that he calls to minde how in despite of Pharaoh and his Host from the House of Bondage it was thou O Lord who didst lead thy people like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron Gods Deliverance when past all hopes in Humane reason is a strong Rampire to keep off Despair Let us bear then with patience all our crosses since the Arm of the Lord is not shortned He saves by unities as well as universalities and one Moses and one Aaron is enough for him to lead his people out of Egypt But Magistracy and Ministery are under a cloud and yet the people like sheep are led by those the Lord hath set over them You see adversity of old could not make disloyal Subjects but prosperity of late hath buoyed up too many into Rebellion This is too apparent parent while all the people like sheep were led by the hand of Moses and Aaron But in our times Moses and Aaron have been led like sheep to the slaughter by the hand of the common people I shall not so much inveigh against our bloody Regicides as commend these loyal subjects though in a forreign Land and they all captivated yet the words import their obedience to their Superiors they are at the command of Moses their head Magistrate and Aaron their prime Diocesan Where Loyalty and Conformity is the Coat Deliverance by the Prince and Priest is the Cresh we shall stick in the mine till these bring us out of the dirt Know it That obedience to the Law of the Land and the Discipline of the Church assure deliverance We may suffer long and see small help yet let us live in Loyalty to the King and obedience to our Aaron and God will bless us There hath been no want on Gods part we want hearts seriously to consider what great things our great God hath brought to pass for the good of us by the hand of our Moses and our Aaron by the meekness of the one and wisdom of them both they have settled the Laity in their Lands and the Clergy in their Livings So that now to the praise of God and comfort of us and all ours we can say Though not out of the Land of Egypt yet out of the house of Bondage thou O Lord hast led thy people like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron It is thou O Lord nil desper andum Caesare duce Thou didst lead that 's our joy the work is done and we delivered But who are these the Lord delivered A people for plurality thine for propriety It is Gods good will to be guid to the people whilest led they are sure not to be misled For thy people thine by Creation thine by Redemption Redemption spiritual from the Power of the old man Redemption Corporal from the sons of Belial But thou O Lord hast led the people like sheep Israel of old Ireland of late like sheep Thou hast led us not to the slaughter but from the slaughter-house the High-Court of high-in-justice and many slain and yet we thy people were like sheep scarce opening our mouthes before the Shearers content to part with our fleece to save our flesh What is more innocent the sheep And what had we done against them that did rise up against us Thus O Lord thou hast called back the Captivity of a people as harmless as sheep for neither against our King nor Kingdom were we Offenders But it is here said O Lord how thou ledst thy people by the hand to point out the way not by the sword to cut out a way But this is done by hand of Moses and Aaron and blessed be those Counsellours to our King who when it was War have made Peace The worst of Enemies if they have the least of Grace will shake hands with this Moses and this Aaron The twain are said to have one hand to note an unanimity O happy is the Land when these go hand in hand the Prince and the Prelate Then is the best of times when Aaron bows to Moses his Scepter and Moses by Law upholds Aarons Mitre Though these be the Instruments God's the Author of our Deliverance Our help then stood in the Lord our God for thou didst lead us out and brought us in for our sin thou didst punish us and of thy mercy thou forgavest us we may blame our selves for our captivity It is to thee O Lord we give thanks for our liberty But thou who dwellest in Heaven made use of some choice servants upon earth to redeem us as the Israelites yet give thanks but to thy name be the praise Here must we after a thankful acknowledgement made to thee our God not neglect to honor those whom under thee O God thou hast honored to be our Church and State Restorers Blessed shall they be in the Kingdom of Heaven who under God and the King have been instrumental to set at freedom this Kingdom It is fawning flattery but Christian civility to bless them both who have the chief Government in this our Church and Kingdom whose hands and hearts these many years have been lifted up to God by prayer for us when others had made a prey of us whose grave counsels