we have had in soothing Prelates and promoting their pride the more zealous let us be in trampling their pride under foot and in abhorring all appearance of it and in shewing open detestation of all their Iniquity Superstiton and Idolatry David was a man after Gods heart and when through fleshly frailty he had fallen into great and scandalous sinnes adding to his adultery murther though upon his confession of his sin the Lord forgave the iniquity of it and the Prophet told him that the Lord had taken away his sin he should not dye nor undergoe any destroying punishment of wrath and vengeance yet he rested not in confessing fasting mourning and praying for a day but out of loathing and abhorring his sinfull corruption he afflicted his soule seven dayes lying upon the ground fasting weeping and making supplication with strong cries and saying Have mercy upon me ô God according to thy loving kindnes according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out all my transgressions wash me throughly from my wickednesse deliver me from bloud-guiltinesse create in mee a cleane heart restore to me the joy of thy salvation Psal. 51 And againe O Lord rebuke me not in thy wrath I am troubled I am bowed greatly I goe mourning all the day long As wee may more at large see in his penitential Psalmes in which his sorrowes are ingraven and recorded to all posterities And all this repentance proceeded not from horrour of conscience or feare of death and hell as that of Ahab and Iudas did but out of true remorse and godly sorrow for that he had sinned against a God so gracious and full of tender compassion His owne words shew the true ground of his griefe where he saith Against thee thee only have I sinned It was his love of God and sense of Gods love and mercy to him which made him so hate his sinnes and loath himselfe And indeed this is true Evangelicall repentance which works effectually to the mortifying of the old man killing the body of death and subduing the rebellious lusts of the flesh this makes our former sins hatefull and grievous to us and terrifies us from falling in to the like againe O how happy should we be if we could thus repent if we could thus humble our soules in these our Fasts Gods bowels of compassion would yearn towards us as the bowels of tender parents doe over a deare child when they see him grieving at the heart and mourning for his offence of them and disobedience to them When the Lord our God sees us thus penitent he will answer us graciously meet us and embrace us with love make us behold his face with joy in the righteousnesse of Iesus Christ accept his ransome for us and will say to your soules I am your salvation His scourging rod the cursed Bramble with all the Thornes and Pricks thereof all the bands of the wicked which trouble us shall be thrown away into the fire burnt and consumed I proceed to the second poynt which is the resemblance of the severall sorts of ungodly malicious and ill-affected persons banded together to consult devise and practise evil against the Church of Christ to oppresse persecute and doe mischiefe to Gods people unto the severall sorts of pricks on the great Bramble of which some are green and more tender others dryed and hardned but all sharp pricking and hurtfull and are all to be taken away as with a whirle-wind This ministers to us the second Doctrine That all persons combined in any Band or faction consulting and working together against Gods Church and people whether they bee doctrine 2 more or lesse pernicious and able to do mischiefe whether Hypocrites working under hand or open profest persecutors they are all sharers in the same wickednesse and being all of the same cursed Band and crew they shall perish in the same destruction This is further confirmed by Gods own words Psal. 50.16 c. But unto the wicked said God what hast thou to doe to declare my Statutes and to take my Covenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest instruction and castest my word behinde thee when thou sawest a Thiefe thou consentedst to him and hast beene pertaker with the adulterers thou givest thy mouth to evill and thy tongue frameth deceit thou sittest and speakest against thy brother and slanderest thine owne mothers son In which words I observe that some wicked men make a profession of Religion declare Gods Statutes and take his Covenant in their mouth Secondly that they hate instruction oppose Reformation and break their Covenant with God Thirdly that by sitting in Counsell with persecutors speaking evill with their mouthes and framing deceit with their tongues and consenting to the deeds of evill-doers they are pertakers of their sinnes Fourthly that Gods wrath is kindled against them and if they doe not repent he will teare them in pieces and none shall deliver them And Psalme 26.4.5 The holy Psalmist pleading immunity from sliding and that God will not take him away nor gather his soule with sinners nor his life with men of bloud in whose hand is