Saint Augustine hath a good rule God would never suffer evill except he could make this use of evill The last thing that we must note of this part is that we must not limit Gods power within the compasse of that which hath beene is or shall bee it hath a further extent even to that also that may be It was the error of Origen challenged by Theophilus so to straiten the power of God he exemplifieth it by the author of an house and a banquet not according to the uttermost of his skill or ability but according to the use whereunto He will put the house and the number of the guests that shall be feasted at his Table The end prescribes the measure and meanes in every worke of man much more of God But to collect all that hath beene said of this first Attribute whether we respect what God can doe or what he doth with perfection or upon imperfections without means or by means of himselfe independant having all things attending at his becke readily we may conclude that power belongeth unto the Lord such power only unto God So that we may all set up the Ensigne of the Macchabees and beare in our banners MICHAEL who is like unto thee ô strong Lord In the feare of the Lord must be the confidence of our strength for his name is a strong Tower the righteous will flie unto it yea sinners too may be bold to slie unto it because of that other Attribute which God hath coupled with it His mercy â—or as he reaches from one end to another mightily so doth he order all things seemely or sweetly Thou Lord saith the same Author hast ever had great strength and who can withstand the power of thy arme There dare neither King nor tyrant in thy sight require an accompt of thee whom thou hast punished But thou hast mercy on all thou lovest all things that are ô thou that art the Lover of soules That then is verified in God de forte dulcâ—do for as it is in the Psalm God is a righteous God strong and patient and he is provoked every day In this sense is the Ark the propitiatory the throne of grace called the Arke of his strength and Christ is said to sit at the right hand of God yea to bee the man of Gods right hand It is a great part of Gods strength that he can conquer himselfe that his mercie can triumph over his judgment This Moses expresseth in his prayer when he makes intercession for Israel And now J beseech thee let the power of my Lord be great according as thou hast spoken saying The Lord is slow to anger and forgiveth imquity though God be powerfull yet is he mercifull Pudorem potius mittere vult quam timorem he is not hasty to punish sinne but heaps his blessings upon us that we may be ashamed that we have offended so good a God with our sinne God is the God of mercy rich in mercy hee gives to all hee upbraids none hee will not quench the smoking flaxe He is mercifull donando condonando he remembers we are but dust When God might have used his power he shewed his mercy not so men The combination of these two Attributes must remember us of that exhortation of King David Serve the Lord in feare and rejoyce before him with trembling If God shew himselfe mercifull say not I have sinned and what evill is come unto me Remember that God is also Almighty though he be patient yet is he a rewarder hee will reward every man according to his workes every man Irenaeus notes Gloria hommis Deus operationis verò Dei neceptaculum homo as God is the glory of man so man is principall subject of the vertues of God Intelligat homo reliquas virtutes Dei in semetipso contentas per quas sentiat de Deo quantus Deus sit God would have us not so much in other creatures as in our selves to behold the evidence of these Attributes of God Ps 8.3 4 5. Reade Psal 8. and behold it in their reward The workes of man have a double respect to God and our neighbour and so these words will beare a double sense according as we cary our selves unto God and our neighbour and in the Scripture we have both Interpretations The first sense is that Rom 1.7 Rom. 2. they that with patience c. And Saint Paul Bee not deceived God is not mocked as a man soweth so shall be reap for every man shall receave according to that he hath done in his body be it good or evill Behold J set before you life and death the broad and the narrow way and gate Vt bonis sit bene sit malis malè finis responsurus medijs With the froward thou wilt shew thy selfe froward Psalm 18.26 Psa 18.26 The second sense is what measure you mete to others it shall be measured againe to you This is noted by Abraham and Dives And Saint Paul 2 Thes it is a righteous thing with God 2 Thes 1 6. Jer. 25.11 12. An example wee have the Babylonians Ierem. 