his opportunity against us that hee may infect and breathe into us all filthy lusts and adulterous desires when wee lye open unto him by idlenesse Wisely therefore to this point saith the Greeke Poet Hesiodus Much rest nourisheth lust And another Poet saith Quaeritur Aegystus quare sit factus adulter In promptu causa est dâ—sidiosus erat Slothfull lazinesse is the cause of adultery And therefore another saith Eschew idlenesse Our 〈…〉 and cut the very sinews of lust The fourth cause of Adultery is wanton apparell which is a minstrellesse that pipes up a dance unto whoredome But of this enough before The fift and last cause of adulterie is the hope of impunity or escaping of punishment For many being blinded and hardened by Sathan think they shall never bee called to any account for it and because they can blear the eyes of men and carry this sinne so closely under a cloud that it shall never come to light they thinke all is safe and that God seeth them not And therefore Job saith Job 24.15 The eye of the adulterer waiteth for the twi-light and saith No eye shall see mee And in another place Job 23.13 How shall God know Can hee judge thorow the dark cloud But verily versly though the adulterer do never so closely and cunningly convey his sinne under a canopy yet the time will come when it shall be disclosed to his eternall shame For God will bring every work to judgement Eccl. 12.24 with every secret thought whether it be good or evill Psal 9â— For hee hath set our most secret sinnes in the sight of his countenance 1 Cor. 4. And hee will lighten the things that are hid in darknesse and make the counsels of the heart manifest For this cause Job saith Job 10. When I sinne thou watchest mee and wilt not purge me from my sin Phil. Now you have shewed us the causes of adultery I pray you shew us the remedies Theol. There be six remedies for adultery which no doubt will greatly prevail if they bâ— well practised Phil. Which be they Six remedies of adultery Theol. Labour Abstinence Temperance Prayer Restraint of our senses Shunning of womens company and all occasions whatsoever Phil. Well Sir now you have waded deepe enough in the second signe of damnation I pray you let us proceed to the third which is Covetousnesse And as you have laid naked the two former so I pray you strip this stark naked also that all men may see what an ugly monster it is and therefore hate it and abhor it Theol. I would willingly satisfie your minde but in this point I shall never doe it sufficiently For no heart can conceive nor tongue sufficiently utter the loathsomenesse of this vice For covetousnesse is the foulest fiend and blackest Divell of all the rest It is even great Beelzebub himselfe Therefore I shall never be able fully to describe it unto you but I will doe what I can to sttip and whip it stark naked And howsoever the men of this earth and blind worldlings take it to bee most sweet beautifull and amiable and therefore doe embrace it entertaine it and welcome it as though there were some happinesse in it yet I hope when I have shewed them the face thereof in a glasse even the true glasse of Gods Word they will be noe more in such love but quite oâ—t of conceit with it I will therefore hold out this glasse unto them St. Paul to Timothy brandeth this stâ—ne in the forehead and boareth it in the eares that all men may know it and avoyd it 1 Tâ—â— â— 1â— when he saith Covetousnesse is the root of all evill Our Lord Iesus also giveth us a watch-word to take heed of it saying Take heed and beware of covetousnesse 〈◊〉 12.15 As if hee should say Touth it not come not neare it it is the very breath of the Divell it is present death and the very ratsâ—bane of the soule The Apostle layeth out the great danger of this sinne and doth exceedingly grinde the face of it â—â—il 5 19. when he saith That the end of all such as mind earthly things is damnation Let all carnall worldlings and muckish minded men lay this to heart and consider well of it lest they say one day Had I wist Phil. Good Sir lay open unto us the true nature of covetousnesse and what it is that wee may more perfectly discerne it Theol. Covetousnesse is an immoderate desire of having Phil. I hope you do not think frugality thriftinesse and good husbandry to be covetousnesse Theol. Nothing lesse For they be things commanded being done in the feare of God and with a good conscience Phil. Doe you not thinke it lawfull also for men to doe their worldly businesse and to use faithfullnesse and diligence in their callings that they may pâ—ovide for themselves and their families Theol. Yes no doubt And the rather if they doe these things with calling upon God for a blessing upon the workes of their hands and use preyer and thanksgiving before and after their labour taking heed all the day long of the common corruptions of the world as swearing cursing lying dissembling deceiving greedy getting c. Phil. Wherein I pray you doth covetousnesse especially consist Theol. In the greedy desire of the mind For we may lawfully doe the workes of our calling and play the good husbands and good huswives but wee must take heed that distrustfullnesse and inward greedinesse of the world doe not catch our hearts For then wee are set on fire and utterly undone Phil. Sith covetousnesse is especially of the heart how may we know certainly when the heart is infected Theol. There be four speciall signes of the