us then for our good tho we had denied sleep to our eyes and slumber to our ey-lids yet in vain had we watched being altogether ignorant of any danger we were in nor being aware where the evil lay lurking against which we should have watched Had many thousands or ten thousands yea never so many millions of men been up in arms for the safegard of our Soveraign his Royall consort his Princely issue our Peeres our Prelates the main body of our Nobility the prime flowers of our Gentry and Communalty all could not have secured them from being blown up at one blast and dispersed into the ayr to find what sepulture if any at all they could where their disjected limmes or their battered bodies should light And what further mischief would have followed throughout the whole Land had that hellish designe taken effect it is not easie to imagine Onely this we may upon good grounds conceive that â—hose that should have survived to see the ensuing miseries would have deemed them thrice happy that had perished in that hideous execution at first and have wished that they had born them company therein And what can we say letted that it tooke not effect when it was so neere upon the point of execution but that Gods tender eye over us could not endure to see that hellish cruelty acted upon his people which those monsters of men would have beheld with delight Nor can we justly ascribe the discovery of so many severall plots and conspiracies as have been since the beginning of our present troubles set on foot by the adverse party but having been brought to light before they could be hatched and seeing the light before their intended time have by that means miscarried unto any other cause save the watchfull eye of our good God over us and his tender care of his people among us and of those that are entrusted by them in the publique affairs of Church and State for their good And let this in the last place mind us of our duty to God for such his mercy to us Is it so then that God is so chary of the welfare and good of his people that he cannot endure the sight of ought that tendeth to their evil or annoyance Then undoubtedly it is the duty of Gods people to be in like manner affected towards him it standeth them upon to be as chary of his glory as he is of their good and no more to endure ought that may impaire his glory then hee ought that may impeach their good it is but right and equall that it should so be yea it is more then equall that what God freely doth for us we should endevour at least in way of requitall to do deservedly for him And such indeed hath been the disposition and practise in a very eminent manner of some prime ones among Gods people Moses one of the meekest and mildest men upon earth by the testimony of truth it self yet in Gods cause how zealous how fervent how fierce how furious as might seem to some of another temper of another spirit so transported was he with passion when he saw God dishonoured by divine worship done to an idol he throws out of his hand the tables of the Law Gods own workmanship not considering what might and indeed did thereby befall them he stamps the idol to powder casts the powder into the water compels them to drink that which erst while they had adored causeth some three thousand of the people to be slain when as for the saving of the residue he made offer to have his name raced out of Gods booke David likewise tho in his own concernments exceeding patient even to wonderment I was saith he as a deaf man that heareth not as a dumb man that cannot open his mouth I was as one that could not heare or that were not able to returne a reproachfull answer And so it was indeed with him as the story shews when Shimei railed on him cursed him with a grievous curse threw stones at him and his train and carried himself most contumeliously and despightfully toward him he went on his way as quietly as if he had not either heard ought that he spake or seen ought that he did But wheÌ„ ought came in his way that tended to Gods dishonour then the zeal of thine house saith he hath even wasted me the indignation that he conceived at the consideration of such things done as seemed to tend to the disparagement of Gods honour in the abuse of his house did cast him into a consumption did even waste him to skin and bone and the reproaches of them that reproach thee are fallen upon me such reproachfull speeches as prophane persons did cast out against God he tooke to himself he reckoned himself reproached in them and in him and by reproving them for their reproachings of God brought reproofe and reproach upon himself And again My zeal saith he doth even consume me or eate me up because mine enemies forget thy words as if he had said It is not so much the wrong that mine enemies do me in their cruel pursuing of me and plotting against me that troubleth and vexeth me as their forgetting of God and failing in their duty to him and the dishonour that in pursuit of their malicious practises against me they do to him nor could he therefore without much grief and whole rivers of tears behold how regardlesse wicked men were of God and his Law their sinnes and excesses were not an ey-sore onely but even a heart-sore to him as the like in the Sodomites among whom he lived was before-time to Lot And well were it with us could we be in the like manner affected could we worke our spirits to such a temper not so much to regard in the present troubles what our selves as what the