a Papist as if you were to be justified by your workes 3 He can make one vertue or duty shake out another for he cā in hearing gods word cast in a serious good meditation which were profitable at another time to hinder hearing to distract the minde and make a man heare without profit Or set him on reading or praying things good in themselves and at another time but now hurtfull and unseasonable 4 He can cunningly make one of Gods decrees crosse another whereas they are all dependant and strengthen one another What needs all this strictnesse and study of holinesse and all this businesse in mortification sorrow forgoing delights change of life If God have predestinated thee to salvation thou shalt be saved without all this adoe And if thou beest not ordayned to life doe what thou wilt or canst thou shalt never be saved as if God who decreed the ends had not also decreed the meanes But his seaven heads to a carnall man can by Gods election overthrow sanctification whereas the Apostle saith plainly He hath chosen us that we should be holy and unblamable Fourthly He can by one ordinance of God make void another as Acts 13. 50. Devout women raise persecution against Paul contrary to Prov. 289. He that turneth his eares from hearing the law his very prayer is abominable These ordinances must not be divorced 11 If he cannot hinder good duties he will do what he can to blemish them and this especially two wayes First By thrusting them forward by evill meanes and causing men to doe good things in an evill manner and then all the grace of them is lost He cares not if Saul sacrifice so he reserve the fat beasts against the commaundement Peter hath a care to preserve himselfe but it must be by lying and denying his Master He hath a care not to offend the Jewes Gal. 2. But if he do therefore dissemble and deale deceitfully with the truth here is a good matter marred in the handling Iudas hath a care to be rich but it must be with selling and betraying his Master And now men must provide for their families but with prophaning of the Lords day lying swearing forswearing they must seeke to recover their goods and health bfit it must be by running to the devill and by witches as Asa to the god of Ekron Ministers must be hospitable and keepe good houses and live to the credit of the Ministry but it must be by heaping up of coines without measure ambition and base arts of flattery and opposing the truth of grace which is the ladder many raise up to themselves to rise by Servants would be liberall and charitable but it must be by deceiving their Master Secondly By propounding to good actions bad and unwarrantable ends and now though the thing be done yet all the recompence is lost Popish persons doe a great many good workes materially good give almes and fast and found hospitals and Churches c. But while they doe all this to merit all is lost Protestants do duties in themselves good give almes part freely from their money to pious and charitable uses come to Church heare diligently speake feelingly professe forwardly uphold the Ministery carefully if the end of this be to be seene or approoved of men as our Saviour saith of the Pharisees almes verily they have their reward Absolom is very civill curteous and pleasing in his carriage but it is to undetermine his Father and steale mens hearts from David The dragon cares not how good thou either art nor how much good thou doest if it be not for goodnesse sake III What good he can neither hinder nor thus blemish he will openly disgrace and revile for he rageth against goodnesse so that he never ceaseth to cast false and scandalous reproches and imputations against it Whether the goodnesse be personall or sociall 1 For personall goodnesse he can blacke and staine it he can charge Christ himselfe that he casts out deuils by Belzebub And Job that he serves not God for nought he is very devoute but a very hypocrite and Annah that while she prayes within her selfe she is drunke Ioseph thinkes Maries conception of Christ to be adulterous He can and doth at this day make hatefull the very show of religion under termes of puritie precisenesse and hypocrisie He can scorne men for coming to Church and carrying Bibles as Pharaoh yee are too idle when Israel spake of worshipping their god He can scorne men for reading Scriptures prayers and singing of psalmes in their houses for are not these manifest markes of hypocrites and dissemblers for to be zealous against sinne and corruption is not to know what spirit he is of or what he would have nay he hath his teachers to disgrace forwardnesse in religion and warne men to beware of such hot courses which onely a few haire-brained men take up Thus wee know heare and see this sect every where spoken against which is the sect of Christ himselfe and the holy Apostles who for all their holinesse could not avoid the rebukes of holy religion Much lesse can we 2 For sociall goodnesse which is the practise of goodnesse in societie Here above all the dragon shewes himselfe the accuser of the brethren for as in the primative Church he oppressed the truth with malicious reports and slaunders that the poore Christians in their private assemblies were incestious conspirators sacrificers of infants and putting out candles went promiseuously to all kinds of barbarous lusts So also in latter dayes the Priests and Friers in their railing Sermons Anno 1558 perswaded the people that the Lutherans of Paris assembled together to make banquets in the night and putting out the candles went together after a beastly manner And the Sorbonists accused them that they maintained that there was no God no immortalitie of the soule no resurrection of the dead and denyed the divinitie and humanitie of Christ and all articles of true religion Fox pag. 927. And at this day as nothing is more fruitfull then the communion of saints and holy societie by brotherly fellowship so nothing is more reviled disgrased censured 3 The dragon can easily meete with godly Christians if they joyne in any good duty though in their owne houses privately among themselves in prayer conference repetition of sermons and cry downe those as unlawfull combinations but let never so many combine in drunkennesse dycing carding swearing from one weekes end to another there is nothing made of such neighbourly meetings Nay let hundreds and thousands meet on the Lords day at footbals cudgels fightings there is no evill in such meetings the dragon that drawes them together makes no complaint and why should wee marvaile that hee whose industry is to hinder every thing that is good should so far prevaile in that which is contrary and mightly buildeth up his owne kingdome IV Hee hath notable devises to frustrate such good actions and duties as he
cannot hinder or interrupt so as after sowing of much seed there is no reaping or joy in the harvest First in generall he cares not greatly how many good things thou doest how charitable how devote thou art how diligent and laborious even in that which is good so he can keepe thee without the care of sound conversion and from serious repentance for he knowes that all that is done before conversion is hatefull to God That of thistles no figges can be gathered that out of a reprobate soyle can nothing be yeelded but noysome weeds and poysonfull plants what goodly shew soever they make That before repentance the sacrifice of a man is sinne and his very prayer is abominable what cares he how much and often thou pray so thy prayer be frustrate But whiles thou regardest wickednesse in thy heart hee knowes God will not heare thy prayer Neither cares he what good thou doest so thou be proud of it and say Lord I thanke thee I am not as this Publican If he can get thee to thrust thy glory betweene thy actions and Gods glory he hath frustrated all thy expectation More specially if he cannot hinder thee from hearing the word nor for shame barke against the action he cares not so he may frustrate it which he can do by many slights 1 If he can make thee receive it without faith he knowes the word is unprofitable if not mingled with faith nay hurtfull for he that knowes his Masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with more stripes 2 Without love for if thou receivest the truth without love of it God wil at length give thee up to strong delusions 2 Thes. 2. 3 Without change of heart and life what cares he if thou heare every houre a sermon so all be put into a riven vessell If thou hearest 20. yeares together never so diligently if thou holdest thy sinne and abidest a hatefull wretch spitting poyson against the word and preaching of it Secondly He cares not how civilly and soberly thou livest without open grosse breaches of the law thou art no drunkard murderer blasphemer theese sodomite all this pleaseth him well if so he can make thee hereby reject the gospell for all this while Thy righteousnesse doth not exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees Nay if he can make thee stumble at Christ he knowes no fall into hell is like that it had been better thou hast never heard of him Thirdly He cares not greatly what a religious life thou makest show of what strong conceit of faith thou hast how joyfully thou receivest the glad tidings of the gospell how resolutely thou professest the gospell if he can frustrate all this profession Either first by keeping thee from being beaten downe by the law for then all the foundation is deceitfull Or secondly by neglecting the meanes of faith for then he knowes thou nourishest but a fancy for faith Or thirdly by making shipwrack of faith by corrupt conscience while he holds thee fast in some sinne or sinnes as lying cousening swearing usury gaming or deceitfull courses or loosenesse of life for now bragge of faith and say thou wilt never forsake the gospell I say thou shalt never hold it out for thou canst not favour it and thy sinne too which it favours not In heart thou deniest it and easily wilt with thy mouth Fourthly He cares not how zealous and forward thou art for the time and how many things thou sufferest for the gospell so it be in vaine some Magistrates are good and forward at first for a fit some Ministers are best at first as Saul Iudas c. but after comes the bad wine and the lees and dregs are in the bottome and many remitting of their first loves fall to loosenesse contempt and spight of the way Satan hath now frustrated all true grace proceeds and holds out now he knowes these were never good I◠Now for evill actions the dragon sets all his seaven heads a worke to thrust them forward and that especially two wayes First Because he cannot make them be good he can make them to seeme good till they be acted He can hansomely apparrell them and make them appeare next to vertues The eating of the forbidden fruit will make our parents as gods extreme covetousnesse is but nearnesse or good husbandry wrath and cruell revenge is but manhood and spirit unfruitfull wasting of our time is but good-fellowship and neighbour-hood Neutrality in religion when a man is neither fish nor flesh hot nor cold is to be moderate discreet and a wise man To neglect the study preaching of Gods word and to carry men from the simple truth to royes and froth of humane spirit and wit is profoundnesse and depth of learning Revel 2. 24. for how else came schoole-learning to banish the scriptures for many hundred yeares but under pretext of a deeper learning To be earnest and an hot pursuer of these hot precise fellowes is to be a good zealous protestant And to thinke they doe God good service in killing and burning his Saints in stabbing kings massacring Innocents and blowing up Parliaments is to be a resolute Catholike Thus skilfull is this seaven headed beast to wrap up all his poysoned pills in some sugered pretence and perswasion or other he can make them seeme neare allied to vertue and grace Secondly If he cannot make them seeme good yet he can so gild and hide them as they shall seem lesse evill When a man in rude and wicked company hath made himselfe beastly drunke and swinishly unreasonable it is no great matter he would be loath not to be counted a good and kind neighbour and not disgrace himself so much as not to pledge his friends health When he hath in anger and rage cursed sweared rayled and quarrelled with his neighbours it is a fault indeed but no man is a Saint and it is in some mens nature to be more cholerick then others and thus comforts and confirmes himselfe uncleannesse fornication adultery great sinnes against the fountaine of mankind are slighted it is but a common error of youth and age will mend it Ordinary oathes by faith troth Masse Mary and by God himself are but small sinnes the custome takes away the sense but not the guilt Secret sins which other men see not he can make a mans selfe not to see them and those which dig into the bowels he makes appeare but as the scratch of a pin Many sinnes are practised by the most and greatest nay even good men and professors will card and dice and prodigally waste their time and now they are priviledged sinnes and vanish into nothing The third head wherein we shall see the subtill working of these seavē heads against the woman is in respect of his assaults which are most subtill for never was there such an engineir so expert to winne and hold as shall appeare in some instances His first
former are such as demonstrate the presence of the strong man The latter such as shew the presence of a stronger than he Of the former sort are five First supine carelesnesse in religion is a signe of the dragons rule the Apostle in Eph. 2. 2. and 12. sets it downe for a note of a man in whom the Prince of the ayre ruleth that he is as an heathen or alien without God in the world an Atheist that cares for no religion or covenant cares not for Christ and his grace contemnes preaching praying Ministery Ministers prefers pigs before Christ as the Gadarens prefers pottage before the blessing as Esau this man is ruled by the Prince of the ayre and much more if thou seest a despiser of religion a scorner of goodnesse one that turnes his backe on the Ministery or gives it his presence but is a sonne of Beliall and will not indure the yoakes of God and Christ this man is apparently under the power of the devill and this cannot but bee a sure signe for 1. Where Christ can have no command the dragon must rule and command 2. Where the Scepter of Christ is resisted which onely casts out the dragon there the dragon is not cast out Were not hee a traytor in an high degree that should wrest the rod or Scepter out of the Kings hand breake it to pieces and tread it under his feet in contempt of his high authority yet so doth every wicked man with the Word the rod of Christs power 3. Where Christ is come hee makes communion with God and a serious seeking after him and therefore where is no seeking after God no fellowship with him Christ never came there A second note of the presence and power of the strong man is blindnesse of minde in meanes of knowledge so saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 4. 3 4. If our Gospell bee now hid it is hid to them that perish in whom the god of this world hath blinded the mindes of them that beleeve not and 1 Cor. 2. 14. The naturall man perceiveth not the things that are of GOD c. When a man can discerne nothing of the things of God and seeth nothing in the Kingdome of Christ desirable or admirable he is in the state of nature under the power of the dragon The reason is because the kingdome of the dragon is a kingdome of darknesse and nothing casts out his power but the entertainment of the light and grace of the Gospell If a man sit in darknesse till this houre that hee shuts out the light offering to shine upon him and contents himselfe with ignorance of minde with hatred and resistance of the light this man sets up and upholds the devils power in his owne heart and here the dragon is not cast out Th◠third note of a man in whom the devill is not cast out is generall disobedience for He ruleth in the sonnes of disobedience Ephes. 2. 2. where sinne raignes the dragon raignes Hee that committeth sin is of the devill 1 Iohn 3. 8. the devill and sinne are cast out together For as a tyrant shewes his power and strength by forcing men to fulfill his lawes and Edicts so this strong man sheweth and upholdeth his state in speciall maner by prevailing temptations and alluremēts by which men fulfill the lusts wil of the flesh and wicked men are carryed as the swine into the lake of sinne Now the dragon stands in his state The fourth note of such a one is ripenesse in sinne when men are not punies in sinne but old sinners not bunglers but active and nimble servants of corruption 2 Pet. 2. 19. This ripenesse discovers it selfe in many unhappy men in whom the dragon beares sway foure wayes 1. By diligence 2. Hight 3. Chearfulnesse 4. Constancy in sinne 1. By diligence following sinne as a trade when a man is at all the appointments and services of sin approving and promoting all that is nought but disallowing and opposing all that is good so farre as he can Diligent servants will breake their sleepe to doe their Masters worke and so will these Prov. 4. 16. see Chap. 1. 15. 2. By the height of sinne for as the Spirit of God drawes the Saints forward in the degrees of grace so the dragon drawes wicked men to the height of wickednesse called Rom. 1. fulnesse of unrighteousnesse and this without reluctation or restraint of the Spirit Thus the devill entred into Iudas and filled his heart with mischiefe whence is it that the foulest sinnes come not amisse to many men but from the power of the dragon who bids his slave resist the Gospell as Elimas and he must doe it commit murder upon his owne brother as Cain scoffe his owne father as Cham sweare and blaspheme as many devils incarnate they must and will doe it 3. By chearfulnesse and delight in sinne our proverbe is Hee must needs runne whom the Devill drives so captaine-sinners make haste to evill and set their delight on it how doe graceles persons rejoyce to promote and compasse sinne in themselves eating it as bread and a sweet morsell Iob 20. and drinking it as a fish drinkes in water and provoke others to sinne to sweare to bee drunken to gaming and playes c were there a drop of grace in them it would disallow such horrible sinnes and stand against them but the stampe of the devill is upon them who rejoyceth in evill and draweth as many as hee can into his owne damnation 4. By constancy and incorrigiblenesse in sinne He that is filthy will bee filthy still as the dragons and devils be and men as devils are loath to be tormented before their time by the doctrine of repentance conversion mortification or holy life This is a sure note of one from whom the dragon is not cast out The fist is strife to keepe out or cast out the Spirit of God resisting the grace of God fighting against good conscience in ones selfe and others when men aredespisers and evill speakers of the way of God can contend with his Saints and haunt with wicked persons how can this but be a sure signe of the dragons holding possession for what other is his worke in the world but to fight against the whole kingdome and glory of God or what is a more manifest proofe of the power and state of a Prince then to command his subjects to fight for his title in all his quarrels Now if these be sure notes of the state and raigne of the dragon many may discerne their woefull condition who thinke well enough of themselves and will defie the Devill in word while in deed and truth he upholds his full power in them 1. How many Christians by profession are no better than Atheists who love not the presence of God neither in their thoughts but abhorre all thoughts of God and barre them out by weekes and months as most unpleasant nor in their soules which cannot endure the presence of Gods
up on high for the terrible blow when the fire was a giving to their diabolical Engine then was salvation the Lords now was the Lord seene our strong Saviour for although our salvation was then sent us in a royall vessell yet then was salvation the Lords At this day other Countries few or no Protestant Countries excepted sit in the dust nay in goare-blood there lamentable spectacles are fire sword blood in streames and rivers shed like water in the streets in the fields in the houses here meets them death of Parents of husbands of brethren there overtakes them orbity of Children deflouring of wives and daughters with shamefull villanies and cruelties beseeming Popish forces Their noises are frightfull alarmes roaring of great Ordinances tumbling downe of Towers townes and houses over their heads unhappy tydings of burning spoyle and slaughter But we enjoy peace plenty the Gospell of peace safety and happy Protection under our owne Vines and figtrees our noises are sermons Psalmes songs of triumph for many miraculous deliverances At this our happinesse Papists chafe fume plot and curse that there is no sorcery against Iacob and are inraged that no plot succeeds but fals upon the heads that devise them and whence is all this but that salvation is the Lords And were it not for our sinnes salvation would bee the Lords still for us all the power of Antichrist nor all Popish forces nor all the devils in hell could drive Christ out of his place if our sinnes did not grieve him and drive him away from us 2. This is a reproofe both of Churches and persons 1. This doctrine casteth out the Church of Rome from being the true Church of God which I prove thus The true Church singeth salvation onely to the Lord the Romish Church singeth not salvation onely to the Lord therefore the Romish Church is not the true Church The latter part or assumption I prove thus That Church which seeketh or assigneth salvation to any thing within themselves or without themselves singeth not salvation onely to the Lord but the Church of Rome seeketh and assigneth salvation both to things within and without themselves besides the Lord ergo Within themselves they seeke and assigne salvation to the merit of their owne workes The Rhemists on Heb. 6. 10. say that our workes are meritorious and the very cause of salvation so farre as God should bee unjust if he rendred not heaven for the same Andradius saith that heaven is not given freely but is due to our workes and that God hath set forth heaven to sale for our workes and it is as due as a peny for a peny-worth Suarez also saith A supernaturall worke from grace within it selfe and of it own nature hath a proportion with the reward and a sufficient value to be worth the same The reward is not given for Christs merit saith he the merit of Christ cannot bee made our merit neither can our merits have the power of meriting from Christs merit or any more worthinesse than they be ordained to have of themselves yea our merits are true merits and have an inward worthinesse proportionable to the reward in the same manner as if we conceived a man to be just without the merits of Christ as many thinke of the Angels and Adam in innocency So Suarez a Pillar of that Church Tom. 1. in Thom. 3. 1. Here is a Church built upon another rocke and foundation than Christ. 2 Here are Christs merits thrust under board reward is not given for them 3. Here is salvation affirmed without Christ as the Angels and Adam in innocency 4. Here are our owne merits without all power or merit from Christs 5. Here God crownes mans merit not his owne gift contrary to Augustine de grat lib. arb c. 6. 6. Here merit is magnified and grace quite excluded contrary to Paul If it be of grace then no more of workes 7. Here our owne performances which are all due debt sinfull damnable and when wee have done all we can unprofitable Luke 17. 10. yet are more profitable more honourable and beneficiall than all Christs Away henceforth with S. Pauls doctrine that eternall life is either a gift of God or a free gift No farre be it from us saith the Deane of Lovaine that we should looke for eternall life as a poore man doth for his almes but as the Garland which by our labour we have deserved Here is every man a Jesus in himselfe without respect of the death or merits of Jesus in a word here is a damnable abrogating of the whole Gospell a new establishing the Covenant of workes Here is no longer a Christian faith nor a Christian Church cleave to it who will or dare in this faith is no salvation they are abolished from grace and cut off from Christ Shall wee after such light suffer our selves to bee led away from the truth to an heresie that leads us from Christ salvation merited by him Let them say salvation is not the Lords and seeke it in themselves their owne merits meanings and observances let their owne arme save them let them disclaime the Churches acclamation who sing that salvation is the Lords in whole and in part for beginning and perfection But let us disclaime our selves for why should thistles boast of figs and let him that glorieth glory in the Lord. Without themselves they seeke and sing salvation to many things I referre them to two First the Host of heaven Secondly the host in earth 1. The Popish Idolaters runne to the helpe of Angels Every one hath his speciall Angell to whose protection hee must daily commit himselfe and all his affaires yea and wee are bound to invocate the Angels for helpe and salvation so say the Rhemists on Col. 2. 18. because they are our advocates for mercy and on 1 Iohn 2. 1. contrary to the very words We have but one Advocate with the father because wee have but one Head and one that can plead his owne justice for mercy 2. They runne to the Saints departed as their tutelary patrons and defenders of themselves and their Cities whō they invocate to helpe save thē not as Mediatours onely which were too much but as meriters and bestowers of mercy It were tedious to shew how every countrey City family every man every state of men every art every disease every beast have their peculiar Saint and Saviour Some Saints rule the Sea some the Land some the Countries some the Cities some the Elements some the arts some the trades some the beasts some the birds and every Saint knowes his charge The Student must pray to Saint Gregory the Sayler to S Nicolas the Painter to S. Luke the Physitian to S Cosmas the Lawyer to Saint Iuno so Smiths Taylers Hunters horsemen to S. George the very harlots have S. Afra and Magdalen nay every beast and bird hath a saint to pray unto geese Gallus sheep Wendelin horse Eulogius hogs
