2 Peter 2:9 (part 1 of 2)

Induction. PRofane people conceit GOD to bee all of mercie, and cannot endure to heare of his Iustice: or if they bee convinced to acknowledge him also Iust, yet they measure it Secundum parvitatem suam, by the povertie of their owne Iudgement; and thinke it pitie to destroy a man for his sins. Indeed it pleaseth God to be magnified by his mercies above all his workes: and we never finde him called the Father of Iudgements, but often the Father of mercies. Mercie seemes to be more properly his than vengeance: for he takes the matter a mercie out of himselfe and his goodnesse: Bern. Sed quòd judicat & damnat, nos cum [quodammodo] cogimus: but that he punisheth and condemneth; our sins compell 〈…〉 it. But both are infinite in him that is infinite; and as mercie hath her day in giving time of Repentance, so Iustice must have her day in the retribution of vengeance. All sins are debts, all Gods debts must be paied: it is a bold word, but a [true]; is in vaine to hope for pardon without payment. Every sin must be [punished] either in the person of the Saviour, or in the person of the sinner. Too many reckon their owne sins, as the false Steward did his Masters debts: of a hundred, they set downe but fifty: as if God would call them to account, because he knew them faithfull. Thus they may hide God from themselves, but they cannot hide themselves from God. Doe they think that God wil be so kinde to them, as to be unjust to himselfe? No, the Lord will be just, let them goe on and perish. There can be no reconciliation without remission, no remission without satisfaction, no [satisfaction] but in the bloud of Christ. Turne over the book of thy conscience, see if thou canst finde that reckoning there discharged. We keepe bookes for expences, doe we keepe none for offences? He never breakes his sleepe for debt, that payes as he takes up. But carelesse arrereages shall find a day of reckoning.

Connection. That God is not just without mercie, nor mercifull without Iustice, this Text proves; which speakes of a Deliverance to the godly, to the unjust of Vengeance. God indeed is Nah. 1.3. slow to anger, yet he will not acquit the wicked. So that a man shall say, Psal. 58.11. Verily there is a reward for the righteous, surely there is a God that judgeth the earth. A man, any man, every man shall confesse it, none have power to deny it. This is our Apostles conclusion upon the premisses: God could preserve the holy Angels by his mercie, and confound the Apostate Angels in his Iustice: in his mercie saveth righteous Noah, when by his Iustice he drench’d the unrighteous world: Iustly destroyeth foure ungodly Cities, and mercifully delivers one just Lot. He that could doe such mighty workes, in heaven, on earth, in the waters; can as easily still deliver his children, and reserve the unjust to the day of Iudgement to be punished.

The verse containes a paire of thwart sentences, directly opposite, Distribution. in qualitie of persons, conditions, and events. Here is the Godly and unjust: a delivering, and Reserving: out of temptations, into Iudgement. God stands in the fore-front, and hath two armes stretched forth: one arme to the East, another to the West: one to deliver the godly out of trouble, the other to inflict severe punishment upon the wicked. Here is an Enlargement, and an Attachment: a delivering out of prison, and a casting into prison: a releasing from present perturbation, and a binding over to a further Session. The godly are acquitted, absolved, freed; not reprieved, but quite delivered. The unjust are apprehended, bound over, goe as ‘twere under baile: at the generall Assises they must make their appearance, and being guilty receive their sentence. This the Iudge can doe, and will doe: he wants not power, for he is The Lord: he wants not wisedome, for Novit, He knoweth. His Almighty wisedome, and all wise power, are extended to both these actions, The Lord knoweth. The righteous proceeded thus far, they come upon their tryall; for temptation is a tryall: but not to arraignement, much lesse to conviction, least of all to condemnation. But being charged by that common Barritor, the accuser of the brethren; and thus brought before the Iudge, not publikely at a Session, but to a private examination, they are found innocent, and delivered. Temptations, like fetters, may hamper and afflict them for a while, but when their cause comes to be heard, and their righteousnesse appeareth, they are discharged. For the other, their guilt is manifest, therefore the chaines of bondage are upon them, which together with the custodie of omnipotencie shall keepe them fast to the day of Iudgement, and that shall send them to execution, to be punished.

In the enlargement consider these particulars. 1. What, a deliverance. 2. Who are delivered, the godly. 3. From what, out of temptations. 4. By whom, The Lord doth it. 5. How; we need not examine, it is sufficient, Dominus novit, The Lord knoweth how.

First, the matter is a Deliverance. It is a great comfort in every distresse, Deliverance. to hope for a deliverance: to beleeve it, greater: to be sure of it, greatest of all. Thus certaine is every Christian, by the assurance of faith, grounded on the infallible promise of God. It was promised to Abraham, in Isaac shall thy seed be called: yet must Isaac, before he had seed, be killed; and that by his fathers owne hand. Here Abraham might reason; I may beleeve the promise, and not obey the commandement: I may obey the commandement, and not beleeve the promise: but how can both stand together? But he holds the promise, and obeys God, though all the reason in the earth cannot tell how that promise and that commandement should stand together. Though I know not, and reason know not, yet God [knoweth]. In humane reasoning it is a note of ignorance to sticke alwayes to the conclusion: but in spirituall tryalls this is sound Divinitie, to hold fast GODS promises. Therefore hee both beleeves the one, and obeys the other: this Deliverance was above his reason, it was not above his faith. Hee did not argue, but obey: being sure that what GOD commands, is good, and what he promises, is infallible: therefore carelesse of the meanes, he trusts to the end. Daniel is not delivered at the beginning of his trouble, he must first be in the Lions den; then he finds it. Those three servants are not rescued at the ovens mouth; in the fornace they are. That is a gratious well tryed faith, that can hold out confidence to the last.

Abraham after that terrible command, must goe three dayes journey, a tedious extension of his sorrow: and in all that travell no Angell meets him with newes of a deliverance. He sees the chosen mountaine, dismisseth his servants; a strange devotion that will abide no witnesses, none comes yet. All the while the Altar is a building, his owne heart bleeding; Isaac pleading for his life, none yet. He bindes his hands, layes the wood on the Altar, the Sacrifice on the wood; yet no newes. Now having kissed him his last, after many mutuall teares, he lifts up his hand to give the fatall blow of death: yet he does not thinke, perhaps God will relent after the first wound. Loe, now the comfort of Abraham, the hope of the Church, lies a killing by the hand of his Father; yet there is no revocation. I would have made the bowels of a Savage yearne at this spectacle; to see the knife of such a Father hanging over the throate of such a sonne: yet he whom it nearest concerned, is least touched: faith had wrought in him, what cruelty would in others, not to be moved. He proceeds, contemning all feares, and overlooking all impossibilities: deliverance he might expect, but he knew not which way it could come: onely that the same hand which raised Isaac from the dead wombe of his Mother, can revive him from those ashes. Now having given Isaac, and Isaac given himselfe, for dead; the knife is falling upon his throate: Now, now comes the Deliverance; by an Angel calling, forbidding, commending him. Often is deliverance promised, Ier. 25.11. and yet the time not mentioned. They shall serve the king of Babylon seventy yeares: not a day, not an houre to be bated, Exod. 12.41. At the end of foure hundred and thirty yeares: till then Moses undertooke it in vaine, [Deut]. 5.30. That very night. Neither did Daniel, that knew the determined time of seventy, till upon the expiration, pray for deliverance.

God deferres His deliverance. 1. To returne us home: when no man will harbour that unthrift sonne, he will backe againe to his father. 2. To make a seeke our deliverance in the right unde: while money can buy physicke, or friends procure enlargement, the great Physician and Helper is not throughly trusted [un-] to. 3. To set a better price on his benefites; for suddenly gotten are suddenly forgotten. Abrahams child at seventy yeeres was more welcome, than had hee been given at thirtie: and the same Isaac had not been so precious to him, if he had not been as miraculously restored, as given: his recovery from death made him more acceptable, than if he had never been in danger. Gods charges are often harsh in the beginning, hard in the proceeding, but the conclusion is alwaies comfortable. Spirituall consolations are commonly late and sudden; long before they come, and speedy when they do come, preventing even expectation.

The Lord deferres on purpose, that our triall may be perfect, our deliverance welcome, our recompence glorious. Say our tentation be externally afflictive and we are not delivered from it: our poverty is long, and we shall never be rich our sicknesse tedious, and we shall never recover; what now? Shall we despaire and dye? Dan. 3.18. No, but whether he doth deliver us or not, We will serve Him; though He kill us, wee will trust in Him. Though he hold off long, and suspend our case yet deliverance shall come; if not the same way we would have it, yet a way that is better for us. Shall we be sullen, because our desires be not presently granted? As Ionas would dye, because he was displeased: Achitophel, because he was despised; Saul, because hee was discomfited. No, death it selfe shall deliver us; that red Sea shall put us over to the Land of promise; and we shall say to the praise of God, we are delivered.

The godly. The persons delivered are the Godly. Godlinesse (according to the proprietie of the word) consists in two things; the devout adoration, and sincere imitation of God. They that worship him as he will be worshipped, and follow him in the things wherein he will be followed, are right godly men. He that worships God aright, adheres to the rule, and beleeves the reward. Superstition first loves, and then beleeves: true Religion first beleeves, and then loves. Reverence and zeale become adoration: for a man to mouth a Pater-noster, while his heart is in his coffer; as if he could reconcile those two contrary masters, and at once serve God and mammon; in vaine thinkes himselfe godly. When in the Temple God scarce hath our knees or our voices, seldome our minds; never tell me of godlinesse. You are not Atheists, to thinke that he regards your prayers, as he doth the humming of flies and bees; that they bee so formall and heartlesse. The godly man knowes that God sees him, sees him in every place, takes speciall notice of him in the Church. Caesars eye made his souldiers prodigall of their bloud: Gods eye and speech to the soule, Well done good and faithfull servant, makes him worke out his heart. Loose thoughts are too bad for common places, intolerable in divine worship. We may observe how God bates of his owne service for us; allowes us to goe from his Temple to quench a burning house, or to helpe a beast out of the pit; and makes homicide the greatest sinne upon earth. Now shall he bate of his owne glory for our benefit and shall not we bate of our benefit for his glory? They that either for wantonnesse or covetousnesse, much worse for drunkennesse, violate the Sabbath, which is the time of Gods worship; or neglect the Church, which is the place of his worship; have little godlinesse. We are charged to worship Ioh. 4.23. him in spirit and truth. The Iewes worshipped him bodily, wee must also in Spirit; they figuratively, we in truth.

