]em peccan [...]i­b [...] eis amari esse nolue unt. Aug. d [...] civ. l. 1. c. 9. stood not up in the gap; And therefore now he is thrust down also, hurried along with the T [...]rrent and breaking in of mighty Waters: he is over-whelmed in the [...]lood, even these good Men for the reason aforesaid: No difference at all in the suffering, for the manner and time thereof; but in the fruit, issue and end, an infinite distance, and inequality. ‘Where we note, That this difference between the good & bad, in a Common Calamity, is not visible, not discernable by the Eye, & yet a great, wide, and an ever-lasting difference; the good are delivered in it; The bad utterly destroyed by it; The good Manet dissimi­l [...]tud [...] passo [...]um etiam in [...]il [...] ­tudine [...]assio­num, & licet in eodem tormento non est idem [...]tus & viti­um. Nam sicut sub uno igne aurum ru [...]lat, pal [...] fumat, &c. Aug. de ci. l. 1. c. 8. Am [...]s 9. 9. pur [...]ed; The bad consumed. Good and bad are in the same ca­lamity, But as the Gold and Chaffe are in the same fire, The one shines there, the other smokes, As the stubble, and the wheat­corne are under the same flaile, the one is bruised there, the other cleansed; freed of its Chaffe, and fitted for the s [...]ive, not a Corne shall be lost. So also one and the same violence carryes away all the good and the bad all together; destroyeth, wasteth the one with an utter destruction: [...]ut trieth, purgeth, purifieth the good.’

It is good to note this with all observation; for heere we have a Cleere difference betwixt the good and the bad, betwixt the persecuted now, and the persecutors afterwards, The good may fall, but they shall bee holpen with a little help: And their fal­ing by the sword and by spoyle many dayes, shall be to them as of old it was, To trie them, and to purge and make them white. Dan. 11. 33 But for the wicked it is not so with them, but as we heard. It is a comfortable speech; Rejoyce Micah 7. 8. not against me O mine ene­my: When I fall I shall arise; But when thou fallest, Thou shalt fall; Thy casting down shall bee like the fall of a millstone Rev. 18. 21 in­to great waters, Thou shalt rise no more: When I fall, I shall arise; This is the heritage of them that love The Lord: when their [Page 34] Adversarie falls he shall rise no more, This is the portion of his measures for ever.

The conclusion is, It shall be well with them that love The Lord. Nay it is well with them now, though not to sense, yet to faith. The case of David was not ordinary; Iobs case extraordi­nary: That which follows will give some light and some satis­faction to both.

It is a most prevailing argument, which the sister used in behalfe of her brother Lazarus; LORD, behold he whom Thou lo­vest John 11. 3. is sick. This will prevaile sure; It is the mightiest argument in the world, LORD, The Person, whom Thou lovest; The Cause, the Faith, the Truth, the Religion, WHICH THOU LOVEST is now in jeopardie; The Malignants oppose it, oppresse it, they would thrust it out of the world, and the professors of it; That which THOU LOVEST, these sons of the earth doe hate; Those whom Thou lovest, these men would cut off from being a Nation. Certainly GOD will come in for rescue now, and worke a glo­rious Deliverance. And yet perhaps not at the just and set time of our over-hasty expectation: Before Deliverance comes, this person, whom Christ loveth, may be surprised with fearful­nesse; trembling may come upon him, and horror may over-whelme him, that it may. The Cause, the Truth, which GOD loveth, may seem to be delivered up into the enemies hands, so as they may lay the Glory of it (for a time, and in the eye of man) in the dust. Let us consult with the context once more, and with good consideration. There we read; Lord, he whom Thou lovest, is sick; when Iesus heard that He abode two dayes still in the place where He was. John 11. 3. That is a strange matter; we should thinke, and so the sisters thought too, That when Iesus heard, That The man, whom He loved was sick, He would have made haste away, and come with all speede to His sick friend; But it was not so, when He heard THAT, He abode two dayes still in the same place. ver. [...]. Was this His kindnesse to His friend? Iesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus: But His abode two dayes longer, and when He heard that Lazarus was sick, made no cleare proofe of it unto them at that time. Jesus came indeede, but when Martha, and Mary, and the Iewes also thought it was too late, when the breath was departed, the body laid in a cave, and a stone ver 38. [Page 35] laid upon it foure dayes before Iesus came. Then, and then when the case was so helplesse, and hopelesse, then Jesus came. Truly, that is His manner now, but see mighty reason for His so long tarrying then. Had He come quickly, as soone as He was sent unto, and called for, possible it was, That He, who opened the eyes of the blinde, might have caused even this man Lazarus should not have dyed: ver. 37. so some there reasoned at that time, and so we have reasoned (in such cases) ever since. The Persons, or the Cause, which Jesus loveth, have beene in jeopardy; to the eyes of man, in an helplesse and hopelesse condition; If God had come in to his servants and their cause so soone as they cal­led for Him, then their hopes had flourished, but staying till the case is desperate to sense & reason, their hope is perished. Surely, so the servants of God have reasoned many a time. But let the servants of The Lord well observe The Lords comming in to these two sisters, at that time, and they can never distrust The Lord at any time. Had their Lord come in unto them, when they called for Him, He might have caused that even Lazarus should not have dyed. But then what singular thing had Hee done? A Physitian, an ordinary man, had done many a time as much as that before Him. But when as He abode two dayes longer in the same place, where He was, when He heard of La­zarus sicknesse; and stayed yet two dayes longer by the way (of set purpose to let the last enemy alone to compleat its conquest, to close the pits mouth upon Lazarus, and to role a stone over him) and now comming in for rescue, and taking the prey out of the hands of the terrible one; This made Christ admired in all, that did beleeve: for now, they must needes see, The Glory of GOD, whereas, had Iesus came at their call, before Death had made its conquest, they had seene no more but the meere exer­cise of power, and skill, which might be put forth by a meere man. Jesus said plainly (without a figure, for he called death a John 14. [...]. sleepe before) Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes. Why glad that His friend Lazarus was dead? and glad for their sakes? They were all very sorry that Lazarus was dead; and it grieved them to the heart, that Jesus came not sooner, for if Jesus had beene there, their Brother had not dyed, said the sister: Then why was Jesus glad that he was not there? Because, that they pre­sently [Page 36] beholding His glorious worke in raising a putrified car­kesse, they would then beleeve, and rejoice with an exceeding joy, If any thing [...] to the advantage of His people [...] ( [...]peaking to our capacity) is glad, and there is joy in Heaven even new. which they had not done, had Jesus beene there before, and cau­sed that Lazarus had not dyes. We may conclude now; That the [...]ord [...]ill come in for the safegard and rescue of His people, whom He loveth, of His Cause, which He so favoureth, in season, the fittest time, when His beloved people shall most admire His comming, beholding the exceeding glory thereof. When is this time? Then, when the Righteous mans hopes are dead to the world, sense and reason▪ and when the malignants hopes flou­rish, Then The Lord 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 set no hope there, but all in God: Then The Lord comes in, when they are to sense, as dead bones, then they shall flourish like an herbe, for then the hand of the Lord shall bee knowne towards His say 66. 4. servants, when they are Orphanes, poore, peeled, helplesse, com­fortlesse people, then the Lord comes with His comforts, and how doth he comfort? As one whom His mother comforteth. Then they shall be comforted indeed, For as a mother comforteth her ver. 13. childe, so will I comfort you, and you shall be comforted: From these premises the conclusion is worth the repeating, and re­calling again and again. ‘The Lord comes in ever to His be­loved people most seasonably, in the fittest and best time, when they can see the most of God that can be seene, and the least of the creature.’ He will come in them, when His people shall say, if He had come sooner, it had not beene so well, we had not loved Him so much, admired Him so much, we had not seene so much of His Glory, we had not so rejoyced in His salvation. So they love God, and so they are beloved of Him, therefore they are not afraid, at no time greatly troubled. If there be a cloud of feare, there is an eclipse of Gods Love, onely we must remem­ber we make an allowance to the best man, when wee weigh him upon the ballance, for hee is supposed ever in a Chri­stian. Homo supponi­tur in Christia­no.

Before we close, let us note this from the premisses, That The Lords manner is, To exercise the persons whom Hee loveth, with the sorest afflictions; Iesus loved Martha and her John. 11. 3. [Page 37] sister and Lazarus: therefore Hee would try their patience; He would not come to them at their call, till the case was desperate; till, that they feared, had taken hold of them, and overwhelmed them; whom the Lord loveth Hee chasteneth, and scourgeth every Heb. 12. 6. [...]on whom Hee receiveth. It is the manner of Parents so to doe, not scourage strange children, but him, whom they love they will scourge. The Lord hath delivered up The dearly beloved of His Soule; whither? As we have read, Into the enemies hands. It was ever so, it is so at this Day; hee, whom GOD loveth, is spoil­ed, robbed, pillaged; the enemies bend all their malice against him, whom GOD loveth; And God suffers them so to do, for ex­cellent ends spoken of before, for these here To hide pride from their eyes by hiding the creature from them, To try their pati­ence; To raise up their hope after an enduring substance; To try them, I said, and to pu [...]ge them to make them white even Dan. 11. 35. to the time of the end. To make them Meet for the inheritance of the Saints in light. Colos. 1. 12. It is notable, The Lord useth these vile wretches, as scullions, To purge and whiten His vessells, oppoint­ed for honour. Indeed the rod of the wicked may bee so heavy upon the back of The Righteous, and may raise within them such a thick cloud, that hee can hardly discerne a Fatherly love and Hand through it (for there are strange apprehensions and trem­blings within the heart, when there is a cup of trembling in the hand:) But it will be faire weather anon; The thick cloud shall bee dissolved, and The FATHERS love will shine forth the clearer, the thicker the cloud hath been, The FATHERS love over-rules the Adversary, binds him, measureth out the effects of their fury and mallice, orders all as Hee did that long captivity, FOR THY Jer. 24. 5. GOOD, whom Hee loveth; That is the comfort and the conclusion of this point, for their Good, whom Hee loveth, And who make Him their feare.