The blood of the Lambe 2. The instrumentall causes and these were two 1. The word of their Testimony 2. Their constancy and Martyrdome They loved not their lives to the death In the report of the victory are two things 1. Who overcame They. 2. Whom Him They that is the Angels of Michael vers 9. Him that is the dragon and his army who being all one in will in worke in mischiefe are all one in name in state in ruine and overthrow Note hence that not only Christ himself doth overcome the dragon but all Christians also even all the godly now overcome the devil al wicked ones all wicked powers 1 Ioh. 2. 14. Ye have overcome the wicked one 1 Cor. 15. 57. Who hath given us victory namely over sinne death the grave and whatsoever would separate us from Christ here he speaks in the time past Rom. 8. 37. Neverthelesse wee are more then conquerours here hee speakes in the present time Quest. How doe Christians now enjoy victory Ans. 1. In their Head all Beleevers have now overcome the devill 2. In beginnings of their owne victory they have got some holds and advantages 3. In assured hope and confidence which shall not leave them ashamed So as every Christian may say as Lucullus who having in the beginning of the fight got an advantage against the Armie of Methridates cryed Vicimus that is we are as sure of victory as if wee had it in our hands so may wee the Lords Captaines cry cheare to our souldiers We have overcome in our Head we have wonne the strongest holds we have an hopefull victory in our hands the maine battell is routed and discomfited a few straglers remaine with whom we shall make short work The God of peace shall tread Satan under our feet shortly Rom. 16. 20. Quest. Why must Christians overcome was it not enough that Michael did Ans. No every Christian must overcome the dragons as well as Michael 1. Because of his straite union with his Head every member is advanced in the head if the head bee crowned so are the members And it is the will of God that all that are given to Christ not onely behold but partake of his glory Iohn 17. Some Generals are so ambitious as they would have all the glory of victory result upon themselves but this Generall will have the meanest souldier to share in the honour as well as in the labour 2. Christ fought not his owne battels with the dragon but ours The quarrell was not his but ours and the victory was not for himself but for us So as he fought as our Mediatour and overcame as a Mediator susteining the cause and persons of his members so as indeed the victory is properly ours 1. By imputation faith which makes him ours makes his victory ours and it is our victory by which wee now overcome for the present 2. By inchoation giving us power and making us Kings and Conquerours Rev. 1. 5. here in part and perfectly hereafter 3. By mercifull acceptation For though we be so farre from overcomming in our selves as that wee cannot thinke a good thought and of his owne wee must give him yet for our incouragement he is pleased to call his own workes in us ours as in the Text They overcame And though wee doe nothing but by him who is our sufficiency yet his grace ascribeth to us that which himselfe effecteth in us and though our beginnings be weake and indeavours poore yet hee pleaseth to esteeme his servants by the truth of grace not the measure Where he seeth a willing minde hee accepteth the will for the deed soundnesse of weake grace for perfection and true beginnings for accomplishment Thus having begun to overcome grace accounts us Conquerors 3 Every Christian must therefore overcome both for the greater confusion of the dragon who is as unable to stand against a despised member of Christ as Christ himselfe every woman and childe of God beleeving foyles him and the greater consolation of the Saints in this battell who must be daily flesht and hartned by the first fruits of victory and stand here below as it were upon Pâ—sgah and see the good land and happinesse of perfection and vision of full peace a farre off in the sweet beginnings of it while the enemies begin to turne their backes and dare not stand out the resistance of the meanest member of Christ. This serves to discover the delusion of many who say they leane upon Christs victory for salvation but never examine whether they themselves overcome or no But Christ overcomes not onely in himselfe but in every member of his Hath hee not made thee a Conqueror then what is his victory to thee not being in thee True it is hee imputeth his victory to the Christian but first he beginneth it in him Feelest thou the mighty power of Christ effectually working in thee discernest thou the power of faith which is thy victory hath the word a mighty power to throw downe high holds of lusts Doth the power of grace leade thee in upright courses of piety and equity Here is a good signe of a Conqueror with Michael But doe thy lusts sway doth sin rule followest thou thy violent affections against Gods Word rather then thou must not have thy unjust will thou wilt treade downe the word of grace and the worke of grace in others c. A slave then thou art to the devill and hast as yet no part in Christs victory What little victory Christ hath wonne for many men appeares in that little victory hee hath in them whose onely study and bravery is to throw downe the power of God the Ministery and servants of Christ the great and unanswerable sinne of these times as will bee shortly convinced 2. Here is comfort for godly men They have many enemies but none of them can prevaile as before Vers. 8. for First the Beleever is upon an impregnable rocke in the sea which let it be beaten without intermission with billowes and waves tossed by the windes against it yet it abides unmoveable Secondly hee stands not single in the combate but incorporate into Christ if the enemies can seize againe to conquer Christ then may they him Thirdly hee is sure of victory and therefore may come with courage and stand with confidence as Gideon with his three hundred stood it out against the mighty host of Midian because he was assured of victory Fourthly hee hath victory in great part already over all enemies Sinne stickes to him but raignes not sinne is in him not hee in sinne Death is busie but hath lost his sting The Law accuseth but in our surety is performed the debt payed the bill cancelled and one debt is not to bee payed twice Hell is shut and now there is no condemnation to them that are in Jesus Christ the devill and his instruments are chained Lyons Fiftly no combination of enemies can support them though hand joyne
to God to teach him to number his dayes Psal. 90. 12. For by nature a man is never the wiser by any chastisement he sees or heares except God nurture and teach him It is true that the dim light of nature could highly prizetime for some outward profit as the usurer husbandmen Merchant occupyers and the heathens No day without a line and Titus could say Heu diem perdidi Alas I have lost a day But it must be the teaching of grace that makes us to reckon the minutes and moments of our present precious time so as therein to make our selves gainers of something more precious then it selfe And how few are thus taught by grace appeares seeing few hold it a seed-time to go forth to sow in teares few hold it such a moment as on which eternity dependeth few hold it a time of trafficke till the Master come but as if the Masters absence were for eating drinking and smiting the fellow-servants few know the worth of their time before the want of it Many are niggardly of their wealth but prodigall of their time Many complaine of the shortnesse of life but not of lósse of time Many utterly cast away this short time by doing nothing or as good as nothing And as little children who have spent their candle in play are glad to go to bed by darke and never till too late see their folly so these None of all these ever had their hearts taught by God of the shortnesse of their dayes 3 Knowing that our time is short we must make another use of this knowledge then Satan doth His knowledge provokes his diligence in all mischiefe the shortnesse of his time whetteth and sharpneth his wrath But our knowledge of the shortnesse of our time must make us industrious in grace that wee may make a quicke and profitable returne thereof to our selves Thus our Lord commanded Ioh. 12. 35. worke while the light lasteth the darknesse hasteth when none can worke And thus he practised Ioh. 9. 4 I must worke the worke of him that sent me while it is day the night commeth when no man can worke The same did his Apostles 2 Pet. 1. 13. Knowing that shortly I must lay downe this my tabernacle I think it meet to stirre you up Reasons hereof are these 1 It is a signe of a good man to be best and busiest at last Psal. 92. 14. the just are more fruitfull in their age Revel 2. 19. The Church of Thyatira her works were more at last then at first For though no part of the life of a Christian converted be fruitlesse yet is it the autumne of his life that yeilds most fruit and as to him that hath more is still given so the more he hath given the more is his employment and the more receipts the more returne 2 Christian wisdome teacheth the Beleever that this short time is alotted to worke not to loytering and to worke the greatest worke in the world both in performing acceptable service to God in doing good unto his brethren according to their needs spirituall or temporall and in gathering up his owne comfort by making his election sure both by increase of graces and fruits of faith in abundance of good workes All which call for a wise husbanding and improoving of his time and a diligent hand so much the more as the time or season hastneth from us or we from it as in harvest the fairer the day and nearer night the more busie are the carefull workemen so must it be here 3 It argueth a heart zealous of Gods glory to do all the good he can while he may and is only grieved that he hath done so little good and can do no more A good heart still complaines of the unprofitablenesse of it to will is present with it it loveth obedience and purposes of obedience shal not perish when performances often fayle 4 It bringeth comfort to the heart when the conscience witnesseth to a man that he hath not slipped his opportunity but done the businesse he had committed unto him Our Lord himselfe thus comforted himselfe toward his death Ioh. 17. 4 While I was with them in the world I kept them in thy name and I have done the worke which thou gavest me to do And the Apostle Paul neare death rejoyced that he had fought a good fight and finished his course and now was layd up for him a crowne of righteousnesse 2 Tim. 46. 1 This reprooves idlenesse in all men whose time is so short Gods word teacheth that he that sleepeth in harvest is the sonne of confusion Prov. 10. 5. and that the harvest is not to last alwayes neither will God hold out his grace alwayes when he is held off with delayes The unreasonable creatures who have no reason to perswade them none to call on them or admonish them know their times and seasons the silly Ant knows and labours in summer a creature of no account or respect yet men are sent to her to learne her wayes Our owne experience hath knowne many cry out of themselves in the end of their time because they knew not their time and have not received answer or comfort which they could ever expresse because God had often cryed and called and they would not in time answer Now it were well if at length such as would never learne this lesson from God and his word nor from his workes and creatures nor from their owne experience would learne it of the divell to be busie in their proper worke as he is in his because his time is short But of all men old men especially who must either now worke or never who if they spare not at the bottome of the vessell of their time are for ever hopelesse and desperate 2 Let us provoke our selves to diligence in wel-doing The divell knowes if this short time be shut in he cannot do any more mischiefe and therefore plyes it while it lasteth So if thy day be shut in and thy short time expired thou art taken away and canst returne no more to do any good and therefore seeing none of us have any long time it stands us in hand to supply the shortnesse of our time with diligence in dispatching our principal businesse Eccl. 9. 10. Whatsoever thou hast to do do it with all thy power for there is neither wisdome nor invention in the grave And as the dragon the more mischievous his worke is the more active he is in it so the better our worke is we must be so much the more earnest in it for shall the divell be earnest in mischiefe and wee slacke in good The worke of the Ministery is an excellent worke and therefore the Minister whose time is commonly shorter then other mens the shorter his time grows the more earnest must he be in preaching writing counselling comforting the people of God Many resolve to take their ease when they grow into yeares but then is true grace most active the
to the exact rule of justice contrary to Iob. 3. 9. None can answer God one for a thousand Neither can he blinde us as he doth himselfe by saying accedente gratia Dei for Gods grace and satisfactory works are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 can never stand together Rom. 11. 6. if of grace not of workes 5 That a Priest may properly forgive sinnes as Tecellius the Popes pardoner openly proclaymes in Churches and elsewhere that although a man had layne by our Lady the Mother of Christ and begotten her with child yet he was able by the Popes power to pardon the fact This horrible blasphemy was the ground of Luthers revolt from Popery 6 That a man having true faith in Christ may be damned Bellarm. de baptis l. 1. c. 14 Against the Apostle in Eph. 2. 10. Wee are saved by faith and Rom. 5. 1. by faith wee have peace with God and our Saviours promise that the gates of hel shall not prevaile against it To these sixe I could adde sixe hundred more to make this flood of Antichristian heresies swell but I content my self with a taste I I. A flood of slaunders and gulfe of reproaches and hellish devises imputing to the Woman and true profession of religion most scandalous opinions and hainous enterprises and all to keepe the Woman under water to get the secular sword drawne against her and to make the Princes jealous fierce and severe against her as the greatest enemie of their estates and royalties Instances of the former Doth not Antichrist out of his mouth send out most false and slaunderous lies as that our doctrine teacheth 1 That the Church hath fayled from off the earth many hundered yeares till Luther 2 That wee condemne all Councells Fathers Antiquity and will onely be tyed and tryed by Scripture whereas wee refuse not to bee judged by men judging according to Scripture and allow the Churches approbation and consent of Antiquity onely holding it absurd that the authority of Scripture should depend upon the approbation of the Church which is the question And this were to make the shine of the sunne dependant on the light of a candle 3 That wee teach God the author of sin even of that treacherous sinne of Iudas Rhem on Act. 2. sect 9. Whereas wee only teach as Scripture doth that Christ was delivered up according to the determinate counsell of God and that God hardneth evill men not as an author of evill but as a righteous judge and not by bare permission but by actuall with-holding his grace and giving them over to the divell to be hardned as a just judgement 4 That wee are enemies to all good workes and hold only faith necessarie nay that we condemne good workes as sinfull pharisaicall hypocriticall Rhem. on Rom. 2. sect 3. whereas wee teach that to justification before God faith is only necessarie but such a faith as worketh by love and that good workes are inseparable fruits of faith signes of justification and a way in which Christians must walke to salvation And many more imputations there are not needfull to be all rehearsed For the latter Have not the Papists in all ages prooved themselves to be the very mouth of the dragon breathing out nothing but their owne poysonfull inventions against our religioÌ„ and sincere Preachers and Professors of the same Have they not published to all the world and do that no sort of men are such enemies to Princes and governement none such disturbers of a setled State and common peace no sect so bad none so unworthy of common favour none such enemies to Laws orders Kingdomes Have they not licked up the spettle of the father of lies and infinitely shamed themselves with lyes and slaunders as blacke as the waters of Styx the river of hell as that Luther learned his Divinity of the devill was borne of the devill and dyed of drunkennesse That Calvin was eaten up of wormes and dyed blaspheming and invocating devills whose life and death was so holy and happy as the dragon must open a wide and impudent mouth to staine the same That Beza dyed reconciled to the Pope and cursed the day he ever knew Protestant doctrine which Beza himselfe lived to confute That Mr. Bucer denyed at his death that Christ was come the whole country and D. Redman preaching at his funerall knowing the contrary and as true as that Mr. Perkins dyed in despaire of whose happy life and death my selfe was an eye-witnesse as true as that those whom they called Puritanes had blowne up the Parliament house III. Another part of this flood is the cruell and bloody Edicts the cruell Constitutions and inhumane Rescripts which they furiously breath-out with such violence and rage as a strong current and flood which hath broken out of the bankes Such as are their Trent-curses for every slight difference in opinion from them Such as are their Spanish barbarous Inquisitions which are as the sharp teeth in the mouth of the dragon Such as their Romish Bulls and cursed excommunications their degradations c. Such as are their six Articles their horrible execrations and abrenunciations and all of that kinde to destroy root out and for ever to drowne the very name and memory of the woman and sound Christian Religion For the third The end of the dragon in sending out this water was to drowne and carry away the woman First The end of all the dragons furie is the destruction of the Church nothing will serve him but drowning his malice stints not it selfe in any mischiefe or hurt he can bring upon her Secondly His wrath once caryed her out of Paradice now he would carry her out of the way to heaven also he envyes not onely her safety and quiet in earth but her salvation in heaven Thirdly It notes a difference betweene the waters sent out by God upon the Church and these of the dragon The floods of God do but water or if any more do but wash the City of God The floods out of the dragons mouth are to wast and destroy the woman and to cary her away from the earth The dragon had made sundry assaults upon the woman before and still Michael had crossed him and against this last hid the woman safe yet so great is his furie and rage and so blind his malice that not observing Gods providence towards his Church he bolts on forward to new enterprises against her Whence learne that Satan and his instruments will never give over their malice against the godly though they have never so ill successe in the same Psal. 1â— 4. Do not workers of iniquity know that they eat up my people as bread q. d. though they do know them Gods people and see by many arguments that God is their God yet they oppresse them with desire and delight even as desirously and greedily as they eate bread when they are hungry Did not Phar 〈◊〉 see that none of his devises succeeded against â—srael
