THE RIGHTEOVS MANS EVILS AND THE LORDS DELIVERANCES By GILBERT PRIMEROSE Minister of the French Church of London PSAL. 129.2 Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth yet they have not prevayled against mee LONDON Printed by H. L. for Nathanael Newberry and are to be sold at the signe of the Starre in Popes-head Alley Anno 1625. TO THE RIGHT NOBLE RIGHT HONOVRABLE AND RIGHT RELIgious Lord IAMES MARQVESS of HAMMILTON Earle of Arran and Cambridge Knight of the most noble Order of the Garter Counsellor of the Kings most honourable privie Councell in both Realmes of England and Scotland Lord Great Steward of his Majesties houshold c. RIGHT HONOVRABLE WHat reading of holy Scripture and of Ecclesiasticall stories what experience hath taught mee of the Righteous mans Evils and the Lords deliverances that I preached to my Church at London in nine Sermons which in this booke I have dedicated to your Honour as an acknowledgement of the heroicall and Christian vertues which shine in your most Noble and Honourable person and as an homage due to them not as having any worthinesse and excellencie from their author whereby he should presume to offer them to such a Lord in whom all things excell in worth and shine in a most eminent degree of excellencie In Empires Kingdomes States Cities Families wee read and see the truth of the Oracle which said to ATTALVS King of Bithinia THOU AND THY SON NOT THE SONS OF THY SON His Maiestie who now holdeth the raines of this peaceable and flourishing kingdome is the onely King knowne in the world by stories who can reckon neere two thousand yeeres since his roiall Ancestors of whom he is lincally descended wore Crownes and Scepters In France they thinke it much if a man can prove his Nobilitie by foure Descents Since three hundred and odde yeeres that SIR GILBERT HAMMILTON came from England to Scotland was there advanced to all titles and degrees of honours of dignities of greatnesse among the most noble and honourable of the Realme by the HEROS of those dayes and King without peere ROBERT BRVCE who had knowne in England the antiquitie of his noble house and of all men then living could best iudge of his courage martiall actes and deserts and being preferred there to the mariage of the onely Daughter to my Lord Earle of Murray the Kings Nephew by his Princely Sister became the Stocke of the illustrious Race of the HAMMILTONS in Scotland whereof your Honour is the golden head how many Descents how many generations may be reckoned The fables tell of BELLEROPHON how after he had done many feates of armes not so much by his owne wisdome and strength as by the helpe of his winged Horse called PEGASVS he waxed proud and attempting with the same wings to mount up to heaven was flung to the earth and brake his leg whereby they teach us in a mysticall sense that many after they have beene borne upon the wings of their Princes favour and thereby have done good services conceive too ambitious and proud hopes and as if favour were desert aspiring to ascend into heaven to exalt their Throne above the rest of the starres and to be like unto their Maker are cut downe to the ground in an instant where all their pompe is laid in a grave of shame and dishonour as the Scripture speaketh of the King of Babylon under the name of LVCIFER In all the ancient stories hardly shall we finde any great man whose predecessors or himselfe have not beene stained with the blot of rebellion against their Soveraignes or of some negligence of their dutie towards them But your Honours forefathers had ever their affections so addicted to our Kings that King IAMES the third with the consent of the States and applause of the whole Realme thought them worthy to be rewarded with the mariage of his onely and deare Sister whom he gave in wedlocke to IAMES Lord Hammilton of whom your Lordship is come by many lineall successions This proximitie of blood to our Kings hath ever beene to your Ancesters and to your owne selfe a most attractive Adamant drawing and tying inseparably your hearts desires wills affections duties and services to their will and desires in all innocencie and uprightnesse according to Gods commandement the practice whereof is the stay of the State and the maintainer of peace in the Church and Common-weale FEARE GOD AND THE KING AND MEDDLE NOT WITH FACTIOVS MEN. So that this may be the Poesie of the Cognizance of your Honours most ancient and honourable Family FIDEET OBSEQVIO Of this fidelitie of these long profitable and acceptable services to our Kings continued in your Lordships familie from generation to generation and most effectually confirmed by your owne generous wise and good cariage in the Court and in the State the Kings Maiestie is a most glorious witnesse and a most magnificent rewarder For