hearts infection Phil. Which be they Theol. The first is an eager and sharp set desire of getting Therefore the holy Ghost saith Pâ—oâ— â—8 Hee that hasteth to be rich shall not be unpunished Pâ—o. 20.2 And againe An heritage is hastily gotten at the beginning but the end thereof shall not be blessed Deâ—â—stâ—â—nes in Olinth 2. The heathen man also saith No man can be both justly and hastily rich The second is a pinching and niggardly keeping of our owne that is when men being able to give will hardly part with any thing though it be to never so holy and good use And when at last with much adoe for shame they give something it cometh heavily from them God wot and scantly The third is the neglect of holy duties that is when mens mindes are so taken up with the love of earthly things that they begin to slack and cool in matters of Gods worship The fourth and last is a trusting in riches and staying upon them as though our lives were maintained by them or did consist only in them which thing our Lord Iesus flatly denyeth saying Though a man have abundance Luk. 12.15 yet his life consisteth not in the things that
have the reward of Gods children This is most 〈◊〉 case but they will not doe the workes of Gods children They would have the sweete but they will none of the sowre They would have the Crowns but they will sight never a stroke They would faine come to Canaan but they are loth to travell that long and dangerous way which leadeth unto it Therefore those men being the sons of idlenesse will step short in the end of that they looke for Prov. 1â— 4 For the Spirit saith The sluggard lusts but his soule hath nought Wee must therefore leave bare words and come to deeds For our Lord Iesus saith Mat. 7. â—1 Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of heaven but hee that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven Where wee see Christ in plaine termes excludes out of his kingdome all those whose Religion consisteth only in good words and smooth speeches but make no conscience to practise the Commandements of God David having made some good preparation for the building of the Temple and perceiving his son Solomon to have stuffe provision enough to perfect and finish it doth most wisely encourage him to the worâ— in these words 1 Câ—â— 12.16 Up and be doing and the Lord shall be with thee Oh that men would follow this counsell of David that they would up and be doing and not fit still and doe nothing that they would leave words and countenances and set upon the practice of Gods Law and study with all care and conscience to be obedient to his will Then assuredly God would be with them and blesse them and much good would come of it For the Scripture saith Prov. 14.32 In all labour there is profit or increase but the talke of the lips onely bringeth want Phil. Most mens minds are so wholly drowned in the love of this world that they havâ— no heart to obey God nor any delight in his commandements Theol. The greatest part of men are like to the Gadarens which esteemed their Swine more than Christ As wee see in these our daies how many make more account of their kine and sheepe than of the most glorious Gospel of Christ They highly esteeme dung and contemne pearle They are carefull for trifles and regard not the things of greatest moment and therefore may very fitly be compared to a man who having his wife and children very sicke doth utterly neglect them and is altogether carefull for the curing of his hogs eares Phil. Wee are somewhat digressed from the matter wee had in hand I pray you therefore if you have any more matter of good counsell to give to Asunctus that you would presently deliver it Theol. I have little more to say save onely I would advise him often to remember and much to muse on these things The evill he hath committed Nine things much to be thought of The good he hath omitted The time he hath mispent The shortnesse of this life The vanity of this world The excellencie of the world to come Death then the which nothing is more terrible The day of judgement then the which nothing is more fearfull Hell fire then the which nothing is more intolerable Phil. This is short and sweet indeed You have touched some of these points before in this our conference But I am very desirous to heare somewhat more of the two last which yet have not been spoken of Theol. Sith you are desirous I will briefly deliver unto you that which I have received from the Lord. First concerning the day of judgement I finde in the volume of Gods booke that it shall be very terrible and breadfull For the Son of man shall come in the clouds of heaven Mat. 24 3â— with power and great glory St. Peter saith 2 Pet. 2.10 The day of the Lord shall come as a theefe in the night in the which the heavens shall passe away with a noise the elements shall melt with heat and the earth with the workes that are therein shall be burnt up The Apostle tells us that at Christs coming the whole world shall be of a light â—â—re and that all castles towers goodly buildings gold silver velvets silkes and all the glittering hue glory and beauty of this world shall be consumed to powder and ashes 2 Pet. 3 7. For hee saith plainly The heavens and the earth which are now are reserved to fire against the day of Judgement and of the destruction of ungodly men Moreover hee strongly proves that as the world was once destroyed by water so the second time in