it could not be if it should come by sense and reason and that we could alwayes judge of the carriage of things if things were carried in our own way how ready should we be to sacrifice to our own wisdome and power and therefore the Lord will make foolish mans wisdom and make mens strength weakness and will carry on his work by such means as men think are inconsiderable to his own ends 7. Judges 20. the Lord had by providence put into the hands of Gideon a considerable army against the Midianites they were thirty two thousand Judg. 7.20 but God cometh to him and tells him these are too many for mee to deliver the Midianites into thy hands for if I deliver the Midianites into the hands of so many they will say Israel saved themselves and these men did the work and these shall carry away all the glory of the day and therefore saith God I cannot with safety of my own honour deliver into their hands the Midianites God could with more safety deliver them into the hands of three hundred then into the hands of thirty two thousand for then all the world must needs be convinced and say This was the very finger of God and a speciall work of the Almighty And indeed my Brethren we are never brought throughly to give God his honour in such things as these while we are in wayes of probabilitie while we are in hope through humane strength The Prophet observing such a disposition in the Jewes namely that they would not acknowledge Gods hand unlesse they were reduced into straits that should make them hopelesse tells them 37. Ezech. 12 13. They should be as good as dead in Babylon Ezech 37.12 13. wel-nigh buried in that captivity but God would deliver them thence and when I have opened your graves said God and brought you back out of your graves again then shall yee know that I am the Lord you would not know before but then shal you know that I am the Lord. Reason 2 Secondly because it becometh God Almighty to walk in an extraordinary way sutable to his infinite Majesty not as men according to rules of reason and power and humane wisdome when the Apostle cometh to speak of God his wayes and counsels questions and wonders Oh how unsearchable are his Judgements and his wayes past finding out 11. Rom. 33. Rom. 11.33 Est in rebus nec tamen est inclusus est extra res nec tamen est exclusus August It is like God when we say of him he is incomprehensible God is in things yet not included and he is without things yet not excluded so it is done like the Almighty when he doth not according to humane rules of policy and prudence but when he doth things beyond all grounds of expectation of wisdome and reason therefore the Lord is said to have his way in the whirle-wind Nah. 1.3 Psal 77.19 1. Nah. 3. and his footsteps are not known 77. Psal 19. Vse 1 This at once offereth both a check and remedy unto our carnall presumptions and our carnall feares carnall presumption is a disease that we are often sick of in these dayes when as God is pleased to smile on us a little in our trouble and misery to give us some revivings then are we too apt to be too much lifted up too hold in our confidence and to conclude too peremptorily Let us take the check which the Lord giveth us here My thoughts are not as your thoughts and therefore saucily talk no more of your thoughts in the ways of God Gods ways are above your wayes his thoughts above your thoughts God hath cleerly given our thoughts the check in four * Four things wherein God hath checked our presumptuous thoghts touching our present troubles things concerning these troubles which we ought to receive and take notice of as so many convictions of this truth and occasions of reflecting upon our selves with shame and sorrow this day First we thought that if we had to our enemies those that were Gods enemies then we must needs quickly overcome them and that because our enemies are Gods enemies swearing enemies drunken enemies Popish enemies Atheisticall enemies prophane enemies we conclude God will never favour them nor suffer them to prevaile nor deliver his people into their hands but beside our owne experience on the contrary we find that Amaleck the worst of all the enemies that Israel had a people as much abhorred of God as any yet if Israel shall transgresse Amaleck shall prevaile if Israel will not pray not seek unto God not humble themselves all the wickednesse of the Amaleckites shall not destroy them Exod. 17.11 17. Exod 11. The proud Assyrian that boasting wicked enemie God had jâ—stice and wrath enough in store for them yet God will not medle with then they shall go on and oppress Israel till Israel be reformed till the work be done upon mount Sion and on Jerusalem God will not strike a stroke against Assyria for their ruine but will suffer them to prevaile 10. Isaiah 12. Nay if Gods people continue impenitent and remain in their wickednesse God will then strengthen the hands of their enemies Isai 10.12 3. Judg. 12. When Israel had sinned saith the Text the Lord strengthened the hands of Eglon against Israel because they had done evill in the sight of the Lord. We should not run too much on that strain Our enemies are wicked and prophane enemies its true and God will plague and punish them But let us not make that a ground of our too much confidence boldnes God may both suffer and strengthen them against us if wee remaine an unreformed and a rebellious people we have hitherto felt and found them as goads in our sides and thornes in our eyes