CHAP. III.

THe Righteous feare GOD; what then? I have said all. They feare GOD, then they feare neither men, nor Divells. If wee observe, wee meete with this expression often, I FEARED. what? The Creature, what hee could doe against me; I was afraid of a Man, and then hee deserted his Duty, ran away from GOD and from himselfe. Wee read againe, I know not how of­ten, I feare GOD; And then hee feares nothing, hee goes on, as bold as a lion, the enemy is behind him, a mountain of straits on each hand, a sea of troubles before him, yet he goes on with the more courage: hee sets GOD before his eyes, Whom hee serves, Whom hee feares, His Cause, His Glory, and goes on, breaks through the straits, as you will doe through a spiders web. Hee feares God, of whom should he be afraid? He fears God, he keeps himselfe from every evill work, though he might commit it in secret, Levit. 19. 14 no eye upon him, His Lords eye, Which runs through the world, 2 Chron. 26. 9. That is upon him, That awes him, even to the ob­serving his thoughts, and bringing them into subjection, and them most of all. So he feares GOD, And the Armies of men, or De­vils, not so much as the wicked have feared an Army of flies. Let Esai. 33. 14. sinners in ZION, who seeme to maintain the established Re­ligion with their mouth, and persecute it with their hand, let them be afraid, fearfulnesse must surprise the Hypocrites, those that professe one thing, and doe another: But this man feares God, that is, He walks righteously, speaketh uprightly, despiseth the ver. 15. gaine of oppressions, shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, stop­peth his eare from hearing of bloud, (Oh how far is he from shed­ding of it) shutteth his eye from seeing evill. Reade on. He shall dwell on high, his defence shall be the munitions of rocks, bread shall be ver. 16. given him, and his waters shall be sure. And he is sure of all this, for he fears GOD, and all we reade before is but the result of that feare. Why then, Lions, and Beares, and Wolves, and Foxes, I meane (for so the Scripture doth) by these, bloody and treache­rous [Page 39] men, these may be hungry and starved too, they may feare famine. The righteous, who feare God, they feare it not; In fa­mine, Fides famem non metuit. Hieron. that is, in every extremity, they shall be provided for, they shall have enough, for they have God, and he is All. I will con­tract. Indeed, and in truth, the feare of GOD (for it contains the whole Duty of man) is excellent.

Now I know what All will say; for I know their hearts and their language there by my owne. I and every man will say for himself, I feare GOD too, that I do: hee that feares not an oath, (that is too paticular) he that feares not to sin before The Lord; nay, he, that doth violence to the law, and sheds blood to his power, the Man that neither feareth God nor reverenceth man, wil say, I feare GOD too. It is as commonly said as any thing in the world, for every man sayes it, as was said, and answered before. It is not considerable then what men say, but what men doe; not what they professe with the tongue, but what they act with the hand. They professe, saith Paul, that they feare GOD, (for they that know GOD, feare Him) but in works they deny Him, being a­bominable, Titus 1. 16. and disobedient, and unto every good worke, reprobate. They walk cleane contrary to that man, that feares God, (wee heard how he walketh, and how he speaketh) and yet they feare GOD. It is but a bare profession so, with the mouth onely. But observe what their case will be when their Jer. 2. 24. month com­meth, and they must cast-out their sorrows, they will be afraid; then fear fulnesse will surprise them, and heare them what they Esai. 33. 14. say; Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with the everlasting burnings? And so much be spo­ken to my owne heart, and to theirs, who professe to feare GOD, yet walk so notoriously contrary to what they doe professe.

We also, who, not perhaps so notoriously wicked, yet are pre­tenders to this HOLY AFFECTION, (professing wee feare GOD, when indeed it is not so) we doe not feare Him in Po­wer, which appeares thus: When danger presents its selfe, where are we then? Almost dead with feare, which could not be, if we feared GOD in Power. When trouble shews it selfe, we shake at it as at some new and strange thing, never looked for, nor feared till it come: And these shaking fits declare, That we, whatsoever we say and pretend, do not feare GOD: feare will [Page 40] not be concealed no more then folly can; when he that is affraid, Eccles. 10. 8. walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one he is affraid: And he can give a Reason for his feare, which is this, That hell is let loose now, and Divels are broke-in amongst us, in the shape and likenesse of men. Grant it to be so, as so 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 feareth GOD; how? As God: That cal [...]es and quieteth his spirit: we do not as the Righteous do, maintaine the feare of God; Set up God ruling as chiefe over all. Certaine it is They that feare God indeed as GOD do so: do set Him up in their hearts, and so ruling in the world. They that feare the Creature, do set the Crea­ture above God: they make God 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 Nabals was, like a stone) when terrours is round about! They shewed them­selves gods against GOD: and row they shew themselves slaves towards men, whose bodies and consciences are alike rotten. Who art thou that thou art afraid of a man? Esai. 51. 12. Reade and resolve that Question. He that forgetteth The LORD his Maker, makes no more account of Him, then of a meer man, nor so much neither, though He stretched forth the Heavens, and laid the foundations of the Earth: and makes a meere man a God, heightens that low and diminutive thing (for, in Comparison, he is a very small thing, very little more then nothing, not so big as a drop of water, or the small dust of the Ballance) Esay. 40. 15. that shall dye, and be made as grasse; A goodly thing, if we observe it well, to make our object, to set our feare upon. O wonderfull Ignorance of our selves, and of God! Ai, It is want of knowledge, therefore we set our feare upon perishing things, and we perish with them. Truely upon due consideration, who would not feare Thee O Lord? He hath said ten times, feare not; Esai. 41. 10. I am thy God: I am with thee, I will up­hold thee, &c. I am God, and Thy God, It is enough. He created the Smith Esai. 54. 1 [...]. that blowes the coale. He is The Lord Generall of all the forces of Heaven, Earth, and Sea; Master of the Armoryes: Jer. 50. 25. There is not a Sword, not an instrument there, but it is for His Work, He gives it forth, stamps His Commission upon it, Go so far, do this, and no more; not an inch farther, not to the losse of a haire [Page 41] more; no marvaile, The Righteous are as bold as a Lion, they fear nothing, for they feare GOD: They Sanctify the Lord of Esay 8. 13. H [...]s Himselfe. What then? Then He will be a Sanctuary, The Righteous know it, they are assured of it, and it is enough to qui­ [...]tand calme the spirit, when the Earth is moved, and the Nati­ons are an [...]ry.

This will seeme strange, which follows, THE RIGHTE­OUS ARE NEVER SO SAFE AND SECURE AS IN AN EARTHQUAKE. And yet, why should it seeme strange? It is demonstrated and made evident to sense and rea­son. In a shaking Time, when the Kingdoms are moved; Nay in that time, which is not yet come, but hasting and coming a­pace, when there will be a great earth-quake, such as was not Revel. 16. 18. [...] m [...]n were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great, The Righteous then will cling the faster to The Arme of The Almighty, (there is security you will say) And then, at such a time as that, The Arme of the Almighty holds them the faster: We parents doe so; If my childe be in danger, If my childe shake, I will hold it fast, if I can, perhaps I cannot, It is not f [...]r want of love, but for want of strength: GOD can hold them fast, for none can take His children out of His Hands, There is no want in Him, neither of Love nor Power, Therefore it follows, clee­red to sense and reason both, That when the Kingdome is moved, w [...]en it totters like a drunken man, nay, when that Earth-quake shallbe, then the Righteous shall stand most stedfast, secure, and steady, even then when that Earth-quake shall be, so mighty an Earth-quake and so great, never so secure as then, then they shall lift up the head, for then they hold fast by Gods Arme, and they [...]inde by good experience, that he holds them fast.

I feare GOD, said Ioseph Gen. 42. 28. I am an Hebrew said Ionah Jonah. 1. 8. and I feare The Lord God of Heaven, Who hath made the Sea and the dry land. This put in security 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 God secureth the servants of The Lord, against the wrong and injurious dealing from man. Man (for his mercies are cruell) [Page 42] will doe the faithfull what wrong he can, but he cannot hurt them, nor are they carefull concerning that.

I remember a short Answer from a true servant of GOD to an over-hearing and tyrannicall Lord, Am not I your head and Com­mander? [...] The need hath an Head; All things shal be don [...] [...] w [...]l have it, [...] th [...]u n [...]st [...] ­mand as God will have it. Ch [...]s [...]st. Yes said the faithfull servant, but your headship hath an Hea [...] That is over you and me both, I FEARE HIM. Cannot I thrust thee into prison? Yes, if God will give you leave, and I FEARE HIM: And if He permits you so to doe, yet His Word is not bound, nor can His influence be restrained any more then can the influence from the Sunne. I feare GOD, said he: and this was all the answer this domineering Lord could get from this good man: For he professed, That no mans terrour could make him afraid: The terrour of The LORD, that could doe it; none could daunt his spirit, but He, Who could cast bo­dy and soule both into hell. Him indeed he feared with all his heart, his CREATOR, therefore he could not feare his crea­ture. We have here our lesson, if we do thereafter, we may reade our comfort, Be not afraid of their terrour, neither be troubled, 1 Pe [...]. 3. 14. but sanctifie, &c. We have proceeded in our Cure thus farre; Expectation of evill from the world, and of good from a Good God, works a great Cure of Feare: Love to Him, feare of Him, is very soveraigne also. We proceed now to Trust in God, and that is soveraigne indeed: it establisheth, it fortifies a man migh­tily, it makes a man stand like Mount Sion, he cannot be moved, for he stands better bottomed then are The everlasting hills or Hab. 3. 6. perpetuall mountains.

