why if he had not a design to turn it to his praise The Lord bid Shimei curse David Who was it that bid Shimei curse David God And who was it that sent Joseph into Egypt God sent him The wrath and anger and envy of his Brethren indeed were instruments but God sent him God had a design upon their anger and upon their envy and wrath in Rev. 16. you find that three unclean Spirits that came out of the mouth of the false Prophet and Dragon and the Beast they stir up the Kings of the Earth to battel and they are the Spirits of Devils working miracles which go forth unto the Kings of the earth and of the whole world to gather them to the battel of that great day of God Almighty They go forth to stir up men to battel but in verse 16. 't is God that gathers them Behold I come as a Thief blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments c. and he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon God had a hand upon their hand God gathered them in Mich. 4. 11. Now also many Nations are gathered against thee that say Let her be defiled and let our eye look upon Zion Let her be defiled her 's anger enough but saith he verse 12. They know not the thoughts of the Lord neither understand they his counsel For he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor He shall gather them in the 11th verse 't is said Now also many Nations are gathered against thee that say let her be defiled and let our eye look upon Zion But they know not the thoughts of the Lord They are gathering together against the people of God and God is gathering to thresh them They gather together God hath a design upon their gathering God gathers them So in Ezek. 38. you have there the story of Gog and Magog that came up against the people of the Lord in a great multitude and they came up to spoil Therefore verse 14. Son of man prophesie and say unto Gog Thus saith the Lord God in that day when my people Israel dwelleth safely shalt thou not know it and thou shalt come from thy place out of the North parts Thou and many people with thee all of them riding upon Horses a great company and a mighty Army and thou shalt come against my people Israel as a cloud to cover the Land it shall be in the latter daies And I will bring thee against my Land Why That the Heathen may know me when I shall be sanctified in thee O Gog before their eyes verse 11. Thou shalt say I will go up to the Land of unwalled Villages I will go to them that are at rest that dwell safely c. to take a spoil and to take a prey But see the Lord hath another design Thou shalt come up against my people Israel as a cloud to cover the Land it shall be in the latter daies and I will bring thee against my Land Why That the Heathen may know me when I shall be sanctified in thee O Gog before their eyes And in verse 23. Thus will I magnifie my self and sanctifie my self and I will be known in the eyes of many Nations and they shall know that I am the Lord. Here 's Gods design God doth let out the wrath and anger of wicked men against his people and he hath this design that his Name may be sanctified So that you have this assurance also the great design of God 3. You have the assurance of Gods Zeal The zeal of the Lord of Hosts shall do this The God whom we serve is a zealous God Zeal is angered Love Now there are three things that God doth love especially He loves his Truth he loves his Worship and he loves his People When wicked men do prevail against the People of God They scorn the Truth they defile his Worship they persecute his People I say these three things God loves in the World But now God will not suffer these things that he loves thus to be alwaies trampled on for he is a zealous God and therefore you may build upon it you may be assured of it That either he will restrain the rage of men or he will turn their Wrath and Anger unto his own Praise But then Thirdly Suppose all this What is our Duty that doth flow from hence First of all if that there be such a deal of anger and wrath in the hearts of men against the Saints and people of God wonder not at it be not offended when you see it it was alwaies so from the begining God hath put enmity and the enmity that God hath put between the seeds shall stand Cain began betime and as Luther saith Cain will be killing his Brother Abel to the worlds end It hath alwaies been so and do you think there shall be less anger in the hearts of the men of the world against the people of God now in the latter daies No rather more in Rev. 12. 't is said The Dâ—vil is come down having great wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time The shorter the Devils time is the more his wrath will be in his Instruments Why now we are fallen in the latter times and therefore his anger must be greateâ— now Anstin thinks that the anger and wrath and persecution of the wicked will be greatest at the last saith he The persecution of the Primitive times was very sharp But afterwards there followed the persecution of the Arrians and that was sharp But the last persecution is the Persecution of Antichrist and that shall be the sharpest And we find in the 11th of the Revelations speaking of the latter daies That the Nations are angry verse 18. And the Nations were angry and thy wrath is come That 's well Gods wrath goes with their anger But the Nations were angry speaking of the