an eternall Kingdome of glory 4 Obedience is the onely true testimony of love to God as the second commandement implyes In them that love me and keepe my commandements Measure thy love to God by the love of his commandements Peter lovest thou me feed my lambes He that keepeth my word is he that loveth me Ioh. 14. 15. This makes the godly invincible in labour and sufferings under rebukes and evill report and for all this they turne not aside nor deale unfaithfully in the covenant And there is no love lost for their love upholding them in obedience that obedience upholds them in Gods love as our Saviour saith Ioh. 15. 10. If yee keepe my commandements yee shall abide in my love as I have kept my Fathers commandements and abide in his love And have the testimony of Iesus Christ. This is the second property of this remnant Where consider 1 What is this testimony of Jesus 2 What it is to have it The testimony of Jesus is the word and Gospell of Jesus Christ Rev. 1. 9. Iohn was banished into Patmos for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ where one is expressed by the other Now the Gospell is called the testimony of Jesus First Because it is revealed by Jesus Christ by him brought from the bosome of his Father an hidden mysterie to men and Angells none was worthy to open this booke but he in which regard he is called the true and faithfull witnesse Rev. 1. 5. Secondly Because the subject of it is Christ revealing Christ the Gospell is the true faith and doctrine concerning salvation wrought by Jesus Christ and him alone Rom. 1. 2. concerning his Sonne c. 3 Because it was testified unto by Christ not only by revealing it by his divine doctrine but by his holy life his mighty miracles his faithfull profession before the Jewes Pharises Pontius Pilate the whole Councell and by his most innocent death by which he set his seale to his testimony 4 Because the end of it is Christ it aymes only at his glory Act. 2. 36. But what is it to have this testimony Answ. The phrase is taken two wayes 1 To have the Gospell is to preach the Gospell so Iohn bare record of the testimony of Jesus Rev. 1. 2. and most plainly chap. 14. 10. I am thy fellowservant and of those that have the testimony of Jesus The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy 2 To have the Gospell is to professe the Gospell to uphold and maintaine it to give witnesse unto it and to hold it in life and death as Rev. 20. 4. the soules of Martyrs beheaded for the testimony of Jesus And so it is taken in this place This remnant as they abide in the dutie which the word commandeth for they keepe the commandements so they sticke to the faith and doctrine which it teacheth they hold it fast against all the slights and intrusions of the beast or Antichrist and testifie unto it both by life and by death The truth of the Gospell is an hold which Antichrist cannot winne from the Saints Note hence that the keeping of the commandements of God and having the testimony of Jesus must go together 1 Tim. 1. 19. having faith and good conscience and chap. 3. 9. holding the mystery of faith in pure conscience For 1 The law and gospell Christ and Moses though in matter of justification before God they can never be reconciled no more then most abhorring contraries fire and water light and darknesse yet in Christian conversation profession and practise they may never be divorced there must be light within and shining without 2 In all Christian conversation wee must joyne faith and love 2 Tim. 1. 13. Because neither of these can stand alone faith without love is dead and love without faith is at best but Civility Beside all duties of love without faith are sinne and whatsoever we doe without love suppose suffering of martyrdome is all nothing Papists then slaunder our doctrine who say wee teach only to beleeve and destroy good workes we say contrarily with our Saviour what God hath joyned together let none put asunder But they sunder what God hath joyned in that they pretend to magnifie good workes and set up the law but cast out the doctrine of faith and preaching of Christ insomuch as the word may not be had or read in a knowne tongue neither in publicke nor private This also shews that protestants disgrace the doctrine of grace while they content themselves with a profession of faith but are barren and fruitlesse in good workes of piety and mercy Beware of the curse of the fruitlesse figtree that kept the ground barren notwithstanding all the show and leaves Againe note hence who they be that the dragons wrath most aymeth at and is bent against such as keepe the commandements and have the faith of Jesus Christ such as abide by the word and will not be pulled aside by any imposture or delusion And why 1 He needs not warre against conquered slaves whom he hath pulled away already The strong man hath the hold and things are at peace Beside what have they to lose who have already lost the faith and love of the Gospell and with it their owne salvation 2 These are likest to Christ and the residue of his body who must be conformable to himselfe he was a butt and signe of contradiction in the dayes of his flesh and is so still being ascended in the persons of his members who are inspired by the same spirit quickened with the same life ruled by the same word fight against the same enemies and walke in the same steps to the same inheritance and Kingdom whereof he is gone to take possession They have the word of faith in them which the dragon most hateth as the greatest enemie of his kingdome For being light no marvell if the prince of darkenesse resist it It is the sword of the spirit which cuts off his temptations Being a rule of righteousnesse it is the sentence of his condemnation No marvell then if he hate it and all that love it They have also the faith of truth which he deadly hateth as the shield which quencheth all fiery darts It makes us so strong as that the gates of hell cannot prevaile Only faith crosseth the dragon getting power from Christ and makes all Gods Ordinances profitable all weake obedience acceptable And hath he not reason to seeke to winne this hold from us seeing when the foundation is overthrowne the building must fall and the root overturned the branches must wither Such therefore as set themselves to keep the commandements of God and hold the testimony of Jesus Christ let them make account of the incessant malice and madnesse of the dragon He never rests opposing those that will not be driven from the testimony Some of them he casts into prison some he tryes by mockings and scourgings some he
such a dignity as all the honor and happinesse crownes and kingdomes which earth can give are but chaffe light and worthlesse A poore and despised Lazarus is happier then all Divesses in hell or earth Did the greatest prophane Monarch in earth know but the happinesse and honor of a poore Saint and his owne woefull estate hee would seeke to change estates with him and if he had a thousand kingdomes he would give them to boote and whatsoever were dearer to him Let no godly man fal out with his estate because it is meane in the world nor any wicked man scorne it Haman would have beene Mordecaies Lackie still but must up to the gallowes 3 Let the godly learn to carry thēselves as Princes so as beseemes such as are anoynted and crowned Kings David in private estate carryed himselfe as a shepheard but crowned a King demeaned himselfe like a King So Saul in private estate followed his fathers Asses but once anoynted was changed into another man 1 Sam. 10. 9. So is the Christian. Qu. How may the Christian behave himselfe as a King An. 1 As Kings we must spend our time and thoughts not in base and inferiour trades or affaires but in the great affaires of the kingdome If a King should lay aside his Crowne and betake himselfe to some handicraft every body would marvaile and shal Christians that are crowned as Princes cast aside this Crowne to bend their thoughts and endeavors either wholly or principally to the attaining of the world 2 As Princes sort themselves not with base and beggarly company but with nobles and Princes So the Christian must not sort himselfe with wicked men that are vile and beggarly in grace but with such as are noble wise counsellors ' and excell in vertue 3 Bee valorous as Kings and couragious against bold and audacious enemies never out of cowardise or timerousnesse contracting base leagues with professed enemies but be still in the field against wicked persons practises and wicked spirits True valour hath two excellent properties First to disdaine the reproches of base and abject persons A noble man scornes to fight with a peasant as a stout man with a boy so the Christians must scorne to revenge themselves on leud and wicked persons or foule their fingers with them not holding such fit matches for them And secondly a noble and generous minde will contemne the losse of any thing goods lands and life before he wil be stained in his honor so a Christian will suffer the losse of all he hath in the world and of the world too before he will basely forsake his Lord. It is truely counted fortitude in a common souldier to follow his captaine through all adventures yea with losse of life and is it not so in a Christian much more 4 Bee armed like Princes with the armour of God and weapons mighty through God against all principalities and enemies in strong holds this is stronger then Castles Guards and all defenced Cities 5 Be bountifull as Princes Christians must be mercifull liberall to distribute as Salomon gave silver in Jerusalem as stones 1 King 10. 27. The godly must be rich in good workes 1 Tim. 6. 18. As Kings are ever giving or forgiving giving to them that can repay them nothing so must we 4 Learne that counsell to the Angell of the Church of Philadelphia Rev. 3. 11. hold that which thou hast and let none take away thy Crowne Kings stand to the death to defend their Crownes so must the beleever stand a professed enemie to all the enemies of the Kingdome of Christ yea stand out in the extreame perill of his life in the defence of his Crowne Qu. May the Crowne be taken away An. The crowne is either First of eternall life which cannot be lost in respect of Gods purpose and preservation though in respect of our infirmity it else might Ob What meanes the threatning An. It is conditionall except thou persevere but Saints doe persevere by 1. Gods keeping them 2. Christs intercessiō that their faith faile not 3. Their prayer of faith and watchfulnesse 4. Their obedience to holy exhortations and menaces Or Secondly the Crowne is the Crowne of holy Ministery and profession called Rev. 3. 10. The fast holding of the word of my patience And this Crowne is especially meant and will be lost if Christians hold not fast But the Christian must stand in defence of shining and saving doctrine of the Scriptures which is his crowne and let none take it away 1. Not the world must draw thee from the knowledge and practise of the sound doctrine of the Apostles What a base thing were it to raise up the Moone above this Crowne of twelve starres Consider Demas and Iudas 2 Let not persecution or temptation pull away thy crowne but demeane thy selfe as a Prince who with valour and courage will endure all difficulties that offer themselves so as he may uphold his Crowne so must thou contentedly digest and stoutly contemne all tribulations and afflictions that happen for the Gospels sake Considering First the way that Christ went was from the Crosse unto the Crowne and he was consecrated Prince of our salvation through affliction Heb. 2. 10. and 12. 2. Secondly that thou must be conformable unto him 3. Let not thy owne lusts and strong corruptions make a mutiny or rebellion in thee to bereave thee of thy Crowne A carefull Prince is vigilant to extinguish and suppresse civill warres especially Doe thou bestirre thee in subduing and resisting the unruly wils affections inclinations and passions of thine owne soule that thy whole man may be brought into the obedience of Christ. He is not worthy the name of a Prince who suppose hee had the rule of all the world were not able to rule himselfe 5 Note what a dangerous thing it is 1 To strive against and resist the word and Gospell of Christ a note of a rebell who pulls the Crowne off the head of the Church To pull downe faithfull Preachers is to pull the Crowne from off the Queenes head and yet this will worldly men do so ill can they brooke faithfull dealing with their soules 2 It is no lesse dangerous to wrong the godly the members of the Church It is above scandalum magnatum in Gods star-chamber an high treason against the spouse of Jesus Christ. What saith Ahashuerosh of Haman Will he force the Queene before my face And then they covered his face as unworthy to see any more light So Christ will say of his Queene And how darest thou wrong the members of the Church in Gods sight Thou shalt dearely buy thy presumption Thus much of the 3. first properties of the Church Who so long as she shined in the clothing of the sun and held the Moone under her fcet and carryed the starrie Crowne upon her head so long she continued the chast spouse of Christ. But in processe of time when in
the woman drunke with blood of the Saints That religion which is so fiery and fierce must be from the Devill a man-slayer from the beginning unknowne of Christ and his Apostles and all their true Disciples and followers 4 A fourth note of this woman is her Marriage A good way to know one by is the head and how can wee know the Church better then by her head Jesus Christ whose wife she is of whom all the Children of the Church are begotten by vertue of the eternall Covenant of grace as in Lawfull wedlocke Our Mother scornes to be the Popes Concubine she hath betaken herselfe onely to Christ and professeth of him Cant. 2. 16. My welbâ—loved is mine and I am his Christ is he whom her soule loveth and is in her eyes the chiefe of ten thousand Cant. 5. 10. To him she hath plighted her troth and cleaves onely and undividedly unto him in life and in death The whore of Rome holds not Christ the head For 1 By Image-worshiping and many other Idolatries they are fallen from Christ this is plaine in Colossians 2. 18. 19. 2 They set up the Pope in Christs place Bellarmine on the 1 Pet. 2. 8. by the stone understandeth the Pope And Catharinus by head mentioned in Colos. 2. 19. will have the Pope to be meant Ob. But they professe Jesus Christ. An. Union is either Sacramentall so they are joyned by profession or Mysticall so they are not joyned The fift marke of the true Mother is her carriage and behaviour First to her husband to whom in all her behaviour shee expresseth foure vertues As 1 She is chast and faithfull unto him she keepes herselfe onely to her husband and preserves the marriage band She forgets not the guide of her youth nor the commandement of her God nor playeth false with any other lover any secondary head or Vicar generall she thinkes it strange that an husband should have a Vicar She abhorres that foule and spirituall adultery by grosse Idolatry and false worship which the whore of Rome impudently acteth and defendeth Neither Angels nor men nor merits nor Saints nor Images doth she bow unto nor any other alluring harlot can unsettle her from him whom her soule loveth 2 She is subject to her husband in all things content to be tryed and ruled in all cases by his will and word in the Scriptures What will we say to a woman that laies claime to a man to be her husband but rejecteth and disgraceth his directions and cleaveth wholly to her owne will and to other mens counsels and decrees Who will not suspect and conclude her to be an harlot But so doth the apostaticall Romish Synagogue 3 She depends onely on her husband and no other for the meanes of her welfare and all needfull supplies She scornes to seeke to any other Advocates or mediators whether Saints or Angels either for redemption or intercession her husband that can supply the greater can the lesser much more She cares for no pardons nor merits but her Lords She scornes to marry one and seeke maintenance of another 4 Shee honors her husband onely and will give his honor to none other If she did derogate from his glory in the worke of redemption by the doctrine of free-will justification by workes humane satisfactions she were an arrant strumpet and no wife But our Church ascribes all the worke of salvation to God onely from first to last Teaching that we are wholly dead in trespasses and sinnes till he quicken us and that good workes are the way to the kingdome not the cause of it and follow a person justified but goe not before to justifie him and are necessary by a necessitie of presence not by a necessity of efficiency Thus men and Angels are excluded from any part of Gods honor Secondly her behaviour to her children 1 She nurseth them at her owne breasts puts them not forth to suck strange milke of traditions Councels Decretals 2 She instructs them and teacheth her children The vertuous woman opens her mouth with wisdome Prov. 31. 26. Eunica taught Timothy the scriptures of a child 3 She provides for her children as the vertuous woman for all her family Prov. 31. 15. The Church upholds the meanes of salvation to keepe the beleevers in good state She is not the naturall Mother that starves her children that shuts up the breasts from them that hideth the Scriptures and counts it heresie to reade them that corrupteth the Sacraments that a man can see nothing lesse then the institution in them But Popery leadeth her children directly to perdition whatsoever shewes they make to the contrary For 1 They runne after it whose names are not written in the booke of life 2 All the children of that mother are without comfort in life and death because they are the sons of Agar and not of the true Mother and therfore no inheritance belongeth unto them II. Having found out the true Mother in herselfe we are now to enquire how or by what markes we may find this Mother to be our Mother and our selves her children A man may know himselfe the sonne of this Mother by sundrie notes 1 As a child borne comes into a new world and findes a marveilous change in the estate of it So a sonne borne of this mother comes into a new estate is separated from the world and the corruptions of it brought out of the corruption of nature and practise as out of the waste and wombe of the world and set into a new condition in grace and is in all things contrary to himselfe in his old nativity The change especially appeareth in five things 1 Thou wast borne of flesh and after the will of the flesh but now thou art borne of God This is called a birth of water and the holy Ghost because in this the spirit supplies the office of water in washing away corruptions and defilements of flesh 2 In thy old nativity thou wast borne in sinne now being borne againe thou sinnest not 1 Joh. 3. 9. because the seed of God is in thee thou canst not sinne raigning sinne wholly and finally thou hast now a new or renewed nature 3 In thy old nativity thou wast borne dead in sin Eph. 2. 1. but now borne of this mother thou art quickned with a new life of grace called the life of God Now thou livest not but Christ liveth in thee Now maiest thou say as Christ himselfe said Rev. 1 18. I was dead but now I am alive 4 In thy old nativity thou wast as a dead man bound hand and foot without all motion of grace nay all thy motion was downeward for nature with contempt of grace But now a new motion in spirituall things attends spirituall life Now thou movest upward towards heaven according to the command of grace whereto thou wast before an open enemie 5 In thy old
language Now to discover satans wile herein is a part of the cure Thirdly He assailes us in our sleepe For then we are weake and exposed to all danger The envious man sowes tares while men sleepe In sleepe Iaell easily slew great Siserah with a nayle a hammer And the dragon knowes how easie a conquest he obtaineth in our sleepe of securitie David in his ease and rest was soone cast downe wherefore we must watch and pray Fourthly In our nakednesse as 1. When wee are out of our way and calling Israel by sin had made themselves naked to the darts of the dragon and of God himselfe 2 When wee are impotent and inordinate in our naturall desires cares and corrupt affections Salomon saith A man that cannot refraine his appetite is as a Cittie without wals Prov. 23. 28. naked and exposed to all dangers and as a captaine where the wales are lowest or weakest there laies his battery So the great dragon markes our inclination and thrusts us downe the hil where we are ready to runne headlong of our owne accord And as he findes dispositions set he baites his hook and fits them with temptations and objects fit for their ambition or voluptuousnesse or covetousnesse and so findes strength enough in our selves to overthrow us Esau by his broth Lot by his Wine Iudas by money a roote of evil fel upon many temptations and snares Hence are those many exhortations to take heed that our hearts be not oppressed with surfeiting drnnkennesse or cares of this life 3 When wee are in idle or evill company we are naked and then the dragon hath us at advantage When was Peter set upon Not so long as he was in the company of Christ and his disciples whose presence might have bin meanes to uphold him But when he runnes among the high Priests servants and sits downe by a warme fire Now he is fit to be wrought upon he will now be brought easily to deny and forsweare his Lord. Fiftly In the day of our death which is most unfit for resistance seeing now the body is sick pained and hath many other things to thinke upon many feares many terrors many things to settle c. To teach us to pray before hand for the day to die daily to pull out the sting of death bereave our sins of life before hand Secondly Concerning actions we shal observe the dragons subtilties 1 In respect of good actions 2 Of evill actions 1 In good actions or duties he sets all his seaven heads on worke 1 To hinder 2 To blemish 3 To disgrace them 4 To frustrate them First Because there is nothing but it stands in the dragons way He is restlesse in hindering all that is good and the better it is the more buisy to prevent it As 1 The greatest worke that ever was wrought was that of mans redemption How craftily did he seeke to hinder this in Peter Master pitty thy selfe 2 The greatest duties that the Lord hath injoyned us are those which we are to performe in his publique ordinances as preaching hearing praying and all parts of publique worship Hence he raiseth persecutions against the Church to hinder these and disperse the Saints Acts 11. 19. And he can hinder the free passage of the gospell and stop the Apostles themselves in the course of their ministry 1 Thes. 2. 18. But I speake not here of his force but see how finely his heads can contrive it He can pretend unitie and peace and order decency and obedience and every thing that is good to stop the course of the Gospell and hinder it So he did in Q. Maries daies He can hinder hearing of the word and reading the scriptures by undeniable reasons Why doe not you thinke that men may be saved without all this preaching and running to sermons And is it not unreasonable to urge every common man to know the deepe points which belong to Divines to Church men and booke learned men but for private and unlettered men a little knowledge is best and the heart may be good where the skill is but small Besides you have a calling to follow a charge of children perhaps live of your labour how can you spare time for such occasions And who sees not that the world was better when there was lesse preaching men were more devote lesse contentious And one Sermon well learned is better then all this preaching and many learned men wish there were more praying and lesse preaching for so much preaching brings but preaching into contempt Never were these seven heads more beaten then in beating downe preaching the onely hammer against the kingdome of the devill and never were they more busie working in this subject in mans memory then at this day never were his subtilties and wit more applauded and more approoved then now 3 He strives subtilly against all grace because it makes us like unto God As in Peter Satan winnowes to shake all grace out of our hearts and to hold it out Especially those of faith repentance and holinesse First Our faith is a sweet morsell to Satanâ— because we cannot resist him unlesse we be stedfast in faith His incessant worke is either to hinder us from attaining or retaining it for if he can hold off or wrest from us this sheild he hath devoured us already and this he can contrive nimbly What seeft thou in thy selfe worthy of the fauour of God a man of so many so great sins for thee to assure thy self of thy salvation is boldnesse and great presumption Discernest thou not how many doubts afflict thee how many crosses are upon thee for thee to say thou hast faith is but to feed a fancy as if sinnes doubts and crosses could not stand with faith in our Father Secondly Repentance for this cuts him short of all He cannot perswade that it is not necessary to salvation where the word is taught but he will firmely perswade not to repent yet but deferre it till a more convenient time for now thou art in thy youth and pleasures of the world or in the profits of the world for thee and thine and these thou must now enjoy and conveniently enough repent afterward Old age and sicknesse is fitter for sad thoughts and religious exercises are tedious and unpleasant And God hath mercie in store when ever thou returnest unto him he will put away all thy sins if they be never so many And Christ hath store of blood and merit and thy sinnes cannot be so many or heynous as to exceed his merits And therefore seeing thou mayest enjoy both the pleasures of this life and of the other refuse neither Thirdly Holinesse and exercise of all good works and vertues He can tell how to undermine all good duties most subtilly 1 Mountaines of feares losses crosses and difficulties 2 What need such care and watch and working doth not faith alone justifie You will live like
