and bin compelled to acknowledge his power therein if they haue abhorred disclaimed the same outwardly with an vtter detestation nay if God haue so opened some of their eies hereby that in the glasse of this iniquity they haue seene the Mistery of Popery and so either for Feare as sometimes did the heathen vpon a like occasion or for conscience haue seene the trueth and imbrace it Certenly these shal one day rise vp in iudgement against vs if we shall eyther bury in forgetfulnesse or depraue in malice or in enuie diminish if either we shall for feare conceale or in policie suppresse this great power of God Nay if wee shall not be confirmed in the trueth by such wonderfull mercies of God if these shall not be meanes to make 〈◊〉 detest popery and no longer to glose with it which are thus able to turne the hearts of our enemies let vs looke that they shal depriue vs of the benefit of this deliuerance and reape the haruâ—st which God hath sowed for vs well let thus teach vs not to come short of an Atheist least otherwise he goe before vs in the kingdome of heauen If the Lord exalt his wonderfull workes vpon vs let vs be lifted vp in the name of God to a due contemplation of them that so beholding the mercie and Iustice of God in the same our eies may be messengers vnto the the mouth to speake of the wonderfull workes of GOD. Certenly if the eye hath effectually conueyed the obiect to the heart to affect it therewith the heart like a full vessell which cannot hold out of it aboundant apprehension will informe the mouth to declare vnto others the wonderfull workes of God and as Andrew when hee had seene his Sauiour could not holde his peace but hee must needes goe tell Simon that he had seene the Messiah that he also might be partaker of him so shall the thorough view of such mercies which the Lord hath bestowed vpon thee open thy mouth to declare them vn to others that they also may come and see how gratious the Lord is and together with thee may bee partakers of his mercies For so it followeth And declare the worke of God Behold heere a second effect of great deliuerances they shall open mens mouthes to speake thereof And that for two endes both that the righteous confessing and acknowledging the worke of God might hereby performe some parte of thankefulnesse for the same the reprobate being thus compelled to acknowledg the greatnesse of Gods mercy vnto his Church might the more be conuinced in that they will not be reconciled to the same so saith the holy Ghost concerning the poore man that is deliuered They shall looke vppon him and runne to him and their faces shall not to ashamed saying a This poore man cried and the Lord heard him and saued him out of all his troubles by the contemplation of Gods mercy vnto his seruant they shall now bee encouraged to come vnto him who before stood a farre of for feare of his plague and now ioying with the redeemed of the Lord they shall concurre with him in acknowledging the mercies of the Lord yea saith the spirit they shal not now be ashamed and confounded as if he had beene deuoured they might haue had cause but one the contrary they shal be confirmed in their calling by the experience of this deliuery of his seruant and be comforted by the same euen in the like occasion of their owne that they shal be partaker of the like mercies So when the righteous shall see the vengaunce thus inflicted vpon the wicked and shall see himselfe escaped thus out of the snare and the wicked falne thereunto he shall say verily their is a reward for the righteous that is not one but all the righteous shal be recompensed by the Lord yea hee shall collect from the experience of this deliueraunce in hand that their is a reward for the righteous yet in store a full deliuerance out of all troubles So with the Apostle Paul in the like case wheÌ„ he had witnessed how the Lord had deliuered him in the 17. ver that he concludes in the 18. And the Lord shall deliuer mee from euery euil worke and will preserue me vnto his heauenly kingdome And as the righteous shall say thus for the comfort of his soule so shall he further say to the glory of his God doubtlesse their is a God that Iudgeth the earth out of question the iudge of all the world will doe right in deliuering the soules of his seruants and clothing his enemies with perpetuall shame and confusion Thus shall the mercies of God open the mouthes of his children to giue him the glory and to comfort themselues in the meditation thereof And thus also shall the mouthes of Atheists be opened by the same that their mouthes may be for euer stopped and confounded thereby at that great day so witnesseth the spirit concerning the deliueraunce of the Iewes out of the captiuity that the verie Heathen spake thereof and said the Lord had donne great thinges for them to their iust confusion who yet refused to ioyne with them so haue the Aduersaries beene compelled to confesse that the Lord hath Fought for vs to their greater confusion who yet afterward would fight against God Nay behold here a further meanes to the confusion of the wicked When the Lord had deliuered his seruant Daniell from the iawes of the Lyons the sight of so wonderfull a worke did so affect that heathen Monarch as that hee not onely proclaimes the power of God but further also enioynes by a solemne edist that the GOD of Daniel shall be reuerenced and acknowledged and yet all this to his further condemnation because Idolatry was yet continued and maintayned And so no doubt haue our aduersaries abroad and enimies at home beene enforced to speake of Gods wonderfull mercies towards vs. And yet behold a further meanes herein for the condemnation of the wicked When Saul obserued the admirable prouidence of God not onely in deliuering his seruant Dauid out of his hands but in deliuering him to be a prey euen to him that was persecuted his mouth was further opened to his iust condemnation loe he is inforced to iustifie the seruant of God and to condemne himselfe Thus said hee vnto Dauid thou art more righteous then 〈◊〉 for thou hast rendred me Good I haue rendred thee euil oh what a coÌ„fort is it here to the seruaÌ„ts of God that wisdome shall not onely be iustified of her children but euen of her enemies our very aduersaries shall giue testimony vnto the goodnesse of our cause oh what a terror is this vnto the wicked that they shall thus desperately fight against the light of their owne consciences that when they see that the Lord doth maintaine his owne cause and when they haue beene compelled to
