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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09981	A liveles life: or, Mans spirituall death in sinne Wherein is both learnedly and profitably handled these foure doctrines the spirituall death in sinne. The doctrine of humiliation. Mercy to be found in Christ. Continuance in sinne, dangerous. Being the substance of severall sermons upon Ephes. 2. 1,2,3. And you hath he quickned, who were dead in trespasses and sins, &c. Whereunto is annexed a profitable sermon at Lincolnes Inne, on Gen. XXII. XIV. Delivered by that late faithful preacher, and worthy instrument of Gods glory, Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty, master of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes-Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.	1633 (1633)	STC 20235; ESTC S122552	73,904	134

as great things as ever he was yea and doth so too when there is the like occasion In like manner when our Saviour Christ was brought to the very brow of the hill by the people to bee cast downe from it why then he went a way thorow the midst of them so is the Lord able to doe with us and will also if there be the like need and therefore let us learne to trust in the Lord and in all things to depend upon him One would have thought it impossible when fortie men had secretly vowed neither to eat nor drinke till they had killed Paul for that to bee revealed and Paul to be delivered when so many that were able enough to destroy a poore prisoner had conspired against him yet we see the Lord delivered him from that great streight and therefore let us wait still upon the Lord for it is but the staying till the time be out and then he that can save will save and will not tarry And so much for the second thing The last point observable from these 〈◊〉 That godly mens extremities are but tryals sent for their good and not punishments sent for their hurt and ruine The Lord did this but to prove Abraham hee meant him to hurt at all in it And so the Lord doth by afflicting others of his owne people he doth not meane to hurt them by it And therefore when you see an affliction to bee so great as if it would undoe those on whom it is yet you shall see in the issue it was but like an evill for when Abraham was bid to take his onely Sonne Isaack whom he loved and offer him in a Sacrifice to the Lord and was suffered to bee the three dayes in the tryall yet the Lord meant him no hurt here was indeed a great apprehension of evill yet it was no evill but it might as much worke upon him as the evill it selfe Even so is it with us in our afflictions they are not evils but meere tryals and therefore we are not much to be dismayed for the greatest afflictions that can befall us in the world because they are but trials that doe befall thee from God I but will some say what shall I get by it Why so much that there is so little cause to be sorry for it that thou hast cause to rejoyce if thou woudest beleeve as it is said in the first of Iames 2. My Brethren count it great joy when you fall into divers trials It is a very fit Text for the purpose for the Lord said hee would prove Abraham and all is no more but to try us and not to doe us any hurt and this is a good reason why it is so in that wee are bid to rejoyce in it now we have no cause to rejoyce in that which wil hurt us neither will the Lord lay any unreasonable command upon us I but what if the tryals bee many Yet hee bids us rejoyce though they be of divers kindes when wee are not onely afflicted in the losse of goods and our friends forsake us in which wee might have some comfort if our healths and liberty might bee enjoyed or if all the outward man were afflicted yet if the spirit were whole it would beare out infirmitie I but what if that bee wounded too Why if there bee tryals of all sorts and you fall into them all and that of a sudden too as a fall of waves one comming upon the necke of another as they did upon Iob yet wee are bid to rejoyce Why one would thinke it were enough for a man to bee patient in that case yet saith the Apostle you must rejoyce in it yea count it exceeding joy that is as your trials are greater so let your joy be greater Why that is a strange command you will say I but though you see not the reason of Gods Commandements yet there is a great reason in them which if you saw you would keepe them most willingly And the reason of this Command is the greater the tryall is the more will bee the good and therefore the more cause of joy for if the most painefull bee the most gainefull then they that have them have the greatest cause to rejoyce in them It was a tryall for Abraham to goe from his owne land and to cast out his sonne Ismael I but this was the greatest and this brought him the greatest fruit that ever hee had I but what is that good Why this first it shall increase grace in your hearts for as the gold when it is tryed loseth nothing but drosse and so is made the better thereby so it is with our afflictions for the triall of our faith saith the Apostle bringeth forth patience so the greater thy tryall is the more it strengthens thy faith and so increaseth comfort for when the afflictions of the Apostle abounded his Consolation abounded also And hence it is that our Saviour Christ saith You shall receive an hundred fold with persecutions that is when the tryall doth abound the comfort shall abound Againe you shall have the greater wages for when a man hath a friend that hath be one employed about any great thing for