by contraries how divers even in effect aswell as taste wherein variety hits the humour of all are the Birds and Beasts that feed us And how divers againe are those things that feed them How many severall qualities have the Plants that they brouze upon which all mingled together what a well temepred Sallad do they make Thus you see that though faith be above reason yet is there a reason to bee given of our faith O what a depth of wisdome may lye wrapt up in those passages which to our weak apprehensions may seeme ridiculous CHAP. 3. That the graces of God in his children may the more sâ—ine through imployment 3 THirdly it maketh for Gods glory another way when those graces which he hath bestowed upon his children doe the more shine through imployment and are the more seene and taken notice of by the world surely if his justice get such honour by a Pharaoh much more doth his mercy by a Moses now Abrahams faith Iobs patience Pauls courage and constancy if they had not beene tried by the fire of affliction their graces had beene smothered as so many lights under a bushell which now to the glory of God shine to all the world Yea not onely their vertues but the gracious lives of all the Saints departed do still magnifie him even to this day in every place we heare of them and move us likewise to glorifie God for them wherefore happy man that leaves such a president for which the future Ages shall praise him and praise God for him Who could know the faith patience and Valour of Gods Souldiers if they alwayes lay in Garrison and never came to the skirmish Whereas now they are both exemplary and serve also to put to silence the ignorance of foolish men 1 Pet. 2.15 One Iupiter set out by Homer the Poet was worth ten set out by Phidias the Carver saith Philostratus because the former flew abroad through all the world whereas the other never stirred from his Pedistall at Athens so at first the honour and splendor of Iobs integrity was confined to Vz a little corner of Arabia yea to his owne Family whereas by meanes of the divels malice it is now spâ—ead as farre as the Sunne can extend his beames or the Moone her influence for of such a Favorite of Heaven such a Mirour of the Earth such a wonder of the World who takes not notice Who could know whether we be Vessels of gold or drosse unlesse we were brought to the Touch-stone of temptation Who could feele the odoriferous smell of these Aromaticall spices if they were not pownded and bruized in the morter of affliction The worlds hatred and calumny to an able Christian serves as bellowes to kindle his devotion and blow off the ashes under which his faith lay hid like the Moone he shines cleerest in the night of affliction If it made for the honour of Saul and all Israel that he had a little Boy in his Army that was able to incounter that selected great Gyant Goliah of the Philistims and overcame him how much more doth it make for Gods glory that the least of his adopted ones should be able to incounter foure enemies The World The Flesh. The Devill and The Death The weakest of which is 1 The Flesh. 2 The World Now the Flesh being an home-bred enemy a Dalilah in Sampsons bosome a Iudas in Christs company like a Moath in the Garment bred in us and cherished of us and yet alwayes attempting to fret and destroy us and the world a forraigne foe whose Army consists of two wings Adversity on the left hand Prosperity on the right hand Death stronger than either and the Devill stronger than all And yet that the weakest childe of God onely through faith in Christ a thing as much despised of Philistims as Davids sling and stone was of Goliah â—hould overcome all these foure wherein he shewes himselfe a greater Conquerour that William the Conquerour yea even greater than Alexander the Great or Pompey the Great or the Great Turke for they onely conquered in many yeeres a few parts of the world but he that is borne of God overcommeth the whole world and all things in the world 1 Iohn 5. And this is the victory that overcommeth the world even our faith Vers. 4. and Makes not this infinitely for the glory of God Yea it makes much for the honour of Christians For art thou borne of God hast thou vanquished the world that vanquisheth all the wicked Blesse God for this conquest The King of Spaines overcomming the Indies was nothing to it If Satan had knowne his afflicting of Iob would have so advanced the glory of God manifested Iobs admirable patience to all Ages made such a president for imitation to others occasioned so much shame to himselfe I doubt not but Iob should have continued prosperous and quiet for who will set upon his adversary when he knoweth he shall be shamefully beaten This being