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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10018	Sermons preached before his Maiestie; and vpon other speciall occasions viz. 1 The pillar and ground of truth. 2 The new life. 3 A sensible demonstration of the Deity. 4 Exact walking. 5 Samuels support of sorrowfull sinners. By the late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston Dr. in Diuinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty, master of Emmanuel College in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.; Ball, Thomas, 1589 or 90-1659.	1630 (1630)	STC 20270; ESTC S120145	80,456	162

SERMONS PREACHED BEFORE his MAIESTIE and vpon other speciall occasions Viz. 1 The Pillar and ground of Truth 2 The New Life 3 A sensible demonstration of the Deity 4 Exact Walking 5 Samuels support of sorrowfull Sinners By the late faithfull and worthy Minister of Iesus Christ IOHN PRESTION Dr. in Diuinity Chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty Master of Emmanuel College in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher of Lincolnes Inne LONDON Printed for Leonard Greene of Cambridge and are to be sold by Iames Boler at the Signe of the Marigold in Pauls Churchyard 1630. To the Reader THE AVTHOR himselfe being hindred by death from digesting his thoughts into Tractates more accommodate for all mens vse presaged notwithstanding a little before his death that they would be pressed into publike view by one or other which might perhaps bee lesse carefull who that he might preuent hee bequeathed the care of those Sermons that were only preached at Lincolnes Inne to those his worthy friends by whom you see them faithfully set forth who liuing in the City were better conuersant with those that tooke them from his mouth All others whatsoeuer vnto vs who though much more vnworthy and vnable were yet more frequently his Auditors in other places and had reason fully to know his Doctrine manner of life purpose c should therefore bee more guilty of vngratefull negligence if any of those Lamps into which he emptied the golden oile out of himselfe should not by vs be lighted vp to serue the Temple to which vndoubtedly by him they were deuoted Moued therefore with the necessity of our duty their former good example and the successefull entertainment the rest haue found we doe here aduenture into light these fiue short Sermons preached at speciall times and in Auditories of greatest worth and expectation and accordingly composed of more exact materials and closer put together which in him may well be pardoned who in all his other works did bow his more sublime and raised parts to lowest apprehensions Wee haue laboured what we could to discharge the trust by him reposed in vs and desire that others would be pleased to forbeare the putting forth of any thing of his without acquainting some of vs therewith by him deputed for that worke who as soone as may be will be carefull to present thee with what else soeuer we shall think vsefull the Lord grant they may doe as much good as the Author of them did intend T. G. T. B. THE PILLAR AND GROVND Of TRUTH 1. TIM 3. 15. But if I tarry long that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thy selfe in the house of God which is the Church of the living God the pillar and ground of the Truth THere are two maine principles upon which the whole frame of Popery is founded first That the Church of Rome is the onely Catholike Church secondly That the Church cannot erre By which latter principle they have brought on themselves a desperate necessitie never to amend or reforme whatsoever is once decided by the Church These are the principles they first instill into their Novices these are the trains wherewith they seeke to winne men to themselves for when they cannot prove their points in speciall and particular they take them all in grosse and by this one principle Our Church which cannot erre hath so decided it they prove a bundle of them altogether So when they can shew no ground in Scripture for their clouded ungrounded superadded opinions they fasten them and hang them all upon this pinacle of the Church which because it is infallible admits of no examination And whereas truth seekes out no corners desires to see the light and come to triall Poperie delights to hide it selfe in these obscure and uncertaine generalities As for example aske them what ground they have for invocation of Saints worshipping of Images Indulgences superadded Sacraments and a multitude of superstitious ceremonies their answer is The Church hath so decided and her decrees are all infallible and not to be examined by particular men which are inferiour So that pull but this pillar downe as Sampson did and the whole frame of Poperie with all that stay themselves upon it comes presently tumbling downe Yet because they think it too improbable a course to build all on the naked assertion of the Church which is onely to interprete and not to make the Text therefore they bring in Traditions which they call unwritten verities and make them of equall value and credite with the Text but if you aske them what these unwritten verities are and how they may be knowne from counterfeit they say onely the Church can tell that to whose custodie they were committed and who onely is able to iudge infallibly which are the genuine Traditions and which not And if Scripture at anie time bee brought against any of these points they say it belongs to the Church of Rome to declare what bookes of Scripture are canonicall what translation is authenticall what interpretation