added to the wisdom of our young Solomon have brought to nought the Worldly wisdom of all Trayterous Achitophels Let us acquiesce under the pious Goverment of their Graces since no new custom but the old fashion thus to be governed and thus to govern for of old O Lord thou didst lead thy people like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron A home CHARGE for all Subjects Prov. 24.21 Fear God and the King THe Object of fear is God in Heaven The King on Earth God in the first place the King in the second I must so reverence God that I slight not his Vice-gerent and so observe my King that I forget not to be the servant of the living God Love advises To fear God Allegiance bindes to stand in aw of the King The one for that The Father of Spirits the other for that Pater Patriae the Father of the Countrey But let us look at these two conjunct severed Conjunct as if no fear of God in them that injure the King as if the Civil Governor be contemned our Celestial Commander is lightly set by Fear God And shew thy self religious Thy fear to offend the King witnesses thou art righteous The first Commandment involves our fearing God the fifth our fearing the King In the first Table it s the first thing which God takes care of To fear him In the second Table the first precept implicite To honor the King While you do no homage to the person of your Prince fear to offend him is far to seek But since God commands all and the King immediate Vice-gerent unto God This considered all are engaged to Fear God and the King This Precept is like the waters of Trial Numb 5. The water tryed whether that a pure Spouse this who is
not have freed us Hadst thou not been our God thou wouldst not have done this for us We have experienced thy power as the Lord and none do come in competition we have found thy favour as our God and it is thy superlative mercy is solely to be magnified Let us weep for that we have sinned against so good a God let us joy in the Lord for that relieved by the arm of the Lord our God Of late we were in Babylon now in Sion servants to slaves now servants only to God and the King praised be God it is thou whom we do serve though of late O Lord our God other Lords besides thee have ruled us He that takes upon him to rule without God is sure to be punished by the Devil Let me tell you an Usurper on Earth is a Free-holder in Hell and though he make us suffers for the present he in all likelihood is to be tormented to Eternity But what a madness is this to strive to rule a multitude when thou canst not rule one to seek for soveraignty over men when thy usurped power makes thee a slave to the Devil It is the most unseemly sight for Peasants to personate Princes and for Princes to stand at the Bar when Peasants sit on the bench We have seen the time and God be blessed over-lived the time and though long inslaved at length relieved Yet to humble us and give God thanks we do confess to our late grief and now joy how O Lord our God other Lords besides thee have ruled us THE ANGELS ANTHEME Luke 2.14 Glory be to God in the highest peace upon earth goodwil to man THe occasion of this Antheme is Christs Birthdome the Messenger is an Angel his Message to the Sheepherds the news glad tidings to all people the Choristers a multitude of heavenly Souldiers their Angelical Carrol Glory be to God in the highest peace upon earth goodwil toward man Christ is born and Christs Brithdom and the Angels Antheme divulge the great love of the great God to mean man For God sent his Son from Heaven to Earth he came from Heaven he came to Earth he became man to make us all men was born of a Virgin O blessed Birthdom whose birth gives life to many millions O Divine condescention Our Christ came to live with men that we men might live with God He assmes our nature to make peace betwixt the Creator and the Creature nay more he took upon him life natural that so he might free us all from death eternal He lived to dye that we might not dye but live His Birth is the forerunner of all our benefits and therefore in honor of that Day Christs Birthday Angels sing a Gloria Patri they sing the Antheme in three parts In Alto. In Alto glory be to God in the highest In Basso In Basso Peace upon earth In Medio In Medio Goodwil towards men The Singers are the Angels the Ditty Glory Peace Goodwil the Tune in Alto Basso Medio behold Glory ascends on high Peace possesses the earth Goodwil pursues each soul And thus Heaven Earth and Man bear all parts in this Song God in Heaven Man on Earth and the Earth from whence Man came each do here bear their part apparent while glory is given to God Peace to the Earth goodwil to Man What soul is not ravished with this sacred Ditty sung by Angels sung on Christs Brithday sung for joy