and bin compelled to acknowledge his power therein if they haue abhorred disclaimed the same outwardly with an vtter detestation nay if God haue so opened some of their eies hereby that in the glasse of this iniquity they haue seene the Mistery of Popery and so either for Feare as sometimes did the heathen vpon a like occasion or for conscience haue seene the trueth and imbrace it Certenly these shal one day rise vp in iudgement against vs if we shall eyther bury in forgetfulnesse or depraue in malice or in enuie diminish if either we shall for feare conceale or in policie suppresse this great power of God Nay if wee shall not be confirmed in the trueth by such wonderfull mercies of God if these shall not be meanes to make 〈◊〉 detest popery and no longer to glose with it which are thus able to turne the hearts of our enemies let vs looke that they shal depriue vs of the benefit of this deliuerance and reape the haruâ—st which God hath sowed for vs well let thus teach vs not to come short of an Atheist least otherwise he goe before vs in the kingdome of heauen If the Lord exalt his wonderfull workes vpon vs let vs be lifted vp in the name of God to a due contemplation of them that so beholding the mercie and Iustice of God in the same our eies may be messengers vnto the the mouth to speake of the wonderfull workes of GOD. Certenly if the eye hath effectually conueyed the obiect to the heart to affect it therewith the heart like a full vessell which cannot hold out of it aboundant apprehension will informe the mouth to declare vnto others the wonderfull workes of God and as Andrew when hee had seene his Sauiour could not holde his peace but hee must needes goe tell Simon that he had seene the Messiah that he also might be partaker of him so shall the thorough view of such mercies which the Lord hath bestowed vpon thee open thy mouth to declare them vn to others that they also may come and see how gratious the Lord is and together with thee may bee partakers of his mercies For so it followeth And declare the worke of God Behold heere a second effect of great deliuerances they shall open mens mouthes to speake thereof And that for two endes both that the righteous confessing and acknowledging the worke of God might hereby performe some parte of thankefulnesse for the same the reprobate being thus compelled to acknowledg the greatnesse of Gods mercy vnto his Church might the more be conuinced in that they will not be reconciled to the same so saith the holy Ghost concerning the poore man that is deliuered They shall looke vppon him and runne to him and their faces shall not to ashamed saying a This poore man cried and the Lord heard him and saued him out of all his troubles by the contemplation of Gods mercy vnto his seruant they shall now bee encouraged to come vnto him who before stood a farre of for feare of his plague and now ioying with the redeemed of the Lord they shall concurre with him in acknowledging the mercies of the Lord yea saith the spirit they shal not now be ashamed and confounded as if he had beene deuoured they might haue had cause but one the contrary they shal be confirmed in their calling by the experience of this deliuery of his seruant and be comforted by the same euen in the like occasion of their owne that they shal be partaker of the like mercies So when the righteous shall see the vengaunce thus inflicted vpon the wicked and shall see himselfe escaped thus out of the snare and the wicked falne thereunto he shall say verily their is a reward for the righteous that is not one but all the righteous shal be recompensed by the Lord yea hee shall collect from the experience of this deliueraunce in hand that their is a reward for the righteous yet in store a full deliuerance out of all troubles So with the Apostle Paul in the like case wheÌ„ he had witnessed how the Lord had deliuered him in the 17. ver that he concludes in the 18. And the Lord shall deliuer mee from euery euil worke and will preserue me vnto his heauenly kingdome And as the righteous shall say thus for the comfort of his soule so shall he further say to the glory of his God doubtlesse their is a God that Iudgeth the earth out of question the iudge of all the world will doe right in deliuering the soules of his seruants and clothing his enemies with perpetuall shame and confusion Thus shall the mercies of God open the mouthes of his children to giue him the glory and to comfort themselues in the meditation thereof And thus also shall the mouthes of Atheists be opened by the same that their mouthes may be for euer stopped and confounded thereby at that great day so witnesseth the spirit concerning the deliueraunce of the Iewes out of the captiuity that the verie Heathen spake thereof and said the Lord had donne great thinges for them to their iust confusion who yet refused to ioyne with them so haue the Aduersaries beene compelled to confesse that the Lord hath Fought for vs to their