Nor is adoration enough without Imitation; it is the summe of all religion, imitate him we adore. He was called a Platonist, that followed Plato’s principles: and he that followes the example of God, is godly. Outward holinesse must be joyned with inward; a man may be a Saint at Church, and a Devill at home: true godlinesse is seene in our owne house as well as in Gods house; he is fare short of godlinesse, that is not an honest man. It is shame for Christians to learne honestie of Pagans; and yet they say, some of us are a forme below them. We may know whose children such are by their complexions and conditions: He that doth righteousnesse, is righteous. It was not enough by the Leviticall law whose ground was morall to chew the cudde, but to divide the hoofe: our feet must be cleane as well as our mouthes While the worship of God sits in our lips, and the dishonour of God is seene in our lives; we might as safe be wholly cleane. Rev. 13.16. Some have the marke of the beast in their hand, some in their fore head: whether in the fore-head, or in the hand, so it be his marke, it is all one to the Devil. This commended Iob 1.8. Iob, that he feared God; that’s one part of pietie: that eschewed evill, that’s the other. The doctrine of faith is much controverted; and while Satan can raise troubles about faith, he hopes the world will let him alone about manners; and so that Christi nomen periret de terris: but it is a counterfeit faith without obedient and practiall godinesse.

Gods word is first sowen in the heart, that seed is rooted in faith, that root brings forth a tree of charitie, and that tree beares the fruit of good workes. Our persons are justified by our faith, our faith is justified by our charitie, our charitie by the actions of a godly life. Therefore justifie thy faith, that thy faith may justifie thee. Faith is an Illumination, and many content themselves with an illusion: we want charitie to our brother, there is no faith to our maker. Some lose them [themselves] Vituperando Christum, as Pagans: some Etiam laudando Christum, as [prophane] Christians: these so praise his merits, that they never weigh their owne [misdemeanors]. But doe good, and have good: little saies the Scripture of the Apostles learning, it speakes much of their acts. It is not the taste of meat that nourisheth, but after concoction the benefit is in the strength. The conscience is not satisfied with reading good things, the comfort it feeles is in the practice. Children take after their father; thus to Luk. 6.36. shew mercie, is to be godly. Ioh. 13 27. Forgive your offenders Why? God doth forgive you: be as ready to pardon men, as you are ready to desire your owne pardon of him. He that walkes under a wall in a sunny day, shall be heated by the wall, which first was heated by the Sun: if God have forgiven us the warmth of charitie is in us to forgive others. Be yee holy: Why? because God is holy: if we finde a piece of waxe with an impression or marke upon it, we know there hath beene a seale, the print whereof is left behinde: holinesse is the print of Gods sacred seale: if not holy, not sealed. God is patient toward sinners; furious avengers of themselves are not godly. He is the God of peace, the sons of malice and contention are far unlike him.

The godly most tempted. We see who are godly, now these are delivered: they of all men, out of temptations; because they of all men are most subject to temptations. The higher a tree shootes up, the more tempest beaten: if a Christian growes to any statute and talnesse in grace, and sprouts up toward heaven, Satan will raise the sorer stormes against him. Some are not troubled with temptations, know not what they meane; aske them, they never felt the devill so busie about them. The more miserable creatures they: no Prince makes war against his obedient subjects: should they rebell against Satans lawes, they should heare of him in another kinde. But as God said in his Iustice; Hos. 4.17. Ephraim is joyned to Idols, let him alone: so Satan in his malice, they are joyned, united, incorporated to sinne, let them alone. They meddle not with repentance, and he meddles not with them; Luk. 11.21. all is peace. Let them take it for the fearefull signe of a dead heart, when they feele not the Thorne in the flesh, temptation. Fall they to deprecation, cry for pardon of their sins, and seeke the kingdome of heaven; then Satan begins to bustle, then temptation upon temptation: Iob had not more foes to vexe him, than they shall finde baites to entice them. Therefore CHRIST on purpose, to the Pardon of sins, annexeth, lead us not into temptation. Not only because with the pardon of sins past, we should desire the prevention of sins to come: that neither our consciences be stung with the old nor our concupiscences corrupted further with the new. But because a mans sins be no sooner forgiven, and he rescued from Satan; but that Lion foames and roares, and bestirs himselfe to recover his losse. So that grievous temptations doe alwaies accompany the remission of sins. Some suspect themselves to be out of Gods favour, because they are so wearied and worried with temptations: but godlinesse and temptation be such inseparable attendants on the same person, it is otherwise. For the devills hatred is to them most, whom God loves best: and where he shewes mercie, Satan will exercise malice. So that in the characters of temptations we may spell Gods love, which cannot be enjoyed without [Satans] disturbance. Yea, howsoever weake consciences have beene dismayed at it; one proofe of saving grace in us, is the exercise of the devills malice against us

They that receive from God more graces, are sure of more temptations. Let God testifie good of Iob, the Divell will have a fling at him. Mat. 16.22. If Peter have once the keyes, Satan will tempt him to be a Satan to his master. If there be honey in the vessell, the waspes will be busie about it. But as no wise man leaves his house for some flies, but rather seekes to drive them out, than they should drive him out so no good man forsakes his holinesse for temptations, but rather resists the devill, as knowing then he will flie from him. A full barne is better than an empty one though theeves let this alone, and be pilfering about the other. We doe not destroy our roses for the cankers, but rather destroy the cankers from the roses It is no policie for the traveller to leave off his weapons, because he knowes there be theeves in the way. We say, one true man is hard enough for two theeves, one faithfull man is able to repell many wicked spirits. Our godlinesse doth not secure us from temptations, but conquers them. CHRIST was no sooner come out of the water of Baptisme, but he enters into the fire of temptation: if he be full of the holy Spirit, he shall be set upon by the malignant spirit. If God say, This is my sonne: Satan will say, If thou be the Sonne of God. That Divine testimony did not allay his malice, but exasperate it: the Serpent most violently affaires him whom God hath honoured.

Neither the gifts of grace, nor the seales of grace, can free us from affaires we may have force to repell bad suggestions, we have not to prevent them. The more we are engaged to God, by the bonds of our owne profession, and the pledges of his favour; so much the more busie is the tempter about us. That Goliah defies none but the Host of the living God: if we be once seene in the field, then he is mad, and seekes to wring away our weapons, and with them to wound our owne bosomes. Lord, how should we scape that Dragons assaults, when the Sonne of thy love could not be free! When even to be gracious drawes on his enmity, and the profession of a good conscience, is the Butt for his burning arrowes? He that spared not the Head, will not forbeare the remoter limbes. If the state of Innocency could have been any defence against evill motions, the first Adam had not been tempted, much lesse the second.

Nothing should more comfort us than resistance: if we did not stand for the Lord; Zach. 3.1. Satan would not stand against us: if wee were not in a way to doe good, we should finde no rubbes. The divell hath no cause to trouble his owne, especially while they goe about his businesse. To sinne, he would have our paths smooth, and calme, and pleasant, winning us forward: but if wee turne our feete toward Sion, then hee encounters us, and blockes up our way with temptations. But it is not the presentment of bad motions that can hurt us, but our entertainment of them. Ill counsell is the fault of the giver, not of the refuser: if we be tempted, as Ioseph was by a great Lady, and withstand it, we are not the worse, but the better. We cannot forbid lewd eyes to look in at our windowes, we may shut our doores against their entrance. If Satan knock, it is in our choice to open: a booty lyes in our way, we may choose whether we will stoop and take it up. To suggest evill, is Satans blame: to resist evill, this is our praise. The more we are tried in the fornace, the purer gold we shall goe to the Treasury of Heaven. Lord, make us as strong, as the devill is malicious: say in a sweet spirituall feeling to my conscience, as Thou spakest once vocally and audibly to my Saviour; Thou art my Sonne; and let the devill doe his worst.

Temptations we understand to be of two sorts; Probations, Temptations or Provocations; trials of suffering, or trials of doing. God tempts, to draw something out of us, and to make it appeare; Satan tempts to put something into us which was not before. It is one thing Explorare an sit peccatum, another Provocare ut sit peccatum. The former we may properly call Examinations, Searchings, Afflictions; these are of God. The other, Incitements, enticements, impulsive motions to sinne, these are of Satan. Now this promised deliverance stands in analogy and reference to both these.

For Satans suggestions; What godly man hath not beene wrought upon by temptations; not only to like the bait, but even to swallow it with consent of will! Yet hath it not choaked their grace, God hath delivered them. Looke upon David; 2 Sam. 11. While his people are busie in the warre against Ammon abroad, Satan as busily makes warre against David at home: they lay siege to Rabbah, he layes siege to their King. The temptation first takes fire at his eyes, his eyes recoile upon his heart, and his heart burnes in the desires of his lust. The tempter so prevailes, that he makes him become a tempter, bestowing his owne bad office upon him. He sees Bethsheba, inquires after her, sends for her, solicites her to uncleannesse. There was store of faire Virgins in Israel, yet he must dote upon the marriage-bed: he had many wives of his owne, and was not restrained from taking more; yet is not contented saving with the onely one of a subjects. He was not overcome by the sollicitation of a strumpet, but himselfe was the prosecutor of this filthinesse. There is nothing wanting to amplifie his sin, and cause our feare. O whither shall we goe, if God stay us not? What man among the millions of Gods servants was better furnished with preservatives against such temptations? Where could the Devill have lesse hope of prevailing? Yet is this strong man overcome; and as it is hard and rare to commit a single sinne; he does not only abuse the wife, but betraies the husband, and teacheth his lust to looke with bloudy eyes on the life of his faithfull servant. If wine cannot work him to father a false seed, the sword of an uncircumcised Anatomie shall fall upon him. Thus deepe in is David, and fals asleepe many moneths, exchanging the conscience of his sin for the sense of his pleasures Yet even out of this [temptation] he is delivered; Nathan shall rowse him, the Spirit shall melt him, his owne heart shall smite him; with a wounded soule he shall cry for pardon, detest his wickednesse and finde mercy.

