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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01575	Two sermons One, the curse and crime of Meroz. Preached at the assises at Exon. The other, a sermon of patience. At St Maries in Oxford. By Edward Gee, Doctor in Diuinitie, and chaplaine to his Maiestie. Published since his death, by his two brethren, Iohn Gee and George Gee, ministers of Gods Word.	Gee, Edward, 1565-1618.; Gee, John, d. 1631.; Gee, George, b. 1574 or 5.	1620 (1620)	STC 11700; ESTC S103012	31,809	66

TWO SERMONS ONE The Curse and Crime of Meroz Preached at the Assises at Exon. THE other A Sermon of Patience At St Maries in Oxford BY EDWARD GEE Doctor in Diuinitie and Chaplaine to his MAIESTIE Published since his death by his two brethren IOHN GEE and GEORGE GEE Ministers of Gods Word LONDON Printed by W. S. for Nathaniel Butter and are to be sold at his shop neere S. Austins-gate at the signe of the Pyde Bull. 1620. A Premonition to the READER TO yeeld any reasons for the publishing these Sermons considering the sufficiencie of the Author and the excellencie of the Argument were to call into question the valew of an Offering cast into the treasurie of Gods Church If TERTVLLIAN an ancient and learned Father when the Light of the Gospel shined neerer the times of the primitiue puritie confessed that hee did adore the fulnesse of the Scriptures Haue wee lesse cause in these dayes indeed not of ignorance but of contention and libertie to respect the sincere Expositors of the Mysteries of GOD especially when euerie man is almost become an Interpretor to himselfe But for as much as they who are the Publishers of these exercises can best giue resolution for their publication how euer extraordinarie occasions vnexpectedly withcal'd them for the present yet where a man in his life time so knowne and so deseruing to be knowne for sinceritie of conucrsation generalitie of learning grauitie of iudgement and soundnesse of Doctrine as the Author was hath left any monument of his studies there it cannot bee but an iniurie to his memorie and a kindt of defrauding the Store-house of Religion to conceale that for any priuate vse which concernes a publique benefit A Teacher after his death is best commended by the remaining fruits of his labours those parcell-reliques of this worthie man being then read rightly vnderstood and applyed cannot but both informe the charitable Christian Reader and confirme him THE CVRSE AND CRIME OF MEROZ IVDG 5. VERS 23. Curse yee Meroz said the Angel of the Lord curse continually the Inhabitants thereof because they came not to helpe the Lord to helpe the Lord against the mightie AS it is the first care of a good Gardener right Honourable right Worshipfull and welbeloued to purge and rid his Garden-plot of all noxious hearbes and pestilent weedes So is it the chiefest worke of a wise Gouernour to remoue all naughtie and incurable persons from a Citie and Common-weale The which wee need not to proue by the authorities of Solon Lycurggus or other Heathenish Law-giuers but euen by the prescript of the wisdome of God the well and fountaine of perfect policie For when the Lord had brought his vine out of Aegypt and had giuen to the people of Israel the land of Canaan he first and principally charged them that they should vtterly root out the idolatrous Cananites that they should make no league of friendship with them but without all compassion smite and destroy them from the face of the earth Deut. 7.2.3 Deut. 7. And this commandement they kept religiously both vnder the flourishing gouernment of Iosua and of the Elders also which succeeded him But after when they had taken roote in the fruitfull land and plentie had begotten ease and ease had bred securitie and securitie had brought forth forgetfulnesse of God and forgetfulnesse of God had caused them to make an impious truce with the cursed Cananites Judg. 1.28 whom for a little tribute they suffered to liue quietly in the middest of their land the Lord did therefore bring vpon them many calamities and gaue them vp often to bee subdued and tyrannously oppressed by those prophane Nations And yet behold the Father of mercie did in the middest of his furie remember mercie For in their greatest oppressions whensoeuer they truely repented and turned vnto the Lord Chap. 2.16 he raised them vp Iudges that is to say rare and extraordinarie Champions men of valiant and heroicall spirits which by strong hand deliuered them from their oppressours Witnesse this one example for all in the fourth Chapter of this Booke wherein it is hard to say whether the oppression was more grieuous or the deliuerance more famous For the Lord had sold his people into the hands of Iabin King of Canaan whose munitions euen nine hundreth chariots of yron seemed