Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	apostle_n	sin_n	word_n	4,593	5	4.4164	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09970	The golden scepter held forth to the humble VVith the Churches dignitie by her marriage. And the Churches dutie in her carriage. In three treatises. The former delivered in sundry sermons in Cambridge, for the weekely fasts, 1625. The two latter in Lincolnes Inne. By the late learned and reverend divine, Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to His Maiesty, Mr. of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and somtime preacher at Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Glover, George, b. ca. 1618, engraver.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.; Ball, Thomas, 1589 or 90-1659.	1638 (1638)	STC 20227; ESTC S112474	187,142	312

had thought to have gon off sooner but that the Supper of the Lord drawes neare which time is a day of reconciliation such as was that Feast the tenth day in the seventh moneth when the people all meeting together Aaron the Priest confessed their sins over the scape Goate which fled into the wildernesse which was a type of Christ taking away all our sins and the same is done and represented when we receive the Sacrament Now one condition required of the people at that time was that they should humble themselves and every soule that did not was to be cut off Levit. 23. 27. to the 30. verse and that letting goe of the scape Goate was at the same time as appeares Levit. 16. 20. to the 31. But to come to the point the Scripture is plentifull to prove it Iames 4. 6. God giveth grace to the humble sanctifying grace and also saving knowledge Psal. 25. He shewes his secrets unto the humble yea he dwelleth in such Esay 57. 15. he hath an especiall eye to such those eyes that runne through the whole earth fixe themselves on the humble man for good Esay 62. 2. other things have my hand made yet them he regards not in comparison To him will I looke that is humble he promiseth also to fill them with good things to give them preferment and honour to exalt the humble and meeke yea hee regards it so that when evill men have humbled themselves they have not gone away without some mercy as when Ahab humbled himselfe 2 Chron. 12. God promised he would not bring the evill in his dayes and the best of Gods children when they have not humbled themselves hee hath withdrawne his favour from them as he would not looke on David till he had humbled himselfe All the world cannot keep an humble man down nor all the props in the world cannot keep a proud man up And what are the reasons why God respecteth humble men so An humble man giveth God all the glory and him that honoureth mee saith GOD I will honour Now an humble man doth as Ioab did Ioab would not take the victory to himselfe but sent for David and it was the deepest policy that ever Ioab used and so the Apostles Acts 3. know that JESUS hath made this man whole and it is the humble mans wisedome in all actions not to set themselves up but to say no matter how I be regarded so God be glorified and God will honour such therefore CHRIST in his prayer makes this a ground of being glorifyed by God Iohn 17. I have glorified thee on earth now father glorifie me And so God will deale with his Saints in a proportion Humility keepes a man within his owne compasse but pride lifts a man up above his proportion it puts all out of joynt and breeds disorder and that bringeth destruction and therefore humility was defined by some of the Ancients to bee that which out of the knowledge of GOD and a mans selfe keepes a man to his owne bottome That whereas a proud man liftes up himselfe above his measure as a member in the body that swells takes up more roome then it should and are as bubbles in the water which should bee plaine and smooth but this brings all into its place againe gives the Creator his due and sets the creature where it should be and therefore God loves it It makes a man sociable and usefull and profitable to others a man would not have a stubborne horse that will not goe in the teame with his fellowes nor such high trees as overshadow others and will not suffer them to grow by them and bring forth no fruit themselves A man will not keepe a Cow or an Oxe that is still a pushing and such an one is a proud man it is but and onely the humble man that will live profitably amongst his neighbours and will not goe beyond his owne Tedder An humble man hath such a frame of heart as the LORD delights in for hee is fearefull to offend alwayes obedient ready to doe any service and is content with any wages loves much is abundant in thankfulnesse and cleaves fast to the LORD because hee hath no bottome of his owne and keepeth under his lusts because hee knowes the bitternesse of sinne resignes up his heart to the Lord to follow him in all things hee is a man of the Lords desires so it is said of Daniel when he had humbled himselfe Dan. 9. Such an one as the Lord would have and so it makes him fit for favour and when a man is fit for favour he shall bee sure to have it for God is not streight-handed to us Hath the LORD said it and that from heaven that if a man doe humble himselfe hee will forgive him Then this is a matter of great consolation when I can say from GOD to any one here that droopes that if thou doest and wilt humble thy selfe the LORD will forgive thee consider it this is newes from heaven Put the case to compare