CHAP. IV.

THe Righteous, they Trust GOD, and They know Whom they have trusted, To whom they have committed their lives, liberties, and estates, their children, all they have; and they know He is faithfull and true, and now they are fearelesse, now they heare of robbing, and spoiling, and pillaging; nay, though it come home to their own houses, they can suffer the spoiling of their goods with joy: They Trust God, He is their Guardian, they are not carefull, they are, as was said, fearelesse. Master Dearing hath ‘an excellent Speech, indeed he was an excellent man; Commit your health, your sicknesse, your bo­dy, Lett. 13. your Soul, your life, and your death to the protection of Him, That dyed for us, and is risen againe: A sick body (let me say with reference to the present, a person, an house marked out by the spoilers) with such an aid, hath a greater treasure then the Queens Iewell-house.’ It hath indeed, a greater treasure then hath the Kings Iewell-house. That house may be emptied of the treasure there: He may make an hole in all our Cisterns, and let-out all our comforts. All succours from earth may fail, nay the heart, and that is the strongest Fort, may faile, but God never failes. Trust in the Lord for ever. Why for ever? There Esay 26. 4. is a mighty reason or ground for everlasting Trust, because in The LORD JEHOVAH is EVERLASTING STRENGTH. Psal. 23. 4. I will feare no evill, saith David. A very bold and confident speech. Feare no evill! He might sit in darknesse, walk in the sha­dow of death, the rod might be sore upon his back, much evill might be towards him, and much might be upon him, and yet feare no evill? No, for what-ever befell him, it was The Lord, from His hand, His rod, and where-ever he sate, and whereso­ever he walkt, God was with him, Thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy staffe, they comfort me. WHAT TIME I AM AFRAID, Psal. 56. 3. [Page 44] I WILL TRUST IN THEE. Ai, it was a point of great discretion, To trust in The Lord. Truly in vaine is salvation ho­ped [...]er 3. 23. for from the hils, and from the multitude of mountaines: Truly in The LORD our GOD is the salvation of Israel. Then truly, saith the Godly man, When I am afraid, when I see all things out of course, I will trust IN The Lord; He will doe all things well, and all those contrarieties of wills, and workings, shall work together for the good of all them that Trust in Him, (whereof anon.) Therefore I will trust in The Lord for ever: I will commit life and livelihood all to Him, A faithfull Cre­ator, and I know Him to be so. When I am afraid, I will trust in Thee. So the godly man hath made his conclusion, thereon he resteth his soule, and is confident, as bold as a Lion, for he doth Trust in The Lord. I will say of The LORD, HE IS MY [...]l [...]1. 2. REFUGE, and my FORTRESSE, MY GOD, in Him will I trust. Will he so? Is the good man resolved upon it, That he will trust in GOD? Yes, that is plaine in the Text. Now mark, God will not deceive this Trust. Indeed an honest man will not, he will not deceive me, if I trust in him; much lesse will GOD doe it, a faithfull Creator. Now The Lord will de­liver this man, how often? as often as he falls into the straits. [...]ob. 5. 1 [...]. In sixe troubles, yea in seven there shall no evill come unto him: (That is) Neither devils, nor men, neither their counsels, nor their strength, neither sword, nor pestilence, nor devouring beasts, shall be able to doe this man any hurt. If the devou­ring pestilence, if the oppressing sword, if famine, if wild beasts, Jer. 46. 16. (those foure sore judgements) come into the Land, (a noble Scholler calls these plagues, the great winding sheets of the world) these shall doe this man no hurt. Observe what you reade, The terrors by night shall not affray this man, nor the arrow by day, nor the pestilence that walketh in darknesse, nor the destru­ction Psal 91. that wasteth at noon day.

True, you will say, none of all this shall hurt this man, for all this is more immediately the Sword of the Lord 1 Chron. 21. 12. the very Hand of God: ver. 13. and The Lord will order it so, That His Sword shall not slay this man; His Hand shall not hurt him. But this man must looke that the sword of the enemies will overtake him; he must looke to fight with men after the manner of Beasts, they [Page 45] will hurt him sure, for they are Adversaries, and for their might and cruelty called Lyons, and Adders, and Dragons, these will hurt this man sure enough.

No, all these, with all their might and malice too, shall not hurt this man: But he shall hurt them, he shall wound them in the head, which is the seate of life; He shall tread upon the Lion Ps [...]l 91. 1. and the Adder, the young Lyon and the Dragon shalt thou TRAM­PLE under foot. And why shall this man be so delivered, and be so victorious? That is worth the enquiring unto; it is an­swered; Because this man made The LORD his refuge, even the most HIGH his habitation: Therefore shall no evill befall ver. 9. him; because this man hath set his LOVE, his Heart, his Delight, his Hope, his Trust, he hath set All upon GOD, Therefore God will deliver him: This man hath ex [...]l [...]ed GOD above all gods; He hath set Him on high, he hath knowne His Name, (that is) hee hath trusted in Him; Therefore will The Lord set this man on high; he shall ride upon the high places of the earth, over the heads of his Adversaries, Because he hath knowne My Name. O Blessed man, and in a blessed condition! for he had covered him­selfe with the Armes of the Almighty, and under that shelter he doth trust. What then? It follows; His Truth shall be Thy Shield and Buckler. A weake and foolish Question will thrust in here, I will quickly resolve it.

May we not trust in the creature? in meanes, they may be faire Quest. and likely; In instruments, these are honourable and specious; may we not trust in these?

No, Be these instruments or meanes never so excellent and Ans. glorious, yet they are but flesh, we must not trust in them. Ne­ver did any [...] from the beginning of time to this Day, prosper that put his [...]ust in meanes, in instruments. Some trust in cha­rets [...] in horses. Psal. 20. 7. And what of them? how speede they? They are brought downe and faden. ver. 8. nay, there is a curse upon the [...] [...]hat trust in man, and make flesh their Arme. Jer. 17. 5. And this cu [...]e must neede [...] [...]vertake them, For their heart de­parteth from the LORD: Then [...]o resolve the question, we may esteeme honourably of the instruments, but wee must set GOD above them; We must set Him on high, as we read before; we must praise GOD for them; we must not Idolize them: we [Page 46] must use the meanes; we must not trust in them: we must give the instrument his due praise, but all the glory to GOD. There is another Question more worthie the resolving.

It is commonly said by every man, I doe trust in GOD. But wilt thou know, O man, whether thou doest as thou sayest? Try thy selfe by this, and deale truly with thy owne soule. Where art thou when the LORD takes away the stay and the staffe, Esay 3. 1. the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water (that is) every thing, that thy soule tooke delight in, being but flesh, where art thou then? upon the ground, a dejected man, thy spi­rit is quite fallen; why then assure thy selfe, thou didst make flesh thy foote and thy arme too, thereon thou didst trust, and not on GOD: Flesh upheld thee, and not spirit: hadst thou trusted in GOD, He had upheld thee now, never more firmely then when the stay and staffe of the creature is taken away: Then The Arme of the Lord upholds most gloriously, when it sustaines alone, made bare of flesh. I know some suddain disaster, some unexpected breach (yet nothing is suddain or unexpected to a faithfull man) may make his confidence quaile, and his spirit fall: but if he fall flat, and there lye with his face upon the ground, and upon seri­ous considerations, cannot raise himselfe and get up his spirit, then certain it is, The creature was his stay and confidence. I meane thus, If when the stay and staffe is taken away, the heart fainteth away and dyes. If the spirits be sunke then, they will not up again, then certain it is, That stay and staffe, be it the wedge of gold, husband, wife, or childe, that was the prop that stayed the heart up: but now these bearers, these supporters are taken away, the person is down, his spirit flat and sunke.

But thou maist say, Th [...]u wast never put to that strait yet; God never yet tooke from thee the stay and staffe. Say, Blessed be His Name. And yet doe not trust to this trust, doe not bee confident of this strength. It is not tryed yet as gold in the Fur­nace. That which holds thee up now, may not be sufficient in the day of Trouble. Thou thinkest now, That Thou doest trust in God, and He upholds thy Spirit, whereas perhaps the creature is thy stay and thy staffe; Examine the truth of this betimes, and take all advantage of experiences from what GOD hath done, and from promises what He will doe, and all to make improve­ment [Page 47] of this Trust in God. Till our strength be tryed, till we have some experience, we cannot tell how great the rebellion of the flesh will be under Gods afflicting hand. It is an easie thing to be valiant before the combat, to dreame of a good courage before the heart be tryed,: but indeed To bee unshaken in the mi [...]st of a tempest; and To stand upright, when the ground under us doth tremble, This is to know assuredly That we are strong in­deed, That we have boldnesse and can trust perfectly.

Surely never was there more cause then at this time, To set our hope in GOD, To make good our confidence, To exercise this grace of saith and trust, To looke back to what God hath done, how wonderfull He hath wrought for those that put their trust in Him: And so to gather experience, that is a great meanes to support the heart, and to engage it to trust in God.