vnresistable his souldiers innumerable his Captaine Sisera inuincible who by continuall excursions had ouer-runne the whole land for the space of twentie yeares And yet when they called vpon God in their distresse hee raised vp Debora the Prophetesse who perswaded Barac the sonne of Abinoam to take vnto him tenne thousand souldiers of the Tribes of Zebulon and Nepthalye and with that handfull of men to encounter that huge Hoste of the Cananites in a pitched field neere vnto the brooke Kishon whose armie was three hundred thousand men and more as Iosephus writeth In which battaile Iabin was for euer vanquished the Cananites discomfited their chariots dismēbred their captaine Sisera most dishonourably nayled vnto the ground with a pinne of a Tent strucken through the temples of his head by the hands of Iael the wife of Heber And vpon that glorious victorie Barac and Debora did sing this sweete song of thankesgiuing vnto God in the fift Chapter of this Booke In which most excellent triumphant Hymne as the Authors name is Debora Deb. signif which signifies a Bee so doth she bring not onely the sweet hony of praise and thanks-giuing for that glorious victorie but also a sharpe sting of reproofe wherewith she pierceth those Tribes and men that came not to helpe them in that great extremitie But of all the Israelites that absented themselues there were none so faultie as the men of Meroz who dwelling neere vnto Mount Thabor where the field was foughten and beeing called vpon to come did notwithstanding hide their heads in the day of battaile And therefore this holy Prophetesse doth thunder as it were from heauen a speciall malediction against them saying Curse yee Meroz c. which words are nothing else but a direfull doome of Debora against the mercilesse Merozites wherein for breuities sake I will obserue but 2. Points 1. The Curse of Meroz and what it was 2. The Crime of Meroz and how great it was 1. Concerning the former 1. Part. the meaning is that an Angel of God to wit either Barac as the Chaldee paraphrase doth render it or some other Prophet inspired from aboue as I expound it did commaund both the Iudges and the people to pray for the ruine and vtter destruction of Meroz and of all that dwelt therein Quest Now if any man aske whether the command of this Angel be not contrarie to the command of that great Angel of the Couenant Christ Iesus who bids vs in the Gospel to blesse them that curse vs and pray for them that persecute vs Matth. 5.44 whereunto heauens great trumpet S. Paul accordeth saying Rom.

12.14 Blesse and curse not I answer Answ there is no repugnancie in these commands For as the Word of God forbiddeth all intemperate heat and desire of reuenge in our priuate wrongs and so all manner of cursings of our priuate enemies so doth it require vs to hate the enemies of God with a perfect hatred and to curse them vnto the death if we be certified from heauen that they be incorrigible and that the Lord hath appointed them vnto slaughter Hence the holy Prophets of God who being rauished in the Spirit were carryed vp into heauen vpon the wings of prayer and prophecie 2. King 2. as Elias in a fierie chariot and did behold in the cristall glasse of Gods secret counsaile who were the incurable enemies of God destined vnto destruction could not chuse but with their hearts wish and with their tongues expresse their longing desire to haue the iudgements of God put in execution Hence proceeded the curses of Elisaeus of Elias of Dauid of other holy men of God who being endued with the Spirit of discerning and inflamed with a pure zeale of Gods glorie did pray for the destruction of them who were alreadie by the Iudge of the whole world appointed vnto death And therefore Saint Augustine saith of such propheticall imprecations August that they were rather Verba praedicentium quàm vota imprecantium words of prediction than wishes of malediction But as for vs Amos 7.14 who are neither Prophets nor Prophets sonnes nor haue any extraordinarie gift of Gods Spirit we may not absolutely wish for the destruction of any lest our Sauiour say vnto vs as he did vnto his Disciples wishing for fire from heauen vpon their enemies Luc. 9.55 You know not of what Spirit you are Yet may we conditionally curse the enemies of God and his Church if so be the Kingdome of Christ cannot be established without their destruction Wherein notwithstanding we must beware that we suffer the holy Ghost to sit as pilot in our hearts and to rule the rudder of our tongues lest by any mixture of humane infirmitie we doe adulterate the Word of God For as a little inke which is powred into a Spring maketh all the water blacke that issueth from it and a little Coloquintida spoyled all the Pottage of the Prophets 2. King 4. 