than it should do Rejoyce not against me O my Enemy for though I fall yet shall I rise again The Bush burneth but is not consumed The Lord knoweth how to uphold and comfort and deliver No body knows the Comforts and the mighty Assistances that flow from the Divine Spirit upon the Spirits of afflicted Servants and Children of God making ample satisfaction for all the Sufferings of this life superadding the Assurance of everlasting Salvation into which through many Afflictions we must enter The Righteous suffer justly from God but wrongfully from the Sons of Men they have deserved it from God but not from Men. They are basely betrayed and abused even for Well-doing Christ was numbred among this Transgressors but he was innocent and had done nothing amiss The two Thieves had their deserts He was betrayed with a Kiss of his Servant that did what he listed with the Purse and eat of his Masters Bread and dipt his Morsel in his Dish Joab took Abner aside to speak with him quietly he thinking no harm and smote him under the fifth Rib that he died not as a Fool died bound hand and feet that he could not help himself but unawares as a man falleth before a Treacherous Enemy Such usage the best of Men find of whom the World is not worthy Let us oppress say they the poor Righteous man and not spare the Widow nor reverence the ancient Gray-hairs Let our strength be the Law of our Justice for that which is feeble is found to be nothing worth Let us lay wait for the Righteous because he is not for our turn and he is clean contrary to our doings he was made to reprove our thoughts He is grievous unto us even to behold for his life is not like other men his ways are of another fashion If the Just man be the Son of God he will help him and deliver him out of the hand of his Enemies Let us examine him with despitefulness and torment that we may know his Meekness and prove his Patience But the Souls of the Righteous are still in the hand of God whatever becomes of their Bodies and there shall no torment touch them Though they be punished in the sight of God yet their hope is full of a glorious and blessed Immortality And having been a little chastised they shall be greatly rewarded for God proved them and found them worthy for himself They that put their trust in the Lord shall understand the Truth and such as be faithful in Love shall abide with him for Grace and Mercy is to his Saints and he taketh care for his Elect. These are the Sufferings and this is the perfecting of the Patience and Faith of the Saints even unto the death of the Body and after death the Patience of their Souls continueth waiting and crying from under the Altar Lord how long how long O Lord holy and true dost thou not judge and avenge our Blood on them that dwell on the Earth While they lived the eyes of their Faith were upon God an Evidence of their deliverance not seen and the Substance thereof hoped for If they fail in the Flesh they never fail in the Spirit if they fail in the false Honours and Riches they never fail in the true Honours and Riches For them to live is Christ and to die is gain and whether they live or die they are the Lords Whatever their Beginning be their End is Peace A bed of Thorns is to them a bed of Roses The Wicked kiss a painted Jezabel ravish a Cloud tantalize Chimera's desperate trying all their Wits using all means but the true which is Repentance from dead works to serve the living God instead of which they die in their sins cursing God and blaspheming cursing the Stars and the Fates and what not so they go to their place Such shame have all God's Enemies and such honour have all his Saints SECTION III. I might here make a Metaphysical Discourse of Spiritual Desertions and Streights that they say Spiritual Desertions God puts his People into and leaves them in for a time and times hiding his face and again looking upon them casting them down and lifting them up Like Parents leaving their Children to cry and want and then satisfying their wants I am not certain that these are the usual waies and methods of God's dealing with Souls God's waies are in the Deep and his paths are in the great Waters and his footsteps are not known I find it was the way of God's proceeding under the Old Testament in Legal dispensations of Judgments and Mercies but I do not find it is so now I find the Spirit is called the Spirit of comfort and when in seems to depart fear not for it is not departed as to the comforts of the Body much more of the Soul And that God delighteth not in grieving the Sons of Men nor doth he fright-Mortals into Regeneration for though there be fear in the Flesh which is weak yet there is joy in the Spirit which is willing all along under various Dispensations and Measures creating hope above hope and contrary unto Hope which is the Anchor of the Soul The Messenger of Satan hath been miraculously sent to buffet some great Saints in the Body here to try their Faith that the Soul might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus St. Paul was in a great strait but it was of Love between two that is betwixt his own and his Disciples happiness whether it were best for him to live or die