so happy are they who when they doe well heare ill but much more blessed are they who â—ive so well as that their backbiting adversaâ—ies seeing their good works are constrained to praise God and speake well of them CHAP. 4. That God suffers his children to be afflicted and persecuted by ungodly men that so they may be brought to repentance NOw the Reasons which have chiefly respect to the good of his children in their sufferings being thirteene in number are distinguished as followeth God suffers his children to be afflicted by them 1 Because it Brings them to repentance 2 Because it Workes in them amendment of life 3 Because it Stirs them up to prayer 4 Because it Weanes them from the love of the world 5 Because it Keeps them alwayes pâ—epared to the spirituall combate 6 Because it Discovers whether we be true beleevers or hypocrites 7 Because it Prevents greater evils of sin and punishment to come 8 Because it makes them Humble 9 Because it makes them Conformable to Christ their head 10 Because it Increaseth their Faith 11 Because it Increaseth their Ioy and thankfulnesse 12 Because it Increaseth their Spirituall wisdome 13 Because it Increaseth their Patience First the Lord suffers his children to be vexed and persecuted by the wicked because it is a notable meanes to rouze them out of carelesse security and bring them to repentance he openeth the eares of men saith Elihu even by their corrections that he might cause man to turne away from his enterprize and that he might keepe back his soule from the pit Iob 33.16 17 18. The feeling of smart will teach us to decline the cause those bitter sufferings of Iob toward his later end made him to possesse the iniquities of his youth Iob 13.26 Whereby with Solomons Evis-dropper Eccles. 7.21 22. he came to repent of that whereof he did not once suspect himselfe guilty it made him not thinke so much of what he felt as what he deserved to feele Sathans malice not seldome proves
may say to every childe of God which suffereth for Religion sake as Iahaziel by the Spirit of God said unto all Iudah the inhabitants of Ierusalem and King Iehosaphat The battell is not yours but Gods wherefore you shall not need to fight in this battell stand still move not and behold the salvation of the Lord towards you 2 Chron. 20.15 17. Yea it stands upon Christs honour to maintaine those that are in his worke I but saith the weake Christian I am so wronged reviled and slandered that it would make a man speake like Aeagles that famous wrestler that never spake before in his life Answer There is no such necessity For first Who ever was that was not slandered Secondly let him speake evill of thee yet others shall not beleeve him or if the evill and ignorant do yet report from wise and good men shall speake thee vertuous Yea Thirdly though of some the slanderer be beleeved for a while yet at last thy actions will out-weigh his words and the disgrace shall rest with the intender of the ill The constancy of a mans good behaviour vindicates him from ill report how ever revenge not thy selfe in any case for by revenging thine owne quarrell thou makest thy selfe both the Iudge the Witnesse the Accuser and the Executioner If thou wilt see what God hath done and what he can and will do if there be like need heare what Ruffinus and Socrates write of Theodosius in his warres against Eugenius When this good Christian Emperour saw the huge multitude that was comming against him and that in the sight of man there was apparent overthrow at hand he gets him up into a place eminent and in the sight of all the Army fals downe prostrate upon the Earth beseeching GOD if ever hee would looke upon a â—infull creature to helpe him at this time of greatest need whereupon there arose suddenly such a mighty winde that it blew the Darts of the enemies back upon themselves in such a wonderderfull manner that Eugenius with all his Host was cleane discomfited and seeing the power of Christ so fight for his people was forced in effect to cry out as the Aegyptians did God is in the cloud and he fighteth for them Thus God either preventeth our enemies as here he did or delivereth his servants out of persecution as he did Peter or else if hee crowneth them with Martyrdome as he did Stephen hee will in his Kingdome of Glory give them instead of this bitter a better inheritance pro veritate morientes cum veritate viventes Wherefore in this and all other caâ—es cast thy burden upon the LORD and say with the Kingly Prophet I will lay me downe in peace for it is thou Lord only that makest me dwell in safety CHAP. 29. Because they have respect unto Gods Commandement 2 BEcause they have respect unto Gods Commandement who saith By your patience possesse your soules Luke 21.19 Be patient towards all men 1 Thess. 