25. And in the Revelation if any lead into captivity he shall be lead into Captivity if any kill with the sword he shall be killed with the sword This confession did Adonibezek make when the Children of Israel cut off the thumbes of his hands and his feet Seventy Kings saith he having their thumbs of their hands and feet cut off gathered crumbs under my Table as J have done so God hath dealt with me hath rewarded me He that stops his eare at the Cry of the poore himselfe shall cry and not bee heard Pro. 21.13 1 Sam. 26.23 Proverbs 21. Quodcunque vultis ut hemines vobis faciant faciatis illis And David grounds his speech u upon this 1 Sam. 26.23 The lesson is we must forbeare from wrong and doe good unto our neighbour that God may spare us and do good unto us according to our workes But workes are considered not so much according to the substance of the thing done as the circumstance wherewith it is done for aliud est mandati executio aliud virtus Executio mandati dicitur id quod ipso opere in mandato faciendum ordinatum stâ— virtus autem in hoc sita est ut placeat veritati id quod actum est For God seeth not as man seeth he looketh not upon the outward but the inward man A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things And an evill c. Read the excellent exposition of the Labourers in the Vineyard God is a searcher of the heart and reines Yet how saith the Scripture that to whom much is given of him much shall be required potentes potenter punientur God loves not only bonum but bene otherwise pretium moretricis might be accepted and their workes Esay 1. and 66. Esa 1.11 12 13. Esa 66.3 What say we to that of
compassion chargeth them both with sinne and senselesnesse O Jerusalem Ierusalem that killest the Prophets aâ—â— stonest them that were sent unto thee that is their sinne how often would I have gathered thy Children together as the henne doth her chickens but thou would'st not That was the senselesnesse But what was the issue even a suddeâ— destruction from God that upon her might come all the righteous bloud that was spilt from the bloud of Abeâ— unto the bloud of Zacharias So likewise in the Nineteenth of Luke When he beheld the City hee wept and gives the reason in his prayer O that thou hadst knowne in this thy day those things that belong unto thy peace That is their sinne but now are they hid from thine eyes that is their senselesnesse Hee addes the issue Therefore shall thine enemies cast a banke about thee c. But doth God enter into judgement onely with the Iew and are these onely the defects of the Iewes No The parable made in this Chapter sheweth that it reacheth unto the Gentiles also For when the Sonne of man commeth hee shall scarce find faith in the earth And because iniquity shall abound charitie shall wax cold Sinne shall be ripe even unto harvest before Christ send the Angels his reapers to cut downe this field of the world The world shall bee sinfull and as the Apostle speaketh The last dayes shall be perillous times men shall be lovers of themselves more then lovers of God Hee goeth on particularizing their sinnes against the first Table against the second shewing that the fleshly tables of their hearts shall scarce retayne any print of the hand writing of the spirit of God the world doth not grow more old in regard of naturall strength then men grow old in goodnesse and vertue or rather sin growes unto his highest floud when nature growes unto her lowest ebbe and as men are more sinfull so are they more and more senselesse resisting the Holy Ghost with uncircumcised eares and heartes the first world strove against the Spirit of God and no marvell for the prophesie of Isaiah in his eighth Chapter which is reported by Christ and the Apostles doth containe an inseparable propertie from sinne which is to make us winke with our eyes and stoppe our eares and obdurate our heartes that in seeing wee may see and not perceave and in hearing wee may heare and not understand and so the Devill doth hood-winke us and stupifie us least wee should be converted and so saved Saint Paul notes it in the third Chapter of the first Epistle to the Thessaloniâ—ns Men shall câ—y Peace peace when sudden desolation shall be at hand Or as Iob speakes spend their dayes in pleasure and in a moment goe downe quickly to hell so that King Davids compassionate admiration will prove true who having described in Psal 73. the jollity of the wicked who in the height of their prosperity do open their mouth against heaven sheweth that they are sencelesse of their slippery standing and wondring at their fault crying out Now doe they perish suddenly fearefully finally And indeed this world must answer that other world it must needs be that they which will not neither be reclaimed nor forewarned must be surprized Our Saviour Christ expresseth it in three fine similies The first is of the travell of a woman so shall the judgement day come Every wicked man hath a double travell Saint James teacheth it in his first chapter Lust conceives and bringeth forth sinne that is a pleasant travell But this wombe resteth not here for sinne will not leave till it have brought forth death that is a painfull travell but an unexpected childe when a man is not delivered of that which he conceived his issue is death when he at least expected a contented life But so doth God overtake a sinner even as Iob also resembling sinne to sweet meat in the mouth shewes that it proves the gall of Aspes in the stomacke The second simile is of a Theefe