latter daies There are three or four things that will raise the anger and wrath of Antichrist in the latter daies There is the Prophesying of the Witnesses The Witnesses Prophesie and when they have finished their Prophesie the Beast shall kill them and being slain they shall make merry over the Witnesses that Prophesied verse 10. and rejoyce over them and shall send gifts one to another Why because these two Prophets tormented them that dwell on the earth the Protestants and reformed Churches do torment by tâ—eâ—r prophesie So that there is one thing that doth image them Another thing that doth raise the anger of the Antichristian party â—â— the world in the latter daies is the separation For there shall be the greatest separation that ever was Come out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues There shall be the greaâ—est separation and that provokes them 3. Another thing that shall provoke the Antichristian party in the latter daies is this That they shall
will not go when they offered him gold and silver Alass our gold and silver doth not go there As leather monâ—y will not go here where gold and silver goes So our gold and silver will not go there if there be not enough in God alone how do you think they live in Heaven Surely they live upon God Therefore there is enough in God Well if there be enough in God alone O my Soul Why should I depart from God All departure doth signifie an insufficiency I leave this house and go to another because this house is not sufficient When I am sick I send to my neighbour for Beer why because my Beer don't like me The Bee leaves one flower and goes to another because it doth not find enough in that flower all departing notes an insufficiency If I depart from God it notes an insufficiency in God Is it not because there is no God in Israel that ye are gone down to Baal-zephon Well either there is enough in God alone O my soul or there is not If there be not enough in God alone then how do they live in Heaven If there be enough in God alone then why should I depart from God through unbelief Thus put your selves upon this Dilemma and it will be a means to keep you from departing from God through your unbelief 14. If you would not depart from God the living God through unbelief Then take heed of worldliness Take heed of covetousness and of worldliness We cannot serve two Masters God and Mammon you must cleave to the one and forsake the other Demas hath forsaken me and imbrac'd this present world A worldly covetous heart will depart from God and therefore take heed of covetousness worldliness Seek not great things for your selves Seek ye great things in these times Seek them not 'T is a great matter to have ones life for a prey in evil times 15. If you would not depart from God the living God through unbelief then take heed of mis-belief all unbelief is grounded upon a misbelief We don't believe because we mis-believe we see it in Adam he was guilty of unbelief how Why he believed the Devil You shall be like God saith he and by his mis-believing he came into unbelief His unbelief was grounded upon a misbelief God draws by Promises and the Devil tempts by Promises Why when the Devil tempts by Promises if we believe his Promises we shall soon be guilty of unbelief in regard of Gods Promises and therefore if we would not depart from God the living God through unbelief take heed of misbelieving 16. If you would not depart from God through unbelief then look to your Judgement in reference to your Conversation and look to your Conversation in reference to your Judgment Look to your Life in reference to your Opinion look to your Opinion in reference to your Life Faith and a good Opinion doth preserve a good Life and a good Life doth preserve Faith and a good Opinion Faith lys in the bosom of a good Conversation Faith is best preserved by a good Conversation and a good Conversation is best preserved by Faith Sometime men do depart from God and their departure begins above in the Judgment and like Rheum it falls down upon the Lungs it falls down upon the Conversation Somtimes the departing begins below in the Conversation and steams up into the Judgement as some things that are unsavoury in the stomach they steam up into the head Sometimes the departâ—re from God begins above and works downward into the Conversation Sometimes it begins below in the Conversation and works upwards into the Judgement Therefore look to your Judgements in reference to your Conversation and look to your Conversation in reference to your Judgment Look to your Faith in reference to your Life and look to your Life in reference to your Faith 17. If you would not depart from God the living God through unbelief Then take heed how you run with the times Good friends there is the truth of the times and there is the error of the times There is the grace of the times and there is the sin of the times seldom that the generality of people hit it they seldom hit the truth of the times seldom hit the grace of the times I say the generality of people seldom hit it they are like the dead Fish that swims down the water the living Fish swims against the Tide and so the living Christian swims against the tide of the Times Take heed if you would not depart from the living God through unbelief take heed how you fall with the times for I say seldom do