there is a great deal of difference between the thoughts of regenerate and unregenerate men for in a regenerate man there is a holy government set up in his thoughts they are brought into subjection unto the government of Christ even 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every thought in 2 Cor. 10.5 for let a mans change in his words in his actions be never so glorious even an Angel before men yet if his thoughts remain the same I must say it he is still a child of Belial he is still in the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity therefore there is a great deal of difference between the thoughts of a regenerate and an unregenerate man and indeed the main regeneration lies in that and is principally discovered in it purity in the inward parts in Isa 55.7 let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts the great change lies in the inward man therefore there is a great deal of difference between the thoughts of a regenerate and an unregenerate man and though there be rebellious thoughts in the best men they are not the top thoughts in the man you have an expression in 1 King 18.28 how long halt you between two opinions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word in the Hebrew is taken from a word that signifies the top branches of a tree as you find the same word used in Isa 17.6 a few berries upon the uppermost boughs there you have the same word used and therefore Mercer renders the word how long halt ye inter duas prominentias Mercer that is they had 2 top thoughts they thought as highly of Baal as they did think of God and they did set up Baal in the same authority that they did set up God the word of God is said to cast down 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every top thought 2 Cor. 10.5 he doth so far bring them into order and sub-ordination that though they be unruly thoughts yet they are under controle and under a higher Kingdom and dominion now a godly man hath never those though he hath sinful thoughts yet they are never his top thoughts they are thoughts that are brought into captivity but yet my Brethren for all that there will arise in the best men abundance of unruly and unquiet thoughts yet for all this they do arise in the souls of godly men even in the best men the corrupt principle in them is still bubling up the Sea within them is casting out mire and dirt and that from a threefold ground I will but touch it and pass to the second particular First from the corruptions of the unregenerate part the remainder of corruption in the best men it is like fire in an Oven the Holy-Ghost compares it so Hos 7.4,5 and he hath violent irruptions their hearts are as hot as an Oven these thoughts arise from the irruptions and the breakings forth of the unregenerate part Secondly from the invasion of some enticing creature-objects amongst them as David saw Bathsheba Achan saw and he desired considered and desired so likewise it is said in 1 Ioh. 2.16 Whatsoever is in the world is the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is there nothing in the world but lust the meaning is take all the creatures to an unregenerate man and they all of them become the objects of lusts all of them are but means to draw out lust so that there is a threefold curse come upon the creature since the fall unto all unregenerate men it is not only a deceiving creature because it is empty and it is a vexing creature because it is promising and then deceiving but withal it is a defiling a polluting creature thus from the invasion of objects from without are these thoughts drawn forth And then In the last place from the injections of Satan for what are unruly thoughts it is Satan doth himself many times immediately inject so the Devil put it into the heart of Iudas to betray Christ the Devil put it into his heart there are some thoughts that come immediately from hell like fierie darts the best men then are not in this life free from unruly inordinate unquiet thoughts But In the second place In troublesome times these thoughts come in by multitudes never so tumultuous as in evil times that as it is said of the thoughts of God and of his love Psal 40.5 Thy thoughts to us-ward are innumerable there is none can reckon them up to thee So my Brethren it may be said of our thoughts that proceed from our fears when either guilt within or danger without presents it self our thoughts then are innumerable they flie within a mans Spirit like Atomes in the air no man is able to reckon them up to his own self observe Dan. 5.6 a hand-writing appears to Belshazer the hand smote him not did but write upon the wall yet notwithstanding Belshazer was troubled What was the reason his thoughts troubled him The Disciples they had an apparition of the Lord Jesus Luke 24.38 they supposed they had seen a spirit saith the Text why he hurt them not yet notwithstanding Christ saith thoughts did arise in their hearts thoughts did arise but in a special manner that place Iob 6.4 The terrors of God are set in Battle-array against me how came the terrors of God the terrors of God were let in by thoughts by thoughts that was the way and they did not come single in he saith but they came a whole army and an army in battalia thus did the Lord let in afflictions by his own thoughts upon Jobs person and thus in evil times it alwaies is so an army