Our thoughts have therein deceived us Secondly we are so taken up with the thoughts of a good cause that we cannot admit a thought of miscarrying A good cause may miscarry â—d tempus I grant in the issue it shall prevaile and finally and we may conclude as much in the generall But take heed of concluding peremptorily for particular times as that we should conclude so of this time and of these enemies that we shall overcome at this day or in this generation who can say so A good cause may yet have a prevailing enemy a lâ—ng time and the people of God may have a good cause and yet flie before their enemies Observe a cleare instance in the people of Israel they went against the children of Benjamin Judg. 20.18 Judg. 20.18 A good cause they had and they were so bold thereon that when they came to go against the Benjamites they did not so much as ask the Lord whether they should goe or no. But the first question they make is Which of us shall go up first as taking it for granted their cause was so good they must needs prevaile onely they would be maâ—tialled
by the Lord But yet for all their good cause they flie before their enemies Vers 21.25 you may see once at the 21. verse and againe at verse 25. Therfore build not too much upon the cause as if the present issue of things did depend barely on that Deliverance in time shall come which may be a comfortable encouragement to goe on in a good cause But let us not limit the holy One of Israel the cause in which we suffer is as sure to conquer as the light is to shine being Gods and therefore shall prevaile at length But a good cause may be ill managed and suffer for the sins of those that undertake it and in this also we have had experience of the vanitie of our thoughts we are not yet delivered though our cause be good Thirdly another thing we have too high thoughts upon and wherein Gods thoughts are otherwise is the priviledge of outward ordinances Blessed be the name of our God that we have the liberty we have and that God hath taken off the yoke of the oppressor wherein our consciences were burthened with more then Egyptian bondage yet should we be humbled that this outward priviledge in Gods ordinances hath too much lifted up our thoughts and we have been too confident upon them because we have the ministery of the word more purified and some superstitions purged out from the worship of God among us we have thoughts that therefore we shall now prevail our enemies shall be consumed before us notwithstanding many other our yet latent sinnes See what in the like case did befall the Israelites when the Philistines came against them 1 Sam. 4.3.5 1. Sam. 4.3 5 And when the people of God were come into the Camp the Elders of Israel said Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to day before the Philistines Let us fâ—tch the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us that when it commeth among us it may save us out of the hand of our enemies And when the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord came into the camp all Israel shouted with a great shout so that the earth rang againe At the 10. and 11 vers And the Philistines fought and Israel was smitten and they fled every man to his tent and there was a very great slaughter for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen And the Ark of God was taken and the two Sonnes of Eli Hophni and Phinehas were slain The Ark though it was the outward Testimonie of Gods presence it would not bear them out they were slain before the enemy with a great slaughter and the Arke of God was taken I speake not this that this should any way weaken our love or our thankfulnesse to God for those outward Priviledges we enjoy or that we should any way lessen our esteeme and reverence of Gods ordinances but that we should not make them nor any thing else a ground of carnall confidence that we should build our selves up in vaine hope and set our selves upon a deceitfull expectation That the very outward ordinances should deliver us from outward afflictions and temporall punishments that may bee on us by the hand of God In this also we have found that God hath checked our thoughts and brought us low before our enemies that would captivate our religion as the Philistines did the Ark. The L Brook M. Hambden M. Pym c. Fourthly in our thoughts touching those worthy and pretious instruments whom God had raised up to carry on his work among 01 us we thought it had been they that should have delivered us some by thâ—ir counsels and others by their valour being so choicely fitted instruments that we looked upon each of them as an Atlas to our cause and Kingdome and such pillars of the reformation as that without them it could not have been supported or carried on Yet all this while that we were idolizing his servants God intended to do his work by other hands then we looked on and that Moses should not bring the Israelites into the land of Canaan though he was a man called and excellently fitted to lead them thitherward but when Moses was dead he was able and so raised up Joshua with whom he would be and was as effectually to all purposes as he was wiâ—h Moses And I may appeale unto you all whether God hath been wanting to his cause through or since the taking away of such famous men as have appeared for us or whether he hath not carried on the work more strenously since he that had spirit to make such instruments hath spirit enough to raise up more as we