Though their bones be scattered as at the graves mouth yet will he overthrow their Judges in stony places Psal 141.6 If they drink of the Cup which comparatively are not worthy they shall not escape unpunisht but shall certainly drink the dreggs thereof Jer. 49.12 When he hath performed his whole work on Mount Sion he will then punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of Assyria Isa 10.12 Judgement begins indeed at his house and Sanctuary but Jerusalem does but hand the Cup to the Nations and when God hath used the wicked as Rods to lash his people having done with them he throws them into the fire Babylon is dealt with as she dealt with Israel Jer. 51.6 49. And so Amalek Deut. 25. ult God will be an enemy to the enemies of his people and set himself against them who are so mad in running upon their own ruine as to set themselves against his chosen None ever fought against Gods interest and prospered but was in the event worsted and forced to confess he kickt against the pricks The house of David in fine overcomes that of Saul and though their horns be lifted up never so high he who is the horn of his peoples salvation will cut off the horn of the wicked or by his Carpenters fray them away Zech. 1.21 And when once they come under the hammer of his Justice they must expect judgement without mercy who would shew no mercy The Psalmist does most elegantly express both the sudden alteration of providence to Gods people and to their enemies Psal 138.7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble thou wilt revive me as the Son of man did the children in the furnace thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies and thy right hand shall save me An allusion to Moses stretching his hand over the Sea whereby the waters came upon the Egyptians and drowned their Chariots and horse-men God hath an out-stretched Arm able to reach those who are â—ut of the reach of his people and they that â—ome not within the compass of humane-Justice â—et cannot escape divine Vengeance And so â—uch for the third particular Fourthly Here is an help against the stroke of â—ommon judgements and publick calamities so â— to fence then â— from their heads or at least â—â—e evil of them â—hus God helpt Noah to an â—rk to house him in time of the universal deâ—ge Lot to a Zoar to secure him in time of publick conflagration In time of war he keeps â—s servant David from the hurtful sword diâ—ne protection was as a coat of Male to him â— Armour of proof to him to keep him shotâ—ee and untoucht Psal 144.10 In the time of â—â—some Pestilence when his infections Arrows â—e shot forth like lightning they abide under â—s shadow and are covered with his feathers â—s truth is their shield and buckler himself their â—ck and habitation so that though thousands â—ll on the right hand and on the lest yet he â—ands upright no evil befalls him nor no Plague â—nters his dwellings Psal 91. Which promise â—ough it gives not absolute assurance of the event â—nd issue as to temporal preservation yet it offers â—ur incouragement and propounds sure and sole â—rection how to escape the lash of the destroyer one standing on so sure a soot and a fair ground â—f protection in such a day of general calamity â—s Gods people In time of famine he redeems â—hem from death when he is riding on that â—ale horse he enters not their tents as in â—var from the power of the sword Job 5.20 â—n horrible burnings when others both persons and places Cities and Countries are made firebrands of his wrath they are pluckt as brands out of the fire Amos 4.11 In times of great concussion when the world seems quite off his Axletree and removed from its basis and foundation the earth moved from its centre and the hills carried into the midst of the Sea the waters roar and are troubled and the mountains shake with the swelling thereof mens hearts sail them for fear and the powers of Heaven are shaken and great desolations are made in the earth they remain intacti illaesi unshaken and immoved Psal 46. Luk. 21. Etiamsi fractus illabatur orbis impavidum ferient ruinae Now God under the deluge of judgements is an help to his people three manner of waies First By removing them out of the reach of them securing them from their dint and stroke Sometimes he removes their souls to Heaven and lodgeth their bodies in the chambers of the grave He takes his out of a sinful and miserable world before the Judgement commenceth Isa 57.1 Thus he took Josiah up into the chambers of heavenly glory before the storm came on Israels head He baild off the arrest his life time but no sooner is he dead and gone but issues out her writ of remove out of his sight Thus God took away Austin a little before Hippo was sackt and Pareus a little before Heidelburgh was destroyed and Luther according to his own prayer that he might not live to see the Plagues of God coming on an ungodly world before the German troubles brake forth God removes his people by an habeas corpus out of this lower world and then comes down its execution And the greatest storm of outward Judgements hath no further effect on the godly than to drive them to their Fathers house or most boisterous wind of calamity than to blow them home to their desired Haven When God had informed