I remember a passage, which surely is worth the noting, this it is. David comes hastily to Abimeleck, and after some gree­ting, 2 Sam. 21. and some other passages betwixt them, demands of the Priest, Whether he could help him to a sword? Yes, said the Priest, here is in my keeping The sword of Goliah the Philistine, whom verse 9. THOU SLEWEST: If thou wilt take that, take it, for here is no other. No other, thought David, (for so he said) if thou hadst all the swords in the world, yet there is none LIKE THAT, give it me. And why so? There were other Giants in the world, and other swords as great as that, why none like that? The Text resolves it, That was the sword where with David slew Goliah the Philistine. None like that sword, That revived Davids spirits (indeed they were fainting) with the sense of experience of GODS faithfulnesse: He had wrought wonder­fully for David, a weakling, and yet He gave him strength to slay the Giant with his owne sword; none like that; a double weapon with a double edge, it had slaine behind him, it would slay before him: God had delivered him from such a death, and there was the sword now in his hand, a memoriall of such a de­liverance, He would put his Trust in GOD for after-time. This is the Poynt then we are engaged upon, even To put our Trust in GOD: and, that we may do so, To Consider well what God hath done, and then To exercise our faith upon it, for the better improvement of our Trust in Him.

Surely the very set time is now come, That so we should doe, improve our Trust in GOD, live by faith now, (that is) live upon God, with God, in God, to God; to make up a life in Him alone. Therein is assurance, and strength, strong confidence: Pr [...]. [...]4. [...]. And The LORD will reject all other confidences, [...] [...]2. 3 [...]. so as man shall not be held up by them, nor prosper in them.

You will say, you must have FAITH first before you can Ob. exercise it and live upon it.

True, and before you have it, you shall know how you got it. Ans. It is an admirable grace, and wrought by the operation, (c) effe­ctuall Col [...]s 2. 12. [...]. working of God, (the great Worke of God) but we must worke too, use all diligence, and all the meanes God hath san­ctified for the getting of the same; use the means faithfully, and you shall get the Tr [...]asure, a Treasure indeed, such as we heard. A man may live upon it, if he have nothing else. Cry after this grace, life up thy voice for it, as for hid treasure, (it is the gift of God) but so it must be sought for, or it will never be had; it is the principall thing, with all thy getting, get faith.

You will say, There is need of Patience too. Yes, and that it hath a perfect work to calm, quiet, and silence the reasoning of our spirits. There is no possessing of a mans soule without pati­ence, specially now in such a perilous, and exceeding (e) feirce time as this is, now the Divell is loose, and rageth amongst us; [...] Mat. 8. 28. great need of Patience. Yet, I say, we stand in more need of faith, for there is no grace like that at this time. Thou shalt forgive Thy Brother seven and seven times, saith the LORD CHRIST. Luke 17. 4. We would think this would follow now, LORD ENCREASE OUR LOVE; let that have a perfect work, that we may forgive an offender even so often; But the Apostles said, Lord increase our faith: Yes, That is the mother grace, get that, strengthen that, all is done. Shee is a mother in Israel, never alone, but honourably accompanied still with her children, Patience, Meckenesse, Love, Hope, Ioy, all these. Would I then rest quietly in a stormy night, when the winds blow, the raine and haile beat upon my house; would I be secure when terrour is round about; would I stand still, unmoveable in an earth-quake? Then I must say when I close mine eyes, and when I awaken, Lord encrease my faith. You have need of faith; It is impossible to do or suffer any thing [Page 49] without it, but, by it, All things are done and suffered, that we thinke impossible and most terrible: but nothing is impossible to faith: Therefore we must cry after this grace, and lift up Prov. 3. 22. our prayer for it; it is life unto the soule, and grace to the neck: Thereby we walk in our way safely, and at the end, we lye downe, and are not afraid: for faith makes The LORD our confidence, and therefore we will say evermore, Lord encrease our faith, it is the onely necessary thing: For, Job 18. 14.

First, it purifieth the heart, it subdues iniquity, it overcomes the world, nay it gives you victory over the King of terrors: I doe not meane Death, though that is a most terrible King, but Sin, which is the strength and sting of death, which makes a man seek for death as for hid treasure, that he might be rid of those thoughts of eternity, which is are the poison of vipers, and gall of Asps. It sets an edge upon our feares and our sorrows. This evill, a pure evill, Faith subdueth and mastereth through Christ, in the power of His might, and so we are made more then Conquerours, by laying hold-fast on Him, The Rock of our sal­vation.

Secondly, Faith bottomes the heart upon GOD, which was said before, and Faith encourageth the heart to duty (which follows) To live to God, To improve all we have and are To His Glory; so assureth the person, as He walks before Him here now, so he shall live in Glory for ever with The Lord. 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 suffer as good souldiers of Jesus Christ. I will shut up this with the words wherewith the righteous have concluded their Psal. 33. 21, 22 Psalme, and closed up their hearts against feare, Our heart shall rejoyce in Him: because we have trusted in His holy Name. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.

CHAP. V.

THe Righteous obey from the Rom. 6. 1 [...]. heart. An hearty obedi­ence, that is obedience indeed, and it is ever found in GODS way and Work. Such an obedience then, a walking in GODS way, an engaging the heart to GODS worke, is a soveraigne meanes To quiet and calme the spirit, when here is trouble on every side. For thus The righteous man reasoneth; Some Lion, some Esau, some fierce Adversary, some great trouble or crosse may meet me in my way: Yes, but I am in GODS way, I am doing my duty, let GOD alone for the rest; He will work for my comfort. As the valiant Romane said (I allude to it) when it was told him, That the enemie would be upon his back quick­ly, [...]go autem Sacrifico. Let him come, said he, I will keep to my service, I will do my duty for all that. I would rather instance in Nehemiah; he saw and heard enough to have daunted any mans spirit, that was not such a man as himselfe, That had not another spirit, and could set his face like a flint: And yet he was not carefull, he was not a­fraid, should such a man as he feare, imployed in GODS worke, and in His way? Should he fly? No not he. Let the adversary rage, and roare, and send, and write, and flatter, and lye, and slan­der, and blaspheme, (the adversaries did all this, and more) yet he would to his worke, and abide by it, for he was upon Temple­work, a sworne Man to doe his Lord service; And this Lord hath sworne to protect that man. Truly it is so. Let a Lion, a she-beare, or the devill meet such a person, crosse him in the way, he need not be carefull nor afraid, being groundedly resol­ved [Page 51] of this, I am in Gods way, upon His worke. O let me be stil found so doing. What? GODS work, and in His way, a mighty comfort this. It is as a Cordiall to the heart, when we suffer from the hand there; That there and then we have done our duty, Gods work in Gods way, so obeying from the heart. The An­gels are a safeguard about us; They beare us up: what would we have more for our security? The case is evident, it is an excee­ding comfort, a marvailous establishment to a man surrounded▪ ‘with terrors,’ That he is in GODS way, upon His worke. It is a Soveraigne Cordiall now in these perilous and exceeding feirce times; It stayes and chears the heart, and silenceth the reasoning of the Spirit. What? That I am in Gods way, and upon His work; the heart may meditate terrour now, when the Nations are angry, & Esa. 33. 18. the Kingdom totters like a drunken man. We will consider with all our hearts the case that Nehemiah was in, and his courage, for it is very notable; his case is the case of our Worthies, even of all that are able to stand in the gap for the help of the Church: And this time runs parallel with that then, after the very same Line: Therefore we will heare what Nehemiah sayes, and rea­son the case about him. What sayes he? Should such a man as I flee? And Who is there, that being as I am, would goe into the Tem­ple Neh. 6. 1 [...]. to save his life? A very bold speech; I pray you, since it is not too late, and it may be of much use now, let us examine this mans confidence.

Why might not such a man as hee flee? what manner of man was he? A faithfull man; one that feared God above many: There is the Answer for that. A faithfull man cannot be fear­full; a man full of faith cannot be full of feare: BEING AS I AM; In what a case was Nehemiah in then? In a very sad and perplexed case sure; All the reason he had, if hee had no more then we have, could not tell him, which way to take; for he had heard no lesse then ten times, That from all places the Ad­versary would be upon him: Nehe. 4. 12. And when The Lord brought that counsail to nought, they fell upon another, (The devils mint * Fabricator. Prov. 6. 14. is still going, his servants are still hammering there) The Ad-Adversary sent to Nehemiah no lesse then FOURE TIMES to procure a brotherly conference about an an Accommodation forsooth (but they thought to doe him Chap 6. 2. 3. 4. mischiefe) And when Ne­hemiah [Page 52] returned the Adversary still the same Answer, Foure times together, I AM DOING A GREAT WORKE WHICH MUST NOT CEASE, while I come downe to you to Parley about an Accommodation, (which was never in the adversaries thoughts, for they THOUGHT to doe him MISCHIEFE:) Then the Adversary sent his servant the fift time, with an open ver. 5. letter in his hand, and a loud lye, a Blasphemie rather, in his mouth, which was as we finde it written: (a) And all this to ver. 6, 7. make the Builders afraid, and the worke to cease; which prevailed so far with Shemajah, (I will mention no more of the false bre­thren;) ver. 10 That he pent himselfe up (like a wise man, who was resolved to save one) in a place, which had gates, Doores, and Barres (which the City had not at that time:) and he perswa­ded Nehemiah so to doe also (by a Spirit, as he said, of Revelation) To slinke aside from the worke, letting that cease till the brunt of opposition were over, and in the meane time provide for his life, Let us meete together in the house of GOD within the Tem­ple, and let us shut the doores of the Temple, for they will come to ver. 10. slay thee. And Nehemiah said, No man, being as I am, would goe into the Temple to save his life, I will not goe in. No truly, being as ver. 11 I am I will trust to an open place, that hath neither Walls nor Bulwarks; I am doing my duty; upon my Masters worke; in His way, I am doing a great worke, which must not rest, It is not necessary that I must live (though I know my times are (my life is) in my GODS hands, not at the dispose of the Adversary) but the worke must be done, that is necessary at this time: Being as I am upon This worke, and in This way, I will not goe into the Temple to save my life, not I. Should such a man as I flee? and being as I am? No, I Will doe my Worke, my Duty, I will walke in the way boldly (wherein never man miscarried yet) and for my poore life (well hazarded in such a worke and such a way) and all my concernements about it; all these I have com­mitted into His hands, Who is as a strong City; Salvation will Esay 26. 1. GOD appoint for walls and Bulwarke.