cause of God suffers nor so much in our endevours courses and counsels to eye and aym at our own private emoluments the reparation of our own losses or improvement of our own estates as the publique interest of Gods Church the reparation of the dishonour that hath been and is still daily done to his Name his Word his Service his Worship his Sabbaths his Sacraments and the advancement of his glory in the purity of his Ordinances and the power of piety wrought into the hearts and exprest in the lives of those that professe themselves to be his people but to be well content to dispense with the one for the promoting of the other thinking nothing too dear not our lives themselves much lesse our outward estates to be expended and laid out tho but for laying a foundation of that that future ages may enjoy This tender care and respect had we unto Gods cause in way of thankfulnesse to him for that tender care that he hath from time to time had of us and did we make it appeare in our courses and carriages that men might thereby see that it were this indeed that did
did again that howsoever when David committed adultery with Bathsheba and to smother his sinne and enjoy her took away the life of her husband Vriah God beheld it took notice of it was displeased with him and chastised him very sorely for it yet in these dayes if the like wickednesse should by any beleeving persons be perpetrated to wit that a stranger should solicite a mans wife to uncleannesse and she admit him to her husbands bed in his absence being either about publike service or private employments abroad and they should afterward both further complot together to take away the life of her husband that they might the more freely enjoy either other God would not so much as once so see it as to take any notice at all of such villany or be at all angry either with the one or the other supposing them to be such as David was for so doing or ever so farre forth call them to a reckoning as to chastise either of them in the least degree for the same which doctrine whether it be not such as removeth a main curb of restraint to keep men and women in secret especially from sinne and whether it be a lesson fit to be instilled into the minds and heads of young women in the times especially of their husbands more then ordinary occasions of absence and whether they deale wisely and discreetly or are not injurious to themselves that in such case give entertainment to the teachers of such doctrine such of them especially if any such be or shall be as either are not or have not been wholly free from some scandall themselves I leave it to any sober-minded Christian to judge This then it is that these men directly avouch and with an high hand contend for pressing it upon us yea upon all persons as ye have heard to be beleeved and received under a peremptory penalty of no lesse then everlasting damnation And this because we contradict and oppose averring on the other hand for that is all that in this particular we maintain against them that God doth see and take notice of the sinnes slips and excesses of his Saints as well in these dayes as in times past and doth oft chastise them and that sharply also sometime for the same we are therefore by them branded with most opprobrious imputations and loaded with the vilest aspersions that may be which if you can endure with patience to heare as we must bear be pleased to consider with me a while how the Honey-combs author hath behonyed us and from him learn what the usuall dialect concerning us is among his disciples In this manner then is he pleased to bedaub us with his honey such as it is These men saith he tho they be Protestants in name and professe themselves utter enemies to Papists yet shake hands with them in the main points of salvation and by reasonâ— of their being in a dead faith understanding not the doctrine of justification but conceiving it after a carnall and humane witted fashion talking of what they hold as men in a sheep and running round as blind horses in a mill and with Nicodemus accounting the deep things of God absurd they nullifie free justification and make it as good as nothing for they have as much faith as an Oxe or an Asse beleeving nothing but what they see and feele following meerly their present sense as a beast and stumbling at this block of their sight sense and feeling they break the neck of their faith and so endanger to break the neck of their soules for by breaking the neck of their faith they make it a dead faith good for nothing neither to glorifie God nor to save their souls thus they make God no God but make reason sense and feeling their God for pratling idlely and talking by the light of nature of Gods power and presence and all-seeing and all-searching nature after a Gentilish and heathenish manner to the frustrating of his word and promises and seeming to stand for and defend the same by cavils and allegations Heathenish and Gentilish and Papisticall yea beastly ungodly and blasphemous breathing out nothing but unbelief which as a blind bayard goeth about to make God blind that he cannot see his own work wrought upon his children and like a bold Betteresse maketh God to her selfe impotent blind and a lier they reject faith dishonour God rob him of his power spoil him of his truth find him no more our God then the Gentiles and Heathen did and seeming to glorifie him rob him of the glory of his God-head making him impotent in his power