he had a desire to both but did not well know which to choose though the one were better for him than the other To depart and to be with Christ was far better for him but to stay among his Disciples was better for thein A great contest and striving of Love as in another place he saith He could wish himself accursed for his Brethren his Companions sake the Jews rather than they should be cast away The like Spirit we find in Moses in a Rapture of Love wishing to be blotted out of the Book of Life rather than the People should perish David was brought into a great strait which to choose for one he must of the three Judgments of Pestilence Famine or the Sword but he chose the last and least because it was better to fall into the hands of God than of men for with God there was mercy but with men there was none Job complained in the errour of his life cursing the day of his birth and wishing for death Elijah in distress prayed that he might die Jonah was angry even unto death for a small matter of the shadow of a Gourd and because his Prophecy came not to pass Thus for want of Faith in Extremities of Sufferings many fools in all hast would go down to the Grave to secure themselves there and many of them died indeed by their own hands in a mad mood and wished themselves alive again when it
What fruit can we have in those things whereof we shall one day be ashamed 2. We believe Extremities recoverable Rejoyce not against me O my Enemy for tho I fall yet I shall rise again God brings to the gate of the Grave and brings back again he kills and maks alive he raiseth up the poor out of the dust and setteth him among the Princes of the Earth He raiseth up light out of darkness Order out of Confusion Plenty out of Want Health out of Sickness Truth out of Error Peace out of War Life out of Death and he only can doe after this fashion What is it that God cannot do Is any thing too hard for the Lord The Heathens cryed to their God's and cut themselves with Launces till the blood gushed out saying O Baal hear us but there was no Answer nor any that regarded God only is the God that heareth Prayers and unto him must all Flesh come And whither should we go but unto him that hath the words of Eternal life Whither should Children fly but to their Parents Servants but to their Lords Sheep but to their Shepherds Subjects but to their Princes and all Clients but to their Patrons Guardians and Protectors All lack a Saviour in distress All cry what shall we do Whither shall we go Who will shew us any good Lord save us we perish our eyes are only upon thee from whom only cometh our Salvation Whom have we in Heaven but thee and who is there on Earth that we can desire in comparison of thee The eyes of all things look up unto thee and thou givest them their meat in due season thou openest thine hand wide and fillest every Creature plentifully with thy blessings the young Ravens call upon God and are fed by him Doth God take care for Revens How much more of us O we of little Faith Our Fathers hoped in thee and thou didst deliver them they put their trust in thee and were not confounded Fear not little Flock for it is your Fathers pleasure to give you a Kingdom Let not your hearts be troubled the World shall hate you but it hated me before it hated you and if they have done these things to the green Tree well may they do them to the dry The Servant must not be above his Master it is well that he be as his Master In the World ye shall have tribulation but be of good cheer I have overcome the World I have sent you forth as Sheep amongst Wolves who shall come to you in Sheeps clothing and wear a rough Garment to deceive therefore be wise as Serpents and innocent as Doves 'T is hard to avoid a Hypocrite a false Brother Against a professed Enemy we stand in defiance upon our Guard and we expect no good but harm from such but a Hypocrite kisses and betrays embraces and cuts your throat None of these are to be trusted especially they that call us Heretical doggs Dross and Vermin Reprobates and Castaways and out of the Pale of the Church They are utterly deceitful upon the Balance they are lighter than vanity it self their throat is an open Sepulchre they flatter with their lips but dissemble with their double heart their words are softer than butter smoother than Oyle and sharper than a two edged Sword therefore trust them not What trust can there be in those men who maintain false Principles and Practices They are Giants the Sons of Anak their Walls are mounted up to Heaven They have great might and exceeding Malice but the Lord from Heaven is mightier He beholds the tears of the oppressed how they run down their cheeks every day and there is none to comfort them He sees and smiles and laughs them to scorn when they laugh his Servants to scorn while they come about them like Bees and would eat them as they eat bread and are confederate against them they shall be extinct as the Fire among the Thorns suddenly do they perish and come to a fearful end In the mean time great is the patience and comfort of the Saints their Soul is among Lions Briars and Thorns tare them they fly to the Rocks and cling to the ragged Rocks for