That our Redemption drew nigh A Song to be sung in Triple time which as Musicians know allows of two Minnims down and one onely up And is not here one up Glory be to God on high And two down Peace be upon earth And two down Good-will towards man These are Heavens Waits and being come to the doors of us Mortals they double their strokes and having honored God God takes it for no dishonor in a redoubled note for them to express their love to us Thus shall be done to them whom the King means to honor Well let Angels be our Samplers and let us learn by them to us to give back again to God praise and glory praise for our Creation glory for our Redemption Let God have the glory for making our peace with him yea glory to God in the highest for affording us peace one with another peace within ourselves and for that hope we have of that Peace which passeth all understanding And as thus we give glory to God for this peace proclaimed so glory be to God for his goodwil to man we may possess our souls in peace for we have the good will of God we had enslaved our selves to sin and Satan It is Gods good will to free us from Hell and the Devil The Prince of darkness is rooted and our peace is purchased not onely peace for us who are earth but the goodwil of God to all mankinde on earth But though the Greek Fathers interpret these words of Gods goodwil to man yet the Latine Fathers thus translate this Antheme Peace be upon earth to men of goodwil As if men could never be at peace with God the Father whilest he bears ill will to his neighbour He is quite out of tune who is not in charity neither will God afford him peace that affords not his neighbour love As love is the fulfilling of the Law so the large and the long and the brief and the semi-brief in this sacred Sonnet An ill will d man is a wicked man and while he lives at odds with men can never have hopes of peace with God But the twofold Exposition of the Greeks and Latines the one expounding this Antheme of Gods goodwill to us the other of ours to God and all mankinde This proclaims How Heaven and Earth are agreed God loves us and we love him and we all one another He us before we were we him in time He loved us before we loved him we love him after his love to us hath mollified our stony hearts But how comes this good agreement none were more at odds then God and man O! the reconcilement is made by the Birth of Christ a Birth predicted by the Sibbels foretold by the Prophets and confessed by all Christians Christ Harbinger came before our Saviour came quickly afeter When nigh at hand the cry went Advenit advenit advenit advenit He comes he comes he comes he comes to us in utero Virginis in the womb of a Virgin O rate generation Adam was neigher of man nor woman Eve from a man but no woman Our Saviour is born of a woman begot of no man he is born man and Mary made the Mother of God For the Word was made flesh Joh. 1.14 and all this that we who are more flesh then Spirit might by the Spirit of Christ become less carnal and more spiritual And now since Christ is come to save us us his enemies such enemies as made a combination with the World Flesh and Devil against the Father Son and Holy Ghost
a good Christian He is an unsufferable subject that pretends the fear of God and fears not the King He is a Demi-Chtistian who vaunts how he honors the King while the fear of God is not before his eyes But let us look into this Ark and we shall find Manna laid up in it good advice for after ages That enjoyned is Fear God Who should I fear if not God But what is he and what must I go do God is a Spirit uncreate eternal a parte post so are we a parte ante so none but he for God is never to have an ending nor ever had a beginning And this Eternity à parte ante is it that no humane reason can fathom Lord where Reason fails give me faith to believe and that it is an eternal God Creator of Heaven and Earth that I must fear And have I not just cause to fear him whom so oft I have offended But this Scripture hints not at fear of punishment but such a fear as love leads on to the keeping Gods Commandments He hath the true fear of God in him that fears to break the Commandments He that says he fears God and casts his word behinde him doth not so much deceive the World as the Devil deceives him When I square my life by Gods Law then I keep this command a prophane person then hath no fear of God in him and if to be guided by Gods Word picture out this party such then who pervert the Word of God to their own damnation how dwelleth the fear of God in them I have cast my eye up let me now look down and look at a debt I owe as to God so to the King Religion obliges me to fear God the Law the King The Law Moral as my common Parent the Law Municipal as my Lord and Soveraign