have seen so that in this also we have seen God checking our thoughts And as it is a check it should be looked upon likewise as a remedy iâ— should be enough to cure our presumption to think on this Doctrine Gods thoughts are not as our thoughts A check to carnall fears in times of trouble It may as well afford us a checke and a cure to our carnall feares for as we are too bold on the one hand we are too weak spirited on the other in times of afflictions and when Gods hand is yet out against us we are as full of desperate feares as before we were full of saucie presumptions And in our jealousies conclude there is no recovery no hope or expectation left for the people of God whereas Gods thoughts may be are otherwise even to carry on his ends by weak means and when his people are lowest to raise them when things are desperate and all past cure then God thinks to worke for hee worketh not by power nor by might but by my spirit saith God 4. Zach. 6. He giveth not the battell to the strong Zâ—ch 4.6 Ezek. 9.11 nor the race to the swift but to whom he pleaseth 9. Eccles 11. God many times layeth the foundation of some great deliverance very low out of sight and as it were under ground The foundation that God laid for the deliverance and preservation of the Church of Israel in Egypt you may observe was the selling of Josâ—ph by his brethren A strange foundation So likewise Gods providence had a hand in turning away David from the Philistines Armie wherein God beyond all imagination intended to prevent David lest he should have his hand in the blood of Saul who was slain by the Philistines shortly after David was gone from them as is obserable 1 Sam. 29 30 31. chapters Yea we find God had another reach in bringing away David from the Philistines Armie for there was need of Davids service at Ziglag because that was taken shortly after and therefore David was come away by the hand of Providence to serve for the rescue of that town and of his wives that were taken prisoners there We should therefore in times of danger when there is the least likelihood of safetie or deliverance we should stay our hearts against all carnall feares
he shall be in the midst of all stormes like a Ship that lies safe at Anker in a good Haven whereas a man that is without faith in God is even as a Ship on the waves without Rudder and without Anker either to guide or stay her she is tossed sometimes up and sometimes down and carried sometimes forward sometimes backward sometimes as high as heaven and sometimes almost as long as hell So that his soule Psal 107. 27 27. like their soules Psalm 107.26 27. reeles and melts in him because of the trouble A disquieted and impatient temper of heart in trouble brings the losse of all the comfort peace and enjoyment of God that a man might otherwise have even in the midst of trouble Secondly by this means it shall come to passe that a man shall question at least if not utterly deny Gods power and providence and so God himselfe if he dare not wait and patiently trust upon the Lord ion the time of trouble he questions whether there be such wisedome and goodnesse and faithfulnesse and power in God as may warrant such a trust which is no other but to question whether God be God or no the Prophet puts it all upon a meek and patient waiting on God Psal 46.10 46. Psal 10. Be still and know that I am God As if he should say If you will acknowledge me to be God then wait on me and that quietly and be you not transported with this or that passion He chargeh it on them there especially because they had seen so much of God as they had verse 8 9. Vers 8.9 Come see the workes of the Lord what destruction and desolation he hath made in the earth I have destroyed your enemies and laid wast Countries for your sakes and now therefore be quiet wait on the Lord and acknowledge that I am God So if we should be spoken to to see what God hath done and how he hath delivered us of late and what desolations he hath made among the enemies And if after all this we cannot yet wait on the Lord and be still we acknowledge not Gods power to have done it Nay if we cannot wait on the Lord in a holy dependance for the Churches deliverance in due time we shall in effect say little lesse of God then the Prince did at the siege of Samaria when the Prophet foretold that a great plenty should succeed the famine 2 King 7.19 2 King 7.19 If God should make windows in heaven might such a thing be The thing is even impossible And if we should speak so like an Infidell of the Lord we might justly look to be punished like him God sent a plenty in Samaria but he did not eate of it So God may send his Church deliverance and we with ours be justly deprived of any comfort therein A third evill that followeth on this impatiencie and fretting of spirit under the hand of God is that it leadeth to Apostasie whereby a man shall utterly fall from God and his cause then to bethink all the cost and charges and all the disquietment and bodily labour that befalleth men at such a time as this is the way to take off the heart and to seek out some other way Hab. 2.3 4. as is intimated Hab. 2.3 4. the Prophet saith If any mans heart be lifted up in him signifying that if any man will goe to any other Tower or Sanctuary beside the Lord. The Apostle he renders it a withdrawing his heart from the Lord and he shall have no pleasure in him Heb. 10.38 39. Heb. 1038.39 So that such as have once lost their patience and cannot