spirituall things with things which you are more sensible of that any of you had committed high treason against the King and thou hadst forfeited thy life and goods if any one should come from the King to thee and tel thee that if thou wouldest goe to him and humble thy selfe it should be pardoned And is not our case the same We are guilty of eternall death and have forfeited life and all when therefore GOD himselfe shall say If thou wilt humble thy selfe thy sinnes shall bee forgiven what comfort is it such a word as this should not be lost A man that knowes the bitternesse of sinne would waite and waite againe to gaine such a word as this from the LORDS mouth and would keepe it as his life It was not a light thing to get such a word as this from God none but a favourite could get it nay none but his Son and hee not but by his death if CHRIST had not provided this Charter for us every man should have dyed in his sinnes Now this we can and doe say from GOD through CHRIST that though your sinnes be great and you have fallen into them many a time and committed them with the worst of circumstances yet if thou humblest thy self thou shalt be forgiven so as thou mayst say I may challenge God of his promise and put this bond in suite and he cannot deny it This is a great matter if a man shall but seriously consider what it is to have this great God the Governor of the World to bee an enemy one would thinke they should thinke this Gospell good newes But you will say I doe yet neither know distinctly what it is to humble my selfe neither can I humble my selfe there is not a harder thing then it is Therefore I will shew it you once againe that you may know it for why should wee

as you are should not bee saved Hereby the bloud of Christ is improved that it is sprinkled on many for great sinnes Thinke not therefore that God is backward to pardon Psal. 130. 3 4. There are two arguments more to helpe us in this If hee should marke what is done amisse who should stand none should be saved Now it is not his will that all flesh should perish and therefore hee will not take the advantage to cast men cleane off for their sinnes againe none else would worship him There is mercy with thee that thou mayest bee feared It is his full purpose to have some servants to feare and worship him Yea shall I goe further God is not onely ready to forgive but desirous of it yea hee is glad at the heart when a great sinner doth come in which is noted to us in the Parable of the lost sheepe and the lost groat how did the woman rejoyce for the finding of her groat and the Shepheard for his sheepe And likewise in the Parable of the lost Sonne how glad was hee when he heard that his Sonne was comming home that yet had lived riotously and spent his goods it was to shew that GOD was so affected when a great sinner returnes to him Besides he doth not onely say if you will come I keepe open house I will not shut you out but inviteth them calleth them yea more sends his ministers to fetch them in yea more entreateth beseecheth commandeth threatneth But you will say is it possible that I should bee forgiven that have committed so many sinnes so great so hainous and continued so long in them Yes it is possible for you Marke that place 1 Cor. 6. 9. Hee reckons up as great sinnes as can bee named And such were some of you but now you are washed You see what kind of people there were forgiven whence wee may gather that those that are guilty of those sinnes now may bee forgiven as well as then such were some of you Whosoever thou art it is no matter what thou hast beene all the matter is what thou wilt bee Put case any of the old Prophets should come to thee or any man in particular and say wilt thou bee content now to turne to GOD if thou wilt all thy sinnes shall bee washt away and thou shalt bee made an heire of Heaven it would cause him that hath any ingenuity to relent and say LORD canst thou now bee so mercifull to mee as to forgive mee after all this loe LORD I will come in and turne unto thee I aske thee this question whether art thou content to quit all thy sinnes presently upon assurance of being received if thou dost if thou answerest no art thou not worthy to bee destroyed if yes is not this great comfort But some may say if heaven gate stand thus wide open I may come and bee welcome at any time Thou vile wretch that darest to have such a thought Dost thou not know that every such refusall of such an offer is so dangerous as it may put thee into hazard of never having the like againe If the gate of heaven stood thus alwayes open why then did God sweare in his wrath of some Israelites that they should never enter into his rest and what is the reason that God said of those that were invited to the feast but refused to come that they should never taste of it The reason is there given it is said the master of the feast was full of wrath at the refusall of his offer both because his love and kindnesse was despised that filleth a man with indignation and so the Lord and also because the thing offered was of so much price it being the kingdome of heaven and the precious bloud of Christ. Therefore whensoever such an offer is made and refused God is exceeding angry There goes an axe and a sword with this offer to cut downe every tree that will not bring forth good fruit Say not when you heare of this offer I am glad there is such a thing I will accept of it another time but it comes too soone for mee now Consider this that the end of the comming of the Lord Iesus was not onely to save the soules of men if onely so then indeed this might have beene done at any time even at the last but his end also was Titus 2. 