greater confusion who yet afterward would fight against God Nay behold here a further meanes to the confusion of the wicked When the Lord had deliuered his seruant Daniell from the iawes of the Lyons the sight of so wonderfull a worke did so affect that heathen Monarch as that hee not onely proclaimes the power of God but further also enioynes by a solemne edist that the GOD of Daniel shall be reuerenced and acknowledged and yet all this to his further condemnation because Idolatry was yet continued and maintayned And so no doubt haue our aduersaries abroad and enimies at home beene enforced to speake of Gods wonderfull mercies towards vs. And yet behold a further meanes herein for the condemnation of the wicked When Saul obserued the admirable prouidence of God not onely in deliuering his seruant Dauid out of his hands but in deliuering him to be a prey euen to him that was persecuted his mouth was further opened to his iust condemnation loe he is inforced to iustifie the seruant of God and to condemne himselfe Thus said hee vnto Dauid thou art more righteous then 〈◊〉 for thou hast rendred me Good I haue rendred thee euil oh what a coÌ„fort is it here to the seruaÌ„ts of God that wisdome shall not onely be iustified of her children but euen of her enemies our very aduersaries shall giue testimony vnto the goodnesse of our cause oh what a terror is this vnto the wicked that they shall thus desperately fight against the light of their owne consciences that when they see that the Lord doth maintaine his owne cause and when they haue beene compelled to
did not onely encourage themselues by mutuall aduise laying of their heads and purses together but that a speciall part of their aduise was this so to carie their Treasons that none might see them hoping by this manner of plotting to haue speedie and suddaine execution and discouering therein the ground and moouing cause of all these desperate practises namely they say in their hearts who shall see them that is they say in effect there is no God Now because malice is insatiable and yet iealous too doubtfull to be discried and yet desirous to preuaile therfore behold a second policie in these traiterous practises both to delude secrecie and more effectually to preuaile they haue sought out iniquities saith the blessed spirit that is they haue deuised store of snares to entrap the life of the King that so if one should faile the other might take effect if some be discouered and so breed securitie as vsually they doe the other that lye hid might come more suddenly and surprise more fearefully without auoidance The snares being thus cōtriued in such secrecie varietie that if the secrecie should faile in some yet the rest might afterward preuaile Here vppon doth vsually follow a double effect The one in the wicked whose property is not onely to set a good face vppon a bad matter but further also in regard of such exquisite cūning which they haue vsed therin to grow secure and confident in the executiō of their intended attempts vndoubtedly perswading them selues of such successe therein as that they shall haue their full desire against the seruāts of god This doth the holy Ghost further expresse vnto vs whē he saith that they haue accomplished that which they sought for euen euery one in his secret thought and in the depth of his hart signifying vnto vs thereby thus much that what plots were layed by the wicked against the life of the King were contriued with such secrecie and managed with such skill variety as that the Contriuers thereof made full account that they should preuaile though not in the profession of their mouths lest they should be descried yet in the depth and secret of their hart wherein they flattered themselues And herevppon followeth another effect in the Saints of God who being wise to see the plague which is cōming vppon them notwithstanding the secret and cunning conueyance thereof finding their sinne iustly to haue deserued no lesse and the malice of the wicked ready to inflict vppon them much more doe herevpon grow to a distrust in them selues that surely so far as they see there is no meanes to escape and so in respect of their sinnes submit them selues vnder the mightie hand of God and manie times in their infirmity do not sticke to complaine that they shall certainely be ensnared with the practises of the wicked And so also the words may be referred as being spoken in the persons of Gods children assaulted with these troubles Wherein we may behould the admirable wisdome of the lord who hauing certainly determined to free his seruants from the rage of the wicked in disappoynting their practices turning them vppon their owne pates doth by these two effects of the cōfidence of the wicked and despaire of Gods seruants in them selues prepare a notable way therevnto For concerning the distrust of Gods children in themselues seeing no meanes frō flesh to auoid the danger as this must needes cause them to renounce