ship of the greatest burden somewhat more slowly but as surely as if a whole side were shattered out Let thy fraught of graces be never so rich one raigning sinne will wrack all One Agag spared shall cost Saul his kingdome and his life one dramme of poyson is enough one swine in a garden to roote up all one dead flie shall make the whole box of ointment to stinke and one sin raigning and unrepented shall slay the soule for ever Secondly He can easily prefer and get countenance to secret sinnes as evill and wandring motions and thoughts to take up the mind by daies and months with foule uncleane desires and purposes yea and practises and actions sutable For Are not thoughts free and who sees so much hurt in them as in the pricking of a pinne et fi non caste tamen caute He that cannot live chastly yet if he can carry it cautelously and charely all is well But the dragon knowes that 1 If the foūtaine be corrupt so are all the streams and this is a cōpedious way to poyson all that comes from within 2 That secret sinnes are stronger snares to hold men faster then more open and manifest both because these are more easily contrived admitted and continued in As also because these want those restraints which usually curbe open crimes even in bad men as shame of men feare of law and sting and terrour of conscience Thirdly He gets no small conquest by holding men in small sins which are so onely in comparison of greater why Is it not a little one and my soule may live in it and The offence skarr noise and punishment of a small sin cannot be great whereas he knowes that First The least and smallest sin let in and allowed will widen and make roome for greater as a little villaine thrust in at a window will soone set the whole house open to the whole crue of theeves and cut-throats Secondly As a skilfull Apothecary he can disperse the poyson of sinne at first in so smal quantitie as that the conscience be not sick But it is that the practice of small sinnes may grow into custome and habit and that the conscience may at length come to digest it as meat and drinke with delight because of the sweet taste in the mouth And then what delight hath God in him whose delight is in any sinne The 6. stratagem of these 7. heads is that the dragon gaineth no small advantage by spreading false feares and terrors to dishearten us in our combat as valorous chieftaines raisé up clouds of dust o◠kindle some false fires that in the smoake of them they may helpe thēselves and hinder their enemies Thus Gideon Judg. 7. by 300. persons discomfited a mighty host of Midianites by blowing every man a trumpet breaking every man a pitcher and holding up every man a burning lampe by which policy they seemed as many bands as they were men at which the amazed hoast fled worse afraid then hurt had they stood their ground Even so Satan to discomfit the Christian spreadeth false feares and terrors in their mindes to make them forsake their ground and these feà res may be reduced to 2. heads 1. Concerning their estates 2. Concerning their actions First For their estates he terrifieth them with these suggestions as 1 That they never had truth of grace but all that ever they had or did was hypocrisie and dissimulation or presumption all 'to make them out of love withgrace 2 That God never loved them for then he would not so afflict them but dandle them as children and this is to shake out the love of God from their hearts which constrayneth them to duty and obedience 3 Terrifieth them with their owne wants ignorance infirmities unworthinesse and feare of shamefull fals as such and such of Gods servants that seemed well rooted his scope herein is to make them weary of all 4 With feare of finall falling a way and withering if the sunne of persecution should arise and thus causeth many to cast away their confidence as if he that beganne the good worke would not finish it II Concerning actions the serpent spreads many false feares to drive the Christian off them as 1 In religious actions he objecteth and urgeth the reproaches and many wrongs there waiteth upon forwardnesse it is but to purchase generall dislike and disgrace expose himself to be a prey and as many Lions and difficulties are in the way sufficient to cast off the sluggard and no fewer losses of friends customers takings in the trade his credit respect of great ones and the like Here not a few are circumvented 2 In common and civill actions he perswadeth men that they cannot live by true dealing without falsehood in word and deed and if they help not themselves with lying swearing dissembling unlawfull gaines by usury and the like they cannot trade or live And hereby he holdeth many tradesmen in the trade of sinne who account nothing evil which may bring them in the goods and profits of this life 3 To hinder actions of mercy and liberality he frighteth men with false feares least by giving themselves come to need and so they wrong their family as if God supplied not seed to the sower and as if he that watereth should want raine See Proverbs 11. 25. 4 To hinder actions of justice especially if against a great man What know you what you doe would a wise man raise a Liō or take a Beare by the tooth will you pull on your selves a needlesse danger thus is he skilful by false terrors to hinder any good hereby he doubleth his strength and winneth ground on our cowardlinesse These things have I set downe that wee might not be ignorant of his enterprises 1. Cor. 2. 11. Being to deale and to grapple with this seaven headed dragon and all the serpentine seed we must learne that needfull lesson of our Saviour Mat. 16. 16 Be wise as serpents Quest. Wherein is the Serpents wisedome Answ. In 4. things 1 The serpent is naturally wise to defend himself frō wrongs to which end he wil wrap up his whole body about his head to save and defend that from danger So must Christians be most carefull of their own safety by carefull respect of their head namely the faith and glory of Jesus Christ and expose themselves to any dangers to save him his glory his holy profession harmelesse as the holy Martyrs did 2 The serpent or dragon who is the old serpent and his seed are very subtill to contrive evill So Christians must be wise and politick to contrive and bring to effect that which is good Rom. 16. 19. Be wise concerning that which is good but simple concerning that which is evill The object of Christian wisdome must be that which is good and a good cause wisely handled is very gracefull which made Davids face to shine even in Sauls envious eye because he behaved
them downe all at once he is their Lord and they his servants who is able and willing to aide them in their faithfulnesse he is the Bridegroome and they friends of the Bridegroome wooing and adorning his Spouse they are preferred before others in nearnes to Jesus Christ as having 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a mediation betweene God and man especially resembling Christ yea and are Coworkers with God and Saviours Obed. 21. of men and stand in the stead of Christ 2 Cor. 4. 20. Christ will looke to their standing as to his own V. Because of the manifold and sundry wayes by which the Lord usually seeth to defeat the dragons projects that they shall not cast down all the stars as 1. He having undertaken to supply his Church the dragon cannot throw downe one but he raiseth another if not in the same place yet he pricketh down his faithfull servants here and there so as such as wil know them may by their paines have recourse unto them If God take away an Elijah hee raiseth up for him an Elisha with his spirit doubled upon him 2 King 2. 15. If Herod take away Iohn Christ the Bridegroome himselfe standeth up for him if the Iewes take away Christ there are twelve Apostles succeed him and they being departed and taken away by the dragon a succession of infinite Pastors is raised for them with whom the Lord Jesus is present unto the end of the world 2. When the dragon is most fierce he hath a secret chamber to hide his servants in till the storme be over Isa. 26. 20. In the storme raised by Ahab he hath an Obediah to hide a 100 of them a third part from Iezabels rage If Christ the babe be hunted in Iury he shall be sent into Egypt 3. He can withhold the dragon even by that which he most pursueth and hateth God can make the reverence and holines of a man which they above all things persecute binde their hands as all men held Iohn as a Prophet and Herod feared him and the Iewish dragōs would often have assailed Christ himself but feared the people that admired his holines and goodnesse They that went to apprehēd Christ came without him saying Never man spake like this mā 4. He can and doth often make the dragons themselves protectors as Claudius Lysias a heathen to set a strong garrison about Paul when forty mē had sworne his death Act. 22. 27. Hee can make Pilates wife and Pilates selfe plead for Christ and King Achish protect David against Saul 5. Hee can make the dragon quarrell with himselfe and so for a time divert the fury from the stars he can make the Mideanites turne their swords one against another he can send an evill spirit betweene Abimelech and the men of Shechem and a fire shal goe forth from Abimelech and consume the men of Shechem and from the men of Shechem to consume Abimelech Iudg. 9. 20 23. And thus when wicked men fall out among themselves the godly escape betweene them as Paul between the Sadduces and Pharises When a mans wayes please the Lord he maketh even his enemies his friends although often against their owne intentions 6. Hee can make them safer in the dragons paw or mouth than if they were at large and liberty the three children were safer in the furnace than they were out of it Daniel safer in the denne than in the Court and Ieremy 38. 28. was safer in prison than they that were at liberty for when they were caried away and spoyled he was preserved in safe custody for the future service of the Church 7. He can and doth make the dragon storme and rage to see and say as Pharaoh did that the more he oppresseth them the more they rise and encrease This serveth to dishearten and confound the enemies of God and his Church they cannot worke wisely enough to cast downe all the starres all the power of earth or hell shall not effect their desires they take crafty counsell against Gods secrets ones Psal. 83. 3. Gebal and Ammon and Amilecke c. but God with whom is wisdome and strength overthrowes their devises that never did they nor shall see all their hearts desires To comfort the Church of God against the dragons power they must know his power is limited and restrained so that two third parts are still saved the power of God which is the onely wall and fence against the proud and raging waves of the sea that they overflow not all the earth Psal. 104. 9. hee restraineth and breaketh the proud and swelling waves of the dragon saying Thus farre shalt thou come and no further thou shalt not meddle with my remnant my third part these I hold in my right hand and thou shalt not plucke them thence Feare not then the threats of dragons what they can doe what they will doe against the starres they can doe nothing but 1. What God wil permit them to execute for the sinnes of the Church which cast downe more starres than all the dragons 2. Nor till Gods time be come Christ cannot bee stoned apprehended till the houre of the power of darknesse be come nor any member 3. Not till the worke be done in that place for which God sent them Paul being in Corinth resisted and blasphemed shooke his raiment and said Your blood be upon your owne head and purposed to depart thence the case of many a good Minister but God comforteth him by a vision and promiseth his presence with him and biddeth him goe on for he had many people in that city to call till the worke was done he must not goe and so he stayed a yeare and sixe monthes more Acta 18. 9. To stay the hearts of godly men when they see true Ministers shining as starres cast downe by the dragon as of late in forraine parts where the dragon hath prevailed espie here the dragons malice who will do as much spoile in the Church as God permitteth him to doe but though he may prevaile against some yet he cannot against all God wil uphold two third parts to witnesse against the dragon that is so many as shall serve his providence in the salvation of all his Saints wheresoever scattered in the world So long as any are to bee saved by being brought to the faith the word of faith must bee preached Ascribe all the glory to the power of God and his Providence if we enjoy the shine of any starre or see abroad any shining starre standing in his place It is no thanke to the dragon or the enemies who weary themselves in casting about to cast them all downe and would if the Lord did not uphold thē to the Churches neede I have heard the railing and feare on every side but the Lord is with me as a mighty Gyant Psal. 1 36. 9 he made the stars for the night he taketh special care of them men may call them at
be His incurable envy of the happy estate of man not onely that of Adam in Paradise whereof he quickly spoyled him but especially that which in the secoÌ„d Adam we are restored unto for this maketh him even ready to burst for envy that whereas himself is cast down from heaven his first habitation everlastingly reprobated from God from his favour presence place of glory without all hope of mercy bouÌ„d in chaines of blacke darknesse to the judgement of the great day mankinde should by vertue of a Covenant of grace be elected and raised to a fee simple of eternall glory purchased by the Sonne of God sealed by his Spirit and apprehended by the faith of every beleever His earnest desire and study to hold men in the state of nature for he knoweth there hee hath them sure enough but if there appeareth any change hee bestirreth himselfe and teareth and vexeth the parties from whom he must needs depart as in the instances of the Gospell This appeareth in that 1. So long as men are in their naturall estate hee knoweth they are out of the favour of God enimies to God and God to them but in the beginning of their change they become friends to God and no sooner can God be friend a man but Satan taketh him for his foe and enemy no sooner canst thou have peace with God but warre with Satan 2. In the state of nature a man fighteth stoutly against grace and righteousnesse all his members are given up as weapons of unrighteousnesse for the devill and sinne but now in the beginning of this change he taketh the Lords presse-money renounceth his old Captaine fighteth under Gods Standard whom the dragon most maligneth and now no marvell if Satan advance his flags of defiance against him because hee standeth on the contrary part 3. While a man is in the state of nature he knoweth he is a slave to sinne and a bondman to the Devill ruled at his will under an heavier bondage than Israel under Pharaoh but let him desire once to get out of this thraldome Pharaoh did never storme so much against Israel as the dragon will against him The Iaylor is quiet so long as he is sure of his prisoners but let any of them seeke an escape or to break prison then he bestirreth himselfe and loadeth that party with fetters and useth him with all rigour so doth the dragon so soone as ever hee seeth one begin to stirre in his conversion 4. In the naturall state hee knoweth a man goeth merrily to hell in which way he never disquieteth him as Iacobs sonnes going into Aegypt found no let but if he set his face or foot towards the Land of Promise he shall never want enemies or difficulties no more than they did Seeing Satan ever standeth before the woman as Pharaoh to surprize the infant in grace even in the birth wee see how neare wee are alway to danger and what need wee have still to stand upon our watch for shall Satan stand seeking to devoure us and shall not wee â—â—and in a watchfull resistance it is the Apostles inference 1 Peter 5. 8 â— Your Adversary seeketh to devoure whom resist stedfast in the faith for why hath the Spirit of God thus described our enemy and his enterprizes against us but that we might make our advantage of it and not being ignorant of his wiles might bee so much the more watchfull What man that knoweth there lyeth a porent enemy before him who watcheth to murther him will not bee watchfull to save his owne life and defeat his enemy or what needeth an enemy any other weapon than his adversaries security as appeareth in Iael against Sisera whose safety had beene in the watch of himselfe But in this watch observe these Rules See thou stand in thy owne ranke and watch-tower thou hast a promise of safety onely in thy way the surest fortification is diligence in the generall and speciall calling whereas idlenesse is the devils pillow and Anvile See thou standest armed at all points seeing Sathan standeth armed before thee never lay off any one piece of spirituall armour Men in peace hang up their armour by the wals till it rust and take dust but buckle it fast to thee as having still an enemy before thee seeking to disarme thee as hee did Israel whom hee made naked by the Calfe and by Balaams wyles laid them naked to Gods vengeance Because no strength else is comparable to his that standeth before thee but the strength of the Captaine stand in his strength and bee instant in prayer and strong cries for his helpe If a man were in the hand of theeves meaning not onely to robbe him but to cut his throate how would hee cry for helpe This is our continuall estate and therefore we have neede to pray continually the holding up of Moses hands in prayer is the strength of Israel and so is it the victory against the spirituall Amaleck Note the grouÌ„nd of the dragons malice and of the quarrell of the wicked men no other cause but that they are children of the Church or otherwise causelesse in them Pharaoh killed the Israelites Infants causelesly Assur oppresseth Israel without a cause Isa. 52. 4. Iohn 10. 32. For which good worke doe yee stone me they pretend blasphemy something done or not done by them No the quarrell is more ancient more grounded more inward than any thing done by them they know how Esau striveth with Iacob in the wombe before birth it is malice bred in the bone A wicked man will raile on a good man hee never saw nor knew and if a wicked man knew that a childe in the wombe would prove a good man and sonne of the CHVRCH hee would hate it before the birth The just wrath of the dragon against David Psa. 35. 19. and against the Sonne of David in Iohn 15. 25. Never set thy selfe to any good course but expect the dragon to stand before thee make account of all his malice and whatsoever op position the world his armour-bearer can molest thee withall no condition or calling can secure thee for 1. Let a Magistrate set himselfe faithfully for the Lord to uphold the pure worship of GOD and zealously stand for GOD for good causes and persons Now the dragon is grieved that a man is come that seeketh the wealth of Israel Nehemiah 2. 10. now stand before him Sanbellet and Tobiah and with these many complices conspire against Hierusalem to hinder him and hence he thrusts into the ordinance as many disaffected persons to true religion as he can 2. Let a Popish Preist breathe out fury and rage against the truth and revile all the generation of them that seeke GOD and cast them in bonds and trouble He thriveth and is in as great credit as Saul was in that way but let him once see a light shining round about him and being converted faithfully preach the Gospell which
fought for Israel against the Aegyptians Exod. 14. 25. and a great multitude of sundry sorts of people went out of Aegypt with them chapt 12. 3â— and many strangers seeing Gods power and grace with his people returned with them out of Babylon Why doe not our Romanists so but runne out further and by greater multitudes It is to be feared that God hath appointed such to destruction as Pharaohs servants said to him Exod. o 7. Wilt thou first know that all Egypt is destroyed c. yea it cannot be in the dayes of such light and detection of Antichrist especially in these countries so furnished with meanes of knowledge that any can anew bee carried quite away with the efficacie of seduction but such as whose names are not written in the booke of life Rev. 3. 8. Now more specially for particular members the same comfort is specially to be applyed to them for neither shall the dragon ever prevaile utterly against any sound Christian be he never so likely neither by temptation nor persecution I. Not by temptation for 1. It is impossible the Elect should bee totally seduced 2. Their head could not be overcome by temptation and is as able to uphold them as himselfe 3. There is an houre for the power of darknesse and after that comes light The Disciples may bee a long time tossed with waves and the ship full of water ready to sinke but Christ awakes seasonably and rebukes the storme and makes a calme 4. God leads no childe of his into temptation but he leads him out also II. Neither shall any persecution prevaile against them for 1. No persecution can separate us from the love of God sinne can no suffering Rom. 8. 35. nor 2. Hinder the joy to be revealed 2 Cor 4. 17. nay it cannot but further it for if wee suffer with him wee shall also raigne with him nor 3 Frustrate the promise that whosoever holds out to the end let his sufferings be what they will shall be saved nor 4. Barre out the presence and comfortable favour of God who in such times of extremity useth most familiarly to reveale himselfe both in the inward comforts of the Spirit above other times and in extraordinary outward favours answerable to their present estate Oh how had the dragons prevailed if they could have bolted and barred out the comforts of God from the Martyrs in their prisons and flames of fire The tyrant Nebuchadnezzar could not hinder the fourth like the Sonne of God from walking in the furnace 5. It cannot raze out the marke of God set on his servants before the persecution come whom if hee save not from the danger hee will save them in the danger Lastly it cannot deceive their expectation of a happy issue and deliverance yea even in those who are persecuted to the death their death is to them a full and finall deliverance from all sinne misery and enemies yea their death is but as a gate of life and a speedy entrance into the full possession of their heavenly Fathers whole estate sooner than the course of nature would have afforded them Our Lord and Head might not have the cup of death passe from him and yet was heard for he was passed happily through it into his glory and his body is as the burning bush but not consumed Let Chaffe feare the fire but not gold This of the first Vse II. Note here the happy estate of the true Beleever being stable and invincible both in grace and glory There is never a Beleever but hath or shall have obtained a noble victorie over Satan sinne death hell the world even in this life his faith now treads the dragon under his feet and carrieth in it a power superiour to the power of all the gates of hell Now our care must be to finde this victory begun in us already and follow the chase But how may we finde that we have prevailed over the dragon and begun this victory I answere by these notes First if we have proclaimed and doe maintaine the warre against the Kingdome of Satan and sinne by an undanted profession of Jesus Christ and by upholding and renewing the warre dayly against all unrighteousnesse within or without us but he is farre from victory that hath strucke a league with his owne sinnes 2. Marke If wee have gained some ground and beaten out the strong man out of some part of his holds and whereas hee keepeth foure holds especially in us in our mindes by ignorance in our wils by rebellion in our consciences by corruption in our life by loosnesse and disorder we may know him in part ejected if wee daily renew our mindes with sound knowledge if our wils be altered made of unwilling willing and pliant to Gods will if our consciences be pure tender and excusing us in the sight of God and if our whole course bee changed from the course of nature to the life of God and of grace Now we may conclude a great victory is atchieved against the dragon 3. Marke If we have spoyled him of his weapons or blunted them or turned them against himselfe Then we spoile him of his weapons when we crucifie the lusts of the flesh and mortifie our earthly members then we blunt them when wee strike upon them rules of Gods Word and oppose them with the lusts of the Spirit Gal. 5. 17. then wee turne his weapons against himselfe when our members are given up weapons of righteousnesse serving a renewed minde our thoughts are brought into the subjection of Christ and in our lives we practise cleane contrary to his motions and temptations 4. Marke If we uphold and advance the Scepter of Christ in our hearts that his Word rule us in all things as the lawes of the kingdome to whom wee professe our selves now subjects yea and if our selves be become by his anoynting kings to rule and sway over our thoughts wils and affections over-mastering our selves and those strong lusts which will be plotting rebellion raising mutinies against grace If we can call in and cherish the new aids and succours of grace daily by the constant and conscionable use of Gods holy ordinances the Word prayer and meditation by which wee are strengthened Now have wee attained a greater victory than if we could command kingdomes and such as gives us a comfortable assurance that we can never bee quite overcome shaken and molested we may bee but the dragon shall never recover his power and strength in us to hinder our salvation for hee that hath begun this good worke in us will finish it unto the day of Christ. Further if the dragon and his Angels prevaile not against any of Michaels Band or Army wee see hence the miserable estate of every one over whom the dragon doth prevaile who are hereby knowne and concluded not to belong unto Jesus Christ but to be excluded from his colours and company Object Oh God forbid any should bee rejected from Christ