that affection which his Maiestie sheweth to your Honour those Dignities wherewith hee hath honoured you namely this last of LORD STEWARD of his royall House what are they but publike testimonies of the continuation of your good faithfull and well liked services to his Maiesties Royall person to our most excellent and hopefull Prince his Royall and onely Sonne and to the states of both kingdomes In the Court you are to his Maiestie that which IOSEPH was to PHARAO King of Egypt OBADIAH to ACHAB King of Israel MORDECAI to AHASVERVS King of Persia and ELIAKIM to whom God gave the key of the house of DAVID to the good King EZECHIAH and most like unto THEODORVS in the Court of VALENS Emperour of the Orient who being come of a most ancient and noble stocke and well brought up from the Cradle was not inferiour to any of the Imperiall Court in modestie wisedome erudition and good carriage ever seemed better than the charges and places whereunto he was advanced and was the onely man whose tongue was never licentiously unbridled never spake without consideration and foresight yea was never shut through feare of danger or hope of preferment and therefore was equally loved of great and small as your Lp. for the same vertues is much respected and loved of all states and degrees in both nations For by Gods speciall and rare blessing you carry your selfe in all your demeanour at Court and abroad so wisely that I may boldly affirme that to none if not to you doth belong that rare and wonderfull praise which Cicero giveth to BRVTVS and Marcellin to PRETEXTATVS saying that they did no thing to please yet whatsoever they did pleased and that other which all men gave to ANTHEMIVS Governour to the religious Emperour ARCADIVS HE SEEMED TO BE WISE AND SO HE WAS. The Royall Prophet David saith most truly in the twelfth Psalme that wicked men walke on every side when rascals are exalted among the sonnes of men Then DAVID fleeth and DOEG triumpheth But innocencie is protected oppression is repressed the states flourish
mens weaknesse and mortality God forbiddeth us to feare men x Esa 40.10 11 13. Feare thou not saith he for I am with thee be not dismayed for I am thy God I vvill strengthen thee yea I will helpe thee yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousnesse Bebold all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded they shall be as nothing and they that strive with thee shall perish c. for I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand saying unto thee Feare not I will helpe thee Such exhortations and promises are frequent in the Scripture and upon them wee ground our selves when wee feare not men yea wee seeke comfort and strength against feare in Gods precedent deliveries Of time past we say with David y Psal 118.5 6. I called upon the LORD in my distresse The LORD answered mee and set me in a large place Therefore wee conclude as hee did for the time which is to come The LORD is on my side I will not feare what can man doe unto mee XII What then shall we be without feare Not so a s a. 8.12 13. Say ye not A confederacie to all them to whom this people shall say A confederacie neither feare ye their feare nor be afraid Sanctifie the LORD of hostes himselfe and let him be your feare and him be your dread Feare not men for b Psal 39.4 6. verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity Surely every man walketh in a vaine shew◠surely they are disquieted in vaine Feare God of whom and to whom Ieremiah saith c Ier. 10.6 7. For as much as there is none like unto thee O LORD thou art great and thy Name is great in might Who would not feare thee O King of Nations for to thee doeth it appertaine for as much as among all these wise men of the nations and in all their kingdomes there is none like unto thee Therefore as Christ said to his Disciples so say wee to you d Matt. 10.28 Feare not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soule but rather feare him which is able to destroy both body and soule in hell XIII As we should not feare men for the causes aforesaid so should wee not for the same causes put our trust in them as it is written e Psal 146.2 4. Put not your trust in Princes nor in any son of man in whom there is no help His breath goeth foorth hee returneth to his earth in that very day his thoughts perish First it is said Put not your trust in Princes wherefore Are they not strong mightie wealthie Hath not God said of them and to them f Psal 82.6 I have said ye are Gods and all of you are children of the most High All that is true g Rom. 4.17 God calleth those things which be not as though they were They are gods but earthly gods but weake and mortall gods to whom God saith also in that same place h Psal 82.7 But ye shall die like men and ye that are Princes shall fall like another And therefore when in the vanity of their hearts they dare call themselves gods God answereth them as he did the K. of Tyre saying i Ezech. 