the generality of people hit the truth or the grace of the times 18. Know that it is the greatest honour possess your souls on 't that may be to wait upon the Lord and the greatest dishonour to depart from God through unbelief Thereby a man proclaims his own folly thereby he doth put himself out of Gods protection thereby he casts dirt and reproach in the very face of God Is it not because there is no God in Israel that ye go down to Baal-zebub the God of Ekron God will cast dirt and reproach in their faces that cast dirt and reproach in his face 'T is the greatest honour to wait upon the Lord 'T is the greatest dishonour to depart from God 19. Be very sensible of your own unbelieving heart and of all your former departings from God The best way to keep from new sins is to be very sensible of old sins he that is very sensible of his former sins shall through the grace of God be kept from new sins Have you departed from the Lord be sensible of your departings from God be sensible of your own unbelieving heart There is many that go up and down and are never sensible of their own unbelieving hearts twenty thirty forty years they have lived and yet not sensible of their unbelieving heart though it 's the greatest Evil Well if you be sensible of your unbelief and former departings from God then you shall be kept from departing from the Lord through unbelief 20. Lastly If you would not depart from God the Living God through an evil heart of unbelief Be not too confident of your own strength in standing but commit your self and your cause and your way and your heart unto the Lord The best Swimmers are the soonest drown'd Why because they are the most confident and the most confident people do the soonest fall and depart from the Lord. But our strength is to commit our selves unto God Commit thy way unto the Lord saith he and the Apostle in evil times suffering times calls upon us to do this to commit our selves into the hand of God as into the hands of a faithful Creator Are the times declining and do many depart from the Lord take heed be not to confident he that standeth standeth by Faith be not to confident of your own standing but
Faithful witness Rev. 3. write These things saith the Amen the true and Faithful witness That is Christ Christ is the true and the faithful witness and therefore those that are his they must be witnesses too that they may be conformed to him Thereby they also overcome as you have it in Rev. 12. And they overcame him by the Bloud of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony They overcome by the Bloud of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony by witness-bearing So then the Saints and people of God they are Christs witnesses In Anti-Christian times they are Christs witnesses and if they be thus described why then should not we look unto this work especially Bearing of witness to the truths and wayes of Christ This is the work that we are born for For this cause saith Christ was I born and for this cause came I into the World that I might bear witness unto the truth This is the work of our Generation witness-bearing to the truths of Christ in opposition to the waies of Anti-Christ in Anti-Christian times This is the work of our Generation This is the work which there is a thousand years of glory and comfort promised unto above other things as you read in Rev. 20. This is the work Witness-bearing to the truths of Christ in opposition to the wayes of Anti-Christ This is the work that hath the Crown and Name of Martyrdom A Martyr what 's that but a Witness Every witness more or less is a Martyr We take the word only for them that dye But every witness is a Martyr This is that work which sometimes is necessary to Salvation Rom. 10. 10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation This is the work I say therefore that sometimes is necessary unto Salvation And this is that work which Jesus Christ will own and acknowledg before all the world He that confesseth me before men him will I confess before my Father and all the Angels in Heaven And if this be the great work why should we not all of us look to this work especially this witness-bearing You will say what shall I do that I may be found faithful in this witness-bearing what shall I do that I may witness a good confession in these dayes of ours Something by way of Rule Something by way of means and yet not long because I must pass on to other things Rule 1. Something by way of Rule Be sure that your testimonies do agree Though there be 100 Witnesses about a business if their witness don't agree 't will be of little worth And now so it is Christs Witnesses this day are divided into many Opinions and Perswasions but they may agree in the main for Christ they may all agree in opposition unto Anti-Christ If that you wouâ—â—â—ave your witness valid and good labour you thaâ— are the witnesses for unity in your testimony Tâ—â—re are three saith the Apostle John that bear witness in Heaven speaking of Gods testifying of the truth of Grace There are three that bear Record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost these bear witness of Christ and their witness is good why For these three are One 1 Joh. 5. 