all confidence in the flesh so doth it more confidently cast them vpon God and prouoke them more earnestly to call for his assistance the more they see them selues stripped of all helpe from man Wherby it cōmeth to passe that calling vpon the Lord in the day of trouble in this full affiance of helpe in him alone they are deliuered by him that so they may glorifie him As for that securitie of the wicked grounded vppon the secrecie and multitude of their mischiefes what is this else but a messenger of their distruction and the more confident they are in the successe of their proiects the nearer is their confidence to the confusion subuersion of them yea herein will the Lord reiect their confidence that a suddaine destruction shall come vpon them and they shall not be able to auoyd it For so it felloweth in the next words But God shall shoot an arrow at them suddenly c. Wherin marke I pray you the wonderfull power and wisdome of God in meeting with their seuerall policies by his most iust and answerable Iudgements For are the wicked wise and deliberate in plotting their enterprises are they long in weauing warie in cōtriuing behold the Lord doth cōfound this their wisdom by coming vpon them suddenly that they which had such store of wisdome to cōtriue mischeife against others shall now be to seeke of any wisedome for the auoiding of such sudden arrowes of Gods vengeance as shall come vpon them Behold here their wisedome turned into folly Againe are the wicked subtill in deuising many stratagems behold the lord will with one blow cut them of at once Affliction shall not rise vppon them the second time who had hoped many times to haue ensnared the Saints of God Behold here the multitude of their wicked conspiracies confounded with one stroake of Gods righteous vengeance Thirdly were they so secret in the contriuing of their mischiefes that they gaue it out confidently that none shall see behold the spirit of God giues them the lie and tels them playnely that All men shall see it yea they who had thought so cunningly to haue caried their wickednes as to haue gone clearely away with it the spirit tells them they shal be discouered and to confound them the more in this discouery he tells them plainely that their owne tongues shall fall vppon them They that say their tongues are their owne who is Lord ouer them shall now see that the mighty God ouer-rules their tongues and makes them the instruments of his glory in the discouery of sinne and the executioners of his vengeance in the punishment of the sinner Behold their secrecie euen confounded from their owne mouthes Lastly do the wicked strengthen themselues in their mischeifes by confederacies and leagues Loe the Lord will scatter their companies when he comes to Iudgment against them so that whosoeuer doth see them shall flye away Behold here the disvniting and breaking of their confederacies The practices of the wicked thus wonderfully defeated and they being iustly met with all in their mischeifes by answerable iudgments what now is to be done by those that are deliuered what must we repay vnto the Lord for all his wonderfull mercyes The holy Ghost proceedeth in the two next verses to informe vs in such duties as concerne vs in this case All men shall see it saith the blessed spirit that is the eyes of all men shal be fastened vpon it to obserue and behold the
acknowledge that our cause is Gods yet they shall continue their malice against so good a cause yet they shall thus desperately fight against heauen and prouoke the holy one of Israel to their iust confusion And yet behold the Lord will open their mouthes further to their fearefull condemnation euen by the gratious deliuerances that he performeth vnto his children It was much that Saul should iustifie the innocencie of Dauid wonderfull was the Lord herein to wring from a reprobate the approbation of his seruant and very holy herein was the Iustice of God in discouering this wilfull obstinacy of a cast-away that so hee might prepare him thereby to his further condemnation But all this while innocency though it were praised yet it went a begging Dauid might be promised a kingdome yet was not sure of his life Nay for the safegard of it he is driueÌ„ to a narrow shift euen in a sort to venture his innocency it selfe So are Gods children to seeke of that which is theirs in hope that God may haue the glory of what they do enioy so doth the Lord prepare his to the obtaining of a blessing that comming vnto it at so hard a rate they might more highly prize it when they shall obtaine But did not the Lord heere giue his seruant some token that hee would recompence him according to his innocency yea surely the Lord that opened the mouth of his enemy to giue testimony vnto the one hee also opened the same to be a Prophet of the other HarkeÌ„ my beloued woÌ„der at the prouidence of God I know saith Saule that thou shalt be King and that the kingdome of Israel shal be established