generation and full of deadly poyson extreamly cruell where they can preuaile and yet by the Iustice of God breeding their owne bane when their sinne is full euen bursting a sunder with the poyson thereof and iustly confounded with their owne malice So is the Spider Yea as the Spiders Webbe is cunningly Wouen and quickly broken so are and shal be the deuises of our aduersaries they shall not be established by their iniquitie but their owne cunning hath and shall be their confusion And let this satisfie you concerning the Title As for the plainenesse and rudenesse of the matter if you doe duly consider the rule of my direction I trust you will acknowledge that the power of the spirit is best seene in weaknes and that plaine lines doe best answer a straight and euen leuell the euidence of the spirit is best seene in plainenesse You see I haue informed my selfe in these meditations by the most perfect Paterne a Psalme of that Princely Prophet Dauid that man of afflictions when his life was indangered by the subtiltie and violence of his close and trecherous enemies To be deliuered from these he flies vnto his God in prayer and the rather to preuaile he layes before the Lord the desperate practises of his enemies thereby implying that vnlesse the Lord stood vnto him hee iustly feared that they would swallow him vp This feare of his is the rather confirmed because he saw them soddaine and fearelesse in their mischieuous practises And why they should be thus fearlesse he discouers in the next words because they did by many sorts of incouragements meet with this feare And here begin our meditatioÌ„s deriued as you see froÌ„ this pure fountaine and watered all along with the streames therof If this heauenly treasure hath so shined in this earthen ves sell that the excellencie of that power may appeare to be of God and not of vs giue God the glory in the treasure and be humbled in respect of the vessell If the vessell hath receiued that honour from this beauenly treasure as not to haue handled it craftily and deceitfully but in declaration of the truth shal be approued to euery mans conscience in the sight of God Then if our Gospell be hid it is hid to them th 〈…〉 〈…〉 ish But I perswade myselfe better things of you euen su 〈…〉 〈…〉 company saluation And let this be your triall that you are contented to heare the same things againe So accepting these paines according to the entent thereof you shall happily ease yourselues of the Mother and the Daughter forgetfulnesse and vnthankfulnesse and burthen me willingly with further paines for the further building of you vp in Iesus Christ. To whose protection I commit you I pray you to beare with the faults escaped in the printing and correct the grosser of them as followeth Pag. 19. lin 11. for rest read cost ead lin 21. for that may read that we may ead lin 1. for we read he ead lin 29. for bloudie execution read for the bloudie execution pag. 22. lin 30. for Rhamaes read Pharaoes pag. 23. lin 5. for perpetuall read externall ead lin 8. for framing read foaming ead lin 30. for so Satan read superstition pag. 29. lin 30. for thing read change pag. 34. lin 28. for saue read some pag. 35. lin 24. for life restored read life are restored pag. 43. lin 28. for meane read mayne pag. 44. lin 28. for the read these THE Romish Spider THE FIRST PART The weauing of the Webbe Psal. 64. Vers. 5. They encourage themselues in a wicked purpose they coÌ„mune togeather to lay snares priuily and say who shall see them 6. They haue sought out iniquities they haue accomplished that which they sought out euen euery one in his secret thought and the depth of his heart THe holy Ghost hauing in the latter end of the former verse set out the desperate resolution of the wicked in their attempts against the Lords Annointed by two Circumstances The one That they are suddain in execution implying their desperatenesse The other That they feare not arguing their boldnesse and confidence in their proceedings doth in the two next verses yeeld a reason for this their desperate confidence by discouering their diuelish policie in the maner of their practising as also in the varietie and secrecie thereof For whereas of all other sinnes the sinne of treason hath cause most to affright the heart of man not onely in regard of the maiestie of the Prince who carries the Image of God full of terror and astonishment to the wicked but also in respect of the haynous punishment that attends the same not to omit the racking of the conscience in the horrour of the sinne may it not therefore seeme strange that wretches should not feare to commit so great a sinne that Subiects should runne of boldly and desperately to lay hands vppon the Lords annointed The Prophet Dauid was so affected when hee had but cut off the lappe of Saules garment a wicked and reprobate King that his heart smote him with conscience of some great euill in lifting vp his handagainst the Lords Annointed And when the Amalekite brought newes vnto Dauid that he had slaine his enemy Saule hoping to receiue some great reward the good King