Daniel of such a time of trouble coming on the world as never was since there was a Nation even under the persecution by Antiochus he dismisseth him with his quietus est Cap. 12 13. Go thou thy way till the end be for thou shalt rest and stand in the lot in the end of the daies When Gods peoples race be run their work done and finisht he gives them a dispensation for tarrying any longer in the world or managing their office and duty here below plucks them off the stage and sends them to Heaven to rest from their labours and receive their reward prepared for them and promised to them Sometimes God removes them out of the verge of trouble on earth Isa 26.20 Come my people enter into thy Chambers and shut thy doors round about thee and hide thy self as it were for a little moment till the indignation be overpast God hath chambers of distinguishing providence and of gracious presence whither he lovingly invites his people as one friend does another distant from his own home and overtaken with a storm to come in and shelter himself till it be blown over God hath hiding-places places of retirement and repose for his people under publick out-goings of his Majesty and his wrath and justice against the inhabitants of the earth When the world lies open and naked to the storm of divine vengeance as a man in rain without a covering or in a battel
to your Rulers and Governours as the woman did once to that King 1 King 6.27 Help O King who were all forced to return you that sorry answer If the Lord helps not whence should we help Ah what thousand pities had Heaven pleased to have prevented to see so many famous structures antient and venerable Monuments learned Libraries rich goods and treasures beautifull Halls and Exchanges usefull Churches and Chappels within so small a compass turned into a Chaos of confusion and heap of utter destruction Ah how lamentable a sight to see so many able Citizens impoverisht so many mean ones quite beggar'd how hideous an out-cry to hear men complaining We who had thousands in the morning had not a penny left to help us by the evening we who had full tables could afford plentiful entertainments rich purses and large banks enough for back and belly for necessity and delight for us and ours are now reduced many of us to a morsel of bread and glad to live on the alms of the charitable we went out full but came in empty Ah how sad to behold so many families ruined and undone so many dwellings and places that must never more know their owners and inmates but have for ever cast them out leaving them to the wide world and exposing them as so many Tenants at will and that without any warning to the mercy of the great and soveraign Land-Lord of Heaven and Earth What true Son of Sion upon view or tydings of so sad a catastrophe must not bear a part in the Churches Funeral Elegy over Jerusalem Lam. 1.1 How doth the City sit solitary that was full of people How is she become as a Widow she that was great among the Nations and Princess among the Provinces And so cap. 4.11 The Lord hath accomplisht his fury he hath poured out his fierce anger and hath kindled a fire in Zion and it hath devoured the foundations thereof Oh that by the brightness of these flames we could see our sin that hath long appeared as at noon day but we would never yet behold by the Sun-light of the word And that this most formidable fire may become to us a flaming beacon to signifie our approaching danger and ruin unless Gods anger be timely quenched by the blood of Christ and tears of repentance And that amidst the cold formalities and freezing devotions in the winter quarter of these last and perilous times our cooler souls might be heated and our dying affections by an holy kind of Anteperistasis advanced into a diviner flame of holy zeal in seeking the Lord lest he makes us as Admah and sets us as Zeboim and kindles a fire in the Palaces of Joseph so as none shall quench it Oh that we could all learn from the highest to the lowest those lessons Gods intention is to teach us by so severe dispensations either for humiliation for what is past or reformation for time to come And if I mistake not the physiognomy of this providence whether it be looked on in the glass of a more immediate or more mediate agency Gods hand appeared most remarkably in it and concurring circumstances give us plain intimations of its commission and direction by a special superintendency from Heaven And though like a picture well drawn it looks wishly on every one in the room yet it seems to prefer a particular charge against those wickednesses of pride luxury wantonness security earthliness and uncharitableness which have so long burnt as fire among us Ah what haughtiness idleness and fulness of bread was to be found in our streets with what pleasure did we live upon earth what port and state did we begin to carry what wantons were we grown forgetting the God that made us not attributing to him our power to get wealth having our hearts lifted up or like foolish children with Jesurun standing on our heads kicking against Heaven and neglecting the God of our salvation sacrificing Gods corn wine oyl wooll and flax to our lusts and lovers instead of our Creatour Were we not grown like Sodom and the Old World a