in thy hand Loe here Saule is amonge the Prophets to declare glad tidings to the Saints to speak feareful things against themselues Harken howe the wife of Haman becomes a prophetesse vnto her husband of the deliuerance of the Church and a swift witnesse of the destruction of the enemies thereof If Mordecay saith she be of the seede of the Iewes before whom thou hast begunne to fall thou shalt not preuaile against him but shalt surely fall before him Marke I pray you the ground of this prophecye the wicked haue begunne to fall before the righteous nation some vpper hand haue they had against their enemies what doth this infidell collect herevpon surely the wicked shall fall more and more before the righteous till at lenght the righteous shal haue dominion ouer them in the morning Wouldst thou then haue a token that thine enemies shal be confounded consider then howe from time to time they haue fallen before thee certeÌ„ly if thou be of the seed of the Iewes and of that royall generation thou shalt one day haue all thine enemies thy footstoole Wouldst thou haue a further euidence to confirme this vnto thee behold the Lord shall open the mouth of thine enemie to bewray their fainting spirits that so thou maist be comforted as Gideons Souldiers were by this testimony of thine enemies that the Lord shal giue them vp into thy hands and thou shalt make a ful end of them Oh but thou wilt say how can these things stand together Saul tells Dauid he shall certenly be King and yet hee continues persecuting him to take away his life from him May not this be a policy to make him secure that he may the more easily seaze vpon him I see indeed will the weake Christian say that God hath deliuered his church from time to time I heare euen the enemie giuing ouer for a time as confessing with the Pharesie Behold we preuaile nothing against him for all the world runneth after him and yet I see the aduersaries are in hope stil I see they are stil practising and plotting against the soules of the righteous what may I conceaue hereof may I not iustly feare with Dauid that I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul that at length these aduersaries shall obtaine their desire against the church and therevpon resolue rather vpon some indirect course to corrupt my conscience or abate of my sincerity that so glosing with them I might finde fauour in their sight Oh stay here whosoeuer thou art that shalt be thus affected giue mee the hearing a while to satisfie thee herein Tell me I pray thee why doth Sathan our maine aduersary so violently and incessantly persecute the Church of GOD doth not the spirit giue thee the reason because his time is short if thou therefore seest the instruments of Satan still to rage more fiercely against the spouse of Christ know thou for a certenty that their time is but short and that thou maist not want a prophesie to confirme thee herein consider but what their desperate practises doe speake vnto thee If they were not affraid to loose their kingdome if they had not a presage in their conscience that Christs Kingdome would one day preuaile surely they would be still and follow their flesh potts they would not so persecute and plot as they doe they would not thus spend their goods and venture their liues and all against the poore Church of God Alas it is not for Christs kingdome what pretence soeuer they haue for they haue said plainelie We will not haue this man to raigne ouer vs. But the trueth is to holde their own Here is the matter the Iewes had this Oracle from their Father the Deuill that if they let Christ alone the Romanes would come and take away their Kingdome And therefore they resolue that Christ must bee persecuted his death must be the life of their vsurped power their conscience told them that they were but vsurpers the very life and holy conuersation of Christ was a manifest conuiction and condemnation of them so that their conscience told them that Christ Iesus was that holy one whom they ought to haue obeyed and yet their hypocrysie replyed if wee giue him honour wee shall loose ours and so their deuilish policy concluded to their owne confusion better one perish then our whole Kingdome goe downe faine would they haue done him homage so he would haue serued their turne to Daube vp their hypocrisie and vnderproppe their toâ—tering Kingdome but yet because they saw his course to bee cleane contrary a sharpe reprouer of their hipocrisie and a mayne beaterdowne of their carnall pompe and vanity hereupon against their conscience they followed their persuite against him and doe you marke herein how their Father deceiued them their practises against the sonne of God made way to his Glory and the redemption of mankind and so proued the occasion of the ouerthrow of their kingdome So doth the Lord Confound the wisdome of the wise and turneth their malice vpon their owne pates In like sort the aduersaries of the Church haue carried themselues A kingdome they haue vsurped vpon by the power of Sathan and through his Subtilty and violence they haue seazed vpon the Lords