was so farre from delighting in the death of his enemie as that rather remembring him to bee the Annointed of the Lord hee not onely bewailes his death with a great lamentation but further reprooues the Amalekite with this seuere checke How wast thou not affraide to life vp thy hand against the Annointed of the Lord and rewards him with such wages as so haynous a murther did require To feare then in attempting against the liâ—e of a Prince as there is great reason in regard of the haynousnesse of the sinne and the Maiestie of the person against whome it is committed so there had neede be great policie vsed to banish this feare What this policie was the holy Ghost proceedes to relate vnto vs in these two verses following leading vs to the consideration of diuers notable points of policie in the practises of these Traytours against their Soueraigne to make them confident and secure therein that so they may bee taken in the pit which they haue digged for others The first whereof respecteth the manner of their plotting and it is here set out vnto vs to be two-fold First saith the spirit They encourage themselues in a wicked purpose they commune together wherein the meaning of the holy Ghost is to lead vs to a policie verie vsuall in great and desperate attempts that they are vndertaken and prosecuted by combination of all sorts of strength as so many helps to further the accomplishment thereof Secondly whereas close carriage conueyance is an especiall helpe to further dangerous designes therefore the holy Ghost addeth that the speciall matter of their counsell was how they might lay snares priuily signifying therein that they
acknowledge that our cause is Gods yet they shall continue their malice against so good a cause yet they shall thus desperately fight against heauen and prouoke the holy one of Israel to their iust confusion And yet behold the Lord will open their mouthes further to their fearefull condemnation euen by the gratious deliuerances that he performeth vnto his children It was much that Saul should iustifie the innocencie of Dauid wonderfull was the Lord herein to wring from a reprobate the approbation of his seruant and very holy herein was the Iustice of God in discouering this wilfull obstinacy of a cast-away that so hee might prepare him thereby to his further condemnation But all this while innocency though it were praised yet it went a begging Dauid might be promised a kingdome yet was not sure of his life Nay for the safegard of it he is driueÌ„ to a narrow shift euen in a sort to venture his innocency it selfe So are Gods children to seeke of that which is theirs in hope that God may haue the glory of what they do enioy so doth the Lord prepare his to the obtaining of a blessing that comming vnto it at so hard a rate they might more highly prize it when they shall obtaine But did not the Lord heere giue his seruant some token that hee would recompence him according to his innocency yea surely the Lord that opened the mouth of his enemy to giue testimony vnto the one hee also opened the same to be a Prophet of the other HarkeÌ„ my beloued woÌ„der at the prouidence of God I know saith Saule that thou shalt be King and that the kingdome of Israel shal be established in thy hand Loe here Saule is amonge the Prophets to declare glad tidings to the Saints to speak feareful things against themselues Harken howe the wife of Haman becomes a prophetesse vnto her husband of the deliuerance of the Church and a swift witnesse of the destruction of the enemies thereof If Mordecay saith she be of the seede of the Iewes before whom thou hast begunne to fall thou shalt not preuaile against him but shalt surely fall before him Marke I pray you the ground of this prophecye the wicked haue begunne to fall before the righteous nation some vpper hand haue they had against their enemies what doth this infidell collect herevpon surely the wicked shall fall more and more before the righteous till at lenght the righteous shal haue dominion ouer them in the morning Wouldst thou then haue a token that thine enemies shal be confounded consider then howe from time to time they haue fallen before thee certeÌ„ly if thou be of the seed of the Iewes and of that royall generation thou shalt one day haue all thine enemies thy footstoole Wouldst thou haue a further euidence to confirme this vnto thee behold the Lord shall open the mouth of thine enemie to bewray their fainting spirits that so thou maist be comforted as Gideons Souldiers were by this testimony of thine enemies that the Lord shal giue them vp into thy hands and thou shalt make a ful end of them Oh but thou wilt say how can these things stand together Saul tells Dauid he shall certenly be King and yet hee continues persecuting him to take away his life from him May not this be a policy to make him secure that he may the more easily seaze vpon him I see indeed will the weake Christian say that God hath deliuered his church from time to time I heare euen the enemie giuing ouer for a time as confessing with the Pharesie Behold we preuaile nothing against him for all the world runneth after him and yet I see the aduersaries are in hope stil I see they are stil practising and plotting against the soules of the righteous what may I conceaue hereof may I not iustly feare with Dauid that I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul that at length these aduersaries shall obtaine their desire against the church and therevpon resolue rather vpon some indirect course to corrupt my conscience or abate of my sincerity that so glosing with them I might finde fauour in their sight Oh stay here whosoeuer thou art that shalt be thus affected giue mee the hearing a while to satisfie thee herein Tell me I pray thee why doth Sathan our maine aduersary so violently