must be the sense of Scripture and in effect they will be onely iudged by themselves and whatsoever we say they choke us with these principles Theirs is the only Church and The Church can never erre Now of all places of Scripture whereby they would vindicate to themselves this priviledge this verse that I have read is one of the chiefest but how iustly wee are now to consider Sayes the Apostle to Timothy I have written unto thee that thou mayest know how to behave thy selfe in the house of God as if he should say It is of much moment that the house of God be ordered and kept aright be swept continually and purged because it is the Pillar and Ground of Truth that is the ground and place where truth which is the housholds food is nourished and doth grow into which if falshood creepe their food will soone be poisoned and so not nourish but corrupt not fit them to salvation but destruction so that the Apostle in this verse hath this double scope First to describe the Church by this distinguishing propertie that it is the Pillar and Ground of Truth that is Truth is the signe whereby this house of God is knowne from other houses Secondly he sayes in the house of God c. not in the Church of Ephesus lest anie should conclude as now the Papists would that the truth were so nailed and fastened to anie one particular house or pillar that it could never be taken downe from thence and hanged up in another place which is flat contrarie to the scope of the Apostle in this place who in the beginning of the next chapter shewes evidently that in the later times some should depart from the faith and give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of Devils forbidding to marry and commanding to abstaine from meats The Papists would make us beleeve that because the truth was once at Rome it is there still Indeed the house and place where once it was they

alone againe if our religion were thought to be the right that onely will be entertained but when we mingle thus and will not runne without a by as but for advantage halt willingly betweene both wee cannot bee accepted This we speake but for prevention not knowing what temptations aftertimes may bring it is good preventing Physicke to know the truth Secondly seeing wee have proved that the iudgement of the Church is not infallible in points of faith doctrine hence we may learn to take up nothing meerely upon trust not to thinke things are so onely because the Church hath said it this foundation is too sandy for us to build our faith upon that should be built upon the rocke which is the word of God upon which ground in a manner the whole Fabricke of Poperie will soone be overthrowne seeing all or most of them are only tooke up upon the Churches credit for in all the book of God ye shall not finde a word for invocation of Saints worshipping of Images universalitie supremacy of the Bishop of Rome purgatory Popish indulgences praier in an unknowne tongue praier for the dead consecration of oyle tapers and holy water and all that rabble of superstitious ceremonies but are the hay and stubble that men have heaped together now one and then another according to their seuerall fancies till the mysterie of iniquitie was come vnto its fulnesse for all these controversies are founded either upon the decrees of the Pope or unwritten traditions or the authority of the Church or Scripture wrested from the native sense to that which they are pleased to put upon it so that this principle of their Church not erring is that indeede on which the very waight of Popery doth depend let this be taken away and all comes quickly down Thirdly as the Apostle here exhorts Timothie and in him all Ministers to take heede how hee behaves himselfe in the Church of God so may we doe all Magistrates both supreme and subordinate to be circumspect wary how they behave themselues in this Church of God for though the Ministers be the bees that make the honey yet the Magistrates are the hives wherin it is made and kept the Ministers are the vines that bring forth grapes yet Magistrates are the elmes that underprop and hold up these vines the Minister defends the Church with tongue pen the Magistrate with hand power wherewith for that end God hath furnisht him Ministers are the preachers of both tables Magistrates the keepers the executiue power of Word and Sacraments belongs alone to Ministers but directiue and coactiue for the orderly and well performance belongs to Magistrates And the text it selfe affordes us motives It is the house of God and its reason the tenant should keepe the house in reparation and they are Magistrates as well as Ministers for if the ruines and breaches of the house bee once neglected both heresies and superstitions will soone creepe in and carrie captiue with their errours those of the family It is the Church of God of which good Magistrates are nurses Esay 49. 23. as therfore the nurse is bound to looke to the childe and see it cherished with wholsome food and kept from dangers as they will answer to the parents whose childe it is so Magistrates are bound to defend and keepe the Church to see it nourished with milke and not with poison that is with truth and not with errour as they will answer to that God who with his owne blood hath purchased it unto himselfe Acts 20. 