and live wholy by examples and not by rules Who sees not how the dragon triumphes and tramples on such time-servers who yet would scorne not to bee reputed sound Christians 3. The dragon prevaileth by Antichrist and enthralleth numbers by the efficacie of his delusions He that is a slave unto Antichrist is a slave to the dragon for Antichrist commeth in the efficacie of Satan because Satan worketh powerfully in him by him 2 Thess. 2. 9. who can without sorrow consider of the numbers that now runne a whoring after Popery and favour it and plead for it after that not the Gospell onely hath so clearely detected it but after it hath convinced it selfe to bee the most savage and blood-thirsty religion that ever was that would make but one Bonfire of three kingdomes and blow up in one moment religion and justice Church and Kingdome Prince and people nay after so many good lawes enacted against it wherein the whole Kingdome hath given sentence and pronounced it guilty of the highest treason that ever men or devils could devise Is it not the same religion it was then did they ever reverse any of their bloody positions did they ever any where prevaile and not chase out with a sea of sorrowes all that looke toward the truth and holy religion Well the sentence was foretold Re. 13. Antichrist must prevaile amōg them that perish A terrible Thunderbolt from heaven against all professed members of that Antichristian body especially against Apostate Papists among whom the uncleane spirit hath brought seven worse than himselfe to hasten their perdition 4. The dragon prevaileth by false and libertine teachers like the false Prophets that prophesied lies and the visions of their owne hearts to strengthen with sinful dawbing wicked hands and discourage godly hearts now when a people follow such and love to have such guides and guidance as Ier. 5. 29 30. the dragon hath prevailed to pull them to hell Michael prevaileth by faithfull teachers who bring wholesome and sound doctrine and causeth his people to delight in them and follow them contrarily the dragon prevailes by such teachers as frame themselves to speake so as to please all that seeke unto them in ther loose courses and according to all that they would have and so sell thē to Satan And what a just revenge of God is it that a people who will not suffer the Lords servants to prevaile with them to bee brought to the truth should bee fitted with such Teachers as with sweet words and fine devises shall prevaile with them to their destruction and looke how much any one hates a true teacher by so much hee loves a flatterer who shall doe him as much mischiefe as the other would have done him good Beware of this sly reach of the dragon prevailing against not a few 5. The dragon prevailes mightily in disobedience Ephes. 2. 2. In whom doth the Prince of the aire rule but in the children of disobedience and these bewray themselves every where I. In such as walke in the disobedience of nature sonnes of Belial who reject all yoakes and refuse all counsell by Gods word Gods Spirit Gods people to walke at large compassing their lusts according to the command of their owne rebellious wils a Sermon or a Play is all one onely they can sit out a play with more patience II. Such as are wilfull in their disobedience against Gods Word not onely of an unteachable disposition but untractable pricke their corruption but a little in sound application oh how it will shew it selfe in raging stormy and unruly distempers this festred heart that will abide no searching is conquered by Satan these that will not suffer Christ to rule them are called his enemies and called out to execution Luke 19. 27. III. These wilfull rebels commonly lye in ambush against the faithfull either to accuse them to make them hatefull to Magistrates or to slander and scorne them to make them hated of others as Ier. 18. 18. Come let us smite him with the tongue and vers 23. even some pretensed friends sought to banish him nay to doe more even against his life if they could have prevailed No man can seeke sinistrously to prevaile against a good man but the dragon hath first prevailed against him 6. The dragon prevailes by bad society and example when workers of iniquity meet oh how the devill rules their counsels tongues actions many hands make light worke and rid much worke if any man refuse or forbeare or scorne to joyne himselfe to Gods people if any reproach Gods name truth or servants hate the society of Saints their persons their profession or godly practices the dragō hath his will on thē and in them and where the dragon thus prevailes the Lord Jesus hath nothing to doe but to prepare himselfe to warre and wrathfull judgement against such sworne enemies of his Kingdome Neither was their place found any more in heaven We have heard in the former part of the verse that the enemies could not prevaile against the Church now wee shall see that themselves were prevailed against and so conquered and chased by Michael and his Angels as they could not ever make their party good against the woman any more but themselves were turned into a shamefull flight so as they could not stand before her This overthrow of this great Army is signified in this phrase that their place was found no more in heaven Where to finde the meaning wee will answer foure Questions Quest. 1. What is meant by heaven Ans. Some understand hereby this heavenly vision and make this the meaning that they vanished away or the heavenly vision called before a wonder in heaven which though it may be true in part for they did vanish for a time yet it is somewhat harsh to call an heavenly vision by the name of heaven and beside wee shall see they will appeare againe in this vision and renew their forces and fiercenesse against the woman Some by heaven understand the Throne of dignitie and authority which wee have shewed to bee a kinde of heaven or Throne of God and this is true also in part that the conquered party was cast from the Throne of God when those openly professed dragons were subdued and cast from the top of Imperiall State and Majestie without hope of recovery of their strength against the woman any more But by heaven I understand the Church of God as in many other places of this Chapter in which the dragon sate and exercised his tyrannie Quest. 2. What is it not to have his place found any more Answ. The phrase is taken out of Daniel 2. 35. where this Michael the stone that was cut out of the Mountaine is said to smite the image of iron clay brasse silver and gold that the place of it was found no more but they were destroyed and dispersed as chaffe so the same Michael here did so breake in pieces the power of the dragons that they had no
morning Psal. 22. 1. and Cant. 2. 9. My beloved is like a roe or young hart Christ is lovely as the Hart swift to save his Church as the Hart Can. 2. 17. beset with dogs as the Hart Psa. 22. 16. Dogs have compassed mee that is Jewes and other hellish Beagles And finally here hee is at warre with the serpent as the Heart But this serpent spets out poyson to kill and poyson to death every man and woman as well as Christ as indeed hee hath slaine every childe of Adam 2. His other quality is serpentine insinuation and winding by his slie flattery and subtilty by which as he did drive our first Parents us out of the earthly Paradise so he never ceaseth to hinder us also of the heavenly Paradise this he doth especially by deceitfulnesse of sinne Heb. 3. 13. winding himselfe into our hearts by degrees till hee bring us first to act sinne then to affect it then to bring acts to habits to to a law unresistible and to a nature 3. Againe the devill is called a serpent for his serpentine and cursed condition The serpent is accursed of God above all beasts of the field Gen. 3. 14. so is the devill and his Angels above all creatures The curse reacheth the serpent both in his habitation and sustentation he dwels in thornes and bushes there hee lurkes and hides himselfe so the devill in the thickets of sinnes lusts and hatefull deeds flying the light the serpent feeds on earth and cursed dust so doe the devils on earthly-minded and carnall men who lie under the curse of GOD carelesse of the blessing The adjunct of this serpent followes an old serpent 1. Because himselfe hath beene of the same antiquity with the beginning of the world who of old even then cast us from our happinesse 2. Because his malice is not new-conceived but inveterate as ancient as the world and therefore no hope of truce or reconciliation 3. He excels not onely in naturall subtilty but by his experience ever since man was on earth is growne wonderfull deepe and cunning like an old beaten souldier trained in manifold crafts and mischievous stratagems so his craft is redoubled by his age and experience III. The third title or name is The devill for crimination accusation and calumniation Hee is that egregious calumniator whose incessant delight and practice is in accusing and calumniating 1. God to man of envy injustice or the like unkinde affections as Gen. 3. 3. God knowes your eyes will bee opened 2. Man to God in good that it is done in hypocrisie as Doth Iob serve God for nought in evill that man is guilty of that sinne which himselfe drew on But of this Title more in the next verse IIII. The fourth title is Satan for his hostility and enmity He is an adversary and opposite 1. To God 2. To good men 3. To good actiōs I. To God 1. In his decrees and good purposes of restoring the Elect unto eternall life by Jesus Christ by all meanes striving to frustrate them though all in vaine for the counsell of the Lord shall stand 2. In all the meanes appointed for the execution of those decrees as the word and truth of God which hee laboureth to turne into a lie Gen. 3. 5. Yee shall not surely dye by which hee brought in sinne upon us he hates that as the sentence of his damnation so hee hindreth the preaching and publishing of it as in Paul and the Apostles 1 Thess. 2. 18. He sends his Ministers impudently to disgrace the holy preaching of the word and to cast downe if they could all exercises of religion publike and private For the graces of faith love holinesse wrought by the word in which are the beginnings of salvation he hates and resists them and disgraceth them as most contrary to himselfe being an uncleane spirit I have heard many of his Agents openly revile the grace of GOD and disgrace holinesse in hatefull termes but none of them but apparently foule and uncleane beasts in one kinde or other and how can contraries but fight II. To all good men he is an adversary because of Gods Image and way they have Gods Image and superscription upon them and so of a contrary kingdome And hee who while wee were in our owne way or the way of the world never resisted us for then wee were going downe into Aegypt now if wee be in Gods way and set out toward Canaan never ceaseth his resistance III. He is also an adversary to all good things and actions he watcheth to slay all good motions in the wombe that they shall no sooner bee conceived than abortive he is an adversarie to each good action either to hinder it if hee can by hindring us from attempting good or atchieving it by hindring us from feeling the sweetnesse of godlinesse so as having no pleasure in it it may goe on heavily by making us fickle unconstant soone weary and then all is lost or if he cannot hinder to corrupt and deprave it that though he cannot make it evill hee may make it seeme so to bee By all this description the Spirit of God would have us become wise to take knowledge of our enemy and make our owne profitable use of this discovery especially that we should never compact with such an adversary In his temptations to sinne hee comes in the habit of a friend and loving Counsellor but is indeed a dragon and therefore fierce and a winged dragon swift to shed blood Oh that wee could thinke while he is intising us to sinne that we have to doe with a serpent who hath a naturall enmity against us and this antipathy set by God admits no reconcilement and not a serpent onely but an accuser of us to God for that which himselfe intised us unto In his disswasives from good pretending our peace ease credit or whatsoever commodity happy it were could we say Come behinde mee Satan this is nothing but the voice of an adversary resisting mee to hinder both the worke and wages 2. Againe wee learne to beware of such a monster and watch such an adversarie who is a serpent therefore subtle to deceive a serpent therefore full of poyson and deadly infection an old serpent and therefore by his experience ever since the creation can espie the least advantage against us can see all our counsels and consultations in our secret chambers and will not slip any such advantage but put it forth to the furthest proofe and extent for our greatest harme Furthermore wee are taught to fence our selves against his wiles and enterprises Quest. How may that be done Answ. By three sorts of rules I. Against the subtiltie of this serpent wee must labour for true wisedome as a countermine And that is 1. By humility denying our owne wisedome as insufficient to guide us The Lord guideth the humble in his way Psalm 25. 2. By prayer go to God for wisedome If any man want let him
spirit Esay 66. 2. Thou must therefore confesse with that Ruler that thou art unworthy hee should come under thy roofe Mat. 8. 8. 4. By purging away sinne by sweeping and sweetening the roomes of our hearts for him Thinke not now that Christ will lodge any more among the beasts in a foule stable Prepare him therefore a roome in the Inne of thine heart 5. By loving obedience to his Commandements On this condition Christ comes in as hee promised Ioh. 14. 23. If any man love mee and keepe my word my Father and I will come in and dwell with him Secondly wee cast the Dragon out of our selves by proclaiming warre against our owne corrupt nature and ruling over affections Wee can never overcome him within us till wee have conquered our selves As this is the greatest so it is the first victory to get under feet our owne uncleane lusts motions thoughts and actions which are the harbours and burrowes of wicked spirits these serpents lie in these thickets to cast out envy malice drunkennesse uncleanenesse to ruinate and batter downe these holds of the dragon and bring every thought into the subjection of Christ that when hee comes hee may finde nothing in us Thirdly wee cast out the Dragon by carefull fencing and watching our strongest forts and faculties The Dragon keepes hold especially in ignorance of minde in rebellion of the will in corruption of the conscience and having these forts hee can command the whole man at pleasure Now to cast him out of these our most inward and highest forts wee must deliver them up to Jesus Christ to bee informed strengthened commanded and defended by him Hee onely is able to keepe what wee commit unto him Fourthly wee shall cast out the Dragon by suffering Christ still to draw us to himselfe by the power of the Gospell and to fashion us daily unto holinesse Ioh. 12. 32 The prince of this world cannot be cast out till Christ draw us unto himselfe who as he draweth by his word which is called the arme of God and by his spirit moving in those meanes so must wee give up our selves to be ruled and moved by his Word and Spirit These motions and directions cast out and keepe out Satanicall motions and temptations by which hee holds up his rule and state Without a mans selfe every godly man must strive to cast downe the power of Sathan every where both by Christian profession and Christian conversation By Christian profession manifesting it selfe in foure maine practises 1. Upholding to his power wholsome doctrine which is the rod and scepter of Christ and by the zealous maintaining an holy Ministery in which Christ casteth downe the Dragon Shall Jesus Christ seeke in the ministerie to cast out the Dragon then wo to those that oppose ministery Shall Jesus Christ striue by holy and sound doctrine to subdue the power of the devill whose kingdome stands in lies and errors Wo then unto those unhappy men that shall seeke to bring in the Dragon againe by broaching or defending false doctrine heresie popery idolatry or Antichristian delusions who instead of the ministers of Christ would bring in the vassals of Antichrist Priests Jesuites locusts and impostors 2. In promoting piety and the reigne of Christ by grace in others For true religion practised promoted encouraged propagated casteth out the Dragon and onely that What unhappy men are they and apparent limbes of the Dragon who disgrace and discourage godlinesse every where who plot to cast out piety religion and all godly men Is this to joyne with Michael in casting out the Dragon 3. In forwardnesse in doing good which glorifieth God and honoureth our profession The Dragon would set up his kingdome by pretenses of great workes of mercy charity building of Churches and Hospitalls c. And Antichrist is bold to outboast all professions in such pretenses But wee must bestirre our selves that neither papists nor hypocrites put us downe in workes of mercy love or charity that wee may honour our profession by a readinesse to every good worke 4. In readinesse constantly to suffer for the truth and fearlesly to sticke to the Gospell that as our Lord subdued the Dragon by giving witnesse to the truth so should wee by maintaining the same truth to the utmost of our power and the last drop of our blood Ler Ephraim divide his heart betweene two religions let the fickle Galathian change his judgement in maine points let the Ephesian fall from his first love let profane dogs and swine fall backe to generall revolt and apostasie 2. Pet. 2. 2. As none are more serviceable to the Dragon then these so none give him a greater blow then constant witnesses and martyrs none so much cast him downe By Christian conversation also must every Christian joyne with Michael in casting out the Dragon and this partly at home and partly abroad I. A man can never bee good abroad that promotes not piety at home Hee that hath cast the dragon out of his heart will also cast him out of his house which is done 1. By setting up the service and worship of God in his family that hee and his house may serve the Lord. Hee whose heart is a Temple of God his house shall bee a Church and a little Bethel there shall be no roome for swearers drunkards riotous persons scorners nor sonnes of Belial for these are the brood of the Dragon 2. By preventing and wisely resisting the speciall sinnes of the calling all crafts and deceitfull mysteries by which the Dragon over-reacheth most men in the carrying of their speciall calling A godly Christian in these will not as others do what others do but what himselfe hath warrant to do hee will not make his calling a service of the Dragon but subordinateth it to his generall calling wherein hee acknowledgeth himselfe a servant to Jesus Christ. 3. By waching narrowly those lusts in which the Dragon thrusts himselfe on to disturbe and throw downe Gods worship in the family as anger and wrath which hinder prayer worldlinesse or unfruitfull employments which thrust out or ingrosse the times of family-duties When the Dragon had drawne David from his watches it was easie to imploy him in strange services of sinne II. Abroad a Christian must take his Lords part against the Dragon Both in respect of good men walking fruitfully and watching good occasion in the communion of Saints instructing some comforting others guiding others in the way lovingly counselling reproving encouraging c. And in respect of evill men 1. If corrigible and hopefull helping them out of the snare and power of Sathan saving some with meeknesse and pulling others out of the fire 2. If wilfull or scornfull either avoid their company and all needlesse society with them because the Dragon mightily prevailes in infectious society and it is an unequall yoking 2. Cor. 6. 14. 15. 16. Or if thou beest cast into their company bee undaunted in good causes and give them no