2. King 4. and one dead Flie corrupteth a whole pot of oyntment euen so doth a little malice make the iudgements of God which thou pronouncest both vnprofitable vnto thy brethren and damnable vnto thy selfe So that the Doctrine is this Doct. the vse is good Where the Lord of Heauen doth first curse there Debbora and Barac the Minister and the Magistrate must both curse the one with the Word the other with the Sword the one by exhortation the other by execution the one fore-telling the other inflicting the iudgements of God vpon notorious offenders without affection or partialitie Strange it is that the Lord commanded these Iudges of Israel to strike the Merozites their brethren with such a Maranatha in the highest degree but it is a notable precedent to teach all Magistrates that when the Lords will is reuealed vnto them either by his Word or by his Spirit or by the Edicts of wholsome Lawes that any haynous offendours are appointed vnto death their eyes must not then pittie them nor their hearts must haue compassion on them but with all wholsome seueritie they must prosecute them vnto their end When the people of Israel had committed Idolatrie with the Golden Calfe Moses called the Leuites and bade euerie one put his Sword by his side and slay euerie man his brother and euery man his companion and euery man his neighbour that so they might consecrate their hands vnto the Lord and receiue a blessing wherupon the Leuites slew three thousand men or thereabouts The which zeale of the Leuites in reuenging Gods glorie did so please the Lord that for it the curse of Iacob against Leui was turned into a blessing as appeareth by Moses in his Swan-like Song Deut. 33. And of Leui he said Deut. 33 8 93. Let thy Vrim and thy Thummim be with thy holy one who said of his father and mother I haue not seene them neither knew he his brethren or his owne children meaning that he preferred Gods glorie before naturall affection The which example would to God it were written in the hearts of all Iudges But yet let them still remember to curse no otherwhere but there where God himselfe hath cursed The false Prophet Balaam could say Numb 23.8 How shall I curse where the Lord hath not cursed or how should I detest where the Lord hath not detested And how farre be wee then from this rule who are so tender of our owne reputation that if we be touched neuer so little with the scourge of the toung we are like that cloyster in Thebes which Plutarch calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plutarch Moral which for euery word that was spoken in it would giue an eccho of seuen sounds euen so doe we returne seuen curses for one into his bosome that reuileth vs But when the name of God is blasphemed his honour defaced his precepts neglected we are muti vt pisces or if we open our mouthes Psal 55. our words are smoother then Oyle and our faces are as cheerefull as if we had found a treasure Well the Spirit of God doth curse Meroz and what was this curse Surely it was no verbal malediction but a reall effusion of the wrath of God vpon the Inhabitants of that towne For though a causelesse curse as Salomon speaketh Pro. 26.2 Pro. 26. be like vnto a Swallow that flyeth from the hand and lighteth not there whither she was sent yet are the curses of God and his Prophets like vnto Ionathans bow and Sauls sword 2. Sam. 1. which returne not emptie from the bloud of the slaine and the fat of the mightie 2. Sam. 1. Witnesse Elisha who had no sooner cursed the children of Bethel but they were by and by deuoured by two Beares out of the desert 2. King 2. Witnesse Peter 2. King 2. who had no sooner cursed Ananias and and Sapphira but they by and by fell downe dead at th'apostles feete Act. 5. And our Sauiour had no sooner cursed the Figge-tree Act. 5. Mark 112 Mark 11. but it by and by withers vnto the ground And surely the Hebraisme which Debbora vseth in my text iterating the curse againe and againe doth manifestly shew that the curse of Meroz was no common or easie imprecation 1. Cor. 16.22 but anathema maranatha in the highest degree it was a vehement and effectuall curse which lighted not onely vpon their goods but vpon their persons also neither vpon their bodies but vpon their soules also a curse which as Dauid speaketh couered them like a garment Psal 109.18.19 girded them like a girdle and entred euen as water into their

