God the Believer's best Strong-hold in the worst Times A SERMON PREACHED Upon the Preservation of His MAJESTY'S Person AND THE Discovery of the late Plot of the Intended Invasion By EDMVND GODWIN Rector of Cowley Deo confisi nunquam confusi LONDON Printed for Jonathan Robinson at the Golden Lion in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1696. To the Right Worshipful Sir JONATHAN KEATE Knight and Baronet WHereas formerly there hath been some promise of my coming into your parts to preach and to pay my Respects to your Worship for Kindnesses of old when you and others with you did largely declare your Desire of having me your Minister at Paul's Walden I should readily have accepted of your Kindnesses but that the Vicaridge-House was so ruinous and a Promise being past of my being elsewhere yet I must needs confess my self to be indebted since to come and give you a Sermon So that I am so long indebted upon that account Usque dum usura superat sortem That the very Interest doth far exceed the Principal However I would have you know that I still bear an honest Mind having a Desire to pay according to my Ability and though I cannot come and pay what I owe in Person yet I have sent my Substitute this Paper Messenger to supply my Place and knowing how well you and those about you stand affected to the Present Government I have pitcht upon Printing a Thanksgiving-Sermon for the Discovery and Disappointment of the late Dangerous Plot of Assassinating His Majesty and the Invading this Kingdom with a design of rooting out our Religion under the notion of the Northern Heresie And I knowing how stedfast you have been and others about you to the Truth and how ready you are to assist its Favourers and to resist its Opposers I thought good to present you with a taste of what I did deliver upon that Occasion hoping it may fall into the Hands of some of that worthy Family of the Hales that formerly were my Noble Benefactors I hope there are some of that Race alive in those Parts though I hear to my Grief that Worthy Lady the Lady Austin is dead God hath hitherto prolonged my Life and it is much upon my Spirit to give you a Visit in those Parts before I die I do but present you with a taste of my Labours and wish they may be well relisht and received by you it then may be an Inducement to put out more of my Labours yet before I die I remember a Passage of Bishop Latimer's that he Preached in a Sermon before the King of one that had brought up his Son at the University and a Gentleman not far off from him having a Living in his Gift newly fallen that he might gain it for his Son presents him with a Dish of ten very fair Apples and had put into every one of the Apples 10 twenty Shilling Pieces and sent his Man with them to the Patron and withal to desire him to present his Son to the Living of his that was fallen The Man having delivered them and desiring him in his Master's Name to remember his Son for the Living the Gentleman seemed to be angry and bid him carry back his Master's Apples he would have none of them Which the Man did and told his Master that he would have none of his Apples Says his Master to him Carry them again and desire him but to taste one of them and as he likes that to accept of the rest Which the Man did and tells him That his Master however did desire him but to taste one of them Which he did and finding 10 twenty Shilling Pieces in it crys out I marry if they be all like this thy Master's Son shall have the Living I will assure you says the Man they all came off of the same Tree Though Symony was in use then yet not so openly practiced as now a-days The Vse that I shall make of the Story is only to tempt you to a taste of my Labours in Print and as this is relisht it is possible the World may have more of them So beseeching the Lord to bless you and the Worthy Families not far off from you I must needs acknowledge that I still remain Your very much obliged To serve You Edmund Godwin Nahum I. ver 7. The Lord is good a strong hold in the day of trouble and he knoweth them that trust in him THE Apostle Paul hath foretold how in the latter perillous times 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hard times for Persons to keep Faith and a good Conscience and indeed dangerous in which to live in regard of the abounding of Sin and we seem to be fallen into the same times that the Apostle Paul himself was fallen into mentioned 2 Cor. 11. 26. as you may see there He was in Journeying often as His Majesty K. William hath been in Perils of Waters in Perils of Robbers in Perils by his own Country-men in Perils by other Country-men in Perils in the City in Perils in the Country in Perils amongst false Brethren and in Perils amongst pretended Friends so that there hath been threatned ubique naufragium However God hath been good may his Majesty now say and a Strong-hold and a sure Defence in all sorts of Troubles and wonderfully delivered in every Danger hitherto he hath been an Ebenezer In the foregoing part of the Chapter you have first the Inscription of the Prophesy in the first Verse and then a Description of the Almighty first in his Power and Greatness in five of the foregoing Verses and then in Goodness and Mercy having to deal with many and mighty Adversaries