beare those troubles that befall the Church will fall from lesse to more and will become at length an Apostates And alas are we without experience this day of the sad fruits of discontent How many hath it brought to an utter forsaking of Gods cause and his truth Like the Smith in the time of King Edward the sixt Fox in Acts and Mon. that sometimes had been very forward in matters of Religion and had been a happy instrument as it should seem for the conversion of a young man and setting him forward in the wayes and profession of Religion so farre that at length the young man was taken hold of and imprisoned for the Gospels sake this young man in prison bethinking and remembring his old friend that had been so good to him to whom he alwayes carried a reverent respect he laid out to know whether or not this Smith that had been an instrument of so much good to him was no taken hold of and laid in prison as himselfe but finding he was not he took occasion to expostulate with him and so to feele his disposition and to know whether he did think it comfortable for him to continue in prison and whether he would incourage him to burn at the stake for religion He returneth this answer to him saith he your cause is good and you doe well to suffer for it But for my part I cannot bring my heart to burn for Religion But it seemeth by the event that he that could not burn for Religion he did burn for his Apostasie For within a little time after he that could not burne for Religion had his shop and his house on fire and was burnt in the midst of it Beloved I produce it to this end that we may see when men cannot bring their hearts patiently and meekly to submit to the suffering of what God shall lay upon his Church for the testimony of the Gospel it is too too likely they will fall to flat Apostasie and utterly turn from the Lord and then he will surely meet with them so that first or last they shall not escape Fourthly and lastly another evill of this impatiencie and fretfulnesse of spirit under the sufferings of the Gospel brings us to murmuring a provoking condition in the eyes of the Almighty 1 Cor. 10.10 we have an example Vse 2 The second use of the point is That seeing God lookes that his people should so patiently wait on him in the time of trouble and neither be too hasty nor hopelesse it should stirre us up to strive to be at least content if not very willing to lie still under our afflictions though they be heavie even as long as the wise God of heaven and earth shall please we should be willing to let God doe as he will let him afflict us and correct us as long as seems him good we will not limit the holy One of Israel wee should labour for Luthers spirit Luther Mallem ruere cum Christo quam regnare cum Caesare I had rather I were ruined with Christ then that I should reigne as a King without him wee should labour to bee of that spirit that though we suffer never so much yet having the cause of Christ and partaking of the sufferings of Christ is better then all the jollitie and
you have any love to God any to the Religion we professe and to the cause of Christ labour to draw out these divine bowels God would readily open his bowels toward England Oh shrink them not up let us not harden Gods heart against us by hardening ours against him and against his judgements now abroad in the world Directions to draw forth Gods bowels toward us The better to instruct us how to draw out these bowels toward us and to prepare us that God may extend and exercise his compassions toward us in our present affliction which hee carries toward his people when his hand is upon them I shall present you three Directions viz. First see that we cast away all carnall confidences God will harden his heart against us if we trust in the arme of flesh as he did against his people formerly in the like case as we see Isai 31.1 Woe to them that goe down to Egypt for help and stay on horses and trust in Chariots because they are many and in Horsemen because they are very strong And Isai 30.2 3. That walke to goe downe into Egypt and have not asked at my mouth to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh and to trust in the shadow of Egypt Isaiah 31.1 Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion The Lord withdrew himselfe from his peoples help even for their trusting in lying vanities and turned that which they trusted in into their shame and protested he would deliver them no more if they should continue to withdraw their trust from him as hee had delivered Israel when oppressed by the Zidonians and the Amalekites and the Maonites Judg. 10.13 14. Ye have forsaken mee Judg. 10.13 14. and served other Gods wherefore I will deliver you no more goe and cry unto the Gods which ye have chosen let them deliver you in the time of your trouble We have been going downe to Egypt also too much riding on horses and trusting in the strength of men we have had our confidences in our Armies and wise men and gallant spirits and the Lord hath hardened his heart against us hitherto But if wee place our whole affiance in the Lord renouncing all creature-confidence his heart wil melt towards us and his bowels yearn upon us as they did upon Israel when they renounced Ashur Hos 14.3 4. Hosea 14.3 4. Ashur shall not save us we will not ride upon horses he answeres I will heale their back-slidings I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away The second means how to draw out these bowels