Dreamed that Jesus Christ told him so and therefore he would believe it I find that God had formerly revealed Himself to His servants by Visitions and Dreames as in the 1 Kings 3.5 Verse when the Lord so lovingly appeared to Solomon and asked him what he should doe for him as if he would lay aside all his VVill and desires and condescend to Solomons request Aske what I should give thee saith God as if he would refer Himself to Solomons demands and say not as I will but as thou wilt which is the highest expression of love from the Lord to the Creature as I have found in all the Booke of God and yet we see that it was in a Dreame that the Lord thus revealed his infinite Love so that we may here learne there is no time excluded from GODS manifesting Himself to His People but that it is all one to Him to speak in a Dreame by Night as in a Cloud by Day Verse 5. Yet I marvelled at His confidence and could not believe it as to assure my self of my life but my fears were much above my hopes I confess I had a submissive hope to have life but no assurance at all of life It was enough as Jacob said that my son Joseph is yet alive it was enough for me that my Soul should ever live with the Lord and upon this rock he brought me and set my feet upon that rock that was higher then I which only is my rock and my salvation Psal 62.2 Upon which rock the foundation of my eternal comfort was built when the rain descended and the flouds came and the wind blew and beat upon my soul my heart fell not from my God when we were like to have been split in pieces upon the rocks in the Sea called the 3 Stags I said I would cast my soul and body into the arms of my sweet Saviour and if I perished I would perish there And now seeing it hath pleased God to give us new lives let us desire one thing more of our good God which he would not deny Psal 27.4 and say with Elijah 2 King 2.9 I pray thee let a double portion of thy Spirit be upon me as my life is doubled So let it be our souls desire to have a double portion of the Spirit of God upon this new life and withall an understanding heart 1 King 3.9 Then opened he their understandings that they might understand the Scriptures Luk 24.45 And although Elijah said to Elisha That he had asked a hard thing yet God delights that we should ask of him hard things for it is for a great God to give great things as you shall see in 1 King 3.10 And the speech pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked understanding and he gave it him and said That he had given him also that which he had not asked for which was a long life but it was but conditionally that God said Solomon should have it 1 King 3.14 And if thou wilt walk in my Ways and keep my Commandments as thy father David did then will I lengthen thy days and upon this condition the Lord gives Solomon a new life Vers 15. And Solomon awaked and behold it was a dream yet notwithstanding the thing was accomplished for in the 28. vers the people admired him and why because they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do Judgment and they came from all parts of the earth which had heard of Solomon to hear him And here do I conclude humbly spreading before the Lord my earnest desires that all we Sea-partners may obtain with Elisha a double portion of the Spirit of God and with Solomon understanding hearts that we may understand the Scriptures for which I shall humbly wait at the feet of my sweet Saviour for a more glorious manifestation of his presence and for a more enlightning revelation by his blessed Spirit discovering the hidden Mysteries of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ unto my soul which is life eternal to know God and Jesus Christ his Son whom he hath sent Come my fellow-sufferers we that have had a tryal of ten days tribulation in our Sea Voyage seeing it hath pleased God to redouble our obligations in miraculous preservations let us multiply our fervent prayers and praises and redouble our thanksgiving unto the Lord of Glory that seeing these dangerous storms and tempests and sickness which we have had were not unto death but for the glory of God and that the Son of God might be glorified thereby John 11.4 Let us joyn with one consent to give him praise which is due unto his Name all the days of our pilgrimage which are few and evil Let us exceedingly rejoyce in our God while we are hereupon earth and cry Hosanna to the highest Let us so run as we may obtain a never fading Diadem of Glory amongst the Saints of that new Jerusalem which is above Let us be faithful to the death and we shall have a crown of life Rev. 2.10 For our God will surely come and his reward is with him and he will give to every one according to his works Therefore God that is rich in mercy to all that call upon him and a present help in time of trouble fill your Souls with graces of his most holy Spirit and accept all our Praises and help us to perform all our Vows and grant all our Petitions so prays Your weak Remembrancer in all Christian Love and Duty FRANCES COOK A Psalm gathered out of the Psalms of David at any landing after the great storm at sea in Ianuary 5. 