him why the greater the trouble was which he did undergoe for him the more will hee bee beholding to him and the greater reward will hee bestow upon him even so the greater the tryals are from the Lord the greater benefit will come to us by them and therefore when you see the greatest tryals befall the Church and people of God bee assured by this which hath beene said that some great benefit is comming to them for doe you not thinke this is a usefull doctrine it may bee it concernes some of you now at this present if not it may doe and therefore lay it up before-hand and let us not thinke of our afflictions as of things that will undoe us but as tryals that will bring us profit For as the Spyes that went to Canaan were of two sorts and looked upon the Gyants that were in it with a double eye and so some of them said O the land is a very good land and incouraged the people to goe up into it and others that were afraid they said nay but the land eats up the Inhabitants thereof and discouraged the people to goe up into it Even so it is with many amongst us when they see afflictions befall the Church and people of God O they presently are afraid and therefore they say Who would be as these men let me be of such as be in prosperity and have friends and some that will provide for mee but what is the reason of this Why they send forth wrong spies and therefore they bring backe a false report but if thou wouldest send forth thy faith and spirituall wisdome which ought to be in thy heart then thou shouldest see it were no such matter And therefore let this be our practice

Seeing that by nature all of us are children of wrath and dead in trespasses and sinnes This should stirre up those that are quickened to be thankefull to God therefore Above all wee ever labour to bee most thankefull to him that hath saved our lives and this God hath done for us let us therefore stirre up ourselves to thankfulnesse Paul as we may read Rom. 7. 24 25. joynes these two together his deliverance and his thankfulnesse O wretched man that I am Who shall deliver me from this body of death I thanke God through Iesus Christ our Lord. I confesse the world esteemes not this but if they have riches therein they rejoyce and so like the dunghill Cocke or unskilfull Lapidaries preferre vaine things before this precious Jewell but they that have once found the sweetnesse of it will not lose it for a world for if wee have but this what though wee lose wife children goods credit and good name they are all too light being layd in the ballance with this Doe yee every one therefore consider who it was that gave thee this and to him yeeld all thankfulnesse Let us love much because as much is forgiven so much is given to us Paul was much stirred up with this consideration thinking that he could never doe enough for Christ who had done so much for him as appears in many places of his Epistles The fourth Use we will make of this point is If we are all dead in trespasses and sinnes then this teacheth us how we should esteeme of the means of grace if wee are dead then it must bee an Omnipotent power which must quicken us All the meanes as the Word preached the receiving the Sacraments c. are but dead letters they are but as pennes without inke God must put inke into them if ever they be effectuall and therefore as wee must not give too little to the meanes so wee must not give too much nor rest in them When wee come to heare the Word preached it is not the hearing of the Minister but Christ in the Word preached which makes us live It is good to heare the Minister but except wee heare another voyce speaking to the heart as his doth to the eare we shall never be the better it is Christs voyce in the Word which doth quicken and put life in our soules But here let mee warne you to take heed of breaking the Conduit-pipe from the Fountaine if thou hearest and profitest not know that it is because Christ speaketh not to the eares of the heart as well as the Minister to our outward eares The fifth and last Use wee will make of this point shall be If that naturally all men are dead in sinne this should teach us to try our selves and see whether wee are dead or alive Consider the shortnesse and uncertainty of thy life here Mans life is like an houre-glasse if it runnes his course it is but an houre and it may be broken before it is run out ye have but a short while to live here according to the course of Nature and yet perhaps that course may not runne out too it may bee broken off before wee are aware and then for ever either in heaven or hell wee must abide hereafter Oh then never be quiet vntill you see wihther you shall goe to eternall blisse or everlasting woe Here the Diuels triicke is to put it into mens heads that a civill life will serue the turne but he dealeth with them as those that take gold from infants and give them counters and rattles and thus he would keepe them from this consideration perswading them of the latitude of religion and telling them that they are well enough seeing they are troubled for some sinnes and doe some duties perhaps in private but this you may doe and yet be dead still If he cannot prevaile this way then he will labour to hinder them by drawing them on in a voluptuous course of life or with worldly cares and so draweth them from themselves and so makes them never to consider what they are doing nor whit●er they are going and therefore is it that in the Gospell of Saint Luke chap. 16. the prodigall Son is sayd to come home to himselfe when he once