want of a covering and no man careth for their Soul but God careth for them and his Grace shall be sufficient for them The Lord is on our side we will not fear what man can do unto us We call upon the Lord in our distress and he heareth us and sets our feet in a large room The Lord taketh our part with them that help us therefore shall we see our desire upon them that hate us It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man it is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in Princes All Nations may compass us round about but in the Name of the Lord we shall destroy them they may thrust soar at us to make us fall but the Lord will uphold us He is our strength and our song and is become our salvation the right hand of the Lord bringeth mighty things to pass We shall not die but live and declare the works of the Lord the living they shall praise him as we do this day O let us live that we may praise thee The Lord hath chastned us sore but he will not give us over unto death The Stone which the builder srefused is become the head stone of the corner Save now we beseech thee O Lord O Lord send us now Prosperity O give thanks unto the Name of the Lord for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever 3. God suffereth his People to be brought into Extremities and delivereth them looking up unto him with the eye of Faith when all other hopes fail Instances SECT VIII Adam and Eve hid themselves from God for shame after they had fallen and were driven out of Paradise and kept out by a flaming Sword till by Repentance they recovered and kept the favour of God Lot was saved out of the flames of Sodom The Three Children were untoucht in the midst of the fiery Furnace Susanna rescued from the Unrighteous Judges Daniel was safe in the hungry Lyons Den. Jews saved from the destruction plotted by Haman Joseph was brought out of the Pit and from the Prison and advanced to honour and greatness Prophets hid by fifty in a Cave Seven Thousand reserved in Israel that bowed not their knees unto Baal and whose mouths had not kissed him Above Forty Conspirators that vowed they would not eat nor drink till they had killed Paul Moses and Aaron saved from the Conspiracy of Corah Dathan and Abiram Aaron offered Incense and stood in the Gap between the living and the dead and the Plague ceased David built an Altar and the Plague stayed Sennacheribs Host destroyed by an Angel and Hezekiah saved Egypt saved from famine by Josephs care Sudden plenty in Samaria after sudden famine as if the Windows of Heaven were opened as
them what the true meaning of them is more then any other Man Who perhaps hath better eyes and a quicker Judgment then they They must think well that we are not Fools altogether and that they must produce better Principles of their Art then they have yet done before they can convince learned Searching men of the Truth of their bold Assertions What shall we think of that great and wonderfull Change and Revolution of State after Twenty years Destruction in which time hapned that most horrid Parricide of King Charles the First that ever hapned in the World by the Restauration of Charles the Second in peace and honour Was this so much as dream'd of by all the privy Counsellors to the Stars Is not this enough to prove the Divines mad that could perceive nothing at all in all the Heavenly Indications of this great matter And how many more Instances might be given to the same purposes of secrets kept in the brest of God that neither Angels nor Devils nor Stars not Meteors had the least knowledge of them beforehand Who then should we look unto but to God in these and all other causes SECT VI. The Spanish Armada Christn'd Invincible was broke in pieces notwithstanding all the Popes blessings Consecrated Swords Banners Daggers Pistols Agnus Dei's Cruzado's are meer Toys and Trifles They fly to their Saints and Angels as Heathens did to their Idol God's but we seek to the true God They come unto us with Sword and Spear but we come unto them in the Name of the Lord and he will save us for his great Name sake They trust as the Jews did in an Arm of Flesh but we trust in God alone God is our present help in time of trouble God is the hope of all the ends of the Earth and of them that remain in the broad Sea others pur their trust in Horses and in Chariots but we in the Name of the Lord our God The Lord's Arm is not shortned that he cannot save neither is his strength abated We live by Faith and not by sense We live above the World looking from all help and comfort in God Put not your trust in Princes nor in any Child of Man for they are utterly deceitful We have been delivered from many extremities but this is the most Universal that ever came upon this Church and Kingdom If the Lord had not been on our side may Israel now say if the Lord himself had not been on our side when men rose up against us they had utterly swallowed us up before now they were so wrathfully displeased at us Never more numerous powerful and implacable Enemies then now In perils at home in perils abroad in perils by Land in perils by Water in peril amongst false Brethren We can never trust them that profess