which it brought forth leaves and was green and flourishing being thus withered Husbandmen use to appoint their Servants to gather them up and burn them 1. He that hath made a profession to Religion a purer way of worshipping God and a stricter conversation before him if he maketh a defection from it he is cast forth Cast forth by the Church if that be in a calm and Pacate State and not in such a crowd of disturbances from the world that it cannot draw out its spiritual Sword and â—et me tell you Christians that is a dreadful thing to be orderly excommunicated by a Gospel Church The Apostle calls it a delivering up to Satan â—he separation of the Israelites from the Tents of Corah Dathan and Abiram was 〈◊〉 forerunner of Gods dreadful Vengeâ—nce on them the Churches separation from an apostatized Professor for his Apostacy is not to be flighted Proâ—ided this be done by a true Church â—nd for a just cause it is formidable enough for other Bruta fulmina they signifie little according to that of Job How forcible are right words but your â—rguings what do they reprove But this â—s not alwayes I told you the Church â—s not alwayes in a condition to execute this Vengeance upon Traitors However they are cast out by the Providence of God A notorious sinner may be cast out in the sight of God when hâ— is not so in foro Ecclesâ—ae in the view 〈◊〉 men and there is no branch not abiding in Christ but in this sense is cast forth God casts him forth he never had any true union with Christ he shall noâ— now have any appearing relation God will not own him his Saints shall notâ— he shall be none of them that God will care for with that special care which God extendeth to all those that are visible members of his visible Church hâ— hath made a defection from the City of God and hath removed himself into the suburbs of Hell he shall noâ— now have the priviledges of common Citizens Thus men use to do Tuâ—â— saith it was never known that those who made defection and proved false to the City of Rome jura civium tenuerunt enjoyed the priviledges of Citizens God will let it be seen that those who are false to his City shall not retain the priviledges of the City of God Secondly As the branch casts out with thereth So it ordinarily is with professors they lose their beauty and glory whether it lay in their quick and excellent parts these oft times abate their gifts dwindle and come to nothing or whether it lay in the repute and credit they had in the Church of God they are lookt upon as Fugitives and Renegadoes by the sincerer professors of Religion Nay for the most part this is not all they lose also their hopes for repute and credit with the world Who regard them as little as the Pharisee did Judas when he had betrayed his Master The wise God so ordereth it that the world shall not trust those that his Church cannot trust A fugitive from his Profession sheweth too little of a Christian to be valued by the Church and too little of a man to be much valued by the world who ordinarily love the Treason but hate the Traytor they like it well enough to see one professing to Christ spitting in his face to hear him jear and mock at the wayes of God in which he once walked but in the mean time they hate the traytor abhorring the levity and inconstancy of this weather-cock in Religion that turns in obsequiousness to every wind Thus he withers every way That which he hath is taken from him his gifts and parts his credit and reputation he becomes a man of no value to every one But there is worse yet that follows Thirdly Saith our Saviour Men gather them and they are cast into the fire and burned Thus men deal with the withered branches of Vines once separated from the Vine Thus will God do with Professors that abide not in him They shall be gathered up it the great day of Judgement Our Saviour tells us who shall gather them the Angels Mat. 13. They shall be burned with unquenchable fire The Apostle saith There remaineth nothing for them Heb. 12. but a certain dreadful looking for of fiery indignation Now our abiding in Christ in the truths of Christ which we have formerly owned in the wayes of Christ to which we have formerly professed and in which we have formerly walked is by our Saviour himself prescribed as the only means to avoid this unspeakable evil otherwise hanging over our heads Thirdly Our abode with Christ is the excellent means to keep his presence with us Joh. 15 4. Abide in me saith our Saour and I in you So John 14.23 If any man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him What is this for Christ to abide with the soul I answer as it is one thing for a soul to be in Christ another thing for a soul to abide in Christ So it is one thing for Christ to be in the soul another thing for him to abide in the soul The abiding of Christ with a soul I think implieth 1. His manifestation of himself to the soul John 14.21 He that hath my commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me and be that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and manifest my self unto him The Lord may be in the soul and yet be hid so as the soul may go about trying Where is my God become The soul may walk in the dark and see no sight Christ is then said to abide in the soul when he appeareth to it and that in some constancy that he is not to use the Prophets expression Jer. 14.8 as a wayfaring man who tarrieth but for a night And 2. Gods sensible manifestations