of the earth as for the priuiledges and hests of heauen For it was now the question whether IEHOVAH should sit still betweene the Cherubines and fill the Tabernacle with his glorious presence or whether he should goe from Israel and in stead thereof Dagon Moloch Chemosh and other abhominations of the Heathen should be adored Seeing then that the worship of God was in so great hazard in respect wherof we should esteeme all worldy things but as drosse and dung how wicked and irreligious were the Merozites who were so calme and silent in the Lords quarrell Oh! but peraduenture they feared the displeasure of King Iabin they feared his horses his chariots his souldiers and his great power they doubted the great armie of the Cananites would deuoure the Israelites euen as the Oxe licketh vp the grasse And what was that but a carnall diffidence and a foule distrust of Gods mercie Why did they not remember the wonders which the Lord had done for their Fore-fathers in the land of Aegypt Had they forgotten the redde sea the pillar of cloud and the Manna in the desert Or if these things were too ancient could they not call to mind how they were deliuered of late from the Cananites by Ehud a man lame of his right hand Judg. 3. who slew Eglon King of Moab and by Shamgar from the Philistines who slew fiue hundred of them with an Oxe goade Euen so it pleased God by weak instruments to bring mightie things to passe 1. Cor. 1. that the whole honour might redound vnto his name and that his people might wholly rely vpon his sauing health And why then should Meroz feare that the Lords arme was shortened that hee could not helpe or his will changed that he would not relieue But if they had beene assured that they should haue lost the field and all beene put to the edge of the sword they should not haue feared them that could haue killed the bodies Mat. 10. but rather him that could throw both bodie and soule into hell fire And therefore the Merozites were verie foolish for feare of the anger of men to fall into the curse of God Not vnlike Ionas Ionas 1. who flying vnto Tharsis for feare of Nineueh fell into the Sea and the belly of the Whale So sure it is that he who is not willing to be a Martyr of God shall nilling be made a Martyr of the Deuil and he that will not suffer for a good cause vnto saluation shall be sure to suffer for a bad cause vnto condemnation And this Doctrine right reuerend Auditors goeth neere euerie one of vs both Ministers of the Word and Ministers of Iustice For we can be content to helpe the Lord that is to reproue and punish sinne in the inferiour and baser sort of the people but when we should helpe the Lord against the mightie Anachims Deut. 2. and great men of the World woe is me to tell our hearts doe faint our courage is abated and our minds are vtterly danted not vnlike them of whom Ieremie speaketh Ier. 9. They bend their tongues as their Bowes for lies but they haue no courage for the truth O noble Caleb as was thy name so was thy nature Caleb signif For Caleb signifies as it were an heart and thou wast heartie and couragious in the Lords cause Thou chosest Hebron to expell the Anachims the mightie Gyants from the citie but alas we lose not Hebron but Heauen for feare of Anachim But let vs returne vnto the Merozites who peraduenture thought themselues innocent because they tooke no part against Israel nor yet ioyned with the King of Canaan Wherein they were much deceiued For as the Lord abhorreth all Vterques such as were they that halted betwixt God and Baal and they that spake both of the language of Ashdod and Canaan and they that were neither hote nor colde but lukewarme euen so can the Lord as little endure those politique Neuters which were neither with him nor against him I reade in Liuie Liuius lib. Hist 1. that when the Romans and the Albans were at warres together a noble man called Metius Suffetius doubting whether would get the vpper hand ioyned with neither armie but houered on a hil with his forces betwixt both till he saw whither the victorie did incline with which trecherie the Romans being conquerors were so offended that they tore him in pieces with wilde Horses A iust punishment for one that would stand neutrall when his Countrie was like to be ouerthrowne which as they knew by the Law of Nature so doe we know by the Word of God that in matters of Religion and execution of Iustice neutralitie is alwaies execrable Our blessed Sauiour hath giuen vs the rule Luc. 9. He that is not with me he is against me and he that gathereth not with mee scattereth abroad Now if any man thinke that though the sinne of Meroz was very great yet it was the lesse because as they did not helpe so they did not hurt the people of God let him remember that as firmely as we are bound to eschew euill so firmely are we bound to doe good when time and oportunitie doth require And so I will conclude the sinne of Meroz with this one corollarie That it is not sufficient for you right reuerend brethren to be harmelesse and innocent men and to doe no iniurie vnto others but you must also succour and relieue your brethren in their good causes by your substance by your counsaile and by your authoritie which are the golden Talents whereof you must giue an account at the latter day For when the Thrones shall be set in heauen Reuci 20. and the Bookes opened and the Sonne of man shall hold the great assises of the world to giue to euerie man according to his workes 2. Cor. 5.10 it shall not then so much be inquired what sinnes thou hast committed as what dueties thou hast omitted what euill thou hast done as what good thou hast left vndone what acts of crueltie thou hast effected as what acts of charitie thou hast neglected It shall then be examined whether thou feddest Christ Matth. 