28.2 Thou art a man and not God That is the meaning of the words following Nor in any sonne of man The sonnes of men are men the Princes are sonnes of men they are men And yee know that k Ier 17.5 thus saith the Lord Cursed bee the man that trusteth in men and maketh slesh his arme Be faithfull to your Princes Obey and keepe their commandements render to them their dues tribute custome feare honour l Matt. 22.21 give to Cesar that which is Cesars Pray to God for them but give not unto them Gods tribute Render not to any creature the homage of trust which is proper to God alone Hee can deliver But as for the sonnes of men in them there is no helpe Though they bee called gods none of them m Matt. 6.27 can by their godhead adde one cubit unto their stature n Psa 49.7 nor by any meanes redeeme their brother nor give to God a ransome for him Yea after that o Plutarch in Alexand. Alexander the Great hath published abroad that hee is sonne to Iupiter Hammon when hee shall see the humor running downe from his wounds he shall be constrained to say This is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the blood of a man and not of God and when he shall smell the stink of his owne filth hee shall aske of his flatterers The gods yeeld they such a sent What gained p Marcellin lib. 17. Sapor King of Persia by taking to himselfe the proud titles of King of kings Brother to the Sunne and Moone Partaker of the Starres c. where is he now hath his pretended brotherhood with the Sunne and Moone his consanguinitie with the starres delivered him from the grave where now death feedeth on him Let Herod delight for a moment in the shouting and crying of his flatterers q Act 12.22 23. The voice of a God and not of a man by by the wormes shall eate him quick and constrain him to say to his claw-backes r Ioseph Antiq. lib. 19. cap. 7. Euseb Hist Eceles lib. 1. cap. 9. He whom ye called God endeth his life like men and this immortall dieth Let the Canonists fawne on the Pope and say that he is neither God nor man he knoweth that he is the sonne of man and wee know that he ſ 2. Thess 2.3 is the man of sinne that there is no help that there is nothing but perdition in him What is man but vanity t Psal 60. Surely men of low degree are vanity and men of high degree are a lie To be laid in the ballence they are altogether lighter than vanitie And therefore v Psal 60.11 the helpe of man is vanity For this cause God cursed the lewes when they trusted to Aegypt saying x Esa 31.1 3. Woe to them that goe downe to Aegypt for help and stay on horses and trust in charets because they are many Now the Aegyptians are men and not God and their horses flesh and not Spirit When the Lord shall stretch out his hand both he that helpeth shall fall and hee that is holpen shall fall downe and they all shall faile together What if man had power and wil to help for all that trust not in him His breath goeth foorth hee returneth to his earth in that very day his thoughts perish all his designes all the trust thou hadst in him dieth with him for then he cannot helpe himselfe and how should he help thee y Iob 14.1 2. Man that is borne of woman is of few dayess and full of trouble he commeth foorth like a flower and is
promise it is both wonderfull and profitable to consider for when hee will shew his strength that which he doth seemeth contrarie to that which he intendeth to doe When he came to lighten and gladden Abrahams soule by the confirmation of his promises he sent m Gen. 15.12 an horror of great darkenesse upon him n Gen. 32.25 When hee came to blesse Iacob hee wrestled with him and put his thigh out of joynt o 2. Kin. 2.21 Elisha sweetned the unholsome waters with salt p Ioh 9.6 Iesus Christ putting clay on the eyes of a blinde man restored him to his sight q Marc. 7.33 he put his fingers into the eares of a man that was deafe and they were opened Even so he debased and abated Ioseph to the lowest pit of the prison that his power might be marvelled at in advancing of him to the highest dignitie of Pharaos Court. Hee winked at Pharao and his armie when they persecuted and pursued his people into the midst of the red sea that when with the blast of his nostrils the sea came and covered them and they sunke as lead in the mightie waters his people might sing unto him r Exod 15.11 Who is like unto thee O LORD amongst the gods who is like thee glorious in holinesse fearefull in praises doing wonders and his enemies might say of him that Å¿ Iosh 2.11 hee is God of Heaven above and in earth beneath Hee permitted Senacherib King of Assyria to take all the defensed cities of Iuda and to bring Hezakiah to such extremitie that