false in his word and promises blind that he cannot see his own and his Sonnes proper work in and upon us and so by unbelief abolish to themselves the whole God-head Again lisping in speech and limping in practise yea halting down-right in the doctrine of free justification and sliding back to the legall teaching of the Old Testament in promising rewards to the followers of righteousnesse and threatning punishment to transgressors they sow up again the veil that was rent from the top to the botome and shut up the holy of holies and by mingling the Law and the Gospel together as if one should mingle black and white they marre both and not onely blemish and darken the doctrine of grace but take away Christ and all his benefits secretly undermine and utterly overthrow the Gospel and all the benefits of it deny the nature and essence of faith deny baptisme deny Christ deny his satisfaction and by perverting the Gospel of Christ become of preachers of the Gospel Ministers and Apostles of the Devill and by making a miscilan and mixture of the Law and the Gospel they preach neither good Law nor good Gospel but a miscilan and marring of both and thereby make miscilan Christians that is meer hypocrites for they expell the filiall and bring in a servile fear and make Gods children serve him with eyeâ—service which in them is abominable and so nourish hypocrisie but greatly hinder true sanctification true repentance and holy walking by legall threats and rewards which cause but a constrained hireling sanctity which is hypocriticall legall holinesse or else cause people to run tho more cautiously yet the faster into sinne Furthermore they bring forth a rod to whip if shee tread her foot a little awry the bride in her mariage attire the Queen in her royal robes and pulling the wedding garments off over the brides head and putting on her a mourning garment of blows stripping the Queen and bride making her stand naked to be whipt with rods of crosses afflictions at her marriage feast they frustrate and make void the wedding garment of Christs righteousnesse which hereby is made one in regard of the being of sinne it self and Gods sight of sinne in his with the hypocrisie and security of the wicked and Gods covering is made all one with mans covering nay rather with the deceitfull covering which
so judge us we are chastened by him in the world that we may not with the wicked world be condemned hereafter In which words the blessed Apostle plainly implyeth that those he spake of were such as God chastised for their amendment here that they might not perish hereafter and withall also that God doth usually meet in judgement with his for not keeping a stricter course in the due examination and carefull sifting of themselves And it was no small presumption therefore for that chief ringleader of the Antinomian faction among us so confidently and peremptorily in the publique hearing of so many hundreds to avow that he did not beleeve that any sinne of his or of any beleever had any hand in the procuring of the present judgements of God that lie so heavy upon our land Nor doth it any way derogate either from the free grace of God or from the merit of Christs death to affirm that God chastiseth his children as well now as formerly for their sins because it is said by the Prophet in a passage of Scripture by these men much abused that the chastisemeÌ„t of our peace was upon him as if God could not chastise in these times for sinne because he chastised him before for us and so chastised us in him and it is not consonant either to equity or to Gods free grace to chastise us for that which Christ our surety hath been chastised for already For first that which we touched also in part before as well they that lived before Christs coming were saved by the grace yea the free grace of God in Christ Iesus as Iames avoweth it as well as we now are and had as deep a share in the death of Christ and in the merit of his sacrifice which to that purpose was as effectuall even before it was effected as any have that now live Jesus Christ in regard of the benefit of his passion being yesterday and to day and for ever the same 2. Nor again was it the end of Christs suffring for us to free us from Gods chastising hand that we might thenceforth sinne the more freely without fear of check or controll of curb to restrain or scourge to reclaim no more then to free us from temporall death but to take away the sting both of the one and the other that neither of them might impeach us in our spirituall estate Christ was indeed as the Apostle tearmeth him a surety intervening between God and us of Gods gratious covenant made with us Gods surety to us for the performance of his promises For in him are all the promises of God yea and amen and our surety to God for the discharge of our debt For as the Prophet saith when it was exacted he answered he undertook it and discharged it and God made the iniquity of us all to meet in him and light on him In regard whereof it is truly said that the chastisement of our peace was upon him because the guilt of our sinne whereby we were severed from God and stood liable to his eternall wrath and curse being wholly abolished by his suffrings called sometime a sinne-sacrifice or trespasse-offring and sometime a chastisement both in reference to our sinnes for which he suffred the enmity between God and us is removed and we are now reconciled to him and at peace with him with whom we stood