28. It is the flock of God and it s no disparagement for Kings to bee his shepheards as David was if Wolves therefore doe enter through their negligence and snatch up now a sheep and then a lambe the Lord will one day require it at their hands as Laban did at Iacobs It is the pillar and ground of Truth that is the field or garden wherein Truth growes and Magistrates the gardiners or husbandmen and therefore bound to see the good plants watered the weedes and stones throwne out that hinder growth the hedge kept strong and good about it lest as the Serpent got into Eden and beguiled Eve so the Serpents of our times creep through into this Garden and corrupt the minds of any from that simplicitie which is in Christ. The like Motives are every where in Scripture scattered Revel 2. 20. I have a few things against thee because thou sufferest that woman Iezebel which calleth her selfe a Prophetesse to teach and seduce my servants to commit for nication and to eate things offered to idols Therefore neither Errours nor their Authours in the Church of God are to be suffered Iohn 15. 13. Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall bee rooted out And who should root them out but Magistrates to whom Gods Vine-yard is committed Let 's come to the Old Testament where the lives of Magistrates are represented as the face is in a glasse that shewes both spots and beauty 2 Chron. 17. Iehoshaphat commanded the Priests and Levites to instruct the People in the Law from the seventh verse to the tenth but that 's not all but in the sixth verse it is said His heart was lift up in the wayes of the Lord so that hee tooke away the high places and the groves out of Iudah Let us cast our eyes upon the other Kings of Israel and Iudah and consider what God himselfe hath marked and observed in them seeing his observation cannot but be of moment like asterismes in the margents of a booke Of Salomon God hath observed 1 King 11. 4. that when hee was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God that is satte loose from God and then the Lord left off to do him good Of Rehoboam 2 Chron. 11. 17 that for three yeares hee walked in the way of David but when hee had established the Kingdome and had strengthned himselfe he forsook the Law of the Lord and all Israel with him chapt 12. 1. 2. therefore in the fifth yeare of Rehoboam Shishak King of Egypt came up against Ierusalem because they had transgresses against the Lord Of Asa 1 King 15. 11. c. that hee did what was right in the sight of the Lord tooke away the Sodomites out of the Land removed all the Idols that his Fathers had made removed Maacah his Mother from being Queene because she had made an Idoll in a grove and burnes her Idoll by the brooke Kidron but the high places were not taken downe therefore verse 16. there was war between Asa and Baasha King of Israel all their daies yet those high places were but the groves where the Tabernacle and Altar were which Moses made where before the Temple was built it was lawfull for them to offer sacrifice yet this was that for which the Lord is so offended because when the Temple once was

divine mysteries hee is able to see all things and if he be not hee may both bee deceived and deceive Lastly where God intends to give the end he alwaies gives the meanes to effect and bring that end to passe but he giues not to the Church the meanes of infallibilitie as perfect knowledge of the truth sincere loue of it right ordered zeale for it hee takes not alwaies from them those sinnefull lusts which breed errings from the faith and often thrust and impell men into errour How oft have generall Councels beene distracted into factions leavened with malice puft up with pride c and shall we say when their hearts and mindes are thus corrupted that their tongues are notwithstanding infallibly ouer-ruled to poure forth nothing else but oracles To say that at that instant there fals a spirit upon them to guide them with immediate revelation is to approve the fanaticall fancies of the Anabaptists which they take on them to abhorre which notwithstanding if anie doe affirme as some have beene bold to doe they must consider that the Prophets which were guided by such spirits and had the truth inspired by visions and immediat revelations did never argue discusse or reason of the things they spake and wrote but only did declare and manifest what was revealed but in generall Councels the truth is bolted out by reasonings to and fro the conclusions many times disputed of and strongly argued on both sides now where the premisses are onely probable the conclusion cannot bee infallible for they are the cause of the conclusion and there cannot be more in the effect than was formerly in the cause This is sufficient to evince that though generall Councels doe not at all times defacto erre for wee all acknowledge the great benefit of the foure first generall Councels yet to say that de possibili they cannot is vtterly vntrue Christ hath promised Iohn 16. 13. to send his Spirit which should lead them into all truth and Matth. 28. 20. to be with them to the end of the world These places must needes bee understood primarily of the Apostles themselues who onely were infallibly led into every truth and but secondarily of their successors that is so farre as they insist in their steps and doctrine for if that were the sense that Bellarmine Stapleton and other popish writers give namely that the promise is indifferently made to their successors as well as to themselves then particular Bishops and Ministers should be infallible judges of truth falshood so all controverfies in the Church would presently have an end so as never to spring againe If they say it s not to beunderstood of them taken single apart but as met together assembled in a Synode I answer there is not the least intimation of this distinction in those places but the place for such a promise is Matth. 