that the Lord will look on my affliction and that the Lord will requite good for his cursing this day 1 David came to Bahurim in his flight from Absalom we may seriously observe to what afflictions and streights the Saints of God may be brought they may be brought to flee for their lives this was Davids case and this is the lot and portion of all the faithfull to endure affliction in one kinde or other Abraham the Father of the faithfull had his peculiar afflictions his great fears and his unparalel'd tryals Gen. 20.11 22. Isaac had his continual griefe of minde in the marriage of one of his Sons and of his being deprived of the other for 20. yeares together Gen. 26.35.36.27 See what afflictions Jacob had persecuted by his own Brother and driven from his Fathers house into a strange Land there he suffered many an injury and indignity from his Unkle with sorrowes he sustained from and in his children Surely if we would seriously read the whole story of his life we shall finde his troubles come tumbling one on the others back Like the waves of the Sea commonly the ending of one was but the beginning of another Moses whom God so dearly loved and entertain'd into the necrest familiarity talking with him face to face was notwithstanding exercised with grievous afflictions not to speak of his hardships and streights which he sustained before he could understand it being in danger of death every hour for 3. months space To omit many things what an affliction had he in carrying such an untoward people 40. yeares together in the wildernesse and what wordly comfort had he to cheer him in suffering all these afflictions but the remembrance of the Land of promise the fruition whereof he long expected But at last he is cut off from this hope and heareth Gods definitive sentence passe upon him that he must ascend Mount Nebo and dye there Deut. 32.50 And thus Job though he were the justest man that lived upon the Earth by the Lords own testimony yet did he endure manifold and grievous afflictions as we may read in the History of his life the spoyling of his goods the slaughter of his servants the untimely death of ten children all at once the outward torment of botches and boyles and the inward terrors of an afflicted minde the scornes of the wicked the strange behaviour of his Wife the unkinde usage and hard censures of his friends that in these respects he was thought to be the fittest man to be propounded by the holy Ghost as a pattern of patience James 5.11 And thus did all the Apostles suffer afflictions yea and cruel deaths except St. John Here with a Catalogue St. Paul makes of his sufferings 2 Cor. 11.44 unto which outward vexation of body and inward cares and distractions of minde we may add his spiritual afflictions as the fight between the flesh and spirit and the buffitings of Satan which were incomparably greater then all the rest for whereas out of the strength of his faith and patience he rejoyced yea even boasted himselfe in his other afflictions by these he is much humbled and cast down in the fight of his corruptions and forced to crye out in perplexity of spirit oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Now the causes which doth move the Lord to lay upon his children those great afflictions is because of sin Sin then is the meritorious cause why the Lord punisheth a place or Person Judgments never come down from God till provocations first go up from man and this the Church plainly affiâ—meth Lam. 3.39 man suffereth for his sin and this the Lord tels Israel Jer. 30.14 15. I have stricken thee with the wound of an enemy and with a sharp chastisement for the multitude of thine iniquities because thy Sons were increased why cryest thou for thine affliction thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquities I have done those things unto thee Object But doth God alwayes correct for sin are there not other ends which move the Lord to lay crosses upon his own children Ans It s very true God doth by afflictions as well make tryall of his graces in us as chastize us for our sins and that besides our transgressions there are in Gods secret counsels other causes of our crosses and calamities but seeing the Lord hath in his word denounced these miseries and afflictions against us as punishments and chastisements for our iniquities and doth not reveale unto us when he tryeth us and when he correcteth us Therefore leaving Gods secrets unto himselfe we are not to look unto his hidden counsels but to his revealed will and according thereunto we are alwayes to make this use of our afflictions that when we are judged we are chastned of the Lord and justly corrected and punished for our sins and thus the Saints in all ages have done still have they insisted on their sins which have primarily been the cause of their sorrowes So David complained Psal 38.3 there is no soundnesse in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there rest in my bones by reason of my sins And thus the Prophet Isaiah chap. 64.5 cryeth out in his prayer for the people behold thou art angry for we have sinned Yea Job himselfe who was chiefly afflicted for the try all of his graces though he desires to defend his innocency against his three friends to maintain the integrity of his heart from their false aspertions yet having to deal with God he acknowledgeth and sayes I have finned what shall I do unto thee oh thou preserver of men and why doest thou not parden and take away mine iniquity Job 7.20 Again 't is good to