In this glasse we see our selves, how apt to be tempted, to go along with it, yea often to persist in it; yet withall, Gods infinite goodnesse to deliver us from it. For this we pray, Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evill: the latter being an exposition of the former: that we be not led into temptation, deliver us from evill; the cause being taken away, the effect ceaseth. The best of Gods children may not only be drenched in the waves of sin, but even lye in them for a time; as a man may sinke twice to the bottome, yet rise with life in him. But they that belong to the covenant, shall be delivered: Saul is tempted, sinneth and sleepeth in it his last: David is tempted, sinneth, and sleepeth, but not his last. Peter is tempted to conceale, to deny, to forsweare his Master; yet one looke of Christ delivered him: Iudas is tempted to betray him, goes on, and perisheth. The Lord would never have suffered so deare favorites of his, as Lot, David, Peter, to fall so dangerously: if he had not meant to make them universall examples to the world, of not presuming, of not despairing. For how can we presume of not sinning, or despaire for sinning, when we find so great Saints thus fallen, thus risen? How many yeares had those ten brethren forgotten their unnaturall trechery! Alas, what long and dead sleepes may the holiest soules take in fearefull sinnes Were it not for Gods mercy that thus delivers us out of temptations, we should end our spirituall lethargie in a sleepe of death. David in those ten [moneths] might have some transient glances of remorse; but no compunction is heard of till Nathans message, and perhaps had bin further adjourned, if that Monitor had bin longer deferred. God could have sent him sooner, and checked David in his first project of sin: so had Bersheba bin chast, Vriah alive, and himselfe guiltlesse of murther. But that Almighty wisdome knew how to win more glory by the permission, than by the prevention; by the permission of one sin to prevent millions. How many thousands had presumed on their own strength, if such a Champion had not fallen! How many thousands had despaired in the consciences of their own mis-deeds and weaknesse, if such sins had not found remission! It is happy for all after-times that we have such precedents, so holy sinners, so sinfull penitents: their fals have taught us by whom to stand. In a word, many Saints have committed as great sins as reprobates: that the one is pardoned, not the other, the difference is not in the quantity or quality of the sin, but in the mercy of God.

1 Wee that pray for deliverance from evill, must endeavour against evil. The best Fencer lies close, Vses of it. and is more carefull to defend than to offend: while we lye open, Satan hath a faire marke. Ranke mirth, a full belly, gaming, and wine, lay a man open. That wine is an inducement to lust, David knew; and therefore gave Vriah such superfluous cups: and it is hard to refuse pledging, where a King begins a Health to a Subject. This might easily lay him open to evill; the drunkard may be any thing but good. But temptation is then stronger, when it proceeds from a mighty instrument: the requests of Princes are commands their very suites imperative. How many Bethshebas and Iane Shores have thus beene wrought, to pollute both a royall and matrimoniall bed! The countenance of authority is authoritative with many: aske a Romist, whether if the Pope command him to kill his Soveraigne, he is to doe or refuse it: perhaps he [trifles] that the Pope will never command it: but put him to it, If; then his answer must bee affirmative. If Saul charge a Doeg, he will wreake his splene on the Priests. Let the master tempt his servant, the father his child, their least word is a law. But it will be no excuse to say at last, such a great person tempted me, as Adam said of Eve it is quid that we must regard, not quis; the action, not the person: be the mover never so glorious, if his motion be to sin, let it be entertained with defiance. Let us have wary eyes, for it is not the selfe-appearing divell, but the same a transformed Angell, that doth corrupt us.

2. Consider what preventions the provident God useth against our sinnings. How many staies doth Saul find in his pursuit of David: twice he casts his Iavelin, and mist him: exposed him to the Philistims, but hee slew them: [Michol] was given him for a snare, yet shee delivers him; Ionathan is constant to him: Saul hath begirt him, loe then he is delivered by the Philistims invasion. This found Balaam in his pestilent itch to curse Israel: one night God puts him off; 1 S m. 23 27. the second time hee answeres his importunacie and bids him goe in anger: an Angell stands to crosse him, his beast turnes out of the way: she bruiseth his fo t• against the wall, at last fals downe under him: many crosses to recall him How is the other Saul (with his letters missive to vex the Church) arrested from heaven. I know there be sudden sins, no sooner thought of than dispatched; which is like fire to powder. But in our resolved intentions of doing a sin, if we would marke it, we meete with strange impediments, as Ionah did in his flight; which should make us grow jealous of such enterprises. Some have bin frighted from their uncleannesse, by the tolling of a passing-bell: others diverted from a b d journey, by the sudden lamenesse of their horse. How often hath God prevented murthers by strange accidents? Sometimes he shortens our owne armes, sometimes strengthens others against us. Sometime reason is heard, when religion sits out: and the dishonesty, inutility, or difficulty of a sin is perpended. But it is best, when the feare of God hath corrected us, or the word of God averted us, or the Spirit of God recalled us. By innumerable meanes doth the Lord stop our precipices, hedge up our wayes to sin: that when temptation invites us, we may have hands manicled, and feere fettered with detentions; and we coozen the devill against our wils. Hee would have us come, and we would come, but (thankes be to God) we cannot come. Let us observe it; as when we are doing well, wee have many provocations to alienate our mindes from it; so when we are intending mischiefe, God sends many inconveniences, as it were vocall accidents, to hinder us; as if God should say, take heed what you doe.

3 Let us meditate how we are blessed of God, and have reason to blesse God, for these happy deliverances. As Saint Augustine, Tentator defuit, &c. I had time and place to commit sin, but then the Tempter was away: thy doing, O Lord, it was that he was away. The tempter was present, but then time and place were wanting; thy doing it was that I wanted time and place. Time and place were convenient, and the tempter was there also, provoking me forward, all opportunities furthering: but then I had no stomach to it, lust was coole, my will had no will to consent: thy doing it was that I was unwilling, that the edge of my appetite was dull. Sometimes I had will, but then I wanted meanes: sometimes I had meanes, but then I wanted will: sometimes I had likewise will and meanes, but then I also wanted abilitie: another time; meanes, will, and abilitie were concurring; but then came in some other interruption; a messenger with sudden businesse, the distresse of a friend, the invitation of a neighbour. Still, O Lord, that I was not led into temptation, nor captivated by suggestion, it was thy doing. Blessed be God, as for his furtherance in good, so for his hinderance in evill. If we be godly, and find these things true, let us enter into our chambers, fall upon out knees, lift up our hearts, and say in humble thankfulnesse; Lord, thou hast delivered me, I find thy mercie, to thy name be the glory.

4 Lastly, if we love not evill, let us long for our finall and plenary deliverance from it; that immortall court, where sin can no more enter, than sorrow or death: out of this the Tempter is excluded for ever. Here the Lord delivers us from the damnation and domination of sin, there from the temptation and assault: here it shall not overcome us, there it shall not come neare us. Rom 7 24. Wretched man! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Who? He that now frees us from the burning, will then from the smell of the fire. Here even a Saint is but a mixt creature; and the sinne which he hath by his generation, fights against the grace which he hath by his owne regeneration. This felt St Paul: and Ierome in his very abstinence; Mens ardebat desideriis in frigido corpore: my face was pale, but my heart was flushing; and I had a burning minde in a chill body. Mortall perfection is a vaine dreame: Aquinas thinkes we may fulfill a precept two waies: either perfectly, Epist. 22. quando pervenitur ad finem, when we performe the full scope of it : or imperfectly, cum non receditur ab ordine ad finem, when we keepe the way conducing to the end. But as when the Captaine bids the souldiers fight and conquer, he that fights and conquers, perfectly doth his will: he that fights and doth not get the victory, comes short of doing his will: and in Gods battailes, he that conquers not, which is the end; recedit ab ordine ad finem, doth certainely faile in the meanes. Therefore he that sincerely loves GOD, and detests sinne, [desireth] dissolution for no other end, but to be freed from temptation. The good soldier will fight when he is in the field, but he is contented to have the battaile over. This is one benefit that death against his owne will shall doe us; a perfect delivery from all temptations. In Paradise man had a Posse non peccare: in heaven he shall have a Non posse peccare. Satan shall then bee bound in eternall chaines, never to stirre out of that locall torment; and the Elect be set at triumphant libertie.

For Probations, which are the other sort of tentations, or tryalls by troubles; they are derived from three fountaines, and may thus be distinguished, not in proprietie of termes, but after the common acceptance. As they come from Satan they are usually called temptations: as they come from man, persecutions: as from God, afflictions. All these are in some manner from the Lord: neither man nor devill can afflict us without God, God can afflict us without them. When we pray not to be led into temptation, we pray not against correction, but against evil: for though Christ makes us invincible, he makes us not invulnerable. All our dayes are evill, some worse; as the ague hath chiefe fits, criticall dayes. Some be more grievous sufferings than others; as Martyrdome in the extent, (for it may be occultâ cogitatione, though not apertâ passione) and we have cause to blesse God that we resist not unto bloud. If there were no good in these temptations, they should not come neare us: for nothing absolutely evill shall come to a good man. And when they have done the businesse they came for, they shall leave us: the plaister will not sticke on when the sore is healed.