18. 20. Where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them But this place is to bee understood of the least meetings of true Christians in the name of Christ as well as of the largest Councels and so the smallest companie or convention should bee capable of this promise of infallibilitie as well as the most general and ample Councell But they farther object If there should not be a visible external unerring judge to which at all times those might resort for resolution that are not themselues able to wade through the depth of diuinity-controuersies there would be no end of wrangling and disputing nor any certaine meanes to finde the truth in matters questioned Though there bee no infallible visible humane iudge yet there is an invisible in fallible judge and that is the holy Ghost speaking in the scriptures which are therefore called the word of God And this judge in many respects is better and fitter than anie other First this may be easily had is alwaies readie and at hand to which men of all sorts may soone repaire the other ambulatory to many inaccessible and to all difficult to bee obtained Secondly the sentence of this judge is certaine and inflexible not subiect to errour but the others mutable like a leaden rule that may bee bended to and fro for in men affections haue their place which is the reason that among men there are Lawes because the Law is not capable of affections but the Lawyer is Thirdly this judge is better knowne and may sooner bee agreed upon by all for bee it granted that the true Church is a judge infallible yet it may be sooner known which is the true Scripture than which is the true Church there beeing more pretenders to the one than to the other While the Church is militant upon the earth God hath not said there should bee any such end of controuersies as these men dreame of but rather he hath said the contrarie 1. Cor. 11. 19. There must bee heresies in the Church that those may perish who receiue not the loue of the truth to bee saued and that those which are approued might be knowne If there were anie such meanes by God appointed in his Church to determine controversies infallibly yer a generall Councell though in his place to be respected is not likely to bee it for is it like God would appoint a meanes for ending controuersies in his Church that for at least three hundred yeares that is till the time of Constantine the great could not be had and though he and others his successours while the Empire was undivided might easily assemble Councels yet when the Empire fell into many subdiuisions and the parts thereof were gouerned by seuerall Kings of different religions as now they be it is impossible the Church should haue the benefit of them What is the vse then and benefit of generall Councels if they could be obtained They are the best meanes to finde out Truth for manie candles give more light and manie eyes see more than one and in the multitude of Counsellors there is health and as they are the best meanes to finde it so from them it hath no small authoritie yet notwithstanding they may erre in necessary and fundamentall points as the Councell of Ariminum and Seleucia where there were as manie more Bishops as at the first Nicene Councell and therefore held in two Cities because no one was able to containe them yet erred in a fundamentall point decreeing for Arrius heresie against the Deity of Christ. The second Councell at Ephesus did the like and so ten Councels at Tyrus Ierusalem Philadelphia Ariminum Seleucia Constantinople Alexandria c. so the second Councell at Nice set up Images and commanded them to bee worshipped which in the second Councell of Constantinople immediately before were utterly condemned More instances might easily bee given but these suffice to warrant this conclusion That a generall Councell may erre in fundamentall points For though the universall Church of Christ taken for his

and Common-wealth It is a true rule when the evill day commeth its time of spending and not of gathering it must be done before it is too late to fetch the oyle when we should use it to go and buy when the Bridegroome commeth therefore they are called foolish Virgins because folly is improvident it stands in the valley and sees not the evil afore it bee upon us wisedome stands upon a hill and descryes the danger and the evils that are afar off before they approach It s certaine give me leave to speake for wee are the watchmen which stand upon the watch-tower and should see more than those that stand below and must give warning that we may deliver our owne soules left your blood be required at our hands I say its certaine that evill is intended against us and will come upon us except something be done to prevent it For there is a covenant betweene God and us and breach of covenant causeth a quarrell the quarrell of God shal not go unrevenged he saith to the Israelites Levit. 26. 