never to keep faith with us but continually ly in wait to deceive by Mental Reservations and AEquivocations of all sorts that the wit of Man can invent O let us fall into the hands of God for with him there is mercy but not into the hands of men that know no mercy but their very tender mercies are cruel O Lord put a Hook into the noses and a Bridle into the lips of such men and curb their barbarous and monstrous malice that it may enlarge it self no further Discover the depths of Satan and bring to light the hidden works of darkness that are contrived secretly in the bosom of Hell it self against thy holy Child Jesus and against the Annointed of the Lord and this Church and Kingdom that they may come forth into the light of the open Sun who is ready to hide his face from seeing them We are as the Apple of God's Eye and as the Bracelets upon his Right Arm. Tender and dear in the sight of the Lord is the death of the Saints Touch not mine Annointed and do my Prophets no harm If the Lord were pleased to kill us he would not have accepted of our Sacrifices neither would he have discovered unto us all these Mysteries of Iniquities nor as at this time have told us such secret Plots of Murders and Assasinations as these are Still we cry out Lord save us or else we perish And still our ship lives and bears up against those roaring Surges and stands off from these fearful Rocks and Quick-sands that wait for her Witches Comets Polices Lyes of all sorts even unto death shall not plague us into dispair God hath raised up the Spirits of the best of the Nation as one Man to stand up and defend the Truth with might and main This is the Gift of God and its marvelous in our Eyes and we have cause to thank God for it A Gospel Faith a Gospel Love is a security above all Let the Earth be removed if it will and the Mountains fall into the midst of the Sea Tho the Plowers plow upon our backs and make long furrows tho we put our mouths into the very dust tho we are gon down to bottoms of Mountains into the belly of Hell and the Earth with her bates about us for ever and the Weeds of dispair are wrapped about our heads yet will wee look once more to the Holy Temple of the Lord. We will believe above hope and contrary unto hope and the gates of Hell shall never be able to prevail against us For we know on whom we do believe and he will never fail us Did any that trusted in him ever fail Tho he hide his face 't is but for a time tho he be angry he will not keep it in everlasting displeasure he will come he will not tarry with healing in his wings We shall one day say doubtless there is a God that Judgeth the Earth Stand still and see the salvation of God Let the Nations of the Earth gather themselves together they shall be broken in pieces No Weapon formed against God shall ever prosper It is in vain to fight against God it is in vain to kick against the Pricks O tarry the Lords leasure his time is the best time Stay and see what the Lord will do with us and what he will do for us When the Lord in the year 1660 brought again our Captivity out of Babylon then were we like unto them that dream We should utterly have fainted unless we had believed verily to see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the living the living the shall praise thee as we do this day O let us live and we shall praise thee O tast and see how good the Lord is all ye that put your trust in him He will never leave us nor forsake us SECT VII 1. We know by woful experience that our unthankfulness and unfruitfulness for former mercies have brought these new extremities upon us We are at a loss as to humane Policy and strength What will all our Rebellion profit us It will be bitterness in the latter end And what shall we do in the end thereof
thought spoke and done the bed they can to the utmost of their power and taken all the best courses to avoid sin and misery and provide for their eternal good the wisest and best and strongest can do no more If after all this all their hopes fail for this life they have freed their own Souls they shall be saved in the life to come Means useless We have seen by woful experience all the ways of temporising and flattery and fraud and policy and cruelty and whatsoever else is contrary to Godliness and a sound Mind comes to nothing We have tried all means and beat upon every bush and all to no purpose every thing fails let us come to that at last that will never fail us Fear God and keep his Commandments A Rich man uses all means and nothing does him good all his Physitians are of no value and leave him to God We have contracted sins and by them brought these miseries upon our selves that we groan under and being found out for them as we never thought to be we look one upon another and say one to another as Josephs Brethren did We are verily guilty because of our Brothers Blood and because of our Fathers Blood and therefore is this distress come upon us The Prodigal came too when he came to his Husks and not before There are two Protestant Parties that hurt one another and a third Party that is Popish stands by and laughs and encourages them to worry one another and when he sees them spent he