at a distance and were at eâ—â—ity before Thus then by Christs suffrings there being full satisfaction made to Gods justice for our sinnes we are freed indeed from the condemning power of sinne and of the Law for sinne and from Gods revenging wrath but yet not from Gods paternall indignation or the fruits and effects of it which are exercised on us for our good Howsoever therefore it is true as hath formely also been acknowledged and avowed that God for other ends and purposes hath and doth at sundry times chastise those that be his reconciled unto him in his Christ yet it is no lesse true as hath also been evidently shewed that ordinarily and usually he doth it for sinne and that therefore considering his tender affection and affectionate disposition we should thereby be led when his hand is upon us to seek the procuring cause of it in our selves every one of us in his own bosome in his brest endevour as Salomon speaks to take notice of the cause of the stroke in his heart and so take to heart the stroke it self It is the Prophets own inference in the place above mentioned where having laid down these two grounds that God punisheth not from his heart and that men procure eâ—ils to themselves by their sinnes he subjoyneth Let us search and enquire into our wayes let us make a privy search each one of us into his own heart and his life ransack every corner of either that whatsoever evill lieth lurking either in the one or in the other being discovered and brought to light it may by sincere repentance and serious reformation be removed so the fewell being withdrawn that at first kindled and still feedeth the fire of Gods wrath we may well hope that it will speedily go out of it self And this leadeth us to a second use and that is for encouragement to encourage Gods people when they lie under such pressures exposed to the rage and cruelty of their malicious opposites to repair unto their God with hope of relief and redresse he having professed his affection and disposition towards his to be such as hath been shewed It is a shrewd discouragement to a poor suppliant in case of danger or distresse if he know or hear that the party whom he is to make suit to is one void of bowels an hard-hearted man for to seek and sue for favour and mercy to such is as if the ship should in a storâ—â— repair for safety to the rock a man many times doth but the more enrage them and either aggravate his own misery or hasten his ruine by addressing himself tho in the humblest manner that may be to such But it is not so here we go not to a God in whom ought is found that gives in this regard any ground or occasion of discouragement unto any to any especially of his own toward whom he is so tenderly affected that he cannot endure to see any evill befal them but it goeth to the very heart with him It was that that encouraged Benhadad to seek unto Ahab notwithstanding that he had but a little before so insolently insulted over him and most despitefully abused him by his imperious and tyrannicall demands which he had also twice attempted to put in execution and had as oft been repulsed and compelled by shamefull flight to save himself with hope yet to prevail for a renewed reconceilement and a buriall of his former contumelious carriages towards him in oblivion We have heard that the Kings of Israel are mercifull Kings But much better encouragement have we to repair and have recourse unto our God in
servants for their sinnes and makes use of wicked men as of scourges to chastise his children with for their excesses In which his dealing he hath an eye not to them alone whom he doth so chastise nor to those alone whose good also in such his chastisements he intendeth while he maketh those whom he so chastiseth examples of more cautious and circumspect cariage to others but he hath an eye also to himself and to his own credit For howsoever it is true indeed as hath been said that wicked men take occasion to question his power and his providence over his when they see them so to suffer yet it would redound much more to his dishonour another way if he should suffer those that are esteemed his people his servants his children to go unpunished or unchastised when they sinne for should he so doe he would be deemed to be a patron of impiety of impurity of iniquity a maintainer of his in the practise of such things And surely as Gods name is oft dishonoured by the suffrings of his servants so much more also by their sinnes Because saith Nathan to David thou hast set light by Gods word in taking the wife of Uriah and slaying him by the sword of the children of Ammon therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house and I will raise up one out of thine own bowels that shall abuse thy wives in the sight of all Israel and again because thou hast hereby given the enemies of God occasion to blaspheme the child that was born in adultery shall surely die Neither could David with all his fasting and prayer and more then ordinary humiliation get that heavy doome revoked Howbeit tho for such and other the like causes God gave the wicked sometime power over his yet the cruelty that in such cases they exercise on his people is not in regard thereof any whit the lesse odious and offensive in Gods sight as himself also expressely avoweth O Assur saith he or Wo to Assur the rod of my wrath the rod wherewith in my wrath I have chastised my people tho the staf of mine indignation be in their hand albeit I make