There is an end of that dispute, That I am in Gods way, & upon His work, answers all doubts, silenceth all gainsayers. A man may be reproached and persecuted, &c. in this way, but he can­not be distressed there, nor forsaken. The experience of all times, & [Page 53] of all the faithfull in all times will give cleare evidence here­unto.

The practise of Luther runs parallel with this of Nehemiah; Hell gates opened upon him, when he opened his mouth for God, and for His cause, and to promote His Glory. It is notable to reade how Luther encouraged Melanchthon against his oppressing feares, and himselfe also in The LORD: The enemy lives said Me­lanchthon and is strong: GOD lives for ever, answered Luther, and is Almighty. We cannot beare up against the tide of such opposition, said Melanchthon, an excellent man, but his spirit was fallen at that time quite: Nor men, nor Devils can hinder now we are in Gods way, and upon His worke, said Luther; We carry GOD along with us, His cause is in our ship, though the storm riseth high, yet God is above; The floods of ungodlinesse shall not make us afraid: That God is with us, (He is with us while we are with Him:) that it is His cause we are engaged upon, answereth all doubts, silenceth the reasoning of a timerous spi­rit, and fortifies it mightily against all disputes and debates from within the soule or from without.

The great question is now, will God restore Ierusalem? shall her breaches be made up? shall her wall be raised even now? This is the question, and it is much doubted, and the very best have carefull thoughts about it. But surely they doe not well to be so carefull, neither do they wisely inquire into the matter. It is true; Jerusalems wall and her breaches there, should take up the first-borne of our thoughts; but not the time when, nor the man­ner how these breaches shall be stopped, and the walls set up. The times and seasons for the accomplishing hereof, the meanes too, and the manner how, The Father hath put in His own power. The work goes on a pace; Blessed be His Name for all those that have offered themselves willingly to this worke; I say it, goes on with the encrease of God; and the times are TROUBLOUS, Dan. 9. 25. which is a good signe too. But whether this be the SET time, when GOD will perfect this work, it is not for us to en­quire; Think we of doing our duty, and upon our COST; It shall be done and perfected in GODS time, & that is the best time: and for the Church, the very season of Time, and that we may resolve upon. The LORD is wise in counsell and mighty in worke; and [Page 54] there the Church resteth. He may not do all this, this yeer, or the next, or the third year; for This work, Temple-work, the restore­ing the Kingdom of Israel, goes on surely, but slowly; mighty Ad­versaries set themselves against it, and decree against it, and will hinder as long as God pleaseth, till His set time comes. Truly we wonder He hath done so much for a people at this time, who have done so much against Him now and in all times: But Now sets a mark upon our frowardnesse, and makes it exceeding sin­full. And yet His patience is not wearied, though at every dif­ficulty, and crosse way, we are at a stand. He works gloriously every day, and reviveth still his servants hopes: And yet He may not make the earth to bring forth in one day, nor a Nation to be [...]sa [...]. 66. 8. borne at once; and what are a few yeares in His account? not so much as a few minutes in ours. The earth shall bring forth, even to our largest expectation, That is certaine; And the manchilde shall be borne perfect and compleate, thats out of doubt: per­haps not so soone as we would have it, we are too hasty. It may seeme to stick even at the birth so long, that the Adversary may lift up his horne with faire hopes, That it will never come forth: But it shall come forth in due time (thats Gods time, and it is His promise) when they that see it shall the more rejoyce, the more their sorrow and anguish was because it stuck at the birth so long: And the bones of the Righteous shall flourish like an Herbe. ver. 14. Why like an Herbe? Because they were dried like an hearth with long expectation: for now The hand of the Lord shalbe known (the more gloriously the longer the stop was) towards his servants, and His Indignation towards His enemies; for God hath given His servants leave to make this conclusion from His owne words, ‘kind and gratious, He hath brought to the Birth, He will give strength to bring forth (in his appointed time) And there His people set up their rest, doing their Duty, walking in Gods way, and doing His work.’ And this sustains them in their fainting fitts; quiets and settles them in troublous times, They do their duty, They are upon their worke, This I say, for it cannot be said too often, is as comfortable to them, and cordiall as this remem­brance was to the good king, when he heard the sentence of Death, Behold Lord I have walked before Thee in Truth and with 2 Kings. 20. 3. a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in Thy sight.

I may not conclude yet, for there is a great difficulty be­hind; but Let every man, according to his measure, and pro­portion of gifts, and power God hath put into his hand, offer him­self with a willing mind, wholly up to God in His way and work, so doing his Duty, and committing the issue and successe to God, in assurance hereof, That The Lord does all things well; orders all for the advancing His own Glory, and His Churches good: He will, in His own good time, performe His whole work upon mount Zion, and on Ierusalem, and then He will punish the Esai. 10. 12. stout-hearted, and bring down the Glory of their lookes. And, in the meane time, for this man, that attends his Duty, minds that wholly; is onely carefull at that point, The Lord will guide him with His eye, will uphold him with His hand, so as he shall not dash his foot against a stone. Now the difficulty follows, and that will make us dash and fall too, if we look not to our bottome, and our standing there upon. We shall heare now of sad and grievous things that befell them, which have stood to the cause of Christ, and done their duty: But blessed be God, though wee shall heare such things, which shall make some eares tingle, yet we shall not heare, That the righteous have forsaken their way, or their duty, though they have been sore broken in the place of dra­gons, and covered with the shadow of death: YET, no not YET shall we heare, That their heart turned back, nor that their feet have declined from THY WAY: No, though all this, which we (b) Psal. 44. 17. 18. 19. shall heare, is or may come upon them, what though? YET they are resolved, as their Fathers before them, The resolution of a gracious spirit ever, To keep close to GOD, and to Duty, To stir [...]p themselves against the hypocrite; Job. 17. 8. 9. To hold on their way, for they have cleane hands, and cleane hearts, washed white in the bloud of the Lambe. What followes? We need not make it a Question, They shall be stronger and stronger. Having now pre­mised this, I come to that, which is said against it, to scare the fearfull-hearted, mentioning onely that first, which occasioneth it; I had said, rather The Lord hath said it for me, He that keeps close with GOD, holds on his way, doth his duty, is resolved at that point, The LORD hath sworne by His holinesse, He will uphold this man, he shall not dash his foot. I will be bold to say, This is good Divinity, and as comfortable as any you can meet with in [Page 56] all your readings. Now hearken what is said to scare the Israel of GOD out of it, all His Antipasses that they may let-in feare, and let goe Duty. The Adversary shall never effect this while hee breathes; with Gods help I shall be able to beat him with his owne weapons, and fetch comfort, and light, and glory for the righteous, from out of his darknesse, and most ignominious usa­ges of Gods people, doing their duty, and holding to His way and work.

But the fearfull have looked upon all this already, and they object,

He that does his duty, keeping to Gods way and worke, may Ob. dash his foote and fall too, and rise no more in this world, if he be resolute upon that way, and to doe his duty therein; as like to dash upon danger and to be swallowed 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, Apostles, that 1 Cor. 11. cloude of witnesses in the little booke of Martyrs, they walked in Gods way and did their Duty, and did they not dash upon danger? To come neerer to our own times. Looke upon those TWO WITNESSES, those few Vocatur An­tipas non ficto sed vero nomi­ne: tot pene lite­ris & syllabis Martyres hujus temporis decla­rat fore Anti­papas. Revel. 2. 13. Antipasses, faithful Magi­strates; and faithfull, Ministers, and faithfull people, opposing, in all ages of the world, upward to this day, and so will all their Dayes, Roome and their abominable Idolatries, and then you will say they doe their Duty and are in Gods way; But see I pray you, and marke well how they are used, you would not use a Dog so; And see where they lye, A goodly recompence for doing their Duty, and walking in Gods way, will the world say.

No matter what the world saies, not a pin matter, nor how they Answ. use the servants of God: They are vile and refuse with the world, because they doe their Duty, and are the excellent there, not of the world: A sure Testimony of perdition to the world of ungod­ly men, whose superstitions may be out of ignorance, but their cruelty is out of malice. But to the point. It is granted, That if ever the Devil, (that Legion, for I mean with him, all his servants) stand with open mouth and out-stretched arme against a man; it is then, when he walks in GODS way, and doth his Duty. The wicked are carryed with an indignation against no way, no work but that, onely because it is an holy way, and a godly work. There­fore [Page 59] a way of suffering it may be, a way of perishing it cannot be.