Doe they come from the ungodly? Whether Tertullus persecute the Church with his tongue, or Elimas with his hand, God hath the command of both. [In-] deed the wicked are the mediate causes of our troubles: the righteous are as the center, the Ps•l. 11•.11. other the circumference: which way soever they turne, they find themselves environed: yet still the center is fixed and immoveable, being founded upon CHRIST. It is good for some men to have adversaries: for often they more feare to sin, least they should despise them, than dislike it for conscience, least God should condemne them. They speake evill of us: if true let us amend it: if false contemne it: whether true, or false, observe it. Thus we shall learne good out of their evill; make them our Tutors, and give them no pupillage. In all things let us watch them, in nothing feare them Phil. 1.28. Which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to us of salvation. The Church is that Cant. 4.4. Tower of David: if there be a thousand weapons to wound us, there are a thousand shields to guard us. When the Angell saluted Gideon, God be with thee; he replied, Iudg. 6.13. If God be with us, how is all this evill befallen us? Why doe the Midianites vexe us? Yes, God may be with us, and the Midianites against us: yea therefore are they against us, because God is with us. Cypr. It is neither our shame to suffer what CHRIST suffered, nor their honour to doe as Iudas did. Howsoever they be wicked Instruments, yet the just hand is the Lords: God gave, saith Iob: what and the Devill tooke away? No, the Sabeans tooke away? No, but the Lord tooke away. As when the malignitie of a disease is spent, health will returne: so when all our adversaries have done their worst, if not before, then God will deliver us. Let Iesabell fret her heart out, and sweare by her gods, Eliah must be safe. Revel. 12. Let the red Dragon spout forth flouds of venome, the Church hath wings to flie away, she shall be delivered.

Doe they come from God? diligit quem corrigit: stormes and afflictions are not from fury without love, but rather from love without fury. Ioh. 11.3. Lord, he whom thou lovest, is sicke: Lazarus may be sicke and yet CHRIST love him. The [intelligent] sonne knowes that his fathers correction is no argument of his fathers hatred; therefore is silent. Psal. 39.9. I was dumbe, because thou didst it. I was not dumbe for that I did, but confessed my sin: but dumbe for that thou didst, acknowledging it a just punishment. Esa. 54.8. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee, for a moment. It is but [Momentum], a little, ad momentum, for a moment: and I hid my face, never turned my heart from thee. Indeed as man is under the Law, they are legall punishments: but as under grace, paternall corrections. They are a testimony of his good favour toward us, when by them hee separates the sinne which hee hates, from the person which hee loves. And this hee alwaies so tempers, that it is [neither] according to our sinnes, nor exceeding our strengths. Non ultra vires: [Ours]? No, but not above GODS strength in us. No parent corrects anothers child, and he is no good parent that corrects not his owne. By this we come to know our friend: three things are not knowen but in three places: valour, but in danger: wisedome, but in anger: a friend, but in miserie. Afflictions have done us this good, that we are sure we have a friend, a father in heaven, for we have tryed him. Faith understands troubles to be Probationis Indicia, not Reprobationis [argumenta]. Our life is a web woven by the hand of God, the threed reaching from our birth unto our death. The woofe is trouble, but still runs with it a Weft of interwoven comforts. But if so then may we not pray for their removall? Yes, Remove thy plague away from me: Thy plague, and mine: thine by affliction, Psal. 39.19. mine by passion: thine because thou didst send it, mine because I endure it: thine because it comes from thy Iustice, mine because it answers my injustice: remit what I have done, and remove what thou hast done. But whosoever laid it on, the Lord will take it off. Be our Psal. 34.19. troubles many in number, strange in nature, heavy in measure yet Gods mercies are more numerous, his wisedome more wondrous, his power more miraculous, hee will deliver us out of all. This doctrine well digested, will breed good bloud in our soules, and is usefull three waies.

1 To fortifie our patience; hee needs not feare the trouble, that knowes an infallible deliverance. Luk. •1.19. Possesse your soules in patience. Hee doth not say, possesse your mouthes, for some being provoked will give no bad language; nor possesse your hands; many being urged can forbeare violence: yet still the desire of revenge may boile and ranckle in both their hearts. But possesse your soules, that [is] , your selves, in patience: this binds both mouth and hand to the peace and good forbearance: all are quiet, if the soule be quiet. Two things become a Christian; Sapientia in verbis, patientia in verberibus. Time is the Physitians Cure, reason the Philosophers Cure, patience is Gods Cure. Time helps sorrowes, Dies adimit [aegritudinem]: but still this is tedious, and time runs to dully with them that be in misery. Reason qualifies it, for it is the courage and magnanimity of a man to suffer. But this onely seekes meanes to extricate us, reason will not stay for time: but faithfull patience lookes neither to reason nor time, but knowes a better remedy: she commits her cause to God, and resolves upon this resignation, that either her sorrow shall be lesse or her fortitude more. Nobile vincendi genus est [patientia]. Faith, Charity, and Patience, are the three rich possessions of a Christian: by Faith we possesse Christ, by Charity, we possesse our neighbour, by Patience we possesse our selves. He that wants Faith is without the head: he that wants [Charity], is without the body; he that wants patience is without himselfe. Our patience, like our triall, hath but a short exercise: our deliverance is glorious and everlasting.

2 To confirme our hope, he that hath tasted the mercie of God in some notable deliverance, hopes in the next tryall for the same assistance. Rom. 5.4. Experience brings hope; because it hath made the matter easie: he that hath often done a thing easily, mistrusts not to doe it againe. David had often found his deliverance out of hard exigents, therefore saies; In the Name of God I will leape over the Wall: his experience had made it so easie to him, that it was but a skip or jumpe in his conceit.

3 Let us not faine afflictions before we have them: we can expect no deliverance out of fantasticall griefes. Gal. 6.7. Be not deceived, God is not mocked. There beggars by permission, that faine themselves halt and blinde: and beggars by commission, that have patents for fires and wrackes: but their fires are often fained and false fires, and all their wrackes the wracke of their owne consciences. Let them take heed, lest their fictions prove at last true afflictions, their dissembled lamenesse prove lamenesse indeed. As Martial writes of Caelius, who to avoid the Ave potentiorem, giving his attendance early and late to the great ones of the time; fained himselfe sicke of the gowte; so cunningly, that his hypocrisie came home to him, and he fell sicke of the gowte indeed. Tantum cura potes• 〈◊〉 ars doloris, desiit fingere Caelius podagram. How often have those mischances tales to men without reliefe, for which they beg’d reliefe before they had cause! God promiseth deliverance from the tentations he sends, not those we fetch: such as come from our want, not from our wantonnesse. Many make to themselves crosses; and while Gods hand is not visible, they with their owne hands beat themselves. Haman that great favourite hath honour enough, though Mordecai do not cringe to him: yet this makes him discontent; here was a crosse of his owne begetting. Ahab was King, had lands and demeasnes enough of his owne, yet because Nabaoth denyes him his vineyard, he falls sicke of the sullens. For this trouble let him thanke himselfe: what needs a rich man be a theefe? 2 Sam. 13.2, 4. Amnon had [varietie] of choise objects for his inordinate affection; yet he must be love-sicke of [Thamar]: none but his halfe-sister can please the eyes of that wanton Prince. Ordinary pleasures will not content extraordinary persons; such pamper’d and [ungovern’d] youthes, whose greatnesse and ease have made unruly appetites. This is the unnaturall heat of which he languishes; was not this an affliction of his owne [ma-] king. It is not rare to see a great man vexe himself at the neglect of a peasant; whereas as a true Lion would passe by with an honourable scorne. To see the husband of a vertuous and comely spouse, doting on a foule and forbidden bed. To see a rich man pine away with projecting how he should live when he is old. Innumerable be our fantasticall evills, and we trouble our selves about nothing. Evills come fast enough of themselves, there is store made to our hands, we need not [encrease] their number: those ill weeds will grow without our planting.

The Lord. Our deliverer is The Lord. It is the voice of all creatures in their severall languages, Salvation is of the Lord. The confession of men more sensibly, Iob 7.20. This [Thou art] the preserver of men. The acknowledgment of Saints more especially, [Our] helpe standeth in the Name of the LORD. This word leads us to a consideration of his Power; He can deliver us, and none but He. Lord: his Almightinesse was the first Name He would be knowne by to the world, Exod 6.3. Not that Iehovah was not in some manner formerly knowne: for Gen. 15. and 26.24. But as if he made this difference: Then I gave promises what I would doe, now I come to performe the promises: with God Almighty, which signifies my Majesty; I will shew my selfe Iehovah, the God of Abraham, which shall demonstrate my mercie. Subjiciuntur omnes potestates Potestati Infinitae. The Lord. his Soveraignty is a point that comes not often to be handled, therefore here I take leave to enlarge my selfe. It may bee considered in seven respects.

1 It is undependant: many things are said to governe, but they have some dependance on their superiours. Hos. 2.21. Our life is beholding to the fruites, the fruites to the trees, the trees to the earth, the earth to the raine, the raine to the Sunne, the Sunne and all to the Lord: Natura Naturanti, machina Creatori. Fruites are from trees, and trees from seeds; both moistned by the aire, and matured by the sunne: element is qualified by element, orbe depends on orbe, the Sunne it selfe [on] Primum mobile: Astra regunt homines, sed Deus astra: we can goe no higher. The child lookes up to his father, his father lives by the peace of the countrey, the countrey could have no peace but by the Magistrate, the Magistrate is countenanced and warranted by the King, the King is ruled by God. Still one lookes upon another, but the eyes of all things looke up unto thee, O Lord.