1649. COme forth and barken dearest friends all such as love the Lord What he for my poor life hath done to you I will record For safety from the raging Seat this mouth to him did cry And thou my tongue make speed apace to praise him by and by To render thanks unto the Lord how great a cause have I My voyce and prayer and my complaint that heard so willingly Of his good will he hath call'd back my Soul from Hell to save He did revive when help did lack and kept me from the grave I to the Lord will pay my vows that I to him did make That if he would deliver me and not my Soul forsake Then finally while breath did last on his grace I would depend And in the house of God always my life for ever spend Therefore open to me the gates of truth and righteousnesse That I may enter into them the Lords praise to expresse God is my glory I will sing with praise unto his Name That all my vows I may fulfil and dayly pay the same Thy Servant Lord thy Servant lo I do my self confesse One of thy handmaids thou didst hear my prayer in my distresse Who with the Lord is equal then in these his works of wonder That kept me from so many deaths and brake the waves in sunder I will before the living Lord confesse his kindnesse then That shewed his wonders in the storm unto the sons of men For with his Word the Lord did make the sturdy storms to cease So that the great waves from their rage he brought to rest and peace Then was I glad when rest did come which I so much did crave And was by him to Haven brought which I so fain would have This was the mighty work of God this was the Lords own fact And it is marvellous to behold with eyes that noble act I will perform with heart so free to God my vows alwayes And I O Lord all times to thee will offer thanks and praise My Soul from death thou didst defend and kepst my heart upright That I before thee may ascend with such as live in Light I will not hide within my brest thy goodnesse as by stealth But I le declare and will expresse thy truth and saving health I le keep not close thy loving minde that no one should it know Thy love which in the deeps I finde to all the Church I le show Yea good to me that was at Sea his Mercies did exceed Lo all thy works do praise the Lord and to thy honor spread Thy Saints do blesse thee and they do thy Kingdoms glory show And blaze thy praise to cause the sons of men their power to know God is the Lord by whom alone Salvation cometh plain He is my God by whom I scapt all danger death and pain As God hath given power to me so Lord make firm and sure The work that thou hast wrought on me for ever to endure Vntil the day of Iudgment comes and I am call'd to rest With all thy holy company of Saints and Angels blest To praise the Lord Omnipotent triumphantly each houre To him be all dominion and praise for evermore FINIS
M ris COOKES MEDITATIONS Being an humble thanksgiving to her HEAVENLY FATHER For granting her a new life having concluded her selfe dead and her grave made in the bottome of the Sea in that great storme Jan. the 5th 1649. Composed by her selfe at her unexpected safe Arrivall at CORCKE CORKE Printed And reprinted at London by C. S. and are to be sold by Thomas Brewster and Gregory Mould at the three Bibles at the West-end of Pauls M ris COOKES MEDITATIONS BEING An humble thanksgiving to her Heavenly Father for granting her a new life having concluded her selfe dead and her grave made in the bottome of the Sea HAving solemnly promised to the most high God in the greaâ— storme that if his Majesty would be pleased to prolong my dayes and deliver me from so great a danger I would studie to prayse and glorifie his Name all the dayes of my life and call upon others that were in the storme so to doe if I shall neglect so to do these broken Meditations may be an evidence against me written suddenly after my comming to Corke Psal 118.17 verse I shall not dye but live and declare the works of the Lord 66. Psal 16. Come and heare all yee that feare God and I will declare what he hath done for my soule 19. verse I cryed unto him with my mouth and he was extolled with my tongue Psal 56.12 thy vowes are upon me oh God! I will render prayse unto thee for thou hast made a path in the great waters for thy redeemed to passe through and hast brought thy ransomed ones safe to land therefore blesse the Lord oh my soule and forget not such mercies who hast forgiven all mine iniquities and saved my life from so great a danger oh that