5.14 And Let your patient minde bee knowne unto all men Phil. 4.5 See saith Paul that none recompence evill for evill unto any man 1 Thes. 5.15 And againe Be not overcome with evill but overcome evill with goodnesse Rom. 12.21 Yea saith our Saviour Love your enemies do well to them that hate you blesse them that curse you and pray for them which hurt you Luke 6 27 28. And in case thine enemy hunger instead of adding to his affliction give him bread to eat if the thirst give him water to drinke or else thou breakest Gods commandement touching patience Pro. 25.21 Rom. 12.20 and consequently art in the sight of God a transgressor of the whole Law and standest guilty of the breach of every Commandement Iames 2.10 11. We know the frantick man though he be sober eleaven moneths of the yeare yet if he rage one he cannot avoide the imputation of madnesse If so let our revenge be like that of Elisha's to the Amorites instead of smiting them set bread and water before them Or like that of Pericles who as Plutarch reports when one had spent the day in railing upon him at his owne dore lest he should go home in the dark caused his man to light him with a Torch And to do otherwise is Ammonite-like to intreat those Embassadours ill which are sent in kindnesse and love for these afflictions are Gods Embassadours and to handle them ruffely yea to repine or grudge against them is to intreat them evill And certainly as David tooke it not well when the Ammonites ill intreated his Embassadours so God will not take the like well from thee 1 Chron. 19. But secondly as the Law of God binds us to this so doth the Law of Nature Whatsoever you would that men should doe unto you even so doe you unto them Mat. 7.12 Our Saviour doth not say doe unto others as others do unto you but as you would have others doe unto you Now if we have wronged any man we desire that hee should forgive us and therefore we must forgive him Lex Tuâ—â—nois was never a good Christian Law If I forgive not I shall not bee forgiven Marke 11.26 So to say of our Enemies as Sampson once of the Philistines Even as they did unto mee so have I done unto them is but an ill plea. For the Law of God and the Law of Nature forbids it and doth not the Law of Nations also Yes throughout the whole world either they have no Law or else a Law to prohibit men from revenging themselves Oppression or injury may not be righted by violence but by Law the redresse of evill by a person unwarranted is evill Ob. But thou wilt say the Law doth not provide a just remedy in all cases of injury especially in case of reproach and slander which is now the Christians chiefe suffering or if in part it doth yet he that is just cannot be quit in one Terme or two Nay if he have right in a yeare it is counted quick dispatch â—nd he is glad that he met with such a speedy Lawyer Answ. If thou knowest the remedy to be worse than the disease I hope thou wilt leave it and commit thy cause to God who if thou wilt give him the like time will cleare thy innocency and cost thâ—e nothing When wee have suffered some evill the flesh our owne wisdome like the King of Israel 2 Kings 6.21 will bid us returne evill to the doer but the Spirit or wisdome of God like Elisha opposeth and bids us returne him good notwithstanding him evill But the flesh will reply he is not worthy to be forgiven I but saith the Spirit Christ is worthy to be obeyed who hath commanded thee to forgive him Now whethers counsell wilt thou follow It is not alwayes good to take our own counsell our owne wit often hunts us into the snares that above all we would shâ—n We oft use meanes of preservation and they prove destroying ones Againe we take courses to ruine us
either with heat or hate but begin and follow our suits without anger or using the least bitternesse or extremity against the person of our adversary as Tilters break their Speares on each others breasts yet without wrath or intention of hurt or as Charles the French King made war against Henry the 7th King of England rather with an Olive branch than a Lawrell branch in his hand more desiring peace than victory not using bribery or any other meanes to corrupt or hinder justice but to seeke our own right 5. And lastly having used this ordinary meanes that the Lord hath given us for the righting of our selves in case we finde no redresse let us rest with quietnesse and meekenesse therein without fretting or desire to right our selves by private revenge knowing assuredly that the Lord hath thus ordered the whole matter either for our correction or for the exercise of our patience and charity or that he will take the matter