hee had not two thousand men to withstand him then hee sent his Angel from Heaven to deliver him then t Esa 37.20 all the kingdomes of the earth knew that he is the Lord even hee only Consider Nebucadnezzar in his rage fury comanding to heat the burning fierie furnace seven times more than it was wont to be heat and to cast the three Confessors into it saying to them v Dan. 3.15 Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands His mind was to destroy the bodies of these Saints But O miracle of the almightie power and vertue of God! the fire was a rampier and wall to guard them the flame was a garment to clothe them the furnace was a fountaine to refresh them Mortall bodies were cast into the fire they were not hurt thereby as if they had bin immortall the flames received them tyed and untying them were tied themselves They spared the hands and the feet whereof they burned the bands They slew the men that cast these Salamanders into the furnace for the furnace was exceeding hot to teach you that the strength of the fire was neither extinguished nor abated yet they touched not the bodies of the Saints not changing their nature but bearing respect to their godlinesse yea and such respect that there was not an haire of their head singed neither were their coats changed neither had the smell of fire passed on them which goeth beyond all admiration The fire dared not touch but their bands The Tyrant fettered them the fire unfettered them that ye may see the crueltie of the Tyrant and the obedience of the element The Princes and Governours of the kingdome were come thither to see the great solemnitie of the dedication of the golden image but they saw that which they could never have thought of They came to worship the idoll they went home admiring and worshiping the power of God The king himselfe who ere-while had cast in the fire these three Confessors because they would not serve his gods nor worship the golden image which he had set up was constrained to worship their God and to confesse that x Vers â—9 there is none other God that can deliver after this sort So Satan was confounded in his malice seeing his power abated by his owne craft whereby he laboured to overthrow the servants of the living God and Gods Power Wisdome Goodnesse Providence was glorified in their deliverie God y 1. Kin. 17 4. spake to the ravenous Ravens and they fed Elijah He a Ion. 2.10 spake to the Whale and it vomited out Ionas upon the dry land When his people was scattered hither thither among the Chaldeans Assyrians Medes Persians and other Nations b Esa 43.6 bee said to the North Give up and to the South Keep not backe bring my sons from farre and my daughters from the ends of the earth So was fulfilled that which is written in the Psalmes c Ps 76.11 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee XV. Such examples of the glorious power of God in the afflictions of righteous men are most frequent in the New Testament As in the creation he commanded light to shine out of darkenesse So in the redemption of mankind he made our Saviour a curse for us that hee might blesse us and put to death the Prince of life that through his death he might give life to those which were dead His enemies sealed and guarded the Sepulchre where hee was buried and said d Psal 3.2 There is no help for him in God But e Rom. 1.4 hee was declared to be the Sonne of God with power according to the Spirit of holinesse by the resurrection from the dead and was more glorious in his death than he was in his life So his Church is never so wonderfull as in the persecution Then f Exod. 3.2 3 4. ye see the great sight which made Moses amazed The bush burning with fire and yet not consumed What more vile than a bush what more contemp tible in the eyes of men than the Church what more susceptible of burning than a bush what so easie to bee overthrowne as the Church as the little flocke of weak sheepe inclosed with an armie of strong and cruell wolves yet the bush was not burnt because God was in the midst of the bush So the Church cannot be destroied because Christ hath said g Matth. 28 Loe I am with you alway even unto the end of the world Consider h Act. 16.22 Paul and Silas torn with stripes thrust into the inner prison and their feete made fast in the stocks The infidels might have said that the God who suffreth his servants to be thus abused is either weake and impotent or unrighteous and malicious But see behold in this permission a most wonderfull work of his power goodnesse and mercy His Saints had their feete in the stockes their hands in the gyves Their heart was franke their tongue was free The Divell was then a prentise and had not learned to gag Their heart was inditing a good matter Their tongue was the pen of a readie writer At mid-night they were waking What did they while they waked did they howle for griefe and paine complained they of their contumelies accused they the crueltie of the blood-thirstie Governors blamed they the rigor of the pitilesse