of Gods compassion toward us will be that we hold on in the duty of soul humiliation of seeking unto God by fasting and praying repenting of our sins and turning from our evill wayes for it is thereupon that the Lord promiseth to return and be mercifull 1. Zachariah 3. nor let any perswade you that this duty of confession and godly sorrow for sinne is an antiquated duty or now out of date since Christ came in the flesh it is a duty continued still It is a Gospel-duty and not only required under the Law Jameâ— 4.10 1 Pet. 5.6 see 4. James 10. and in 1 Peter 5.6 it is required of Believers and charged upon them that are in Christ as having still need to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God that he may raise them up Hold on therefore to seek the Lord while hee may be found to call upon him while he is neer Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and hee will have mercy upon him and to our God for bee will abundantly pardon Isaiah 55.6 7. Isa 55.6 Thirdly Prayer openeth the bowels of the Lord towards his Church and People especially when it followeth upon humiliation If they humble themselves and pray 2 Chron. 7.14 2 Chron. 7.14 Then I will hear in heaven forgive their sins and heal their land if they humble themselves and pray prayer in this posture is that that will provoke the Lord to return and be mercifull when otherwise he is resolved to sit still Hos 5.15 As you see Hosea 5.15 I will go and return to my place till they acknowledge their offence and seek my face Vse 2 Seeing that God is full of bowels and compassion toward his people even in the midst of those heavie afflictions that he brings on them with what comfort my beloved Brethren may we not only heare but also feele this truth made good unto us this day in the midst of our miseries and calamities God is pleased to remember mercy in the midst of judgements and to give us a little reviving in our bondage together with some sweet experiences of his power and faithfulness we should be exceedingly raisâ—d up in our confidence toward God when wee consider how the Lord hath made good unto us that promise anciently made to his Church Zech. 8.19 Zech. 8.19 Thus saith the Lord of Hoast The fast of the fourth Moneth and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth Dayes of publike thanksgiving appointed for victories God had given the Parliament forces in Hampshire Yorkeshire and Wales shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness and cheerfull feasts therefore love the truth and peace The fastings of our former moneths have they not of late been if not turned into yet at least mingled with feastings of joy and dayes of Thanksgiving Since we have such experience not only that there are such bowels of love in God but also that they yearn toward us in our misery let us indeavour to improve them so as that Gods thoughts of peace may be carryed on toward that expected end which God hath purposed concerning his peoples calamities and the rather seeing God is now going out before us and hath put himself into a posture of deliverance let us go about to improve our deliverances that God hath been pleased to bestow upon us It is said of Hanibal that he knew how to conquer but he knew not how to improve his victories in like manner Hannibal God is pleased to give us victories but we know not how to improve them as we might We love to heare the good newes of successes against the enemies of God and his Cause we delight to heare of deliverance but when through Gods goodness we hear thereof we sit still and deliverance leaveth us where it findeth us we are never the more improved nor a whit inlarged toward God nor more capable of a finall deliverance thereby let us learn at length how we may carry on our deliverance Directions to improve particular deliverances and improve every victory toward the full deliverance of the Church of God for which purpose I shall set before you some few following directions First when
he blood of his servants and will render vengeance to his adversaries and will be mercifull to his land and to his people and so the Lords people shall as is promised Act. 58.10 11. Psal 58.10 11. The righteous shall rejoyce when he seeth the vengeance so that a man shall say there is a God that judgeth the earth they shall rejoyce not in the destruction of the creature but in the execution of righteous judgement Thirdly the Churches calamities shall end in the kingdome of Christ after the shaking of all nations the desire of all nations shall come saith the Prophet Hag. 2.7 Hag. 2.7 When Christ first came it was as a refreshing after t e distresses of Gods people so also the oppressions of Antichrist and the stirs that shall be in the world thereby shall end in Christs next coming when he shall confuâ—e the man of sin with the spirit of his mouth and with the brightness of his coming shall dest oy him The tumults that are in the world shall raise up Christ unto his throne though it be contrary to the purpose of those that raâ—se them The Prophet observably points at tâ—is in Nebuchadnezzars Image Dan. 2.34 35. Dan. 2. that when the sword shall have carried the government from one Monarchie to another the Kingdome of Christ shadowed out by the stone out out without hands which when it had smittâ—n the Image became a greâ—t mountain and filled the whole earth Verse 34 35. shall put an end to the quarrels that are among the kingdomes of the earth by taking