an host of thoughts come in upon us they fall upon a mans heart like bubbles in the rain and the reasons are these two First because in troublesom times the souls of men are awake commonly troublesom times awaken mens spirits in times of prosperitie peace there is usually a Spirit of slumber upon men but when the Lord emptieth a man from vessel to vessel that hath been before settled upon the lees then abundance of the lees appear when God I say empties a man from vessel to vessel then how full of projects is the heart of man never brought into danger but the man his thoughts rise Oh how shall I escape what shall I do and how shall I make provision for my self evil times awaken men that were before lulled asleep by securitie But Secondly Satan takes special care to assail the hearts of men with thoughts in an evil time daemonum est malas cogitationes suggerere Bernard Bernard Cogitationes onerosae Idem his great care is to keep men in peace in prosperous times to keep the house and all that he possesseth in peace but let troublesom times come once then he doth stir up in the soul all manner of unquiet and distracting thoughts and thereby he labours to add unto the affliction as it is in
yea to feed them with Judgement c. Fourthly delayes in Judgement to defer Justice is the next door to injustice and he in whose power it is to do a man right doth him wrong all the time his right is delayed therefore let Iudgement be executed speedily and let Justice run down 〈…〉 River and Iudgement as a mighty stream the 〈…〉 Nation is great in this respect that men 〈…〉 their undoing upon a â—ommitteâ— from day to 〈…〉 they 〈◊〉 or else if a Committee be procured it is with respect unto some few particular businesses in which themselves are engaged and when they are ended one is gone this way and another that as if nothing were to be done for love of Justice but barely to pleasure friends by whom they have been sollicited and by this means men do commonly say the remedy 〈◊〉 worse then the disease and the best is a brtar and as a thorny hedge as it is Mich. 7.4 the sheep come for succor their flesh is torn away you should Iudge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when as it is the Apostles rule and it will hold in all publick administrations and ye should be nails for the small vessels as well as the great cups and flaggons Your Iustice should be as large as Solomons wisdom to reach as well to the hysop as unto the Cedar Secondly you have another Vineyard and that is your house which in a more special manner is yours also for Magistrates have the subjects only in imperium but not in patrimonium and for this Joshua 24 15. I and my house will serve the Lord if he cannot by his authority work it amongst the people yet he resolves it in his own family though he cannot thrust them out of the Nation yet he will put them out of his house and family and it was the misery that David did bewail when he came to dye though my house be not so with God c. He that cannot rule well his own house how is he able to rule the Church of God c. and here give me leave to press a few things First walk you exemplarily in your family Psal 10.1 3. I will walk in the middle of my house with a perfect heart the matter is not so much what you are abroad in common view there is many a man that is like unto to the carbuncle that which Rurus saith Translucet ad modum ardentis prunae Rurus and yet if you touch it it is key cold Secondly let the Ordinances of God be set up in your family that at least if you cannot joyn unto other Churches you may have a Church in your house which was the honour of some of the private Saints in Scripture Ahraham had his Catechised servants Gen. 14.14 the Hebrew word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it was the great honor that God did put upon him I know that he wil teach his family to fear the Lord There are many men that make great shows of Religion abroad that if we look into their families there is little difference between them and the families of the Heathen that know not God Thirdly do not countenance those that are evil for any respect Asa would not bear with the Queen his Mother if she set up an Idol in a grove but he deposed her from being Queen c. Ierom. there is no relation that is to stand between God and duty per calcatum perge patrem Ierom. And in this case its our duty as it is Ieroms rule and in such cases Iesus Christ put no difference between his Mother and another woman VVhat have I to do with the woman c. and David Psal 101.6,7 My eyes shall be upon the faithful in the Land that they may dwell with me he that is perfect in his way shall serve me he that works deceit shall not dwell in my house it is grace only that makes the difference with God surely it should be the main difference with us also it is a common evil in a Magistrate their servants oppress the people but so did not â— said that godly Magistrate for the fear of my God c. and Zeph. 1.9 there will come a day when the Lord will punish them that leap upon the threshold and fill their masters houses with violence and spoyl qui praeda onusti laetabundi limen transilientes Drusius So Drusius They did rejoyce that they had gotten a booty and in such servants that are for their turn the masters can rejoyce but thou dost then covet an evil covetousness unto thy house Fourthly be