mischief because he hath not sate with vaine persons nor gone in with dissemblers but hath hated the Congregation of evill doers and will not sit in Counsell with the wicked doth necessarily intimate that all they who do joyn in counsel with the wicked help forward their designes are pertakers of their sinnes and shall perish with them And to the same purpose the Prophet Ieremy speaks saying I sate not in the assembly of the mockers nor rejoyced why is my paine perpetuall and my wound incurable which refuseth to be healed which words import that they who are of the Band of Scorners and rejoyce in their evill doings are pertakers of their wickednesse and their wages shall be perpetuall paine and wounds incurable All in Corah's conspiracy even women and children were found guilty before God of that rebellion and perished in it And in a City falling away to Idolatry all in it yong old are guilty and to be cut off And indeed there is good Reason grounded on the word of reason 1 God to prove this For if childred are punished for the sins of their fathers unto the third and fourth Generation because so long they may by sight or hearing know them and see the prints and monuments of their fraud violence oppression pride and the like and wittingly hold and possesse their ill-gotten goods of which they having knowledge become pertakers of their sinnes and make themselves guilty by approving or imitating them or neglecting to grieve and mourn for them and to make restitution and not removing their cursed things out of their families Then much more they who are Counsellors abettors actors and promoters of ungodly actions and have an hand in the doing of them are pertakers and guilty of them as being their owne sins for which they are justly punished Now the first is manifest
shall be broken Thus when they have travelled with iniquity and conceived mischief they bring forth falsehood and when they have made a pit and aiggedit they fall into the ditch themselves and their mischiefe returnes upon their owne head Psalme 7.14 and in the net which they hid is their owne foot taken and they are snared in the worke of their hands Psal 9.15 16. Besides these and many such testimonies we have pregnant examples as that of Iehoshaphat 2 Chron. 20. when three nations were banded against him and his people and they had no might to resist neither knew what to doe they betooke themselves to seek the Lord with fasting and prayer and the Lord set ambushments against the enemies and made them slay one another till they were all destroyed so that Iehosophat and his people had no need to fight but did only stand and see the salvation of the Lord Another example is that of Hezekiah when the Assyrian King Senacharib came against him to besiege Ierusalem and by Rabshekeh threatned to drive his people to that extremity as to eate their owne dung and to drinke their owne pisse 2 King 18.27 The Lord suffered him not to come to the City nor to shoot an arrow into it but sent a blast upon him and by his Angel slue in one night 185. thousand in his host and drove him back with shame Secondly though the Church and children of God may be sore afflicted by the Bands of the wicked yet before they feele that destruction and misery which is intended and plotted against them and Lord will send deliverance by scatrering and destroying their cruell persecutors We see this verified in the Israelites who saw and felt much affliction in Egypt but when it came to the upshot that Pharaoh and his Host pursued them to cut them off and destroy them with the sword God overthrew them all in the sea and suffered not his people to feele their cruell hand Exod. 14. Also in the dayes of the Iudges the Israelites were often oppressed and afflicted by divers enemies which sought to cast them out and destroy them but before they felt this evil which their enemies attempted with all their power the Lord delivered them and scattered and destroyed their oppressors In the 83. Psalme mention is made of many Nations which were consederate against Gods Church and people and said Come let us cut them off from being a Nation that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance but when they invaded the land and began to cast fire into their Sanctuaries God made all those Nations as stubble before the wind and persecuted them with his storme and scattered them before his people felt the evill which they conspired to bring upon them David and his followers were pursued for their lives and suffered hard things at the hand of Saul and his wicked Band but the evill which they chiefely sought which was to kill and cut them off they could never bring upon them nor make them feel for they themselves were first destroyed In a word God so armes his people with patience and courage that they goe through all the sharpest afflictions and persecutions of the enemies with joy that peace which they have with God makes them rejoyce in tribulations and the inward spiritual comforts which fill their