faith in that diabolicall meanes nor farther than thou bewrayest distrust infidelity contempt and rebellion against God as Eliah said to Ahaziah Is it because there is no God in Israel that thou goest to Baalzebub the god of Ekron 2 Kings 1. 3. 3. It is a signe of a man or woman in a woefull estate that seeketh to witches First hee is an unbeleever if the word had prevailed to heale his infidelitie he would not seeke to Witches faith makes no such haste Secondly hee is one that carelesly or maliciously rejects the Gospell and therefore God gives him over to manifest and open contempt of him Pharaoh despising the Word is given over to bee deluded by Sorcerers Saul for disobedience to the Word is given over to seeke to Witches he did it not before God was gone from him see 2 Thess. 2. 10. 11. Thirdly he is one whose sin and judgement is ripe as wee see in Saul Pharaoh and Manasses who for conspiring with devils named in the Text as an outragious and transcendent sinne was deprived of his Kingdome bound in fetters and carryed to Babylon 4. The helpe thou câ—nâ—â— get from them is not comparable to the hurt by them for First the devill seldome cures the body but hee kils the soule is hee not a devill as well curing as killing Secondly hee seldome removes the evill either farre or long but sometimes returns it againe in some other kinde or person in children servants or cattell Hence is the common observation that such persons never thrive after it but all goeth backe with them Thirdly if thou shouldst get good by theÌ„ yet know 1. Thou must not judge of an action by the successe but by the rule 2. Thou maist not doe evill that good may come of it 3 It were but as a robber should rufsle and live gallantly by taking of purses 5. Consider this never did good and religious man in Scripture seek to a Witch and what a madnesse is it to forsake the Author of life and follow the author of death and if hee be of the father the devill that doth his workes what art thou or what canst thou thinke of thy selfe Lastly here is a use of consolation If salvation bee the Lords the Church shall not perish but indure safe so long as the Lords salvation indureth 1. The rocke of salvation is founded in heaven not to bee shaken by the forces of earth and hell 2. Wee have a strong city salvation hath God set for wals and Bulwarks Esa. 26. 1. Hee that must scale these wals must first scale heaven it selfe and seeing the Lord hath promised to bee a wall of fire round about Jerusalem Zech. 25. how can the enemy make an inrode or incursion 3. All Satanicall and Antichristian forces must combine and plot in vaine to roote out the people of God from the earth they can assoone hinder the Sunne in his course and turne back the whirlewinde into his place as turne away the Lords salvation from his Church Oh but wee see many potent enemies and mighty forces and strong armies levyed by Antichrist and his Princes against the little flocke of Christ and we see no helpe no likely power to keepe from making havocke of all I answer I. Salvation is the Lords who is more mighty to save than they to spoile else would they soone prove too puissant for the little city of God 2 Thou seest no helpe yet is it not farre off Psalm 85. 9. surely his salvation is neare them that feare him that glory may dwell in our Land 3. It shall bee put forth seasonably and shall not tarry Esa. 46. 13. The time hasteneth when the Church shall sing Now is salvation in heaven now hath the Lord manifested his salvation in his Church in the overthrow of Antichrist And strength and the kingdome of our God These are the two other Attributes ascribed to God the giver of victory By strength is meant the mighty arme of GOD which hath two properties of power the former to sustaine and beare up all things so long as hee will have them to bee The latter to subdue all contrary things to his will and power For this strength must prevaile against all adversary power and can be overcome of none The right hand of the Lord bringeth mighty things to passe Psalm 118. 16. partly in the world partly in the Church called out of the world of which latter our Text properly speaketh By Kingdome in Scripture is meant two things 1. The absolute soveraignty of God over all things to whom appertaine all kingdomes this is called the kingdome of power and appropriated to God The Kingdome is the Lords that is originally and in his owne right all other in the creature is soveraignty derived and delegate Dan. 2. 27. 2. That speciall administration and government which hee exerciseth in setting up and upholding his Church at which our Text aimeth The difference betweene this and the former is In that we are all by nature in this onely by grace in that wee onely live and injoy the benefit of creatures in this we live happily and enjoy the benefit of new creation in redemption and sanctification Now whereas this speciall kingdome is either of grace here or glory hereafter the former is here meant even that kingdome of grace which the dragon specially opposeth who resisteth not so much the kingdome of power nor at all the Kingdome of glory but most fiercely assaileth the kingdome of grace as is plainely convinced by the particle Now is strength and the Kingdome of our GOD in heaven In that the Church rejoyceth that now the Lord hath put forth his strength in the overthrow of the enemies and set up his owne kingdome where the dragon and his angels had ruled in darknesse Idolatry cruelty and tyranny we learne that this Saints ought to rejoyce when they see Gods Kingdome set up and prevaile against the dragon and his angels Rev. 11. 15. When the seventh Angel blew the Trumpet there were great voyces in heaven that is the militaÌ„t Church saying The kingdoms of this world are become our Lords his Christs These were loud voyces of joy and praise that the kingdoms of the earth were converted to Christ and because Christ in his Gospel raigned by the Princes among his their subjects And indeed a good heart seeing Jesus Christ manifesting his royall administration and thereby taken up with sense and feeling of Gods goodnesse to his Church cannot conceale nor containe this joy but must vent and expresse it as Iethro Exod. 18. 9. rejoyced for all the goodnesse the Lord did for Israel he inwardly rejoyced he confessed it with his mouth vers 10. and afterward offered sacrifices to God for his mercy in delivering Israel from Pharaohs bondage which mercy hee twice expresseth And David seeing the forwardnesse of the people offering freely to the Temple rejoyced exceedingly and blessed God before all the congregation 1
his good service and change his minde ere morning How impudently and instantly did Ieremies accusers pursue him The false Prophets and Priests accuse Ieremy to the Princes and all the people saying This man is worthy of death for he hath prophesied against this City as yee have heard with your eare Ier. 26. 11. Hee is charged that hee sought not the wealth but the hurt of the people that hee discouraged the people by his preaching and weakned the hands of the men of warre But when they could not by slandering and false accusing impeach his innocency nor get the law passe upon him they come basely to the King and besought him to put him to death Ier. 38. 4. 1. This comes of extreme hatred of grace and incessant wrath against the light whether in doctrine or in practice for all wicked men are carried by the same wicked spirit and Prince of darknesse and all of them plot and contrive how to disparage and discourage both the one and the other This extreme malice makes them shamlesse in accusing as in Satan whose malice against God made him accuse GOD himselfe to Adam There is no light so bright and shining but they will darken no conversation so cleane and unspotted but without all shame and feare they can traduce Now what an impudency is it to barke aganst the Sunne 2. Tyranny of sinne where it raigneth carrieth a man beyond all humanity and all bounds of modesty to act and pursue whatsoever gracelesse fact the devill moveth against all lawes of God and nature It carrieth Cham away to deride his owne fathers nakednesse and Absolon to rise in rebellion against his owne indulgent naturall father and to take his wives in the sight of Israel putting off all shame and forehead and all but the name of a man The reason hereof is because a slave must not contest with his Lord nor stand reasoning the case with himselfe but must doe what the devill will have him to doe hee must be ruled at his will beside the similitude betweene the devill and a man given up to this sinne of accusation for many other sinnes men have common with beasts fiercenesse craft indociblenesse filthinesse but this sinne men have peculiarly common with devils and participating with his sinne participate in his name called Diaboli 2 Tim. 3. So as when the devill groweth modest and moderate and out of the goodnesse of nature is ashamed of any sinne which hee can either act or get acted then may wicked men cease to bee impudent in accusing but not before 3. Satan and his instruments have alwayes bad causes in handling and accordingly must bring them about by bad and wicked meanes such as most shamefull lyes and slanders and most impudent accusations which the lesse ground or colour of truth they have the more clamor impudence and instance must they thrust them forward withall If so then take no offence against the truth or true religion because it hath beene and alwayes is exposed to false accusations by the father of lyes and his lying of-spring who all know that if the Gospell succeed and flourish their kingdome cannot stand if the light approach darknesse is chased away So long as may bee verified of Satan and his fellow-accusers what is said in Ier. 3. 3. Thou hast an whores forehead and couldst not be ashamed so long the Church must bee as it hath beene in all ages and times of the world stifly and instantly accused of rebellions insurrections seditions treasons and the most grievous scandals that hell can devise Here for the better proceeding consider three things 1. The markes of impudent accusers and accusation 2. Motives to beware of this sinne 3. Meanes by which godly men may fence themselves from the same I. The markes are sundry 1. It is a diabolicall impudency to accuse of that whereof the accused are not onely guiltlesse but to which they are cleane contrary Were it not an high impudency to accuse the Sunne of darknesse or piety it selfe of the highest wickednesse to accuse the godly of that which their whole course actually confuteth How blacke was the devill faine to appeare in the dayes after the Apostles when the Heathens cryed out of Christians as the causes and authors of all publike calamities and plagues If Nilus overflowed not their field if earthquakes pestilence or famine came on them presently the poore Christians were cast unto the Lyons How like unto those Heathenish cryes are those of this day that godly persons keepe no lawes disobey Princes are seditious enemies to the State c. But is not all cleane contrary for if there bee any true peace in any Land it is for and by the Gospell which is a Gospell of peace How like unto those were those horrible slanders cast upon the Protestants of Paris to make them odious Priests and Fryers in their Sermons perswaded the people that the Lutherans met at banquets in the night and putting out the Candles went together Jacke with Jill after a beastly maner Other Sorbonists accused them that they held there was no God that they denyed the humanity and divinity of Christ the immortality of the soule the resurrection of the dead and the whole body of religion and all this when the confession of their faith was extant to the contrary How is the government of Jesus Christ thrust away by most impudent pretexts that Christian policy is an enemy to civill policy whereas the Kingdome of Christ not being of this world incroacheth not into matters of civill government and civill policy is so farre from being abated or abolished as that it is strenthened and stablished by the preaching of the Gospell The Romanists to shew their brood and off-spring and the Jesuites the first-borne of Satan are attained to such an impudence as they may teach their Tutor to accuse 1. In that they fasten impudently on us hundreds of wicked doctrines which our religion is a flat enemy unto as That wee require onely faith to salvation That we condemne all good workes That we say the Church hath failed many hundred yeares till Luther and Calvin That we teach God the Author of sinne That wee wrest the sword out of Princes hands c. and infinite more which they write and print with such invincible impudency as shewes them to have lost with truth all forehead and blushing 2. In their devillish devises and accusations of holy and godly men bothliving and dead That Calvin called upon the devill That Bucer at his death denyed Christ to be come That Master Perkins dyed in despaire of whose gracious and happy end my selfe was an eye-witnesse What marvell if they could devise such Cart-loads of slanders after their death who could not stay till they were dead Of Beza they wrote a booke that hee dyed a Catholike with many strange stories of his death which booke himselfe being alive confuted with great zeale Of Luther they published an horrible miracle
Antichristians who are the beast rising out of the earth And they are called inhabitants of the sea for their tumult and incōstancy casting up as the sea nothing but mire and dirt and carryed as waves of the sea by every winde Jude 13. But if any thinke the Evangelist aymeth more distinctly at some particulars I am not ignorant that some by earth understand the common multitude of wicked persons enemies unto Christ and by sea the ecclesiasticall men who have corrupted the earth with bitter brinish and salt doctrine of errors and humane traditions and thus still oppose them But I conceive a further drift of the Spirit of God well suiting to our whole exposition and period of time which this part of the Chapter aymeth at That rather by earth are meant all such nations and Kingdomes of earth subjected to the spirituall whordomes of the dragon so called for their earthly profession affection and practise and by sea the then Roman Empire it selfe so called 1 For the floods of impietie that issued from it as the floods and rivers do all from the sea it was the head of wickednesses 2 For the unbridled rage of it and the unresistable power which was then the great Ocean swelling over all bankes So as the sense seemes to be Wo to the earth and all wicked nations that are enemies to the Church of God but especially wo to the sea the great Empire whose sinnes the dragon hath brought to a great height so as the great mutation of that great estate is now neare and the subversion of the Imperiall and Cesariall power is at hand For now at this time so effectually did the dragon worke in the delusions of Antichrist as that he whose comming was in all deceivablenesse of unrighteousnesse was shortly to swallow up the Imperiall power and so to take him out of the way which stood betweene him and his greatnesse as was formerly prophesied 2 Thes. 2. and not long after accomplished When the Church is happy in the midst of persecutions wicked and earthly men are unhappy and miserable So is it here rejoyce ye heavens but wo to the earth and sea Eccles. 8. 12. 13. Though a sinner do evill an hundred times and his dayes be prolonged yet surely I know that it shal be well with them that feare God which feare before him but it shall not be well with the wicked Esa. 3. 10. Say yee it shal be well to the just but wo to the wicked it shall not be so to him it shal be evill to him the reward of his hands shal be given him Psal. 37. 37. Marke the upright man and behold the just for the end of that man is peace but the transgressors shal be destroyed together One reason hereof is in the text Satan being cast out of the men of the Church gets into the swine of the world and carries them into the lake first of sin then of destruction In their best estate they are Satans possession 2 It must be so by the perpetuall rule of divine justice who neither shuffles good and evill men together as men do nor mistakes persons and actions Among men there is a righteous man to whom it commeth according to the worke of the wicked and the contrary Eccles. 8. 14. But the Lord judgeth with righteous judgement Neither doth he forget any of their workes A wise man that delivers the City by his wisdome may be forgotten among men Eccles. 9. 15. as Ioseph was but the Lord forgets not the goodnesse of his servants nor his enemies sinnes but sets up all on their heads for the day of reckoning and recompense Revel 22. 12. Behold I come quickly and my reward is with me to render to every man according to his workes The just Judge of all the world must do right 3 According to a mans seed time so commonly is his harvest Gal. 6. 7. As a man sowes so must he reape he that sowes to the flesh must reape corruption but he that sowes to the spirit shall reape life everlasting Doest thou sow chaffe and darnell and weeds and lookest thou for a crop of wheat Sow righteousnesse and thou shalt have a sure reward Prov. 11. 18. but if thou sowest iniquitie looke to reape affliction 4 The truth of God in accomplishing his word must leave the godly most happy while the wicked are wrapped in hellish woes and horrors The same weight of truth which carries downe wicked men into their place hoiseth up the godly as in the other scoale For as all the precious promises of the word belong to the one whereof earth nor hell can defeat them so al the woes and execrations of Scripture belong to the other and shal be true upon him so long as God is true in himselfe There is not a wicked man but he hath all the threatnings of God all the curses of the law and all the terrors of his owne conscience standing and shall stand for ever in force against him if hee stand out impenitently against GOD. Now this is a direction to Ministers for the course and carriage of their doctrine to sing both mercy and judgment and to come both with a rod and the spirit of meekensse Wee must speake peace to godly men but feed the impenitent with judgement This text and all texts and the whole tenor of the Scriptures go before us in this course Unhappy men are they that speake all peace and preach nothing but promises as if all men were godly and the congregations not mixt or if they distinguish of men it is to encourage hearten and harden wicked men for their owne gaine and dishearten and disgrace such as feare the Lord. 2 It is a direction to all men to carry our affections differently according to the differences of men expressing our love and kindnesse to men fearing God and our dislike of evill and wicked men 1 So doth the Lord and his Spirit in this text and whosoever are guided by the Spirit of grace will shew themselves in the helping up and encouragement of godlinesse and furthering the joy of the faithfull and in the discouraging and daunting so far as lyeth in him the wickednesse of men 2 A note of a good man is that a vile person shall be contemned in his eyes and he will love them that feare the Lord. 3 True judgment helps him to discerne between an Israelite and Ismaelite and true affection will cleave to the one and disclaime the other Gods Spirit teacheth none to esteeme carefull Christians vile persons nor to cleave to enemies and resisters of the grace of God who are indeed vile persons and so are they that sort with them or plead for them and as sin makes men vile to God so it makes them seeme to good men 3 It is an incouragement to godly men in the way of holinesse for they are in the way of happiness nothing can make them fall short of
consideration of the approach of death was a spurre to the Apostle Peter to double his diligence in the Ministery 2 Pet. 1. 13. The Magistrate hath a notable worke in hand in repressing the wrath of the dragon upholding and encouraging godliness and annuall Magistrates have but a short time when it is longest in their office Have you but a short time be the more stirring and carefull to do good that little time Wee have seene some in that short time have done a great deale of ill businesse therefore imitating the dragon because they would not heare the voice of God But a good man in office will do a great deale of good in a short time Wee heare sometimes some Magistrates reckon what a short time they have to weare out I would wee could heare what good they are resolved to do in that short time which will away apace for it is onely the good they do in it which will abide for their comfort Finally the private Christian hath an excellent worke in hand namely to worke out his owne salvation and to further others both in workes of piety and by workes of mercy spirituall and temporall to helpe them unto heaven and in earth Hast thou but a short time for so great a worke be so much the more diligent Seest thou the dragon because his time is short so industrious in heaping up his owne damnation and wrapping as many others as he can into his judgment and wilt or canst thou slack thy pace and diligence in promoting thine own and other mens salvation 3 As the divell and his instruments shew and declare the shortnesse of their time by extreme wickednesse because Satan powres forth his spirit upon the world to poyson it with outragious sinnes so let us manifest that wee keepe in mind the shortnesse of our times and that we are cast into the last ages by our readinesse and cheerefulnesse in good duties and in abundant fruits of the spirit which in the last dayes was to be powred out Act. 2. 17. Wee must expresse the powring out of this spirit by our increase in knowledge faith obedience and be more fruitfull in our age Thus wee shall aright testifie our right judgement of our owne time and of the last age of the world And as the wicked of the world shew apparātly the last time and Christ neare at hand by abundance of iniquity by worldlinesse atheisme excesses of carnall delight for is it not as in the dayes of Noah wherein men eate and drinke and marry and give in marriage and cast off all care of judgment so let us shew it the last age and that a short time remaines by using the world as not using it by marrying as not marrying and by heavenly conversation and all this because the time is short as the Apostle adviseth 1 Cor. 7. 29. 30. because there is no constancy or durance of any of these earthly contentments no more then of the world it selfe let us use these moderatly and gaine those which are lasting unwithering and unperishing Vers. 13. But when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man-child SAtan being cast out of heaven I meane that heaven upon earth which is distant from the earth not in distance of place but in sanctity of faith and manners so as he cannot prevayle to prejudice the same as hee would for neither can hee hinder the sound of the Gospell but it prevaleth in the world neither can hee seduce the Elect nor prevent the Saints of their salvation Now seeing himselfe cast vnto the earth he rageth among earthly-mindedmen and stirreth up his agents and vassals to raise up horrible persecutions and new tyrānies to root out if it were possible the name and mention both of Christ and the woman his Spouse but all in vaine as the former assault was as appeares in the sequell of the Chapter In this and the fourteenth Verse are two things 1. A new onset of the dragon upon the woman with the reason in this Verse 2. The evasion or escape of the woman with the meanes in the next Verse In the Onset consider First the person persecuting The dragon Secondly the person persecuted The woman Thirdly the time and manner When shee had brought forth the man childe I. The persecutor is the dragon that is both the devill the head of that fierce kingdome and all such instruments as he raised and used against the Church in this new assault and persecution for there is but one persecutor of the woman in all ages even Satan who is the same but hee hath many members and Ministers even a continuall spawne and succession who as they carry his nature so here also his owne name and are one and the same dragon in minde in will in malice in act Hence it is that in Scripture whatsoever the one doth the same the other is said to doe Revel 2. 10. The devill shall cast some of you into prison What Commodus Decius or the other Tyrants did the devill is said to doe and the workes of the Jewes in persecuting Jesus Christ is called the devils worke Iohn 8. 44. Ye are of your father the devill his workes yee doe 1. Because the dragon being the god of the world ruleth the hearts of wicked men who inclines their wils to hate the Church and stirres them up to persecute and leades them at his will 2 Tim. 2. 26. and a slave cannot doe but what his Lord commands him onely he inspireth and acteth voluntaries 2. The same causes which stirre up the one stirre up the other to this fury First as there is an old enmity betweene the woman and the serpent so is there betweene the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent If there be hostility betweene two Princes it is maintained among all their subjects Secondly as the dragon being a deadly enemy to Gods glory incessantly seeketh to hinder and abolish pure religion holy worship and worshippers because it is contrary to his designes and stoppeth his power which prevaileth in Idolatry superstitiō and Atheisticall liberty so doe wicked enemies his issue and off-spring in all ages fight against the true worship of God holy religion and pure worshippers as against their contraries because they despise their false gods detest their idolatry resist false religion contest against their superstition and actually reprove their Atheisticall liberty and all their proceedings contrary to the light of grace and the word of grace Thirdly as the dragon feares that Christ and his Kingdome will weaken his kingdome so the spawne of the dragon feare the same Herod and Domitian feare the comming of Christ and therefore command them of the stock of David in Jewry to be slaine If we let this man alone say the Pharises all men will beleeve him and down goes our credit Yea say the Rulers and the Romanes will come and
