of seducers and of Satan 3. Seditious conventicles rebel against man profane atheists rebel against God but the Holy conformist rebelleth against neither yea he is therefore loyal to his Soveraign because he is obedient to his God 4. Is not the body more then raiment and is not the Soul more then the Body What shall his dread Majesties native Subjects give in exchange for their Souls 5. It is the people laden with iniquity that is the people of Gods wrath but a righteous people is a prosperous people then shall his Majesties Subjects flourish when their Soules prosper 6. While upon Lords daies and other daies sett a part for religious assemblies and duties some gadd about to change their way and others sit idle at home God loseth the glory of his full and publick congregations worship and Ordinances During the tyrannie of Oliver the Rebel orthodox Ministers were sequestred from their parochial congregations Under the Clemencie of King Charles the Second let not parochial congregations be sequestred from their orthodox Ministers In short so many as despise him shall be lightly esteemed but such as honour God them God will honour 4. Whereas I convinced you that the burden sharpness number of our trials are light afflictions in comparison of the temptations of Abraham behold a greater then Abraham is here Consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners Consider Jesus by Isaac tipified and you will learn of him to possess your Souls in patience Faith instructeth us how to take pleasure in afflictions and to taste a joy even in tribulations Remove your eyes from the dead body of our departed friend unto the body of Christ crucified you will then in lieu of mourning for an onely Son even aspire a fellowship in Christs sufferings 5. Behold I shew you a mysterie The same faith which teacheth us to seek righteousness not by works but by grace doth also stirr us up to live just toward our neighbour our selves and our God When by faith Abraham offered up his Isaac he lived just to his Son true to himself upright toward his God 1. Vpright toward Jehovah for Jehovah had a greater right in Isaac then the Father of Isaac ever either had or could have 2. True to Himselfe for had he lifted up his Soul he had ceased to be upright 3. Just to his Son for it was the Duty of Isaac not onely to live but to die unto the Lord Blessed is that man which endureth temptation Would ye endure to the end Would ye have present victorie over your present conflict Fight the good fight of faith Who so would be justified must be justified not by works but by faith and he that would order his conversation aright must use his knowledge aright he must make the best use which he can not onely of his reason but of his faith 6. Faith fixeth one eye upon the Duty set before us and the other eye upon the promise annexed to that Duty Faith verily beleeveth that there is a reward for the righteous In the mount of the Lord was Jehovah seen By laying that Body which his father could not lift over the altar upon the Wood Isaac his mouth was filled with laughter 1. He saw heard an Angel sent from Heaven to find a way for his escape 2. He did not die but live 3. He lived and lived a type a figure a pledge of Christs and in Christ of our resurrection Life By not with-holding his Son Abraham received praise from his God yea and with praises blessings Abraham saw Christs day and was glad From the faith both of Abraham of Isaac Jehovah Himself received present yea and in all ages future Glory They who know His name will trust in it And yet shew I unto you more excellent things then these For 7. The same faith which enureth us to be ever at once just to our neighbour our selves and our God worketh upon our good nature it worketh in us a disposition to be like Christ harmeless and blameless 2. An emulation to put on the Lord ' Jesus To them that beleeve it is meate drink to studie Christ to learn Christ and to live Christ yea 3. Faith heightneth us to imitate with Jesus Christ the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ it cherisheth in us a filial delight of being followers of his Father and of our Father as dear Children Abba Father thou art long-suffering patient good merciful righteous liberal pure holy loving c. Oh make us make us like thy self long-suffering c. 4. By faith we rest assured that our fore-runner hath in Heaven prepared mansions and princely Lodgings for us who believe in Him To conclude by faith we reckon our selves therefore coheires with Christ because as he is by