our enemies our evils b Psal 138.6 Though the LORD be high yet hath he respect unto the Lowly but the proud he knoweth afarre off Almighty without a peere in heaven among the Angels in earth among the most dreadfull creatures as the Church singeth c Psal 89. 6 8 9 11 13 For who in heaven can bee compared unto the LORD Who among the sonnes of the mighty can bee likened unto the LORD OLORD God of Hosts who is a strong LORD like unto thee or to thy faithfulnesse round about thee Thou rulest the raging of the sea when the waves thereof arise thou stillest them The heavens are thine the earth also is thine As for the world and the fulnesse thereof thou hast founded them Thou hast a mighty arme strong is thy hand and high is thy right hand When wee complaine and make our moane to God d Psal 93.3 4. The flouds have lifted up O LORD the flouds have lifted up their voice the flouds lift up their waves we are taught to comfort our selves and to say The LORD who is on high is mightier than many waters yea than the mighty waves of the sea All-righteous for e Psal 103.16 the LORD executeth righteousnesse and iudgement for all that are oppressed All-good and most willing to deliver us for he is the LORD our God f Psal 50.1.7 The mighty God even the LORD hath spoken saying I am God even thy God hee is appeased to wards us he is reconciled with us through the blood of the crosse of his deare Sonne Our cause is his cause We are persecuted for righteousnesse sake Righteousnesse is the daughter of God We are persecuted for the Gospel The Gospel is his word We are persecuted for Christs sake Christ is his Sonne his deare Soone his onely Sonne I say then that he is All-wise and can All-mighty and may All-good and will deliver us Whatsoever he is hee is it to us and for us because hee is the LORD our God Hee hath delivered all our fathers predecessors g Psal 22.4 Our fathers saith David trusted in thee they trusted in thee and thou didst deliver them He will also deliver us And therefore every righteous man prayeth h Psal 106.4 Remember mee OLORD with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people O visit mee with thy salvation that I may see the good of thy chosen that I may reioice in the gladnesse of thy nation that I may glory with thine inheritance IIX Here is the comfort here is the consolation of the Church and of every righteous man in her that God heareth their prayers and delivereth them even then and namely then when they are forsaken of all men Iacob was alone when he fled from his fathers house because his brother Esau had vowed to kill him Then the Lord appeared unto him in a dreame and said unto him i Gen. 28.15 Behold I am with thee and will keepe thee in all places whither thou goest and will bring thee againe into the land for I will not leave thee untill I have done that which I have spoken to thee of David complaineth that k Psal 25.16 hee was desolate and afflicted yet hee seeketh comfort in the assurance of Gods assistance and saith l Psal 27.10 When my father and my mother forsake me then the LORD will take me up What extremitie was the Church brought into under the persecution of the cruell Tyrant Antiochus Epiphanes m Dan. 11 32 45. who corrupted by flatteries such as did wickedly against the covenant and afflicted those which were upright so cruelly and so puissantly that there was none to help them Then the Church prayed n Psal 74.1 O God why hast thou cast us off for ever why doth thine anger smoake against the sheepe of thy pasture Then Sion said againe o Esa 49. 14 15. The LORD bath forsaken me and my LORD hath forgotten me Then the Lord answered againe Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the sonne of her wombe yea they may forget yet will I not forget thee For then was fulfilled that Prophecy of Daniel p Dan. 12.1 At that time shall Michael stand up the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time and at that time thy people shall be delivered every one that shall be found written in the booke Who is this Michael who like unto God who but our Lord Iesus Christ the great Prince which standeth and fighteth for his people when they can neither stand nor fight for themselves Was it not hee which cryed from heaven to Saul q Act. 9.4 Saul Saul why persecutest thou me When an hoste came from the King of Syria and compassed the Citie of Dothan where Elisha was to take him his servant was affrighted and said r 2. Kin. 6.15 16. Alas my master how shall we doe But hee answered Feare not for they that be with us are moe than they that be with them After the same manner when the king Hezekiah was brought by Senacheribs army to such a pinch that he was constrained to inclose himselfe within the walls of Ierusalem for the safetie of his life all his kingdome being taken from him and having no power to resist fortified himselfe in the Lord his God and heartned his people saying f 2. Chron. 