rushes upon them to destroy them And this is our Case 7. Make Observations in your Life Observations of Mercies 1. You shall find particular Deliverances to your Persons Estates great experiences of Gods Love in supporting you under your troubles and saving you from them whether they come mediately from the hands of Men or immediately from the hands of God if you mark them to your great comfort confirmation and assurance for future Mercies and Thankfulness to God for them 2. You shall find Publick Deliverances to the Church and State such as have happened in your days and in the days of old how the Lord doth build up Jerusalem and gathereth together the outcasts of Israel how he healeth the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds how he satisfieth the longing Soul and filleth the hungry Soul with goodness Such as sit in Darkness and in the shadow of Death being bound in Affliction and Iron when they cried unto the Lord in their Trouble he saved them out of their Distresses he brought them out of Darkness and the Shadow of Death and brake their bonds asunder He sent his Word and healed them and delivered them from their Destruction Oh that men would therefore praise the Lord for his Goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men sacrifice the sacrifices of Thanksgiving and declare his works with rejoycing They that go down to the Sea in Ships that do business in greats Waters these see the goodness of the Lord and his wonders in the Deep For he commandeth and raiseth the stormy wind which lifteth up the Waves thereof they mount up to the Heaven they go down again to the Depths their Soul is melted because of trouble they reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man and are at their wits end Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble and he bringeth them out of their distresses He maketh the Storm a Calm so that the Waves thereof are still then are they glad because they be quiet so he bringeth them unto their desire Haven Oh that men would therefore praise the Lord for his Goodness and for his wonderful works to the Children of men Let them exalt him also in the Congregation of the People and praise him in the Assembly of the Elders He turneth rivers into a wilderness and the water-springs into a dry ground A fruitful Land maketh he barren for the wickedness of them that dwell therein He turneth the wilderness into a standing water and dry ground into water-springs and there he maketh the hungry to dwell that they may prepare a City for Habitations and sow the Fields and plant Vineyards which may yield Fruits of encrease he blesseth them also so that they are multiplied greatly and suffereth not their Cattel to decrease again they are minished and brought low through oppression affliction on and sorrow He poureth contempt upon Princes and causeth them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction and maketh him Families like a Flock The Righteous shall see it and rejoyce and all iniquity shall stop her mouth Whoso is wise will observe those things even they shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord. Observation of correspondence with God 8. Besides these temporal personal and publick Mercies I exercise my Soul in the strict observation of the intercourse and correspondence of Business betwixt God and my own Soul which greatly comforts me in all outward Distress And I perswade all Christians to do the like As to observe Influence of Gods Spirit upon our Spirits ☞ 1. The Influence of God's Spirit upon our Spirits by the Illumination of our Minds and the Invitation of our Wills When you are serious and solitary you will find God knocking at the Door of your Hearts the motions of his blessed Spirit the Light within you the Voice behind you in your Consciences this is the way walk in it Take good heed that you listen to all these good things God's turning to us Refluence of our Spirits upon Gods Spirit 2. The Refluence of our Spirits upon God's Spirit by our approbation of the Mind of God in our Mind and the Consent of our Will to God's Will and a Return of Love for Love our turning to God The use and exercise of Graces given and received frequent resort to the Throne of Grace for Grace sufficient to help us in the time of all our need You shall find this employment beneficial towards a supportation and qualification of all outward perplexities driving the weak heart towards despair Mark what comes from God to us inwardly and what comes from us to God inwardly for God marks us We shall find enough to do to prepare for God's coming into our Souls and to stir up the Gifts of God in us and to use his Graces after he is come into our Souls These things will so take up our thoughts and exercise our facultâ—es that we shall be all in hopes and joyes because of our Union and Communion with God while the calamities of the World are round about us that we shall fear them the less and bear them the better and overcome them the sooner This I find to be the great Remedy and Medela Auimae the Earnest of Heaven upon Earth the great Anodine to expell worldly Sorrows I am safe in the midst of all Temptations and Dangers of