truth is he is a loose fellow will not be bound up to the Law The King is set over by God for is it not said By me Kings do reign Prov. 8. and since of his setting up none but a Devil will pull them down Obedience and reverence is due to the Prince and the want of each assert the breach of this charge Let no man separate assunder those whom God hath joyned together Yet let me set a vast distance betwixt fear and fear my Spiritual fear I reserve for God a Civil for my Soveraign There is an awful reverence due to the one as my Creator I owe reverence to the other for that set far above every sublunary Creature Love is the fulfilling of Gods Law and a filial fear leads on to the completion of the Kings commands As he that fears not the King the fear of God is not in him so he fears not the King who fears not to break his Laws Know it and for an assured truth That when the King in his vertual Capacity is contemned his personal Capacity stands in need of a guard And therefore either fear to break the Kings Law or else it is to be feared thou wilt attempt to wrong the Kings Person Experience is a witness to this Thesis and proclaims How haters of the Law have turned murtherers of their Soveraign Lord the King These deserve pity for they hate reproof while had rather dye in their sin then be told of their sin Let us resolve To fear God and the King let us shew our fear to him by our fear to stray from his wholesome Laws Laws able to keep you in possession of your own in peace one with another Thus you shall preserve the bond of peace in the unity of the Spirit live as Christian Brethren and dye true loyal Subjects To conclude where there is no fear of God there is a want of the grace of God But that you all may possess Grace and Peace Grace which assures you have Peace with God Peace which witnesses you are in high grace with the King Fear God for love and love the King for the fear of God And that thy fear may not interfear thy charge is Fear God and the King SIONS SAD COMPLAINT Isa 36. part of verse 13. O Lord our God other Lords besides thee have ruled us THis is a mixt Song sung in the tune Lachrymae sung in the Cliff Gaudete The people of God call d to minde their Babylonian Bondage and tears stand in their eyes They are brought back from Babylon and now with their sad thoughts are intermixed mirth and merriness The parallel of these Jews is the River Alphaltes in whose channel run salt and fresh waters How can it but grieve to think of their long and late Captivity How does it solace to enjoy their lost liberty that so long sufferers exhausts tears that sufferers are become conquerers For this cause rejoyce and again I say Rejoyce That other Lords have bore rule this flats our joy That they have but do not revives our drooping spirits Let us look behinde before at what past at what present at our late banishment miraculous restorement These duplicated thoughts extract mixt passions joy and sorrow hope and fear We grieve when we remember what past joy for that our griefs are past Those other Lords put us in fear O Lord our God thou puts us in good hopes And thus fear and hope sorrow and joy are here housed Of this I rest assured while this I hear read O Lord our God other Lords besides thee have ruled us These Israelites are not grieved that God hath punished but complains of that body of sin which provoked the Lord to punish They quarrel not at the stone they look at the thrower and takes all well as it comes from God yet think meaner of themselves for that O Lord our God other Lords besides thee have ruled them Them and us they led the round we hold out the dance Their Thraldom was long since ours scarce got from our doors The Jews were Captives in a forreign Land we made slaves at home a mighty King conquered them the off-scum of our Kingdom tyrannized over us Worshippers of Idols inslaved the Israelites Pretenders to God and Godliness plauged our Church and Nation When Religion must cloak faction that is the height of Rebellion and the Church then sadly suffers when her new Gospellers abhor Idols yet commit Sacriledge What can adde more to misery then to have the Law of God and the King trod undersfoot When the Kings Laws suffer an Eclipse the Kings Crown is under a cloud when the Preachers of the Gospel are turned out of their pulpits they are not far off who mean to rob them of their benifices We have experienced the merciless mercy of these Egyptian Taskmasters who caused us to make our stint of brick and seek our stubble live like men and miraculously get our maintenance O if we could have over-ruled our selves others should not have ruled us our sins led us into bondage it is of the Lords doings to redeem us Hadst thou not been the Lord thou couldst