make a holy use of every affliction Is there an insufficiency and impotency in creatures that they cannot help us or infidelity and treachery whereby they will not afford unto us that help which we expect from them we may very well conclude we rested too much on those earthen propts and when contempt and scorn waite upon our heeles pride and loftinesse was our Gentleman Usher before and so of the rest God is one that will do nothing wherein his word shall not justifie his deed what befalls us from him must needes be just though we conceive not our desert because he smothers our offences his justice is in no way detected and surely if we would seriously take notice of it we may oft times read our fin in our punishment for God usually retaliates and dealeth with men according to the manner and way of their wickednesse the sin and suffering oft meet in some remarkable circumstance Now as afflictions are punishments for sins past so are they preventions against sin in time to come Phisitâ—ans when they purge their Patients aime most at the cause of the disease for when that is taken away the effects will follow thus doth God with his own dearest children he purges them so
hath wrought the worke of our redemption we may at the same time mourne in the fight of our sins because we have difhonoured by them a gracious father and yet rejoyce in that our sorrow assureth us that they are forgiven us and we received into Gods favour We may mourne in the sence of our pain and smart but rejoyce in it as it is a figne of our adoption when God correcteth us as his children that we might not be condemned with the world So that we may spend our dayes in a joyfull mourning or a mournfull joy And thus by sence of paine the Lord maketh the flesh to mourne that it may be mortified restrained from sin for feare of punishment and by this spirituall joy apprehended by faith our good God refresheth the spirituall parâ— that it may not faint and yield when the flesh tempteth it to murmuring and dispaire Ah! Iâ— is the sweâ—nâ— oâ— God's love that allayeth the sowâ—nesse of all our afflictions This made David to say Psal 94.19 In the multitude of my thoughts which are within me thy comforts delight my soule Labour we then for patience under all our pressures it will lighten all our crosses and lesson our paines Patience in afflictions as a father saith will make us Martyrs without either fire or sword And therefore misery it selfe cannot make us miserable Let us then rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great will be our reward in heaven And let the consideration of this sweeten the bitternesse of our cup that according to the weight of our afflictions here shall be the weight of our glory hereafter Who would not then be content to drinke of Christs viniger and gall in this world so he migh drinke that new wine with him in his heavenly kingdome Oh. But how shall we obtaine this patience and a Cheerfull bearing up the head under all our pressures Answ We must know that patience is no naturall faculty or inherent quality which is borne and bred with us for naturally we are peevish and impatient if we are â—ever so 〈◊〉 crossed of our wills murmuâ— and repining against Divine providence and therefore this flower is not to be found in the barren desert of corrupted nature where it never grew neither is patience attained by the help of naturall reason and Philosophy whiâ— propoundeth unto us only shadowes of comforts that have a seeming shew a far off but vanish away when we seeke to catch them These props which uphold patience are guilded over but with humane Wit Art and Eloquence which seem to be of some strength so long as our patience is unburthened but when once patience is pressed with the least weight of afflictions then they faile and breake bewraying their weaknesse and insufficiency together with the folly of those who invented them and of us who trusted in them Alas The Philosophers for the most part were ignorant of the chiefe causes of all afflictions not ascribing them unto God and his most wise and just providence but unto fate and destany chance and fortune never looking unto the chiefe deserving cause which is sin but imagined that all crosses hapned by the guidance of blinde fortune which put no difference betweene the good and bad just and unjust and so accordingly did they apply false remedies which were as loathsome as the disease which they sought to cure Epictetus was one of the wisest of all the Philosophers and yet what cold counsell doth he give as namely that we must beare patiently that which we cannot avoid whereas that alone is enough to make a man break out into all impatiency when he shall consider that his miseries which are presently intollerable are also inevitable for the time to come that we doe beare those burthens which are common to many and that we have innumerable companions in our griefes that all mankind are subject to manifold miseries and afflictions and therefore we must not take it ill if we be not exempted from the common lot but in the mean time theyâ—make no mention of Gods providence disposing of all our afflictions and turning them to our good they do not shew that they are proportioned to the measure of our strength so as they shall never overwhelme us nor that they are the chastisements of a gracious Father and the fruits of his love again they put us in no hope and assurance that God is present with us in all our troubles and in his good time will deliver us out of all