shaken with the wind in our necessities wee hasten to be our owne prouisors in our dangers wee wil be our owne deliuerers and euery way we become the caruets of our owne perdition wee haue so much the more to beware of this precipitation because the dearest seruants of God haue fallen through it into fearefull sinnes against the Lord their God and breed great vnquietnesse vnto them selues When Dauid was in extreame danger in the wildernes of Maon he said in his feare that all men were lyers O what a blasphemie that doing the promises of God made to him by Samuel the Lords Prophet were but lyes and how many times thought hee in his other troubes that God had forgot to be mercifull and had shut vp his tender mercies in displeasure But when he saw the end then was he compelled to accuse him selfe to giue glory to God to say I should haue been dumbe and not opened my mouth because thou didest it I sayd it in my feare but now I see Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saincts As this precipitation made Dauid to stumble fall so will it carry vs also to the like inconuencience too except we beware of it For if we should looke to Lazarus in the dunghill full of Byles Sores hauing no comfort but from the Dogges and compare him with the Richman cloathed in Purple and fareing daintily euery day What can we iudge but that Lazarus is the most miserable of the two yet tarry while the Lord haue ended his worke and Lazarus be conueyed to Abrahams bosome and the Rich glutton be gone to his place then shall the trueth appeare manifestly All thinges worke together for the best so them that loue God Let vs learne therefore to measure the euent of thinges not by their present condition but by the prediction of Gods word Let vs cleaue to his Promise and waite on the Vision which hath his owne time appoynted it shall speake at the last and shall not lie though it terry let vs waite for it it shall surely come and not stay Let vs goe into the Sanctuarie of God and consider the end there shall we find and learne that there is no peace to the Wicked how soeuer they floorish for a time and that it can not be but well with them that feare the Lord. Marke the vpright man and behold the lust for the end of that man is peace but the transgressors shal be destroyed together and the end of the Wicked shal be cut off So both in the troubles of the Godly and prosperitie of the Wicked are we bound to suspend our iudgment till we see the end All thinges worke together O what a singular priuiledge hath the Christian that not onely Afflictions but all thinges whatsoeuer workes for the best and not onely so but they worke together for the best to him Many working instrumentes is there in the world their course is not one they communicate no counsels yea their intentions often times are contrary yet the Lord bringes all their wayes to this one ende To the good of them that loue him Where 〈◊〉 they be in regard of place what euer they be in regard of persons what euer their purposes be how soeuer disagreeing amongst them selues yet such is the power and prouidence of that supreame gouernour our heauenly Father that All of them workes together to the good of them that loues him And herein doth his Power and Wisedome appeare more clearely then in the tempering of this great vniuerse making Elements of so contrary qualities to meete together agree in one pleasant harmony For the illustration of this let vs marke but one example for all Iaacob sendes his sonne Ioseph to Dothan to visite his brethren his brethren castes him into the Pitt Reuben relieues him the Marchants of Midian buyes him and selles him againe to Poliphar his Mistris accuses him his Maister condemnes him the Butlet after long ingratitude recommendes him and Pharaâ—h exaltes him O what Instruments are heere and how many handes are about this one poore man of God but how doth the Lord direct them all yea beside their owne intention to further Iosephs aduancement in Aegipt for his owne good and the good of his Church But now to the particulars There is nothing in the world which workes not for our weale All the workes of God all the stratagems of Satan all the imaginations of man are for the weale of Gods Children yea out of the most poysonable thinges as Sinne and Death doth the Lord draw healthsome and mediciuall preseruatiues to them that loue him All the wayes of the Lord sayth Dauid are Mercie and Trueth Marke what he sayth and make not thou an exception where God hath made none All none excepted But be thou strengthened in Fayth and giue glory to God saying with the patient Iob Albeit the Lord would slay mee yet will I trust in him Sometime the Lord walkes in the way of anger seeming angie with his Children and to walke stubbornly against them which hath mooued them to powre out the like of these pittifull Lamentes The arrowes of the Almightie are vpon me sayth