nay more since this Son of God sic exananivit semetipsum hath so humbled himselt as to be born of a Virgin that we might be born again and live and with God and in Heaven and for ever doubtless it is high time and opportune time at this set time for no less then Angels to turn Coristers and to say and sing this sacred Song Glory be to God on high Peace upon Earth Goodwil towards man A LESSON FOR Souldiers Luke 3.14 The Souldiers likewise demanded of him saying And what shall we do and he said unto them Do violence to man accuse no man falsly and be content with your wages THese words are occasioned upon a Sermon newly Preached The Preacher is John the Baptist His Hearers are of divers dispositions the effect they are all astonished The Baptist threatens death the people enquire how to save life No sooner saith John The ax is laid to the root of the tree but as soon the people fear to be made fuel for the fire Lo after a Law-Sermon follows a Gospel-Demand We will never seek after Christ till Moses hath found us out It is Moses must lanch the sore before Christ will cure the wound let me welcome then a Boanerges as much as a Barnabas and by this demand rest ensured How Law-preaching makes me sensible of my sins Though the love of God and merits of Christ save yet the justice of God and judgement preached fits me for a Saviour It is true how Christ by his blood hath purchased for us a Kingdom it is as true how the Law is School-master and leads us unto Christ Till I meet with this guide I shall neither have eye to see with nor tongue to enquire for a Saviour After the Law be home applied and powerfully preached presently the whole man seeks every where for a Deliverer Such a Sermon was Peters Acts 2. and then in vers 37. they cry What shall we do Such a Sermon is this of our Baptists and in three companies the cry goes Aud what shall we do O! when the Law preached makes me sensible of my sore then I seek for a plaister He that preaches to the people God is nothing else but all love shall be sure in the end to meet with his justice Sugar plumbs are more destructive to the stomach then sharp sauce and a discreet Cook will send up to the table salt to rellish the fresh dishes Such a Caterer is this of our Saviours he sends up meat and mustard and while threatens the torments of Hell-fire tells the people how to escape the fire of Hell generally in a Sermon particularly in a Catechism And that I note is the people Demand and the Baptist Answers Lo the willinguess of the one and the readiness of the other the Souldiers are alarm'd out of sin and now they are in march for Sion they are awaked out of the bed of carnal security and they cry for the dug of Divine Doctrine That is a gracious forenoon Sermon produces such an afternoon Catechism it assures how the Catechuminists loath not Manna but long for the sincere milk of the Word But that again I call to minde is how the Souldiers propound and the Preacher resolves Thus like new hatch birds they gape till the old one disgorge into them They cry says the Text and is it not high time for them to cry who have made so many so long to cry Well when God in a Sermon speaks home to the Conscience it will make thee ask ere thou be asked an say Master what shall we do This was the cry of the people of the Publicans and now that they have begun to cry the Souldiers cannot hold their tongues Good example does much prevail with rude and robust natures As the fierce beast by long waking is made tame so our savage dispositions are made pliable by a long and loud peal of Gods judgements sounding in our ears But I much marvel not that these Souldiers are thus terrified and demand What must we do They had hewed down so many with their swords that now afraid to be cut in pieces with the ax Gods judgements When a guilty Conscence hath a weeping eye and a crying tongue for salvation though his sword hath been diâ—d with the blood of innocents yet there is hopes how his soul may be rinsed clean from sin with the blood of our lord Jesus And thus I proceed from the Demand to the Determination from the quid faciemus what shall we do to the quid faciendum Do violence to no man accuse no man falsly and be content with your wages Here are short Lessons but long a taking out little said much implyed In thre lines Souldiers are taught their whole duty to man We will give them three years to take out their Lesson and to do what here they are willed to do But this Tripertite Maudat seems to infer the Souldiers propenseness to the breach of this advice as also That he is a right bred Souldier who squares his life by this Law Model me out such a company and in a fight they will not fear to dye When my life is led according to Gods golden Rule then death is as welcome to me as life I will in