I could spend this new life wholly in thy service and that I might live to the prayse and glory of his grace wherein he hath made me accepted in his beloved Eph. 2.6 v. Landing in Kinsale I said am I alive or dead Doth not the ground movâ— under mee I have been dying all this storme and I cannot tell whether I am yet alive I finding my body much out of frame and my heart fainting having been ten dayes at sea without eating but the next day the Lord made mee more sensible of my new life and when I came to dive into the mighty depth of the love of God in granting mee deliverance from so great a danger my heart was so brim-full with the apprehension of his tender mercies that I could not containe my selfe but must needs burst forth in teares for feare I should not live sutable to so great a mercy and I said to my friends that I would gladly be with my Saviour if it pleased him to take mee for the mercy I received was so great that I should never be able to walk answerably in holinesse to the Lord and my care is that I might not be found a fruitlesse figtree in the garden of my God when Christ said I am come into my garden my sister my spouse it was but to gather fruit but when he expected fruit and found none he was displeased I know it is a great mercy to blesse God for mercies and they which have a heart to bless God for mercies ought to have a tongue to prayse him for the same and a pen to record them we being too prone to let them slip out of our memories which if I shall do I desire my hand may be brought to testifie against me my heart and tongue shall not only prayse him but with my pen also will I stirre up my self and intreat all others that were in the same storme partakers with me of the same deliverance to magnifie the Lord for ever Oh ye couragious Sea-men that said you were at your wits end and knew not what would become of you prayse ye the Lord O ye that came into the great Cabbin to dye with us blesse his name for ever O ye that said you would give all you had to be landed even in your enemies Quarters that you might fight for your lives prayse him that is Lord of the Sea that now we see the faces of our friends in peace and can joyfully meet together to keep dayes of thanksgiving to the Lord. Jesus Christ took speciall notice of the Lepers Luke 17.15 16. verses but one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voyce glorified God and fell downe on his face at his feet giving him thanks but Jesus said were there not ten clensed but where are the nine It is all Christ requires of a Saint to be praised for deliverances as he saith Psal 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee but thou shalt glorifie mee But no soule can glorifie and praise God but those whose hearts He hath wound up and tuned to such a spirituall note because they are birds which fly high upon the wing of faith and may have place to sit and sing neer the altar of God and those that are thus admitted into the holy of holyes to sing Hallelujab's to the Name of the most high God and to the Lambe are the spirits of just men made perfect already in heaven and those who are kept through the power of God by faith 1 Pet. 1.5 while they are in the world untill they come to be made one with the Father and the Son when this mortality shall be swallowed up of life and we crowned with an incorruptible crowne of glory and come to be made perfectly glorious through Christ and perfectly holy then shall we be fit to come into the presence of our God and behold his glory and admire him who is the King of Saints and then shall we worship and sing everlasting prayse to the Lord God Almighty who is great and marvellous in all his workes and just and true in all his wayes Thus to prayse God is the worke of Angells which they doe and shall doe to all eternity who are glorious creatures without sinne which are set apart onely for the worke of praysing God Oh the disproportion betwixt Men and Angells And yet God requires and looks for prayse from men as well as from Angells But Lord who is sufficient for these things who is worthy to undertake the worke of Angells whose spirits are thus ascended up on high to make an Evangelicall harmony in the eares of so holy a God whose hearts are fitted and tuned to sing everlasting prayses and Hallelujah's to the mighty Lord God of mercies to our soules redeeming mercies justifying mercies temporall deliverances God requires prayse of every one that he workes deliverance for whether spirituall or temporall He that eateth after ten dayes fasting let him give thanks yee that have escaped the rocks remember the Lord. Ye whom God hath kept from sinking and perishing in the deepe waters praise him Ye which are living monuments of his late mercy and have been