our afflictions and therefore we are not to trust to those who are but miserable comforters at the best Now if we will be sure to have true patience in our afflictions indeed we must seek for it where it is to be found and that is from the Father of lights from whom every good and perfect gift doth come now God hath promised that what ever we ask according to his will beleeving we shall obtain since therefore we have a promise let us go to God by prayer and in a humble boldnesse put him in mind of that word call upon me in the day of trouble and I will hear thee and thou shalt glorifie me and truly we never glorifie God more then when we seek deliverance from God and patiently expect it from him alone God doth many times as tender Mothers doe with their children that stray away from them which cause them to be frightned that they may return and cast themselves into their armes for protection so doth our good God cause these bugbeares of afflictions to meet and terrifie us when we have run away from him and suffereth us to be deprived of all other helps and comforts that we may with fulnesse of affiance rest wholly on him Ah! if we would consider that so ready is the Lord to hearken unto the suites of those that pray unto him that when he seeth this disposition in them he promiseth that before they call he will answer and while they speak he will hear Isai 65.24 and again Psal 91.15 he shall call upon me and I will hear him I will be with him in trouble I will deliver him and glorifie him so in Psal 145.19 he vvill fulfill the desire of them that feare him he also vvill hear their cry and vvill save them And indeed there can never be a stronger prop to uphold our patience then fervency in prayer saith the Apostle James chap. 1.5 if any of you lack wisedome namely that wisedome specially which inableth us to beare the crosse with comfort and patience let him ask of God which giveth to all men liberally and reproacheth no man and it shall be given him Oh! how it easeth us of our griefer and lighteneth our hearts of the burden of our afflictions when as we lay open our grievances before God and pour out all our complaints into his bosome now if it be an ease to our afflicted minde if we may communicate our griefesto a deare friend that at least we may be
a garison of holy reasons against the assaults of strong passions We may hope for the best but feare the worst and prepare to beare whatsoever God shall please to lay on us In this world of changes we cannot resolve upon alteration the minde is out of frame we cannot say this or that trouble shall not befall Yet we may in the strength of God say nothing that doth befall shall make me do that which is unbeseeming a Christian Where the spirit of God hath taken up his firme abode in the soule it will little set by any outward change he will little estâ—eme to be accounted little in the eies of others when he is so little in his owne Let us therefore walke in such a heavenly disdaine amidst the scornes of an insulting generation That the world may know we can live above every condition and that all our afflictions are far beneath our hopes And let it be our joy to beare contentedly the unjust aspersions of malicious censure Who was there ever among the Saints that was not slandered though our accusers may be believed a while Yet let our actions out-weigh their words and the disgrace at last will rest with the intender of the ill that stone that injury casts ever in the end lights on its own head 2 David lookes off from Shimei to God that set him a worke Suffer him God hath bidden him Let him curse because the Lord hath said curse David Let this teach us that Gods hand hath a speciall stroke in all our afflictions is there any evill in the City saith God and I have not done it Amos. 3.6 Heare what Joseph says to his brethren I am Joseph your brother whom yee sold But God sent me hither Gen. 45.5 And thus did Joh from the Sabâ—eans and Caldâ—eans which had robbed him and slaine his Servants to God The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken and blessed be his name Joh. 1.21 And indeed the President and patterne of all humility lookt neither at Hered nor the Jewes or Pilate but to his father shall I not drinke of the cup that my father hath given me And this was it which made David so sweetly silent Psal 39 9. I was dumbe and opened not my mouth because the Lord did it To flye upon instruments as the maine cause of our crosses is to declare our selves voyde of reason So the dog bites the stone which would never have hit him if it had not been thrown It was a sweet meditation a holy man of God hath set down for his own support and ours He strikes me that made me that moderates the world Why struggle I with him why with my selfe am I a foole or a rebell A foole if I am ignorant whence my afflictions come a rebell if I know and be impatient And therefore when ought falls out contrary to our expectation let us not run to second causes but say God hath purposed it as it is fallen out He will make use of what instrument he pleaseth It is enough and his will be done though ours be crossed So promiscuous and inconstant is the administration of things here below that they seeme to run upon wheeles so doth Ezechiel phrase it Chap. 1. But these wheeles have eyes From which Metaphoricall and Metonymicall expression we may see that there is something in their events shewing the reason of their turnings which we see not Yea and those wheeles move as the beasts stir