special take notice what is the will of God in this time of my earthly Pilgrimage lest my farewel be far worse then my first beginning But come when we carry righteously towards man it is probable we will be religous towards God And it is at this end of Divine Direction that our Baptist starts his discourse Viz. Do violence to no man Viz. Accuse no man falsly Viz. Be content with your wages By this it seems Gods Word gives no warrant to him who hath the longest sword to take the greatest plunder nor yet for him who hath the longest weapon to have too long a tongue nor yet for him who hath marched all day to turn Mntineer next morning A right bred Souldier will rest content with that pay which is allotted for him wil not forge a lye to hurt his neighbour nor yet when the drawn sword is in his hand will harm the innocent Here are three Lessons for Souldiers and the first manacles their hands the second their tongues the third staves them off other mens goods while gives them no more but what they work for and to speak no more but truth he is a gallant Souldier whose hand is tied to good behaviour and Doth violence to no man who can keep his tongue within his teeth and Accuse no man falsly who quiets himself with his means and is Content with his wages Your being Content with your wages asserts how you are no Mutineers and gains you the love of your Leaders Your Accusing no man falsly assures how you have the fear of God and keep his ninth Commandment Your withdrawing your selves from Doing violence to any man shews an heroick spirit and such an one whose religious will over-rules your
Warlike care Such an Army of Souldiers make an Host of Saints and if they thus lead a life of Grace the Lord of Hosts will lead them to a life of glory Their reward is in Heaven and they are sure of it the Lord never fails them that fear him but so soon as the Souldiers scabbard falls to the ground the blade is laid up with the Lord Though thou be at a loss for a time thy soul will be safe in Abrahams bosom It is better then to live well then fight well especially for Souldiers whose lives are so very oft in danger Let this threefold Admonition fore-arm them and warn us to lead a good life if ever we mean to enjoy a life everlasting Gods Love MANS LIFE John 3.16 God so loved the World that be c. LOrd inspire me with thy Spirit that my tongue may shew forth thy praise whilest my heart rejoyceth in God my Saviour And since it is not in the heart of man to sathom the depth of thy love O give me leave to admire thy love to him who deserves the utmost of thy vengeance Hadst not thou been a God whose mercy is not to be measured man had never tasted of so much mercy in the midst of his Misery But thus to love us when we had forsaken our first-love This is of the Lords doings and it is marvellous in our eyes Let me lay the guilt of Humane Nature wide ope to the World then the God of Nature will be magnified and the Attribute of his Mercy mightily admired Was not man made little inferior to the Angels The prime piece of Gods Workmanship in the likeness of God did God make man And could a Creature expect an higher favour from his Creator Was he not seated in Paradise an Heaven upon Earth Had he not given unto him Dominion over all the whole Creation And might not his Lordship have Lorded it over all the Creatures He who had all to obey him on Earth was tied onely to obey that one God in Heaven and yet he aspires to be as God A sin so transcendent to turn a Traytor to his Liege-Lord as no mouth dare justifie him no Angel plead for him for in committing this one sin he stood guilty of Ingratitude to his Liege-Lord of Covetousness for aspired to have the Regiment of Angels of Rebellion for rebelled against God and his King As Divines conceive in committing this one sin Adam coagulated all sins not making his Person onely but Humane Nature accessary And thus he dishonored God destroyed himself and corrupted all mankinde And yet rebus sic stantibus instead of punishing God pities instead of confounding God comforts Death was threarned if Adam sinned life is promised after he had sinned not for any foreseen good in man but because God would be so good to man Lust inthrald us Love set us at liberty it was the love of God and therefore of the best sort He so loved as no parallel can equal He loved the World a large extent and gave his Son not a servant his onely Son it s much to have but one and part with that one But why parts God and his Son That some of the sons of men might come to God even as many as believe All then are not at a loss as many shall be saved as lelieve Salvation then is not of works but faith And this Faith myst be in him not in the Jewish Talmud Turkish Alcaron nor Popes Pardons but a Belief in Christ Jesus a belief That as Adam made us guilty of death so that by the death of Christ me shall be freed from the second death and have life here a life of grace bereafter a life of glory here the Inchoation after the Consummation now we live to dye through Christ we dye to live and have a life everlasting What could Adam and all we have expected less what could he and we have more desired we were doomed to dye reprived to live by the Judge of Heaven sentenced to an Eternity of torments by the same Judge our sentence is repealed to a fair possibility of salvation And thus for us to sin against God and God thus to put it up and not onely not to punish with death but to provide for us life life everlasting This may put Humane Wit to a stand Was ever Love like this says the Scripture Can a Woman forget her own Childe The Quaere implies a possibility but a rarity Such forgetfulness may be in us mortals there in none at all in our Maker Being arch enemies to him he befriends us and parts with his own Son to make us his Sons and Daughters yea heirs heirs of God and joynt heirs with Christ Jesus And thus he gives gold for dross and all to make us who are dross to pass for currant coyn in his Kingdom Saith David to Jonathan Thy love to me was wonderful passing the love of women But behold and wonder here is love surpassing mans expression The love of God to man so to love him as to redeem him to send his Son to dye to save man from death and to require no more but to believe to believe His own Son hath paid the ransome with his own life to purchase us a life Everlasting O let my life answer my belief We do not believe in Christ if we lead not the life of grace Though faith onely justifies alone faith never justifies If I do good works to testifie my Sanctification before men then my belief in Christ will ensure my Justification before God As my faith must justifie me so my works must justifie my faith No man believes in Christ that lives in sin I say not who is sometimes gull'd but every day misled and willingly the effect of faith is an holy life As light attends on the Sun so good works on Faith he that lives well cannot believe ill Thy life ensures me of thy belief thy belief of the love of God yea and that thou art one of those of whom it is said God so loved the World that he c. GODS PRESENCE Patiences Protector Phil. 4. part of verse 5. The Lord is at hand THese words were writ to the Philippians occasioned for that surrounded with sorrow and overcast with care They profess Christ and for it scorn'd by the Jews scoft at by the Gentiles Now lest despair crush them or impatience provoke them this Memento is given them The Lord is at hand One able to support for A Lord No mean one for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Lord nor is he far off for saith S. Paul At hand on thy right hand to comfort not on thy left hand to scourge Our God is in Heaven and our God is here Residentially above Potentially below There is his Palace and here he perambulates and as thou canst not flie from thy shade no more from God The Sun is above and vertually with us and God is in Heaven yet always with men on
earth He is within sight Nam Deus videt God sees within cry for saith he Call on me in trouble and I will hear thee He houses in thy house Know ye not your bodies are the houses of the Holy Ghost A Cordial and may comfort Gods childe a Corrosive and cuts to the quick the sons of Belial God sees thy afflictions and can ease thee He knoweth the impetuous wantonness of the wicked and will punish him But why should I lay on load when God bids Hold off Hands This Scripture is not alledged to terrifie evil livers but to support such as are surround with sorrow Thou livest well and farest ill servest God and art misused by men It is pity that for well-doing thou shouldst be ill intreated This is the course of the World to set light by them who set an high estimate on Gods service The Devil and the sons of Belial both joyn to disjoynt a Saint the wicked with revilings the Devil with temptations The nigher I come to God the closer siege the Devil lays to my soul A daily sinner he seldom assaults No he that is running fast on to Hell needs not be called on to mend his pace but he that is going out of Sodom shall finde many a stop ere he get to Zoar. The approach of Gods Spirit close up to my heart mudles the unclean spirit who vows a return not onely to the house which is empty swept and garnished empty of all Piety swept with the stump worn broom Formality and garnished with the gilt of Hypocrisie but he rages to turn into the Temple of God The heart of the Elect There he hopes for rich plunder Abrahams Jewels Jonathans Purple and Judiths Bravery to surprize a Saints spiritual graces This is that