use of him at present as an instrument for mine own ends and purposes in the execution of my wrath yet wo be to him for all that I shall send him indeed agaâ—nst a prophane Nation a people whom I am displâ—ased with furnished with a commission to take the spoil and the prey and to treaâ— them down like mire in the street but he meaneth not so he minds nothing lesse but it is in his heart to destroy and to cut off Nations not a few his entendement is onely to advance himself and to enlarge his dominions by the ruines of other people he little dreameth of doing God any service herein and when God therefore hath by him wrought his own work upon Sion he will then punish him also for his proud and stout heart and his high looks when he hath done chastising his children by him he will throw the rod wherewith he chastised them into the fire And of Babel I was wroth with my people and gave them into thine hands and thou shewedst them no mercy but even upon the aged not regarding their age didst thou lay an heavy yoke Thus Israel became as a scattered sheep the Lions chased him first Assur wasted him and after that the King of Babel brake his very bones But what followeth Therefore thâ—â— saith the Lord â—f hoasts the God of Israel even he that delivered them into the hands of either Behold as I punished the King of Assur so will I punish the King of Babel and Wo then to him that spoiled when himself was not spoiled for when he shall cease to spoil others others shall spoil him and as Babel hath served her self on other nations and Gods people among the rest so maâ—y nations shall serve themselves on Babel when as God hath used them for executioners of his wrath and indignation upon others so will he use others as instruments of his just judgement upon them even for those things that by his just judgement tho to them unknown they have done nor could God with approbation see that done by them for which he will in due time execute just judgement upon them Secondly God leaveth his sometime to the malice and cruelty of the enemy for the triall and exercise of his grace in them For sundry graces of Gods children as their faith their patience their courage their confidence are as the stars that lie hid in the day but shine forth in the night appear not to speak of in times of prosperity but have their cheif luster in times of adversity and trouble doe most appear when they are most opposed The light of fire is least seen by day and the pillar therefore that conducted the Israelites in their march appeared as a cloud by day as fire by night and the fire burneth dimmest when the sunne shineth most upon it Nor is the Physitians skill known in time of health nor the Mariners skill seen in a calm nor the Souldiers valour and worth in times of peace when he is out of action nor any mans patience unlesse he be crossed nor his courage untill he meet with some strong opposition untill he be put to some straight Ye have heard of Jobs patience saith the Apostle but we had never heard of it had Job alwayes continued in the same constant tenour of a quiet and comfortable estate had he never been laid so low so afflicted as he was by the malice of Satan and the unkind cariage of his friends But on the other side the darker the room is the clearer the candle burneth and the brighter the fire the more dangerous and desperate the disease is the more is the Physitians art manifested in the cure of it the more violent and impetuous the storm is the more is the Mariners skill shewed in carrying his ship through it with safety the hotter the fight or service is the more will the valour of the souldier appear in his standing constantly and undauntedly to it whatsoever the issue be the heavier the crosse and the greater the danger the more is the patience and courage of that man seen that shall quietly bear and undergo the one and that shall cheerfully and confidently carry himself in the other the greater Jobs suffrings and distresses were the more evidently and eminently did the excellency of his heroik spirit shine and shew it self forth in them Again as the spirits of men are not seen so much as in such cases so nor are they tried so thoroughly as by occasions of this kind There is no triall of a souldier whether he be couragious or a coward but in the field and in fight the veriest dastard can at court and in company word it and brave it as well as the stoutest and valiantest champion that is but bring them to action and that will soon
distinguish them and determine if any be the doubt Nor is the sincerity of mens hearts to Godward so thoroughly by ought tried as by constant standing in times of opposition and persecution to his cause The blade on the stony ground makes as fair a shew tho it have no deep rooting as that that is well rooted in the good ground untill the height of sommer come but then the beat of the sunne shining forth in his strength parcheth up the one when it impaireth not but cherisheth the other The chaffe stayeth together with the grain in the floar untill the winowing time come but then the wind of the fan or sheet carrieth the light chaffe away and it flies before it out of the floor when as the grain having weight staieth and abideth still by it Earthen pots guilt over when they stand on the cup-board among massie plate may not be discerned the one from the other by the eye but when they come to the scouring being rubbed to the purpose the one its surface failing will