to a soul may be in the influences of comforting quickning or strengthening Grace Take a soul under the greatest desertion and cloud of Divine light there is yet as an Vnion so some communion betwixt God and it as the soul doth in some degree communicate it self unto God under the greatest apostacy it can be guilty of if it truly belongs to him its backsliding is but gradual so God doth in some degrees communicate himself to the soul under the greatest desertion the Union abiding some communion is necessary But now the Lords abiding with the soul argueth more than this it argues thus much that the soul who thus abides in Christ shall be under some sensible influences of Divine Love and that not only for its consolation chearing and refreshing it under dark issues of Providence but for its strength and liveliness in the way of God it shall grow stronger and stronger every day more fresh and lively and active in the wayes of God Without this how heavily doth a soul
walk crying out with David Lord When wilt thou comfort me How hardly and heavily doth it come off with any spiritual duties How weakly doth it perform them When these locks are shaven off in which its great strength lyes it becometh as another soul And this evinceth it to be a great point of a Christians Wisdom to abide in Christ You meet with a Promise in the Old Testament to this purpose I will make an everlasting Covenant with them Jer. 32.40 that I will not turn from them to do them good but I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall never depart from me Mark how God twists these both together the same Covenant that ensures us Gods abode with us to do us good engageth us also not to depart from him Thus far now I have evinced this as a piece of a Christians wisdom to abide in Christ by considering it as an End 2. As a Means A Means in order to our keeping Christs abode with us 2. In order to our bringing forth fruit and much fruit 3. In order to the preservation of our selves from the greatest evils of being cast forth withering and burning 3. Let us consider it as a condition to which indeed all the Promises of the Gospel are annexed You may observe all the promises annexed to a continuance in the words of Christ to overcoming to an holding on to the end which expressions and many more of like import signifie the same thing as abiding in Christ It is a question amongst Divines whether the Covenant of Grace be absolute or conditional If we understand by the Covenant of Grace that Eternal Paction which was betwixt God the Father and his Eternal Son as the head of the Elect it is no question absolute and nothing is required of the Elect in order to their Salvation but what God in some other branch of that sacred Stipulation hath engaged to do for them give unto them or work in them but because in what we are to perform our own endeavour is required and we are workers together with God to use the Apostles expression in another cause therefore in all Exhibitions and Declarations of this Everlasting Covenant unto men which were gradual according to the different periods of the world and as God was pleased more or less darklier or more clearly to reveal his mysteries it is propounded conditionally And this is the Condition annexed to all the great Promises of the Covenant that we should abide hold fast persevere continue to the end not draw back c. I shall only particularize in one and that is no mean one John 15.7 If you abide in me and my words abide in you you shall ask of me what you will and I will give it you For poor worms to have a liberty to go to God to ask of him to ask of him what we will and this under an assurance from the only Son of God that we shall have it Is it nothing to us Seemeth it to you Sirs a small thing to have this liberty of access to the Throne of Grace this is promised by him that â—annot lye and the condition annexed is your abiding in him If you abidâ— in me you shall ask what you will Certainly I shall need say no more to evince this Abiding in Christ the great concernment of Christians 4. But once more let us consider it as an Evidence An Evidence of the truth of our Vnion with him An Evidence to our selves An Evidence unto others 1. We can no other way evidence to ourselves that we ever had any true union with Christ than by our abode and continuance with him There is a real difference betwixt a seeming and a real and sincere Professor but not discernable other than to him that searcheth the heart and trieth the reins any way but by a steady and constant abode in our profession God hath said if the righteous man forsake his righteousness and commit iniquity his righteousness shall never be remembred And again If any one draws back my soul shall have no pleasure in him Whiles those and such like Texts abide this assertion must be true The Apostle speaking of some that wert gone out from the Church sayes They were not of us if they had been of us they had continued with us That day a Christian steps back he loseth all his hope all his joy peace comfort satisfaction 2. It is our only Evidence unto others Put case a Christian hath a truth of Grace and be really united to Christ by an union which sin shall not dissolve and this Christian apostatizeth from his profession though it shall not be totally and finally gradually What ever he be other Christians during his Apostacy before his return cannot judge him a Christian indeed