Iob the venlme whereof doth drinke vp my spâ—rit and the terrours of God fight against mee Thou settes mee vp as a marke against thee and makest mee a burden to my selfe Thy indignation lyeth vpon mee sayth Dauid Yea from my youth I haue suffered thy terrours doubting of my life For felicitie I haue had bitter griâ—fe sayd Exechia for the Lord like a Lion brake all my bones so that I did chatter like a Swallow and mourne like a Done I am troubled on euery side sayth the Apostle hauing fightings without and terrours within And yet in all these the Lord hath a secret way of mercie wherein he walkes and workes for the comfort of his Children which albeit for the present wee can not perceiue and can see no other but the Lord hath taken vs for his enemies yet in the ende wee shal be compelled to acknowledge it and confesse with Dauid O good was it for mee O Lord that euer thou correctest mee Therefore also sayd the Apostle The Lord is maruelous in his Saincts And the Apostle cryed out O the deepenesse of the riches hath of the Wisedome and Knowledge God! how vnsearchable are his iudgementes and his wayes past finding out His glorie is great when hee worketh by meanes his glorie is greateâ— when he worketh without meanes but his glorie shineth most brightly when he worketh by contraries It was a great worke that hee did open the eyes of the blind man but greater that he did by application of Spittle and Clay such meanes as are meeter to put out the eyes of the seeing man then to restore the sight to a blind man So he wrought in the first Creation causing Light to
shine out of Darknes So also in the worke of Redemption for by cursed Death hee brought happy Lyfe by the Crosse hee obtayned the Crowne and through Shame he went to Glory And this same order the Lord keeps yet in the worke of our second Creation which is our Regeneration hee casteth downe that he may raise vp hee killes hee makes aliue hee woundes and hee will binde vp hee woundes and hee will heale hee accuseth his children of sinnes that so they may get remisse of their sinnes hee troubleth their Consciences that so he may pacifie them and in a word the meanes which he vseth in working are contrary to the worke it selfe which he intendes to performe towardes his Children Hee sent a fearefull Darknesse on Abraham but afterward communicated to him a ioyfull Light hee wrestled with Iaacob and shooke him too and â—ro but in the end blessed him hee stroke the Apostle Paul with blindnes and then opened his eyes that he might know the Lord Iesus hee frownes for a while vpon his owne as Ioseph did vpon his Brethren but in the end with a louing affection shall he imbrace them hee may seeme angrie at thy Prayers as hee put backe the Petition of the Woman of Canaan but at length will graunt a fauourable answere to them therefore let vs learne to possesse our soules in patience let the Lord worke by any meanes it pleaseth him It is enough that wee know All the wayes of God yea euen when he dealeth most hardly with his Children are mercy and tendes to the good of those that loue him And as to Satans stratagems it is also out of doubt that they worke for the best to them that loue the Lord not according to his purpose in deed but because the Lord trappeth him in his owne snare If vnder the Serpents shape he deceiued Adam vnder the Serpents name shall the Lord curse him and all these weapons whereby he intendes to destroy the worke of Gods grace into vs shall the Lord make forcible to destroy the workemanship of Satan into vs I meane that whole bastard Generation of sinfull afflictions which Satan hath begotten vpon our mutable nature by a most vnhappy and vnlawfull copulation The experience of all the Sainctes of God will prooue this that Satan by his restles temptations doth destroy him selfe which is most euident both in his temptations for sinne which tend to desperation as also in his temptations to sinne which tend to presumption Euery accusation of the Conscience for by-past sinnes is a Preseruatiue to the Childe of God to keepe him from sinne in time to come hee reasoning with himselfe after this maner If my Enemie doth so disquiet my minde with inward terrours for these sinnes which foolishly I did by his inticement why shall I harken to him any more hereafter and so increase the matter of my trouble for what fruite haue I of all the sinnes wherein I tooke pleasure but terrour and shame And shall I looke that this forbidden Tree shall tender any better fruite hereafter O what a faythlesse traytor is Satan hee inticeth man vnto sinne and when he hath done it he is the first accuser and troubler of man for sinne When hee workes in vs he is a temptor when we haue finished his worke which is sinne hee is an accuser of vs to the iudge and when he returneth he returneth as a troubler and a tormentor of vs for our sinnes Stoppe my care therefore O my soule