shew what it is when as the other will be sure to appear still the same that before it made shew of drossie and base stuffe oft makes as fair and goodly a shew as rich oar and counterfait slips as currant coyn untill they come to the test the one to the touch-stone the other When the Devill accused Job to God for a counterfeit How will that saith God appear why It is not for nothing that he feareth thee saith Satan he serveth thee now but to serve his turn upon thee thou hast enriched him and heapest still more and more upon him and thou hast hedged him in set such a strong fence about him and his estate that nothing can break in upon him to disturb or annoy him and no marvell then if he be willing to serve so bountifull a master to live in obedience to so carefull and powerfull a protector he knowes not how or where to mend himself but shouldest thou but once offer to stay thine hand or to stretch it out on ought that thou hast bestowed on him to touch him never so little in any part of his estate as he is now but an hireling so he would then prove a changeling thou shouldest then soon see a strange change and alteration in him he would curse thee as fast as he blâ—sseth thee now he would even curse thee to thy face Well God as Jobs advocate is content to joyn issue with the Devill herein Let that saith he be the triall his estate and his person are both in thine hand doe the worst thou canst to him not bereaving him of his life And what saith Iob himself of all this God saith he knowes me and tries me and when I have been tried in the fornace of affliction I shall come out of all my tribulations as gold as pretious metall and indeed so he did out of the furnace out of the fire And Thou Lord hast tried us saith the Psalmist 〈◊〉 silver is tried and how had he tried them Thou broughtest us into a net thou laiedst a streight or wringing girt upon our loyns thou suffredst us to be girt as beasts are wont to be that bear burdens to be used as pack-horses or the like thou hast caused men to ride over our heads caused us to be used as hackney-horses over whose head his rider sits reaching out himself to manage him or as Camels on whose neck they are said sometime to sit that rule and direct them we have gone through fire and water Thou hast tried us with all manner of tribulation and upon triall found us sound and sincere For tho all this have befallen us as elsewhere they professe thâ— thou hast cast us off and puttest us to shame and goest not forth with our hâ—asts but makest us turn our back upon our enemies and sufferest those that hate us to plunder and spoil us hast given us as sheep for meat and dispersed us among the heathen hast sold us for nought and exposed us to shame and scorn hast broken us and cast us down into the deep where the Whales abide there to be in all likelihood either drownd or by them devoured and covered us with a deadly shade with darknesse so thick or a shadow so dark that the very horror and dread wherewith it possesseth men is enough to damp their spirits and to strike them stone-dead yea tho for thy sake we are dayly or continually slaughtered no other reckoning being made of us thâ—n as of sheep not kept for their milk and fleece but set apart for the shambles yet for all this doe we not forget thee albeit thou seemest to have forgotten us nor doe we deale disloyally in breaking our covenant with thee we make bold to mind thee of thy covenant with us our heart is not for all this turned away from thee nor are our steppings turned aside out of thy way we continue still constant with thee and for their constancy and sincerity they dare as Iob also appeal to God himself And Blessed is the man saith Iames that thus endureth temptation that so undergoeth triall for when he hath been thus tried and upon his triall approved for so the word must be taken there as it is also elsewhere he shall receive the crown of life which God hath promised to those that love him by such triall now appearing to be of the number of those that sincerely so doe Besides as in such triall the metall oft passing the fire and abiding the same is thereby not approved onely to be good but is much improved also in its purity and worth the drossie and earthy matter that was before mixt with it being severed from it by the fire so by afflictions and suffrings are the gifts and graces of Gods people not tried onely and exercised and approved as sincere but much improved also and furthered in the growth of them while through the gratious and powerfull operation of the spirit joyning with them and working by them the remainders of their spirituall drosse and dregs are wrought out of them and their endowments raised up to an higher degree of holinesse which that baser mould much impeached and impaired before I will melt them and try them saith God for what should I doe else for the daughter of my people and I will turn mine hand on thee and burn thy drosse out of thee as the wicked ones from among thee so the remainders of corruption out of the residue And again I will refine thee but not as silver is fined not so exactly and exquisitely as silver or gold is wont to be fined which the finer keeps in the fire untill the drosse be wholly wrought out of it but should God doe so with us we should never be out of the furnace while we live here howbeit I will choose thee or make a choise one of thee make thee a vessel fit for my use and for an honourable service having purified thee