Nature so we are by a spirit of adoption priviledged to be the Sons of God all things are ours because we are Christs and Christ is Gods Gods in whom God is well pleased God is the Lord not of the dead but of the living and therefore the Dust shall give up her dead True the Soul of our dear friend is separated from his body nevertheless by faith we eye our Mediator as bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh Faith giveth us to understand that since Christ and we are one body together with his dead body shall our dead bodies arise and shall therefore arise as his dead body did arise partly because they that are joyned unto the Lord are one spirit and partly because witness Enoch Elias the blessed Jesus there is one flesh of man another flesh of beasts The flesh of beasts like their mortal Soules perisheth for ever The flesh of man the dead body of our dear friend like leafe Gold naturally ascendeth unto the same fingers unto the same Creatour who curiously wrought it upon earth that he might exalt it unto glory in Heaven To which Heaven and glory he bring us by his spirit and by his Son To whom with Himself the Father of all things be dominion and salvation ever ascribed Amen FINIS Psal 116.10 I beleeved therefore have I spoken
as well in Deede as in Thought He was afflicted if it were possible more in the evils which ominously attended these Occurrences then in these Occurrences which confusedly perplexed his Obedience 1. Abraham was comparatively a feeble person a person aged an hundred twenty five yeeres Isaac was a sturdie lad a lad aged about twenty five yeeres Isaac was f better able to carrie all the Wood requisite for a burnt offering then his Father was to bring with him the Fire and the Knife How therefore could the Patriarch singly by himselfe alone over power bind and slay the robustious youth Isaac Should the boy find his own strength should he deeme his case desperate turn again snatch the Knife out of his Parents hand and of the two evils chuse rather to Kill then to be Killed Which way could the heartlesse wearish old man be enabled to help himselfe Alas alas for his young and strong Son Isaac Abraham the aged is no match no match at all 2. On the other side Grant that Isaac will not resist unto blood Let him beyond all expectation most humbly suffer both his hands and his feete to be tied and bound Imagine him so made up of selfe-denials that he becometh obedient even unto the death If what life the Father the weake Father can not take from the Son that life the son the obedient son most chearfully layeth down Surely Sirs the Scene is now changed the unexspected submissiveness of the child charmeth and tieth up the hands and intention of the Father Had the boy bin stout hearted he might by resisting and strugling have warmed a constancy in the resolution of the parent but seeing the meek child doth more quietly then any Lamb give up his throat unto his Fathers Knife Slay him that can for Abraham If cause so requireth Abraham can die in the stead of his child but slay him he cannot How shall I give thee up Isaac How shall I offer thee up my Son My bowels are turned within me and my repentings are Kindled together O that I might dye for thee my son my son 3. Let Father and Son too religiously determine that Jehovah shall fullfill his whole pleasure upon them both Let the burnt offering by God required be both by the sacrificer and by the sacrificed a free-will offering Let Isaac be slain and being slain let him be burnt to ashes An Hour hence when the beat of zeal is insensibly cooled and when Fatherly affections do as insensibly Kindle View then the Patriarch weeping for his only Isaac because he is not 4. Let him wipe all teares from his eyes and let him wipe them all away by Faith the blood upon his hands he cannot so soon wash off Loe a little distance hence two young men e wait as wel the Sons as the Fathers return Let Abraham see to it Should their blood arise at blood-guiltiness Should they in a furie avenge upon their old Master the death of their young Master the aged father I wisse is but one against two Escape for his life he cannot 5. Suppose that these two young men will keep counsel if they can yet will not Sarah be so said As for Ishmael he will suspect His turn to be the next Hardly will any Subject deem himself safe within the jurisdiction of such a Prince as hath by vertue of his arbitrarie power in a mercilesse frenzie sacrificed even his own child 6. Give Abraham his life for a prey yet if the foundations