Not a perishing way! See yonder, The Beast shall make war Ob. against them, shall overcome them and kill them; Then see where Rev. 11. 7. their bodies lye, and how long, and how merry the Adversary is over them, very jocund and glad when he hath done such an ex­ploit upon those that tormented them.

We have a proverbe, he that laughs after laughs too, and more Ans. heartily; he that laughs before, is as he that girdeth-on his harnes▪ he knows not what may happen to damp his mirth: But he that laughes after sees all clear before him, and is as he, that putteth his harnesse off. Certainly, for It was never questioned yet, These witnesses shall have their time again to laugh, when the Adver­saries shall gnaw their tongues for paine. But to the point. We have seene the worst that can befall the men of GOD in GODS way and upon His worke; and how small a thing do we see? Some Dead bodies. I must take leave now, To speake according to my understanding and to his capacity, also who, if he meets with a Dead body, takes it to be a Carkesse, all life is gone: Doubt­lesse these are not carkesses, for if so, They had not layne so long a­bove ground, in the street of the great Citty: nor had the Adver­sary any Cause to rejoyce over them (indeed he hath not, but I speake with respect to the offence of a dead body, lying uncover­ed) or hinder their bodies to be put in the graves. Rev. 11. 9. They were mystically dead sure, for such also is their resurrection, their com­ing to life again: I think thus it was, and yet I cannot expresse it in words what Antichristian Rome, far more cruel then heathen­ish Rome: (She was a Dragon fell and Cruell, but not so Cruell, as a Lamb with hornes, as Shee is, that looks like a sheepe, and is so in her clothing, but inwardly is a greevous wolfe: O beware of her, and her Religion: she is MYSTERY BABYLON the GREAT, The mother of Harlots, And abominations of the earth, Rev. 17. 5. and hath no more good in her, then what can be found in the bottomlesse pit, from whence her Power and Authority ascendeth.) Rev. 11. 7. I was saying, That death there is not properly so called; but my­stically; thus I thinke it was, Rome with her sworne servants, hath done (and will doe) all the indignities, that are Imaginable against these witnesses, suspending, putting out of office, Defaming, Defacing, Degrading; Truly I know not what, but what Rome [Page 60] (that delights in proud wrath) could doe, shee hath done, and will doe against these witnesses. And how far doth their malice reach? To the Body, no farther: And that was Dead in law be­fore (the Body is dead because of sin) The Body, It is GODS build­ing, we must thinke and esteeme honourably of it, for it shall be a Glorious body: but as it is here, and in comparison, 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 Scrip­ture, but with this addition, a Dead, a vile, a corruptible Bodie: The Soule stands for All, and indeed it is All, that we might put esteeme upon it more then upon all the world. We see Bodies and dead bodies there, then the Adversary can but kill the Bodie, their proud wrath can reach no farther: They can but take downe that Tabernacle, which, had it stood a little longer, would have fel of its self; God has never given a man His security, That his Body shall be kept from perishing. The streame of the promise runs still to­wards the Soule; I was in the very mouth of Danger, sayes Paul, almost swallowed up there: I was delivered at that time: Nero (he was the Lyon) had not power over me at that time: And the 2 Tim. 4. 17. LORD shall deliver me, there is his security: from what? from Nero? No, hee sayes not so; for at length (when Paul had finished his testimony) he was given up to that devourer: The Lord shall deliver me from every evill worke: An evil worke, a complying with the workers of iniquity, and with their wicked wayes, that is worse then the Devourers mouth, a thousand times worse: so nor Paul nor the witnesses did doe. Now take all, will preserve me to His heavenly Kingdome, Thats all indeed; and makes amends for all, will preserve me to His heavenly King­dom, where the dead bodies now, that have all the dishonours put upon them, that are conceivable, shall be glorious Bodies. We have viewed the Bodies, now we consider where they lie.

2 Where lye they? In the street, All the disgrace that can bee imagined shall be put upon them, that will doe their Duty, if they come into their Adversaries hand, and it shall be done a­gainst them in the openest place, where the Adversary may glut his eye in the exercise of proud wrath, wherewith his heart is filled. To expresse it as we read, The Adversary having made himselfe drunke with blood, will make these witnesses a GA­ZIMG-STOCK, [Page 61] by reproches and afflictions; a spectacle to the world, Angels and men. Heb. 10. 13. 1 Cor. 4. 9. Why then, who is on Gods side, who? he that is resolved to take Gods part must expect such usage, but then he may expect such an exceeding and superlative com­fort as will countervail and make amends for all. If all the comforts in the world were distilled into one elixir, & put into these witnesses hands, it would not be so cordiall as this which follows; All this villanous usage upon these Bodies shall bee done; where? where also our LORD CHRIST was Crucifi­ed. That was without the Gates of Jerusalem. True; and with­out the territories too, by a Law not their own, for the Iews could put no man to Death, but from Caesar Tiberius, he was the Emperour in Rome; It is very comfortable: what follows? There also our Lord was Crucified: But rejoyce in as much as ye 1 Pet. 4. 13. are partakers of Christs sufferings; that when His glory shall be re­vealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. Who would not rejoyce to be put to open shame for Christ, where Christ was put to open shame for him? A great Commander refused a Crowne of gold in that place, where the Lord Christ had put upon him a Crowne of thornes. There is a continuall spring of comfort from thence, which abundantly makes amends for all the proud wrath, put forth against these Bodies, in the street of the great City: There also our Lord was crucified. They shall suffer no more, but what their Lord hath suffered before them; and in that He hath 1 Pet. 4. 13. suffered that shame, He suffered it for them, that their shame now might be their glory. Truly there is a comfort contained in these words, that is not expressible but by the mouthes of these witnes­ses; And they felt it then, even a joy unspeakable. I say then, when that wicked woman, that abominable strumpet, with her Rev. 11. 10. lovers, were so jocund and joyfull over them, making merry and sending gifts one to another: for this is a conclusion of experience, That GOD leaves not His Servants (Orphanes) comfortlesse: John. 14. 18. [...]. At such a time as this, when they are in the eyes of man, father­lesse, friendlesse, helplesse, in the hands of proud wrath, exercising all the indignities, that are imaginable upon them, and glutting their eye therewith, then they are orphans, (you will say) for all have left them, and there they lie as you see. But now marke the promise, I will not leave you (Orphans) comfortlesse: I will come [Page 62] to you: nay He is come, it is in the present tense, now He is come in, for all the creature-comforts are gone forth, then God comes [...]. in, in that season and nick of time: And if there be any comfort in His presence, as sure there is, for He is The God of comforts, and God speaks to His people most comforta­bly in a Wil­dernesse. The sweetest com­forts come forth of the greatest straits. the Father, not of some, but of all consolations: then they are sure to find it at such a time, when they are, in the eye of the world, comfortlesse, free among the dead, put to open shame, and the Adversary, jocund and merry over them. Then is Gods time to come-in, and that is His Promise, and it is comfort enough for the present: For after-time reade on, how these faithfull ser­vants have concluded, That, after the rate of their sorrows and sufferings, shall their comforts and consolations be: And by the measure of their shame and reproach for Christ here, shall their robe of Glory be cut-out hereafter, wherewith they shall be ve­sted in heaven. So they have concluded, and cannot faint in their mindes.

Thirdly, Consider how long the Bodies shall lye there; how long shall they be so dispitefully used? Three dayes and a halfe. They are long dayes, as we account length of time, who account GODS Patience a sl [...]cknesse; But were they three thousand yeeres, yet that length of time makes no difference in eternity. Their soules are safe enough; Souls and Bodies shall meet againe, The spirit of life from GOD shall enter into them: and then they, that were so merry and glad over them, shall be sad enough, for great feares shall fall on them: And quickly after these turmoiles they shall be for ever with the Lord, more glorious then the sun when he shines in his strength; for their bodies were put to open shame for Christ, and where He was crucified (Oh it was a sweet con­sideration) and so long, three whole long Dayes: now they shall have such a length of Glory, that we have not a thought to mea­sure it. He that hath observed this, hath let it sinke down into his heart, and he will hold to the way and worke of The LORD, & his countenance wil be no more sad: He may heare sad things, and observe crosse wayes, and crosse wills; hee may smart under the execution of proud wrath: But he hath resolved all into this, The will of The LORD be done. He is most content, That GOD should goe that way, which shall make most for His Glory, Who will make, as we shall see anon, all crosse wayes and wills meet at [Page 63] that highest point; and in a sweet harmony, consent, good agree­ment, and a full answerablenesse to His most Holy will. In the mean time he doth, and by the grace of God, is resolved to do his duty, and to hold to the way, all the faithfull have gone in before him, maintaining his watch over his enemies, himself also, and his own wayes, so finding abundance of Peace. This followes.

CHAP. VI.

VVAtchfullnesse over the Enemy, and a mans selfe, is the great duty of a Christian, renders him Blessed, highly honoured of GOD; and secure against his Adversary;

First, Blessed is he that watcheth, Rev. 16. 14. for he will keep his gar­ments, so that the shame of his nakednesse shall not appeare: And (b) Rev. 3. 18. The LORD wil honour those Servants, whom He finds watching, with the greatest honour that can be imagined: He will gird himselfe, and come forth and serve them. Luke 12. 37.

Secondly, Secure. They who are found watching, are secure against their Adversary; he comes like a roaring Lion, thinking to doe mischiefe, (for that is the purpose of his heart) but he can doe them no hurt, for he finds them waking in their watch-tower.