into his owne hand and revenge our cause of such an enemy far more severely or for that he meanes to deale far better with us if we commit our cause to him than either our selves or any Magistrate could have done To conclude this argument in a word If thou goe to Law Maker Conscience thy Chauncery Maker Charity thy Iudge Maker Patience thy Councellor Maker Truth thy Atturney Maker Peace thy Solicitor And so doing thou shalt be sure to finde two friends in thy suit that will more bestead thee then any tenne Iudges namely God and thy Conscience God who being Chiefe Iustice of the whole world can doe for thee whatsoever he will and will doe for thee whatsoever is best thy Conscience which is instead of a thousand good witnesses a thousand good Advocates a thousand good Iuries a thousand Clerkes of the Peace and Guardians of the Peace to plead procure pronounce record and assure to thee that peace which passeth all understanding But I feare I have incited your impatiency by standing so long upon patience CHAP. 33. Vse and Application of the former Reasons THese latter Reasons being dispatcht returne wee to make Vse of the former for I may seeme to have left them and be gone quite out of sight though indeed it cannot properly be called a digression seeing the last point proved was That God suffers his children to be persecuted and afflicted for the increase of their patience First if God sends these afflictions either for our Instruction or Reformation to scowre away the rust of corruption or to try the truth of our sanctification either for the increase of our patience or the exercise of our faith or the improvement of our zeale or to provoke our importunity or for the doubling of our Obligation let us examine whether we have thus husbanded our afflictions to his glory and our owne spirituall and everlasting good I know Gods chastisements for the time seeme grievous to the best of his Children Yea at first they come upon us like Sampsons Lion looke terribly in shew as if they would devoure us and as Children are afraid of their friends when they see them maked so are we But tell me hath not this roaring Lion prevailed against thy best part hast thou kept thy head whole I meane thy soule free For as Fencers will seeme to fetch a blow at the leg when they intended it at the head so doth the Devill though he strike at thy name his aime is to slay thy soule Now instead of being overcome dost thou overcome Hath this Lion yeelded thee any honey of Instruction or Reformation Hath thy sin died with thy fame or with thy health or with thy peace or with thy outward estate Dost thou perceive the graces of Gods Spirit to come up and flourish so much the more in the spring of thy recovery by how much the more hard and bitter thy winter of adversity hath been Then thou hast approved thy selfe Christs faithfull Souldier and a citizen of that Ierusalem which is above yea I dare boldly say of thee as St. Paul of himselfe That nothing shall be able to separate thee from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord Rom. 8.39 To find this honey in the Lion more than makes amends for all former feare and griefe and in ease any man by his humiliation under the hand of God is growne more faithfull and conscionable there is honey out of the Lion â— or is any man by his temptation of fall become more circumspect after it there also is honey out of the Lion c. For there is no Sampson to whom every Lion doth not yeild some honey and thou mayest foulely suspect thy selfe if thou beest not the better for thy being the worse He is no true borne Christian who is not the better for his evils whatsoever they be no price can buy of the true beleever the gaine of his sins Yea Sathan himselfe in his exercise of Gods Children advantageth them And looke to it if the malice and enmity of wicked men hath beaten thee off from thy profession thou wert at the best but a counterfeit and none of Christs owne bandd A little faith even so much as a graine of Mustard-seed would bee able to remove greater mountaines of feare and distrust out of thy soule than these the damaske Rose is sweeter in the Still than on the Stalke and a Diamond will shine even in the durt 2 If the malice of our enemies as it is husbanded to our thrift by a divine and supreame providence doth make so much for our advantage and benefit here and hereafter as namely that it opens our eyes no lesse than peace and prosperity had formerly shut them that nothing doth so powerfully call home the conscience as affliction and that we need no other art of memory for sin besides misery if commonly we are at variance with God when we are at peace with our enemies and that it is both hard and