enough that the things of this life restored vnto them Wel let vs bee wise in the examining of our own hearts heereby certainely whatsoeuer wee ioy in aboue the Lord it shall be the meanes to bring a curse vpon that blessing and so bee the occasion that in the end it shall be taken from vs that wee which would not reioyce aright in GOD shall now haue nothing wherein truely to reioyce But if so bee that wee haue so reioyced in the principall blessings that in steed of them the other haue beene vile vnto vs certainely this will teach vs to ioy in them though these bee taken from vs and beeing wise with the blessed Salomon to preferre the greater blessings we shall haue the lesse also cast ouer and aboue into the rekoning vnto vs that so our ioy may be full wanting nothing and so vsing the lesse that wee do not set our hearts vpon them but are able to extend our ioy vnto the giuer of them wee shall by this meanes beeing found faithfull in a little bee made stewardes of greater blessings that so returning all vnto our God in that small measure which we enioy in this life he may be all in all vnto vs in an heaped vp measure in the life to come And thus ordering our ioy shall wee find it to bee in the Lord and so shall wee also find it by the right measure thereof proportioned both according to the things wee doe inioy as they doe exceede each other in worth and excellencie and also to the right vse and imployment thereof So doeth our Sauiour giue his disciples the rule when he had giuen them that excellent gift of subduing all aduerse power But reioyce not in this that the Spirits are subdued vnto you but reioyce rather that your names are written in heauen therein not forbidding them to reioyce at all in these excellent gifts for they were great blessings of GOD and therefore they might lawfully reioyce in them but teaching them therein a true measure of their ioy that they should more reioyce in the more excellent blessings The best apprehension of this right measure shall bee gained by the discouerie of two extreames either of reioycing too much when the cause doth not require or of reioycing too little if the matter be of moment Wouldst thou know in this deliuerance howe thou maiest reioyce too much If it hath not bettered thee in the way to heauen If thou hast not answered the end of a deliuerance euen to serue thy God more conscionably in newnesse of life If thou art so set vpon thy lyes and bound in the seate of the scorners that thou hatest to bee reformed for all these mercies though all things are renewed vnto thee yet thou remaynest in thine olde sinnes If it bee not more ioy vnto thee to doe righteously then to receiue good at the hands of GOD Why takest thou the name of GOD in thy mouth seeing thou hatest to bee reformed wretch that thou art what hast thou to doe with ioy that still reioycest in thy sinne Thou maiest well say vnto laughter thou art madde and vnto ioy depart farre from mee Surely any ioy in this case is too much vnto thee Wouldest thou haue a president to direct thee heerein when the Lord had deliuered the Iewes from the handes of the Ethiopians it is recorded by the holy Ghost that Asa their King beeing incouraged by the prophets of the Lord the First worke that hee did was to purge the land of all it abhominations And so performed true thankefulnesse vnto his GOD in deedes and not in wordes Afterwardes hee gathered togither all the remainder of the people to Ierusalem to offer sacrifice vnto the Lord and to make a couenant with him of most faithfull seruice Which when they had performed in most solemne and effectuall manner and bound themselues further to the same by an oath yea further by a most grieuous penaltie of death for default therein The Spirit witnesseth that all Iudah reioyced at the oath and therevpon followed a most comfortable blessing that the Lord gaue them rest round about Marke I pray you in this example the true vse and intertainment of a deliuerance Heere is sinne first remoued which was the cause of the former danger that so the like might not after befall them Then heere is a course taken to preuent sinne to come by most euident signes of true conuersion vnto GOD that so they might inioy both temporall and spirituall happienesse And then when the Lord was first made glad with the conuersion of his seruants and when the Angells had cause of ioy for the repentance of sinners then came ioy in a right order from heauen vnto earth and the vessells beeing thus fitted to receaue this heauenly influence the holy Ghost recordeth that the people reioyced and showted euen vp to heauen as making a sweete consent therein with God and the Angels Oh neuer let vs looke to reioyce aright in earth if by our vnfained sorrow for sinne we haue not caused ioy in heauen And if so be wee haue reioyced before the couenant bee