God-despising and a self-pleasing people that gave up our selves to eating and drinking buying and selling planting and building every man looking to his own way and gain and as for the ship of the Church the interest of God and Religion having caught the fish we laid aside the net and so we could but save our own petty Cabbins let Gods and Christs cause sink or swim we were become Gallio's not minding these things Oh how did we that pretended to God mind little or nothing but the world How went we one to his farm another to his merchandize our shop was become our closet and the Exchange our Church The Courtier the Merchant the Tradesman all busie as so many Ants on an Hill to scrape together so much refined dust and lade themselves with this thick clay Every one setting up his Heaven on Earth and singing a requiem to his soul in his stately houses full warehouses vast incomes if not unjust gains and oppressions looking so much to earth as those that had neither time or mind to look up to Heaven but if with the Lark soaring to Heaven in pretences of zeal and affection on the Sabbath with the Worm groveling on the worlds dung-hill all the week after Like him in the Poet that cried out O Coelum with his tongue when his hand toucht the earth committing even a sollicism with our hands and bidding an express practical contradiction to our professions Ah is it not just God should deny us the world as a creature which we could not have but must adore as our God Is it not righteous that should be taken out of our hands which instead of being trodden under our feet had got up so near our hearts Oh how much better Christians for to you alone I now speak as for the wicked who grow worse and worse and do more wickedly Hell fire shall shortly do that in consuming them which this could not do for refining had it been for you to have cast your bread on the waters than to have had it wasted by such a fire Ah had you but worn the world as a loose garment that you might have put off and on at pleasure it would not now have come from you as your skin from your flesh with pain and torture but ease and delight or as the blood out of your veins with reluctancy and opposition but as water from a fountain with freedom and liberty These pictures if hung up loosly would have been taken down with less rending tearing and noise than they are like to be if your hearts be fastened or glewed to them Oh Sirs had you minded God and Christ as you did this Mammon of the world and attended your heavenly trade as you did your East-India Turky French Spanish or the rest and conversed with God in your closets as you did with your customers in your shops and
assurance of divine maintenance under all humane malevolence First he promises him inward heartning but if his spirits should fail then he will second him in the conflict and should he not come off conqueror yet he shall never be overthrown for at least he will uphold him Nay he will not only secure him from succumbency but confer upon him victory he shall not only escape breaking and crushing by the mountains but shall himself thresh them and of a crawling worm come off a victorious Prince vers 14 15. God will not only help his people against the impostures of their own hearts and Satans malignancy but also the worlds violence His promise runs That his arm shall strengthen him and his hand be established with him The enemy shall not exact upon him nor the son of wickedness affl 〈◊〉 him Psal 89.21 22. This David in his own person found blessed and frequent experience of while he professeth Psal 18.17 18 19. God to be his stay his deliverer and lifâ—er up of his head under great dangers and many enemies And hope hereof was the ground of Christs triumph even assurance of his Fathers assistance Isa 50.7 9. For the Lord God will help me therefore shall I not be confounded Behold the Lord God will help me who is he that shall condemn me No matter what were his enemies while God was his friend or who his accusers while he was his Advocate God is a sure hiding-place an home an harbour a refuge a shield a protection a sanctuary an high Tower to his yea a strong hold in the time of trouble and when their City shall be taken they may betake themselves and fly to him as their impregnable Casile They are called expresly his hidden ones Psal 83.3 not only in point of worth and excellency but also for â—secresie and security He is to them a shadow from the heat and a refuge from the storm Isa 25.4 And what was said of Christ is made good to them Isa 49.2 In the shadow of his hand hath he hid me In the shaâ—e of his hand are they preserved against all the scorchings of the hottest burning Sun of divine wrath or humane malice and their souls skreened by their Saviours Righteousness against the one and his fatherly providence from the other Yea under the shadow of his divine or those Cherubims wings of special protection may they as the chickens do under the wings of the damm on the Kites approach hide themselves securely till the dint of every calamity be over-past As the sweet singer of Israel tunes melodiously Psal 57.1 God is to his people both a pillar of cloud and of fire one to refocillate and refresh them and the other to preserve and defend them in their journey