overcome evill with goodnesse II. The person persecuted is the woman The proper object of the devils malice next unto Christ himselfe is the Church of Christ and so inevitable a condition is persecution as nothing in the world can keepe it long off For 1. Here is a woman weake in her selfe and impotent whom none but a coward would contend withall but the dragon is inured since the first skirmish in Paradise to offer violence and wrong to such as can least repell it frō whom the Priests and Jesuites have learned the principles of their trade in seducing seely women and ignorant sots who have no strength nor weapons 2. This woman hath Michael standing with her and hath brought forth a potent man-childe to helpe her yet hee weigheth not all the strength and power gathered for her Hee that dare assault Michael himselfe in person will for all him fiercely and fuririously assault the woman 3. Here is a woman cloathed with the Sunne having the Moone under her feet crowned with a crowne of twelve Starres arrayed with righteousnesse and holinesse as the Spouse of Christ the groūd and pillar of truth But this abates not the dragons wrath but kindles it that shee is the justified and innocent Spouse of Christ Besides here are many things worth winning from her 4. This is the same woman that hee had immediately before persecuted and now againe renewes his persecution for loath hee is to afford this Dove of Christ any rest for the soale of her foote The Church then cannot bee discerned by that durable and lasting peace and glory which Papists make a mark of their Church but rather by durable and lasting conflicts and obscurity For trouble is the best tryall of religion and Christ was best knowne by his Crosse and so also is his Spouse Object The dominion of Christ shall be everlasting in glory and Jerusalem is a vision of peace Answ. True but his kingdome not being of this world it is in respect of the spirituall and invisible Kingdome of Christ the glory of which the world cannot see and of that sweet and inward peace of conscience and joy of sanctified soules which the stranger enters not into Object But what hath the poore Woman done Answ. The dragon persecutes not for evill but for good here the better worke the worse wages and no other reward can godly men expect at the hands of wicked ones to whom they have beene instrumēts of greatest good David mitigateth Sauls vexation by his harpe but how vexeth he David for recompense Let us therefore make no account of rest and peace here which is not the Churches resting place Our Lord taught us to make other accounts Ioh. 16. 33. In the world yee shall have affliction Wee would have Canaan before the Canaanites be subdued But wisdome will expect freedome when the combate is ended not before It is enough we have our earnest in hand to begin withall wee must looke for our wages in the end of our worke and the crowne after the victory 111. The time of this persecution seemes very expresse in the text namely when the dragon had beene cast unto the earth and after the woman had brought forth her man-child The dejection we have shewed to be the suppressing of the power of the heathenish tyrants and Emperours who upheld pagan idolatry oppressed the Christian Church and withstood the power and passage of the Gospell The bringing forth of the man-child wee have shewed to be the raysing up of Christian Princes and Emperors the protectors and maintainers of Christian faith who succeeded after the heathen Emperours Wee must therefore secke out this fierce persecution in the times of Emperors by profession Christian even in those times when the woman might have expected rest and peace by this manchild who now had the rod of iron in his hand And by looking into the story and event of those times which is doubtlesse the most true and proper interpretation of prophecies wee finde among the Emperours Christian after Constantine a twofold persecution of the dragon one civill the other ecclesiasticall and more pernicious The former was by the cruelty of divers Christian Emperours after Constantine as Constantius Iulian Apostata Valence and others who had nothing but the pretext and name of Christian but indeed differed nothing from most fierce and savage tyrants wasting the Church and the Orthodoxe pastors and professors The latter namely ecclesiasticall much more pernicious then the former was when the dragon poysoned the Church partly with damnable heresies of Arius Eunomius c. for the maintenance whereof the Emperors most violently persecuted the sound Bishops Pastors and Professors the dragon that could not now prevayle by slaughters and Butcheries as before doth now by poysonfull lies partly with pride pompe ambition and fierce contention of Orthodoxe Bishops for primacy and superiority over other Churches and Pastors For now the man-child having furnisht the Church with peace ease wealth lands patrimony large revenues and immunities the maine studie is for the increasing and maintaining of their pompe And as ease wealth and security increaseth so the care of soundnesse of faith and sincerity decaieth Presently from pride grows hot contention among themselves Councell is called against Councell Synod against Synod the greatest strife is for Patriarchicall seats and quarrels for primacy precedency Churches immunities Clergy-priviledges Peters patrimony and revenues of holy Church To these ends the principall employment of those Bishops was for setting up altars images crosses unctions orders of Monkes and Nunnes consecrated garments habits shavings and an hundreth toyes which tooke up their thoughts time and lives while the primitive simplicity of Christ and his truth with Christian faith and religion slipped from betweene their fingers Thus Antichrist came to his hight and turret and thrust in on the blind world as an armed man Now was the woman disrobed the Church spoiled of her chiefe ornaments and graces wherein she shined and was indeed crowned in her low and afflicted estate Now were the Ministers who made way unto Antichrist lifted up and intended every thing but conscionable Ministery Now Ierome justly complaines that after the Christian Church found Christian Princes she became in wealth and power greater but lesse in vertue and piety And this I take to be the most violent assault by most virulent poison cast out of the mouth of the dragon especially aymed at in this text yea the most bloody and fierce persecution which then began to assault the woman who had brought out the man-child from under which she is not yet recovered as we shall see if God permit The point is this Prosperity and peace much more baneth and woundeth the Church then tyranny and persecution Deut. 32. 15. Israel when he should have bene upright waxed fat and spurned with his heele for sooke the God that made him and regarded not the strong God of
hedge Hos. 2. to contain men in bounds and hold them from excesse Israel in affliction will returne to her first husband considering it was then better with her then now This made Augustine truely terme it the Churches unhappy happinesse and to conclude it a point of great felicity not to be overcome by worldly felicity 4. How many of our owne experiences may awaken us and hold us waking suspicious of prosperity Who ever saw the tree of grace grow in the fertile land of pleasure Sodom was as Eden the Garden of God but what were the inhabitants Who are they that receive the Gospell not many wise noble or rich but poore ones and weake ones 1 Cor 1. 26. Christs Kingdome is not of this world his subjects are called out of the world and at defiance with the world Nay his Kingdome is contrary to the kingdoms of the world they rise by worldly prosperity wealth wisedome power but Christs by humility passion patience Who are the poorest among us in good works of mercy piety and charity but those that most abound in wealth superfluity Dives cannot spare crums Poore men that receive the Gospell can spare some mites to uphold the Word among them but many of our great rich men can spare onely disgrace contempt and I doubt would bee at some cost to get it away I never knew man who would bee at no cost for the Word but hee was willing to be at some cost against it It is true of many great men as we see true in the Mountaines which the richer they are in metals and minerals within the more barren and fruitlesse are they without Even so men to whom God hath given the greatest meanes are often most barren of good workes because he hath not given them grace and will to use them aright How hardly shall a rich man be saved Who be they that leave Gods house most desolate and empty but they who most curiously build and seale their owne houses Hag. 1. 4. Poore men in towne and countrey can come with much travell to this exercise rich meÌ„ many who have time means to come with ease and pleasure come not because who are chosen to the end are chosen to the meanes Who bee they that are carryed to Popery and Idolatry from the truth but great persons for the most part and why so but because it is a religion according to the flesh a naturall religion a libertine religion that suites with mens corruptions set up by carnall policy and power and therefore carries away such as abound in worldly prosperity Who exceed most in riot and excesse but such as abound most in wealth and riches And wee may generally conclude Worldly prosperity hath made many worse few or none better If adversity hath slaine his thousand prosperity hath slaine ten thousand 4. This affords us some rules and directions for the ordering First of our desires Secondly of our conditions For the first If God bid us as he doth aske what wee would have and hee will give us our wish as he did Salomon let us aske as hee did wisdome before wealth or any outward prosperity even that true wisdome with which God addes no sorrows This is a gift which cannot bee turned to our bane as all outward gifts may In the prosperity of saving graces lie no snares as there doe in all earthly prosperity yea in all common graces Christian wisdome teacheth to checke those excessive and covetous desires which seeke and affect great things in this world as knowing that pathes washed in butter are slippery and to say Give me neither riches nor poverty but things convenient For the second the ordering of our estates 1. Of prosperity If God please to add wealth to wisedome as hee did to Salomon wee must bee sober and abstinent and learne to abound as well as to want for this is an harder lesson to take out but not so hard as fruitfull For as sobriety and abstinence in the middest of large provision preserveth bodily health and helpes to free us of such diseases as come of fulnesse so the sparing use of worldly comforts preserves the health of the soule and keeps strength in grace and vertue and preserves from corrupt humours of vice and sinne which come of fulnesse and unwatchfulnesse 2. Of adversity If the Lord temper our prosperity with a sound measure of affliction wee must on this ground 1. Be thankfull for all his workes are First wise in wisedome hee doth them all unto which wee must subscribe though wee see not the reason of them In wisdome hee appointed the way to Canaan through a dry and barren wildernes though Israel murmured at it Yea Christ himselfe the wisdome of his Father came from heaven and best knew the way thither and to shew us the right way made choise rather of an afflicted then prosperous estate Secondly seasonable for he doth all in his appointed time in which every action is beautifull Thirdly profitable to his Church and therefore hee sends in afflictions like a cold frost to nip in the ranknesse of our soile and so fit us to fruitfulâ—es and as a good Physitian sees it profitable to prescribe a spare diet to his surfetted Patient so doth the Lord to his surfetted Church or servants Therefore let us not in all this sinne with our mouthes or change God foolishly 2. Make no more haste out of afflictions than good speed Gold is not presently pulld out of the fire so soone as it is cast in but must stay a while till it be purged It is a safer state though sowrer as the three Children were safer in the furnace than out of it Gold hath more cause to feare the rust than the fire and to us prosperity is more dangerous than adversity Verse 14. But to the woman were given two wings of a great Eagle that shee might flee into the wildernesse into her place where shee is nourished for a time and times and halfe a time from the face of the serpent AS the former Verse expresseth the furious assault of the dragon against the woman so this declareth her happy evasion and escape with the cause of her conservation and that was her flight and disappearing from the sight of men For what should the poore woman doe being not able to withstand so huge and fierce a beast and Monster Wee have seene how this woman stoutly withstood the bloody persecutions of the Imperiall Dragons and never thought of flying shee feared not sword fire Gibbet nor the most exquisite torments of the fiercest tyrants but the more shee was persecuted the more glorious shee was and shined in surpassing brightnesse of holy doctrine and life We have heard what an happy victory and triumph shee hath carryed against all those bloody and open enemies But now the dragon turning himselfe into another shape and unto another stratagem under the profession of Christ furiously
Princes nor Antichristian forces so long as Christ is in the ship it shall not miscarry To be nourished The fourth generall in this verse is the end why the woman fled into the wildernesse and that is both to be preserved safe and provided for there And this place is an allusion to the ancient story of the former Jewish Church whom when she cannot be safe in Aegypt God brings into the wildernesse where not having any provisiō by ordinary meanes he doth extraordinarily feed her by Manna from heaven for the space of forty yeares And thus he dealeth now with the Church of the Gentiles under the Antichristian tyranny heavier then that of Aegypt When the woman can finde no safety or peace amongst men in the publike profession and exercise of Christian Religion the Lord retyres her into secret places which afford her private exercises of religion and in this hidden desert and afflicted estate provides secret meanes of her feeding and safety The Church of God and every member in the most hard times and desert condition shal be assuredly fed and provided for Of all places the wildernesse was most unlikely to afford food and provision where was neither sowing nor reaping planting nor watering the earth affords them neither fruit nor corne for forty yeares and now the Lord affords them for one yearely a dayly harvest not of corne but of bread not from earth but from heaven he spreads for them a large table in the wildernesse and feeds them with dainty food and quailes at his pleasure So Elias flying from Iezabel was sent by God into the wildernesse where he might seeme more miserable as exposed to famine a more dreadfull death then the sword But he fled to be fed there and the ravens shal be his stewards and Caterers before he shall sterve in the wildernesse 1 The truth of Gods promise cannot faile Psal. 37. 3. Trust in the Lord and thou shalt be fed assuredly and vers 19. the upright men in dayes of famine shall have enough Psal. 84. 11. He withholdeth no good thing from them that walke uprightly He should deny his truth his faith himselfe if he should not feed and provide for his and therefore if all fields should faile and the whole earth grow barren GOD cannot fayle but feed those that trust in him 2 Gods power confirmes it who is not tyed to ordinary meanes nor limited to places nor hath bound up our life in the fruits of the earth but man lives by every word of God not only ordinary but extraordinary so as if men will not or cannot feed Elias ravens can and shall And all that he can doe with meanes he can without them 3 His love is to his owne as unchangable as his power is infinite He may alter their place and state but not his love He may change their condition but not his owne affection And if the love of the creature be so bountifull and communicative how can there be any lacke in his love which is a full sea and fountaine and all affection in the creature to his is scarce as the drop of a bucket 4 His neare relation to his Church causeth it Every man provides for his owne family else he is worse then an Infidell 1 Tim. 5. 8. Wee belong to Gods houshod and family and if an evill father can and will give good things to his children much more our heavenly father He will blesse and feed his inheritance Psal. 28. 9. And if there be no Master but will maintaine his servant in his own work much more will our Lord and Master in heaven 5 His infinite wise providence who mingleth his chastisements with mercy and crusheth not his Church out of measure nor tramples her under his feet when he suffers men to trample on her It is enough to bring her into the wildernesse and that not to starve her but to provide for her He leads her thither but leaves her not there but as a father affords her meat and cloth and at last provides her an inheritance Object But Gods people are often in want hunger thirst as Lazarus Paul the Apostles and Christ himselfe Answ. God who would not allow beggers from dore to dore which is against all order and rules of charity hath ordeined there should be poore alwaies with us to be examples of their patience and objects of our charity And many of these the deare servants of God may know great want and scarcity so did the Church Heb. 11. 37. Because corporall benefits are not alwayes not to all the godly allowed in any great measure but then only when Gods glory and their owne salvation call for them But what they are scanted in temporall things they are supplyed in spirituall which they alwaies certainly injoy And when they are most scanted they are not forsaken but have enough to bring them home and are denyed only of those things which might proove burdens Now this serves to comfort the Saints in want and to cherish our faith For First what the Lord will do he can do and wil do all for our good Secondly his providence is waking when wee sleepe Manna shall fall in the night when Israel sleepeth God watcheth to feed his Church when she sleepes He watcheth for Mordecai when he sleeps for the babe and his Mother in the night when they sleepe Thirdly his absolute soveraignty and power may make the wildernesse our portion for a time he may pitch us here or there in a faire place or in a foule in a moyst or in a dry and wee must be willingly disposed by him whose wisdome over-reacheth ours Fourthly when all meanes are turned against us he is most able and willing to succour us Ioseph and Mary shall have gold and precious things brought them a farre off when they thinke not of it Let us therefore labour to see our want of faith our greatest want and if we know not what to do let our eyes be toward him And if our thoughts be inquisitive as Isaac how shall I do for this or that or where is the ram say to thy soule as Abraham My soule God will provide Now stirre up thy faith which leaneth not on meanes or things seene but on the naked word Abraham leaned only on Gods truth and power when al was contrary Rom. 4. 20. 2 This may provoke and encourage every one in the study and practise of piety which hath so sure a reward and patron And though wee may not serve God for temporalls as hypocrites can do yet wee must honour him who hath undertaken the care not of our inheritance only hereafter but of our present maintenance and love him unfainedly who makes good unto us even the promises of this life made unto godlinesse aswell as of that to come And though this may seeme a smaller mercy because it is so common to the worst yet it is not common to enjoy temporalls