beganne to consider his estate Although their conscience tell them all is wrong yet the tabrets of lusts and pleasures make such a deane where they are that they heare it not and so never consider nay if that Christ himselfe againe or the sonnes of Thunder should speake yet except Gods Spirit should inwardly worke it would not make men seriously to consider their estates It is the hardest thing in the world to make men sensible of life and death Let us therefore bee moved in particular to consider whether we are dead or alive If thou art quickened thou shalt finde one time or other these two things in thee First Thou once hadst a deepe and sensible consideration of thine estate by nature thou wert deeply affected with it so that thou sawest what need thou hadst of Christ till thou hast had this consideration thou art a dead man I know God can save thee without this hee could come without the terrible voyce as Christ could have come without Iohn Baptist before him but hee will not neither ever doth because it is impossible for a man highly to esteeme of Christ till hee is thus humbled for hee never will preferre him in particular actions and take him with all crosses and losses till hee fully see what need hee hath of him which he cannot untill he is thus humbled Secondly Consider if thou wer● ever changed from what thou formerly wert neither is it a slight change that will serve but it must bee both constant and generall it must not be for a month or a yeare but daily and continually It must bee such a change that all where thou livest may see it thou must become a new soule in another body Thy change must be so great that thou mayst say Ego non sum ego I am not my selfe I am quite another man There must be as great a change in thee as there is in a white cloth when it is died blacke Such a change was in Paul he was converted from a persecutor to a Preacher So thou must of a Lion be made a Lambe there must as much difference be in us as is between winter summer And now seeing the time of the Sacrament is at hand let us all examine our selves we must not make excuses to keepe from the Sacrament but as all Nehem. 9. were to come to the Passeover else they were to be cut off from their people except they could shew some good cause so I know no reason why it should not be so still for the Sacrament But againe on the other side if wee doe come and are dead men wee come unworthily and eat and drinke our owne damnation in not discerning the body

yet commonly the father loves all alike so God although they had better gifts than we will grant our prayers as soone as he did theirs But some man will here bee ready to make a question and askeme what I would have him doe for the Church now he is but a singleman and therefore is unable to doe much himselfe alone I answer Though thou canst not doe much yet these things thou mayest doe and therefore 1. Pray for it God delights to bee called upon for else his hand is not taken notice of but then we see his hand and acknowledge it when wee see him granting our desires So that the strength of a land lyes in Christians and their strength lyes in their prayers as Sampsons strength did in his haire Oftentimes prayer is more available than fighting Moses prayer in the mountaine did more than Ioshuahs fighting in the vallies If Noah Daniel and Iob stood before me saith God Ezek. 14. 20. they should not prevaile which sheweth that if any thing could have prevailed their prayer would So also Luther attributes all to prayer as may be seene in divers of his Treatises Now this prayer which I urge unto you must 1. Not onely be small expressions of the mind but now God lookes for strong cryes and long continuance in prayer Moses prayed all day Christ which had lesse need than we have prayed all night Daniel three weekes therefore wee that have more wants and needs ought to bee the more fervent 2. Our prayers must be Spirituall not out of selfe-love as to desire the safety of the Church that so under it we may lead a safe and quiet life but out of meere respect to God and love to his Church 3. It must be a prayer of faith so the Apostle saith Iam. 5. 15 16. The prayer of faith shall save the sicke c. And a little after The effectuall fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much Now there is no man righteous without faith so according to their faith Christ still yeelded to them 4. Pray with constancy and fervency it is not for a snatch and away that is pleasing to God but a constant performance of duty which hee accepteth 5. It must bee the prayer of a righteous man Therefore Micah 2. the Prophets sought unto God in the time of trouble but prevailed not because they were not righteous for it is said there vers 7. Doe not my words doe good to him that walketh uprightly 6. It must be with humilitie and that consists First in confessing how unworthy we are to obtaine any thing at the hands of God Secondly how unable to helpe our selves and therefore to have our eyes onely towards God Another way to doe good to Gods Church is to be more zealous seeke unto God extraordinarily The cause of the destruction of a Land is chiefly the sinnes of the godly When they grow cold and dead and lose their first love then God as Rev. 2. will remove the Candlesticke from among them and take away his Gospell Indeed the carnalnesse of dead men their prophanenesse in contemning of Gods Saints and his Gospel c. hasten Gods Judgements on a Land but chiefly the Luke-warmnesse of Professors doe it when Israel as Hosea saith is as a cake halfe baked Let us therefore rectifie our lives renew our repentance quicken our zeale else shall wee be guiltie of the destruction of Gods Church by our sinnes 3 A third meanes to doe good to Gods Church is to stirre up others to take to heart the miseries of the Church to pray to renew their repentance It would be good if Ministers would bee as Beacons to give warning to others and to set them on fire Thus the old Christians did as it were make an armie manu facta against God by joyning together in prayer This is a blessed action to stirre up others thus they did in the Prophet Malachies time Mal. 3.16 Then they that feared the Lord spake often one unto another see the issue of all and the Lord harkened and heard it and a booke of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his Name So Zach. 8. 