down them and sâ—tting up his own that so all the kingdoms of the earth may become the kingdoms of the Lords Christ This I say is another speciall expected end of the Churches calamities which will bring with it a fulness of all kindes of blessings desireable all hurtfull things shall be removed out of the Church Isa 11.9 Isa 11.9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain there shall be also a confluence of all temporall mercies comprized in the word peace Isa 32.17 The work of righteousness shall be peace Isa 32.17 18. and the effâ—ct of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever and my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation and in sure dwellings and in quiet resting places and it is not unworthy our best observation how gloriously the Church is set forth in this kingdom of Christ as shee shall be when it is come Isa 60. Isa 60. Vse 1 First this truth may be a foundation of strong consolation and hope unto the people of God this day when the ark or ship of the Church is even covered with waves and when other foundations are cast down that Gods counsels have determined and he passed his word that there shall be a good end at last of his Churches calamities If Gods people be in bondage under affliction for the present Zach. 9.12 yet they are prisoners of hope Zach. 9.12 For the word is gone out of the mouth of the Lord It shall be well with them that fear God which fear before him Eccles 8.12 Or what if wee live not to see an end of these heavie troubles may it not much stay our hearts that we know it shall go well with Gods Church at length If it was Eli's greater grief that the Ark of God was taken then that his own sonnes were slain so that he could hear of their death and live but the newes of the Ark being taken kills him presently 1 Sam. 4.17 18. it would have been doubtless so great a comfort to him if it had been well with the Ark of God that hee would have cheerfully born the loss of his children wee should likewise receive so much comfort in this good newes concerning the Church that wee should rejoyce in it though wee should never live to see it otherwise then by the eye of Faith as Abraham saw Christs day and rejoyced Vse 2 Secondly it should incourage us to contribute what help wee may to bring about this good end to the Churches calâ—mities Gods counsels are brought about in a way of providence wee should therefore indevour to serve providence to bring about the promised deliverance of the Church Thus did Daniel even in the businesse of our Text when he understood that there was a time appointed for the redemption of the Jewes out of their captivitie he sets himselfe to do what in him lies to further it Dan. 9.23 Dan. 9.23 We should also lay out our selves freely in the Churches cause what way soever we may be improved whether in our counsels or in our estates What wee should do to further this good end viz. or in our persons we cannot be laid out in a better cause wherein God himselfe will be nay is ingaged for the event For the furtherance of it First we should be carefull to remove any thing that might hinder this expected end from being accomplished our sinnes at home will hinder our Armies in the Field Therefore Moses commanded the people of Israel to take heed of every wicked thing when the Host went forth to battell Deut. 23.9 Deut. 23.9 Let not the lust of thy pride lie in the way of our publicke deliverance to make thee contend for a degree of Honour while the kingdome lies a bleeding Let not thy lust of covetousnesse carry on a private designe of gathering by the ruines of the State Let not thy lust of envie or revenge lead thee to hazard the Kingdome for thy will upon thine adversary c. Secondly we should labour after personall and domesticall reformation upon that speciall duty the Lord promiseth to heale a Land 2 Chron. 7.14 This is that which will procure us peace 2 Cor. 7.14 not meritoriously but conditionally and by way of covenant Isa 32.17 18 Isai 32.17 18. we find usually that Righteousnesse is the mother of all comfortable and happy Peace Thirdly we should pray for it as Daniel did above mentioned and as the Lord himselfe prescribeth in the very next verse to the text and promiseth also it shall take effect The Lord inable us to do our dutie and of his own free grace performe his promise of delivering the Church and accomplish the thoughts of his heart toward her in due time Amen FINIS Reader be pleased to read Babylon for Jerusalem page 2. line 2.
securitie we can have without him and therefore Moses was of that Heroick spirit he would rather chuse to suffer affliction with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sinne for a season Heb. 11.25 11. Heb. 25. And beloved me thinkes we should learn to make a vertue of necessity there is a fatall necessity of suffering on the one hand or the other with or against Christ I may then expostulate with you as Chrysostome sometime did excellently with some others Seeing we must all suffer seeing we must bear afflictions why do we not rather chuse to suffer for the Gospels sake that brings with it so many Crownes and Lawrels so many comforts and consolations above all other sufferings in the world You see then that this patience in suffering for the Gospels sake is a very needfull grace So the Apostle We have need of patience that when we have done the will of God we may enjoy the promises 10. Heb. 36. Heb. 10.36 I might here relate