as with Nineveh that great City the Men whereof were great Sinners before the Lord and had repented of their former Repentings in Jonah's time and had returned with the Dog to their former Vomit and with the Sow to their wallowing again in the Mire of Sin so that their latter State was now worse than the former for which God threatens them with the greatest Plagues and heaviest Judgments But God is never so angry but in Wrath he can and will shew Mercy and knows his Friends from his Foes according to the Tenor of the Words of the Text The Lord is good So that the Words are like a Light shineing in a dark place or as a Haven or Harbour in time of a Storm or a strong Fort or Tower in the day of Distress to which the Righteous may run and resort in the time of Danger and be sure to be safe So that you have in the Words First Something affirmed That the Lord is good Secondly You have the same confirmed by a twofold Argument As 1st In that he is a strong hold in the day of trouble 2dly In that he knows those that trust in him That God is good is such a Truth as we all have cause to set our Seals unto for he hath not left himself without witness of doing of us good especially of late in
defending and delivering of us and so I shall come to take notice first of the Time when it is that his Goodness doth most appear and that is in the Time of Trouble and then to whom it doth appear and that is to such as know him or rather are known of him such as not barely know him but trust in him Now the Doctrines that I shall lay down from the Words are these Doct. 1. That God's People here in this World meet with days of Trouble Doct. 2. That they never find times so bad but still they find God to be good Doct. 3. That in times of Danger God then more especially will be a strong hold too Doct. 4. God knows such as trust in him in a more special manner to save On the first namely That God's People here in this World meet with days of Trouble Now we may take notice of this in all the faithful Servants of God God had one Son without Sin but he never had any without Sorrow his own Son that was the head of the Church was a Man of Sorrows and the first Man that died he died for Religion and so the Father of the Faithful who ever had greater or hotter Trials And so Jacob in whose Posterity the Church was settled How doth he complain that few and evil were the days of his Pilgrimage yet they were full of Trouble and the time of Trouble is called the day of Jacob 's Trouble and so Job Who more troubled and afflicted than he And so David that was a Man after God's own Heart yet how doth he cry out Lord Remember David and all his Troubles Psal 132. 1. Quest But how comes it about that such as are so Godly are so sorely afflicted Answ First This comes from God himself 2dly From Satan the God of this World 3dly From Satan's Instruments the Men of the World Lastly From themselves or their near Relations First This comes from God himself For Afflictions rise not out of the Dust but God sends them first to punish Sin past 2dly To purge Sin present 3dly To prevent Sin for the time to come First to punish Sin past I know indeed that the Antinomians will not allow of such an Expression to be used in respect of God's own People and Children They say God only punishes from Sin and not for Sin in them But doubtless we may speak as the Word of God speaks without offence now says the Church Lam. 3. 39. Wherefore doth the living Man complain is it not for the Punishment of his Sin And so Amos 3. 2. You only have I known of all the Families of the Earth therefore I will punish you for all your Iniquities One would have thought it should rather have run thus You only have I known of all the Families upon earth therefore I will spare you for your Iniquities No but therefore I will punish you for your Iniquities you of all others shall be sure to smart soonnest and sorest here in this World I confess that in a strict Sense they cannot so properly be called Punishments as Chastisements because Christ hath born the Punishments of Believers Sins in his own Body upon the Tree and when his Soul likewise was made a Sacrifice to satisfy the Justice of God for their Sin 2dly God sends Afflictions on his own People to purge Sin present There are the Remnants of Sin and Corruption in the best of God's Children and Princes Children if they be sick they must be Physickt as well as others By this therefore as it is Isa 27. 9. shall the Iniquity of Jacob be purged and now there is a great difference between Physitians purging and God's purging of his People and Children When Physitians purge their Patients they many times purge out the good Humours as well as the bad but God when he purges his Children he only purges out the bad Humours as in the place we named before and this is all the fruit to take away his Sin not to take the Sinner but to take away his Sin 3dly God sends Troubles and Afflictions on his own People and Children to prevent Sin in them for the time to come and to keep them within compass You know what David said of himself Psal 119. Before I was afflicted I went wrong but now have I kept thy word and kept in the right way And therefore God threatens his Apostatical Church Hosea 2. 