from the voyce of this deceitfull enchaunter His temptations againe vnto sinne are so many prouocations spurring vs forwarde to the throne of grace for whilest we finde his restlesse malice pursuing that sparckle of spirituall life whereby the Lord hath quikened vs and our owne weaknesse and inhabilitie to resist him then we are forced with Israel in Aegipt to sigh for the thraldome and to cry with Ioseph O Lord our God we wott not what to doe but our eyes are turned toward thee And who feeles not this that the grace of feruent Prayer wherein otherwise we faint our handes being more readie to fall downe then the handes of Moses except they be supported is greatly wakened and intended in the Children of God by the buffets of Satan So they wakened the holy Apostle and stirred him vp to such feruencie in prayer that he besought the Lord thrise that is many times to deliuer him from them Yea which is more the Lord made them effectuall meanes to beate downe the power of naturall pride in him least hee should haue been exalted out of measure through the greatness of his reuelations A wounderfull worke that the Father of Pride becommeth against his will a represser of Pride and hee who first procured this Poyson in the nature of Man is made contrary to his intent an instrument to suppresse it Thus the Lord our God out-shooteth Satan in his owne Bowe and with the Sword of Goliah cutteth off his owne head His holy name be praysed therefore for euer Now as concerning outward afflictions it is true that as the Philistines could not vnderstande Samsons Riddle how Sweete came out of the sower and meate out of the eater So can no Worldlings vnderstand that Tribuâ—ation bringeth out Patience and that our light momentaâ—â—e afflictions causeth vnto vs a farre more excellent and eternall waight of glorie but the children of God hath learned by experience that albeit no visitation be sweete for the present yet afterwardes it bringeth the quiet fruite of righteousnes vnto them who are thereby exercised and that there is more solide ioy in Suffring rebuke with Christ then in all the pleasures of sinne which indure but for a season For as Moses the mediator of the old Testament by his prayer made the bitter Waters of Marah sweete that the Israelites might drinke of it so Iesus the mediator of the new Testament by his Passion hath mittigated to his children the bitternes of the Crosse and not onely mixed it with ioy but made it most profitable The for-lorne Sonne concluded neuer to returne home to his Father till he was brought low by affliction And many in the Gospell were forced by Diseases corporall to run to Iesus where others enioying bodily health did nothing but disdaine him The earth which is not tilled and broken beares nothing but Thornes and Briers the Vines waxe wilde by time except they be proyned and cut so should our vaine heartes ouergrow with vilde affections if the Lord by sanctified trouble did not continually manure them Therefore sayd Ieremie It is good for a man to beare the yoake in his youth And Dauid confessed It was good for him that hee was afflicted Yea sayth our Sauiour Euery branch that beares fruite my he menly Father purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruite No worke can be made of Gold and Siluer without Fire and Stones
are not meete for Pallace worke except they be pollished and squared by hamering no more is it possible that we can be vessels of Honour in the houres of our God except first we be fined melted in the fire of affliction neither can we be as liuing Stones to be placed in the Wall of the heauenly Ierusalem except so long as we are heere the hâ—nd of God beat from vs our prouâ— lumpes by the hammer of Affliction As standing Waters puâ—â—â—sies and rottes so the wicked feares not God sayth the Psaâ—nist because they haue no changes And Moaâ— keyes is sent sayth the Prophet because he was not powred from vessell to vessell but hath been at rest euer since â—is youth And therefore O Lord rather then we should keepe the old sent of our naturall corruption and liue in a carelesse securitie without the â—eaâ—e of thy holy name and so become sitfasts in our sinnes no rather O Lord change thou vs from estate to estate waken vs widâ— the presence of thy hand purge vi O Lord with thy fire and chastice vs with thy roddes alway Lord with a protestation that thou stand to thy promise made to the Sonnes of Dauid I will visit them with my roddes if they sinne against mee but my mercie wili I neuer take from them So be it Lord euen So be it The same comfort haue we also against Death that now in Christ Iesus it is not a punishment of our sinnes but a full accomplishment of the mortification of sinne both in soule and body for by it all the conduites of sinne are stopped the weapons of vnrighteousnesse broken and though our bodyes seeme to be consumed yet are they but