be cast down what can the righteous do In Abraham his seed which seed is Christ shall all the world be blessed Although Isaac remaineth childless in Isaac shall Abraham his seed be called Sacrifice Him and out of whose loins shall come the appointed Saviour of all mankind Verily the Faith of Abraham the hope of Gods elect the Expectation of the Gentiles are all three of them in vain if for a burnt offering Isaac be offered up childless 7. Accompt that God is able to raise him from the dead Let this Father of the Faithful believe hope and rest assured that out of the dead ashes of his Son not another but the self same Isaac whom he offered up shall be raised unto life upon earth Grant all this and more Nevertheless except his own family and with them his other relations believe the certainty of this as truly as He himself believeth it Into what a strait is Abraham now brought yea 8. Let sound believers and with them all other well-wishers make the best interpretation which they rationally can make of this Patriarch his Obedience yet for an un-provoked Father under a pretence of Religion to embrue his own hands in the blood of his own child is a Fact so inhumane so barbarous and in this age of the world so unheard of that the bruit of it will spread farr and near It will unavoidably open the mouths of evil surmisers to speak all manner of Falshoods against Him both at home and abroad 1. It will hence forward be charged against Him how 1. It was for no goodness that of old he fled his Country and hath ever since bin shifting places from one people to another Kingdom like a meer fugitive and vagabond Neither 2. had he as fifty years since he did so carelesly forsaken his own kindred and his Fathers house if he had not then bin as he now is devoid even of natural affections 3. Hagar had a taste of his kindness when he turned her packing out of doors 4 It did not over much consist with a conjugal love while his wife Sarah continued alive to take Hagar into his bed and 5. there was in him as little honesty as good nature when to humour his morose wife He contrary to the law of nations disinherited his first born son Ishmael In brief the Wisdom the sobriety the gravity the integrity c. of Abraham his whole life past will by this one dead flie in his Ointment be for ever hereafter utterly discredited to say no Worse He who most justly valued his good name above spoiles by him taken in warr must now live to be a scorn and a derision and a monster amonst Men. Wherefore if Jonah will rather flie from the presence of the Lord then adventure to be reputed a false Prophet Consider I pray you how un-supportable a temptation will then crush this reverend and venerable Patriarch when He hitherto a mighty Prince shall be had in no reputation rather when he shall be an abject and offscouring among men even the gazing stock and Spectacle of the World Might Abraham be suffered to cutt as well his own throat as the throat of Isaac might he give his body to be burnt upon his sons and with his sons ashes intermix his own this would not be unto him so great a death as that Contempt will be which the death of his Isaac will every where bring upon Him That mark which was set upon Cain will not equal the brand which
part with my Son I will depart from my God Sirs to give sight to this blind man by expelling this darkness from his unbelieving bosom to force him to stand in awe by tying him up from any more hardning his heart to * Matt. 12.29 2 Cor. 13.3 Ephes 1.19 over-rule so †1 Cor 2.14.3 18 19. foolish and so a Esa 1.3 18. Jerem. 8.6.17.9 Esa 32.4 Act. 19 36. rash an b Job 9.4 Prov 8.36 enemie of c Jerem. 5.2 Psal 14.1 God to d 2 Cor. 10.5 disarm him of those e Act. 26.18 Jerem. 4.14 John 5.44 Act. 5.3 Rom. 1.21 24 26.28 2 Cor 4.4 1 John 3.8 fiery darts wherewith he f Prov 12.26 and 13.15 Eccle. 9.18 Phil 3.18 19. mischeiveth g Prov 13.5 Jerem. 7.19 Rom. 1.18 Jude 15. himself and h Matt. 16.6 12. John 15.19 1 Cor. 5.6 and 15.33 2 Tim 3.13 1 Pet 4.4 1 John 3.12 13. Jâ—shu 22.20 others to i Luk. 14. from v. â—6 unto v. 34. Exod. 4.21 with 8.15 and 9.35 and 11.9 and 14.17 18. Deut. 2 30. and 29.4 Joshu 11.30 1 Sam. 2.25 30. 1 King 12.15 2 Chron. 25.16 Matt. 13.15 John 8.47 and 12.40 convince him that there is k 2 Chron 25.18 19. Esa â—7 4 and 36.8 Luk. 14.31 Act. 9 5. Psal 68.21 no fighting against the Lord of hosts to l Hos 13.9 Eâ—a 1.16 17 18. reduce him unto a m Esa 2.11 Jeâ—em 8 6. Luk. 1.74 79. right use of n Hebr. 5.24 Psal 50.23 his Senses and of o Rom. 14.7 8 9. 