whereunto Christ resembleth the judgement day not only to expresse his unexpected coming but the event of his judgement which will rob us of all that wherein we set our wicked hearts delight you read it in the parable of the man whose ground bearing plenty he was to inlarge his barnes but he addes his wicked affection groveling upon earthly things when he encourageth his soule to eat and drinke because it had provision for many yeeres but the Oracle checkes him Thou foole this night shall they take thy soule from thee then whose shall all these things be Dives for all his soft raiment and delicate fare had nothing left him when he was summoned by death to shroud him from or refresh him in the flames of hell The third simile is of the snare of a Fowler or a Hunter which taketh the beast or the bird who catching after the pray is caught by the engine and Saint Paul tels us that in committing sinne we doe receive the sting of death The condition of Adams sinne attends the sinne of every sonne of Adam whiles eating the forbidden fruit he looked to have eyes open that he might behold himselfe as a God he found indeed how he was circumvented by the equivocation of the phrase that to be a god knowing good and evill is but a periphrasis of the devill and indeed he became unexpectedly but justly a god like unto him and so shall all his sonnes that impiously transgresse Gods lawes heare that dreadfull voyce Goe ye cursed into everlasting fire provided for the Divell and his angels You have heard the proportion of correspondency so farre as it concernes the bad now must you heare it so farre as it concernes the good for though the world were so sinfull and so sencelesse yet was there a Noah left and his family but one Noah and one family There was a Noah that found favour with God and was righâ—eous in the sight of God God never shewes onely justice but ever mingles it with some mercy Though all should justly perish yet some shall be mercifully saved â—n a whole wicked world God will have some Noah â—nd that he may fit him he will give his holy Spirit unâ—o him Noah had found no grace with God had he not â—eceived the grace of righteousnesse from God But Saint Paul expresseth in the eleventh of the Hebrewes the two â—arts of Noahs pietie which was reverence and conâ—â—dence reverence in making the Arke confidence in â—sing the Arke not onely obeying Gods word in proâ—iding the meanes to save himselfe but also using it when â—â—e time came notwithstanding others so many others â—id despise it Whereupon followed two effects that he â—as not surprised by the flood and as the Apostle saith he condemned the world You have heard that there was a Noah but marke that there was but one Noah and his family a small number to a whole world but such is the excesse of the wicked above the good so many
more are there that perish then those that are saved t was so in the old world so it shall be in this to follow the parable of the Iewes and the Gentiles but a remnant of the Iewes are saved The Prophet compares it to a gleaning after a vintage or a harvest Whereas the wicked are compared unto the starres of heaven and to the sands of the Sea and to a whole harvest This is meant by the parable of Gods choosing but one tree of all the forrest one Dove of all the birds one Citie of all the world but consider that there is one though there be but one for God will save a flocke though it be but a little flocke for the elects sake he will hasten his judgement lest there should remaine no flesh to be saved The world little thinkes upon that which is a grounded truth that for the godlies sake God forbeares to come to judgement But in Rom. 4. it is set downe plainly when the soules that lay under the Altar cryed unto God saying How long Lorâ— righteous and true dost thou deferre to revenge our blood upon the world answer is given unto them that they must rest for a while till the number of their brethren was sulfilled for then shall be an end of all When Jerusalem is fully built the body of Christ hath all his members and the true Olive hath all his branches Little therefore doe the wicked consider that they bane themselves while they persecute the godly For Obadiahs house was blessed whiles it was the place of the Arke and so were the Roman Emperours whiles they cherished the Italians But as God will have a remnant so it will be but a smaâ— remnant there will be faith but scarse faith as Christ speakes and charity though it will not be quite dead it will be very cold which makes that Romish conceâ—â— very frivolous which maketh the most illustrious Church to be the true Church whereas Christ answers truely to the questioners that demanded whether there should be many saved that the gate is wide and the way broad that leadeth to destruction and many there be that finde it but the gate is straight and the way narrow that leadeth unto life and few there be that finde it The conclusion of the correspondency is that a few though but a few shall imitate Noah in his reverence and likewise in his confidence Observing the meanes