2 It is absolute; hee may dispose of his Subjects at his pleasure. As the potter having the lumpe in his hand, makes what kinde of vessell he listeth; great or small, round or square, for the Parlor, or for the Stable: and when hee hath done, hee may set it on his cupboord, or on the dunghill: bee it to honour or dishonour, hee will be honoured by it. Man respects deserts or demerits, in making the poore rich, or the rich poore; in ennobling the base, or debasing the noble: God doth all according to his owne will without further relation. Mat. 20.15. Is it not lawfull for me to doe what I will with mine owne? He can make Tabor a little heaven, and turne Paradise into a desart. It is absolute, without controll: there is none to call him to account or examination; with Cur ita facis? O Lord, it was not therefore thy doing because it was good, but therefore is it good because it was thy doing. Whether thy mercy saveth us, we have cause to be thankfull: or thy justice confoundeth us, we have no cause to complaine: still Thou continuest holy, O thou worship of Israel.

3 His Lordship is universall. First, overall times; other Lords die; [Domini] terrae, but terra Domini: he is eternall. Eternity is properly the duration of an uncreated Ens. It is improperly taken, either for things that have both beginning and end, as Colles aeterni, terra aeterna, everlasting mountaines; diverse such phrases in Scripture. Or for things that have a beginning but shall have no end: so are angels, and mens soules eternall; so, eternall life, eternall fire. But God cals himselfe, Exod. 3.14. I AM: I am what I have beene, I have beene what I am, I am and have beene what I shall be. This Attribute is incommunicable: all other things had a Non esse preceeding their Esse; and they have a mutation tending to nothing. They shall be as nothing that warre against thee: Esa. 41.12. all come to nothing unlesse they be upheld by the manutenency of God: but Psa. 102.27 Thou art the same, and thy yeares shall have no end. Thou turnest man to destruction, and againe sayest, Returne: even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God: Psa. 90.2. the sole Vmpire and Measurer of beginning and ending. Secondly, over all places, heaven, earth, hell. Psal. 135.6. Kings are limited, and cannot doe many things they desire: they cannot command the Sun to stand still, nor the winde to blow which way they would: in the lofty aire, in the depth of the sea, no King raignes. They fondly flatter the Pope with his long armes, that they reach to purgatory; (but indeed both power and place are alike imaginary,) it is CHRIST alone that hath the keyes of all places. Thirdly, over all creatures; binding the influences of Plejades, Iob. 38.31. 2 Kin. 1.12. Amos 5.8. Dan. 3.25. Psa. 148.8. Iob 38.8. Iob. 43.2. and loosing the bonds of Orion: commanding the fire against the nature of it, to descend: creating and ruling the starres, over-ruling the Lions, sending the meteors, hedging in the Seas, lapping it up like a child in swadling clouts, dividing, diverting, filling it. In both fire and water, these two raging elements that have no mercy, he shewes mercie: delivers us from both in both. He cals the fowles, and they come: the beasts and they heare: the trees, and they spring to obey him. He hath a Raven for Elias, a gourd for Ionas, a dogge for Lazarus. Makes the Leviathan, the hugest living creature, preserve his Prophet. That a terrible Lion should be killed, as was by Sampson; or not kill as they forbore Daniel; or kill and not eate, as that Prophet, 1 Kings 13. Here was the Lord. Over metals, he makes Iron to swimme, stones to cleave a sunder. Over the divels, they must obey him though animo [resistendi]. But they continually rebell against him, and breake his will? They doe indeed against his complacency, not against his permission: Et quando permittit, non [nolens] sed volens permittit. August. There is then no time, not the houre of death: no place, not the sorest torment; no creature, not the divell: but the Lord can deliver us from them. Therefore at all times, in all places, and against all creatures, let us trust in him for deliverance.

4 It is necessary; we could not live but by his dominion. Take away government, we are worse than beasts; a bad King is better than no King. If man rule ill he over-rules all: Eccl. 5.8. Higher than the highest. Above all, to support: the Pillar and the foundation of the pillars and foundations of the world. Above all to correct, binding Kings in chaines: if authority grow warped, to straiten it with his justice. Above all, to direct, he directs naturall government to naturall good; that the Elements be not at war, but working in a well disposed harmony for our benefit: that one doth not swallow up another, nor the stronger oppresse the weaker; it is the Lords doing. As he made nature with his Fiat, so he sets it a working with his Faciat: let it so be, let it so worke. He directs politick government to politick good, that we might live like men in a civill peace. Supernaturall government to salvation, that we may live like Christians in a gracious obedience and comfort. This power was necessary for creation; he must be an Almighty Lord that could make us of nothing. It is necessary for preservation, to conserve things in their being and working. Necessary for redemption; it must be an infinite store, that must pay an infinite debt. If the Lord had not become a servant on earth, those servants could never have beene Lords in heaven. All the parts of a Common-wealth, ought to uphold one another in policy: all the members of the Church to uphold one another in charity: as in a building one stone doth beare up another, but the foundation beares up all. The members uphold the body, the body the members: the Subjects uphold the King, the King upholds the Subjects: but Thou O Lord, upholdest us all.

5 It is immutable; whatsoever the Lord is, he is Simul & Semel. With us one thing doth exclude another, this moment thrusts out that; learning excludes ignorance, riches poverty; the businesse of this houre gives place to the next. But Gods Essence and perfections are together: Aeternitas Dei; Essentia Dei est. As he is eternall, absque Origine, so invariable absque Mutatione: We are not present to things past or to come: God is to all times and things, past, present, or future ; ever present. The reason is, he is Immense, and fils all places without [motion], without ascent, or descent. Indeed he is sometime said to d descend; but it is because he then doth some new worke; men tooke no notice of his presence before This Lordship hath no succession, yet he produceth workes successively: [Ego facio], and Ego faciam. But this is not in regard of himselfe, but in respect of us, that he is said to doe one thing after another. He doth not now create the world, not now destroy it, nor now call Abraham out of Vr: nor is Isaac redeemed from sacrifice, and Christ sacrificed, in the same place or at the same time. The type must properly goe before the antitype. It is false then to say that men were justified before they were borne: they are elected before all time, but called and justified in time: these things are done successively. With the Lord there is order, though there be no time. If I come to a Pillar with my left side toward it, it is then on my left side: if I come with my right side toward it, then is it on my right side: yet is the pillar it selfe unmoveable. Omnis mutabilitas quaedam mors, saith the Schoole if God could change, he could dye. Now change is either substantiall, or qualitative: but Gods substance cannot be changed, and he hath no qualities. Againe, it is either amissive, or perfective: no man changes but he is either the better or the worse by it: God is the fountaine of life, nothing can be added to him, for he is infinite: nothing derogated from him, for he is the Lord Almighty. In his will, his purpose, in his joy, in his Iustice, in his mercie, in all unchangeable. How is then said to repent? Not that he doth repent, but appeares to us in the [alteration] of his work, as one repenting. There may be change in the worke, there is none [in the] worke-man. Ad novum opus consilium non novum, sed aeternum: mutat rem, Greg. non [consilium]. The unchangeable decree of God disposeth the change of all things, A man that builds a house, hath an Idea in his head whereby he purposes to frame [it; he] decrees how to order this part, to erect that corner, here to build a partition, there a chimney, to set up a scaffold, and pull it downe againe: here is a varietie [and] change of the worke, the worker is still the same. What God once is, he is for ever: once just, ever just: once mercifull, ever mercifull.

6 It is incomprehensible, who ever saw God in his strength, and lived? This Lord is in himselfe Invisible, as indivisible: seene in his mighty workes, never to be seene in his Person. 1 Cor. 13.12. But we shall see him face to face? Not the deitie it selfe, as the Anthropomorphites dreamed: not a light only resulting from him, as was the error of the Armenians. But by face to face, is meant the cleare knowledge of our understanding: and we shall know him, not with comprehensive knowledge, but with Scientia adaequata, as he is cognoscible, for he is incomprehensible. So are those places to be understood, Hebr. 12.15. 1 Ioh. 3.2. Revel. 22.4. The intellectuall vision is not of his Essence, but of some worke represented. And that of Daniel, Chap. 7.9. was but a dreame or vision upon his bed; some divine and [supernaturall] revelation. But did not Iohn Baptist Matth. 3 16 see the Holy Ghost? No, not the Divine nature, but the Dove. But doth not Iob assure himselfe of Iob 19.26. Seeing God? Not GOD himselfe, but his Redeemer, God in the vaile of the flesh: IESUS shall be throughly and joyfully looked upon: but the deitie shall not be seene here•er with the bodily eyes.

Nothing can apprehend that which is out of the limits; but we are finite, and God is immense. Every thing that is seene, must be seene in some place; but God is in no place. Our body indeed shall bee spirituall, not needing meat, nor sleepe, nor breathing by aire: yet it is not capable of comprehending that infinite Spirit. Here we understand him after the measure and capacitie of man, in a humane resemblance; as if hee had feet, eyes, affections: because they that should know him, have such. But when we read of Gods Foot, let us thinke of his comming, as a man removes by his feet. When wee read of his eyes, consider his knowledge of all things, as a man sees all by that Organ of sense. So when we are said to see his face, conceive our knowledge of him to be meant. He that made the eare, shall he not heare? he doth not say, Hath he not an eare? but, shall he not heare? The M•tth 5.8. Pure in heart are promised to see God: but as that purenesse is in heart, so is that vision in heart. Wee say, I see a mans wisedome, see his valour, see his meaning; yet are not these visible so nor this Lord but by his effects, what his power worketh. Thus farre in heaven we shall exceed in knowledge: here we know him only by negatives, what he is not; that not mortall, not mutable: and by his workes; [The] Lord is knowen by his Iudgements; and vacate & videte, Psal. 46.10. Be still, Ps•l. 9.16. and know that I am God: you that are absent, come and see: you that are present, stand still and contemplate: see and know, know and confesse, confesse and apply, make use of what you see and know. What’s that? I am God, you are but men: Put them in minde, O Lord, that they are but men; wormes, vanitie, nothing. But Ego Deus, not a popular, titular, idle, abject God, like the gods of the Gentiles, not able to wipe the dust off their owne faces: but a God that makes gods, a God that marres gods; that hath a dominion above all dominion, above all comprehension. LORD, we cannot comprehend thee in thy Majestie, doe thou comprehend us in thy [mercie].