diligent to know the state of thy family and by consequence in bewailing the sins of it Pro. 27.23 be diligent to know the state of thy flock look well to thy herds de diligenti rei familiaris administratione intelligitur Cartwr Cartwright Next unto the state of a mans own heart it is an evil to be a stranger to the state of his own house and a man should be much in bewailing family evils and decaies as we see it in David when he came to dye though he make my house not to grow c. For there is a curse on the families of men and that curse many times cleaves to the house as we see it in the family of Ely though a godly man and of David I will bring evil upon thy house c. And there shall not be an old man in the house of Ely for ever Consider what a sad thing it is for God to curse a family To entail mercies and promises on a family is sweet c. and as bitter is the entailing of a curse Doctrine 2. The Keepers of other Vineyards do many times neglect their own Vineyards See the instance of Iehu in the Magistracy and of them in the ministery Mat. 7 we have prophesied in thy name we have eat and drank in thy presence and in thy name have cast out Devils and we have done many mighty works for thee in the world Men employed in the highest affairs in Church and state and God hath used them as instruments of much good to others yet they themselves may be castawaies and the reasons are these First their imployments do take up their hearts there is something of the thorn in every earthly employment and it sucks the strength of the soul and a mans heart is apt to be drawn out inordinately to them and to be over-shot into them that there is no place for any thing else to grow there and those sweet retirements of soul with God from day to day he is a stranger to when he wakes and should be with God now a crowd of worldly affairs press in upon him and so by this means his soul is drowned in them It is strange to observe the highest degrees of temporary Believers and that is the thorny ground they were men that had great works upon them and were in high esteem in the Church men of great
the multitude of my thoughts so were the multitude of Gods consolations God will give it in the time and the season of it but withal the Lord will give it according unto the measure when he doth bring great afflictions he provideth for you strong consolations that as the affliction aboundeth so the consolations shall abound the Lord tells you that his rewards shall be according to the measure of his mercies it is an admirable expression in Hosea 10.12 according to the measure of mercies your rewards are the Lord measures your consolations according to the measure of your afflictions Thus then you see the truth of these two points Let us see now what these consolations were that upheld the heart of our Psalmist here in those sad times thy comforts delight my soul what were they I will go no further then the Psalm neither and you shall find that there were eight that were the great stay of his heart in those times As in the first place he did consider God beholds them it is a wrong that is done to his people under the fathers eyes that was the first thing that he did stay his heart on the people of God do say Surely thou art our father though Abraham know us not and Israel be ignorant of us we have no greater comfort that we can look at no friends below yet notwithstanding our groans are not hid from thee That was the first comfort Secondly God did not only see it Surely thou hast seen it but withal he did comfort himself with this God would revenge it therefore he calls him thou God to whom vengeance belongs the God that revengeth habes ultorem Deum Hierom. Hierom he was a God that did avenge the cause of his people he hath said vengeance is mine and of the Lord Jesus Christ when Steven was stoned Acts 7. it is said he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God Jesus standing why the Scripture every where saith that Christ is gone to Heaven and is sate down at the right hand of God but he seeth him standing up at the right handof God what is the reason that is tanquam causae suae judex vindex saith one as one that was the Judge of his cause and the avenger of his wrong I this is another great ground of comfort upon which the heart is stayed My God is a God to whom vengeance belongeth Then In the third place by all these the Lord teacheth his people for so he saith in the 12. Verse Blessed saith he is the man whom thou chastenest and teachest out of thy Law that is another stay of heart in the worst of rimes the rod saith he hath a voice hear the rod and who hath appointed it Nay the rod teacheth a man that it is better to be under the saddest affliction and have the graces of that condition drawn forth rather then to be under the greatest prosperity and the sins of that condition drawn forth do but observe Iam. 1.4 Let the brother of low degree rejoyce that he is exalted I you will say he hath good reason for it but Let the brother of high degree rejoyce that he is made low a hard matter to rejoyce in that my Brethren a godly man can as truly rejoyce in an afflicted condition so as the graces of that condition be drawn forth in it as he can rejoyce in a prosperous condition much rather if the sins of that condition be drawn forth in it therefore there is a teaching in the rod when a man is