King of Assyria that gives charge to his two and thirty Captains to sight with none but the King of Israel the soul of a Saint O! the fall of such a star he knows would darken Heaven The Apostacy of one Disciple pleases him more then the debauchedness of many Miscreants And now it is that the siege is laid against the precious sould of a sanctified Saint his out-work is battered with persecution his in-work with temptation The Alarm is taken and it holds on all the Summer of our youth and Winter of our old age it lasts from the cradle to the crutch from our birth till our Death To have such an enemy as the Devil and so long a siege as all our lives and such fierce Assailants as seek the ruine of body and soul and for ever Were not this able to crush in pieces Patience But O Jobs Wife be thou gone I never knew her prove a good wise who gave her husband evil counsel I hate here advice to Curse God I like Jobs resolve Yea though the Lord kill me yet will I trust in him Job knew that the Devil was busie about him yet that God was not far from him This is it will make us take our dough upon our shoulders and march though a Wilderness of stinging Serpents We have a cloud behinde to shade us from our enemies a pillar of fire before to guide on to the promised land of our possession The Lord is he who never leaves us nor forsakes us The presence of God is the prime preserver of Patience in afflictions Let me stand it out my Soveraign Lord is within sight Let me not faint since such a second is present The Lord is present What could I do if he were not here What can I not now he is at hand Not onely sight but overcome Become more then Conquerer yea conquer the Devil that meant to make of me a conquest yea Conquer my self whom the DEVIL could not Conquer I am never a freeman untill a Bondman the more I inslave my flesh in which dwells no good thing ne parum ne minimum quidem no not the least good the more my minde my spirit and heart are at liberty now to bring this to pass hic labor hoc opus Our hands are weak and cannot do this work weakned by Adams sin by our own actual sins How can a weak man stand out against a subtile Serpent How can we hold out the fight sixty years that cannot work sixty hours Can frail man undergo a life-lasting Temptation Is not the thought of this able to turn his Patience into Passion to be ever set on day and night waking sleeping without ceasing or intermitting It is now that the power of God begins to manifest it self I am here and here is God I can do nothing without him he will do nothing without me He works in me I work by the help of him I faint he refreshes The light of his countenance puts life into me But O! the mists of homebred Ignorance and hellish Temptations interpose betwixt me and my God! and now with Mary I am ready to cry out They have taken away my Lord and in depriving me of the presence of God they rob me of my perseverance and patience in afflictions This is my fear yet while I fear the worst I may chance fare the best I will sooner approve of a filial fear then a foward presumption Faith may be overcast never finally eclipsed or if eclipsed it is but for a time A short time and the Sun appears even he who made the Sun and the Moon and the Stars God blessed for ever amen Let us by looking up to God as Israel to the Brazen Serpent cure our Soul-sick patience God he is the Register and Records all our sufferings He carries the scales and weighs out our just allowance no more can be laid upon us then he likes no more will he let be laid upon us then we can bear He is night us and none can wrong us He is with us the General with his Souldiers the Soveraign with his Subjects the Phisitian of Souls with his Soul-sick Patients Let us then have patience yea Let your patient minde be known for God is at hand WHERE UNITY Amity I Pet. 3. part of verse 3. Finally be ye all of one minde love as brethren ST Peter shews a scattered Church the best way how to avoid trouble These new Converts in Pontus Galatia Capadocia Asia and Bythenia have been of several judgements but diversity of Opinions breeds discord in Professors And therefore to avoid Insurrection against the State and Schism in the Church the advice is Be ye all of one minde The Gospel makes ex sua Natura union never division neither is it probable that he will make a good Christian that dissevers from the Congregation This Divine Exhortation gives no license for Liberty of Conscience lest Liberty of Conscience become Licentious Libertinism What the Church decrees that Edict must be obeyed for be sure A Schismatick in Discipline when opportunity serves will be a Rebel against his Soveraign A contemner of Church Government hath always been found a close spurner against Kingly Power And therefore