them To teach us that there is nothing done on earth but by the Lord in his instruments the wheeles move as they are guided by those Angells move as they are guided by the spirit And thus all is from the Lord. And least the saith of any be overthrowne from the change of things The Lord tels us that the wheeles are one within another and so are the winges of the Angells There is an agreeablenesse between them and thus is it in the changes of a thousand yeares Now to looke upon Gods providence in some particular only as upon a wheele or two and not upon all as once as they are one within another this deceiveth us When we looke upon honest Joseph in his disgracefull imprisonment onely On innocent David in his scorne and contempt in the Court and under the reproach of cursing Shemei on just Naboth condemned to death by false witnesses and accordingly stoned who say we shall rise againe to shew his innocencie on Paul held the worst man of his time on the Church as in the daies of Queene Hester but if we looke upon all these passages all at once we shall see that they have eics that they have Angells and these a spirit to guide them On these wheeles is Joseph brought by the sale of his brethren to Pharaâ—'s Steward by the false accusation of his Mistris he is cast into prison By the interpretation of the prisoners dreams he is brought to Pharaoh's knowledge and so to greatnesse in his Court. Thus whil'st David sits still Doth the Lord vex Saul by the Philistins and ends his dayes And first setleth David in the Kingdome of Juda then Ish bosbeth falling out with Abner about a word forsakes him Ish-hosheth shall be slain by two wicked men And thus is David fairly brought to the Crowne even by those wheeles Thus in the dayes of Queene Hester when the Church was upon the point of destruction that the King could not sleep that night That he should call for the booke of the Chronicles before another And that in this booke that place which contained Mordeccyes revealing the treason against the King should revoke his decree and so the Church injoy deliverance this plainly proves that in all those various and strange administrations of accidents that doe befall us that God not onely made but wisely disposes of all Surely these wheeles have eyes and a spirit to guide them And therefore in all our wrongs and injuries let us looke up to the first mover and discharge the meanes 'T is true the instruments may be unjust nay cruell in their wronges but the cause is just from him that did inflict them wicked men are rods in the hand of God and at them must looke never but as they are in the hand of an Almighty power wherewith when he hath sufficiently corrected us he will cast them into the fire Gen. 28.12 Jacob wondring at the descent and ascent of Angells on the ladder in the vision looketh up to the top and there sees God sending them with their errands so one Angell smites us and another delivers us but if we look up we should see God in both 3 As David acknowledgeth God to be the principle cause of his afflictions so he quietly and patiently submitteth himselfe to bear them A patient submission unto Gods will and a faithfull exercise under his visiting hand is an unfallible demonstration that we are children and not bastards Saith David the Lord hath said curse David who then shall say wherefore
rod will not humble us we shall surely feel the smart God will first or last take us in hand and master our proudest hearts and stoutest stomacks and if fewer and lighter stripes will not serve the turn he will inflict more and harder till he hath brought us as he would have us And therefore 't is better to be taken downe in youth than to be broken in pieces by great crosses in age we shall be sure of a time of reckoning the best of us God will punish sinne where ever be find iâ— and in this world most severely to his owne they that have most of Gods heart do oftentimes feel his hand most heavy When the â—ins of Saints shall become a scandall to Religion no wonder if God will vindicate his honor and be severest against those that wear his livery yet inwardly side with Satan and their own lofts other offences God may punish this he must least the enemies of the truth triumph against him David had such a whip for this as never man had greater because he had by his fin caused the enemies of God to blaspheme his child must dye when he that had sung the purenesse of the God of Israel and proclaimed the noble acts he did of old and seem'd as one indeared to the Almighties love how would the Philistims rejoyce when he should thus become Apostate and with a milde licentiousnesse mix his lust with murder and ingratitude surely his sin and punishment God will have to stand upon record to the worlds end to be a warning to all that if God was so severe against one who lay so near his heart then let us with fear and trembling look to our wayes making streight steps to our feet least that which is lame be turned out of the way ever remembring that after the remission of a â—in the very chastisements of the Almighty may be deadly And this was it which made David so meek without murmuring seeing God as his justice required did justly execute his righteous judgements upon him for his sin and according to his revealed truth inflicted those afflictions which he had formerly threatned God is immutable as his course hath been towards his children in times past so will he deal with us and our posterity in time to come he will ever proceed by the same rules