but must look upon him as a temporary Professor till they see him renewing himself by repentance for De secretis non judicat Ecclesia The Church of God can judge only from what appeareth and interpret his heart by the Comment which his actions make of it The summ now of all is this If a Christian be concerned to keep the manifestative and influential presence of Christ with him to bring forth the fruit of holiness to the glory of God and much fruit to maintain his communion with Christ and his Church his vigor credit and glory with the Church of God to keep himself out of Hell fire to maintain his unspeakable privilege oâ— going to God asking of God what he pleaseth with assurance of receiving from Christ what he asketh if he be concerned to preserve unto himself and to have to give unto others an Evidence that he hath not mockt God deceived men in his profession acted an odious dissembler counterfeit in Religion It is then his wisdom and high concernment to abide in Christ I added further that it is his more especial concernment to look that he abide in Christ in evil times Let me evince that a little and it will appear to you if you consider with me these things 1. That in such times it is most difficult to do it It is a known saying Difficilia quae pulchra No brave thing is easie It is an easie thing when the Jews prosper to lay hold on the skirt of a Jew and say we will be called by thy name to swim with the stream alas in such a day there are bladders enough to hold us up from sinking besides the force of the stream alone will do it but an evil time is the time of trial Peter himself found it easier to abide with Christ when all the world ran after him than when all his Disciples â—rsook him and fled Evil times ordinarily afford three disadvantages which make an abode in our profession more difficult to Professors 1. The first is from the loosening the â—kin to wickedness There is this charaâ—teristical difference betwixt a good and evil time in a spiritual sense In 〈◊〉
best of souls are growing but â—â—ver come to their full growth Now the â—â—titutions of God are the souls food and â—â—ment in order to this growth The mark which is set in a Christians eye is The fulness of the measure of stature which is in Christ Perfection Being holy as Christ is holy perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect These are high marks every good Christian levels at them none hits them St. Paul himself had not attained but this one thing he did forgetting what was behind he pressed on to what was before A good Christian never standeth still but is always moving adding to his faith vertue to vertue temperance c. Growing in grace and in the knowledge of Christ Going on from strength to strength Now the institutions of God are the means of growth they are the souls food and nourishment 1 Pet. 2.2 As new born habes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby Psal 119.130 The entramâ— of thy word giveth light it giveth understanding to the simple They make wise the simple enlighten the eyes By them the servants of God are warned c. As well then can a growing child not hunger and thirst after food the propâ—â— nourishment of its body as soon mâ— a man not hunger and thirst for his mâ—â— and drink by which his soul is keptâ—â— life as a Christian not hunger and thirâ—â— after the institutions of God by which he groweth and by which he is preserved in his spiritual state 2. Though the weakest of Gods childrâ— be in a better state than the best unregâ—â— rate man yet none of their souls are in persect health Now the Ordinances of God are their spiritual physick The child of God while he lives on this side heaven is like a man or woman that hath a weak crazy constitution he is not always alike ill disposed nor always complains of the same distempers but 't is seldom that he is not complaining of one distemper or other One while of an hard heart another while of an heavy â—ull and dead spirit one while of a sad and dejected spirit another while of a diâ—racted vain spirit c. some ailment or other he always carries about with him and will do while his body of death abides in him the fountain of all spiritual diseases One while he is buffeted by â—â—atan another while he is pressed with â—s own corruptions Now the Ordiâ—â—nces of God are the leaves of the tree of life appointed for the healing of the Nations David was sadly distempered with a temptation from the prosperity of the wicked while he was in adverfity till he went into the sanctuary Psal 73.13 Hannab was of a troubled spirit till she went into the tabernacle to pray then her countenance was no more sad Psal 119.81 My soul fainteth for thee but I hope in thy word verse 50. And so in many other Texts As soon therefore may one labouring under daily pain weakness and distempers not desire deliberately what shall heal him as the child of God noâ— thirst after the institutions of God which are All-heal to his soul The greâ—â— and easie means for his spiritual cure Thirdly The gracious soul is alway looking after God but never in this liffully seeth him Gods institutions are aâ— glasses to the soul by which it hath a cleareâ— and fuller sight of God The power and glory of God are seen in the Sanctuary Psal 63.3 Next to the beholding oâ— God face to face it this beholding of him in duties of communion with him Oâ— what a communion with God doth the soul of a godly person oft-times