made know wee that our ioy is vnseasonable and too much if any The very ioy of the Dragons shall be better accepted of God then the reioycing of such sinners that proceedes not from repentance Oh let vs haue respect at least vnto our Seede and posteritie Doe wee know what we doe by this entertainement of a deliuerance as to reioyce therein without reformation of our liues Surely wee prouoke the Lord to hate our feast dayes hee hath protested hee will not smell in our solemne assemblies But doe they prouoke mee sayeth the Lord and not rather themselues to the confusion of their faces Yes surely as our Sauiour would doe no more workes in his owne countrey because of their vnbeleefe so let vs not looke hereafter for the like wonderfull worke of GOD if this bee the best fruite the multiplying of our sinnes and then consider what wrong wee shall doe vnto posteritie from whome wee shall bee the occasion to take such great mercies and so expose them vnto such fearefull desolations as follow therevpon To leade thee a little further in the examining of thy selfe concerning thy exceeding in this measure of ioy art thou deliuered and therefore thou mayest reioyce Oh but remember that Ioseph is in affliction and therefore thou must sorrow too If therefore thou canst not bee more sorrowfull in the sorrow of the afflicted then ioyfull in respect of thine owne priuate good surely thy reioyfing is not good Thou takest too much ioye vnto thy selfe and giuest too little sorrow vnto the cause of thy brother To lead thee yet a step further in the examining of thine excesse Is the Church of God deliuered and therefore thou mayest reioyce Oh but remember the Apostles rule in a case not vnlike As hee would not
haue other men eased that wee should bee grieued but the matter so disposed that there may be an equalitie so in this case of reioycing wee must not so inlarge our selues that our brethren may be grieued thereby but wee must now so temper our ioy that there may be an equalitie that all the Saints of God may reioyce with vs that haue beene partaker of the same benefite with vs as their conditions and meanes doe require Indeed if the wicked shall see Gods mercie vpon vs and bee angrie If he shall gnash his teeth and consume away If the male-contents and runnegates that gaped for the spoile being now disappointed thereof hang downe their heads and eate their hearts with sorrow for the same as it is the righteous iudgement of GOD vpon them so ought we euen to inlarge our ioy that they may be the rather grieued and vexed thereby Yea wee are to make it the matter of our ioy to see the vengeance that is light vpon them so that our ioy bee spirituall euen in the Lord that they may take no aduantage against vs so that wee adde vnto their affliction not as they are ours but enemies vnto God But here is the point doest thou reioyce in this happy deliuerance and wouldest thou learne the true measure therein Surely this is it So reioyce that all may reioyce with thee Grieue not thy GOD and his Saints by the prophanesse of thy ioy Remember how Moses and Miriam carried the matter That their ioy might not be subiect to prophanesse and sensualitie Moses and the men reioyced by themselues Miriam and the women reioyced by themselues Such dancing is allowable if the cause be spirituall Grieue not the poore by taking too much libertie in the meanes of thy ioy deuouring that in thine excesse which is the blood of the poore Remember the care that the Iewes had in this case They sent not onely presents to their neighbours that could requite them againe but they gaue gifts to the poore that their hearts might bee cheered also Notable was the care of good Nehemiah to this purpose When the Church was deliuered out of captiuitie and Ierusalem was building vp againe and it fell out by reason of the inequalitie betweene the rich and the poore that the rich insteed of reioycing the poore with their aboūdance and superfluitie became very grieuous burdens vnto them by bringing them into slauerie and cruell oppression The good gouernour Nehemiah pleades the cause of the poore and by his courage and example so prouideth that in this generall cause of ioy none might bee exempted Thus doth hee plead for the poore against the mightie We according to our habilitie haue redeemed our brethren the Iewes which were solde vnto the Heathen that they also might reioyce with vs And will you sell them againe or shall they be sold vnto vs that they may be grieued and we reioyce So saith the Spirit he stopped their mouthes they held their peace and could not answer Oh that our oppressors and inclosers were thus put to silence that they were not able to answere their selling and thrusting out of the poore Well when he hath thus put them to silence though hee might haue commanded as he was their gouernour yet he falles to intreate them for a restitution in this case that so the blessing of the poore might be vpon them and they might cause