and incessantly persecute the Church of GOD doth not the spirit giue thee the reason because his time is short if thou therefore seest the instruments of Satan still to rage more fiercely against the spouse of Christ know thou for a certenty that their time is but short and that thou maist not want a prophesie to confirme thee herein consider but what their desperate practises doe speake vnto thee If they were not affraid to loose their kingdome if they had not a presage in their conscience that Christs Kingdome would one day preuaile surely they would be still and follow their flesh potts they would not so persecute and plot as they doe they would not thus spend their goods and venture their liues and all against the poore Church of God Alas it is not for Christs kingdome what pretence soeuer they haue for they haue said plainelie We will not haue this man to raigne ouer vs. But the trueth is to holde their own Here is the matter the Iewes had this Oracle from their Father the Deuill that if they let Christ alone the Romanes would come and take away their Kingdome And therefore they resolue that Christ must bee persecuted his death must be the life of their vsurped power their conscience told them that they were but vsurpers the very life and holy conuersation of Christ was a manifest conuiction and condemnation of them so that their conscience told them that Christ Iesus was that holy one whom they ought to haue obeyed and yet their hypocrysie replyed if wee giue him honour wee shall loose ours and so their deuilish policy concluded to their owne confusion better one perish then our whole Kingdome goe downe faine would they haue done him homage so he would haue serued their turne to Daube vp their hypocrisie and vnderproppe their toâ—tering Kingdome but yet because they saw his course to bee cleane contrary a sharpe reprouer of their hipocrisie and a mayne beaterdowne of their carnall pompe and vanity hereupon against their conscience they followed their persuite against him and doe you marke herein how their Father deceiued them their practises against the sonne of God made way to his Glory and the redemption of mankind and so proued the occasion of the ouerthrow of their kingdome So doth the Lord Confound the wisdome of the wise and turneth their malice vpon their owne pates In like sort the aduersaries of the Church haue carried themselues A kingdome they haue vsurped vpon by the power of Sathan and through his Subtilty and violence they haue seazed vpon the Lords
of him And surely had we only hope in this life wee were not onely liuing of all men most miserable but dying also our hope must needes perish with vs But here is the hope of the Saints that not onely their sufferings shall giue further life to the Church in this world but shall prepare them to a blessed life in the world to come So that now though hee kill vs yet wee will trust in God not onely in that though wee die yet wee shall liue in the posteritie of the Church whiles shee is militant but our light afflictions which are but for a moment they doe cause vnto vs a farre more excellent weight of Glory that wee may triumph for euer with the Saints in heauen Meruailous is our gracious God vnto his children for the confirming of them in the hope of the life to come and that by two especiall meanes both by the inward testimonie of his Spirit approuing so our innocencie that by the power thereof it breaking forth as the light and shining at the no one day though wee die yet by it wee might liue with the saints in grace and further also by the gouernment of the same Spirit soreuiuing his Church and renuing the same in her greatest decayes as that she hath and shall continue her militarie life till the heauēs bee no more and euen then liuing and remayning shall bee caught vp in the cloudes to meete the Lord in the ayre and so for euer to bee with the Lord. So did the Lord prouide for his seruaint Iob that when hee was wearie of his life yet hee was not wearie of his innocencie and hee yeeldes an excellent reason of it in the 8. verse For what hope hath the hypocrite when he hath heaped vp riches if God take away his soule Implying thereby that if hee were an hipocrite and had no sound testimonie of his sincerity then indeed if GOD should kill him he could not trust in him then he had no hope if his soule should be taken away But seeing he knew that the liuing Lord had taken away his iudgement because the Almighty had put his soule in bitternesse and the ground of this his sauing knowledge was the testimonie of his innocencie proceeding from the vndoubted worke and euidence of the Spirit Therefore doeth hee cleaue to the testimonie of his good conscience as whe◠by hee was assured not onely to come out of these troubles but further also was bould to professe that Hee knew that his redeemer liued and that hee should see GOD in the flesh Behould the meanes whereby wee liue though wee die and whereby wee are assured that wee shall liue for euer euen the testimonie of our innocencie and vprightnesse of heart And yet behold a further testimonie for the confirmacion of the same Doest thou see the Spirit of GOD ruling in the Church and gouerning so comfortably the troubles of the same that though she die dayly yet shee liues continually Not onely in that though the outward man perish yet the inward man is renued dayly but especially heerein is the continuate life of the Church wonderfull that the bloud of the Martirs becomes the seede of the Church Doest thou heare the wicked say Come let vs vtterly roote them out Do the Godly complaine they haue destroyed all there is no hope and yet doeth the Lord say still concerning the desolations of his Church The roote of the righteous shal not bee remoued Yet therein will I leaue a tenth which shall continewe