the end thereof it shall be destroyed with fire The Apostle S. Paul witnesseth the same things for he saith 2 Thes â— 1 Christ shall come from Heaven with all his mighty Angâ—â—s in naming fire And in another place he notes the terrour of his coming to Iudgement saying 1 Thes 4.10 Hee shall come with a shout with the voice of the Arch-angel and the Trumpet of God We see by experience that the coming of mortall Princes to any place is with great pomp and glory They have great traines and troups behind them and before them They are accompanied with many Nobles goodly Lords and gallant Ladies doe attend upon them The Sword-bearer Trumpetters and Harbengers goe before many slaunting and stately Personages follow after Now then if the coming of mortall Princes be so pompous and glorious how much more glorious shall the coming of the Sonne of man be in whose sight all mortall Princes are but dust The Scriptures doe affirme that his second coming unto judgement shall be with such resplendent and unspeakable glory that even the most excellent creatures shall blush at it For the Sunne shall â—e darkned 〈◊〉 24.29 the Moone shall not give her light and the Stars shall fall from heaven Meaning thereby that the most glorious and bright-shining Creatures shall be clouded and obscured by the unconceiveable brightnesse of Christs coming Moreover the 〈…〉 Christs coming is noted unto us in this that immediately before it the very Sea shall quake and tremble and in his kinde crie out For it is said that the Sea shall roare and make a noise in most dolefull and lugubrious manner and mens hearts shall faile them for feare Luk. 21.25 and for looking after those things which shall come on the world for the powers of heaven shall be shaken O what shall become of swearers drunkards whoremongers and such like in that day They shall seeke to creepe into an anger-hole to hide their heads They shal then cry Woe and alas that ever they were borne They shall wish that they had never been borne or that their mothers had borne them toads And as it is in the Apocalyps They shall say to the mountaines and rockes Fall on us and hide us from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of
no man is to be proud of his gifts because they are none of his own he hath but received them to use We count him worthy to be laughed at as a fool who having borrowed brave apparell of others as a silk gown a sâ—tten doublet a chain of gold velvet breaches c. should proudly jet it in the streets in them as if they were his own even so are they worthy to be chronicled for fools which are proud of good gifts which are none of their own Therefore the Prophet Jeremy saith Jer. 25.3 Thus saith the Lord Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom not the strong man in his strength neither the rich man in his riches but let him that glorieth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me To this point also well saith the heathen Poet Tâ—eoâ—tiâ—us No man can escape the punishment of pride therefore in greatest prosperity be not puffed up Phil. Yet it is a world to see how proud surly haughty stately insolent and thrasonicall some be because of their gifts they think they touch the clouds with their heads and that the earth doth not beare them they take themselves to be petty angels or some wonderfull wights they contemne and disdaine all others which have not the like gifts they doe contemptuously over-look them as a lion should over-look a mouse a King a begger or as we say in a proverb as the Divell looked over Lincoln Theol. Oh proud dust Oh haughty wormes meat If they would bring their hearts before God and their consciences thoughts and affections to be judged by his law it would soon cool them and take them down well enough they should see their wants and imperfections to be so great that they indeed should have no more cause to boast of their gifts then the Blackmoor hath of his whitenesse because his teeth are white The holy Ghost ours all our combs and plucketh down all pride of flesh when he saith Job 26.14 How â—mall a thing doth man understand of God Phil I pray you let us proceed to speak of the outward and grosse pride of the world and first of all tell me what you think of pride in apparell Theol I think it to be a vanity of all vanities and a folly of all follies For to be proud of apparell is as if a thiefe should be proud of his halter a beggar of his clouts a child of his gay or a fool of his bable Phil. Yet wee see how proud many specially women be of such bables For when they have spent a great part of the day in tricking and trimming pricking and pinning pranking and pouncing girding and lacing and braving up themselves in most exquisite manner then out they come into the streets with their pedlers shop upon their back and carry their crests very high taking themselves to be little angels or at least somewhat more then other women Whereupon they doe so exceedingly swell with pride that it is to bee feared they will burst with it as they walk in the streets And truly we may think the very stones in the street and the beams in the houses doe quake and wonder at their monstrous intolerable and excessive pride For it seemeth that they are altogether a lump of pride a masse of pride even altogether made of pride and nothing else but pride pride Theol. You seeme to be very hot in the matter Asun Marry Sir I like him the better for