So we come to the Duty; we have seen the honour of it, the security in it: now see the nec [...]ssitie, to be now, as in all times, the servants of The LORD have been, WATCHFULL. They are bold and fearlesse, because they make their watch strong: They maintain a wakefull eye over the Adversary, to prevent his com­ming against them, To hinder the work. What needs that? you Nehe. 4. 1. Jer. 31. 28. will say, The Watchman of Israel keeps His servants, I will watch over them to build and to plant, saith the Lord: And His Angels are a guard about them. True, But all this doth not make them [Page 64] carnally secure; but indeed the more watchfull: Gods watching over His servants, His giving His Angels charge over them, doth not give them license to snore in the daytime, or to sleep in their harvest: No, they are in Gods way, and upon Gods work, then, as The Lord Christ said to His Disciples, Mat. 26. 45. Sleep on now and take your rest. He knew that could not be, No time for sleeping then: So these servants of The Lord cannot sleep now, now they are in Gods way and work, for they must look for all the opposition the devill and his Angels can make against them, but the fruit of all that old enmity, that is in the Spirit, which rules in and amongst the children of disobedience. There is no enemie in all the world, but, if you doe meet him, it will be in GODS way, and when you are upon GODS worke, Church-work, Tem­ple-work, making up the breaches in Jerusalems walls: there the Adversaries are, there, &c. then they will appeare in their likenesse, the Lion, the Adder, and the Dragon, Sanballat and To­biah, and the Arabian Nehe. 6. 1. too, and the rest of your enemies, there they will meet you upon That WALL, and perhaps be upon you before you are aware. If the Adversary may have his will, ye shall neither know nor see. And behold a strange greeting; you Neh. 4 11. had as good meet with a Beare robbed of her whelps, for you wil find that Adversary, the very same he was, very Nehe. 4. 1. wroth, taking great indignation against the work, and the way; perhaps he will now, as then, mock too, and grin like a dog.

So it hath been ever since the first restoring of the Church; When Moses came into Egypt, and made his demands, very peremptory, (for such are the demands of GOD touching His service) he would have all to an hoofe, not leave so much as a hoofe in Egypt: Then we reade what followed. How it was after their returne from Babylon, Ezra and Nehemiah have told us. It was so in latter times towards the close of the former Centurie, and beginning of this, when Luther appeared in Ger­manie, spoiling the Pope and his Merchants of that great gaine and in-come by Indulgences, (It was an ordinary Merchandize with those cunning Merchants, for amongst their wares they have the precious soules of men. Rev. 18. 13.

So I say, it was when Luther appeared in Germanie, that glo­rious instrument, confounding the Pope and his cunning Mer­chants, [Page 65] rescuing the cause of Christ, and advancing His Glory; Then, and not till then, Germanie was full of stirs, a tumultuous Nation; Hell seemed to be let loose, and the devils roaring upon him; But then Luther was as bold as a Lion, yet as wise as a Serpent; He was upon GODS worke, and in His way, that made him bold and confident; and so he would have Melanchthon then to be strong in The Lord, (his incouragements are notable;) he did live amongst Lions, his soule lay amongst those that were set on fire, that kept him waking and watchfull; but thus he did encou­rage himselfe in The LORD, he was in Gods way, and upon His work. A marvellous comfort, and which commands an holy security; his heart might meditate terrour, but it commands watchfulnesse too, even to doe as the Builders or Reformers did in ancient dayes, Make your praier unto God, and set watch against them day and night, because of them: For, as the Adver­saries said then, so they say now; and therefore what the ser­vants did then, so they must doe now, Set the people in their cour­ses with Nehe. 4 89. their swords, their speares, and their bowes, and the builders every one gird his sword by his side, and so build. And though they doe put off their clothes, which the builders then did not, (saving that everie one put them off for washing) yet they must keep a strong watch, and their sword under their pillow. Read M. N [...]w­cemens Ser­mon upon Neh. 4. 11. wherein, by the good hand of God with him, he hath discovered the adversaries skirts upon their face; he hath shewn the Nation their nakednesse, and the 3. Kingdoms their shame; he hath cast abo­minable filth upon them, & made them as they are, vile.

This is watchful [...]nesse, and as needfull now as then (for now the breaches are stopping up) now the enemy saith, The builders shall not know neither see till we come in the midst amongst them and slay them. We are assured that all the enemies in the world, are now setting themselves against this way, and consulting how they may hinder this worke: It is temple-worke, the restoring and building Ierusalems walls. There is need of watchfullnesse then, mighty cause to maintaine a continuall watch over this Legion (for he is many and full of wrath) as great cause to watch as David had, when Saul sent, and they did watch the house to kill him. (* title of the 59 Psal.)

It is observable, That where the servants of The Lord have their warrant for their greatest security, there they may observe cause enough why they should be exceeding watchfull. A vine­yard of red wine is My Church, My people, unto Mee, most plea­sant and most Delightfull: I The LORD doe keep it: I will water (d) Rev. 18. 13. [Page 66] it every moment lest any hurt it, I will keepe it night and day. ver. 3. There is security. Observe now what a mighty Adversary the Church hath (not to speake of the little foxes, and other grie­vous Beasts, wherewith Gods vine-yard is annoyed) Leviathan, ver. 1. the peircing serpent, even Leviathan that crooked serpent; The spirit meanes, All the divells in hell, and all his servants on earth, their force and fraud both: And how prevailing by these wayes, This Adversary is, we may collect by the instrument. The LORD brings forth against him, His sore, and great, and strong sword; very comfortable to the Church all this, but it is very stirring and com­manding to keep their watch strong, their garments white and close girt unto them. Bee sober, bee vigilant, because your adver­sary the divell, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom 1 Pet. 5. 8. he may devoure. The conclusion is, The Righteous must be full of eyes; They had need to set a Thousand eyes over this Adversary rather; that is first; And then

Secondly, Then thousand eyes over themselves, even that every man maintaine over himselfe now, a double watch, consider­ing they are the souldiers of Jesus Christ, engaged in the warre with the Lambe, and going out against the Lambes enemies, and must keep themselves, according to the charge, from every wicked thing: therefore had they need (as the devout Spaniard said) to Deut. 23. 9. set ten thousand eyes over themselves: then againe, consider, A mans enemies are those of his own house; enemies also, and those the strongest within his own breast.

Thirdly, Adde to this; That we know not the day, nor the houre; but the comming of the Lord will be at midnight, in the midnight of the world, when they say all is peace, and think they may be secure, and so fall all asleep, then He comes as a thiefe. Put all this together, and it will command watchfulnesse; wee shall double our watch, we shall make it strong, That we may be in a readinesse, with our loines girt, our armour at hand, for, as we said, we know not at what time danger and trouble may come. We know not the houre, when the generall Judgement, nor when the particular shall be; we know not the houre; when we lye downe, we know not how we may be awakened, with what cry, nor what noise we may heare at midnight. What lyeth in the wombe of a day, is darknesse unto us; and what a night may [Page 65] bring forth, lyeth in the same wombe of darknesse also: Wee cannot see into an houre before us. Happy is that man that makes his watch strong, that fortifies himselfe in The Lord his God, That keeps himself in His feare all the day long, and night also; That closeth his eyes with GOD, and makes his Christ the end of his thoughts: so sleeps, as in the lap or arms of The Al­mighty. This man is prepared, and what ever the cry be, with which he is awakened, he is in a readinesse, his loines girt, his lampe burning, and oyle for supply. So he goes forth to meet, and if he meet with enemies, nay, with devils, he is in a readinesse, and as bold as a Lion: But if he goe forth to meet his LORD and CHRIST, O how joyfull is he! Him he served all his life long, with Him his last thoughts closed, when he fell asleep: therefore in the morning of his awaking, he is bold, and confi­dent, joyfull and glad; all his dayes he watched for this time, as the Watch-man for the morning.

To draw to a conclusion. Truly this Mother-City, the City of God, have done even thus as we heard, and as we all should doe so they wait for GOD, so they love GOD, so they feare Him, so they Trust in HIM, so they obey: And, to make clear proof that so they do, so watchfull they are over the Adversary, And themselves. And so, they thank their GOD, they have profited very much by all the hatred, the hard words, & ungodly deeds from the adversary: his violent dealing hath made their love the hot­ter, their feare more refined, and fixed, their confidence better bottomed, more setled upon the rock, their obedience more pure, more single, and more hearty, and their watch a thousand times stronger, against their enemies, and over themselves. Thus all things tend to the advantage of His people, and work together for their good, which must be considered on, now in the last place.

CHAP. VII.

GReat are the works of The Lord, Sought out of them that take pleasure therein; SOUGHT OUT with diligent inquiry, not with a curious prying into them, much lesse with an over-hasty censuring and judging of them; here we must walk softly, taking leasure.

We must not judge of the acts of GODS providence by pieces, here a part and there a part; as we do not a peice of Arrace, not halfe unfolded: stay till GOD hath done His whole worke, hath accomplished it upon mount Zion, then unfold the work, and behold a glorious symme [...]try and uniformity all together workeing for the good of those, that love Him. If we looke upon GODS works apart and alone, here one piece and there another, they will be as unpleasing to the eye, as are the members of a body divided, and lying apart from the head: They will seeme fearfull and terrible, wondrous crosse to the marke they tend to.

Ioseph must be a prime and cheife man in Egypt; look you how crosse all things goe! he is sold for a servant, and it was well he scaped so; when he had gained no little favour, and became a great master, then his feet were put in the stocks.

Things went as crosse with David too. How long? To the very day (I reckon within a few houres) he was to be King, that very day the people spoke of stoning of him. 1 Sam. 30 6.