6. Therefore behold I will hedge up thy way with Thornes She was apt to break out into the Pastures of forbidden Pleasures therefore God would set Thornes in her paths if she would break over she should prick and wound her self and if that would not do God would make a Wall that she shall not find her paths Hedges may be easily troden down but Walls are not so easily climbed over Thus God threatens to do to his when he intends to do them good and Afflictions are not so properly said to be threatned as promised to God's own People and Children as you may see Psal 89 30 31 32. therefore it is added the 33d Verse Neither will I suffer my Faithfulness to fail that is in regard of fulfilling what before he had promised 4thly Again God orders it so that they shall have their days of Trouble here that they may not set up their rest in this World as the other two Tribes and an half did on this side Jordan as People are too apt to do when all things go well with them and are apt to flow in upon them then they are ready to talk of building Tabernacles here and never think of going hence But now that God may knock off their fingers from things below and make them know that this is not their Rest God lets them meet with many Calamities and sore Troubles that so they may know that this is not their Rest as God says to his own People Mich. 2. 10. Arise and depart this is not your Rest it is polluted it is defiled with Sin and can give you no more Rest than a Bed of Thorns can do to a sick Person O! it is polluted and therefore it must not be your Rest Sin hath polluted all things here in this World therefore get you hence tho' they should combine altogether to do you good yet they cannot give you perfect Rest When God made all things at first he made them very good and there was that in them then that might give Satisfaction to the Heart of Man but now Sin hath polluted the Creature and filled it with nothing but Dirt and Filthiness Sin hath not only put our Mouths out of taste that we can take no Contentment or find any Satisfaction in the Creature but it hath emptied it of all that was truly good in it So that now we have Carbones pro Thesauro Coals instead of golden Mines so that God doth this 5thly That they may be weaned from the World and from all wordly things For the World
passeth away 1 Joh. 2. 17. and we must pass away that are in it for we have here no abiding City but yet the People of God are too apt to let out their Hearts and Affections on the things of this present World If they have all sorts of Flowers in their Garden they are too apt to make a Nose-gay of them and to hold them so fast till they wither in their hand when a full cup of Prosperity is fill'd out to them God many times anoints the brim with Aloes or some bitter thing that they may not drink too long of it nor too much Sometimes God beats their Plow-shares into Swords and turns their Rods into a Serpent Again God brings them into days of Trouble for the trial of their Graces both for the trial First Of the Truth of them Secondly Of the Strength of them First The Truth of them hang heavy Weights upon rotten Boughs and they break them but upon green and sound Boughs and they bear them unsound fruit will hang upon the Tree in a still and calm day but if it be stormy then down it falls The building upon the Sand may make as fair a shew in a Sun-shine day as that built upon the Rock but when the Floods come and the Winds blow hard then down it falls when the other stands An unsound Foot may travel pretty well in soft and green Way but when it comes upon the hard Stones then it will be apt to boggle and halt It was the Sword that did discover to whom of right the Child did belong unto 1 Kings 3. 24. There be many that think their Graces are sound and good but when a Storm or any Hardship comes how full of Unbelief and Impatience are they there That God may try his People's Graces whether they are sound or no he brings many stormy days over their heads if Afflictions bring us nearer to God it is a great sign they are sanctified to us but if they drive us further from God it is a great sign that they are in Wrath and not for our good God speaks to a Believer when he afflicts him as Isaac did to Jacob when he came to him for the Blessing Come near me my Son that I may feel thee whether thou beest my very Son Esau or no So if they bring us nearer to God and we endure them with patient submitting to the Will of God without any muttering or repining it is a great sign that we are indeed the Children of God Secondly He doth it also to try the Strength of their Graces It must be a strong Wing that must fly against the Wind weak Grace will hardly bear up in a strong day If thou faint in the day of adversity thy Strength is small saith Solomon Prov. 24. 10. To love God when he hears our Prayers and answers our Prayers presently is no great matter but to continue praying when he shuts out our Prayer as he did the Churches Lam 3. 8. and appears as an Enemy this argues strength of Faith It is an easy thing to love God when he smiles upon you with his Favours and Blessings but to love him when he hath a Frown in his Brow and a Rod in his Hand this argueth strength That fire of Love burns hot that many waters of Affliction cannot quench or put it out We read in Matth. 