2 Cor. 1.10 Gal. 2.20 Himself to p Prov. 1 23. Jerem. 13 27. John 8.43 47. perswade him to q James 4.7 8. Submit r Psal 73.28 Esa 66.2 draw near and Å¿ 2 Cor. 5.18 19 20. reconcile his t 1 Chron. 28.9 heart unto his u Jerem. 10.7 God to x Exod. 23.21 Eccles 6.10 Deut. 28.40 and 29.19 20. Esa 1.24 and 63.4 Hebr. 12.29 winn him to y Mark 10.30.31 not with-hold but to z Psal 25.1 Rom. 12.1 offer up †Psal 84.11 unto the Lord his * 116.13 16. Isaac a 110.3 willingly b 2 Cor. 8.10 1 Chron. 29.17 chearfully and c Rom. 12.1 1 Tim. 2.3 Hebr. 12.28 acceptably to d Psal 51.10 Gal. 6.15 Ephes 2.10 Deut. 29.4 with 30.6 work so e Jerem. 30.21 great so f Matt. 3.3 Rom. 12.2 Phil. 2.13 heavenly a change of mind as this One thing is g 2 Cor. 5.17 18. necessary viz the h Luk. 10.42 Hebr. 10.38 Tit. 1.1 Faith of Gods elect For as i Rom. 9.16 17 18 20 21. and 11.7 22. reprobation pre-supposeth an k 11.5 6 28. election and as l 1 John 4.1 truth precedeth errour so if rightly considered there was a m Eccles 7.29 Jude 6. Rom. 1.28 belief before there was n 2 Thess 2.10.11 unbelief Wherefore prove your own selves o 2 Cor. 13.5 examine your selves whether ye be in the Faith or whether ye be p 2 Tim. 3.8 concerning the Faith reprobates Know x Hos 2.14 Mal. 3.10 and 4.6 Act. 13.38 4. Or ever he ordained any worlds the one the true the good JEHOVAH seeing he inhabiteth both etrnitie and immensitie was the same divine existence self-existence self-subsisting exstence that now is He could before all predestination as well as now say I AM I ever * Num. 23.9 alone am peace I a Father ever begetting a Son ever begotten a Holy Ghost ever proceeding am not confusion but Order I am life light puritie holiness c. 2 As he could ever say I AM he could also ever say I AM WHAT I AM when Pilate would not alter his writing said he WHAT I have written I have written So before all Worlds could God say I am and am well pleased in What I am As I do not so I would not cease to be life light puritie holiness c. 3 End-less is that delight which I take in what by nature I ever was ever shall he and now am My blessedness my glory my rejoycing is neither of nor from others but from and in My self I am full and abound No flesh no Saints no Worlds do I need for I the three divine persons am unto Our self a THEATRE So that 4 It is in mine election whether I will or will not determine to be a Creatour if to be a Creatour I do determine Good I am and all my works shall cal me good Good I do and good I will do unto all such as abide in my goodness 2 He spake It was Brethren well may we beleeve in God! Jehovah to confirm his promise to this Patriarch by an oath because he could swear by no greater sware by Himselfe So to create a world of blessings because a better pattern he could not take he took a pattern from Himself God is one such is the Vniverse God is perfect immense eternall The World is round wide lasting In God is peace and order From the least atom to the highest Angel is found order and harmonie God self subsisteth even in senseless elements is implanted a principle of selfe preservation God is blessed In every creature having life is imprinted a desire not only of being but of wel-being God changeth not The wel-being of all his works is placed in a not changing that Law of nature whereunto they were ordained Which law giveth unto every flesh it s own seede unto every seede it s own body unto every body it s own Soul unto every Soul it s own felicitie God is a free agent As sensible creatures have a free choice to like or dislike what unto their senses seemeth pleasing or displeasing so reasonable creatures should also have a free will to chuse or refuse whatsoever to their best understanding seemeth truly good or truly evill In attracting sustenance or in propagating their kind to confine brutes to be as insensible as trees are or men to be as irrationall as brutes are were to reject the wisdom of God Even so to limit man to be sensuall but not vertuous to be vertuous but not holy to mind things Earthly but not things Heavenly to stay himselfe upon the creature but not upon the Creatour to love the World but not the Lord God were to require him to be concerning the faith of Gods elect reprobate For the Law whereunto God elected men and Angels was He that lifteth up his Soul is not upright and if not upright a lost Angel a dead man but the just shall live by faith 3. To you who bewail your unbelief I speak it Until God appeared unto him in Mesopotamia Abraham that father of the faithful never had those prepared helps those effective meanes of obtaining this precious grace this faith of Gods elect which the veriest reprobate of you all at this time possesseth He was bred up among aliens and strangers to grace