7 It is Glorious and blessed: he is the chiefest good, and he enjoyes himselfe, therefore is perfectly and infinitely blessed. Our blessednesse consists in enjoying him, his, not enjoying us, but himselfe. The Hebrew speakes of Blessednesse in the plurall, Beatitudines: as the latines call wealth, Divitiae, Opes: because many things concurre, as to make up a rich man, so to make one blessed. There is of them both, Objectiva pars; as gold, silver, lands, houses be the materialls of riches. And Formalis pars, the free and certaine possession of these things; for if they may be gone, a man is poore in possibilitie; when they are gone, he is poore indeed. Mans blessednesse is from another, the Lords is from himselfe: [mans is in] grace, Gods in nature: mans temporall, Gods Eternall: mans voluntary, Gods necessary, it cannot be otherwise: mans changeable, Gods alwayes the same. The greatest and statelyest monarch puts off his glory and robes at some times; as when he goes into the Bath, the bed, the grave. He carries no Scepter in the bath yet may he then have a Crowne on his head: he hath neither scepter nor Crowne in his bed, yet even then he is knowen a King by his attending guard: but in the grave he leaves off all. Now Gods glory is never left off, there is no interuption of his blessednesse, not a moment wherein he is lesse happie.

His blessednesse is Internall or externall. Internall consists. 1. In the contemplation of his owne sufficiencie: thus he saw all to be very good which he made and tooke pleasure in his owne wisedome that made them. 2. In the comprehension of all happinesse; for it is nothing to be blessed, and not to understand it: many were faelices, bona si sua norint: Gods omniscience is his blessednesse. 3. In the delectation taken in this comprehension, when he knowes there is nothing can offend him: whereas Kings may be free from danger, not from feare. 4. In the contentation taken in this delight; having all things so fully in himselfe, that he needs no addition. Many men think not themselves happy in the much they have, because they want some thing they would have: but there is nothing more for God to desire. He comtemplates his owne goodnesse, and rests in himselfe with a sweet complacencie, Psal. 148. Rom. 9.5. as the infinite fountaine of all blessednesse. Externall blessednesse is that he receives from the creatures, every one, sensible and insensible, especially, Angels and men. He is blessed in himselfe, yet he will also be blessed of us. We can adde nothing to him, nor may we take his due honour from him. He lookes for praises for electing us, creating us, &c. We discourse our blessings with an annuall commemoration, rejoyce and solace our selves in them; but still let us reflect all by praises to our Maker. A King will take a present of a beggar, that by this occasion he may (not enrich himselfe, but) reward the poore man. God needs not this outward clothing, yet he is pleased to weare it for our sakes. 1 [Cor]. 1.3. Blessed be God, &c.

Nazian. Thus far I thought good to meditate on the ineffable Majestie of God. It is not possible to drinke up all the sea, to sucke in all the aire, much lesse to comprehend God. When a man considers himselfe in relation to the reasonlesse creatures; how the beasts doe him homage, the earth yields him her fruites and metalls, the Sea brings him in merchandise, the aire provides breath for his nostrills, and fowles for his table, the Sun misseth not his houre to enlighten him; he may then think himselfe something: Bern. but when he considers the Lord, he is swallowed up, and thinkes himselfe nothing. Now though a man cannot drinke up all the river, yet he may tast it: though not spanne the Sun, yet looke upon his beames: though we cannot take in all the aire, yet enough to fill us. Let us get enough of this Lord to fill our hearts, we need no more. When a man thrusts his hand into the fire, it burnes him: when he comes but neare it, it warmes him: let us come with a purpose to partake, Aug. not to comprehend the Lord. Origen on Levitic. The two daies offering are the two Testaments; these eate and feed upon: what is reserved for the third day, is for the world to come; it will fire us to search that. Not is this point barren, but hath the comfortable use, and that even appliable to our purpose. Doctrine being like the Sun, not only to delight us with the contemplation, but also to warme and quicken our affections.

This Lord being the Supreme, and all other Powers subordinate to him, and dependant on him, let this encourage our faith to trust him with our deliverance. 〈◊〉 Trouble not your selves with your enemies, nor yet say Manus nostra excelsa, Exod. 14.13. our owne hand shall deliver us: Kings are men of might, yet but men of dust: without this Lord their power cannot save themselves, much lesse us. Angels are mighty, but cannot come unlesse this Lord send them; Mat. 26.53. I could aske my Father, and he would give me Legions of Angels; saith Christ: we must aske our Father, or not have one Angell to doe us good. He shall look his eyes out, that trusts to any other deliverer than the Lord.

His Dominion being so absolute, let men cease to rebell against it. Psa. 46.10. I will bee exalted, not only in my Israel; but in Gentibus, among the nations: if they receive [me], volentibus, with their good contents: if they refuse me, Invitis, against their wils. And if there be any ground, whose lines are extended farther than people and nations inhabite, there also will I be exalted, in universa terra. We feare Kings and take their wrathfull lookes as messengers of death; and we doe well to Rom. 13.7. Iob 13.23. Give feare, to whom feare belongs. But here is a Power we cannot resist, a Wisdome we cannot delude, a Iustice we cannot corrupt. Locks, and stocks, and trebble [barred] doores, a darke dungeon, and a cruell Gaoler, all cannot keep them in, Acts 16.26. whom this Lord will deliver. His power shall shake the foundations of the earth, that earth-quake the foundations of the Prison, that trembling (as in the body) disjoynt and unfasten the doores, and loose all their bands. There is no knot but he can untie it; let us at once feare and trust him.

This being universall over all times; the God of Abraham, and of his seed; Heb. 13.8. Iesus Christ yesterday, and to day, and the same for ever; the God of our fathers that were, of our selves that are, of our posterity that shall be, then our enemies shall never finde time, wherein he shall not find meanes to deliver us. Over all places, Coelum & terram impleo, Psa. 139. whither shall we goe from his presence? Whither? That place was never yet discovered. He is present even to those that shun his presence; that say to him, Depart from us: how much more to us? Dominus nobiscum; yea he is not onely with us, but for us; Nobiscum & pro nobis: Immanuel, God in our nature, God in our flesh. Psa. 46.11. The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Iacob is our refuge. Dominus virtutum, there’s his power: Refugium nostrum, there’s his favour. The Load of Hosts, strong: the God of Iacob, sweet. The one Virium, the other Voluntatis: the one Roboris, the other Foederis: one of puissance, another of promise. Exo. 34.6. The Lord, the Lord; whatsoever belongs to Power, Majesty, Governance: mercifull, what ever belongs to election, dilection, compassion, covenant, sacrament: both together a just aequilibrium betweene greatnesse and grace; a faire and sweet harmony. Over all creatures; as heaven is his throne, the earth his foot-stoole, and the sea his wash-pot; so all creatures in them are at his beck; none can say, Ego solus aufugi, I have escaped. He can make the very flies and insects, those scornes of nature, executioners of his vengeance. Over us, in a gracious and speciall maner; which affords us a challenge and defiance against all adversary forces: we feare not armies of men, legions of devils, nor the gates of hell: Dominus Deus noster, The Lord is our God: which are not onely voces charitatis, comprehending in a community all christians; but voces fidei, when we take this great Lord for our proper and peculiar God. That he can deliver us, this we presume: that he will deliver us, this we assume: from that principle or Thesis, we derive this Hypothis, and appropriate it to our selves. Therefore we say not onely with the Leper; Mat. 8.2. Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me cleane: but we know thou canst, and we beleeve thou wilt, and we beseech thee to doe it.

The necessarinesse of this Lordship gives us experience, experience confidence, and confidence will bring deliverance. How easily would the thunder strik us dead, the sea breake in upon us, theeves spoile us, the whelpes of Rome worry us, the fiends of hell ruine us; but that our Lord sits in the chaire of omnipotency and protects us: Many are the dangers which we see and feare; innumerable those, we neither see nor feare: therefore to take away all attribution to our selves, even when we know not, Psal. 104.24. the Lord delivers us. How manifold are thy workes O Lord! How manifold, if we saile in the maine Ocean, and put not into some arme or creeke we never finde an end. August. But that Consuetudinis perseverantia amisit [admirationem]: we wonder not because they are common. Abundantia contumeliosa in [semetipsam]: Tertul. of fulnesse comes loathing. It is not magnitudo, but novitas; that drawes our eyes and observations. But he that considers his owne weakenesse and impotence; how he was made in the wombe, and knew it not; taken from the wombe and not able to helpe himselfe: that God must now give him his daily bread to feed him, his daily breath to quicken him, or he perishes: or that considers the power of his enemies, with the implacable fury of their malice, the bloud-hounds of hell: and yet that he is delivered; must confesse, A Domino, factum est, This is the Lords doing. That Sisera should fal by a woman, Pharaohs host sinke like stones into the bottome of the sea, an invincible Navy perish by a few rotten ships on fire: Psa. 107.8. O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse, and for his wonderful workes to the children of men: that our childrens children to the last period of any generation in this Iland may say, O God we have heard with our eares, our Fathers and Grand-fathers have declared to us, that noble worke of thy deliverance.