15. of a Woman that came to Christ with Words in her Mouth and Sorrow in her Heart and all to move him to pity At first he gave her no answer afterwards his Disciples are her Spokes-men in her behalf After that Christ calls her Dog yet she will not give him over a Cure she came for for her Daughter and a Cure she must have afore she goes away She doth in a manner confess her self a Dog and doth but desire the Favour that Dogs are apt to have at their Master's hands a crum of his Charity O Woman says Christ great is thy Faith O! it is Strength of Faith that will trust and rest in Christ when he doth not answer nay when he doth refuse and reject and seem to cast off Again the Children of God have their days of Trouble That by this means God might humble them and bring down the Pride of their Spirits Pride and Ambition it is an ill Weed and will not only grow in the vast howling Wilderness but often it springs up in the Garden of God Not only wicked Men are guilty of this Sin but sometimes the Children of God are apt to be puft up with Pride as we see it in Hezekiah nay they are apt to be puft up with their very Graces as the Devil was with his Excellencies and whereas their Graces should be a means to keep them humble they will be apt to grow proud of them if they take not heed now to let out this bladder of Pride Sometimes there is sent a Thorne in the Flesh as there was to Paul and sometimes God thrusts in the Sword of Affliction to let out the Corruption of this big-bellied Vicu A Sword was sent to pierce the Heart of the Blessed Virgin that was so highly exalted in all probabilty to keep her humble It is the Speech of Elihu Job 33. 17. He chasteneth Man with pain that he may hide Pride from Man In the 14th Verse God speaketh once yea twice God speaketh once by his Word and again by his Sword once by his Word and Man heareth it not and he speaks again by his Rod and all to hide Pride from Man and that they may not think poorly of others in regard of themselves Again they meet with days of Trouble that they may be made conformable to Jesus Christ God's dearly beloved Son so Rom. 8. 29. They are the Apostle's words there That Christ and his Members may be all of a piece The Children of God are not made choice of and appointed unto Glory only but they are also appointed unto Conformity to Jesus Christ You know that whilst he was God he was in Glory but when he became the Son of Man he became a Man of Sorrows and we hid our faces from him as it is Isa 53. as if we were ashamed of him Trouble was as a Thred drawn thorow the whole course of his Life Now that God's Children may be conformable to Christ they meet with days of Trouble they must be afflicted and misused for if they have done so to the green Tree what will they not do to the dry who is no better than fit Fuel to the everlasting Fire Again they meet with days of Trouble that they may be the more put upon the Duty of Prayer for times of Affliction are more properly times of Supplication and Prayer Call upon me says God in the day of Trouble Then God calls upon us to call upon him and then we are more apt to do it than at other times as appears Isa 26. 16. Lord in Trouble have they visited thee and have poured
into the Mouth of the Eater But who can overthrow such a Strong-hold as God is that is Almighty Wo be to him that strives with his Maker Use I. If God be such an excellent Strong-hold then see what a bosom you have here to flee unto that whatsoever evil days come yet if you have recourse to him for your Strong-hold you may be sure to be safe and take heed I beseech you that you do not set up your Rest in any thing on this side God When it is a day of Trouble as we are threatned with such a day at this time Counsel and Strength of Men and Horses and Ships cannot be a Strong-hold for us without God See what the Prophet says in the second Chapter of Isaiah Cease from Man whose Breath is in his Nostrils and if Man must be ceased from much rather must the things that Man hath made be ceased from as Ships and pleasant Pictures as the Prophet instances in that Chapter Now there be these three things that may rap off your Fingers from the Creature or making any thing your Strong-hold on this side God Now for this consider 1. The Inutility or Unprofitableness of all Creature-help in the day of Distress in the day of God's Anger for Riches profit nothing in the day of God's Wrath saith Solomon Prov. 11. 4. But they many times make the Owner the more in danger as the Gold Ring hath made some to loose the Finger And what shall it profit a Man says our Saviour to gain the whole World and to loose his own Soul That were a Loss above all other Losses thou hast better lose thy Wife thy Children thy House thy Lands nay thy Life it self than loose thy Soul and yet thus many do to gain the World But what Profit when they come to take away thy Soul The things of this World have not so much Worth in them as to deliver your Souls from Death or Hell or Damnation so that it cost more to redeem one Soul than all the World comes to They have not so much worth in them as to satisfy one of your Debts for no Man knows Love or Hatred by all that is before him they have no power to pacify Conscience in its Distress The things of this World prove many times lothing Torments to dying Christians and they are many times dying Comforts to living Christians 2. The Mutability of the Creature There is a great deal of Mutability in the Creature you cannot say the Moon will shine two days together with the same face so the things of the World are likened to the Moon Rev. 12. 