enjoy in a Prayer in a Sacrament in the hearing of the Word and every sighted God is exceeding sweet Thus I have opened to you the second thing which is the cause of this singular spirituâ— thirst 3. A third is The Saints experiences God in Or dinances There is no gracious soul but at one time or other in Prayer in hearing the Word in receiving the Sacrament hath tasted and seen how good the Lord is Now it is of our nature having tasted that which we have found good and excellent the more to long for it But I shall adde no more to the Doctrinal part of this discourse I shall now come to the Application In the first place we may learn what to judge of those 1. Vse In truct who either despise Gods institutions or at least are very indifferent to them 1. There are too too many that despise them they mock at Preaching at Sacraments at Prayer they like a Play better or see no need of them at all some out of a principle of profaneness fordid souls that savour nothing of heaven and heavenly things nothing of that noble end for which man is created or to which he is obliged to direct his actions whether they have souls or no they scarce understand or if they have whether they differ from the sensitive souls of Dogs or Swines they consider not What the natural and animal life means they understand but what the spiritual life meaneth they understand not The drunkard thirsts after his cups of wine or other liquor the voluptuous man after his pleasures the covetous man after wealth but for those holy institutions of God which are pabulum animae those precious things by which mens souls live they understand them not they trample them under foot and it may be rend them who bring them to them Others there are that are not altogether thus bad but yet are very indifferent as to these things they can hear a Sermon and they can let it alone whether ever they be at one or no whether ever they sit at the Lords Table or no whether ever they pray or no they are very mdifferent O how unlike is the spirit of these men to the spirit of holy David What would you say to a child that should be born and never cry for food would not you sit it had nothing in it of humane nature or that it would not live longâ— You may as certainly conclude conceming such souls as these that they have nothing in them of the Divine Nature and they do not live at all the life of grace nor ever will live the life of glory There is no sadder sign either of a dead soul dead while it lives dead in trespasses and sins or of a decaying perishing soul than the want of this spiritual appetite this hungring and thirsting after the institutions of God Hence secondly observe 2. Br. How necessarily precious the true able faithful Ministers of the Gospel must be to gracious souls They are the earthen vessels which bring this heavenly treasure It was said of old Blessed is he that comes unto us in the name of the Lord. And Rom. 10.15 Rom. 10.15 How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of peace The Ordinance of the Ministry in this hath the preheminence of other
amongst others I say it is possible that the appetite of a good Christian may abate or seem to abate as to his proper spiritual food but a soul that truly lives the spiritual life cannot long want an appetite any more than a body can long live without appetite to meat Thirdly It is very possible that a jeaâ—â—s Christian may mis-judge himself as to his spiritual thirst 3. Concl. and this 1. Either â—â—dging he hath none when he either hath not so much as he desireth or not so much as he hath formerly had or not so much to one Divine Institution as to another 1. When he hath not so much as he desireth The truly gracious soul is exceeding covetous as soon may the â—â—ave or the barren womb or any of those things Solomon mentions as insatiable be satisfied as the gracious soul â—â—y I have enough of any gracious disposition now this a great error to conclude a total want of the thing from a partial want only relating to a degree Besides a gracious soul is naturally exceeding jealous and suspicious jealous of Christs love to it suspicious of its own love to Christ and this indeed makes it take advantage to mis-judge it self from the want of a desired degree of grace 2. Secondly When it doth not find such a vehement thirst as it hath formerly had either in the beginning of its Conversion or it may be at some particular times since though a gracious soul never wants an appetite to the institutions of Christ yet there are times when its appetite is greater and thirst stronger and more vehement as First 1. In the beginning of its Conversion When the soul hath received the first powerful impressions of the word upon its conscience and is first raised to a lively hope in the promise Oh how sweet then is every opportunity of hearing prayer c. It is the observation of Divines that in this time affections are alwayes strongest passion for God alwayes highest the reason iâ— because the souls taste is then most imperfect its sense of mercy quickest The Woman loves her Husband as well afterward as upon her first marriage but not so passionately afterwards as at first 2. After some restraint from those enjoyments whether from natural or moral causes God in the Prophecy of Amos threatens a famine of hearing the word of the Lord. Then saith he they shall run from City to City to seek one who shall speak to them in the name of the Lord. 3. In