to Heaven through the wilderness of this world as Travellers are by it against wild beasts Yea a wall of fire round about them a wall to keep in their persons and of fire to keep out their enemies And in case they be yet so desperate as to venture on them he yet beares them up on Eagles wings far above out of their reach or sight Exod. 19.2 His providence is to them an incompassing hedge so that if there be not that Intus that must destroy them as the voice told Phocas when close barred up in his Masters Palace they cannot but be safe The eyes of the Lord run to and fro the whole Earth to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards him and what need they fear shipwrack as that Philosopher once said when under fears of drowning he lookt up to Heaven in a bright starry night and beheld those twinkling luminaries bespangling and imbroidering that heavenly Canopy over his head while they have so many eyes of Providence about them The Keeper of Israel is always waking though Enemies be great and mighty many and numerous yea neer at hand they may sleep sweetly and comfortably as Alexander once did when in great danger of an approaching adversary because Parmenio his chief and vigilant Captain watched or rather as David did when compassed about with an Army of ten thousands at least in imagination being then also hemmed in and inclosed by divine protection God is a defence to his Peoples glory against all that rise up against them Psal 32.7 What sweetness and safety doth holy David engage to his own heart in confidence of divine safeguard Psal 31.20 Thou shalt hide me in the secret of thy presence from the pride of Man Thou shalt keep them secretly in a Pavilion from the strife of tongues God is his Peoples Asylum from the heat both of hand and tongue-persecution by their adversaries Now God helps his People against their outward Enemies divers wayes Either First By preparing for them places of recess where the Enemy cannot finde them Thus God secured Elijah from Ahabs fury when he sent an Inquisition after him throughout the whole Land of Israel 1 King 18.10 He returns with a Non inventus and like one that seeks a Needle in a bottle of Hay bestowed his labour in vain Thus the Lord in a persecuting time hid an hundred of his Prophets by the hand of Obadiah Thus under Sauls violent rage against innocent David which made him pursue him as a Partridge on the Mountains God provided places of retirement for him sometimes in a Cave sometimes in a Rock or strong hold now in the Wilderness now at Naioth and anon in the Land of the Philistines erewhile in this cre-while in that place so as he was kept out of the reach of his rage and escaped the violence of his intended fury and malice against him He was as a man upon the top of an high Mountain out of the reach of gun-shot or any danger but what might come from Heaven or as one upon the top of an high Rock in the midst of the Sea able to sing to triumph to out-brave and bid defiance to all the raging surges and tempâ—stuous billows that beat against him to which himself also alludes Psalm 61.2 When my heart is overwhelmed lead me to the rock which is higher than I. Thus God protected Jeremiah the Prophet and Baruch the Scribe Jerem. 36.26 so as the Kings Serjeants dare not arrest him When Herod sought Christs life and would have become Murderer of him who came to be his Saviour an Angel of the Lord comes and gives his Parents private intelligence about the Tyrants bloody intentions and advertiseth them to go into Egypt which was made his Harbour and Receptacle till he was dead and gone and so he kept out of his Clutches and escaped his barbarous and bloody hands Math. 2.13 Thus the Woman a type of the Church had a priviledg'd place assign'd her and prepared of God for her in the Wilderness whether she was to flee and be fed there a thousand two hundred and threescore dayes Revelat. 12.6 Thus in the Ten Persecutions and the late Marian dayes many
they triumphant or his peoples low and they despondent and desperate First The influx of divine help is then seasonable under the enemies rage height and insolency when they blaspheme the God of Heaven and say Where is their God become There is no help for him in his God Ah so would we have it God hath forsaken him persecute him and take him there is none to deliver him we offend not they have sinned against the Lord the habitation of Justice the hope of their Fathers God then will make no delay but make haste for their help When the malignant Church vaunted it against the true as the debaucht Harlot against the chaste Mistress she returns her this answer Micah 7.8 10. Rejoyce not against me O mine enemy Though I fall I shall rise She that is mine enemy shall see it and shame shall cover her which said to me Where is the Lord thy God Secondly Under the Saints succumbency when they seem to be swallowed up quick of the rage of their adversary to fall by the power of corruption to be in such an estate as they cannot extricate and winde themselves out by all their policy and industry yea are ready to conclude The Lord hath forsaken them and there is no hope their hope is perished their way hid and their Judgement passed over from their God it 's in vain and they will wait on the