the world was never so full of pride as it is now adayes Theol. Alas alas indeed who can hold his peace at the pride of this age What a thing is it that flesh and bloud worms meat dust and ashes dirt and dung should so brave it out with their 〈◊〉 clouts and that in the sight of â—od Angels and men For the time will come when both they and all their gay clouts shall be buried in a grave Yea as Job saith Iob 12.13,14 The grave shall be their house and they shall mâ—ke â—heir bed in the dark And â—hâ—n tâ—ey shall say to corruption Thou art my Father and to the worm Thou are my Mother and my sister What then shall it availe them thus to â—aâ—e râ—â—fled it out in all their bravery wâ—o as suddenly they shall 〈…〉 struction What did it prove tâ—e riâ—h man to bee sumptuously clothed and fare deliciously every day when his body was buried in the dust and his soul in hell fire Asun I pray you Sir what say you to these great ruffes which are born up with supporters and rebatoes as it were with post and rail Theol. What should I say but God be mercifull unto us For such things doe draw down the wrath and vengeance of God upon us all and as the Apostle saith Gal. 5.6 For such things sake the wrath of God cometh upon the children of disobedience And truly truly we may wel fear that God wil plague us for our abominable pride Asun What say you then to these doubled and r doubled ruffes which are now in common use strouting fardingales long locks fore-tufts shag hair â—nd all these new fashions which are devised and taken up every day Theol I say they are far from that plainnesse simplicity and modesty which hath been in former ages our fore-fathers knew no such things It is recorded of William Rufus Graftous 〈◊〉 â—4 sometime King of this land that when his Chamberlain on a time brought him a new pair of hose he demanded of him what they cost who answered three shillings Whereat the King being somewhat moved commanded him to prepare him a pair of a mark If Kings were then thought to exceed that bestowed a mark upon a pair of hose what is it to be thought of many mean men in these our dayes yea such as have no living and are scarce of any good calling which bestow as much upon a pair as the King did upon two when he was thought most of all to exceed But alas alas we have passed all bounds of modesty and measure there is no hee with us Our Land is too heavie of this sinne For the pride of all Nations and the follies of all countries are upon us how shall we bear them And as for these new fashions the more new they be the more foolish and as foolish they that use them For with our new fashions we are grown clean out of fashion If we had as many fashions of our bodies as we have of our attire we should have as many fashions as fingers and toes But vain men and women do apparently shew their vain minds by following so greedily such vain toyes and fashions Asun It was never a good world since starching and steeling busks and whale-bones supporters and rebatoes full moons and hobby-horses painting and dying with selling of favour and complexion came to be in use For since these came in covetousnesse oppression and deceit have increased For how else should pride bee maintained and
fearfull manner plague the earth with warres bloud-sheddings tumults dearth famine and pestilence which are all signified by the red horse the black horse and the pale horse which did appeare at the opening of the second third and fourth seale So likewise undoubtedly God will severely punish all injuries wrongs and contempts done to his faithfull Embassadors as appeareth Revel 11.5 where it is set downe That If any would hurt the two witnesses with their two olives and two candlesticks whereby is signified the faithfull Preachers of the Gospel with all their spirituall treasures and heavenly light fire should proceed out of their mouthes and devoure their adversaries that is The fire of Gods wrath should consume all that had oppressed them either by mocks flouts railing slanders imprisonment or any other kinde of indignity Of this wee have a plaine example or two in the Scripture First we read how fire came downe from heaven and consumed the contemptuous Captaine and his fifty 2 Kin. 1.10 at the threatning and calling for of Eliah Secondly how two Beares came out of the Forrest 2 Kin. 2.23 and tare in pieces two and forty yonkers which mocked Elisha the Prophet of God calling him bald-head bald-head So then by these examples it is manifest that howsoever the Lord may winke at these things for a time and make as though hee saw them not yet the time will come when hee will raine fire and brimstone upon all the scoffers of his faithfull ministers and contemners of his Gospel All this is plainly declared in the first chapter of the Proverbs of Solomon where is shewed how the wisedome of God even Iesus Christ the highest wisedome doth cry aloud all abroad in the world and manifest himselfe in the open streets but yet is contemned of wicked worldlings and scoffing fools Therefore saith Christ Prov. 1.24 Because I have called and yee refused I have stretched out my hand but none would regard yee have hated knowledge and despised all my counsell therefore I will laugh at your destruction and mock when your feare cometh upon you like a sudden desolation and your destruction like a whirl-winde Then shall they call upon mee but I will not answer they shall seeke mee early