1. The Woman that is the Church is said to have the Moon under her Feet i. e. All worldly things Again They are sometimes likened to the Wind Dan. 7. 2. says the Prophet there I saw the four Winds striving upon the Sea And what were those four Winds but the four Monarchies striving upon the Sea of this World which should be uppermost And so as the Moon doth not shine two days together with the same face no more are you sure the Wind will blow two hours together in the same Quarter The gratest Monarchies and Kingdoms are but so many stormy and violent Winds and will you make that your Strong-hold that is so subject to Alteration and Change In a stormy day will you go to a Shadow for your Refuge or Shelter 3. Besides all this there is a Corruptibility in all these things so the Apostle speaks to this purpose 1 Pet. 1. 19. He calls there Silver and Gold corruptible things which we are apt to account most durable How may all the Glory of the World which we are apt to account most shining and excellent be wink 't into Blackness and Darkness All the Glory of Man is but as the Flower of Grass All Solomon's Glory was but that of the Lilly of very short Continuance the Flower may fade whilst the Stalk yet standeth and yet that within a short while will be cast into the Oven The Flower may be nipt in the Bub but if it be let alone it will fall of it self such are Creature Excellencies and therefore I beseech you do not set up your Cities of Refuge on this side God And for your further comfort consider how God knows such as are in Trouble and trust in him and have Dependance upon him for Safety and Deliverance if God's People could be in Adversity and God not know it then their case would be sad indeed but God knows what all your Ailes and Troubles are and will certainly deliver you out of them all if you depend upon him and trust in him Quest But are there not many that are Believers that are cut off in their Troubles and Straits as good Josiah and others Answ There are seldom any that in the height of their Dependance upon God that have acted Faith and fully relied upon him for Deliverance that have been cut off For you must know that it is one thing to have Faith and another thing to act Faith as it is one thing to have a Sword and another thing to use it Many a one may be cut off for not using of his Sword whereas if he had used it very like he might have escap'd and it is a Saying of the Psalmist concerning the goldly Man Psal 112. 7. He shall not be afraid of any evil tydings Why His Heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. All the while he acts his Faith on God he hath no cause to fear So that this further informs us that the Wicked shall never beat Believers out of heart for in the worst times they have a Strong-hold a good God to run unto and so shall they be saved from all their Enemies When they are in the greatest danger still they have a God that takes Cognizance of them when it may be their Friends and neer Relations will take no notice of them Thou hast known my Soul in Adversities saith David Psal 31. 7. If they could be in Adversities and God not know it it would then be a sad thing indeed but God knows whatsoever Adversities you are in and will doubtless deliver his I but are not many of them cut off by Death I answer God will be so good to them as to deliver them from Death or by Death and therefore the day of Death is better to them than the day of their Birth for when they are born then they come into Trouble but when they die then they come out of Trouble and it is better to come out of Trouble than to come into Trouble This is the Comfort that they have that trust in God God knows them and knows how to deliver them when they do not know how to deliver themselves We know not what to do says Jehoshaphat 2 Chron. 20. 12. I but God knows what to do and how to deliver his and to reserve the Wicked for the day of Wrath For this Knowledg of God
out a Prayer when thy chastening was upon them At other times Prayer came from them but sparingly and droppingly but when thy chastening was upon them then they poured out a Prayer then they even poured out their Hearts before the Lord. They meet with days of Trouble that they might more sweetly taste of Peace How sweet is an hour's Rest after many toilsome and troublesome Nights That we might relish Mercies the better God doth oftentimes sawce them with troublesome Seasons O! How comfortable will a Haven of Rest be after troublesome and dangerous Tempests at Sea and so doubtless Heaven will be Heaven indeed to him that hath met with many Troubles and Afflictions here in this World But yet here is our Comfort here in this Life Though the days are never so evil yet God is always good a strong hold to whom we may always resort and knows all them that trust in him And that is the next thing I shall shew you how then God is good though Men and the Times are never so bad 1st God is good essentially yea God is Goodness it self and God must needs cease to be when he ceases to be good he ceases to be God 2dly God is good efficiently God is not only good but he doth good Psal 119. 