happy not to be the worse with liberty as the sedentary life is most subject to diseases if vigor of body and infirmity of minde do for the most part lodge under one roofe and that a wearish outside is a strong motive to mortification if God the al-wise Physitian knowes this the fittest medicine for our soules sicknesse and that wee cannot otherwise bee cured if our pride forceth God to doe by us as Sertorius did by his Army who perceiving his Souldiers pufft up through many victories and hearing them boast of their many conquests led them of purpose into the lap of their enemies to the end that stripes might learne them moderation If this above all will make us pray unto him with heat and fervency as whither should wee flye but to our Ioshua when the powers of darkenesse like mighty Aramites have besieged us If ever we will send up our prayers to him it will be when we are be leager'd with evils If true and saving joy is only the daughter of sorrow if
who not onely decreeth and fore appointeth every particular crosse Eccl. 3.1 Rom. 8.28 29. but even effecteth them and brings them into execution as they are crosses corrections trials and chastisements Isaiah 45.7 Amos 3.6 and also ordereth and disposeth them that is limiteth and appointeth the beginning the end the measure the quality and the continuance thereof yea he ordereth them to their right ends namely his owne glory the good of his servants and the benefit of his Church Ier. 30.11 Gen. 50.19 20. 2 Sam. 16.10 Psal. 39. 9. God useth them but as Instruments wherewith to worke his good pleasure upon us our adversaries are but as tooles in the hand of the Workeman and we must not so much looke to the Instrument as to the Author Gen 45.5 and 50.20 Well may the Priests of the Philistims doubt whether their plague bee from God or by Fortune 1 Sam. 6.2 9. but let a Ioseph be sold into Aegypt he will say unto his enemies Ye sent not me hither but God when ye thought evill against me God disposed it to good that he might bring to passe as it is this day and save much people alive or let a David be railed upon by any cursed Shemei he will answer Let him alone for he curseth even because the Lord hath bid him curse David Who dare then say wherefore hast thou done so 2 Sam. 16.10 Or let a Micha be trodden upon and insulted over by his enemy his answer shall bee no other than this I will beare the wrath of the Lord because I have sinned against him untill he pleade my cause and execute judgement for me Micha 7.9 The beleever that is conversant in Gods booke knowes that his adversaries are in the hands of God as a Hammer Axe or Rod in the hand of a smiter and therefore as the Hammer Axe or Rod of it selfe can doe nothing any further than the force of the hand using it gives strength unto it No more can they doe any thing at all unto him further than it is given them from above as our Saviour told Pilate Iohn 19.11 See this in some examples you have Laban following Iacob with one troope Esau meeting him with another both with hostile intentions both go on till the uttermost point of their execution both are prevented ere the execution for stay but a while and you shall see Laban leave him with a kisse Esau meet him with a kisse of the one he hath an oath teares of the other peace with both GOD makes fooles of the enemies of his Church he lets them proceed that they may be frustrate and when they are gone to the uttermost reach of their teather he puls them back to the stake with shame Againe you have Senacherib let loose upon Hezekiah and his people who insults over them intolerably 2 Kings 18. Oh the lamentable and in sight desperate condition of distressed Ierusalem wealth it had none strength it had but a little all the Countrey round about was subdued unto the Assyrian that proud victor hath begirt the wals of it with an innumerable army scorning that such a shovell-full of earth should stand out but one day yet poore Ierusalem stands alone blockt up with a world of enemies helplesse friendlesse comfortlesse looking for the worst of an hostile fury and on a sudden before an Arrow is shot into the City a hundred fourescore and five thousand of their enemies were slaine and the rest run away 2 Kings 19.35 36. If we are in league with God we need not feare the greatest of mâ—n for let the Kings of the Earth be assembled and the Rulers come together Let Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel gather themselves in one league against him it is in vaine for they can do nothing but what the hand of God and his Councell hath before determined to be done as Peter and Iohn affirmed to the rest of the Disciples for their better confirmation and comfort Acts 4.26 to 