7. And saith he at the 8. v. There are three that bear witness on earth the Spirit and the Water and the Bloud The Spirit I come to know that I am the child of God by the testimony of the Spirit bearing witness with my Spirit that I am the child of God And I come to know that I am the child of God by the witness of water by the testimony of Sanctification And I come to know that I am the child of God by the testimony of Bloud by the testimony of my Faith relying upon the Bloud of Christ And these three agree and these three agree in One. The testimony is good because they agree in one So in our testifying of Christ If our testimonies do agree our testimony is good that 's the first thing We have bin too much divided God knows we have and he hath punisht our Divisions with Divisions 't is time to unite our testimony If you would bear witness unite your testimony 2. If you would witness a good confession in these dayes of ours then you must be willing to own the truth of Christ to own it whensoever you are called thereunto 't is said our Saviour Christ he witnessed a good Confession before Pontius Pilate Pray what kind of witness was it was it any long confession or large nâ— â—ut the manner on 't was this when they call'd him before them to give an account of any fact he left them to prove it When they called him to give an account of the Doctrine that he held Art thou the King of the Jews then he owned it He left them to prove the fact and he owned the truth so should we do And indeed if that we be not willing for to own the truth when we are called thereunto why how can it be that the mark of the Father should be written upon our Foreheads only We read of the followers of the Beast that they received a mark in their right hands and in their Foreheads both why in the Forehead and why in the hand In the Forehead sometimes to wear it openly And in their right hands to put it into their pockets and to hide it They can own it sometimes and sometimes they can hide it but the followers of the Lamb they have the mark of their Father only in their Forehead Therefore I say If we would witness a good Confession we must be willing to own the truth whensoever we are called thereunto 3. If you would witness a good confession in these dayes of ours then you must be willing also for to suffer for the truth of Christ Those that cannot suffer for the truth of Christ and run the hazard of a suffering they cannot bear their witness fully See how they go together in Rev. 13. 10. Here is the patience and Faith of the Saints The Faith of the Saints and their Patience do go together So in chap. 14. ver 12. Here is the Patience of the Saints here are they that keep the Commandments of God and the Faith of Jesus Patience and keeping the Commandments of God and the Faith of Jesus they go together And therefore that 's a third thing 4. If you would witness a good Confession then take heed that when you hav born your testimony you do nothing that may revoke the same either directly or by consequence Some bear a good testimony to the truths of Christ but then they revoke their testimony by somthing that they do afterwards either directly or by consequence Mark what is said of John in Joh. 1. 20. 't is said of him He confessed and denyed not but confessed I am not the Christ He confessed and did not revoke his testimony He
we do that we may so remember Lot's Wife that we may not decline or look back in declining times I shall not speak at large unto the Argument Onely thus If you would not look back in declining times shut your eyes and your ears against all the allurements and threatnings of the World For the Devil he tempts much now in these daies to false Worship as he tempted our Saviour Christ when he said All this will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me That was false Worship So now the Devil saith All this living and preferment will I give thee if thou wilt worship me so This Cupboard with Plate will I give thee this Chamber hung with Tapestry will I give thee if thou wilt worship so This great living and preferment will I give thee if thou wilt worship so If thou wilt not worship all this will I take from thee Would you therefore be kept that you may never look back Shut your eyes and shut your ears go blindfold into Gods Commandements as Abraham your Father did 2. If you would not look back in declining times Take heed of leaving any Nest-egg in the day of Reformation if there be an Egg left in the Nest sure enough the Hen will return to the Nest to lay yet So in the time of Reformation If a Nest-Egg be left as God knows what Nest-eggs were left among us But I say If in a time of publick Reformation Nest-eggs be left there will be a return of the Hen to the Nest-egg there Will you know what that good man said Mr. Dearing before Queen Elizabeth The house is swept and the Dirt is behind the Door there comes a Hen and scrapes it all out again But I put it into this If a Nest-egg be left be it a publick Reformation or a private Reformation yet if a Nest-egg be left there will be a returning back again 3. If you would not look back in declining times Then be sure that you never part friends with any sin Some will part with their sin but they will part friends with it Saith one By the grace of God I will never commit this sin again and I 'le go but this time into this company but after this time I will never go to them again and so they part friends with their sin Why if a man