25. when thou sawest him hungrie and cloathedst Christ when thou sawest him naked and visitedst Christ when thou sawest him imprisoned and in a word whether thou deliueredst Christ when thou sawest him oppressed Then shall mercie reioyce against iudgement Iam. 2.13 as St Iames speaketh and iudgement shall be mercilesse vnto them that shew no mercie HItherto haue I lanched forth right Honourable straight forward into the depth of my Text Application generall to the present occasion and now fearing to be carried too far with the pleasant blast of your attention I will strike sayles and speedily returne vnto the shore For perhaps some man will pull mee by the sleeue and say Quid Marticum Legibus What hath a Text of Warres to doe with the affaire of Peace What is Canaan

goes lightly to the walls There is a prettie Embleme in Alciat Pissicules aurata rapit medio aequore Sardas The silly Sprats beeing vnder the Water are chased vp and downe by the great gilt heads and if they spring out of the Sea for feare they are quickly deuoured of the greedie Seamewes euen so the poore people if they liue quietly at home they are iniured by their rich neighbours and if they seeke abroad to be relieued by the Law they are many times ouerthrowne though their cause be good And where is the fault Surely a field may be lost vnder the conduction of the worthiest Captaines And therefore I must intreat also the Iustices of the Bench to helpe the Lord in this businesse Who as they are like those threescore strong men about the bed of Salomon who had euerie one his sword vpon his thigh for the feare by night Cant. 3. Cant. 3. so should they draw out the sword of their authoritie as farre as they can for suppressing of the wicked and for defending of the good that the bed which is the peace and quietnesse of our Salomon may be preserued What should I speake of Counsailors who are Captaines and Coronels in this battel Doe they come to helpe the Lord against the mightie Yes surely so long as they doe faithfully deliuer the Oracles of the Law but if they helpe to peruert iustice and to turne it into Wormewood eyther by defending falshood or impugning the truth they ioyne with the Cananites against the Lord. I am not ignorant how an Heathen Orator said well That a Iudge must alwaies follow the truth but a Counsailor may presse the probalilitie of his Clients cause which I grant in a doubtfull matter to be often true but when their consciences doe know that a cause is naught how impious is it then to take sees or to giue any counsell to ouerthrow the truth Therefore against such I must pronounce the curse of Iude Iude vers 11. Woe vnto them for they haue gone in the way of Cain and runne greedily after the errour of Balaam for reward and perished in the gain saying of Core You know that Balaam was tepted by the glittering gold of Balac to deuise cursed counsell against the people of God but what came of it The vengeance of God followed him vpon the heeles and he was slaine in the battle by the sword of Ioshua Oh then keepe your tongues from euill Psal 34 13. and your lips that they speake no guile But I may not forget the Iurors and Witnesses in whom the chiefest strength of the iudiciary battaile doth consist They are indeed by our Lawes the highest Iudges in matter of fact and therfore I must say vnto them Psal 58.1 Are your minds set vpon righteousnesse and doe you iudge the thing that is right O ye sons of men Do you come hither to helpe the Lord of Heauen or rather to pleasure and gratifie your earthly Lords Doe you come with single and conscionable hearts to further iustice or rather with partiall and corrupt affections to peruert iudgement I would to God you were innocent my Brethren but sure an euill report and scandalous is gone out of you It is said I know not how truly that some of you haue meritorias linguas as a false Empresse did falsely obiect vnto a good Philosopher that is you are corrupted with coyne to speake and to sweare either contrarie or besides your consciences Oh then remember that of Iob Job 27. The congregation of the hypocrite shall be desolate and fire shall deuoure the houses of bribes As the Prophet fore told that Manasse should be against Ephraim and Ephraim against Manasse Esa 9.21 and both against Iudah so