14. That he mtght purifie to himselfe a peculiar people zealous of good workes ' which is a greater end than that which went before in the verse to redeeme us from all iniquity to purchase to himselfe a people that should serve him in their life time and canst thou thinke that thou that hast served thy lusts all thy life time shalt yet bee accepted at death It is a common saying with you that if a man bee called at the eleventh houre hee shall be received 't is true if thou beest called then first and not before as the thiefe who was not call'd afore was then accepted but what if thou hast beene call'd afore and hast not accepted but put off till death thy case then will bee exceeding dangerous Againe I aske thee what is it makes thee resolve to come in at death If love to Christ then it would sooner if to thy selfe how shall such conversion be accepted Come we now to the last words And I will heale their land WE have these three points may be observed out of them 1. That all calamities and troubles proceede from sinne this I note from the order of the words hee first forgives their sinnes then heales their land 2. That if calamities bee removed and sinnes be not forgiven they are removed in judgement not in mercy 3. That if sinne bee once forgiven the calamity will soone be taken away For the first all calamity is from sinne troubles from transgression In the chaine of evills sinne is the first linke that drawes on all the rest as grace is in the chaine of blessings and comforts Consider this in all kinds of judgements which wee may reduce to three heads 1. Temporall calamities about the things of this life they are all from sinne both publike and private What was the reason of Salomons troubles The Lord stirred up an adversary against him because hee departed from the Lord and had set up idolatry so the sword departed not from Davids house because of his sinne with Bathsheba and the murther of Vriah So Asa 2 Chron. 16. the Prophet tels him Hence forth thou shalt have warre because thou hast not rested on the Lord. I could give a hundred instances for this 2. Sort of judgements are spirituall which are much more grievous than the former when a man is given up to his lusts and to hardnesse of heart and this proceedeth from some other sinnes that went before and it is a sure rule that you never see a man given up to worke uncleannesse with greedinesse or to such open

scandalous sinnes but the first rise of it was his unconscionable walking with God in secret as the Apostle Paul sayes of the Gentiles Rom. 1. 20. to 24. That because when they knew God they glorified him not as God God gave them up to vile affections So Psal. 80. 11 12. But my people would not bearken and Israel would none of mee So I gave them up to their owne hearts lusts and they walked in their owne counsels As if he had said I used all the meanes they still refused and would none of me and therefore I gave them up Seest thou a man given up to a lust his heart so cemented to it as hee cannot live without it know this is in judgment to him for some unconscionable walking before and not practising according to his knowledge 3 There is yet a judgement beyond these when the Lord forsaketh the creature and withdrawes himselfe from a man which though men doe little account of is the fearefullest of all others The losse of Gods presence is a losse unvaluable Take a man that makes wealth or honour his God take that prop from him and how doth his heart sinke within him how much more when the true God shall bee departed from a man that God that is the God of all comfort if hee bee withdrawne the heart sinks into a bottomlesse pit of horrour as when the Sun is gone all things run into darknesse All comfort is from some measure or degree of Gods presence though men doe not take notice of it which when it is taken away there remaines nothing but horrour and despaire when God was departed from Saul 1 Sam. 16. hee from that day ranne into one errour after another in his government till hee was destroyed and the cause of this was sinne he had cast off the Lord and therefore the Lord rejected him The like was Caines case Gen. 4. His judgement was to bee banish'd from the presence of the Lord which hee acknowledgeth to be an insupportable punishment which hee was not able to beare When any trouble is upon thee sticke not in the rind and ba●ke of it but looke through it and beyond it to the inward root of it looke to sinne as the cause and thou shalt finde it so it may bee the immediate cause and instrument may bee some outward thing some enemy of thy disgrace some sicknesse c. but who hath permitted them to worke is it not the Lord and what is the motive of his permission but sinne men may have many severall motives to doe this or that but nothing moves the Lord but sinne and grace When an enemy comes upon thee say not this man is the cause of this evill but the Lord hath suffered him to worke and sinne hath occasion'd this suffering 2 Chron. 12. 