soules doe swallow all pains and sorrowes that they have no such sense and feeling of them as others have The third perticular in the Doctrine is that though the Bands of the wicked do persecute the Saints for their true faith in Christ to their own destruction and are permitted to afflict and torture their bodies even to the murthering and killing of them yet they can never bring them under the sense and feeling of soule-murther by compelling them to deny the faith and to imbrace Idolatry or any soule-killing errors and heresies This is consonant to the words of the Apostle Rom. 8.35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distresse or perill or sword or life or death as it is written for thy sake are we killed all the day long and are counted as sheep for the slaughter Nay in all these we are more than Conquerors through him that loved us And Heb. 1â— we have a Cloud of witnesses who were tortured and had tryall of cruell mockings and scourgings and of bonds and imprisonment and were stoned sawn assunder and slain with the sword and yet they felt no evill in their soules which in all these temptations did remaine untouched Though the stiff-necked Iewes were cut to the heart at the hearing of Stevens words and they gnashed on him with their teeth and ran upon him all at once with purpose to destroy him soule and body yet his soule was not touched with the sense and feeling of their malice and fury and being commended into the hands of Christ whom it saw and enjoyed in death it ascended triumphantly into glory vse 1 This Doctrine thus confirmed in all particulars is of singular use First to magnifie in our eyes Gods tender love to his Church and his watchfulnesse over his people for the preservation defence and upholding of them in a world so full of the Bands of wicked sons of Belial and in a land so over-spread with the curse and plague of Bryars and thornes First in that he keeps many of them from being caught or touched at all Secondly in that he supports them when they are caught and armes them with strength faith patience and courage to goe through the Briars and Thornes without any sense and feeling of the sting and venome of their sharp pricks as wee read of one of our blessed Martyrs who professed that in the midst of burning flames consuming his body he felt no more pain than if he had layn on a feather-bed Thirdly in that hee limits and restrains the power rage and fury of the sharpest and most cruell pricks of the cursed Bramble that they cannot strike and wound them to the quick that is not reach unto their soule Of this the Church and people of God in this land have had heretofore and have at this day most comfortable experience First in the yeare 88. when the flouds of Belial made us afraid and the armed Bands of Antichrist came against us with an invincible Armado as they proudly boasted armed with sharpe hooks stabbing knives and all weapons of cruelty and instruments of death the Lord did blow upon them with his mighty whirlewinde scattered them upon the face of the great deep the sea covered them and they sunk as Lead in the mighty waters and so he saved us from the sharp hooks and pricks of the enemies their murdering and destroying weapons and instruments of cruelty did not touch us at all Likewise in the Powder Treason and many other treacherous plots of late time when wee were encompassed in the net ready to fall into the Bryars and to be caught in the
a wofull day Ier. 17 16. A day of wrath a day of trouble and distresse a day of wastnesse and desolation a day of thick darknesse clouds and gloominesse Nah. 1.15 All which are dreadfull and terrible The Prophet Isaiah caâ—ls it devouring by that fire wherewith God devowreth his enemies the fire of thine enemies ô Lord shall devoure them The Lord is said to whet his sword and bend his bow and prepare the instruments of death and ordain his Arrowes against the persecutors Psal. 7.12 Hee will make his arrowes drunke with their bloud and his sword shall devoure their flesh and he will render vengeance to them and give them the reward of his enemies Deut. 32.41 And in a word the soule of the Lord so hateth these wicked men which love violence that he will rain upon them snares fire brimstone and an horrible tempest this shall be the portion of their cup Psal. 11.6 Secondly that their destruction shall come suddenly the Lord himselfe testifieth Deut. 32.35 saying To mee belongeth vengeance and recompence their foote shall slide in due tyme that is there fall shall be sudden as the fall of a man when his foote slideth and downe he comes at once the day of their calamitie is at hand and the things which come upon them make haste And Psal. 64.7 It is said of them that bend their bowe to shoote at the perfect that the Lord shall shoote at them with his swift arrow suddenly suddenly shall their stroke be And the wise preacher resembles the fall of the wicked in the evil day to fishes taken in an evill net and to birds that are taken