and shall bee eaten vp as an Elme or an Oake which haue a substance in them when they cast their leaues so the holy seede shal be the substance thereof Though I vtterly destroy all the nations where I haue scattered thee yet I will not vtterly destroy thee but I will correct thee by iudgement and not vtterly cut thee off Are these the promises of thy GOD concerning his spouse that shee shall continue vnto the worlds ende hath the performance of them beene answerable from time to time therevnto that so by the experience of her former preseruation thou maist collect that the Lord will deliuer her to the end and by her wonderfull continuance in this life thou maist further gather her abode for euer in eternall happinesse What canst thou desire more for the confirmation of thine hope then according to thy inward and outward troubles to haue this double Testimony of the spirit both in the protection of the Church without and the inward witnesse vnto thy spirit renued and sanctified to lead thee along with cheerefulnesse in the vndoubted expectation of the reward to come that so thou maiest run with ioy the race that is set before thee and hauing finished thy course obtaine the Crowne of euerlasting happinesse And what can better recompence al thy priuate losses then that thou art weake that the Church of GOD may bee strong that thou art abased that the church may be exalted Yea though it should so fall out that the Church were to bee fetcht againe with thy dearest blood If now thou shalt not set light by any troubles that in this respect may befall thee If nowe thy life shall not be vile vnto the That thou maist fulfill thy course with ioy If this shall not be thy testimonie that thou hast euen beene ready not onely to distribute the Gospell of God vnto thy people for the after groeth of the Church but euen thine owne soule surely neuer looke to approue thy selfe a good sheepheard vnto thy people Neither looke to giue vp thy account with ioy and to shine as a starre in the Firmament for euer Behold how the hope of the Saints concerning the life to come and consider the meanes that giues them life in death euen the testimonie of their innocencie which shall endure for euer and the seede of the Church continuing vnto the end And tell me if there were euer malice like vnto that which would at one blow haue cut off all this hope not onely to depriue the Saints of their righteousnesse whereby they might haue liued in the hearts of the faithfull but so farre as lay in them euen to cut off vtterly the seed of the Church that so there might not be hereafter any succession thereof The Liues of the Saints would not serue their malice but they will haue a deuise to robbe them of their innocencie by laying that on their poore sheepe which the Wolues would haue done It was not the life of the Prince and state which could satisfie their rage No they had vowed vtterly to roote out the name of religion and therefore their proiect was to destroy all Seed that might giue hope to posteritie thereof not onely the royall seede for the after nurserie of the Church but further also the immortall seede of the word yea moreouer to abolish vtterly the seed of the righteous that all hope of posteritie in
enough that the things of this life restored vnto them Wel let vs bee wise in the examining of our own hearts heereby certainely whatsoeuer wee ioy in aboue the Lord it shall be the meanes to bring a curse vpon that blessing and so bee the occasion that in the end it shall be taken from vs that wee which would not reioyce aright in GOD shall now haue nothing wherein truely to reioyce But if so bee that wee haue so reioyced in the principall blessings that in steed of them the other haue beene vile vnto vs certainely this will teach vs to ioy in them though these bee taken from vs and beeing wise with the blessed Salomon to preferre the greater blessings we shall haue the lesse also cast ouer and aboue into the rekoning vnto vs that so our ioy may be full wanting nothing and so vsing the lesse that wee do not set our hearts vpon them but are able to extend our ioy vnto the giuer of them wee shall by this meanes beeing found faithfull in a little bee made stewardes of greater blessings that so returning all vnto our God in that small measure which we enioy in this life he may be all in all vnto vs in an heaped vp measure in the life to come And thus ordering our ioy shall wee find it to bee in the Lord and so shall wee also find it by the right measure thereof proportioned both according to the things wee doe inioy as they doe exceede each other in worth and excellencie and also to the right vse and imployment thereof So doeth our Sauiour giue his disciples the rule when he had giuen them that excellent gift of subduing all aduerse power But reioyce not in this that the Spirits are subdued vnto you but reioyce rather that your names are written in heauen therein not forbidding them to reioyce at all in these excellent gifts for they were great blessings of GOD and therefore they might lawfully reioyce in them but teaching them therein a true measure of their ioy that they should more reioyce in the more excellent blessings The best apprehension of this right measure shall bee gained by the discouerie of two extreames either of reioycing too much when the cause doth not require or of reioycing too little if the matter be of moment Wouldst thou know in this deliuerance howe thou maiest reioyce too much If it hath not bettered thee in the way to heauen If thou hast not answered the end of a deliuerance euen to serue thy God more conscionably in newnesse of life If thou art so set vpon thy lyes and bound in the seate of the scorners that thou hatest to bee reformed for all these mercies though all things are renewed vnto thee yet thou