5 7. Shishak was but the violl through whose hands God powred out his wrath so I may say sicknesse is but the violl it is the Lords wrath that is powred out in it Amend this common errour that men are ready to seeke out the naturall causes of the evils that befall them if it bee sickenesse they looke to such a distemper in diet or cold c. as the cause of it so if they miscarry in any enterprize what folly and oversight hath beene the cause of it These are but the naturall and immediate causes but Christians should looke to and seeke out to the supernaturall When there came a famine upon the land of Iudah for three yeares 2 Sam. 21. 1. the naturall cause was evident which was a great drought for that famine was healed by raine afterwards and so in those hot countries famine came by drought alone but David rests not here but went to the Lord and enquired out the reason the sinne that should bee the cause of it And God told him it was for the sinne of Saul and his bloudy house in slaying the Gibeonites as wise statesmen when they find a meane person in a treason they rest not there but seeke further what deepe heads was in the businesse and who was the contriver of the plot When Iacob saw the Angels descend and ascend he lookes to the top of the ladder and saw the Lord there sending them to and fro Looke not to the stayres of the ladder one or two that are next to thee but to the top of the ladder and there thou shalt see the Lord sending one Angell to do thee a mischief another to be a Saviour to thee If you say how shall I know for what sinne it is Pray earnestly and enquire as David did and as Ioshua did when he saw the people flie before their enemies that God would reveale to thee the particular sinne and if thou canst not find out the particular sin for it may bee some sin long ago committed or some secret sinne yet be sure that sin is the cause of it for as in the works of nature we know the vapours arise out of the earth and ascend invisibly but come downe againe in stormes and showers which we are able to see and are sensible of so the judgements may be open and manifest enough but not the sins but some secret sin that past by thee without notice taken is the cause of it Learne hence to see sinne in its owne colours sinne is a secret and invisible evill and in it selfe as abstractly considered is hard to be seene of the best therefore looke upon it as it is cloathed with calamities and when you view it under the cloathing you will have another opinion of it than you had before If you should know a man who whersoever he comes doth nothing but mischiefe poysons one stabs another c. and leaves every where some prints of his villany how hatefull and terrible would he be unto you it is sin that playes all these reaks among us if sin come upon a man cloathed and armed with Gods wrath as it often doth at death then it is terrible Why do we not look upon it thus at other times but because we doe not behold it in the fearefull effects of it as then in the wrath due to it we doe Sin is the same at all times else but our fancy is not alwaies the same as the body is alwayes the same though the shadow bee greater or lesser that which we now count a small sinne as swearing and petty oaths will one day bee terrible such a sinne as was committed by Ananias and Sapphira would seeme small it may be to you in it selfe alone but see it cloathed with that judgement that befell them dying at the Apostles feete so see the sinne of Ahabs oppressing Naboth which you may looke at but as doing a little wrong to a poore man by a great man but see it cloathed with Ahabs death and the dogs licking his bloud and it will appeare to be most hainous so the prophanenesse of Nadab and Abihu offering strange fire Learne

glasse with open face v. 18. that is we see the amiablenesse of his face the happinesse of communion with him and when the light breakes through the cloudes thus and the Lord gives a glimpse of himselfe then they see him and never give over seeking his face more and more till they have found him And because that other sort I spake of if they see him they yet see but an angry face onely and that makes men flie from the Lord as we see in distresse and at death many will do any thing rather than goe to God they tremble at his presence and no way desire it as Adam did not but fled from it and thus would all doe if no word were revealed Therefore the Spirit of revelation takes away the vaile and breakes the clouds that his owne Elect may have a glimpse of his face and the Spirit of adoption who is sent downe into their hearts shewes God as mercifull full of kindnesse and love they see not onely his face but his face shining in all gracious willingnesse to receive them hee presenteth him as a loving father ready to admit of them and graciously to forgive and receive them They see Gods face that is both his excellency and beautie and also his love and graciousnesse towards them and this makes them seeke his presence and reconciliation with him and never to be at rest without it as Moses Lord we will not stirre a foot without thy presence Exodus 34. 