unto you the grave counsell of Judith and though the Historie be Apocryphall I am sure the counsell is Canonicall the counsell I say which Judith gave to the men of Bethulia in Judith 8.14 15 16. verses when the men of Bethulia being besieged by the enemy had taken up a rash resolution that if God did not come and deliver them within 5 dayes they would deliver up the Citie to the enemy that lay before them Judith gravely thus bespeakes them Nay my brethren let us not provoke the Lord our God to anger for if hee come not within five dayes he is able to defend us when he will even every day or to destroy us before our enemies therefore let us wait for salvation of him and call upon him and he will heare us if it please him So may I say to you all this day Farre be it from us that we should yeeld up the cause and all we have if God should not at such a time or such a time deliver us let us not speak so to provoke the Lord Let us wait on the Lord and call upon him and he will help us if it please him To stirre up our hearts thus meekly and cheerfully to submit to the disposall of Gods hand in our sufferings Motives Three things may be proposed to you by way of motive First consider though God afflict us never so much yet be well perswaded and assured he will not lay on afflictions more on us then needs must If Gods people be in a sad condition or a sorrowfull estate it is but if need be we are in heavinesse 1 Pet. 1.6 1. Pet. 1.6 God doth never afflict his people meerly out of soveraignty because he will doe it that is farre from him 3. Lament Lam. 3.33 I doe not tread upon men sayes God as if I would crush them or shew my power over them no that is farre from God For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men to crush under his feet the prisoners of the earth But when he afflicts his people the most severely he doth it as a Refiner as a Goldsmith doth put his metall into the fire because he would separate the drosse from it and purifie it so God puts his people in the fire of affliction with some purpose or other for their benefit and advantage The Physician though after long evacuations and purgings he continue the same course and bring the Patient yet lower it is still with a purpose to take away the peccant humour and to cleanse him So God in afflicting his people 27. Isaiah 9. By this shall the iniquitie of Jacob be purged and this is all the fruit Isai 27.9 the taking away of his sinne God will not lay one affliction on his people more nor continue it an houre longer then he knoweth it needfull Secondly the suffering of affliction for the cause of Christ is very honorable and therefore we need not so fret nor be so impatient under them they are honorable wounds we suffer for Christ which maketh the people of God beautifull in the eyes of all good men You may observe the Lord reserves it as a singular priviledge in the 1. Phil. 29. Phil. 1.29 To you it is given not onely to beleeve but also to suffer for the name of Christ And the Apostles tooke it for a dignity that they might suffer for the name of God rejoycing that they were accounted worthy to suffer for his Name Acts 5.41 5. Acts 41. And therefore the Primitive Martyrs suffered the spoyling of their goods with joy Heb. 10.34 Heb. 10.34 We doe it with fretting and murmuring and that must be taken from us which we should contribute unto the cause of God wee count it our punishment they counted it their crown and glory It is reported of Hooper Fox his Acts and Monum that when hee was Bishop of Worcester his Armes were a Lamb in a flaming bush incircled with the rayes of the Sun beams not under the notion of an Agnus Dei But if it was as it is observed by those that read the story under another intimation thus we may undertake to emblazon them The Lamb signifieth an innocent Christian and the burning bush the fire of persecution and the Sunne beames the beautie and glory of the innocent Christian in those sufferings Thirdly consider well the priviledge of suffering for Christ It is no small advantage for a Christian it being the way to perfect the graces of God that are in him you may see as much 1. James 2 3. James 1.2.3 Count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations knowing that the triall of your faith worketh patience that yee may be perfect Indeed it is a childs portion a thing that God will give to all his own children and therefore the Apostle argueth that God deals with his people like children when they suffer for him 12. Heb. 7. Heb. 12.7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If you indure chastening God dealeth with you as sons If you suffer with patience saith the originall But if you suffer frettingly or with impatience that is not the signe of a child nor the badge of a sufferer for God The sufferings that are laid on his people by the hand of God they are not grievous meerly because they are sufferings Non sunt omnibus onerosa tolerantibus sed tolâ—rare nolenâ— ibâ—n Salvian but because of mens impatience they become grievous This hath been spoken by way of encouragement to lay downe our selves patiently and meekly under the hand of God in the time of tribulation and to beare the sufferings that God shall lay on his Church Let me next point at the meanes how we may bring our hearts into such a frame that we may with meeknesse and calmnesse of spirit under goe the hand of God he layes on us how heavie soever it may seem at present There are three