The immutability of it gives us further cause to trust in him. Laban may love Iacob well, but his countenance will change upon him: Amnon will hate [Thamar] more than ever he loved her: Pharaohs Officer forgets Ioseph when his turne is served: there is no constancy in man, but Ego Iehovah non mutor, I the Lord change not. The World changeth, the Vines cast off her grapes, the tired earth growes dull in encrease, mans stature is lessened, his length of life lesse than that, his honesty little or nothing at all: the sea encroacheth upon the land, Springs lock like Autumnes: States change, policies change, governments change, all the materials of nature change: we see it, we need not preach it: it is matter of fight not of faith. Every mans mouth is full of this complaint. The world is fickle: whatsoever is delectable, vanisheth like smoke; Nocturnum somnium. That [medicine] helpes to day, August. which doth not to morrow: God is alwayes helpefull. That [receit] helpes one which helps not another; God helpes all. The hoarder adores his money; yet is his wealth but like an Inheritance on Salisbury plaine; he may robbe many Passengers for a time, at last some body will rob him. Set not your heart on riches, lest you be driven to say, as Laban to Rachel, Thou hast stollen away my heart. And when they are gone, Plus cruciant amissa, quàm delectant possessa. Contrarily, Gods love encreaseth; August. though not formaliter, in it selfe, yet effectivè, to us. Friends are mutable, Paul had many adherents, yet at last complaines, 2 Tim. 4.16. No man stood with me, but all forsooke me. Indeed Alexander opposed his words: some withstood him but none stood with him. Yet then he finds this Lord to stand for him, he delivered him. Ver. 17. Peace changeth into warre, discord thrusts out amity; but in God is constant peace. Esa. 57.19. I create the fruits of the lips, peace, peace, &c. Where we find; 1. [Certitudinem], Paraohs dreame is doubled for the surenesse; 2. Magnitudinem, no peace like our reconciliation wth God, it is past all understanding. 3. Multitudinem all kinds of peace that may stand wth goodnes. 2 Cor. 1.5. If sufferings abound for Christ, consolations abound also: if the exuperance be in either scale, it is in the comforts. Ro. 8. we read of seven enemies: and v. 38. of seven victories. And if there be any other obstacle, from the height of heaven to the depth and bottome of hell: or further malignity in any creature, it shall be removed. Whom God loves he loves to the end: and if he have once given us an earnest of his favour, we shall be sure of the whole bargaine.

The incomprehensiblenesse of this power, so far transcending angustias [humani] cordis, and yet so visible to the eye in the great and wondrous effects; may wel further shew us where our deliverance lies. Howsoever the noblest demonstration of things be from their causes and principles; yet the nearest to us ward, and most apprehensible is from the effects and performances. At Senacheribs army Iudah hung downe the head, rent her clothes, and hid her face; nothing was left her, but Lord bow down thine eare and heare, open thine eye and consider: yet in this extremitie they found the Lord a Deliverer: an Angell slew in one night 185000 of them. Here was an invisible hand, but a mighty one: a power not comprehensible, yet discerned in the worke. If any object, We see not our signes, not one finger of this hand appeares: we are in distresse, and the Lord hath thrust his working arme into his bosome, buried his mercies in forgetfulnesse: yea hee does that which seemes contrary to his workes of favour; not diversa, sed adversa, which the Prophet calls Opera peregrina, Esa. 28.21. strange and unproper workes, almost aliene from his nature, troubling his owne people; that the very wicked insult, Where is now their God? yet even then is an invisible hand working for us; and when the Devills conspiracie is come to the birth, it shall be abortive, or strangled in the wombe; the God of our salvation will deliver us.

It is blessed, and that which blesseth us, and all things to us: the Sun doth not so necessarily lighten the aire, as God doth blesse them his favour is pleased to shine upon. CHRIST is his principally Blessed Sonne. Matth. 26.23. Sonne of God. Mark. 14.61. Son of the blessed. This blessednesse comes downe from him to the rest of his children: all blessings come from God, but by the hand of man, even that man of God, and hand of his Father; Christ. That bread should not choake, rather than nourish; it is blessing. That garments, which are cold of themselves, should keepe us warme: but especially, that we perish not in our sins, that we are delivered from the power of death, and pawes of the Dragon; this is his extraordinary blessing. Blessednesse is every mans desire; now he that hath God, hath blessednesse: whosoever hath the Sun, hath the light of the Sunne; he cannot want water, that hath the fountaine. Saint Augustine hath the story of a histrionicall Mounte-banke, that to get spectators, and money by them, promised to tell them the next day what they all most desired. The Theater being full of people, and their minds full of expectation; what was the Device? Vili vultis emere, & charè vendere: you would all buy cheape and sell deere. But this holds not; for the good man in a famine will buy corne deere, and sell it to the poore cheape. And on the other side, the unthrift will sell his inheritance cheape, to buy vanities deere: therefore he failed of his promise. But if he had told them, Beati vultis esse, you would all be happy, this had beene a full satisfaction. Let us cleave to this blessed God, and he will deliver us from sin and hell, which is blessednesse begun; and bring us to salvation and heaven, which is blessednesse perfect and consummate.

Let this teach us to blesse him, that blesseth us. A man drinkes of a river, he addes nothing to it, but takes something from it: when we offer to God our praises, we give him nothing, we receive something from him. Psal. 116.13. It is but thankes we give, but we take the cup of salvation. We send up praises, as a man throwes up flowers, that fall downe backe upon his own head: so the showers of our free-will offerings fall downe upon our selves in showers of mercies.

Let it also invite us to love him, as being most blessed and lovely. Looke what foundation there is in any other, why thou shouldst love, feare, serve, honour them all these are a thousand times more in God. Thy Prince hath honour, thy father reverence, thy Master service, thy wife love: all these are due to God in a transcendent measure. He that is thy King, is but Gods servant; and spiritually we are all kings, in Christ: and when all the confederate kings of the earth cannot deliver thee this Lord can save thee. Thou lovest thy countrey, it is well: thy countrey gave thee not being & life: to displease God is the way to make thine own countrey spew thee out. If therfore Curtius in a vain-glorious love to his countrey, threw himselfe into the gulfe, because the oracle said, whom the people loved best, he must be cast in to stop it. How are we bound to love God even above our own lives, that hath preserved us here, and provided a better countrey for us hereafter! Thou reverencest thy father, thou doest well;

nature it selfe would rebuke the contrary. But if such awe be to the father of thy flesh, what humble reverence is due to the Infuser of thy soule, the father of thy father and of all mankind? Thou servest thy master, well done: that God which alwayes commands, not seldome commends this obedience. But if a Masters reward be such an encouragement, what is it to heare from heaven, Well done good servant? Thy wife hath thy heart, it is fit, you are one flesh: but be not so uxorious to thy wife, as to be injurious to thy husband, Christ. Of all places, remember Salomon, and let not thy wife have Gods place. The love of a brother is great, of a friend greater, of a wife above that: but the love of God must be above all. Matth. 8.22. Let the dead bury their dead, follow thou me: forsake thy father living, much more dead, to follow CHRIST. If the wife of thy bosome alienate thy affection from him, she is a Traitor to thee and to him. Now if lust or profit comes in competition with God, examine thy conscience, which preferrest thou? Gold many goe to the Devill for, yet Psal. 119.72. Thy Law is better to me, than thousands of gold or silver. How many of all these things do postponere curam, make it their last and least care! many mens shooe-tyes cost them more in a yeare than God and their soules: so unmindfull are we of thee, O Lord!

The Lord knoweth how.] I have held you long in this point of deliverance, and you say it is high time to deliver you from it: one circumstance more, and you have your wish. This last concernes the wisedome of God: it is enough that he promises deliverance, he keeps the Quomodo to himselfe. It is set down indefinitely: no man, no Apostle, no Angell, can know all the meanes of Gods delivering his: it is enough, Novit ipse, himselfe knowes. This gives a checke to all sawcy Inquirers, that will not beleeve helpe from the Lord, unlesse he tells them How. It hath ever beene the foolish ambition of man, to be most prying into concealed things: desiring to know what he is forbidden, and slighting that he is charged to learne. It was not the thirst of gold, that was the fall of mankind; the earth and all her metalls were his: not of honour, he had soveraigntie over all the creatures: not of pleasure, he wanted none: Satan had another baite, a forbidden knowledge. How Divine a thing is knowledge, whereof even Innocencie it selfe was ambitious! Adam looked for speculative knowledge, he should have looked for experimentall. Hee thought it had beene good to know evill, whereas good was ample enough to have made up his perfect knowledge and blessednesse. He that knew all other things, knew not this one thing, that he knew enough. All that God made was good, the Maker being much more good: they good in their kinds, he good in himselfe. Adam knew the Creator, and his creatures, yet this could not content him: he would know that God never made, evill; evill of sinne, evill of death: both which himselfe made by desiring to know them. Ever since, we know evill too well, and smart with knowing it: how deare hath this lesson cost us, that it is safe to be ignorant, where God hath not bid us know. Yet still are we transported with this sawcy appetite of our Grandmother, and run our selves a ground with the curious affectation of forbidden knowledge. For the things revealed, Lord give us a sober knowledge for the things concealed, give us a contented ignorance. There is more manifested than we can know, enough to make us happy by knowing. Deliverance we looke for: how or when the Lord will deliver thee or me, that is in his owne bosome, and the brest of his privy Councell, Iesus Christ.

The Lord knoweth how.] As there is nothing unpossible to his might, so there is nothing concealeable from his understanding. Gods wisdome and providence is like the eye of a well-drawne Picture; that lookes upon all and every one, as if every one were all. Take an eye and draw never so many lines from it, it sees all alike, and at once: the Center is present to every point of the circumference. This is a threefold comfort to us.

1 He knowes our tentations before they be upon us: he sees the preparing of the potion, weighes the ingredients to a scruple, qualifies the malignity of the purgatives with sweet consolations. Satan, that bloudy Apothecary, mindes nothing but the drugs and dregs of poison; but God puts in an Antidote that he knowes not of: he meanes to doe hurt, but the Lord knowes how to convert it to good. Thus tota miseria Christiani est dolor medicinalis, non sententia poenalis. August. Now he that lookes to our affliction, will looke to our extrication. He would never suffer Satan to assault us, but that he knowes how to deliver us. It Pharaoh had kept himselfe at home, Gods honour had not bin so great at the red Sea: he knowes as well how to get himselfe honour of Satan, as he did of Pharaoh.