be staked as well as the Guiney Apples of Sodom are no raritie at most Banquets The apparel of some men were not in fashion were it not of more value then a years révenue will pay for Neither are they welcome at a feast except they be so drunk that they need a withdrawing room The covetousness of some Misers is so idolatrous that they set their hearts more upon their riches then upon that God which giveth them a Power to get wealth and such is the Luxurie of others as if riches could not make unto themselves wings were there no Feathers to be found in their caps Tell me now in cool blood Head-aking drunkenness unclean lusts Lusts which make thy bones rotten as well as thy communication unthriftie riots wearisom idleness wide-mouthed Oathes ungodly jestings unblessed vanities Vanities linked together by that Prince of Darkness who with them chaineth thee unto his bottomless Pitt Are these the Isaacs which thou art fond of Wouldest thou rather eternally Sacrifice thy self a burnt offering in hell torments then Sacrificce these needless evils For shame mortifie thou those follies which if thou diest not unto them will be unto thee death eternal Wouldest thou break off that yoke cleave that wood which hath hitherto prepared fewel for hell fire wouldest thou make Jesus Christ thine altar and upon that altar sacrifice thine Isaac even thy whole man wouldest thou Crucifie thy lusts studie self denial and place thine endeavours upon exercising thy self unto Godliness thy Delights upon the pleasantness of new obedience and thine affections upon things Spiritual and heavenly He that can abundantly pardon and is mightie to save would say unto thy soul as he said unto Abraham now Know I that thou fearest God 2. Whereas it is feared that this people of England hath a revolting and a rebellious heart our backslidings will quickly cease if we take out that pattern which is here given unto us by this Father of many nations Blessed be our God we have a gracious King we have excellent Lawes we have Judges which do at every Assize give a charge that these Laws be duly executed unto these Judges we have subordinate Magistrates subordinate unto these Magistrates we have sworn Officers subordinate unto these House Keepers and unto these their Children and Servants It was when Eli hon … his Sons more then God that matters went amiss with Him and His people but when Phinehas stood up and executed Judgement then was the Plague stayed If Parents and Masters offer up their Isaacs their Children and Servants to be duly Catechised so duly Catechised that the fear of the Lord is unto them their treasure this will lay so good a foundation of a prosperous government that Wisdom and Knowledge will be the Stabilitie of our times Parents and Masters will constrain their Familes to submit unto their own happiness that is to learn Catechismes to frequent the publick worship of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and to sanctifie God in their hearts when at every Session and Visitation sworn officers offer up their Isaac as well as their presentments that is when they so denie themselves that they present all such as will not denie ungodliness and when they suffer not Congregations to crumble into Meetings or rather into no Meetings And this Sworn Officers will be glad to do when they are made to fear an Oath And an Oath they will fear when at Sessions and at Visitations our Rulers rule with diligence and offer up their Isaacs And this they will do when making Religion their business they prefer the favour of God before the favour of man Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know these things before beware lest any of you being led away with the errour of the wicked fall from your own Stedfastness Who knoweth whether he is not born in this Kingdom for such a time 〈◊〉 God will do so to him and more also who when he is there unto called doth not offer up his Isaac 3. Let the self denials of Abraham shame every one among us into a greater Watchfulness c. He at the b first intimation arose c early went on diligently persevered d constantly to observe against his own will the will of his God chusing rather to be an unnatural parent then an undutiful servant Whereas some of us have delaied from year to year before we would yeild to take up our daily cross precept upon precept