prescribed by God and trusting perfectly in the promises of God Saint Peter joynes them both when he makes Baptisme an antitype of the Arke when he shewes that Baptisme hath not onely the putting away of the filth of the flesh which is the externall washing but also the interrogation of a good conscience unto God through the resurrection of Iesus Christ Christ meanes the same when he saith that this little flock shall watch the signes of his coming and also they lift up their heads with joy knowing that their salvation draweth neere The issue of their reverence and confidence is they shall be saved they shall be taken up to meet Christ and ever to be with him they shall enter into their masters joy and be made partakers of the marriage feast You have heard of the correspondency but though in the comparison there be so good a correspondency yet must we consider withall a great inequality as great an inequality of the things as there is of the persons I meane the persons of Noah and Christ as farre as the sonne of man doth exceed that man so farre shall the end of this world exceed the end of that whether you respect the destruction of the bad or the salvation of the good In regard of the destruction of the bad there shall be foure great differences The first is That world was destroyed with water this shall be destroyed with fire and who knoweth not how much more terrible fire is then water But which is the second That water wasted onely the earth and those things that lived upon the earth â—ut this shall waste both heaven and earth and whatsoever is I except Christs little flocke in either heaven or earth If the sight of the Deluge were fearefull how much more fearefull shall this combustion of the whole be when t is compared to the inundation of a part a part which Astronomy proves to be so little in comparison of the whole Adde hereunto the third that of the wicked That destruction was but partiall but this shall be totall Then there was at least a Cham a seed of the wicked that escaping might be an example to reclaime the future wicked and indeed the voice of a Nebuchadnezzar or an Antiochus experiencing and acknowledging the justice of God will in probability worke more then the voyce of Moses or Daniel or Iudas Maccabeus to reclaime the wicked God therefore at that time was pleased to trie also this meanes and preserved not onely a Sem but also a Cham. But in this last destruction God saveth not so much as one Cham not a goate left among the sheepe if there be but one that wanteth his wedding garment the master of the feast will espie him and away with him the corne will be cleane vnmowed from the Chaffe and the gold purified from all drosse Adde hereunto the last point that destruction was but temporall this finall that that was but temporall so some understand Saint Peter 1. Epist. 4. but this is undoubtedly eternall for the sentence is Goe ye cursed into everlasting fire no recall of the sentence no recoverie of the state so Noah saved to be the hope of the second world as the booke of Wisdome speaks Chap. 14. You have here the inequalitie in regard of the bad and in regard of the good there is the same inequality also that fire shall as wonderfully preserve them as it fearfully destroyes the wicked There shall be a generall renovation of heaven and earth wherein dwels righteousnesse as there was a combustion of the other heaven and earth wherein dwelt wickednesse And in this heaven and earth shall be no uncleane thing and that which is purified shall remaine so for ever even blessed for ever intirely and eternally blessed whereas the deliverance by Noah was but temporall it was but partiall it was from a death but onely of the body and that onely for a time and that to live a mortall life so that is and so must have his destruction that in that example we read that God is displeased with sinne that he powreth forth his vengeance upon sinne but how farre he is displeased how much vengeance shall be exacted we may gesse it in the former world but we cannot throughly understand that correspondency doth not amount unto an equalitie Onely for a close of all he that readeth that may well believe this because that is a pledge of this and our best course is to follow Christs counsell Luke 21. Take heed least at any time your heartes be oppressed with surfetting and drunkennes and that day come upon you unawares For as a snare shall it come upon all the inhabitants of this world Let us watch therefore and pray that we may be worthy to escape the things that then shall come and stand before the sonne of man for as it was in the dayes of Noah so shall it be at the comming of the Sonne of man Grant gracious Lord that denying all ungodlines and worldly lusts we may so reverence thy word and depend on thy promise with such a confidence that we be neither sinfull nor senselesse and so surprised with thy just wrath but may watchfully looke for and earnestly hasten unto the blessed appearing of our glorious Iudge and Saviour Jesus Christ FINIS IMPRIMATVR THOMAS BROWNE APRILL 16. 1640.