brought to that indifferency of Spirit as I remember the Father brings in David speaking Vis me Pastorem ovium aut regem populorum ecce paratum est cor meum Lord saith he shall I be a Keeper of sheep again or Lord shall I be a King over Israel Lord my heart is ready my heart is ready willing to embrace each condition This is another thing the rod is a Teacher the rod hath a voice Besides In the fourth place There is a rest God hath prepared for his people in the most restless condition so he saith in the 13. Verse that thou mightest give him rest in the day of evil there is a shaddow of Gods wing and the people of God in the worst condition they can lie down under this shaddow with great delight Look into that precious Scripture Hos 14.8 I am like a green fir-tree saith God the Lord like a fir-tree Why in two things it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 densam umbram habens so the Septuagint renders it a tree that yields a thick shaddow and it is a tree likewise that is alwaies green perpetuo virens never casts its leaves as other trees do in the Winter so saith the Lord such is my defence you may lie down under my shaddow in quiet and he gives them rest in the day of evil And In the fifth place he comforts himself with this the Lord knows that the thoughts of man are but vanity with that he comforts himself that all these designs shall come to nothing all their thoughts are but vanity the Lord hath appointed that he will take the wise in his own craftiness and his hand shall not perform his enterprise the Lord hath said by iniquity shall no man be established the Lord hath said he will not suffer the hypocrite to rule least the people be ensnared that is the expression Iob 34.3 Now let their designs be what they will be with this he comforts himself yet notwithstanding the Lord knows the thoughts of men to be but vanity That is another ground of comfort And then In the sixth place that I may draw to a conclusion that while they labour for their own exaltation God is preparing for their destruction that is another thing that he comforts himself with for so he saith till the pit be digged for the ungodly till the pit be digged all this while I do not envy their rising saith he but rather pitty their ruine Impatientia humana non vult habere Dei patientiam Ierom. Jerom for God is preparing a pit all the while that is another great ground of comfort in the worst of times for my Brethren there is a judgement written that must be executed and many times as Austin well observes upon the place faelicitas peccatorum fovea est ipsorum Austin even their very prospering in an evil way is the pit in which they find their ruine that is another thing by which he comforteth himself Seventhly That I may draw to an end though for the present the Lord seems to neglect the condition of his people yet he comforts himself with this that God seemed to neglect for the present but saith he he will bring forth judgement to righteousness it is true indeed Gods judgement for his people seems now to have left them it is hid but saith he the Lord will appear for their safety and he tels them plainly that will he
decay and made him grow old in his youth now he grows young when he is old renews his strength as the Eagle and Rev. 16.17 the voice from the throne saies It is done Fourthly it is a Throne of Judgement for out of the throne comes thunderings and lightenings and voices Rev. 4.5 there do not only mercies and graces ascend upon the Saints but there are also very terrible things against the enemies of Christ and these Judgements are either temporal or spiritual either upon the enemies of Christ or upon the Saints First upon the enemies of Christ there are great Judgements that proceed out of the throne he did deliver Iudas unto Satan in an Ordinance when he stood upon his throne and so he doth bind men over unto wrath for his sitting on this throne of Iudgement is but a praeludium to the Iudgement that he shall pronounce against his enemies in the great day Isa 6.10 Go make the hearts of this people fat and make their ears heavy of all Iudgements none are like spiritual Iudgements And also great temporal Iudgements Rev. 8.3,5 there was a golden Altar before the throne and from the incense offered upon that Altar there came forth thunderings and lightenings and voices and earth-quakes c. this is all the Trumpets of Iudgement that sounded against the Churches enemies they did all come forth of the throne though the prayers of the Saints did procure them and all the ruines and over-throws that ever have befalen the enemies of Christ and the Gospel have proceeded from this throne when God is exalted amongst his people and let us comfort our selves with this the Lord raigns for ever he doth still sit upon the same throne of Iudgement and therefore so long as he sits upon his throne he will scatter away every evil thing as it is said Prov. 20.8 A King that sitteth on his throne of Iudgement seatters away all evil with his eyes c. let what enemies there will arise they shall fall by the thundring and lightning and voices that come from this throne Secondly against Gods own people for his throne is established by righteousness and therefore he will not spare his own people when he is in the middle of them but as he doth delight himself in their graces and therefore loves to be in