line upon line we have received but what answer have we returned unto him that hath written unto us the honourable things of His law Statutes which if a man would do he might even live in them Thou who conformest thy self unto the licentiousness of an evil world Did this Patriarch at one private Item surrender his only Son and will not all the publick Commandements which thy God hath in loving-kindnes laid upon thee prevail with thy lips to bite in a vain oath with thine appetite to forbeare an un healthy sin with thy memorie to treasure up Heavenly Knowledge or with thine understanding to perform Duties profitable comely and of good report The more easie that yoke is which Christ laieth upon us the more careful should we be to follow the example of this Father of Isaac otherwise the burnt offering which he with-held not will at the last day be offered in judgment against us Be not deceived God is not mocked as a man sacrificeth so is he accepted 4 Since Abraham offered up his Isaac learne thou of him to hold every blessing which thou receivest from God with a minde prepared to resigne it to God Jehovah he is the Lord possessour as of Heaven so of Earth and whatsoever mercie thou receivest from him that thou receivest but during his will and pleasure What thou obtainest by praier is but borrowed and to grudge when thou art to pay what was but borrowed is flatt dishonestie What thou enjoyest from God is neither deserved nor purchased but by the providence and goodness and loving kindnesse of thy liberal Master it is intrusted with thee for thy comfort and conveniences but for His uses service and honour It is favour enough for thee that God hath owned and entertained thee as His steward Wherefore when at any time thy God calleth from thee some child or some other comfort of his own thou givest him murmure not repine not be not in any wise be not thou discontented Professe thou a Good is the word of the Lord Assent thou the will of the Lord be done Say thou He is the Lord whatsoever he pleaseth that let Him doe As well when he taketh as when he giveth blesse thou the Name of the Lord. It is very observable that twenty six yeares since when there was but one night between Sodom and destruction the Father of Isaac then used earnest prayers and arguments to save if it were possible that wicked Citie from perishing for the Men of Sodom he mediated seven times in a
breath for his blamelesse and dearest Son he intercedeth not Qu Why this Answ Holy Abraham loved one righteous Isaac more then all the sinners of Sodom but so it was God had revealed concerning Sodom onely a conditional pleasure saying I will go down and see Concerning Isaac he had revealed his absolute pleasure saying Take now Wherefore so absolute is the Patriarch his resignation that notwithstanding his God had yeelded unto him seven times together in all that he had spoken in the behalf of Sodom he doth not at all open his lips unto God in behalf of his Isaac Go thou and do likewise When God saith Offer up with-hold not thou Being called unto self-denials Let Duty teach thee not to argue but to submitt not to dispute but to obey not to request but to resigne Let thy meek thine humble thy modest thought be I am dumb I open not my mouth because thou doest it Nay 5. Since thou owest not onely whatsoever is in thy custodie but even thy selfe also unto Him that is Lord of all Araunah like meete thou thy King in His Desires Make friends of unrighteous Mammon What thou mayest not detaine that give and give chearefully unto Him who loveth a chearefull Giver What thy God calleth for that present dedicate and consecrate first love thy Relations as dearly as Abraham loved Isaac and then esteem Father Mother Wife Children and with them whatsoever else is precious esteem all of them together too small too mean a present to testifie the readinesse of thy devotion or the sinceritie of thy gratitude unto the Father and Giver of thy Lord Jesus Christ especially seeing so many as he loveth them he chastneth and so many as he chastneth them he chastneth for the spiritual and eternal good of themselves or of others or of both whether 1. For the benefit of others Accompt upon it that wherein the God of all comfort doth comfort us in all our tribulation therein he prepareth and bespeaketh us to comfort them who are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God Are the consolations of God small with thee I hope not Or 2. By casting down thine old and outward man thy God preventeth thy new thine inward man from