of justice and mercy punishing like finnes with like judgements And therefore let us justifie Gods wifedome in all his proceedings of providence concerning our selves and others his justice in punishing as well as his love in correcting his grace in giving and his mercy in taking away and in all things from the heart blesse the name of the Lord. Blesse his name and exalt his free grace that our punishment is no more nor no worâ—e What if we have many crosses heavily lying upon us truly if we had our due desert we should have more and greater the terrors of conscience here and torments of hell hereafter what if death have deprived us for a time of our children deerest necrest relations alas our fins have deserved to be deprived of the presence of God and all his holy glorious Saints Angells that to all eternity what if we have loâ—t our honor riches reputation and estimation with the world perhaps they were our Gods no wonder they were daâ—ht to pieces and we made to drinke of their dust what if our friends have lest us and have forgotten all their promises and purposes of friendly intimacy and have taken away all their love and have in stead repaid us with scorne and disdain what then they could not take away our God nor our Christ nor his spirit nor our interest in the promises nor our hope of Heaven why what have we lost then truly matters of no great moment the presence of our God without any of these is perfect peace but all these without God is but a little more cheerfull hell And therefore none could justifie God in his way of proceeding better then David so he says nay sings it too Psal 103 he hath not dealt with us after our fins nor rewarded us after our iniquities and this he intimateth Psal 51.4 by that ingeminating confession of his against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evill in thy fight that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and clear when thou art judged 5 David comforting himselfe with hopes of being benefited by this affliction it may be that the Lord will look on my affliction and that the Lord will requâ— good for his cursing this day And this should comfort us in our deepeft diftresse because Gods round reprehensions are ever gracious forerunners of his mercy Faith will teach us to say God hath chastised me according as he hath threatned therefore he will comfort me according as he hath promised now hath not God promised and assured us to uphold us in our afflictions and bring us through it and comfort us by it and gloriâ—ie us after it let us therefore with Abraham hope against hope and apprehend the certain accomplishment of these promises by faith whence fence and carnall reason see nothing but the contrary Ah! if we would seriously consider that as God is the supreame cause of all our afflictions so doth he govern and over-rule all secondary and inseriour causes and meanes by his most wise and powerfull providence that when they seeme most to oppose against him they do but effect that which he willeth and hath purposed to be done they serve to the furthering of his ends his glory and our salvation how opposite and contrary they are one to the other Now if God hath joyned his glory and our happinesse together it is â—it that we should refer our selves to his good pleasure that hath joyned his glory to our best good which is our salvation This was it which upheld the head of David the good which would follow he was sure that this wet seed-time would bring forth a plentifull harvest this he â—ings Psal 126.6 He that goeth forth weeping bearing precious seed shall doubâ—lesse come again with rejoycing bringing his sheaves with him And again Psal 126.5 They that sow in teares shall reap in joy And thus many times God in mercy puts us to a lesser trouble for our greater good Thus did the Lord with the Israelites when he brought them into the wildernesse where they indured much affliction he did humble them and prove them that he might do them good at their latter end Deut. 8.16 Now God doth not only advance by afflictions the spirituall and everlasting good of his own children but many times turneth them to their greater benefit in the things of this life as we may see in the example of Joseph he was sould as a slave that he might be a great Commander he lost his patrimony at home that he might receive a much more large inheritance in a strange Countrey and therefore he professeth that when his brethren
intended evill against him God disposed it to the good not only of himselfe but of many others And thus was Johs afflictions turned to his advantage here in this life what a name hath he gotten to be a pattern of patience which shall never die so long as the world lasts for all his temporall things which he lost he shall have it doubled and those that charged him for an Hipocrite shall be the first shall contribute to his reliefe and comfort and this was it which comforted him when he looked to the end God faith he knoweth my way and triâ—th me and I shall come forth like gold Joh. 23.10 Ah! if we would consider Gods manner of dealing many times he is faine to pull us down to the ground before he build us up anew empty us quite of all Creature comforts before he fils us with himselfe so never should our names have had so sweet a savour with God if they had not been by man pounded in the morter of afflictions so that many may say they had been undone if they had not been undone Thus I have heard of â—godly manâ—hat was going for France and he was going