the hearts of the widowes to reioyce And what followed herevpon The rich are perswaded and the poore are eased and so the mouthes of all are opened to praise the Lord. But is this all doth Nehemiah play the Pharise that would lay a burthen vpon others which he would not beare himselfe No surely marke I pray you his tender compassion and charitie herein Though he was no oppressour and therefore could restore nothing yet see how willing he is to part with his owne yea euen with that which serued for the maintenance of his estate For twelue yeares space he professeth that he had not eaten the bread of the gouernour And whereas the former gouernours had beene chargeable to the people by taking of their bread and wine and he did not so And he giues the reason because he feared God Not that simplie it is not lawfull for a religious Gouernour to bee maintained by the common-wealth for indeed it is most righteous and necessarie to be done But the meaning is to confirme vs this rule concerning equalitie of ioy that in a case of extremitie when others are in want and wee by taking our vtmost due may adde vnto their affliction if it shall please God to make vs equall in the generall blessing wherein all are to reioyce we are so to dispose of our right in inferiour blessings that they may be meanes to further vs in the right entertainment of the greater yeelding somewhat of our state and outward maintenance vnto others so as we may notwithstanding leaue a competencie to our selues to maintaine a reasonable port that so they may ioyne with vs in this dutie of thanks-giuing as they are ioyned with vs in the blessing of the deliuerance Otherwise wee shall not onely signifie that wee could haue beene well ridde of them that we had not cared so the iudgement had swept them away seeing we are escaped as counting them burdens vnto the land and eye-sores vnto vs but further also giuing them occasion of griefe when we should all reioyce This must needs follow herevpon that they crying vnto the Lord for vengeance against vs while we are reioycing in the Lord for his mercies towards vs The Lord will heare their crye and confound our ioy by deliuering them out of trouble and casting vs in their stead Oh that wee were wise to consider these things that by this we would trye our ioy whether it exceed or no if it be the occasion of griefe vnto others Farre be it from vs that seeing the Lord hath preuented this mischiefe and so hath lengthned the date of our Stewardships therefore we shall fall to beating of our fellow seruants vpon presumption that our maister will now deferre his comming because he hath so lately knocked at our doores and so insteed of furthering the generall ioy by the renuing of our liues we shall yet send the poore into the house of mourning and thereby make vp the measure of our sinne Surely saith our Sauiour that seruants Maister will come in a day when hee looketh not for him and in an houre that he is not aware of and will cut him off and giue him his portion with hypocrites there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Lastly wouldst thou know how thou maiest exceed in this ioy Surely if thou doest so ioy now that thou maiest not reioyce hereafter either by exceeding in the outward meanes whereby thy estate shall vnnecessarily be impaired or else by giuing the bridle vnto thy carnall affections
in it yet here is the victory of thy faith thou shalt be roused out of it Not so much by the touch of thy conscience for that is common to the wicked as by the power of the spirit which wil raise thee vp againe Doest thou fall againe into the same sinnes yet behold herein is the victory of thy faith they are not thy sinnes because it is not thou but sinne that dwelleth in thee Nay they are not the same sinnes neither the same in quality as hauing lost much of their former force Neither the same in operations working lesse hurt Doest thou desire to bee freed from all sinne Doest thou grone vnder the burthen and cry out O wretched man that thou art who shall deliuer thee from this body of sinne Behold heere is a meane victory of thy faith Be it vnto thee according as thou beleeuest Corruption in due time shal be cloathed with Corruption Thus maiest thou trye thy faith by thy sinnes and in the seuerall victories thereof confirme thy selfe therein not by each of them seuerally but by all of them in degrees As the Lord shall lead thee along in the experience of these conquests As for those euils which are so conceiued in the world namely the euills of afflictions which are iustly lead vpon thee Examine the victory of thy faith ouer these euen by these rules Art thou a christian and is affliction thy portion Let this be the first triall of thy faith to prepare thy soule vnto them Put it in thy reckoning if thou wilt liue godly in Christ Iesus that thou must necessarily suffer great afflictions Art thou entred into the combate and wouldst thou haue a triall of a conquest