the middle of them so he will punish their corruptions also and there are some spiritual Iudgements for them also Rev. 2.4,5 Yet I have something against thee because thou hast lost thy first love and I will come against thee quickly except thou repent and will remove thy Candlestick from thee which is the greatest spiritual Iudgement that can befall a people that though they that were godly should continue godly still and they could never be cast out of the number of the invisible Church yet they shall be looked upon as a visible Church unto Christ no more but he will take away the Ordinances and will depart from them and they shall fade away in their iniquities and so for temporal Iudgements also as sickness yea and temporal death it is a sentence that the Lord Iesus doth pronounce from his Throne 1 Cor. 11.30 For this cause many of you are sick and weak many of you fall afleep yet they are therein chastised of the Lord that they might not be condemned with the world it is done in mercy and not in wrath in much compassion unto their souls doth the Lord lay affliction upon their bodies yea even unto death it self for they that are embraced with everlasting loving kindness may sometimes dye under a temporal displeasure as it seems Iosiah did and so have many other Saints Vse First be exhorted to see Christ as present upon the throne for without this you come not to him but unto the duty he doth call unto you behold me behold me that worship that is terminated in any thing below him is a false worship and that faith also that doth not raise the soul up to him is a feigned faith but what are the signs of his presence how should a man know whether he be present or no these three things being premised you may try whether you have ever found him thus present c. First the Lord is present unto no unregenerat men in their duties they that live without God do pray without God and they fast without God therefore they must first desire his presence unto their conversion for as I have often told you an unregenerate mans services are no more accepted by God then when he swears or lyes c. for his services proceed from the same principle that his sins do c. Secondly God is not alwaies present unto the Saints but he doth sometimes withdraw himself as the Spouse complains My beloved hath withdrawn himself they seek him but they find him not he doth hide his face and he doth cover himself with a cloud that though they seek the Lord yet he is a stranger unto them if they walk in the waies of sin c. Thirdly even when he is present to the Saints yet he is not present to all of them in the same measure some have a fuller presence of God and a clearer discovery as some have a clearer Revelation of his mind so some have a clearer discovery of his presence then others in this life and it is so with the Saints even in glory that they behold his face continually yet they have divers degrees of glory some have a more full and perfect discovery of God then others have When God is present to the Saints here First the heart will be over-awed there is nothing will over awe the heart but Gods presence how dreadful is this place saies Iacob he had a discovery of God to him as present with him and it made the very place fearful to him the heart of man is very fearless of God naturally when a man doth come into the presence of God without Consideration and goes out of his presence without fear it is a sign that God was not present Secondly if God be present thy heart will be carried out to loath thy self for he that sees God in his glory will surely abhor himself in dust and ashes Iob 42.5,6 and will see himself undone there is no soul that ever enjoyed the presence of God but it makes him nothing of himself and so do the glorious Angels in heaven God is all in all unto them and they are in themselves nothing Thirdly if the Lord be present with thee thy heart will fall in love with him and thou wilt be carried out in admiration of him when a man sees the beauty of God and his glory in the Sanctuary a man would dwel there for ever he would dwel in the house of the Lord all the dayes of his life conversing with God and he would not be weary but it is wearisom to converse with duties only Moses was not weary when he was in the Mount
but the affliction of the soul lies in tormenting passions you have that expression frequently used as in Isa 58. and many other places a day for a man to afflict his soul and that soul that is not afflicted then the soul hath its afflictions as well as the body What are the souls afflictions they are tormenting and vexing passons as that there needs no other misery befall the body then if God should leave it to the jarring of its own humors so there needs no other plague befall the soul then if the Lord should leave it to the violence of its own passions this would be like Vulters gnawing upon the heart of a man these stir up in a man fear and sorrow and amazement those tormenting passions of the soul these be soul-afflicting affections do but consider what it is that torments the Devils they are reserved in chains of darkness to the judgement of the great day those chains of darkness I conceive to be in a great measure their own dark and guilty thoughts by which they are bound over to wrath in these chains they are reserved What shall the never dying worm be Nothing but the