is there such pulling and halling in Iuries that some are for the plaintife some for the defendant and both many times against the truth Chrysost Of such people Chrysostome excellently speaketh in his fourteenth Homily to the people of Antioch As little children who with great force draw a long rotten rope contrarie waies doe breake the rope and failing backwards wound themselues some in the head some in the shoulders and some in other parts of their bodie Euen so they that striuing in iudgement to contrarie purposes doe breake the religion of an oath doe dangerously wound their soules and both drop downe into the bottomlesse gulfe of Periu●ie who when they lay their hands vpon the Booke to sweare Zach. 5.2 would to God they would remember that flying Booke in the 5. of Zacharie which being twentie cubits long and ten cubits broad was full of curses and woes against them that sweare falsly yea such curses as should remaine in the midst of their houses and consume both the timber and the stones thereof Surely it makes my flesh to tremble and my tongue to cleaue vnto the roofe of my mouth when I consider that after so many yeares preaching of the Law as it were with thunder and lightning from mount Sinai and of preaching the Gospel as from mount Sion there should be so little account made of swearing and forswearing as yet there is Oh tell it not in Cath nay publish it not in the streets of Askelon lest the daughters of the Philistims reioyce lest the vncircumcised be glad Plinie who was a great Philosopher Plin. but an Atheist one of the chiefest reasons that perswaded him there was no God was because when men were brought into the Capitol of Rome to sweare and stood there before the Image of Iupiter which held a thunderbolt in his hand as it were to take vengeance of the wicked yet saith hee fulminantem peierant Iouem they periured themselues before Iupiter that threatned to be reuenged of their periurie That was but a weake reason to perswade Plinie there was no God but it is a reason to thinke them flat Atheists who taking an oath not by Iupiter a false God but by Iehonah the liuing God vnto whom all things are naked and open before his eyes doe notwithstanding either dissemble the truth which they are sworne to reueale or ouerthrow the truth which they are sworne to maintain or smother the truth which they are sworn to bring to light This is an horrible sin and too too common yet am I perswaded better things of many of you beloued Brethren and such as accompanie saluation and therefore I exhort you in Gods name that you will iudge iustly and follow the truth in loue without respect of any mans person I haue read in Diodorus Siculus an ancient Historian Diodorus Siculus that the old Aegyptians had their Iudges set forth in imagerie in such sort that the chiefest Iudge had a tablet of Saphire stone hanging about his necke wherein veritie was ingrauen his eyes were closed and a number of bookes were laid about him to note that a Iudge must only respect the truth hauing no regard vnto the persons but vnto the cause which

patiently proceed they neuer draw downe any blessing of God Witnesse our loue which if by patience it burne not to the end wee shall heare a woc sounding from heauen because we haue forsaken our first loue Reuel 2.4 Witnesse our hope which though it be the Anchor of the soule yet is patience the cable which ties it fast vnto the ioyes of Heauen Rom. 8.25 as Paul witnesseth If we hope for that we see not we doe with patience abide for it Rom. 8. And therefore if patience bee taken away the ship of Faith must needes be ouerthrowne and dashed vpon the rockes of despaire Thus is patience the pillar that supporteth euery good work which as it is requisite at all times so especially in the euill day and time of affliction For albeit wee are taught out of Gods Word that our heauenly Father doth chastise those sonnes whom hee will receiue Heb. 12.6 8. but lets the Bastards and Runnagates goe free albeit GOD himselfe hath promised that hee will not fayle his People neither forsake his Inheritance Heb. 13.5 yet such is our impatient nature that wee are readie to murmure at GOD either because he sends vs such afflictions or else because hee deliuers vs not so soone as we expect Hence doth the Prophet Dauid admonish vs in the 37. Psal 37.7 Psalme Waite patiently vpon the Lord and hope on him or as the Originall doth sound Be silent vnto the Lord. Which word doth excellently expresse that setling of the mind and quietnesse of affections which in their tribulation the children of GOD must enioy Behold holy Iob the excellent Champion of God and thou shalt see as in a cleare glasse this religious silence of mind Behold a more victorious conquerour sitting vpon a dung-hill than Alexander the Great vpon his chayre