29. Nothing can be accomplished in the Lower-House of this world but first it is decreed in the Vpper-Court of Heaven as for example what did the Iewes ever doe to our Saviour Christ that was not first both decreed by the Father of Spirits and registred in the Scriptures for our notice and comfort They could not so much as throw the Dice for his coat but it was prophesied Psalme 22.18 and Psal. 69.21 It is foretold that they should give him gall in his meat and in his thirst vineger to drinke the very quality and kinde of his drink is prophesied yea his face could not be spit upon without a prophesie those filthy excrements of his enemies fell not upon his face without Gods decree and the Prophets relation Esay 50.6 Now it must needs comfort and support us exceedingly if in all cases we doe but duly consider that inequality is the ground of order that superiour causes guide the subordinate that this sublunary Globe depends on the celestiall as the lesser wheeles in a Clock doe on the great one which I finde thus expressed As in a Clock one motion doth convey And carry divers wheeles a severall way Yet altogether by the great wheeles force Direct the hand unto his proper course Who is he that saith and it commeth to passe when the Lord commandeth it not Lam. 3.37 Suppose the Legions of Hell should combine with the Potentates of the Earth to doe their worst they cannot go beyond the reach of their teather whether they rise or sit still they shall by an insensible ordination performe that will of the Almighty which they least thinke of and most oppose yea saith Austine by resisting the will of God they do fulfill it and his will is done by and upon them even in that they doe against his will That even Satan himselfe is limited and can go no further than his chaine will reach we may see Revel 20.2 More particularly he could not touch so much as Iobs body or substance no not one of his servants nor one limbe of their bodies nor one haire of their heads nor one beast of their heards but he must first beg leave of God Iob 2.6 Nay Satan is so farre from having power over us living that he cannot touch our bodies being dead yea he cannot finde them when God will conceale them witnesse the body of Moses and I doubt not but as the Angels did wait at the Sepulchre of their and our Lord so for his sake they also watch over our graves he could not seduce a false Prophet nor enter into a Hog without license the whole Legion sue to Christ for a sufferance not daring other than to grant that without his permission they could not hurt a very Swine Now if it be fearefull to thinke how great things evill spirits can doe with permission it is comfortable to thinke how they can doe nothing without permission for if GOD must give him leave hee will never
with wicked men as Eutrapilus sometimeâ— did with his subjects who when he was minded to doe a poore man a mischiefe would give him aboundance of wealth whereas contrarily his Children find themselves croft with a blessing As when Isabel Queene of England was to repasse from Zâ—â—lâ—â—d into her owne kingdome witâ—â—n Army in favour of her sonne against her husbâ—nd had utterly beene cast away had she come unto the Port intended being there expected by her enemies but providence against her will brought her to another place where she safely landed And indeed how infinitely should we intâ—ngle our selves if we could sit downe and obtaine our wishes doe we not often wish that which we after see would be our confusion because we ignorantly follow the flesh and blinded appetite which lookes on nothing but the shell and outside whereas God respecteth the soule and distributeth his favour for the good of that and his glory It is an argument of love in the father when he takes away the childes knife and gives him a booke We cry for riches or liberty or peace they are knives to cut our fingers wherfore God gives us his word the riches of Verity not of Vanity Hee gives us that glorious liberty to bee the Sonnes of God hee gives us that peace which the world cannot give nor take away wherfore let the Christian understand God his Physitian tribulation his Physicke being afflicted under the Medicine thou cryest the Physitian heares thee not according to thy will but thy weale thou canst not endure thy malady and wilt thou not be patient of the remedy No man would bee more miserable than he that should cull out his owne wayes What a specious shew carryed Midas his wish with it and how did it pay him with ruine at last Surely I have seene matters fall out so unexpâ—â—â—edly that they have tutored me in all 〈◊〉 neither to despâ—ire nor presume not to despaire for God can helpe me not to presume for God can