First submit thy selfe willingly vnder the mighty hand of GOD that thou maiest witnesse thy submission be are paciently what thy Lord hath laid vpon thee that thy patience may bee exercised Lay voluntary afflictions vpon thy selfe follow thy calling euen in thy greatest troubles Giue not thy bodie to fretting at the prosperity of others but fall to examining thy selfe why it is thus with thee Hauing found out the cause eyther Sinne or Tryall If sinne bee the cause by repentance remoue it If Tryall bee the cause to make experience of Gods graces in thee examine thy selfe againe how thou hast vsed the blessings of GOD see whether some rust of negligence or corruption hath not fastned vpon thee If thou shalt find it so yeeld thy selfe willingly to the tryall follow thy GOD in purging out thy drosse so at length thy righteousnesse shall breake out as the light and thy wel doing as the noone day And thus shall thy faith triumph in all these troubles Though thou art afflicted yet shalt thou not bee in distresse persecuted thou maiest bee but thou shalt not be forsaken cast downe thou shalt bee and yet thou shalt not perish die thou doest continually and yet behold thou liuest neuer free from sorrow and yet alwaies reioycing beeing poore thy selfe and yet making manie rich hauing nothing and yet possessing all things though the outward man perish yet thy inward man is renewed dayly and these light afflictions which are but for a moment causeth vnto thee a farre more excellent and eternall weight of glory Thus shalt thou not onely in affliction be more then a Conquerour through the Supporting hand of GOD giuing testimony vnto thyne innocencie euen in the face of thine enemies But further also by trusting in GOD thou shalt be deliuered out of them all not onely from such snares as are layde to intrappe thee in this life but through faith thou shalt in the ende haue a full conquest ouer them all GOD shall wipe away all teares from thine eies there shal be no more death nor sorrowe nor crying For GOD shall tread Sathan and all thine enemies vnder thy feete Lo heere the victory of thy faith ouer all thy troubles by which thou mayest try thy selfe whether thou art in the faith or no. As thy faith if it be found will vphold thee in all thy troubles that thou sincke not vnder them and deliuer thee also so farre out of them in this life as shall stand with Gods glory and thine especial aduantage so will it not leaue thee till it haue freed thee from all thy troubles and offered thee vp in marriage for euer vnto thy bridgrome Christ Iesus Thus shall thy faith inable thee to triumphe ouer all afflictions and so shall it teach thee the right vse of these outward things that so they may not bee snares and euills vnto thee It shall teach thee first to rate them at their iust and true value neither so to ouerprize them as to thinke none like vnto them as Esau did that so wee may loose the better blessings Neither so to vnderrate them as not to account them the good blessings of GOD for which wee must not giue accoumpt at the daye of the comming of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ. Our faith hauing taught vs to giue them their true worth will heereby also direct vs for the holy obtaining of them both in respect of the right order which is to be obserued therein as also in the meanes that must further vs to the same and also in the measure of our seeking these blessings concerning the order it hath this rule out of the word First seeke the kingdom of heauen the righteousnesse therof and all other things shall be cast thereunto Whereby wee are taught as to seeke first the best things that so wee may haue a right in these so not to neglect these things altogither though now they shal be cast vpon vs vpon presumption of Gods prouidence if wee follow the better but to remember we haue a calling to be imployed in and supplied also by these things which if we neglect we are worse then infidells which we must follow that we may be humbled thereby So hath GOD disposed the obtaining of these things and so is faith guided in the right order of procuring of thē The triall is that 1. our seeking of these things do not hinder our enioying of the better 2 that though God hath allotted vs as we may foolishly imagine six dayes for these things but one for the other yet we imploy more time in seeking the things of the soule thē the things of the body yea indeede in the seeking of these outward things which concerne this life we may haue this testimonie as that we shal in these seeke onely greater things And herein our faith doeth helpe vs exceedingly as both assuring vs that wee seeke these thinges not for themselues no not so much for our owne vse as for Gods glory whose good blessings they are and therefore that wee may yeeld obedience to his commandements and not despise his blessings Therfore wee accompt them worth the seeking and also in the seeking of them thus resoluing our consciences