a Ship-board he broak his leg and it pleased God so to order it that the Ship in which he should have gone in at that time was cast away and not a man saved so that by breaking a bone he saved his life The like did that blessed Martyr in Queen Mary's dayes who would alwayes conclude of all Gods dealings to be very good and so he said when word was brought him that the next day he must be burned but as he was going to the stake he fell and brake his leg which when some asked him whether this were good too he replyed oh yes very good and so it fell out indeed for before his lame leg would bring him to the stake a post from Queen Elizabeth came to save him and to tell Queen Mary was dead Oh! how doth afflictions occasion more comfort and further experience of grace God seldome afflicts in vain such solemn providences and dispansations leave men better or worse but the children of God gain profit still by them for 'c is Gods course to recompence outward losses with inward injoyments for as the sufferings of Christ abound in us so also consolations abound by Christ that is inward comfort and experiences according to the rate of outward sâ—fferings Ah! a wildernesse that giveth us more of God is to be preferred above all the pleasures and treasures of Egypt Novv as afflictions occasion comfort so it tries it whether it be sound and solid for in the time of prosperity that comfort which vâ—e have is so mixed according to the mixt causes of it that vve can very hardly diâ—cern what of it is carnall and what is spirituall but vvhen all other comforts and hopes are gone then that vvhich is left is most likely to be spirituall and the spirit never vvorketh more sensibly and svveetly then when it worketh alone So likewise how can we tell whether we be able to incounter with an adversary when there appeareth 〈◊〉 to contend against us Hovv can vve tell vvith what patience vve can bear poverty vvhen vve alwayes abound in riches hovv can vve discern vvhat heart and coâ—rage vve â—ave to indâ—re shaâ—e disgâ—ace reproaches vvhen vve shall grovv old in popular applause and the sâ—reame of their favours shall flovv unto our graves hovv shall vve knovv vvith vvhat constancy and contentednesse vve can sustain the lâ—ss of children friends of the nearest and dearest relations when we never heard of the death of any of them truly we may comfort others but then it comes more kindly when we have first comforted our selves and have commanded our griefes to avoid our presence And this is she goodnesse and sweetnesse of our afflictions when being cast into this fiery Furnace we are purified from our drosse we may be approved in the touch and be esteemed and prized as well befitteth our worth and value according to that of Solomon Prov. 17.3 as the fining-pot for silver and the Furnace for gold so h Lord trieth the heart Object But some may say my afflictions are greaâ— and my strength small so that in my trials I shew so many infiâ—mities and corruptions I fear I shall never be approved how then shall I grow better by them Ans Alas poor soul dost thou think that the Goldsmâ—th hath skill enough so to proportion the heat of the fire to the mettall that it may be purified and not consumed and canst thou imagine that the Lord knoweth not how to fit his trials to thy stâ—ength or if he have knowledg and wisedome enough canst thou doubt of his will seeing he hath bound himselfe by a most gracious promise that he will not suffer us to be tempted or tried above our strength but will give a good issue with the temptations yea but in the meane time thou art pressed with such an heavy weight that thou bewraiest thine infirmities and corruptions And truely it may be necessary and profitable for thee so to doe that by this tryall thou mightest come to the sight and sense of these imperfections which before were in thee though hidden and unknowne to the end that now beholding them thou mayest be truly humbled brought to unfained repentance and to an hearty indeavour in using all good meanes to be cleansed and freed from them God many times in wonderfull mercy and love causeth us to bewray our smaller infirmities that he might free us from grosser sins and taking away all selfe confidence in our one strength he causeeth us with full affiance to rest upon him who never faileth those that trust in him Ah! We shall have treble honour for all our sufferings we are honoured by the Lord when he inricheth us with his graces and then by trying of them whereby their worth and excellency is manifested unto all that behold us And at last he will honour us by crowning his own graces in us when as by tryall they are approved Did we but serioâ—fly confider that promise Rom. 8.28 All things shall worke together not on y for good but for the best to them that love God we would think our present condition to be best what ever it be because of the wise providence of God Not to speake how prosperity workes for our good because though we are like a ship under saile with afore-winde carried sweetly and swiftly towards heaven being fully laden with the blessings of Gods left hand yet for as much as we saile in a tumultuous sea we are in great danger alwayes to be over set and many a one have been driven to that extremitie to cut downe their maine Mast and â—achling thrâ—w over-board all their goods before they could seâ—ure their lives My army said a Roman Captaine never stood in worse termes then when it had peace And 'c is noted of Solomon that of all the Kings of Juda