in a snare before they know and be a ware and their snare and destruction falleth suddenly upon them The Prophet Isaiah saieth that the multitude of the terrible ones shall bee as chaffe which passeth away and it that is their scattering shall be at an instant suddenly And because they hate preaching of the truth and desire that God may cease from them and that they may no more heare of him and trust in oppression and perversenesse Therefore their fall and breach shall be suddenly as the swelling in an high wall the breaking whereof commeth suddenly at an instant Isa. 30.13 And for an instance he brings in Babilon the type of Rome And of the Kingdom and Faction of Antichrist and the pattern of the whole body of the enimies of Gods people and persecutors of his Church Isa. 47.1 Whose destruction cometh on her suddenly and she shall not know from whence it riseth and desolation shall come on her suddenly when she shall not know nor be aware And in this respect the Lord comming to take vengeance on the Romish Beast and on all his agents saith Behold I come as a Thiefe that is suddenly and unexpected Rev. 16.15 And when the wicked say Peace and safety then shall destruction come upon them suddenly as travaile upon a woman with child and they shall not escape 1 Thes. 5.3 Thirdly that their scattering and destruction shall be totall of all and every one of all sorts the Psalmist testifieth Ps. 62.3 How long saith he will yee imagine or devise mischiefe ye shall be slain all of you as a bowing wall shall yee be and as a tottering fence And Ier. 11.12 and 18.21 and divers other places An utter destruction is denounced against all of all sorts who are banded together against God and his people men and women yong and old Priests and Prophets And it is the Lords commandement Deut. 13.15 That the whole City following the Counsell of the wicked and taking part with them to set up Idolatry shall be destroyed and all the inhabitants slaine by the sword The whole family of Achan the troubler of Israel was destroyed Ios 7 24. Corah and all that conspired with him of all ages and Sexes were at once swallowed up Num 16. And of all Ahabs famâ—ly and persecuting house there was not a man left to make water against the wall Nor one man of all Baals Priests escaped but were cut off And of all the wicked Faction which conspired against Ieremiah the Lord saith Cast them out of my sight let them goe forth such as are for death to death and such as are for the sword to the sword and such as are for the Famine to the famine And though Moses and Samuel stood before mee saith God my minde could not be towards them Ier. 15.1 2. Besides these testimonies we have also good reasons to confirme this truth all grounded on the word of God First it is the way course of Gods proceeding so to deal with men as they deale with others to pay them home in their kind and punish like with like Adoni bezek felt this and had full experience of it for as he had cut off the Thumbs and great Toes of seventy Kings so his Thumbs and great Toes were cut off and then he though an heathen King confessed and said As I have done so God hath requited me The Law which God gave to Noah and his sons that whosoever sheds mans bloud by man shall his bloud be shed is also a proofe of this assertion besides many examples in Scripture Now the enemies and persecutors of Gods people they are called the terrible ones Iob 27.13 Isa. 29.20 because they exercise cruelty that they may bee a greater terrrour to the meek Saints they count it their glory to be terrible and band themselves together for that purpose And therefore just it is for God and his justice requires it that he shall lop them off with terrour and consume them all together branch rush and root most terribly Secondly when the wicked set themselves against God and are at open defiance with his Majesty his honour is enraged and his great name will be blasphemed if hee doth not speedily take terrible revenge yea his jealousie will break out like a fire and his anger will smoak against them and move him to destroy them as we see by his owne words concerning Pharaoh Exod 14.17 and Senacharib Isa. 37.29 Now when the bands of the wicked set themselves against Gods people they set themselves against God and touch the apple of his eye where he is most tender and cannot abide to be touched Zac. 2.8 And if he should suffer them any longer and not scatter them when they are swollen with malice pride power and like raging waves and proud waters are ready to over-flow and drowne his people what would become of his servants how would the enemy rage more against his holy Majesty and what would they doe to his great name but blaspheme it and say Where is their God or what is hee that wee should stand in awe of him Therefore the Lord for his names sake as well as for his tender compassion to his people will suddenly and totally scatter them and destroy them with terrible destruction Thirdly terrible wrath and vengeance are laid up in