GODS providence seemed as strange, and as crosse towards Mordecai; and as favourable to Haman, That Enemy and Ad­versary; Mordecai must ride in state through the city, and Ha­man must lead the horse, and lacquie by; and so it was. But be­fore that day came, Haman was very confident, That he should see Mordecai set on high upon a gallows, which he had provided for his purpose. Truly the admonition is seasonable; Iudge no­thing [Page 67] before the time, but remember these are GODS workes, and He will work like a GOD, His providences, what ever they seeme to be now, they wil appeare to be admirable, exceeding glorious; Little can we by the begin­ing of any action, guesse at Gods inten­tion in the conclusion. Now here is a piece of providence, and it seemes terrible; here is another piece and causeth distractions; A third piece, and that causeth a sword; here is a fourth piece, and Oh how crosse it is to the high marke it tends to! for there be thoughts of accommo­dation, of compounding the cause of Christ, and that is a crosse way indeed: so we judge before the time, stay a little while and we shall see all these crosse wayes meet, and kisse each other: so as we shall say, in the close of the work, All was carried on in a curious Method; things seeme to be carried very confusedly in our eye, up and downe, and then a crosse as upon wheeles: But there is a wheele within the wheeles and eyes, (providences) Ezech. 1. round about. If we could see we would say; All things are carried in an excellent Method. The lines of Gods providence drawn in the circumference of the world, seeme no lesse confused then the moaths in the sun.

But we shall see one day, That not one line could be spared; And that all tend Directly to the great center, The Glory of the Workman and The rest of His people. We think we see crooked­nesse, an unevennesse in the lines and wayes of Gods Providence; But we are deceived; mans wayes are unequall, Gods wayes are equall: stay a little, we shall say so too. I said well, stay a while, as those that live by faith, and do not make haste, untill GOD hath wrought His whole worke, till we can put all together; Then we shall discerne plainly, That all together worked gloriously for the promoting the great, supreame and soveraigne ends, GODS Glory and HIS Churches peace, in the exalting His people, pluck­ing down and confounding the Adversary.

Nay GOD hath not wearied out His people, with expectati­on; Though He hath not yet accomplished His whole worke, yet He gives His people leave to behold some pieces thereof; And see how wonderfull and admirable they are, what strange pro­vidences, crosse wayes, as was said, hath he made to meet; contra­ry natures, and wills have wrought effectually towards the set­ling of Truth and Peace, that these might meete in a sweet agree­ment. Take a view of it at once, and behold the poyson of Aspes, [Page 68] viperous tongues, embalming; wounds, healing; weaknesse, strengthening; temptations, fortifying; straits, enlarging; per­verse counsels, ensnaring (the perverse counsellours:) fears, sup­porting; distractions, uniting; troubles, quieting; stops & pressures to beare down the spirits of men, heightening the same. Thus the LORD hath done in this short time. What then may the people of GOD expect to see in after time, when the work is done, and they can put all together, who have seen such strange providences, and glorious workings thereof already? He that hath wrought so gloriously, and hath given His people such a discerning, will worke much more, and will be admired in the close of His whole work when His people can put all together.

Now we are to consider with more enlagement what The LORD hath done, making crosse wayes meete in a good agree­ment, and crosse spirits to stand in a posture for the safeguarding His Kingdome; And what a good GOD do His people serve! who would not feare Him? who would not serve such a God? who would not trust Him now? Hee makes all work for good; All that we call evil; and to sense it is so, is good to them; never any thing in the world fell out to The people of GOD whereof they could not say, this is good now, for it works thereunto; and which is yet more comfort, they can say confidently, it will be better anon, 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 so or they make it so: or, rather against the nature thereof, it is made so to them: things disagreeing are made to agree very well, and impossible things to be possible, for so we read, if we read the History of these last months. Can a man imagine, (who walkes by sense) but that the noise of swords, and staves would silence the lawes, and daunt the spirits of men utterly? yet it was not so, This noise wakened the lawes, and raised the spirits the higher: would we not think that the sword would make divisions? It was taken up for that end, and so it works most naturally. But so it shall not do, It shall worke contrary effects: it shall cement and sodder men to­gether: It shall make many to be as one man, of one mind in a house, and so to seek the peace of Israel.

Yea but the sword drawes blood, makes havock in the Land, It robbs, and spoiles, &c.

Very true: but it had made more havock, had it come upon us, and found us sleeping: then it had cut all our throats. It had raged all the Land over with a rage reaching unto heaven, as now in Ireland. Blessed be God, we know our friends now, we see our enemies, the Papists and Atheists all the World over. It is not a Kingdome divided against it selfe, but one Kingdome divi­ded against another: The Kingdome of CHRIST against the Kingdome of Antichrist. And this Antichristian kingdom will rage as they can, to their power to shed blood, But The LORD hath them in His chaine, and hath caused His people to set a watch over them: and hath sent forth His Host against them: There is this good in it now, and it is a great good, The enemies of the Church are in part manifest now: they shall be more ma­nifest anon. So are her friends, shee knowes now and can re­solve her selfe in the question, Who will rise up for mee against the evill doers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of ini­quity? Psal. 94. 16. The Church cannot forsake her confidence now in her GOD; He that hath wrought HITHERTO will worke: He that hath discovered the Adversary: He that hath made their madnesse so manifest, will goe on to doe yet more: what will He do? The Church can answer, That which shall be best for her sons and daughters both for the time, manner and meanes of doing it, though all this they leave in their LORDS hand, let Him work as He pleaseth, if in the dark, and His foot-steps are upon the waters, and no print of them, yet, as Master Bradford said, so saith the Church, She will follow her LORD in the dark. Though he seeme to goe by compasse, by the bow, as we call it, yet Hee goes the straightest, and neerest course to His GLORY, carrying all levell thereunto. The Church is marvailously contented with this, (That all works for her Lords Glory) her spirit shall work after Him, even the strength of her spirit, in that way He goes, though clouded and over-shadowed with da [...]knesse: for she is confident, This very way wherein she sees not the prints of all his foot-steps, (she sees very much) tends most directly to her full comfort here, and her glory hereafter.

The Church hath seene so much of God, such sweet experien­ces, so many providences, so strange, so wonderfull, such com­mings-in of God unto her, when in her Egypt, in her wilder­nesse, [Page 70] that she cannot distrust him now. Psal. 22. 4. Our fathers trusted in thee: What follows? Thou didst deliver them: They cryed unto thee, and they were delivered. Though we are full of chan­ges, yet God is the same to His Church for ever: And to distrust now after all this, were a provocation as was theirs (by unbe­liefe) at the SLA, even at the RED Sea. The Church cannot question Gods love to her, nor dare she question His Power; Hee is GOD, The King of His Church, He reigneth in the midst of His enemies, and then like Himself, most gloriously. He brought along Captivity upon His people for THEIR GOOD. He hath Jer. 24 5. ordered our distractions so, that they have beene for our good. How so? GOD will have it so, and we need not ask a question, when we see it to be so, distractions for GOOD. They have ten­ded to union, and joyning together, the good with the good ne­ver faster, the bad with the bad never closer, like the scales of the Leviathan, they stick together that they cannot be sundred. Crosse spirits, who will be opposite, and spurne against the pricks for their hurt, these shall be suffered and countenanced for the good of His people, To make them more in love with Truth, to contend for it more earnestly, in a more orderly and unanimous way, now that they see all the wicked, all the Malignants of the world are bent and doe contend against them: Then we must conclude, All tends to advance GODS glory and His peoples good; Their fears have wrought for GOOD; it hath made them wait patiently for God; it hath made their love more per­fect, their feare more refined, their dependance more glorious, their obedience more sincere and hearty, their watch ten thousand times stronger against their adversaries, and over themselves. Blessed be GOD who hath done all this, made their fears and disquietings to pull downe and spoile their owne strong-holds, Nature and Sin, and to build up and fortifie their impregnable Forts, Love to God, Feare of God, Confidence in God, Obedience unto God, and Watchfulnesse in all.

To shut up all. The Righteous wait patiently for God; they love Him, they feare Him, they stay themselves upon Him, they obey from the heart, (if their Obedience were not hearty, their Trust were presumption) they make their watch strong over themselves, and against their adversaries: Goe thou thy way [Page 71] now, thou art in Gods way, and doe likewise, and be no longer sad: if thou standest alone now, and there be none that will take thee by the hand, unlesse to thrust thee downe, yet fear not: Though an Host encamp about thee, thou art in Gods way, and upon His work, fear not: He will hold thee by His hand, He wil be thy Arm every morning, thy salvation also in the time of trouble.

Onely keep to your strong hold, (i. e.) hold fast your confi­dence. Let sinners in Zion be afraid, fearfulnesse must surprise the Idolatrous Nation, they have no God to look unto, no chambers Esay 26. 20. to enter into, while the indignation passeth over: They are now like a tottering wall, and a broken fence; they are falling and dashing to pieces like a potters vessell. The Lord sees their day is comming, for they are very proud, their rage riseth high, and so many steps and degrees to their utter ruine, and everlasting con­fusion. As the righteous work out their salvation with feare and trembling, so doe the wicked work out their destruction with joy and gladnesse over the ruines they have made in the world: you can wait upon God, you love Him, you feare Him, you trust in Him. We have concluded. Our fathers trusted in Thee: they Psal. 22. 4, 5. trusted, and Thou didst deliver them. They cryed unto Thee and were delivered. For the armes of the wicked shall be broken, but Psal. 37. 17. The Lord upholdeth the righteous.