21. there they did so And the Inhabitants of the Citie shall goe one to another saying Let us goe speedily to pray before the Lord and to seeke the Lord of hoasts I will goe also Let us therefore as the Apostle exhorts Heb. 10. 24. consider one another to provoke our selves to this good worke of fasting and prayer for the Church let us marke who is a likely man to joyne with us and not let him passe 4 A fourth meanes to doe good to the Church is to doe it in due time Jerusalem had a time to seeke God if then shee would have sought shee might have beene saved And Christ complaines Luk. 19. 41 42. saying If thou hadst knowne even thou in this thy day the things which belong unto thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes And so before Christ the Prophets of old complained of the people as Ier. 8. 7. Yea the Storke in the heaven knoweth her appointed times and the Turtle and the Crane and the Swallow observe the time of their comming but my people know not the judgement of the Lord. The time to seeke unto the Lord is now Some Judgements are sudden and have no fore-runners as the Gunpowder-treason in such God lookes not that wee should meet him by repentance because we know them not Others use lingring such as send feare and rumours before them as are those mentioned by the Prophet Ezek. 22. 30 31. there God expects we should make up the hedge and stand in the gap before him and so meet him with repentance to stop the judgement 5 The fifth meanes to doe good to the Church is this Let us doe it with continuance It may be while the newes is fresh wee will bee fervent in prayer but often the newes altereth and sometimes it happens to be good and then wee leave off But this must not be wee must bee constant in this dutie to the very uttermost end of all there may be ebbs and flowings but it is the last issue which brings all therefore let us continue in this dutie of fasting and praying that wee may trie that last issue of al. It is the common fashion to make the afflictions of the Church onely a wonder of nine dayes This was the Jewes fault Ier. 34. 10 11. When they heard of their enemies for a while they would pray But although the newes bee good yet still continue as the importunate widow did to the Judge and your importunitie will move God Set therefore to it and continue in it Pray for Ierusalem let those prosper that love her peace Psalm 122. 6. Mourne apart every familie apart It is not enough to heare this and to let the Ministers voyce be to

giving them leaves instead of silver and gold so doth hee deale with thee here for except there be a supernaturall frame of thy hear● there is not cause of comfort notwithstanding all thy civility and therefore thou must bee sure to have something in thee more than nature for civility will not bring to heaven 2 Formall performance of holy duties as praying reading c. that puffes men up and keeps them from humiliation If you either omitted them altogether then your conscience would checke you or performed them well then your heart would be bettered and you would be humbled but this formall doing of them keepes the heart dead and senslesse Remember therefore that no sacrifice is acceptable to God but that that comes from a Broken heart Psal. 51. 3 The badnesse of your nature you would doe better but your nature is so bad that you cannot But remember first That that aggravates your sinne and God likes you the worse for that and will the hardlier pardon you even as wee our selves are readiest to pardon an offence in a good nature Secondly your selfe is the cause of the badnesse of your nature God gave you in Adam a good nature but you have lost it and since by many sinnes have made it worse by farre 4 Gods mercy he is mercifull therefore you will not feare but what if hee be mercifull hee calls not thee thou art not burdened with thy sinnes he cals onely such Come unto mee all ye that are heavy laden and I will ease you What hast thou to doe with mercy which seest not thy misery thou hast no part in it as Iehu said to Iezabell 5 The making conscience of many things so Herod did many things after Iohns preaching so the Gentiles did by nature the things contained in the Law yet were without God Rom 2. but there is no example like unto that of Amazia 2 Chron. 25. 