the beginning of some spiritual desertion Cant. 3.2 at this time the Spouse rose and went about the City in the streets and in the broad wayes seeking him whom her soul loved I say in the beginning for many times in the process of a desertion temptations arise upon the soul from the discouragements which it meets with in performance of spiritual duties Now it is an erroneous judgement to determine that we have no spiritual hunger and thirst because we have it not in so great a degree 3. Thirdly A soul may be afraid oâ— at least not so fond of an Ordinance after discouragements met with in it and yet may have a true thirst to it A man eats and is continually sick after hâ—â— meat it will make him not to be so fond of his meat yet he may have mind enough to it he sits down with a kind of fear to his meat yet he hath an appetite to it 4. Fourthly A temptation may prevail upon a soul That he shall dishâ—â—nour God or encrease his own damnation by waiting upon God in such or such an Ordinance this makes him he dare not do it yet his appetite to it may be good enough It is very possible 4. Concl. that a Christian may have a more singular special appetite to one Ordinance than another There is no reason for this in the Ordinance All Ordinances have the same stamp of Divine Institution upon them an attendance upon them all falling under the same Authority of Divine Precept all of them being under a like Ordination for the beginnings or perfectings of grace yet there is a reason for this in our self-love which enclineth every one most to desire and delight in those institutions in which he hath â—et with more sensible manifestations 〈◊〉 the presence power and goodness of â—od hence you shall find some Chriâ—â—â—rs more delighted in prayer others â—â—re in hearing the word Though 〈◊〉 fault of this be the corruption of â—r hearts yet it is no more than is the ordinary weakness and infirmity of the 〈◊〉 precious souls and therefore a Christian finding this hath no reason â—o mis-judge himself as totally wanting â—is spiritual appetite The want of appetite to any institution 〈◊〉 Christ 5. Concl. is what no gracious soul ought â—â—llow himself in I told you before â—t they all have the Image and Superâ—â—â—ption of the Lord Jesus Christ upon 〈◊〉 They all fall under an equal â—â—â—ority of Divine Precept Then 〈◊〉 saith holy David shall I not be ashaâ—ed when I shall have respect to all thy â—â—mmandments They are all as I â—â—d before under an ordination for our 〈◊〉 advantage and are the proper â—â—d of Christians and there can be no reason assigned for a partial respect to any institution of Christs but some selfishness in us If therefore this be thy temper Christian that thou an enamoured and exceeding fond upon one Ordinance of another not so Look upon it as thy infirmity not condemning thy self for it as one not at aâ— thirsting after God in his institutions but as what thou oughtest not to allow thy self in but to groan under to search the cause of it and not to leave thy soul until thou hast brought it in to a more even temper Lastly 6. Concl. As a total want of this spiritual thirst after Divine Institutions unquestionably speaketh a dead soul one that hath nothing of the life of grace but is dead in trespasses and sins still anâ— never tasted how good the Lord iâ— so a faint decaying appetite to them argue a declining and a decaying soul Let 〈◊〉 be upon what principle it will whether of loosness not being able to beâ—â— the strict yoke of Christ and to keeâ— thy self so close to duties Or froâ— a dream of a state of perfection anâ— a life of God above Ordinances The reason is plainly here There is no such thing as absolute perfection here Ordinances are the souls food and while a soul lives on this side of Heaven it cannot better live without them than the natural body can live without water Observe I pray you 1. Spiritual life lyes in spiritual â—nion with Christ All life consists in â—nion the natural life in the union betwixt the soul and body Eternal life 〈◊〉 nothing else but an union with God in glory so spiritual life is nothing but the souls spiritual union with Christ 2. All Vnion is preserved by communion iâ— mutual communication the natural union
I am the Lord their God But I will for their sake remember the covenant of their ancestors c. Very like the Prophet eyeing that promise in the Law cries out Hath thy soul loathed Zion Zion there 's a great argument couched in that word All the dwellings of Jacob were dear to the God of Jacob but the Psalmist saith God loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Zion was the name of a Mountain at the foot of which Hierusalem and in it the Temple stood thence it is called the habitation of Gods holiness his dwelling place and it is put for the Church of God Lord saith the Prophet this is Judah against which thine anger smokes hast thou utterly rejected Judah There are but two Tribes and an half left of that people whom thou chosest to draw nigh unto thee hast thou rejected them utterly rejected them In this Judah is Zion thy Temple the place which out of all the earth thou chosest for thy habitation and in which above all thou didst delight hath thy soul abhorred Zion She was as thy Spouse and thou lovedst her doth thy soul now loath her As to the form of the words you see they are by way of Interrogation Interrogations in Scripture sometimes adde force to Affirmations and Negations