32.7 8. Be strong and courageous bee not afraid nor dismaid for the King of Assyria nor for all the multitude that is with him for there be moe with us then with him With him is the arme of flesh but with us is the LORD our God to helpe us and to fight our battells Yee see a good and godly king see also a good and godly people And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Iuda i.e. notwithstanding their weakenesse and fewnesse they leaned upon God and were delivered S. Raul with good reason did complaine of all his followers that at his first answer before Nero t 2. Tim. 4.16 No man stood with him but all men forsooke him Was he for that destitute and left alone Notwithstanding saith he the Lord stood with me and strengthened me And therefore when he saw all the powers of hell and all the malice of the earth uncoupled after poore Christians hee defied them saying v Rom. 8.30 If God be for us who can be against us Even as David said x Psal 27.1 3. The LORD is my light and my salvation whom shall I feare The LORD is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid though an hoste should encampe against me my heart shall not feare though warre should rise against me in this will I be confident and as Iesus Christ said to his Disciples y Ioh. 16.32 Ye shall leave
commandements when thou shalt enlarge my heart IV. But when we have no certain knowledge of Gods wil are so disposed that we may say with S. Paul q Phil. 1.21 Christ to me to live to dy is gain when I say we are resolved to suffer all extreamities and a thousand deaths rather than to deny him then the practice of this commandement is not onely lawfull but also necessarie then not onely we may but also should trye if hiding of our selves and fleeing be the meanes which God hath appointed to deliver us from the present evill of persecution God gave an expresse commandement to the people of Israel r Exod. 12.32 that none of them should goe out at the doore of his house untill the morning of that night wherein hee smote the first-borne of Egypt The like commandement was given to Rachab Å¿ Iosh 2.19 that none of her family should goe out of the doores of her house into the street lest they should perish in the destruction of the towne of Iericho I confesse that wee have not any such personall commandement directed unto us but I say that this generall commandement Come my people enter thou into thy chamber c. is sufficient and a good warrant for all Gods people till he chuse such as pleaseth him and make them to know manifestly that he will have them to bee publike Confessors and Martyrs whereof they cannot make question if once they bee taken and laid in bonds for Christs sake for then they must drinke the cup which the Lord setteth to their heads more gladly and courageously then Socrates did the Hemlocke Till then they may convey themselves out of their enemies hands by lurking in some hid and unknowne place by fleeing or any other way which is not unlawfull V. t Gen. 27.43 Rebeckah advertised that Esau had vowed to slay Iacob counselled him to flee to Laban her brother and he did so v Exod. 2.15 Moses knowing that Pharaoh sought to slay him fled from the face of Pharao and dwelt in the land of Midian not forsaking his calling but waiting till God gave him a more cleere declaration of his will thereupon which after he had received he returned into Egypt nothing dreading the feare of Pharao and of all his Court How often did x 1. Sam. 19.22.27 2. Sam. 15.14 David flee from place to place to shun the wrath of his King and the conspiracy of his owne sonne not for lacke of courage but though godly prudence and fore-seeing advisednesse David which had the promise of the kingdome of Israel fled David which knew that his kingdome could not be taken from him fled Oh how many excellent Psalmes did he make at those times wherby ye may know that he mistrusted not the truth of Gods promise yet would not tempt him by trying of his power a 1. King 17.1 Iudg. 5.17 Elijah which by his prayers shut the heavens and it rained not upon the earth by the space of three yeares and sixe moneths b 1. King 17.22 Elijah which raised from death the widdowes sonne of Sarepta c 1. King 1.10.12 Elijah which brought fire from heaven upon the Kings Captaines and their fifties That wise godly and wonderfull Prophet when he was threatned by Iezebel d 1. King 19.2 3. fled he not for his life to Beersheba in Iuda and from thence to the wildernesse At that time e 1. King 18.13 