25. I will send a sword upon you which shall avenge the quarrell of my covenant As if he should say There is a covenant and you have broke that covenant therefore I have a quarrell and I will send a sword to avenge my quarrell Now the quarrels of God are not rash and passionate as mens are therfore he wil not lay them aside without some true real satisfaction If we will not beleeve his word yet shall we not beleeve his actions hath he not begunne are we infatuate and see nothing doe wee not see the whole bodie of those that professe the truth are besieged round about through Christendome at this time are not present enemies not only stirred up but united together and we dis-joyned to resist them are not our Allies wasted are not many branches of the Church cut off already more in hazzard In a word have not our enterprizes beene blasted and withered under our hands for the most part have not things been long going down the hill and are even now hastening to a period and do not wee say now that such an accident and such a miscarriage of such a businesse and such men are the causes But who is the cause of these causes is it not he without whose providence a Sparrow fals not to the ground are not these crackes to give warning before the fall of the house are not these the gray haires which Hosea speakes of that are here and there upon us and we discerne them not Gray haires you know are a signe of old age and approach unto death And are not all these things arguments enow that God hath begunne with us will he leave his worke in the middle No certainly you shall see what himselfe saith 1. Sam. 3. 12. When I begin I 'le make an end Samuel had threatned fearfull judgments against the house of Eli but because they lived long in peace were not suddenly executed they were ready to think the words of the Prophet were but wind therfore God tels them that it was true he was patiēt long before he begun but notwithstāding when hee began hee would also make an end wherfore I beseech you for our own sakes and for the sake of the Churches let us well and seriously consider this doubtlesse there is somewhat for which God is offended and if there be certainely till that be taken away the Lord will not returne unto us and cause us to prosper in the things we put our hands unto When Iosua saw the people fall before their enemies hee wondred at it and enquired the cause and except that had bin removed though it had beene for many yeares yet he should never have had successe nor brought the children of Israel to the Land of Canaan though God had promised it for Gods promises are as his threatnings to bee understood with a condition But a most remarkable example you shall finde 2. Sam. 21. 1. When there fell out a famine in the daies of David he knew the naturall cause was the drought but hee enquired after the supernaturall cause as wise men should doe as Iacob when hee saw the Angels ascended and descended hee enquired who stood on the top of the ladder and sent them to and fro Ezakiel enquires who stands on the top of the wheele but fooles looke onely who stands on the next staire or step whereas wee should enquire as David what was the cause of the famine and it was answered him it was Saul and his bloudy house because he had broken his oath with the Gibeonites which was done many yeares before I say so wee should doe in all the calamities afflictions and extremities that befall either the Church in generall or any particular person search what the cause is I finde the phrase used in 2. Chron. 12. 7. saith the Lord there I will not at this time poure out my wrath upon Ierusalem by the hands of Shishack where observe that though Shishack was the immediate instrument yet it was not Shishack his wrath Shishack was but the viall through which his wrath was powred out Where you may observe this connexion that when any affliction befalleth a State or Church or a particular person it is because God is agrie and hee is never angrie but for sinne and till sinne bee removed his anger is never laid aside time wears it not out as it doth the anger and passions of men And therefore it is good for us to compound with the Lord and to take up this suite before it come to execution and judgement and not to doe as ill-husbands and prodigals doe that suffer a suite to run on and charges to grow from Terme to Terme lest we be inforced to pay not onely the maine debt but the arrerages also that is the time of that patience and long-suffering of God and not in this world onely but in that which is to come It is apparent that God is about a great worke yea to make a great change in the world except we do as it were hold his hand by seeking and turning unto him and by removing the things that provoke him he doth not lay all these stones and move all these wheeles for nothing yet who knowes what it is he is about till it bee brought forth such a metaphor I finde Prov. 27. 1. Who knowes what a day may bring forth its a metaphor taken from a wombe there is no man knowes what is in the wombe of tomorrow or what evil tomorrow may bring forth Saul little thought that the next day travelled of such a birth as the overthrow of the armies of Israel and the death of himselfe and his sonnes Iob little thought that the next day had in the wombe thereof the fall of the house and the slaying of his children If you observe the Scripture you shall finde that there are certain seasons wherein as the Angell

troubled the poole so God troubleth the Churches and commonly when God doth it to one he doth it to all 2. Chr. 15. 5 6 And at that time there was no peace to him that did goe out or in but that troubles were to all the inhabitants for nation was destroyed of nation and citie of citie for God troubled them with all adversitie Where you shall observe that where God once begins to doe it all the Churches come in in the end and whence was it not because such an accident fell out and such offences arose betweene Princes and Princes and Nation and Nation but God had troubled them with all kinde of adversitie but especially Ier. 25. 