furious risings of the thoughts of a mans heart the furious reflections of the mans soul upon himself why then a man needs no greater misery if God should but leave him to the tyrannie of his thoughts for these raise up in his soul perplexing distracting and tormenting miseries Fifthly unruly thoughts are a great part of a mans afflictions for these draw out in a man passionate and unruly speeches you have such an expression in Iob 20.2 My thoughts caused me to answer mens thoughts mightily press forwards to words by this means passionate speeches rise from unruly thoughts these I say do exalt folly Solomon in Prov. 17.27 hath such an expression a man of understanding is of an excellent Spirit you read it so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is spiritu frigidus a man of a cool spirit whereas another man he is tinder unto every injection but I say such a man exalts folly a great part of affliction is in this There is one thing more and I beseech you consider it unruly thoughts in the time of trouble they do rob the soul of its richest ornament those glorious inward qualifications which are the souls beauty I will name but three to you It is inward quietness and serenity it is contempt of the world and it is holy magnaminity First I say It robs the soul of its inward quietness and tranquillity and a quiet spirit is in the sight of God of great price the soul of a man should be alwaies like the upper region of the air calm and sereen what storms so ever or blusterings there are below And Secondly contempt of the world Love not the world nor the things of the world it is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an outside thing now a godly man he is able to say there will come a time when I shall take my leave of all these things with joy and I say to be dissolved and to be with Christ is much better Nay there will come a time in the general conflagration of all things when I shall be able to stand upon the honours of this world the ruines of all things and a man is able to say quum mundus exarserit as he saith cogitat se nihil habere de tanta mole perdendum though all the creatures were destroyed yet the man could say I have lost nothing my portion is not here the things of this life are given me Non in praemium sed solatium Prosper Prosper Licet omnia amiserunt nunquam fidem pietatem interioris hominis bona Hae sunt opes Christianorum now that man that struggles his spirit is marvellously robbed of this glorious quality And so likewise In the last place that holy magnaminity and greatness of mind which should be in us the greatness of a Saints mind should be answerable to the greatness of his God and answerable to the greatness of the promises that are made to him a holy greatness of mind built upon the greatness of his God and his interest in him Now unruly thoughts cross this Who art thou that art afraid of a man that shall dye and the son of man that is as dust and forgettest the Lord thy Maker We are not careful Oh King to answer thee in this matter their thoughts were not troubled in re tam sancta nulla est deliberatio now this preserveth true greatness in a man that as David in Psal 112.8 saith My heart is underpropped so Montanus reads it suffultum est cor meum Monta. that let the affliction be what it will be he hath something within that bears up and underprops his spirit and he is acted neither by hopes nor fears from below Qui nil sperat nisi a domina nil timet praeter dominum Bernard Bernard then this is a truly nobleness Now unruly and unquiet thoughts rob the soul of these glorious qualifications and this hath made some of the Antients exceedingly complain of the troublesomness of their own thoughts I remember Bernard cries out Cogitationum tumultus à Corde quotidie amovere volo nec valeo sine cogitationibus esse non possum introeunt exeunt Bernard Bern. de inter dom On the tumults of my own thoughts I would remove them every day but alas I am not able still my thoughts encrease What is the reason of this surely the main of every affliction lies in this the unruliness and unquietness of a mans own thoughts I but you will say to me what great cause had David or this Psalmist to have such a multitude of unquiet thoughts let us look to that a little before I pass from this first point we will go no further then this present Psalm and you shall find that if any man had cause to be troubled that he that penned this Psalm had cause of troublesom thoughts and that wil appear our hopes are past Ezek. 37.12 then saith God Lo my people I will open your graves when they say our bones are dry our hopes are lost then the Lord saith I will open your graves as God brings evil upon wicked men seasonably because he watcheth over them for evil therefore in Zeph. 2.4 it is a considerable expression I will drive out Ashod at noon at noon Tempus incommodissmum cum sol maxime fervet Drusius Drus In the worst time when the Sun was hottest and therefore in those hot Countries it was the greatest evil I will watch over them and bring the affliction at the seasonablest time so I wil give my people seasonable comfots because he watcheth over them for good as he watcheth over the other for evil Nay not only in the affliction but according unto the affliction so shall the consolation be and therefore Ierom reads it secundum multitudinem Jerom. according to