Obadiah hid he not an hundred men of the Lords Prophets by fifty in a cave when Iezebel sought them to kill them what can bee said against those holy Fathers which in the time of the cruel persecuter Antiochus Epiphanes f Heb. 11.38 wandered in deserts and in mountains and in dens and caves of the earth and of whom the Apostle saith that the world was not worthy VI. If any say That such precepts and examples are of the old Testament and should not bee fitted to Christians which live under the Gospell I answer That in the new Testament the commandements are more formall and the examples more frequent and inforcing Christ gave hee not this expresse commandement to his Apostles g Mat. 10.17 23. Beware of men and when they persecute you in this City flee ye into another h Tert. de fugain persecutione cap. 6. Some say that this coÌ„mandement was temporall given to the Apostles onely for that time only wheÌ„ they were sent to preach the Gospell to the lost sheep of the house of Israel even as that other coÌ„mandement in the beginning of the Chapter i Mat. 10.5 Goe not into the way of the Gentils and into any City of the Samaritans enter ye not which is now abolished True the commandement forbidding to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles and Samaritans is abrogated but by another commandement b Mark 16.15 Goe ye into all the world and preach the Gospell to every creature Tell us now where how and when the commandement of fleeing in persecution hath been recalled And if it be not annulled by another commandement why it should not stand for ever as the rest doe which are in that chapter that one of not preaching the Gospel to the nations excepted What have they to answer to this other commandement c Mat. 24.15 When ye shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet stand in the holy place whoso readeth let him understand then let them which bee in Iudea flee into the mountaines c. Had the Apostles any thing to doe with it Were they in Ierusalem when the towne was besieged There were many Christians to them it pertained to it they obeyed for d Athaâ—as Apolog. de fug acontra Arianos Hic est hominum terminus ad perfectionemducens ut quod Deus iubet hoc faciant this is the way to perfection to doe that which God commandeth But to come back to the 10. chapter of Mat. Said he to the Apostles only or rather hath he not said to the Apostles first next to all Preachers of the Gospell and consequently to all Christians e Matt. 10.16 Behold I send you forth as sheepe in the middest of Wolves Be ye therefore wise as Serpents and simple as Doves What is that to be simple as Doues It is to be harmelesse what to be wise as Serpents To keepe our selves from harme and as it followeth to beware of men when they persecute us in one City to flee into another What are their eares stopt with incredulity when this other commandement is read unto them f Matt. 7.6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs neither cast yee your pearles before swine lest they trample them under their feet and turne againe and rent you Is this a commandement of fleeing and of hiding of our selves why not why shall I remaine but to walke abroad Why walke abroad but to confesse I must not confesse before
thy nature but of the workes of thy iudgements and mercies Brethren Iearne and wonder Men speake so of God And therefore God borroweth mens phrases and as they speake of him so speaketh he of his owne selfe e Ier. 23.24 Wicked men when they spoile kill and abuse most licentiously the righteous man doe say f Psal 94.7 The LORD shall not see neither shall the God of Iacob regard it As if he were in his Closet fast asleepe or busied with other matters when they reele to and fro to doe mischiefe or as if he dwelt so farre off from them that he cannot see them What say they g Iob 22.12 13 14. Is not God in the height of heaven and behold the height of the starres how high they are how doth God know Can he iudge through the darke cloud Thicke cloudes are a covering to him that he seeth not and he walketh in the circuit of heaven For this cause God saith that seeing they thinke and speake so he will come out of his place to visit i.e. to punish the Inhabitants of the earth for their iniquitie Even as it is said when the Giants were building the Towre of Babel that h Gen. 11.5 7. the LORD came downe to see the City and the Towre which the children of men builded and said Goe to let us goe downe and there confound their language And as when he was to destroy Sodome and Gomorrha he said to Abraham i Gen. 18.21 I will goe downe now and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it which is come unto me and if not I will know As likewise when his time was come to take vengeance of Pharao and deliver his people he said to Moses k