18. A right suitor eare for nothing but the love and presence of the person sued to so they desire nothing can bee content with nothing but the presence of God communion with God The light of his countenance The second thing whereby I expresse what it is to seeke Gods face is to seeke the Lord alone as sequestred from punishments and rewards in his owne person as considered in himselfe in his Attributes in his holinesse and purity so as not to seeke the things hee brings with him but to seeke himselfe and the things which are in him But you will say this is very hard to set aside all respects to rewards and punishments It is an errour to thinke that you may not make use of rewards and punishments for First punishments and the threatnings of the Lord are the true object of feare and a faculty and an habit may lawfully bee exercised about their proper object and so rewards are the subject of desire and so may lawfully bee sought after and desired The Lord himselfe in Scripture useth these motives of Iudgements on the one side and of rewards on the other and therefore wee may make use of them to our owne hearts for to that end hath God propounded them Therefore I will set downe two conclusions to cleare this to you what use there may be made of rewards and threatnings 1 Conclusion the propounding of and the respect unto rewards and punishments is a good beginning to draw us on to seeke the Lords face they are a good introduction A man that hath not as yet seene Gods face the feare of hell may cause him to reflect on his owne heart and wayes and to bee sensible of the evill of them and so the happinesse of heaven may draw him on but all this while he is but in beginning A spouse that is considering with her selfe whether shee should marry such an husband or no beginneth to consider at first what shee shall be without him and what shee shall have with him shee considers him perhaps as one that wil pay all her debts and make her honourable c. and yet it may be yet she considers not the man all this while and yet these considerations are good preparatives to draw her on to give entertainement to him but after converse and acquaintance with the person she likes the person himselfe so wel that she is content to have him though she should have nothing with him and so she gives her full and free consent to him and the match comes to be made up betweene them out of true and sincere free love and liking So it is here men begin at first to consider their owne misery most and that if they should apply themselves to other things as remedies they should bee still to seeke for there is a vanity in all things and if to themselves that they cannot helpe themselves in trouble therefore they judge they must goe to the mighty GOD who is able to doe more than all to rid them out of misery and they consider that going to him they shall have heaven besides and yet all this while they consider not the LORDS person yet this consideration makes way that GOD and wee may meete and speake together it brings our hearts to give way that the LORD may come to us that I may so speake for before we are not to be spoken with it causeth us to attend to him to looke upon him to converse with him to admit him as a suitor and to be acquainted with him and whilst wee are thus conversing with him GOD reveales himselfe and then being come to the knowledge of him in himselfe by that his speciall light spoken of afore we love him for himselfe then wee are willing to seeke his presence to seeke him for our husband though all other things were removed from him And now the match is made and not till now and then wee so looke upon him that if all those other advantages were taken away we should yet still love him and not leave him for all the world and so as if wee should imagine hee would give us never so much and yet with-draw his face wee could not bee at rest Before if a man could but be assured he should not go to hell and should have creatures and comforts about him it would bee enough to him but now it is not so Now if Gods countenance bee but clouded if any breach bee betwixt a man and God he cannot rest till it bee made up and he see his face againe Yet still after the match is made there is a second use of punishments and rewards they are usefull not onely to bring us in but to confirme us also in our choyce they serve both as an introduction and as an helpe when we are come in to confirme us in our choyce As when a woman is married shee having this husband I live in an house well furnished and I have many conveniences I enjoy not onely my husbands person but with many additions So it is with us though the LORD alone be sufficient reward so as if wee had nothing else wee would never goe backe of our choice yet wee having many good things with him it helpeth us in our love to him and confirmes us in our choice These are then good additions but not good principles and foundations and encourage us much if added and put to seeke the LORD for himselfe as the principall

that if you would remove the crosse you must remove the sinne first You may observe it in diseases that twenty medicines may bee used and yet if you hit not right upon the cause of the disease the patient is never the better but if that be removed the symptomes presently vanish so when some crosse is upon us wee set our heads and hands and friends aworke to remove it but all in vaine whilst wee hit not the cause and that is sinne which whilst it continues the crosse will continue The reason why our peace and prosperity is entertained with so many crosses and troubles is because our lives are interwoven with so many sinnes The cause of Gods unevennesse in his dispensations of his mercy towards thee is the unevennesse of thy carriage towards him Hast thou a healthfull body a sure estate many friends Thinke not that these shall secure thee see Adam in paradise Salomon in his glory David on his mountaine which hee thought made strong and you shall see Adam when sinne had made a breach upon him once quickly made miserable