remaynest in thine olde sinnes If it bee not more ioy vnto thee to doe righteously then to receiue good at the hands of GOD Why takest thou the name of GOD in thy mouth seeing thou hatest to bee reformed wretch that thou art what hast thou to doe with ioy that still reioycest in thy sinne Thou maiest well say vnto laughter thou art madde and vnto ioy depart farre from mee Surely any ioy in this case is too much vnto thee Wouldest thou haue a president to direct thee heerein when the Lord had deliuered the Iewes from the handes of the Ethiopians it is recorded by the holy Ghost that Asa their King beeing incouraged by the prophets of the Lord the First worke that hee did was to purge the land of all it abhominations And so performed true thankefulnesse vnto his GOD in deedes and not in wordes Afterwardes hee gathered togither all the remainder of the people to Ierusalem to offer sacrifice vnto the Lord and to make a couenant with him of most faithfull seruice Which when they had performed in most solemne and effectuall manner and bound themselues further to the same by an oath yea further by a most grieuous penaltie of death for default therein The Spirit witnesseth that all Iudah reioyced at the oath and therevpon followed a most comfortable blessing that the Lord gaue them rest round about Marke I pray you in this example the true vse and intertainment of a deliuerance Heere is sinne first remoued which was the cause of the former danger that so the like might not after befall them Then heere is a course taken to preuent sinne to come by most euident signes of true conuersion vnto GOD that so they might inioy both temporall and spirituall happienesse And then when the Lord was first made glad with the conuersion of his seruants and when the Angells had cause of ioy for the repentance of sinners then came ioy in a right order from heauen vnto earth and the vessells beeing thus fitted to receaue this heauenly influence the holy Ghost recordeth that the people reioyced and showted euen vp to heauen as making a sweete consent therein with God and the Angels Oh neuer let vs looke to reioyce aright in earth if by our vnfained sorrow for sinne we haue not caused ioy in heauen And if so be wee haue reioyced before the couenant bee made know wee that our ioy is vnseasonable and too much if any The very ioy of the Dragons shall be better accepted of God then the reioycing of such sinners that proceedes not from repentance Oh let vs haue respect at least vnto our Seede and posteritie Doe wee know what we doe by this entertainement of a deliuerance as to reioyce therein without reformation of our liues Surely wee prouoke the Lord to hate our feast dayes hee hath protested hee will not smell in our solemne assemblies But doe they prouoke mee sayeth the Lord and not rather themselues to the confusion of their faces Yes surely as our Sauiour would doe no more workes in his owne countrey because of their vnbeleefe so let vs not looke hereafter for the like wonderfull worke of GOD if this bee the best fruite the multiplying of our sinnes and then consider what wrong wee shall doe vnto posteritie from whome wee shall bee the occasion to take such great mercies and so expose them vnto such fearefull desolations as follow therevpon To leade thee a little further in the examining of thy selfe concerning thy exceeding in this measure of ioy art thou deliuered and therefore thou mayest reioyce Oh but remember that Ioseph is in affliction and therefore thou must sorrow too If therefore thou canst not bee more sorrowfull in the sorrow of the afflicted then ioyfull in respect of thine owne priuate good surely thy reioyfing is not good Thou takest too much ioye vnto thy selfe and giuest too little sorrow vnto the cause of thy brother To lead thee yet a step further in the examining of thine excesse Is the Church of God deliuered and therefore thou mayest reioyce Oh but remember the Apostles rule in a case not vnlike As hee would not
did not onely encourage themselues by mutuall aduise laying of their heads and purses together but that a speciall part of their aduise was this so to carie their Treasons that none might see them hoping by this manner of plotting to haue speedie and suddaine execution and discouering therein the ground and moouing cause of all these desperate practises namely they say in their hearts who shall see them that is they say in effect there is no God Now because malice is insatiable and yet iealous too doubtfull to be discried and yet desirous to preuaile therfore behold a second policie in these traiterous practises both to delude secrecie and more effectually to preuaile they haue sought out iniquities saith the blessed spirit that is they haue deuised store of snares to entrap the life of the King that so if one should faile the other might take effect if some be discouered and so breed securitie as vsually they doe the other that lye hid might come more suddenly and surprise more fearefully without auoidance The snares being thus cōtriued in such secrecie varietie that if the secrecie should faile in some yet the rest might afterward preuaile Here vppon doth vsually follow a double effect The one in the wicked whose property is not onely to set a good face vppon a bad matter but further also in regard of such exquisite cūning which they haue vsed therin to grow secure and confident in the executiō of their intended attempts vndoubtedly perswading them selues of such successe therein as that they shall haue their full desire against the seruāts of god This doth the holy Ghost further expresse vnto vs whē he saith that they haue accomplished that which they sought for euen euery one in his secret thought and in the depth of his hart signifying vnto vs thereby thus much that what plots were layed by