preserved by the immediate wonderfull hand of God praise him Ye for whose sakes he rebuked the Sea and made the proud waves calme and hath set your feet upon dry ground declare that God is a present help in time of trouble Psal 46.1 verse and tell his goodnesse to the sons of men The Lord would not have his people to forget his mercies but he puts them in mind of deliverances How often doth he tell us in Scripture that he is our God and that he brought us out of the Land of Egypt and that with his holy Arme he hath wrought salvation for his chosen Ingratitude is a very great sin because it is a breach of the Commandements of God you shall glorify me saith he when I deliver you and I will be praised by them that dwell upon the earth The Lord Commands and requires his people to be thankfull for mercies and he takes it very unkindly when they will not so much as returne thanks 50. Ps 8. The Lord cares not for burnt-offering and sacrifices nor cattell upon a thousand hills nor for all the fowles of the mountaines nor the beasts of the fields but saith he gather my Saints together unto me 5. v. those that have made a Covenant with me And what doth God require of his Saints when they so assemble together to remember such mercies but prayse and thanksgiving and specially to pay their vowes unto the most high verse 14 Yet many of Gods people are very backward in duty of thanksgiving and that we see by the Lords oft putting them in mind to pay their vowes and to performe their Covenant which they make with him in the day of their affliction The Lord knowes very well when his people most frequent him as he saith Hosea 5.15 verse In their affliction they will seeke me early but in the day of their prosperity they forget their maker Hosea 8.14 So that the Lord complaines that he knowes not what to do with these people He findes such ebbings and flowings in their unconstant affections that he compares them to the clouds Hosea 6.4 Oh Efraim what shall I do unto thee oh Judah what shall I do unto thee for your righteousness is as the morning cloud and as the early dew it goeth away I am confident that there is not one that was in this storme of tryall as I may so call it oâ— a storm wherein we might sound our hearts have the bottom of the inward vitalls discovered to our selves especially such as feared the Lord and have had former acquaintance with him by way of communion through his Son but did solemnly enter into a Covenant with God and made vowes unto the most high in the great storme that if he should come and ransome them now when they were almost sinking from the power of the grave which to all apprehensions was prepared in the seas and redeeme them from the jawes of death which then presented it selfe most dreadfull and save their lives when they saw no way to escape death That they would give up themselves wholly unto the Lord all the dayes of their lives and study how to live answerable to so great a mercy and that they woul live as refined ones whom God hath pluckt out of the fire and out of the water and if they knew any way more pure or holy then other wherein they might glorify God advance his praise they would do it and that they would not value the world nor men of the world but that they would live like those whose hearts God hath melted downe and overcome with loving kindness and mercyes preservations and deliverances a heart that God hath melted downe with a sensibleness of his spirituall and temporall deliverances will be saying Lord what wilt thou have me to do Loe I come to do thy will oh God I am ready not only to be bound but also to dye for the name of Jesus Therefore let me speake a word to them to whom God hath given new I ves and it may be hath added some yeares to these renewed lives give me leave to put you in minde to remember your vowes all the dayes of your lives and live by faith and not by sense Job would not reject the counsell of his servant and therefore I shall present some Scriptures to your considerations Jonah 1.16 we may observe there that when men are in stormes and distresses then they make vowes unto God as you may see in the 16. verse then the men feared the Lord exceedingly and offered sacrifice unto the Lord and made vowes David said in Psal 61.8 verse I will prayse the Name of the Lord forever that I may daily performe my vowes Psal 116.17 verse I will offer unto the Lord the sacrifice of thanksgiving I will pay my vowes unto the Lord in the presence of all his people When thou vowest unto the Lord deferre not to pay it Eccles 5.4 v. Job 22.27 verse Thou shalt make thy prayer unto the Lord and he shall heare thee and thou shalt pay thy vowes Numb 30.2 verse If a man vow a vow unto the Lord or sweare an oath to bind his soule with a bond he shall not breake his word but he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth Deut. 23.21 When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God thou shalt not slack to pay it for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee and it would be sin in thee God hath granted me the thing I prayed for although he did not evidence to my heart then that it should be granted but he calmed and contented my heart by giving me a quiet rest of spirit to submit to my Fathers good wil pleasure that living or dying it should goe well with me and that I was not my owne but bought with a price 1 Cor. 6.20 and therefore must glorifie God both in my body and soule which are his The Lord comes to the quick and puts me to the tryall that I might know what temper I was made of and what was in my owne heart whether I had improved my talent and what stock of grace I had gained to support at such a time of need and if I had a spirit that durst encounter with death let him appeare never so terrible and in this trying condition the Lord kept me under water as I may say and expostulated the case with me and put questions to my soule and pleaded with me about life and death I mean onely this temporall death for I blesse God I know that my Redeemer lives all the time of the storme the Lord did sweetly smile upon my soule and I found a strong sensiblenesse of his love and favourable presence in supporting my faith to believe and in giving me assurance of my eternall salvation thorough Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour But concerning the being delivered from the power of the waves the rage of the sea and the danger
mother of my Lord should come unto mee as soone as the voice of thy salvation sounded in my eares the Babe leaped in my wombe for joy and shee said My soule doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit doth rejoyce in God my Saviour if there be such rejoycing betwixt the Babe and his Mother for hearing the voice of the Mother of her Lord what infinite transcendent happinesse admirable delight and over-comming and ravishments of joy abundance of rejoycing wil there be when the Lord himself shal apear in his glorious presence to the soule arayed with all his excellent and glorious apparrell travelling in the greatnesse of his strength and power having all his artillery of graces following him who is the bright and glittering Morning Star that shineth in such luster and brightnesse and is the perfection of Beauty that it dazells the beholders and when the salutations of the Lord Himself are heard thus to a Soule saying my lips Oh my Spouse drop as the Hony-combe speaking peace to the Soule as when Christ appeared unto His Disciples and said Peace be unto you His Voyce is sweete and His Countenance is comely and a Soule that Christ hath taken into Union with Himself and saith thou art comely through the comelinesse that I have put upon thee I have crowned thee in the day of thy Espousall so that in the presence of Christ there is infinite cause of rejoycing and the Salutations of Christ are but invitations to come above and live aloft in the highest Regions of light Revel 4.1 2. And I heard a voyce saying unto me come up hither and immediatly I was in the Spirit Christ takes a soule into Communion with Himself and sheweth it a glimpse of His glory that must be hereafter whereupon the Soule concludes with the Disciples when they saw Christ transfigured on the Mount that it is good for them to be there and Stephen being full of the Holy Ghost said I see the Heavens opened and Jesus standing at the right Hand of God and Iohn saw wonders in Heaven above a Soul which Christ hath taken up into his Presence Chamber and pleads with it there shewing it the Thrones of God and the glory of His Fathers Kingdom will be transformed to the Image of God when Moses had been talking with God upon the Mount the People could not behold his Face this glory and spirituall joy is for the Children of the Bride-chamber unto whom when Christ appears he makes them so amiable and lovely a Spouse that he admires the beauty and glory of his own Worke saying thou art all faire my love thou hast no spot in thee thou hast ravished my Heart my Sister my Spouse thou hast ravished my Heart with one of thy Eyes Cant. 6.5 Tume away thine Eyes from me for thou hast overcome me Hence Christ is overcome with the beauty of a flourishing Soul and admires it and the Spouse hearing the voyce of her beloved ecchoes back again admiration of her love that he was the chiefest of ten thousand Cant. 5.10 He is white and ruddy His Countenance is excellent His Mouth is most sweet he is altogether lovely here the Spouse would if it were possible outvye Christ by way of admiration here is the displaying the colours of each other as if they would see which could advance highest in exaltations and needs must there be