Exod 3.7 8. I have surely seene the affliction of my people which are in Egypt and have heard their cry by reason of their taske-masters for I know their sorrowes and I am come downe to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians When he withdraweth his care from his children and suffereth his enemies to afflict them he saith in Hosea l Hos 5.15 I will goe and returne to my place till they acknowledge their offence And then they acknowledging their owne folly cry unto him m Psal 60.1 O turne thy selfe to us againe n Psal 80.14 Returne we beseech thee ô God of hostes looke downe from heaven and behold and visit this Vine After the same manner when he destroyeth their persecuters he delivereth them and saith that he commeth out of his place to visit them them who are his children in his favour them who are his enemies and the oppressors of his children in the extremitie of his anger IV. He calleth the one and the other his visitation For o 1 Tim. 6.16 he dwelleth in the light which no man can approach unto and cannot be seene of us but by his workes which when he displayeth not we thinke and we say that he is absent But when we see and feele them then we say he is present and hath visited us As we speake of him so speaketh he of himselfe though p Act. 17.27 28. hee be not farre from every one of us for in him we live and move and have our being Or rather he teacheth us that he doth all things by rule by number and by ballance that first he takes a perfect notice of our estate and afterwards setteth his workes forward The workes whereby he visiteth us are either of mercie or of iudgement And therefore his visitations are taken in the Scriptures sometimes for his mercies sometimes for his iudgements And it is said that he visiteth us either when he giveth us conspicuous testimonies of his favour or when he punisheth us for our sinnes In the first sense it is said that q Gen. 21.1 the LORD visited Sarah as he had said which in the words following is thus explained And the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken Because he fulfilled his promise and gave a Sonne to Sarah the Scripture saith that he visited Sarah In the same sense Ioseph said to his brethren r Gen. 50.25 God will surely visite you i.e. deliver you And so is the word expounded by Zacharias in his song where he saith that ſ Luk. 1.68 God hath visited and redeemed his people Ye reade the like in the Acts where it is written that t Act 15.14 God did visite the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his Name For their calling to the light of the Gospell was their visitation When Ierusalem made light of that light Christ said that v Luk. 19.44 she knew not the time of her visitation In the second sense visitation of punishment is double The one is of love and of grace whereby God visiteth his owne deare children as he said to David x Psal 89.31 32 33. If they breake my statutes and keepe not my commandements then will I visite their transgression with the rod and their imquitie with stripes Neverthelesse my loving kindnesse will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulnesse to faile We have heard heretofore that this kinde of visitation is most usefull It is not so much y Minut. Felix Non est poena militia est Fortitudo enim infirmitatibus roboratur Et calamitas saepius disciplina virtutis est a punishment to the Church as her warfare For fortitude is corroborated by infirmities And often affliction and calamitie is the schoole and mistresse of vertue It is ever so to the Church The other commeth from Gods heavie wrath and indignation and hath for end not the correction but the destruction of the sinner As when God said that hee a Hos 1.4 would visite the blood of Iezreel upon the house of Iehu he threatned the Kings house with a totall and finall overthrow as he saith in the words following that he would cause to cease the kingdome of the house of Israel In this sense David made this prayer to God b Psal 59.5 O LORD God of hostes the God of Israel awake to visite all the heathen for he addeth by way of exposition Be not mercifull to any wicked transgressors This word is so taken in this text when the Prophet saith that the Lord commeth out of his place to visite i. e. to punish in his anger and hot displeasure Whom will he visite V. The inhabitants of the earth What Are not all men are not Gods servants inhabitants of the earth aswell as other men No men to speake properly are inhabitants of the earth For we are all tenants at the will of the great Lands Lord not owners and our life is a soiourning rather than a dwelling on earth All true beleevers acknowledge this truth and say in their prayers to God c 1 Chro. 29.15 We are strangers before thee and soiourners as were all our fathers Our dayes on the earth