falling Jesurum when he waxed fatt Kicked and Solomon when he was full denied God So is it with thee and with other Saints Alas the more holy mens lives are the more advantage Satan seeketh to gett over them that old Serpent well knowing by his own woful experience that there is no pride like unto Spiritual pride Wherefore that even the Fall of his children may bruise this Serpents head when the right hand of God exalteth them most usually his left hand doth humble them It is indeed unto their humiliation but it is so unto their humiliation that it conduceth unto their honour that God doth so often place them in the forlorn hope When no man upon earth was so upright as Job then was the roaring Lion let lose against him After Hezekiah had pleaded sinceritie God gave him a taste of his unprosperous vain gloriousness David was confessedly a man after Gods own heart and as confessedly Adulterie Murder and Pride it self brought him very Low Jacob prevailed when he wrastled with God but God sent him halting away Who more stout hearted then Peter and who more cowheartedly denied his Jesus Satan had not bin permitted to buffet Paul had not Paul bin exalted by abundant Revelations Moses was a meek man but he spake so unadvisedly with his lips that there was for him no Entrance into Canaan Abraham so excelled in Faith that he was exemplarily and eminently the Father of the Faithful but where was the Faith of Abraham when more then once he dissembled that Sarah was only his Sister And as that he who thinketh he standeth may take heed lest he fall the wisest of men was made a mere fool by the Vilest of Women so that we may not be ignorant of the devices of Satan Christ himself when he was first baptized next endued with the Spirit and then declared mightily declared to be the Son of God was afterwards led into the Wilderness and in the Wilderness forty daies together tempted of the Devil 3. To rouse a Soul from drowsiness to pursue some unrepented Crime to dislodge some bosom Sin c. It was when Saul failed of his expectation that Jonathan was questioned for eating honey and when Israel was repelled then was the Sacriledge of Acham discoved Before he was troubled David himself went wrong and until he was cast into a troubled Sea Jonah fled from the presence of the Lord. Many times there is in our calamities a Spirit of discerning while like that Angel which met Baalam they give us to understand our present misadventures Search me O Lord and know my heart trie me and know my thoughts See if there be in me any way of pain A daily praier this and this praier almost every day before we call God answereth 4. To satisfie our selves or others of the truth or groweth of our Graces it is the furnace that as well approveth as trieth Silver The same trial which inviteth worldlings to esteem Preachers no better then earthen Pitchers the self same trial occasioneth every one that appeareth before God to look upon those Preachers as upon the precious Sons of Zion and to value those precious Sons of Zion comparable unto fine gold the which the more it is tried the better it is refined and the more it is refined the brighter it shineth The sufferings which all these holy Martyrs in this whole context endured were not only the trials but the vindications not only the vindications but the approbations not only the approbations but the publications and recommendations of their Faith Such was their Faith that to their praise be it spoken their names are Registred by the Holy Ghost himself That poor widow was made rich by the applauses of Christ Jesus when he vouchsafed to attribute a greater munificence unto her small mite then unto the largest gifts that were cast unto the Treasurie The like was the successe of that true hearted Mary unto whom the same blessed Jesus gave this felicitie that where soever His Holy Gospel shall be preached there her Name shall be as ointment powred forth In every deed neither the deare-heartedness of that penitent nor the plain dealing of Jeremiah nor the meekenesse of Moses nor the Spirit of Elijah had ever bin one half so famous as they now are had not malicious tongues given occasion to have the excellencie of their graces brought to the test Said that envious Eliab unto his brother David I know the pride and the naughtinesse of thy heart but where was David his pride when he refused the costly armour of King Saul and contented himself with a sling and a stone Or where was the naughtiness of his heart when in love toward his nation and in Zeal toward his