the wicked against the life of the King were contriued with such secrecie and managed with such skill variety as that the Contriuers thereof made full account that they should preuaile though not in the profession of their mouths lest they should be descried yet in the depth and secret of their hart wherein they flattered themselues And herevppon followeth another effect in the Saints of God who being wise to see the plague which is cōming vppon them notwithstanding the secret and cunning conueyance thereof finding their sinne iustly to haue deserued no lesse and the malice of the wicked ready to inflict vppon them much more doe herevpon grow to a distrust in them selues that surely so far as they see there is no meanes to escape and so in respect of their sinnes submit them selues vnder the mightie hand of God and manie times in their infirmity do not sticke to complaine that they shall certainely be ensnared with the practises of the wicked And so also the words may be referred as being spoken in the persons of Gods children assaulted with these troubles Wherein we may behould the admirable wisdome of the lord who hauing certainly determined to free his seruants from the rage of the wicked in disappoynting their practices turning them vppon their owne pates doth by these two effects of the cōfidence of the wicked and despaire of Gods seruants in them selues prepare a notable way therevnto For concerning the distrust of Gods children in themselues seeing no meanes frō flesh to auoid the danger as this must needes cause them to renounce all confidence in the flesh so doth it more confidently cast them vpon God and prouoke them more earnestly to call for his assistance the more they see them selues stripped of all helpe from man Wherby it cōmeth to passe that calling vpon the Lord in the day of trouble in this full affiance of helpe in him alone they are deliuered by him that so they may glorifie him As for that securitie of the wicked grounded vppon the secrecie and multitude of their mischiefes what is this else but a messenger of their distruction and the more confident they are in the successe of their proiects the nearer is their confidence to the confusion subuersion of them yea herein will the Lord reiect their confidence that a suddaine destruction shall come vpon them and they shall not be able to auoyd it For so it felloweth in the next words But God shall shoot an arrow at them suddenly c. Wherin marke I pray you the wonderfull power and wisdome of God in meeting with their seuerall policies by his most iust and answerable Iudgements For are the wicked wise and deliberate in plotting their enterprises are they long in weauing warie in cōtriuing behold the Lord doth cōfound this their wisdom by coming vpon them suddenly that they which had such store of wisdome to cōtriue mischeife against others shall now be to seeke of any wisedome for the auoiding of such sudden arrowes of Gods vengeance as shall come vpon them Behold here their wisedome turned into folly Againe are the wicked subtill in deuising many stratagems behold the lord will with one blow cut them of at once Affliction shall not rise vppon them the second time who had hoped many times to haue ensnared the Saints of God Behold here the multitude of their wicked conspiracies confounded with one stroake of Gods righteous vengeance Thirdly were they so secret in the contriuing of their mischiefes that they gaue it out confidently that none shall see behold the spirit of God giues them the lie and tels them playnely that All men shall see it yea they who had thought so cunningly to haue caried their wickednes as to haue gone clearely away with it the spirit tells them they shal be discouered and to confound them the more in this discouery he tells them plainely that their owne tongues shall fall vppon them They that say their tongues are their owne who is Lord ouer them shall now see that the mighty God ouer-rules their tongues and makes them the instruments of his glory in the discouery of sinne and the executioners of his vengeance in the punishment of the sinner Behold their secrecie euen confounded from their owne mouthes Lastly do the wicked strengthen themselues in their mischeifes by confederacies and leagues Loe the Lord will scatter their companies when he comes to Iudgment against them so that whosoeuer doth see them shall flye away Behold here the disvniting and breaking of their confederacies The practices of the wicked thus wonderfully defeated and they being iustly met with all in their mischeifes by answerable iudgments what now is to be done by those that are deliuered what must we repay vnto the Lord for all his wonderfull mercyes The holy Ghost proceedeth in the two next verses to informe vs in such duties as concerne vs in this case All men shall see it saith the blessed spirit that is the eyes of all men shal be fastened vpon it to obserue and behold the
wonderfull workes of God And whosoeuer shall duely obserue these great workes of God and shall giue him the reuerence that is due vnto his name for the execution of so great iudgments his mouth shal be opened to declare the worke of God he cannot be silent in a day of so good tydings nay he shall not onely speake of what is done but his vnderstanding shal be convinced that it was not the arme of flesh but the Lords owne doing nay he shall further vnderstand the greatnesse of the deliuerance he shall vnderstand sayth the holy Ghost what God hath done And this vse shall euerie one make of great deliuerances But the righteous who onely hath true interest therein when he hath apprehended in his iudgement the greatnesse of this mercie when hee hath attained in some measure to a large knowledge thereof then shall his heart bee enlarged to reioyce-therein and finding it to