2. he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord for a long time but not with a perfect heart One may make conscience of praying in private and of doing many good duties and yet have no true grace but doe all out of a naturall conscience for feare of punishment 6. Because Judgements come not swiftly and are not speedily executed Ministers threaten but they feele nothing But wee must know that the lesse afflictions we have had the more are behind and I know not a more miserable condition than this is it is a most dangerous signe thou art ordained to death when thou art thus let alone vnpunisht As we use to say when men are frequently sicke there is no danger of death but when they never have beene sicke and at length fall into it it is very dangerous so it is to be feared that when once God beginnes with thee hee will make an end as hee threatned to Hophnie and Phincas hee will so strike that he will not strike twice so that nothing can be worse than for a sinner to goe on without trouble 7. Men judge their estates and sinnes in a false ballance of opinion none say they thinke ill of them but a few that are more precise than wise But consider 1 That Ministers are onely the men by whom ye beleeve not whom ye should beleeve take our words but so farre forth as they are proved unto you by Scripture and if they be true then although few be of that minde yet you ought to beleeve them 2 Consider whether that latitude of Religion which thou stickest unto and hopest to bee saved by will serve thee on thy death-bed and at the day of Judgement 3. Consider that it is the part of holy men and of none else to discerne which are the wayes of God every one is to be beleeved in his owne art therefore beleeve them Men thinke that it concernes onely some to bee holy as Ministers c. and not all I will answer such with the saying of Wisedome The way of godlinesse is too high for a foole If thou wert wise thou wouldest thinke it concerned thee also Now I beseech you brethren humble your selves and so much the rather because now the time and necessity of the Church requires it now while shee is thus in her mourning gowne seeke not after your profits and pleasures drinke not Wine in bowles use not now the liberties that otherwise lawfully you might Remember that saying of Vriah 2 Sam. 11. 11. The Arke and Israel and Iudah abide in tents and my Lord Ioab and the servants of my Lord are encamped in the open fields shall I then goe into my house to eat and to drinke and to lye with my wife c. And doe as Daniel did chap. 9. Now practise all the parts of Humiliation now Gods Church needeth it although you your selves were free yet humble your selves for the sinnes of others continually pray to God for them Remember what God threatneth to those Esa. 22. 12. that when he called to mourning they followed their pleasure hee saith He will not forget it to the death so Esa. 66. 4. God is angry with all that neglect this duty and will not bee stirred up to performe it but those that doe call on him he will heare The unrighteous Iudge Luk. 18. was overcome by importunity and then much more will God if we humble our selves as Mordecay Ester 4. 14. concluded excellently Their deliverance shall arise from another place so may we then certainly the Church shall stand and Antichrist shal fall as a mill-stone into the sea never to rise up againe I grant hee may rage very farre he hath raged farre already and how farre more he shall rage God onely knowes yet in the end certaine it is he shall fall the Church shall stand Let us all therefore be humbled you which have not yet begunne this humiliation now beginne and yee which have begunne bee stedfast therein knowing that your labour shall not bee in vaine in the Lord. Mercy to be found in Christ. The next thing to be shewed after this doctrine that wee are dead in sinne is the meanes of recovering our life and that is by Christ as it is in the Text you hath hee quickened that were dead c. Hee that is Chist hath done it Hence learne this doctrine of comfort as a refreshing cordiall next after the bitter potion of humiliation That Whosoever will come to Christ may come and finde mercy Rev. 22. 17. Whosever will let him taste of the waters of life freely Here I will shew 1 What is meant by will whosoever will that is he that will receive Christ with all his conditions to be his Lord and his Ruler c. Whosoever will thus take Christ hee may if wee would take Christ before wee were humbled we might but till we be humbled we will not take him It is Christ that gives life but till we be hungry we wil

will the Lord be seene in distresse will the Lord shew himselfe and therefore you are to take heed of discouragements that you leave not your hope for then you take away indevour and so Gods causes fall to the ground and thereby the Lord is forsaken of us for it is our hope that sets all aworke and the want of hope makes us turne our backes yea foyle and give over the Lords Battels and therefore we should still maintaine our hope in all extremities whatsoever for when the Lord sends any afflictions on the Church or our selves wee ought not to despise or make light of them because they are the messengers of the Lord to humble us so we must not on the other side have the sinewes of our soules loosened by them for as we are not to despise the Chastening of the Lord so are wee not to faint when wee are rebuked of him for in the Mount will the Lord be seene that is it is a thing that the Lord will usually doe not at this time when thou wouldest have him but even when Abraham was fetching the blow then to stay his hand And it is his usuall course so to doe and therefore it is turned into a proverbe because it is ordinary Secondly we have ordinary use of it and therefore likewise it is put into a proverbe for the Lord usually brings us into extremities and that it might be the better remembred of us it is put into a proverbe for that is