but they shall not find me Here then wee see his terrible wrath and vengeance threatned from heaven against all profane contemners of Christ and his everlasting Gospel or any of the faithful â—â—â—â—â—shers and proclaimers therto â—â—â—â—hold therefore yee despisers and wonder consider well what will become of you in the end Do not think that the most just God will alwayes put it up at your hands that yee should so manifestly contemne both his word and the most zealous Preachers and Professors thereof No no assure your selves hee will bee even with you at last Hee will smite you both fideling and overthwart hee will dogge you and pursue you with his judgements and never leave following the chase with you till hee hath destroyed you and consumed you from off the face of the earth For remember I pray you what hee saith in Deuteronomie Deut. 32.41 42. If I whet my glittering sword and mine hand take hold of judgement I will execute vengeance on mine enemies and I will reward them that hate mee I will make mine arrowes drunke with bloud and my sword shall eat the flesh of mine adversaries Phil. Truely Sir we may justly feare that for our great contempt of the Gospel and generall coldnesse both in the profession and practice thereof God will take it from us and give it to a people that will bring forth the fruit thereof Theol. Wee may well feare indeed lest for our sinnes especially our loathing of the heavenly Manna the Lord remove our candlesticke take away our silver trumpets let us no more heare the sweet bels of Aaron cause all vision to faile and our Sabbaths to cease and bring upon us that most grievous and sore famine of not hearing the word of the Lord Amos 8. spoken of by Amos the Prophet Then shall our Halcion dayes and golden yeares be turned into weeping mourning and lamentation God for his infinite mercy sake turne it away from us Phil. Amen Amen and let us all pray earnestly night and day that those fearfull judgments may according to Gods infinite mercy bee held backe which our sinnes doe continually cry for and that his most glorious Gospel may bee continued to us and our posterity even yet with greater successe Asun No doubt it is a very great sin to despise the word of God and I think there is none so bad that will doe it For wee ought to love Gods word God forbid else He that loveth not Gods word it is pity he liveth Theol. These are but words of course It is an easie matter to speak good words and very many will say as you say But both you and they in your practice doe plainly shew that you make no reckoning of it you esteeme it no more than a dish-clout I thinke if the matter were well tryed you have scant a Bible in your house But though you have one it is manifest that you seldome reade therein with any care or conscienâ—e and as seldome heare the word preached How else could you be so ignorant as you are Asun I grant that I and some others are somewhat negligent in the hearing and reading of the word of God but you cannot say therefore wee do contemne it Theol. Yes verily your continuall negligence and carelesnesse doth argue a plaine contempt Sure it is you have no appetite nor stomack to the holy word of God You had rather do any thing than either reade or meditate in it it is irksome unto you you read not two chapters in a weeke All holy exercises of religion are most bitter and tedious unto you they are as vinegar to your teeth and smoake to your eyes The immoderate love of this world and of vanity hath took away your appetite from all heavenly things And whereas you shift it off with negligence as though that would excuse you the Apostle hits you home when he saith How shall we escape if wee neglect so great salvation Reb. â— 3 Marke that he saith If we neglect Antil Belike you think men have nothing else to do but to reade the Scriptures and hear Sermons Theol. I do not say so I do not say you should doe nothing else For God doth allow you with a good conscience and in his feare to follow the workes of your calling as hath beene said before But this I condemn in you and many others that you will give no time to private prayers reading and meditation in Gods word neither morning nor evening neither before your busines nor after And although you have often vacant time enough yet you will rather bestow it in vanity and idle pratling and gossipping than in any good exercise of Religion Which doth plainely shew that you neither delight in
where the Lord saith thus Run to and fro by the streets of Jerusalem behold and enquire in the open places thereof if yee can find a man or if there be any that executeth Judgement and seeketh the truth and I will spare it Oh then marke and consider what a man may doe yea what one man may doe what an Abraham may doe what a Moses may doe what an Eliah may doe what a Daniel what a Samuel what a Job what a Noah may do Some one man by reason of his high favour with the Eternall is able sometimes to doe more for a Land by his prayers and teares then many prudent men by their counsell or valiant men by their swords Yea it doth evidently appeare in the sacred Volumne of the holy Ghost that some one poore Preacher being full of the Spirit and Power of Eliah doth more in his Study either for offence or defence either for the turning away of wrath or the procuring of mercy then a camp royall even forty thousand strong yea as the Spirit speaketh Though they all have their