Lord no longer are ready to leave off and quite give over praying waiting hoping and believing their spirits fail them and they are ready to put forth their hand to iniquity their extremity is his opportunity This is that David urgeth Psal 70. ult I am poor and needy O God thou art my help and deliverer And so the Church Psal 44. ult Our soul is bowed down to the dust and our belly cleaves to the Earth Arise for our help When Gods servants know not what to do in ipsa hora dabitur and when they are exposed to great injuries and oppressions it repents the Lord because of their groanings by reason of them who oppress and vex them Judg. 2.18 I have seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt and heard their cry by reason of their Task-masters and I know their sorrows And when their sighing and crying came up before God by reason of their bondage he thought them meet for deliverance Exod. 2.24 cap. 3.7 9. The Rabbins have a proverb Cum duplicantur lateres venit Moses when the tale of Bricks was doubled then comes Moses a deliverer out of Egypt Nothing fetcheth down Judgement from Heaven sooner than the cry of Sodoms sins nor mercy than of Sions sorrows God regards the prayers of the destitute hears the groaning of his Turtles appointed for death of his prisoners destin'd for destruction Their mourning weeds furrowed faces and sighing sobbing hearts are silent but potent Orators at the Throne of Heaven for relief and succour God gives his Enemies a loose rein for a while but when they grow extravagant the limit he hath set them he pulls at the Curb and he layes the rod on his people to lash them for their sins but if once it fetcheth tears from their eyes and brings them to weeping Cross he spares further correction and throws it into the fire Fourthly God helps his People invincibly and irrestistibly Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord Zach. 4.6 What is this Mountain before Zerubbabel As he works by an insuperable grace in the heart so by an omnipotent power in the world Thy right hand O Lord is become glorious in power saith Moses in his excellent Canticle Exod. 15.6 The right hand of the Lord doth valiantly saith the Psalmist Psal 118.15 The right hand is commonly the Instrument of action and the seat of power God saves by his right hand Psal 17.8 by it he can work and none shall let him nothing is too hard for him For if the very weakness of God to speak as to our capacity be infinitely too much for the strength of man what is the strength of God to the weakness of men He is wonderful in counsel and mighty in working Jer. 32.17 19. He hath power to help and power to cast down as the Man of God tells Amaziah 2 Chron. 25.8 The arm of Creatures is but an Arm of flesh as Hezekiah tells the People to encourage them against Rabshaketh's revilings 2 Chron. 32.8 With him is an arm of flâ—sh but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battels So able is God to help that he can do the work alone though there be none else to help He is the Lord alone and besides him is there no Saviour and he can save alone without any use of Instruments and second Causes As Jehesophat tells the People 2 Chron. 20.17 Ye need not fight in this bastel the Lord your God fighteth for you And so he did by making their Enemies their own destroyers while his People went out with Songs instead of Weapons and struck not a stroke only sang a Psalm of Thanksgiving they became each others Butchers and Executioners Vers 22 23. And so it was in Midian's destruction Gideon and his Souldiers go out with Lamps and Pitchers instead of Military Engines and not a Sword drawn or Drum beaten only a shout given and the Lord sets every mans Sword against his fellow throughout the whole Host Judg. 7.22 Here was the Finger of God evidently manifested for his People against their Enemies in making them spend their Arrows one on another So dealt God also with the Egyptians that they confessed the Lord fought against them for Israel Exod. 14.25 Here was the immediate hand of Heaven Gods Providence can easily discover divert or discomfit his Enemies making their own fears their snare as he did the Syrians 2 King 7.6 Yea such is Gods Omnipotency that though there be never so many letts and hinderances resistances and oppositions he can leap over all If he hath none to help there shall be none shall hinder If he cannot finde his way with Hannibal he will make it he can make every hill a Plain Notwithstanding all impediments he can work his intentions and accomplish his Purposes both in the World and in the Heart Though violent temptations assail and strong corruptions oppose so as the Sons of Zerviah seem to be too hard for the Soul grace can triumph over all difficulties and discouragements and level all towring thoughts and soaring imaginations and bring it into the obedience of the just There is no difficulty to omnipotency He can cause the work of his Temple to go on in troublous times and give the great things of Righteousness and Reformation which have met with nothing but a miscarrying Womb and dry Breasts strength to conceive and also to bring forth And the designs of Enemies he can make all abortive The wisest Counsellor against his Church he can make his own Executioner and