be the Lords doing which is maruailous in his eyes this shall bee a meanes to make him trust in God and thereby finding his heart vpright vnto the Lord his God hee shall againe reioyce in the greatnesse of his mercie Thus shall the righteous doe whose hearts are vpright in the Lord. Thus shall a great deliuerance bee entertained by them Now that wee may approoue our selues to bee of the number of these hauing thus briefly deliuered the sum of the Scripture let vs turne backe againe and consider the seuerall lessons therein contained that so we may lay them vnto our hearts as they lye in order and make further applicatiō of them to our building vp in Christ Iesus And first let vs consider the policies whereby Rebels and desperat persons so animate themselues in their traiterous practises that they are fearelesse and exceeding presumptuous in the deuising and prosecuting thereof They encourage them selues c. saith the holy Ghost in a wicked purpose That is they vse all outward and carnall meanes to strengthen and confirme them selues therein that so they may not be daunted driuen from their purposes A policie very vsuall among the wicked in plotting of desperate attempts and indeede uery necessary to the effecting thereof For where the conscience of so great euill must needs disharten them there all outward encouragements will proue litle ynough And herein doth appeare the wisedome of the world that what is wanting in the inward approbation shall outwardly be supplied by carnall comforts But aboue all the cunning of Satan is heere most liuely discouered who purposing to bring thē to confusion by these desperate practises doth therefore oppose these outward encouragements to the inward checkes and discouragements of the conscience that so the checks of the conscience might in some sort be counteruailed and therby neglected and the hart being by this meanes hardned and so in the end made past feeling the wicked may break out more desperately in their attempts as being now possessed with a deadly securitie whereby hauing made vp the measure of their sin when they shall say peace and securitie and feare no euill then shall a suddaine destruction come vpon them and they shall not be able to auoide it Loe heare the wisedome of the wicked in this encouraging of themselues and yet behold a further depth of their wisedome in the meanes and manner of this encouragement and yet all tending to their further confusion These meanes I haue obserued to be of two sorts The first are carnall seruing onely to satisfie the flesh but the second are spirituall pretended to satisfie the minde in these lawlesse and monstrous actions and so to giue colour of iustifying the same The Carnall furtherances to these desperate attempts are of diuers sorts First a combining and vniting of forces together by leagues and associations and that for diuers ends First to giue credite vnto their attempts in regard of the multitude secondly to breed terrour of their purposes as proceeding frō so many lastly that what cannot be don secretly may by force openly be maintained So did the nations of the earth band thēselues against the Lord and against his Annointed So did the Tabernacles of Edom cōspire with the Israelites Moab with the Ammonites Gebal Amelech the Philistines and the rest when they sayd Come let vs cut them off frō being a nation let the name of Israel be no more in remembrance So did the enemies of God combine themselues in that vnholy League euen in our age for the rooting out of the poore Church of God And so did that viperous brood thus incourage it selfe by secret leagues and associations at home and abroad to ruinate and destroy vtterly the most excellent estate of the blood Royall the Church and Common wealth And shall the wicked be thus wise in their generation to strengthen themselues in their mischiefes against God and his Church by combining their forces together and shall not wee which are the children of light much more be knit together in the bond of peace that wee may ioyntly bend our strength against the common enemie shall the the shadowes separate vs when the substance is endangered It was a comfortable speech of Iudah vnto Simeon his brother Come vp with me into my lot that wee may fight against the Canaanites and I likewise will goe vp with thee vnto thy lot so saith the spirit Simeon went vp with him So should brethren ioyne together Brethren against the common enemie that his force may be weakned Oh that Simeon and Iudah would thus ioine together for good as Simeon and Leui are brethren in euill Onely let vs be carefull that we be not yoaked vnequally that so our cōiunction being in the Lord it may be blessed of him A second carnall meanes whereby the wicked are encouraged in euill purposes is a gift in the bosome some present pay before hand wherby they are not onely blinded in the true iudgement of their sinne but in regard thereof they are also drawn on to aduenture such punishments as may befall the same So was Balaam attempted to curse the people of God So was Iudas hyred to betray his master So was Lopas enduced to poyson his mistresse so hath the forrain gold deceiued many of our Italianated Diuels Oh that we could be as bountifull to good purposes as these are to bad that wee could be as willing to employ our treasure for the good of the Church as these are open handed for the spoyle thereof that we could be as forward in aduenturing for the sauing of soules as these Pharisies are compassing Land and Sea sparing no paines neither thinking any cost too much to make one of their profession though when hee is made they make him two-fold more the child of hell than they themselues Certainly if we be not the thirtie peeces of siluer shall one day condemne vs and the earings bracelets of the people which