of Estate for the Spirit of GOD hath said it Pro. 16.32 Hee that is slow to anger is better than the mightie Man and hee that ruleth his owne minde is better than he that winneth a Citie Prou. 16. Behold what variety of euill tydings like fearefull cracks of Thunder did strike the eares of this inexpugnable fortresse and yet could they make no breach into his soule The first was his orbitie and losse of children the second his pouertie and losse of riches both able to haue burst a heart of Adamant and yet made they not the least scarre in his soule Job 1.21 Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne againe the Lord gaue and the Lord hath taken away now blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this did not Iob sinne nor charge God foolishly with his lippes Yea but peraduenture he will impatiently breake forth if his skinne be touched vnto the quicke Oh loathsome Lazar Chap. 2.7 full of sore boyles from the sole of his foote vnto the crowne of his head able to haue made patience it selfe waspish and testie and yet though his wife as bellowes of impatience did counsaile him to curse GOD and die Vers 9. yet did he not sinne with his lippes but mildly replyes Thou speakest like a foolish Woman Vers 10. What shall we receiue good at the hand of GOD and not receiue euill Yea though his friends like prickes and thornes in his side did euer pierce his afflicted soule though these intollerable griefs should continue vpon him vnto his death yet would he still patiently expect Cap. 14. All the dayes of mine appointed time will I waite vntill my changing shall come Cap. 19.25 Cap. 14. Yea I am sure that my Redeemer liueth and he shall stand last vpon the earth and though after my skinne Wormes destroy this bodie yet shall I see GOD in my flesh Cap. 19. Oh dantlesse patience which would neuer once shrinke vntill the comming of our Lord and shall we my Brethren who haue much more occasions of comfort than this man had be deiected by pouertie by sicknesse by death of friends by oppression or by any other discontentment We know Simil. that as men doe cause their finest linnens which they weare next vnto their skinnes to bee continually washen and wrenched that they may be pure and cleane from filth but their sacks and course haire clothes they doe not wash euen so the Lord of Hostes doth afflict his dearest children whom he will take vp into his owne bosome that they may be cleansed from sinne and pollution of the flesh but those whom he regardeth not he suffers to enioy quietnesse and ease And why then doe not we reioyce in all distresses seeing we are purged therby as by a scouring sope and purified as the Gold and siluer in the fire that so we may be made fit for him that is puritie and holinesse it selfe Quest Oh but thou thinkest that the Lord who hath said Many are the troubles of the righteous Psal 34.19 but he will deliuer them out of all is too too slow in performing his promise vnto thee and therefore thou repinest at his 〈◊〉 Saint Augustine shall answere thee vpon the 35. Psal Oh man Aug. in Ps 35. Sol. thou art 〈◊〉 ●●ke-man of GOD and the time of the pay comes after why then doest thou craue thy hire before thou hast done thy worke If thy seruant would needes be payed before hand thou wouldest be offended with him because thereby he should seeme to distrust thy fidelitie and shall not God be offended with thee that art so hastie with him who is veritie it selfe A worthie place to represse the festination of your diffident nature which loues no delay and would be at a poynt with GOD to know some certaine time of her deliuerie but the Lord himselfe hath beaten downe that humour of ours Esa 28.16 Esay 28. Qui credit non praefestinabit He that beleeueth will not be too hastie but patiently expect the leisure of our God Popilius Popilius the Legate of Rome beeing sent Ambassadour vnto Antiochus drew a circle about him with his staffe and commanded him to giue an answere before he came out of the circle but our God my Brethren is not like vnto Antiochus that we may prescribe vnto him a certaine compasse of time When the Disciples of Christ were hastie to know the time of their Masters glorie he puts them off with a long ●●iade of troubles Mat. 24. which they were first to endure Mat. 24. And after his resurrection pricked with the same desire Act. 1.6 they asked Master wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdome vnto Israel but he repels them with a checke vers 7. It is not for you to know the times and seasons which the Father hath put in his owne power implying that they should patiently rely vpon GODS promises and perseuer to expect the performance thereof vnto the end without curious inquiring after the time This patient expectance is a speciall effect of a liuely Faith and was in