swords girded to their thighs Cant. 3.7 and bee of the most valiant men in Israel And this is cleerly proved in one verse of the booke of Psalmes where the Prophet having reckoned up the sinnes of the people addeth Psal 106.23 Therefore the Lord minded to destroy them had not Moses his chosen stood in the breach to turne away his wrath lest hee should destroy them See therefore what one man may doe with God Some one man doth so bind the hands of God that when he would strike he hath no power to doe it as it is said of Lot Gen. 29.30 I can doe nothing till thou be come out See how the Lord saith hee can doe nothing because hee will doe nothing Hee doth wittingly and willingly suffer his hands to be manacled and bound behind him for some fewes sake which he doth make more account of then all the world besides so precious and deare are they in his sight Likewise it is written that the Lord was exceedingly incensed against the Israelites for their Idolatrous Calfe which they made in Horch yet hee could doe nothing because Moses would not let him And therefore he falleth to entreating of Moses that Moses would let him alone and entreat no more for them Oh saith the Lord to Moses let mee alone Exod. 32 1â— that my wrath may wax hot against this people and that I may consume them Thus we see that except Loâ— goe out of the City and Moses let him alone he can doe nothing O the profoundnesse and altitude of Gods mercy toward mankind O the height and depth length and breadth of his love toward some O that the most glorious and invisible God should so greatly respect the sons of men For what is man that he should be mindfull of him or the son of man that he should regard him Let us therefore that are the Lords Remembrancers give him no rest nor let him alone untill we have some security and good assurance from him that he will turne away from us the wrath which we most justly have deserved that he will spare us and be mercifull unto us Yea as the Prophet saith Isa 62.7 Let us never leave him nor give him over till hee repaire and sâ—t up Jerusalem the praise of the world lest for default hereof that be charged upon us which was charged upon the head of some of the Prophets in Israel that they were like the foxes in the waste places that they had not risen up in the gaps neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel Ezâ—k 13.4 5 For now adaies alas wee have many hedge-breakers few hedge-makers many openers of gaps few stoppers many makers of breaches to let in the flouds of Gods wrath upon us but very few that by true repentance go about to make up the breach and to let downe the sluces that the gushing streames of Gods vengeance may be slopt and stayed Phil. I do now plainly see that there be some in high favour with God and as wee say greatly in his books â—â—th his love is so great unto them that for their sake he spareth thousands Theol. It is written in the Proverbs of Solomon that the righteous in a land are the establishment of the Kings throne and the wicked the overthrowing of the same The words are these Pro. 25.4 Take away the drosse from the silver and there will proceed a vessell for the finer Take away the wicked from the King and his Throne shall be established in righteousnesse Likewise in another place the wiseman affirmeth that the righteous are the strength and bulwarks of Cittes Townes and Corporations but the wicked are the weakening and undoing of all Pro. 27.8 Scornfull men saith he set a City on fire but the wise turne away wrath To this purpose most excellent is that saying of Eliphas in Job Job 21.30 The innocent shall deliver the Iland and it shall be preserved by the purenesse of their hands 2 Chro. 11.14 16 17. Wee read in the booke of the Chronicles that when the Levites and the Priests were cast out by Jeroboam they came to Jerusalem and all such as set their hearts to seeke the Lord God of Israel came with them And then afterward it is said they strengthened the Kingdome of Juda and made Rehoboam the sonne of Solomon mighty By all these testimonies it is evident that Princes Kingdomes Cities Towns and Villages are fortified by the righteous therein and for their sakes also great plagues are kept back Which thing one of the Heathen did well see into as appeareth by his words which are these When God meaneth well to a City and will doe it good then hee raiseth up good men but when hee meaneth to punish a City or a Country and do ill unto it then he taketh away the good men from it Phil. It is very manifest by all that you have alledged that the wicked fare the better every day in the yeare for the righteous that dwell amongst them Theol. All experience doth teach it and the Scriptures do plentifully avouch it Geâ— 30 2â— For did not churlish Laban fare the better for Jacob his kinsman Doth hee not acknowledge that the Lord had blessed him for his sake Did not Potiphar fare the better for godly Joseph Gen. 39.5 Doth not the Scripture say that the Lord blessed the Egyptians house for Joseph his sake and thee the Lord made all that hee did to prosper in his hand 2 Sam. 6.1 Did not Obed-Edom fare the better for the Arke Act. 27.24 Did not the seventy and sixe soules that were in the ship with Paul speed all the better for his sake Did not the Angell of God tell him in the night that God had given unto him all that sailed with him for otherwise a thousand to one they had beene all drowned