never saw so the serpentine seed hateth all the womans seed which it never saw And as hunters know not nor never saw the particular game they take but lay nets and deadly engines for any of the kinde so these Nimrods and hunters spare none 2 The wrath of every wicked man is a sparke from hell and an ember of the dragons wrath who here hateth the Woman hid aswell as appearing And looke as the dragon hated Christ the head deadly while he was in the world and now hateth him with no lesse deadly hatâ—ed when he hath left the world he hateth him absent as much as present even so his brood hateth his members that were in the world aswell as those that are in it even those that they never knew nor saw and persecute their dead ashes and are as spitefull to their names and memory and to their posterity as their predecessors were to their persons while they lived 3 Darkenesse hateth all light neare or farre off They that hate God the chiefe good must needs hate all the godly that follow the thing that is good They that hate God himselfe must needs hate his image every where for he that hates the father hates all the children whether he know them or no. They hate the glory of God and the true worship and service of God and that they may abolish it they cannot but seek to root out all the people and persons that uphold it 4 Such a venome and poyson is seated in a wicked mans heart as knows no bounds of reason or moderation but overflowes all bancks and limits For there is no spirit to checke or restraine them so as neither sea nor Alpes bound a wicked mans wrath against godlinesse 5 They hate them whom they know not because they know them not for so it was with Christ himselfe they saw him but they knew him not for had they knowne him they would not have crucified the Lord of glory Ioh. 8. 29. When the Sonne of man shal be listed up then ye shall know that I am he So with his members they know them not nor their innocency let their lives be never so unblamable and just If they cannot picke quarrells against Daniel in the matter of the Kingdome they will see what they can do in the matter of his God If God himselfe shew favour to them and his power for them they will not know who the Lord is as Pharaoh but lay on burdens the heavier and therefore as Balak and Moab they seeke their confusion Num. 22. 2 3. A reproofe of numbers of men who in these dayes expresse with what spirit they are guided The Papists raile upon and revile al the godly restorers of our religion whom they never saw nor knew It is a third part of the Pamphlets they send dayly in amongst their Proselytes A man would thinke they had their hands full of adversaries alive and that they need not breake up the graves of the dead and persecute dead ashes What spirit besides the dragons ruled the Councell of Constance who sentenced the dead bones of Wickliffe to be digd up and burnt 41. yeares after his death did any of them ever know or see him or was not the wrath of their predecessors enough against his person Who seeth not the wrath of the dragon in a number of prophane beasts who incessantly make it their table talke to revile and use opprobriously men who never made nor medled with them men hid in their innocency and retyred in their privacy whose life in respect of them is as if they were out of the world And others that exclame against all that make shew of religion as men not worthy to live the worst of all men all dissemblers lyers factious all alike as if they knew them all Whence riseth this wrath certainely not from particular causes but from the generall not from the persons they revile but froÌ„ their own vile dragon like disposition They may pretend some personal quarrells now and then but the cause and care lyeth deeper they will hate the same goodnesse in any other person where soever they may discover it Here now is the dragons wrath against the Woman hid out of sight 2 This is a word of instruction not to marvell in observing the hatred of wicked men against the godly whom they know and see for they doe the same against those they never knew See wee Ahab hating Eliah Micaiah and all the true Prophets he knew no marvell he hath a fountaine of poison ready to flow on all that he knows not if he could reach them And so doth every wicked man if he hate any one good Minister because he is so he hates every one See wee all wicked men be they never so fallen in pieces among themselves yet all joyne in hatred of all the godly then see in them the work of the dragon who plots an unity and agreement against the Church hatred of goodnesse is the bond that joynes wicked ones together And yet Gods hand is in all this the godly must be throughly tryed and the wicked must go on to the filling up of their measure Are wee cast among men who when they cannot hurt godly men yet will not helpe them but as Balak said to Balaam neither blesse nor curse them Praise God that hath limited the power of wicked wills and violent affections They that would hurt one godly man would mischiefe all if they could and those that will not help them would hurt them if they were able See wee evill men desirous and contriving to cast downe the worship of God and a faithfull Ministery in the place where they live their wrath reaâ—heth beyond that place if it it were in their power they would abolish the true worship of God out of the world and leave no faithfull Ministery standing in the earth Hatred is of kindes and the dragon hates faithfulnesse every where fearing the decay of his Kingdome and his owne fall by their standing 3 This teacheth us 1 to unite and combine our selves to all the Saints even those whom wee never saw nor knew they being of the same Father Mother blood spirit family and inheritance with us 2 Againe as we love the head so also the members but the head though wee have not seene yet we love and beleeve 1 Pet. 1. 8 so the members whom we beleeve every where to be dispersed wee must love though wee see not for the love of the members must bee a sparkle from the flame toward the head 3 Further wee must not ground the love of Saints in our senses but in our faith which cannot but worke by love if to him that begat so also to all that are begotten 4 If faith may not be measured by sight being of things invisible no more may love the daughter of faith But if wee beleeve in him whom wee see not wee must also love them whom wee see not 5
the commandements of God without wavering or halting betweene two opinions They hold them not as luke-warme Laodiceans but stedfastly unmoveably they hold fast the faithfull word as their life Pro. 4. 13. As Naboth they will not lose a foot of their birthright 4. Vnspotted adorning and beautifing the truth in all things by conforming their lives to the Commandements of God These are the conditions In sure Coffers also doe the remnant keepe the Commandements 1. Of a firme memory Luke 2. 51. Mary 〈◊〉 and pondered the things in her heart Psal. 119. 16. I will not forget thy word And this sanctification of memory sanctifies the whole man 2. Of a faithfull and beleeving heart for faith mingled with the Word giveth rooting and so continuace This was Abrahams Coffer in which hee laid the promises and neither delay nor deadnesse of Sarahs wombe nor conflict of contrariety or impossibility could rob him of them 3. Of a sound and loving affection of the soule love is a safe and faithfull keeper things that we love wee will hold fast Oh love I thy law saith David such love is stronger than death no water can quench it 4. Of holy practice in the whole life bewrayed in three things 1 In professing a good profession as Christ before Pilate holding forth the word of life 2 In promoting and defending to our power all good things and persons in their conformity to the law a good man preserves the law aswell as observes it 3 In suffering for good things and sealing if we be called the truth with our blood Next let us inquire how we may shew our selves of this remnant and know our â—elves to bee keepers of the Commaundements The Markes are these 1 If we doe all from within for all obedience to the law must flow from a pure heart the end of the Commandement is love out of a pure heart Psal 119. 2. Keepers of his testimonies seeke him with their whole heart If we heare we heare with an honest heart Luk. 8. 15. If we pray wee poure not out words but our soules as Hanna If wee praise wee call all that is within us to praise him Psal. 103. 1 2. If wee preach wee are fervent in spirit as Apollos If we receive the Sacrament it is with examination of our hearts As the clocke mooves from the spring within it selfe so is the motion of a good man to the law from within not from without 2 If wee do all by our rule holding the truth for the truths sake The word is called a lanterne and the commandement a light and obedience to the commandement a comming to the light that our workes may be manifest first to our selves and then to others that they are according to God Ioh. 3. 21. This argues a secret disciple silently denying his owne and acknowledging Gods wisdome holinesse and soveraignty An artificer that would have his worke approoved must not coble it up any way but do all by rule and line and square so here in all things make truth thy guide 3 If wee easily depart not from the commaundement but sticke to it First in all things even the least as the greatest In commandements against thy profits the Saints endured the spoiling of their goods Heb. 10. and Abraham to fly out of his country In commandements dangerous as Daniel and his fellowes and the Martyrs In commandements most irkesome as Abraham in killing his sonne Secondly in all times not as the Galathians who ran well but desisted but with constancy as one that hath begun soundly and wisely Thirdly in all places at home and abroad in the house and walking by the way Dan 6. 7. in Gods house in thine owne house in other mens houses never laying aside the Commandement Fourthly among all persons and companies high aswell as low and before the meanest Christian as the greatest Hold the commandement among the wicked as among the godly so did Lot This is the third note 4 If we willingly endure to be examined and tryed A good man can endure the conviction and triall of Gods Ministers as Peter did Pauls Gal. 2. 14. David Nathans 2 Sam. 12. Eli Samuels 1 Sam. 3. But Saul Ahab Amaziah Felix will abide no triall A signe they have not kept the commandement Yea a good man will try himselfe and examine himselfe whether he be in the faith 2 Cor. 13. 5 and will come to the light to judge himselfe Nay more he will desire God himselfe the Judge to try him Psal. 26. 1 2. and is glad that it is the Lord that will and must examine and judge him 1 Cor. 4. 4. 5 He earnestly loves others that keepe the commandements of God His soule cleaveth to the Saints he doth them all the good he can he speakes to God for them as Elisha prayed for the mother and the child and Paul for the Ephesians he speakes to man for them in their defence as Hester for the Jews David for Ionathan Nicodemus for Christ. He speakes to themselves and to their hearts for their comfort strength instruction and encouragement He never scornes nor reviles them but honors them that feare the Lord. 6 He seeth in all he doth his faylings and humbleth himselfe dayly and abhorres himselfe in dust and ashes as Iob. chap. 42. 6. David that so resolutely kept the comman dements saw what a beast he was by his faylings Psal. 73. 22. Agur seeth himselfe more foolisher then any man Prov. 30. 2. Paul after many a yeare striving and combate for the law in the inner man complaines what a miserable man he is Rom. 7. 14. 24. how carnall he was and sold under sinne Now this hastens us to Christ and makes us watchfull against corruptions and still strive hard to the marke That wee may be provoked to shew our selves of this remnant by keeping the commandements of God and abiding in the duty which the word commandeth let us take these motives 1 Keepe the word and it will keep thee keep the name of Christ and thou shalt be kept in his name Pro. 2. 11. Ioh. 17. 6. 11. 2 All the commandements of God are pure the law is holy just and good of the same nature power and justice as God himselfe Psal 119. 128. I esteeme all thy statutes right and hate all false wayes Yea all of them tend to perfection of holinesse as our Father is perfect 3 In keeping them is great reward Psal. 19. 11. The righteous are in some manner recompenced on earth they enjoy a sweet peace with God and in their consciences assured hope and precious promises But their full and finall reward is in heaven Rev. 22. 14. Blessed are they that do his commandements that their right may be in the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the City If Salomon shall endeavour to keepe the Commandements God promiseth to establish him in a Kingdome 1 Chron. 28. 7. On the same condition will he establish us in
opposing Christ when by the clouding vailing of the truth of the Gospel she saw her selfe spoyled of the shining clothing of the Sun when shee saw the Moone that was under her feet set above her head when now her Pastors and Bishops whom persecution could not conquer were addicted to pompe wealth contention primacy and greatnesse when now she saw her selfe robbed of her crowne of twelve starres that was upon her head and those starres were fallen from their Orbe and Firmament when her Pastors forsaking Apostolike doctrine and striving for superstitions and to stuffe the Church with humane devises and traditions in stead of Christs most sacred institutioÌ„s when she saw that not now the bodies of men were slain and wounded as in former persecutions but their soules and consciences were everlastingly wounded with heresies errours and Apostasie for the truth now shee flies into the wildernes now she dares not shew her face in those particular coÌ„gregations in which formerly her beauty glory was conspicuous her case now is as of a chaste spouse who seeing a painted harlot and a bewitching whore taken into her place and those offices of love and duties of marriage bestowed on her which is the wives right shee is willing to give place and take her selfe to a solitary and sorrowfull life to be so unkindly cast off so doth the true Church and Spouse of Christ hide her selfe from those adulterate doctrines superstitions and Idolatries which thrust out Christs owne pure Ordinances Here are two things 1. What is this flight 2. What are the meanes For the flight 1. This flight of the Church is not a ceasing to bee but to be seene for Christ will have alwayes a true part of his Catholike Church upon earth that shall hold and professe constantly the true faith without change So as the Church ceaseth not to bee when shee ceaseth to bee seene but hath a true being when she is least visible 2. This ceasing to bee seene is not in respect of particular Christians but of particular Congregations the which although they may cease because by persecution or heresie the externall government may faile for a time the Pastors may be interrupted the sheepe may bee scattered the discipline hindered and the externall exercise of religion suspended and sincerity of religion exceedingly corrupted yet there shall not cease to bee many godly members dispersed here and there who shall hold the truth for substance and so now though there were no or few assemblies in which God was purely worshipped while superstition tyranny and Idolatry usurped all places yet many beleeving Christians were reserved to Christ in secret although either not knowne or of no reckoning in the world but contemned and oppressed 3. This ceasing to be seen in particular Christians is not inrespect of their persons as men which are as visible as ever but in respect of the visible exercise of Gods Ordinances of the Word Sacraments Prayer and outward forme and government which persecution had now restrained 4. This invisibility in respect of visible exercises is not in regard of the Christians themselves but of the blinde world for the persecuted Christians may have a secret knowledge among themselves and a secret profession and exercise of religion and yet the blinde world take no notice of theÌ„ yet the Church not destroyed nor ceaseth to bee no more than the Sunne ceaseth to shine though a blinde man cannot see it in the day nor a seeing man in the night and no more than a man ceaseth to bee a man because he is hid Now from the cause of this invisibility and flight learne that errour and heresie is more hatefull to the Church than persecution and tyranny Corruption of doctrine and changing the truth into a lie more straightneth and scattereth the Church than sword and torments of tyrants that drives the the Church to her winges not this that manifests the true Church and members but this hideth and obscureth her Let the example of the Church make us wise 1. To feare the dragon more when hee fawneth than when he rageth more in his Foxes skinne than in his Lyons skinne He is more dangerous when he would teach Christians to deny the truth than when he would force them His wiles are more mischievous than his violence his Doctors more dangerous than his Captaines 2. More to feare losse of truth than losse of wealth losse of the Gospell than losse of goods or life This is true godlinesse which teacheth Mary to fasten upon the good part whatsoever become of the worse 3. Hold him that would spoyle us of the truth a greater robber than him that would steale our goods an heretike worse than a tyrant 4. Be more carefull to hold the truth and keepe our part in the Gospell than our portion of goods and wealth The Church to hold the truth chuseth a poore desolate solitary and sorrowfull estate and a wise Merchant will sell all to buy the pearle But where is this care or where bee the Children of this mother who for the truth sake would follow her into the wildernesse who either care for the presence of truth or feare the losse and removall of it Where be the buyers of the truth in this age when so many value it not worth a shoo-string How few feare the prevailing of Popery for the truth sake though perhaps for their peace sake or wealth sake they had rather have things stand at a stay Now in the meanes of the womans deliverance are five things in this verse 1. The meanes themselves two great wings of an Eagle 2. Whence shee did flie with them from the face of the serpent 3. Whither into the wildernesse called her place 4. To what end to bee noâ—rished and preserved there 5. How long for a time times and halfe a time In the first are 1. What these wings are 2. The number 3. Whence she had them they were given her 4. The similitude wings of a great Eagle By Wings are meant the speciall meanes of the Churches escape from danger so called because they resemble the wings of the birds in a twofold use First as a bird by his wings flyeth swiftly from the danger and so saveth his life even so the Lord by these meanes foreseene and appointed by himselfe worketh a swift escape and speedy safety in the present perils of his Church Secondly as the bird hideth her young under her wing Mat. 23. 37. so by and under these meanes the Lord hideth his Church as under the wings of his Providence where she lyeth most safe and secure till the danger be over Psalme 91. 8. Hee shall cover thee under his wings For the number they are two enough to fly withall no bird hath or needeth more for her flight The Church is supplyed with as many meanes of her good as the Lords wisdome seeth her need to require at all times This number of two hath
set many wits on worke to tel us what they be But they agree not nor can seeing the meanes of the Churches safety are infinite Some define them to be faith and patience which lift her from earth to heaven Some say they are the two Testaments the Old and the New in which the Churches defence lyeth Some say they are the two Tables containing love of God and of our neighbour Some that the one is the wing of prayer the other of charity Some that the one is the contempt of earth and the other the aspiring to heaven But we need not be so acute and if wee should settle upon any two things wee should perhaps misse the minde and ayme of the holy Spirit of God as most of these must needs do The likelyest if we would restraine the number and conceive it definite were the providence of God protecting and his oracles directing the woman in this speedie flight But the number is definite for indefinite and two in this place for the propriety of the subject and metaphore For for a bird to have more wings then two or fewer then two to fly withall were harsh and improper Not that wee are not to conceive more meanes of Gods providence and the Churches safety then two for these two wings are the same with the seven pipes serving to the lamps Zech. 4. 2. alluding to the pipes of the candlesticke which were seven of which he speaketh in that place and as the number of seaven aptly agreeth with that allusion so onely the number of two aptly agreeth with this But whence had the Woman these things They were given her The text implyeth two things First That the Church had no wings of her owne all her safety and defence is layd out of herselfe as a weake woman can make small shift for herselfe against such an army of dragons Secondly Though it be not sayd who gave her the wings yet it is implyed they were given of God for he is the father of lights from whom commeth every good gift and he that prepared her the place vers 6. prepared her wings to flye to it with him onely is counsell and strength he onely can afford meanes of escape and evasion he stretcheth out his strong and oculate providence as two wings the feathers of which are the truth and faith of his promise sealed and delivered by the hand of his Two Witnesses and thus he saveth her Lastly for the similitude wings of a great Eagle So many phrases in this booke so many mysteries Here is an allusion to Exod. 19. 4. you have seene how I have caryed you on Eagles wings and brought you unto me By those Eagles wings someunderstand Moses Aaron their leaders but they themselves also were carryed upon these wings By them is meant the powerful meanes of opening a way in the sea rayning Manna from heaven breaking a rocke for water covering them with a cloud by day and night c. In this text these wings of a great eagle note to us 4. things 1 As the eagle out of her love to her young ones fluttereth and steareth them out of the neast to a safer place when she feares danger so the Lord for the love of his Church in danger urgeth her out of her neast and rest and leads her into a safer place in the wildernesse Christ out of Iudea Israel out of Egypt 2 As the eagle having gotten her young ones forth when they begin to fly supports them with her wings lest they should fall Deut. 32. 11. so the Lord supports his Church in her flight from falling carefully seeing to her that she take no hurt 3 As an eagle especially a great eagle hath strong wings agill and able to carry her in a strong flight to flye farre from danger so the Lord in the needs of his Church provides some great and powerfull meanes and by them as by strong wings sets his Church beyond al the reach of hurt and danger Thus Nebucad-nezzar a great man is called a great eagle with great and long wings and full of feathers fit to accomplish GODS word against Zedekiah Ezeck 17. 2. 4 As the eagle flyeth high aloft in the aire and beyond all sight of men by the length and strength of her wing so the Lord drawes his Church neare unto him from out of the sight of men and neare Heaven and the nearer him the further from danger Observ. 1. God who could save the woman by his word without wings doth not ordinarily save her but by wings For Gods providence excludes not but includes meanes of safety Moses must be saved from the waters to be a Deliverer but he must be put into a basket pitcht and prepared for him They in the ship Act. 27. must be saved from drowning but they must abide in the ship and then some on plankes some on boards and pieces of the ship came safe to land Exod. 15. 25. God could have sweetned the bitter waters with a word but Moses must cast in a piece of wood to sweeten them He could have divided the sea and dryed the way by his strong word but doth it by a strong East winde Which teacheth us not to neglect the meanes appointed by God for our good for God who tyeth not himselfe to wings tyeth the woman to use them when he pleaseth to afford them Hezekiah must be healed by a lumpe of dry figs. Nature teacheth that he that would reape must sow he must eate that must live and he must fight that would have victory So grace teacheth that he that would reape one harvest in glory must sow the seed of grace in the seedtime and he that would live eternally must feed on Christ by hearing reading beleeving and obeying his word and he that would be crowned must strive lawfully Observ. 2. The Woman having no wings of her owne hath wings given her of God which teacheth that the Church and members of it shall have wings sufficient to avoyd all hurtfull danger in due season For 1 Our text saith God will afford two sufficient for escape and wings of an eagle to fly swiftly and make a speedy escape and wings of a great eagle to fly strongly and aloft and far from danger 2 Gods presence is not an idle presence with his people but he is present to save Ier. 30. 11. I am with thee to save thee 3 The Arke was a type of the Church and that was all and alwaies covered with wings of Cherubins signifying the divine protection alwaies watching and covering the Church and spreading his wings over the faithfull to repell any harme further then he will turne any evill to his owne glory and his Churches good For wee must know that all promises run with exception of the crosse and God in his wisdome doth not alwayes give to every member of the Church wings to fly from externall tyranny and persecution but dealeth as a good husband man