Hath the Lord as great a pleasure in sacrifices as in obeying his commandments that is he hath not And so some would have it here then the sense is this Lord I know thou hast not utterly rejected Judah thy soul hath not abhorred Zion which is true as to the spiritual part of his people Hath God cast off Israel saith the Apostle God forbid he hath not cast off the people whom he fore-knew But all are not Israel that are of Israel Then the words have in them the force of an argument Lord I know thou hast not utterly cast off thy people thy soul hath not abhorâ—â—â— them therefore spare them as to this judgment So he pleads from Gods certain spiritual love to a part of the people formerly for the whole But I must confess I think this not the sense Interrogations sometimes are the language of persons inquiring for further certainty and satisfaction so I take it here as if the Prophet had said Ah Lord is the decree gone forth is there no hope art thou not to be spoken to for this people hast thou utterly reprobated them If not c. It follows Why hast thou smitten us and there is no healing These words have in them an Interrogation and an Expostulation No soundness in the Hebrew Here the Prophet begins to represent unto God the state of the people 1. They were smitten already smitten with a dearth 2. And in Gods purpose smitten with an approaching sword and captivity He owns God as the primary efficient cause Thou hast smitten he addes and there is no healing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word used in the Hebrew signifies health or soundness and healing or cure And so the complaint denotes two things 1. 〈◊〉 universality of the judgment they had no part sound no foundness 2. The desperateness of their distemper they could find no cure no remedy no healing their State Physitians were of no value they had tried but they could no help no healing he Expostulates with God not enquiring the cause Jeremiah was not signorant of cause enough in this people to justifie God in the severity of this dispensation but he speaks like a troubled man who would gladly have had it otherwise with his people if God had pleased 2. He further represents the sadness of this peoples case in this that their expectations were frustrated We looked 〈◊〉 peace and there is no good and for the time of healing and behold trouble There is nothing difficult in the words they only signifie the disappointment which God had given them in their great expectations The words may â—e understood either of the generality of the people who might have presumptuous hopes or of Gods own people who upon that great reformation which Josiah had began look't for peace â—oth were deceived no peace no good came but more trouble more disturbance still I intend not to speak to every Proposition might be drawn from these words I shall only fix upon one and that founded upon the words in the latter part of the Verse We looked for peace and no good came for the time of healing and behold trouble Prop. It pleaseth God in the wisdom of his Providence oft times to give people great disappointments in their expectations of peace and healing as to their outward concerns You may if you will take it in these two branches 1. People are very prone in evil times and disturbed times to look for good to look for healing 2. It pleaseth God oft times to give them great disappointments in their expeciations Trouble instead of peaceâ— wounds instead of healing I say 1. It is natural to us in evil and disturbed times to look for good and to looâ— for an healing It is true this Proposition is not universally verified in the Sons of men and the thing depends though not wholly yet in a great measure upon the sutural disposition There is much truth in that Maxim of Physitians and Philosophers Mores sequuntur humores Where any persons are more enclined â—o melancholly and that humour more prevails persons so enclin'd are more disposed to fears and jealousies and suspicions Where some other humour prevails in the body the person is more enclined to hope and presume so as you shall generally find men and women thus divided Some are more naturally disposed to fear the worst to be suspicious and jealous of every thing others â—â—e naturally enclined to hope the best and to promise all good to themselves and the most of people either from this Natural cause or some Moral â—ouses for they also have some inscience on us are very prone to look â—or good for peace and healing and this â—s not only ordinary to the more ignorant and sinful sort of men but even â—o Gods own people The wicked cry â—â—ace Peace when there is no peace to â—â—e wicked saith the Lord. The Mother of Sisera looks out at the window when her Son was dead with agnail struck through his temples and cryes Why is his Chariot so long incoming Have they not sped Have they not divided the prey The false Prophets daub with untempered mortar Three hundred false Prophets spake good to Ahab and bid him go up to Ramoth-Gilead and prosper Nor are the better and wiser sort Gods own dear people exempted from this infirmity Even David saith in his prosperity I shall never be moved nor are we only vain in prosperity to promise our selves a stability in that state but in a time of adversity we are as ready to promise our selves a quick deliverance and freedom from it When the children of Israel were carried captives into Babylon they would needs believe