joy in such a Soul that is betrothed unto Christ and made one with Him very well may it break forth into a singing note my Beloved spake and sayd unto me Rise up my love and faire one and come away Cant. 2.10 For loe the Winter is past the Raine is over and gone the Flowers appeare on the Earth and the time of singing of Birds is come now will I sing unto my well beloved a song of prayses and thanksgiving Psal 47.6 Sing prayse unto God sing prayse sing prayse unto our King sing yee prayses with understanding Psal 59.17 unto thee Oh my strength will I sing for God is my defence and the God of my mercies Hebr. 2.12 I will declare thy Name unto my Brethren in the middst of the Church I will sing prayse unto thee 1 Chro. 16.8 Give thanks unto the Lord call upon His Name make known his deeds amongst the people sing unto him sing Psalmes unto him talke yee of all his wondrous Workes glory yee in his holy Name let the heart of them rejoyce that seeke the Lord. Job 29.13 Let the Widdowes heart sing for joy when the blessings of him that was ready to perish came upon me saying I will give her the valley of Achor for a door of hope and shee shall sing there as in the dayes of her youth and as in the day when she came up out of the Land of Egypt That temporall deliverance God records as remarkable for praise to be sung unto him and puts it in the forefront of his ten holy Commandements When Davids soule lay under sin he heard nothing of joy and gladnesse as we may see in his complant Psal 51.6 Verse He cryed make me to hear of joy and gladnesse Verse 8. Restore unto me the joy of thy Salvation so that we may see the times of restoration either out of a relapse from sin or by deliverance from danger of death are rejoycing times The thoughts of God from everlasting were thoughts of mercy love and peace and when he doth show mercies by wonderfull deliverances he doth act but in his own element for he delights to show mercy unto the sons of Men I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy Gods Will and Mercy is the fountaine and spring of our eternall Salvation and of our temporall deliverances I remember very well in the middst of the storme that I fled for refuge to the anchor of Faith and the VVill of God saying to my friend that the Lord saith I will never leave thee nor forsake thee and I will not cast thee off assuring my self that it was the VVill of God that I should receive the welcome of my Father pronounced by the Son Come yee blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you before the foundation of the world Notwithstanding all the comfort and encouragement that my deere Husband gave me saying that I had no cause to be troubled at all in respect of any danger and bad me sleepe and be still for all was as well as Heart could wish and I should land safely saying he was as sure of safety as if he was on shore and said he would not give a farthing to have his life secured him nay if the Ship brake in pieces yet we and he should be safe he knew thereupon I asked him if he knew what he said surely he was in a Dreame why would he be so confident of safety when the Captaine and all the rest said they knew not what would become of them expecting every minute nothing but Death and he replyed that he had
of the rocks the Lord hid it from me and I could not believe that I should be preserved neither could I tell whether God would put a period to my life the Lord revealed it not to me concerning living and dying but he fitted me for both in believing that I was his and I blesse his Name the Lord kept me all the time of the storme in a submissive humble believing and quiet frame of spirit and he spake to my heart by way of questioning with me that suppose the Lord should spare my life now and at another time should call for it would I be contented to suffer for him by way of being a witnesse to his truth and the faith of Jesus Christ if he should call me to it unto which I found my spirit willingly to submit and I resolved with all my heart and soule to repay this dying life to my ever living God whensoever he calls for it and howsoever he will have me to come to him at sea or land And I will not feare the King of terrors as Job calls death let him bring me to my Fathers house which way he will whether through the fire or through the water I hope I shall be willing to suffer any death that might bring glory to him that hath suffered death to bring me to life believing that Christ would not bring me into any condition but that he would be with me therein and then I know that I can do any thing through him which strengtheneth me 4. Phil. 13. v. For I blesse the Lord I never once repined all the time but I patiently lay expecting every houre when I should be dissolved and be with Christ in his glorious and triumphant Kingdome and after the Lord had searched my heart and had wrought in me a willingnesse to submit to him and had shewed me what a solemne action it was to dye and had made me sensible that there was a cloud of griefe but faith would pierce thorough that and see life in the midst of death and that in finishing my course and in resigning my spirit to God that gave it I should find my fraile nature sinking but the Divine Nature supporting and that there is a little agony to be gon through about the time dissolution when the soule will be heavie unto death notwithstanding a submission to its Fathers will Matth. 