15. a notable example you shall see the cup went round when it was given to one nation to drink every one tasted of it though some more some lesse So that I say there are certaine times and seasons wherein God troubleth the Churches and that very thing that distinguishes between Nations Churches to be saved or to be destroied is the very ability to discerne of those seasons Oh that wee were able now and willing to discerne that season I will give you two instances When destruction was to brought upon Ierusalem when they were to bee led into captivity the Lord was above twenty yeares about it many warnings he gave them by his Prophets hee brought Nebuchadnezar neer them and took him away again what is the complaint he takes up against his people saith he The Stork and the Cranes know their appointed times but my people know not the iudgements of the Lord. Those creatures feele and foresee the winter and betake themselves to some warme place There is a judgement a comming there are warnings ' enough but my people cannot discerne their season And so when the last blow was to be given to the Iewes by the hands of the Romanes you shall see how pathetically our Saviour expresseth it O Ierusalem Ierusalem if then badst knowne in this thy day the things belonging to thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes Mark in this thy day there is a time a season and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 time is exceeding swift and passeth away There is such a day wherein if Ierusalem had seene it the destruction had bin prevented but now the time is past It is a thing worthy observation that there is a double time which we shall see observed in the Scripture There is a time of preparing and threatning and no more but threatning and a time of executing the decree so you shall see it expressed Zephan 1. 12. At that time it shall come to passe that I will search Ierusalem with candles c. There is a time of whetting his glittering sword and fitting the arrow to the bow before the blow bee given there is a time of patience triall long-suffering before he sweares in his wrath they shall not enter into his rest but when the time is come when the word is once gone out of his mouth when the decree is gon forth then as Samuel said to Saul when he would have the sentence of his rejection to be retracted No saith he the strength of Israel is not a man that he should repent 2. Sam. 15. 29. Therefore while the evill is yet in the clouds before the storme come while things are preparing while the sword is whetting before the stroake be given before the decree be come forth let us search our selves and meet him to preventit The evils which men intend against us may proove abortive they may either die in the wombe or else they may travell with mischiefe and bring forth a lye that is somewhat contrary to that they intend sed fat a viam invenient but when God intends any evill against any what power shall bee able to stop him the destructions of God will finde a way which wee never dreamed off as we see oft by experience Vel puncto temporis maxima reram momenta vertuntur even in a point of time the greatest things are turned upside downe My beloved we all affect the praise of wisedome and wherein doth wisedome chiefly consist we shall see Deut. 32. 29. Oh that my people were wise what to doe to remember their latter end as if wisedome did therein consist So in Prouerbs 22. 3. A wise man sees the plague afar off and hides himselfe but a foole goeth an and is punished it s a Metaphor taken from beastes that feele the storme before it comes and then hide themselves in their dens but the foole goeth on and is punished that is either hee is ignorant sees it not or else he is besotted and stupified so careless to prevent it So Pro. 14. 16. The wise man feareth and departeth from evil but the foole rageth and is careless that is the prudent man he feares the evill of judgment the evill of punishment he feares the judgement to come therfore he departeth from the vil of sin that brings it as Ioseph foresaw the famine and hid both himselfe and others from it by providing against it so Iob when his sons were banquetting he feared lest they had sinned blasphemed God in their hearts and therefore he rose early sacrificed for them but the fool rageth is confident the word in the originall is to passe on whatsoever comes of it as Balaam when the Angel met him with a drawn sword to shew the danger that he went in yet he would not be ruled but he went on you know the issue so Ahab when hee went to Ramoth-Gilead though Micaiah foretold him yet he would go on therfore came short home for his labour it s accounted a point of courage generosity not to fear but you see the wiseman saith here that a wiseman fears departs from evil Indeed there is a double fear there is a fear that ought not to be that causeth the thing we fear to come to passe that is such a feare as sets us aworke to use euill meanes to prevent the evil such was the feare of Saul that set him aworke to seek to the Witch which was the very thing that brought upon him that he feared such was the fear of the Israelites which made them seeke to Egypt to Ashur for help which brought upon them the thing which they feared and such a fear we should lay aside but there is a good fear which causeth the thing that we fear not to come to passe because it sets us a worke to seek to God such was the feare of Iehoshaphat 2 Chr. 20. 3. When there was a great multitude came against him he feared saith the Text and what did this fear set him on work to doe He sought the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Iudah Now this feare was a profitable fear which caused the thing he feared not to come to passe for by this meanes hee had a wonderfull deliverance such was the feare