sowen like graines of Wheate into the â—ielde and husbandâ—â—e of the Lord which must die before they be quickness but in the day of haruest shall spring vp againe most glorious and shal be restored by the same holy Spiâ—â—â—e who now dwelâ—s in them and as to our soules they are relieued out of this house of seruitude and that they may depart and returne to 〈◊〉 from whom they came therfore haue I compared Death to the Redde Sea wherein Pharaâ—h and his Aegyptians were drowned and sanke like a Stone to the bottome but the Israelites of God went through to their promised Canaan So shall Death be vnto you O miserable Infidels whose eyes the God of this world hath blinded that no more then the blind Aegiptians can you see the light of God that shineth in Gâ—shan that is his Church although yee be in it to you I say your Death shal be a Sea of Gods vengeuce wherein yee shal be drowned and shall sinke with your sinnes heauier then a Milstone about the necke of your soule to presse you downe to the lowest Helleâ— But as to you that are the Israelites of God yee shall walke through the valley of Death and not need to be aâ—rayde because the Lord is with you His Staffe and his Rodde shall comfort you Albert the terrours of Hell the horrour of the Graue the guiltinesse of Sinne stand about thee like Mountaines threatning to ouerwhelme thee yet shalt thou go safe through to the land of thine inheritance where with Moses and Mertam and all the children of God euen the congregation of the first borne Thou shalt sing prayses ioyfully to the God of thy saluation And thus wee see how that not onely our present Afflictions but Satan Sinne and Death are made to worke for the best to them that loue the Lord. Now in the last roome concerning the imaginations of men against vs we shall haue cause to say of them in the end as Ioseph sayd to his brethren You did it vnto mee for euill but the Lord turned it vnto good The whole Historie of Gods Booke is as a cloude of maniâ—old witnesses concurring altogether to confime this trueth I content my selle therefore for all to bring one When Dauid was going forward in the Battaâ—le against Israel with Achish King of Gath vnder whom he soiourned for a while in the time of his baniâ—hment the remanent Princes of the Philistines commâ—unded him to goe backe and this they did for the worse to disgrace him because they distrusted him but the Lord turned it to him for the best Consider Dauids estate now and yee shall see him set betwixt two great extremities If he had gone backe of his owne accord the Philâ—stines might haue blamed him and hanâ—led him as an enemie if hee had come forwarde hee should haue been guiltie of the blood of Israel and especially of Sâ—ul the Lordes annoyted who was slaine in that Battaile In this straite the wit of man can finde him no outgate but the prouident mercie of God deliuers him in such sort that no occasion of oâ—fence is giuen to Sâ—ul his people because Dauid came not against them neither yet could the Philistines condemne him because he went backe by their commaunde So notable a benefite did Dauid receiue euen by that same deed wherein his enemies thought they had done him notable a shame and it should learne vs in our straightest extremities whereunto men can driue vs to depende on the Lord and euer then to hope for an outgate when we see none For such is thy prouidence O Lord whereby in mercy thou watchest ouer those that loue thee that these euilles that are intended against them by thee are turned into good to them And heere we haue further to consider that seeing this is the priuiledge of euery one that loues the Lord much more must it appertaine to the whole Church of God It is the portion of Abraham alberâ— the Father of the Faythfull yet one of Gods Children I will blesse them that blesse thee end cursse them that câ—rsie thee And shall it not belong thinke wee to all the congregation of the first borne Will not the Lord be a Wall of fire rounde about Ierusalem and the glory in the middest of her Will bee not keepe her as the apple of his eye Shall not Ierusalem be as a Cuppe of Poyson vnto all her enemies and a heauie Stone Yea surely all that lift it vp shall be torne though all the people of the earth be gathered togeather against it the weapons made against her shall not prosper and euery tongne that shall rise against her in iudgement shall be condemned This is the heritage of the Lordes seruantes and the portion of them who loue him For the Church is that Arke of God which may mount vp higher as the Waters increaseth but can not be ouerwhelmed the Bush which may burne but can not be consumed the House built on a Rocke which may be beaten with wind and raine but can not be ouerthrowen The Lord who changeth times and seasons who takes away Kinges and settes vp Kinges hath reprooued Kinges for his Churches sake and hee gouerneth all the