68. As the Sun doth not keep in his Beams to himself but he spreads them abroad for the good of the Universe So God is good to all says the Psalmist Psal 145. 9. and his tender Mercies are over all his Works 3dly God is eminently good and that to his own People God is universally good There is not any Creature in the World but he doth partake of the Goodness of God In some measure he makes his Sun to rise upon the Just and the Unjust and he makes his Rain to fall upon wicked Mens Fields as well as upon the Fields of the Righteous But God is in a more special manner good to them that be good Truly God is good to Israel says the Psalmist Psal 72. 1. to all that are of a clean Heart Object But is he not good to all Did you not say he is good to all may some say I but not with the same Goodness not with saving Goodness so he is good only to his Elect and so he is eternally good to them not only in this World but also in the World to come God ceases to be good to wicked Men in the World to come Remember Son says Abraham to Dives thou hadst thy good things I thou hadst them but now thou hast them not But now God is good to his both in this World and in the World to come Here in this World he is a Strong-hold to them when Enemies and Evils are abroad and a House of Defence to which they may always resort in the time of Need and Distress God being a universal and perpetual good God is all in all in every Condition Bread is good to feed you but it cannot clothe you Again Clothes are good to warm you but they cannot feed you but God is good every way My God says the Apostle shall supply all your needs according to his riches in Glory by Christ Jesus Phil. 4. 19. Not only some but all your Needs and he doth all after the best sort he is a Father and the best Father he is a Master and the best Master he is a Friend and the best Friend he is a Strong-hold and the best Strong-hold and the Excellency of this Strong-hold I shall endeavour to make out to you thus First He is a high Strong-hold so high indeed that none can reach him that is in this Strong-hold or that hath God for his Strong-hold to defend him he shall be so compast in with the Loving-kindness of God that nothing shall do him hurt His Dwellings shall be on high says the Prophet his Place of Defence shall be the Munitions of Rocks Bread shall be given his Waters shall be sure Isa 33. 16. See how God doth provide for the Safety and Welfare of his that he shall dwell on high out of Gun-shot and so out of Danger for his place of defence shall be the Munitions of Rocks or Rock within Rock I but Rocks though they be good for fence yet they be naught for food it was the Devil that would have Stones turned into Bread I but rather than a Believer shall starve he shall have Bread given I but may he not perish there for want of Water No his Waters shall be sure so safe is he that hath God for his Strong-hold Secondly God as he is a high Strong-hold so he is a nigh Strong-hold some may be cut off before they can get to their Strong-hold their Strong-hold may be so far that they may be never the better for their Strong-hold But what says the Psalmist concerning Almighty God Psal 46. 1. God is our Refuge and Strength a very present help in Trouble not only a help but a present help yea a very present help in time of Trouble Thirdly God is a capacious Strong-hold ready to receive all that fly unto him for Defence in the name of Christ and as Christ says He that comes unto me I will in no wise cast out John 6. 37. So those that come unto God by Christ he will in no wise keep out for there is Room and Entertainment enough to be found in him some Strong-holds are so narrow and straight that if many fly unto them they are fain to hang many of them like Bees about the Hive 's Mouth and cannot get in But whoever yet fled to God to hide him and was not received and defended by him Fourthly God is an invisible Strong-hold such a Strong-hold as all their Enemies are not able to find out and therefore all that flee unto him and get into him must needs be safe We know when the Sodomites would have offered Violence to Lot and to have pull'd him out of his House the Angels smote them with Blindness that they could not so much as find the Door much less pull him out of his House So when the Syrians came with a great Army to carry away the Prophet Elisha and had compassed the City round so that one would have thought there could have been no escaping yet then Elisha had an invisible Guard and though his Man could not see it at the first yet after the Prophet had pray'd to God to open his Eyes then he could see the Mountain full of Horses and Chariots of Fire round about his Master Lastly To name no more Properties and Excellencies of this Strong-hold God is an invincible Strong-hold other Strong-holds are not able to hold out in the day of God's Anger the least puff or push of God's Displeasure will thrust them down Nineveh that stately City that had Walls 100 foot high and beautified with 1300 Towers All her Strong-holds shall be like Fig-trees with the first ripe Figs which when they are shaken shall fall