26.38 39. v. After the Lord had given me a taste of death he gave me life conditionaly that I should be willing to dye and suffer death for him at another time if he called me to it whereupon I solemnly promised covenanted with God and mad my vowes unto the most high in the hearing of my dearest friend on earth others That if the Lord would deliver me out of this terrible storme and bring me safe to land againe and renew my dayes I would give up my selfe and my new life wholly to the Lord that I would walke more closely with him in holy Communion then ever I had done formerly that I would no more live to my selfe nor to the world but wholy to the Lord that I would study to live more Gospel-like declaring and holding forth to the world that the Lord had overporw+'rd my soul by his free grace overcome my heart with loving kindness many extraordinary deliverances which cal for extraordinary praises if it pleased God to mak me partaker of such a singular mercy I would not only record it in my heart all the dayes of my life but in all places render thanks unto the Lord while I have any being and tell all the world that I have my life from Christ and therefore must spend it for him And the Lord did suddenly accomplish the thing which I had so earnestly prayed for when the sea had done threatning it was mercifull ere I was aware of it as if God would surprise me with deliverance and I could scarce believe that I was come to a harbour when I was told so the newes was so unexpected and sudden to me that I was like those men that had prayed long for the returne of the captivity of Babylon and it was the conclusion of many prayers and when they saw that the Lord did accomplish it on a sudden and the thing was done in a trice they were as men in a dream Psal 126.1 verse they could scarce believe it was so so the Lord wrought deliverance for Peter suddenly when he was fast asleepe and did not so much as think of it and so the Lord delivered Joseph out of prison on a sudden which shewed he had heard his prayer therefore blessed be his Name for ever And this the Lord doth to overcome the heart and to draw out the affections unto himselfe and that he might be admired of his Saints that they finding him giving in Jweet and unexpected deliverances may returne everlasting praises unto him and glory in the God of their salvation Psal 40.10 11. verses that they may learne alwayes to trust him for we had the sentence of death in our selves that we should not trust in our selvs but in God which raiseth the dead who delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver in whom we trust that hee will yet deliver 2 Cor. 1.9.10 The Lord hath his path in the whirlewinde and in the storme Nahum 2.3 verses And the Lord answered Job out of the whirlewind Iob 38.2 verse and said verse 4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth hast thou entred into the springs of the Sea or hast thou walked in the search of the deeps hath the gates of death been opened unto thee or hast thou seen the doores of the shadow of death verse 7.2 King 3.11 And Eliah went up in a whirle winde into heaven so that wee may see when the Lord descends to the creature Exod. 1918. or calls for it to ascend up to him it is in some marvelous and extraordinary manner as by stormes and whirlewindes fiery Chariots and thick clouds and hee gives us the reason why he doth so in Exod 19 9. that the people may believe for ever when he speakes to them God hath severall wayes to speak and after severall manner he doth reveale himselfe to the sons of men under the Gospell as well as under the Law although some will not believe although one should come from the dead to speak to them when the morning starres sing together and all the the sons of God shout for joy or who shut up the Sea with doores when it brake forth as if it had issued out of the wombe and said hitherto shall thy proud waves come and no further and here shall they be stayed Where the Lord Jesus is broken forth in spirit where he is risen forth from the dead there is a glorious appearance of the presence of God which fills the soule with joy when Mary came to Elizabeth she said what am I that the