and sinne bringing in upon Salomon an army of troubles after it and upon David in the height sin bringing in upon him the hazzard of his kingdome the rebellion of his sonne sinne in a mans best estate makes him miserable and grace in the worst estate makes a man happy Saint Paul with a good conscience was happy in prison David through faith was happy at Ziglag But you will say how is it that calamities thus follow upon sinne wee feele no such thing and thus because it is deferred the hearts of men are set to doe evill All this is to bee understood with this caution that sinne when it is perfected brings forth death and not till then God stayed till Ahab had oppressed Naboth and gotten possession and then when he was seene God sends the message of death to him What hast thou killed and also taken possession Thus Iudas he was a thiefe whilst he kept the bag and went on in many sinnes in Christs family and Chri stlets him alone and he goes on till hee had betrayed his Master and then when his sinne was perfected and come to its full ripenesse then at last CHRIST comes with judgement upon him There is a certaine period of judgement and if the Lord stay execution till then thou hast little cause to comfort thy selfe Eccles. 8. 11 12. Because sentence against an evill worke is not speedily executed therefore the hearts of men are set to doe evill As if the wise man should have said Goe to you you that have peace and comfort your selves in this that whatsoever the Word and the Ministers threatten yet you feel nothing yet remember that as soon as the sin is committed the sentence goeth forth therefore he useth the word sentence to expresse this though it bee not so speedily executed yet it goes forth at the same time with the commission of the sinne The sentence you know is one thing the execution another and many times there is and so may be here a long distance betwixt the sentence of the Iudge and the execution of it So as his meaning is that execution is deferred Therefore flatter not your selves sentence is gone forth and execution will follow For the amplification of this that vision of Zachary seemes to make it good Zach. 5. When swearing and theft had beene committed Verse 3. Hee saw a flying roule Verse 2. Which Verse the 3. is interpreted to be the curse that goeth over all the earth for him that stealeth and sweareth Verse 3. which curse may bee upon the wing long ere it seizeth on the prey but it goes forth as soone as those sinnes were committed that is the execution may be deferred which is there further shewed in the parable of the Ephah which sets out as there the measure of the peoples iniquities for so Verse 8. he sayes this is wickednesse which untill it be filled hath not the weight of leade laid upon the mouth of it it being a long while ere God comes to execution and not till their sinnes are full the plummet of leade being laid as it signifies that then their sins are sealed up with the waight of leade rolled upon them that none might be lost or forgotten but God remembers them all and then hee saw two women come and the wind was in their wings Verse 9. that is when their sinnes are thus full and their measure sealed up their judgement comes swiftly like the winde and carries it into Shinar and there this wickednesse is set upon its owne base that is in its proper place a place of misery as hell is said to bee Iudas his owne place Sinne may sleepe a long time like a sleeping debt which is not call'd for and demanded for many yeares but if a man hath not an acquaintance the creditor may call for it in the end and lay the debtor in prison It was forty yeares after Sauls slaying of the Gibeonites ere execution went forth and vengeance was call'd for it So Ioabs sin which he committed in slaying Abner which was slaying innocent bloud slept all Davids time til Salomon came to the crowne Doe not therefore as ill husbands in debt that suffer the suite to runne on from tearme to tearme till they bee out-law'd and pay both debts and charges and all Thy sinnes are a bringing swift damnation and it slumbers not it is on foote already and will overtake thee and meete at thy journeyes end the end of thy dayes Let it therefore be thy wisedome to take up the suite and compound the matter with God betimes else thou shalt not onely pay the debt and smart for the sin it selfe but for all the time of Gods patience towards thee the riches of Gods patience spent and beare all the arrerages Rev. 2. I gave her space to repent but shee repented not God meant to make her pay for all the time he gave her to repent in The next point from these words is That if the calamity bee removed and the sinne bee not healed it is never removed in mercy but in judgement Hee doth here promise first to forgive the sinne and then to heale the Land so as if hee should have healed the Land without forgivenesse it had beene no mercy Because sinne is worse than any crosse whatsoever If therefore hee takes away the crosse and leaves the sinne behinde it is a signe thou art a man whom the Lord hates When a Physician takes away the medicine and leaves the disease uncured it is a signe the parties case is desperate or that the Physician meanes to let him perish Because the Lord doth nothing in vaine if therfore an affliction doth a man no good it must needes doe him hurt for that which doth neither good nor hurt must needes be in vaine That was a property of the Idols of the Heathens which are