the use of short sentences to be easily carried in the memory and therefore the Lord hath thus turned it As men doe by their Silver they change it into Gold that it may with the more ease be carried Now to cometo the words out of which wee may learne That it is Gods usuall manner to bring his children to extremities The examples are so many in Scriptures and in our daily experience of this that we need not insist on the proofe of it but proceed to shew the reasons thereof And the first cause why the Lord doth so usually doe it is When hee brings afflictions on his children he lets it runne along till they may thinke there is no more helpe nor hope that so it may be an affliction to them for it would not bee an affliction except it did runne on to the uttermost point for if there were any doore for us to get out wee were not compassed about but when a man hath no gap to goe out at that is it that makes the spirit of a man to sinke If a man were in a smoky house and had a doore open it were no difficulty for him to shift himselfe out of it but when wee are shut up that is it which makes it difficult and that it might be so the Lord suffers it to come to an extremity Secondly The Lord brings us to an extremity because the Lord might be sought to for so long as the Creatures can doe us any good we will goe no further but when they faile us wee are ready to looke up to the Lord As it is with men which are on the Seas when they are in an extremity those that will not pray at any other time will pray now and bee ready to say with these in the Prophet Hosea 6. 1. Come and let us returne unto the Lord for ●● hath torne and he will heale us he hath smitten and he will binde us up and the reason is because where the Creature ends the Lord must beginne otherwise there can be no helpe at all And hence it is that at the time of death when a man once sees that and hath no deliverance it quaileth the stoutest spirits that are as Saul when he could see nothing but death before him then he sanke downe to the ground and till then the Lord is not sought to but in their afflictions they will seeke mee saith the Lord because then they can goe no where else Therefore when a man is brought to say vaine is the helpe of man then he will looke to the Lord for his helpe but till then man is subject to looke round on every side to see if there bee any that will helpe but when there is none then hee seekes unto the Lord and is delivered Thirdly The Lord doth it because that hereby it comes to passe that the Lord may bee knowne to be the helper that when wee are delivered hee may have all the praise for otherwise if there be but a little helpe in the Creature wee are ready many times to ascribe it all to it or at least to divide the prayse and therefore the Lord said to Gideon Iudg. 7. 2. The people that are with thee are too many though indeed they were but few in comparison of the multitude which they were to goe against yet they were too many for Gideon to have acknowledged the hand of the Lord in it if hee should have had the victory with them But the Lord will not divide his glory with another and therefore he will bring a man to the streight to bee without all hope that so hee may have all the praise for when other meanes concurre with his helpe then it is divided but without that his arme lyes naked as it were and therefore that it might bee knowne hee brings them to extremitie Fourthly The Lord doth it because all that we have wee might have as a new gift Therefore the Lord suffers us as it were to forfeit our Leases that he may renew them otherwise we should thinke our selves to bee Free-holders But when wee come to see all gone our health wealth and credit to faile us and in that extremity the Lord to give it us it is as a thing given on a new gift and then we take our life as given againe of the Lord and so in any other streight when there is no helpe of man left then wee take it wholly from the Lord and then wee give it to him againe Fifthly The Lord doth it because hee may teach us by Experience to know him But here some man will be ready to say Why cannot that be without these extremities To this I answer You must know when a man goes on in a course without any troubles or changes his experience is to no purpose for hee hath no great experience of the Lord But when a man is in tribulation that brings experience and experience ●●pe for it is another kinde of experience that is so learned than that which comes without it and indeed nothing is well learned till it bee learned by experience And therefore our Saviour Christ himselfe that had all knowledge that could be had without this would have this also of experience likewise for when a man is in ex●●emity then shall hee have experience of the Lord And therefore it is said of Manasses when he was in affliction and had prayed to the Lord humbling himselfe and