He knowes them when they be upon us. Exod. 2.25. The Lord looked downe upon the affliction of Israel: Pharaoh plagues them, he sees it, and therefore plagues Pharaoh. Psal. 31.7. Thou hast considered my trouble, thou hast knowne my soule in adversities. Now he that knowes the soule in adversity, knowes how to deliver it out of adversity. Videat Dominus, sayes dying Zechariah; 2 Chr. 24.22. The Lord looke upon it: yes, hee did see it. The wronged childe hopes to relieve himselfe, by making moane to his father. The Eagle, though she flies aloft, hath still an eye to her young ones: if any danger approach, she swiftly stoopes to defend them. Plin. Thus Christ in heaven hath an eye to his darlings on earth: if any Saul be riding with a bloudy Commission against them; downe he comes from his Emperiall throne to their rescue. Why doest thou persecute Mee? Me; dost thinke Saul, that Christians have no Patrons upon earth?

3 He knowes how to rid them from us: they are often so perplexfull and intricate, that neither we see, nor the world sees, nor reason apprehends how, yet the Lord knoweth. Aegypt afflicts Israel through many degrees: Pharaoh suspects them for purpose of revolting, imposeth on them heavy burthens: still God looks on, and lets him alone. To the name of strangers is added the name of slaves: Israel had gathered some rust in Aegypt, and now must be scoured: it is well they bore their burdens, who else had borne the burden of God. When like Palme trees, they flourish with their burdens; Midwives are suborned to destroy their male children; and they whose office is to helpe the birth, must murther it. Still the Lord knowes, and holds his peace. From burthens they proceed to bondage, and from bondage to bloud; from vexation of their bodies, to destruction of the fruit of their bodies. If the Midwives refuse, the multitude shall doe it: cruelty had but smoked before, now it flames up. It is rare tyranny that findes no villany for an executioner. Lastly, impossible labours are laid upon them, the Tyrant requires taskes not faisible: they could neither make straw, nor finde it, yet they must have it. Doe what may be, is tolerable: but doe what cannot be, is cruell. Yet thus doth Pharaoh pick a quarrell to punish: and if they doe it not, they are beaten. Now God begins to looke downe, and spight of all he delivers his people. No armes shall keepe them longer in Aegypt, no armies shall hurt them out of Aegypt. Pharaoh or the sea lookes for their conquest: to scape is beyond all hope, all thought: yet both shall be disappointed; The Lord knew how to doe it. So that they did not cry so loud before, as now they sin: not faith, but sense teacheth them to magnifie that God after their deliverance, which they scarce trusted for their deliverance.

The Antichristian enemies of Gods Church and truth, after the infatuation of so many trecherous conspiracies, found out at the last a speeding one: such as in so many thousand yeeres, from the fall of the reprobate angels, never came into the head of any divell, to put into the head of any [faction]. or if the head could devise it, yet to find a heart to receive it, or a hand to act it, would have beene thought impossible. But decreed it was in the Senate of Rome, in the bosome of that man of sinne, who turnes the keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven, into the keyes of the Kingdomes of the Earth. Advised by that family of malice, who of all the world, Soli inventi sunt dogmatizare mendacium; as Augustine said of the Priscillianists. Thus far God lets them alone. Executioners must be found, there must be hands as well as heads; Vlisses may contrive, Diomedes must thorow with it. Still the Lord saies nothing: their secrecy makes them confident, dejerated with a trebble bond of counsell-keeping; Religion, Oath, Sacrament: You shall sweare by the blessed Trinity, and holy Sacrament, not to reveale it: thus they eate their God upon a bargaine of bloud. Still the Lord is silent. They build the foundation of their designe under the foundation of the Parliament house; Insidiantur in abscondito, and say to the ground, cover us: they trust not the aire, but lay up their treason in a subterraneous vault, with great improbity of labour. Who should discover those Penetralia mortis? Those inward chambers of death: Yes, the Lord knowes how. Their catholick doomesday is now at hand, and their wants nothing but a hand to act it: they say of our soules, there is no helpe for them in their God. Then was Gods time and hint, and in a Parable, by a Miracle, we are delivered. Their stratagem is defeated, their dungeon and hell of secrecy opened, the deeper hell of their hearts eviscerated, their vault of most barbarous villany ransacked, to convince them and all the world, that novit Dominus, the Lord knowes how to deliver his. Alas, we were like men that dreamt, nay we dreamt not of this: the noise of mill-stones, light of candles, bread and wine, bride and bridegroome, were our song: the plot of ruine came not within the reach of our thoughts. Blessed be that God who onely delivered us.

Thus he can deliver with equall meanes, with small meanes, with no meanes. Novit Dominus, he can tell how. Midian comes against Israel; they like the sand by the Sea, covered all the Valley: the Israelites were two and thirty thousand strong. They thinke we are too few: God sayes, the people are too many. They say, the Midianites are too many for us: God replies, you are too many for them. Indeed, if Israel had expected the victory from their owne fingers, they had bin too weake for Midian: but seeing God will give the conquest, and have the glory; they are too strong. Where humane strength is opposed, there needs an equality: but now God will fight, and he knowes how to doe it with a few, with none, as well as with many. His care is not how to get the victory, but how to preserve the glory of it gotten. Therefore he chuseth to save by few, that all the honour may redound to himselfe. So jealous is he of his glory, that though he give deliverance to Israel, yet the praise of the deliverance he will keepe to himselfe. Therefore he shortens their meanes, that they may not shorten his mercies. Now if he will not allow lawfull meanes to darken his honour, how untolerable is unlawfull meanes? He that remembers the yeare eighty eight; (and what true English spirit can forget it, or forbeare to report it to his children?) An invincible Navy, an implacable fury, furnished with instruments of murther and torture, confident of our utter desolation: and considers how they were all desolated, and we delivered, when no arme nor finger of flesh was for us: must needs confesse, that Novit Dominus, the Lord knowes how: he used no helpe in the delivery, let him have no partner in the glory. There is lesse danger in stealing any thing from him, than his honour. If men steale the Princes tribute, or clip his coine, he may pardon it: but not if they goe about to rob him of his Crowne. No, but still let him be praised, both in our chambers at home, and abroad in our Churches, for our time, and throughout all the generations of our childrens children after us, till Christ appeare in the cloudes; and then in the Kingdome of Heaven for ever and ever, Amen.

And to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished.] We have seene how the godly speed, now let us marke the end of their persecutors. The wicked keepe such a noise in the world, that a poore mans tale can no more bee heard, than the humming of a Bee in a clap of thunder. So head-strong and uncontrouleable is the precipice of sin, that when the righteous would withstand it, they are borne downe by it. Virtutibus semper contradicitur. The Church should never finde so many stratagems directed ex professo against her, but that she takes a course which the world dislikes. In Ezek. Hom. 9. Perversorum derogatio, vitae nostrae approbatio, Greg. In all ages, the rebuke of Christ, hath bin the religion of Christians. The reason is, our singularity and discent from their customes: which as it makes them hisse like serpents, because we trouble their nests: so like an Antiparistasis, it should inflame our zeale. We have read of Heathens that would shunne the popular current. Phocion had not suspected his speech, had not the people applauded it. Antisthenes mistrusted some ill in himselfe for the vulgar commendation. And shall we be brutishly driven with the drove? Or rather like nailes in a wheele, turne as we are turned, without either conscience of sin, or guidance of reason? If we live like them that are reserved to Iudgement, how should we thinke our selves not reserved with them? This is their time to persecute, ours to suffer: their time will come to suffer, ours to triumph. Let me rather feele their malice, than be wrapt up in their vengeance. Recusat esse de corpore, qui non vult mundi odium sustinere cum capite, Tract. in Ioh. 87. August. They are our corrosives, corrasives, used onely to pare off our excrements, and eate out our dead flesh by their tentations: but the patient is preserved, when the plaister is throwne into the fire.

Saint Ierome allegorically upon Ezech. 47.19. The possession begins at Thamer, and reacheth along to the waters of strife. Is there peace betweene Iosuah and Gibeon? then there is quarrell enough for the Amorites against Gibeon. The heires of heaven can expect no better at the hands of the children of this world. A larger booke might be written of the Apostles Sufferings, than that of their Acts. And had not the Divine power given them a miraculous successe, in the safe conduct of a Gospell, thorow a world of tentations; it might have been entitled in a bloudy Rubricke; The booke of the sufferings of the Apostles. 1 Cor. 4.9. God hath set forth us the Apostles last, as it were appointed to death; Paul might well say: last, with an Emphasis: the former endured but the injuries of their owne countrey, the last, the malice of all the world; vying who should multiply the most disgraces upon them. Act. 28.22. Concerning this Sect, we know it is every where spoken against. They might well affirme it, that were the first authors of it. As Caesar wrote of those battels, Quibus non solum interfuit, sed & praefuit. But let us stand upon our guard, Tertull. Vrsin to Fernesius. keepe to the lists of our warfare, maintaine the fight wee have sworne in Baptisme me. Subtle arguments well answered, breed a cleare conclusion: our soules shall shine the brighter one day for this rubbing. Consider we two encouragements. First, Hebr. 12.3. Christ endured such contradiction of sinners: he is the commander and beholder of this combate: the Iudge and rewarder of this courage: the leader of the company, and conquerer of the enemie. Ioh. 16.33. Bee yee of good cheare, I have overcome the world. Next, their rage is but like their Generalls, sharpe but short; for a time: for they are reserved to the day of Iudgement to be punished.

The parts are foure, according to the proceeding of civill Iudicature: the malefactors; their binding over, the Assises, and the execution.