be to part with his friend he goes part of the way with him and having parted friends they look after one another And so when a man parts friends with his sin he will certainly look back again But if a man would never look back to his sin in declining times let him part as an enemy to it He that will part friends with his sin will certainly return to his sin again 4. If you would not look back in declining times be sure of this That you do not run a share or a part in the Vessel that God is about to destroy Where my grief is there is my finger where my love is there is my eye If I have a share and a part in the Vessel that God is about to destroy I shall look after the Vessel what becomes thereof Why now Babylon that art to be destroyed Babylon is not to repent Babylon that art to be destroyed Babylon is not to be reformed Wash dirt an hundred times and you cannot make clean the dirt Babylon is not to be reformed but to be destroyed Take heed therefore of running a part or a share in the Boat or Vessel that God hath laid out for destruction for if you have a part and a share there you will look back But 5. If you would not look back in declining times let us consider in the fear of the Lord what an evil thing it is to look back Briefly thus 1. Thereby you lose all you have wrought Thereby you will lose all your losses There is much gain in losing for Jesus Christ There is gain in our losses by looking back you will lose all your losses and the gain thereby 2. Thereby you will lose the Testimony of your own Integrity Yet saith God Job held fast his Integrity And if we don't look back in declining times then our hearts will tell us we were upright before him but if we look back in declining times our consciences will tell us we were never right before him 3. Thereby also you will lose the comfort of those glorious times that are to come Friends and Beloved glorious times there are a coming that are at the back side of this hedge that are but a little way off that are on the back-side of this affliction glorious times that are a coming and when they come if ye stand and hold out you will have the comfort of those glorious times But if now you look back in the interim you will lose the comfort of all those glorious times when they come and come they will and come they shall 4. Thereby also you will and shall be satisfied with your own waies for the back-slider in heart shall be satisfied with his own waies you will look back and you shall have enough on 't saith God 5. And thereby also you will be made unmeet for the Kingdom of Heaven For he that puts his hand to the Plow and looks back is unfit for the Kingdom of Heaven 6. And thereby also you may be made a Pillar of Salt and an example unto after Ages for God is quick with Apostates and with them that do look back You have heard how quick the Lord was with Lot's Wife and she was but a Type Now therefore as ever you do desire Friends and Beloved as ever you do desire that you may not lose what you have wrought for so many years as you do desire that you may hold fast and not lose the gain of your former losses as you do desire that you may hold fast your Integrity as you do desire that you may have the comfort of those glorious times that are a coming as you do desire you may not be satisfied with your own waies and as you do desire you may not be unfit for the Kingdom of Heaven and as you do desire that you may not be made examples for after Ages I beseech you in the Name of the Lord and I desire this Exhortation may take upon my own heart as well as yours Let us remember Lot's Wife It was the Lady Times speech to Harding that Apostate Harding Harding Remember Judas Harding remember Francis Spira And let us remember Lot's Wife And if you will ask How should we so remember Lot's Wife that we may not decline in declineing times Work these things upon your hearts This story and example upon your hearts Take this for a constant Rule that Passion is the best door-keeper of Memory The more I am affected with a thing for the present the more I shall remember it for the future and therefore if you would remember Lot's Wife go and work this story now upon your own hearts and as the times are declining the more declining the times are the more do you rub your Memory with this Example of Lot's Wife and call upon your selves Come O my soul remember Lot's Wife Brethren Friends Beloved our Saviour Christ hath left you this Example he hath commanded you and me to remember Lot's Wife 'T is an Example that he hath sanctified that we may take heed hereby and therefore at all times call upon your selves and your own souls come O my soul hast thou forgotten Lot's Wife Thou beginnest to grow cold and dead and dull hast thou forgotten Lot's Wife Come O my Soul remember Lot's Wife Thus shall you be able to stand and not to look back and I pray think upon it that we may not be of the number of those that draw back unto perdition but of those that do believe to the saving of your souls Think therefore of these things and remember Lot's Wife FINIS THere is lately Printed an Excellent Treatise called the World Conquer'd Or a Believers Victory over the VVorld laid open in several Sermons on 1 John 5. 4. By R. A. The Author of Vindiciae Pietatis Sold by Nath. Crouch at the Cross-Keys in Bishops-gate-street near Leaden-Hall