crosse me One day made Marius Emperor the next saw him rule and the third he was staine of hiâ— Souldiers Well then if with Paul thou hast besought the Lord often that thy present affliction might depart from thee and canst not be heard in the thing which thou desirest know that thou art heard in that which is more conducible to thy profit and consequently rejoyce more in that thy petition is denyed thâ—n if it had been granted This was the use which Saint Paul made of Gods denyall and he knew what he did though he had asmuch to boast and rejoyce of as any one living yet saith he Of my selfe I will not rejoyce except it be of minâ— infirmities That is afflictions reproaches persecutions inward temptations feares distrusts c. But in these I will very gladly rejoyce Why That the power of Christ may dwell in 〈◊〉 Note his reason he had heard God say that his power was made Perfect through weaknesse 2 Cor. 12.8 9. Neither had he only cause to rejoyce in his infirmities but all Gods people have the same cause to rejoyce for what the spirit of comfort speaks in this and in all the former places recited doe equally belong to thee for thy consolation with all the regenerate for whatsoever was written aforetime was written for thy learning and mine that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope Rom. 15.4 beleevest thou the former Scriptures spoken by CHRIST and his Apostles I know that thou beleevest with some mixture of unbeliefe and art almost perswaded not only to doe but to suffer chearefully for well doing But why dost thou not altogether believe that it is a blessed and happy thing thus to suffer Matth. 5.10 11 12. That thou hast great cause to rejoyce and be glad that thou art counted worthy to suffer rebuke for Christs Name Acts 5.41 Thou seest it is not for nothing that Christ saith Blessed and happy are yee when men revile you and persecute you That Saint Iames saith Count it exceeding joy when yee fall into diverse temptations Iames 1.2 It is not for nothing that Saint Paul saith I take pleasure in infirmities in reproaches in necessities iâ— persecutions in anguish for Christs sake c. 2 Cor. 12.10 That Peter and Iohn when they were beaten and imprisoned departed from the councell rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer rebuke for Christs Name Acts 5.41 For even bearing the Crosse with Christ is as great a preferment in the Court of heaven as it is in an earthly Court for the Prince to take off his owne Roabe and put it on the backe of one of his servants Indeed it is hard for Iob when the câ—rrâ—rs of God fight against him and the Arrowes of the Almighty sticks so fast in him that the venome thereof hath drunke up his spirit Iob 6.2 3 4. to thinke it a speciall favour and dignity but so it was being rightly considered It was hard for Iosephs brethren to heare him speake roughly unto them take them for spies and commit them to prison Gen. 42.30 and thinke it is all out of love much more hard for Simeon to be culd out from the rest and committed toward while his brethren are set at liberty verse 24. and yet it was so yea hee loved him best whom he seâ—med to favour least yet such is the infirmity of our nature that as wealte eyes are dazled with that light which should comfort them so there is nothing more common with Gods Children then to be afflicted with the causes of their joy and astonied with that which is intended for their confirmation Even Manâ—a conceaves death in that vision of God wherein alone his life and happinesse did consist Iudges 13.22 But what hath beene the answer of God alwaies to his Children in such their extasies but this Feare not Gideon Iud. 6.23 Fâ—are not Ioseph Mat. 1.10 Feare not Zachary Luk. 1.12 13. Feare not Paul for I am with thee and no man shall lay hands on thee to doe thee hâ—rt c. Acts 18.9 10. The words are often repeated as Pharaohs dreames was doubled for the surenesse Yea to the end that we should be fearelesse in all our sufferings so long as we suffer not as evill doers 1 Peter 4.15 Feare not As one well notes is the first word in th' Annuntiation of Christs conception and the first word in the first Annuntiation of his birth and the first word in the first Annuntiation of his Resurrection and almost the last words in his last exhortation a little before his death are Let not your hearts be troubled and be of good comfort strengthning his followers and sweetning his crosse by diverse forcible reasons Luke 21. Marke 13. And the words of dying men have ever beene most emphaticall most effectuall nay more than all this if yet thou wilt not be comforted looke but Iohn 16.20 and thou shalt have thy Saviour assure thee by a double bond his Word I