gave her time to repent but she repented not Thirdly the Lord doth not deliver till the time of extremity that we may know the vanity of the creature And see that they are but as reeds that are empty as for example when a man is brought to some great straight and sees that men will forsake him in it as the Lord will cause them to doe when he will bring a man to a streight indeed for then he will shew him that there is no helpe in man as when a man that is sicke and so farre gone that no physicke will doe him good but all Physicians have left him or when a man hath some great businesse in hand and nothing that he hath will effect it and so likewise a man at Sea when hee is in such a tempest that neither rowing nor any thing else will doe him good then when men are in such cases they come to see the vanity of the creature and that all outward meanes will start aside like a broken bow for a broken bow being drawne but a little will hold but if it bee drawne up to the head then it breakes in the hand of him that handles it Even so when the creature is put to it then the vanity of them is seene and that they are but as hollow reeds that are empty and so not bee trusted to Now we must adde to this that as the Lord will not deliver till then yet then he will doe it and of that you must make no doubt because the Lord will make good his promises and bee just for he is abundant in truth he will make good all that he hath said and that in abundance Now if the Lord will helpe and yet not till a man come to extremity why then hee must helpe or not at all and so he should faile them that trust unto him when as one man will not faile another that trusteth him for that were treachery so to doe why then much lesse will the Lord faile thee if thou rely upon him if thy heart can tell thee thou dost intirely rest upon him it is impossible hee should faile thee And therefore hee must helpe thee at the last cast or else not at all and untill thou art so farre gone thou art not come unto the Mount for Abraham was three dayes in going the journey and the Lord might have revealed it before if hee would but hee did not till he came to the mount And therefore doe not say now is the extremity and yet the Lord doth not helpe mee when thou art but in the way for thou art not yet come to the brow of the hill thou art not at the utmost part of the Mount The Use of it is to teach us not to make too much haste for deliverance in the time of distresse but to wait upon the Lord yea depend upon his providence when we seeme to be without helpe If we looke upon the Creature yet then are wee to depend upon the Lord so as never to say there is no helpe but on the contrary to say I will trust in him though he kill me for so did Abraham here he was to kill his Sonne and yet he had hope So let us though there were a thing that would bee our utter undoing if it should come on us yet if it doe come thou oughtest to hope because it is the Lords manner to bring his people to extremities as here to Abraham and the like hee did to Peter when he came to him on the waters for he might have holpen him before he beganne to sinke if he would but hee did first let him sinke a little and then he holpe him So when the people were at the Red Sea and had no gap to goe out at then the Lord holpe them by making a way thorow the Sea In like manner he did to Iacob when hee was returning home from his father in law Laban hee suffered Esau to come out against him with foure hundred men before hee holpe him and who would have thought that Esau's mind should have beene so suddenly turned But when Iacob was brought to a streight then the Lord turned all another way And the like he did with David in the time of his distresse he let him alone till the waters were like to goe over him but when his feet had almost slipt in regard of his outward and inward troubles for he was at the very going downe to the grave then the Lord brought his feet out of the Net and set him at liberty and tooke him out of the waters that he was not drowned and therefore still trust in the Lord and labour that thy faith faile thee not whatsoever thy straights be for that was Peters fault when hee was on the water for if he had sunke being hee had the Lords word hee should have beene safe enough and therefore had no cause to doubt and so wee should learne to doe in all our streights still to beleeve which if we doe wee shall finde the Lord very exceeding ready to helpe beyond all that we can be able to aske or thinke See this in an example or two how the Lord comes betwixt the cup and the lip as it were betwixt the very lifting up of the hand to the stroke and as in the Text so also when the Shunamite had by the command of the Prophet left her land because of the Famine that was to come when the seven yeeres were done for shee trusted the Prophet and therefore did not say Alas what shall I doe for my lands againe but did goe and when shee returned and was gone to the King for her lands againe at that very instant was the King talking with Elishaes servant about the great workes of the Prophet who then told the King of this woman and her sonne confirming that which Gehezi had said and Gehezi being present to helpe to speake for the woman and then shee had not onely her lands restored her but the fruits of it also for the whole time of her absence So likewise when Mordecayes destruction was plotted by Haman and so neare brought to passe that there could be no hope of helpe on any side yet then when Mordecay was asleepe in the night and had made no plots at all for his safety then the Lord brought it to passe for that night the King could not sleepe then hee must needs call for a booke and then that above all other bookes that should bee brought and in that booke that very place to bee turned to of the treason against the King and Mordecayes truth and faithfulnesse in discovering the same and that this should be done at the very extremity when a day or two after would have done him no good it is worth the considering therefore never doubt feare not but trust to the Lord in any streight for though hee doth not worke miracles now yet he workes wonders and is able to doe