the power of God in the confusion of his wisedome and to make the memory of an enemy to stinke to posterity they called these dayes the dayes of Purim So did Iudas Machabeus institute the feast of the dedication in remembrance of the purging of the Temple from the prophanations of Antiochus a feast which our Sauiour Christ himselfe seemed to approue by his owne presence in the 10. of Iohn So did our Gratious Soueraigne set apart the 5. of August in remembrance of his wonderfull deliuerance from the conspiracies of the Gowries And so for euer may the 5. of Nouember be separated and recorded amongst vs as by the wōderfull prouidence of God in discouering the horrible treasons of the Papists beeing turned vnto vs from sorrow to ioy and from murning into a ioyfull day to be kept with feasting and ioy and to all posterities so long as the name of Great Britaine shal be had in remembrance Thus hath the Lord appointed dayes of ioy and thus hath man vpon iust consideration celebrated and confirmed such daies to posterity not inuenting therein any other worship then God hath appointed but vpon such extraordinary occasions giuing more liberty thereby vnto the publicke worship of God as beeing vnder God the determiner of order and decency according to the general rules of equity prescribed in Gods blessed word And thus may euen priuate persons set apart some howre nay some day in the weeke vpon the like occasions to a more intire and immediate worship of God then in their ordinarie callings as not beeing otherwise tied to bodily labour on the sixe dayes then that they might be better fitted to the spirituall workes on the seuenth and not beeing excluded otherwise from this extraordinary worship on these dayes of labour then for the prouision of their families and obedience to authority and that without presumption of Gods prouidence and opinion of necessity or merit Other institution then this of such festiuall dayes I can finde none lawfull Neither indeed do I account euen this institution anie otherwise lawfull then it is kept vndefiled from abuse and superstition Considering what the holy Ghost addeth to trie our ioy by that it must bee in the Lord. And being thus bounded the spirit giues vs free liberty Reioyce in the Lord alwaies and againe I say reioyce And surely verie necessary it is that our ioy should be thus bounded least our liberty being an occasion to the flesh sowing thus to the flesh wee of the flesh reape corruption and so our ioy shal be turned into sorrow But howe shall I approue my ioy to be in the Lord surely there are these markes to try it by Hath the Lord done great things for thee whereof thou maiest reioyce surely thou maiest reioyce freely if thou keepe a right order and measure therein both which must be according to the diuersity of the things wherein thou doest reioyce That we may keepe a right order in our ioy for the blessings of God the holy Ghost giues vs an excellent rule setting downe the true subordination of the blessings themselues Who spared not his owne sonne but gaue him to die for vs how shall he not with him giue vs all things else Signifying therein thus much vnto vs that in that the Lord hath giuen vnto vs the Fountaine hee will not denye vs the streames and thereby teaching vs this order in reioycing for Gods benefits as to deriue our ioy from the Fountaine to the Streames not to rest our ioye in the streams but to returne it to the fountaine that the giuer of all good blessings may be first and last in our ioy First he must be in our ioy that thereby as we haue these blessings and fauour of him so we may bee assured also that wee haue them in him and thereby haue a testimony that they are sanctified vnto vs that so now we may haue a right vnto and comfort in the vse of them and last also must our God be in this affection of ioy It must at no hand rest in the blessing for so it wil be a meanes to drawe vs from the fountaine and our resolution then must bee so farre from reioycing in the streames as that we must count them all as dung in respect of the fountaine Iesus Christ. But seeing God is the Giuer and receiuer too Seeing he is the ending as well as the beginning therefore must our ioy be determined in nothing but in him that so hereby giuing him the Glory of the good wee haue receiued this may bee a meanes to receiue that further good which shall perfect vs vnto glory And as this is generally to be obserued in the ordering of our ioy that the Fountaine must be first and last therein so also in proportion seeing such Streames as are neerer to the fountaine are more pure so ought they to haue their place accordingly in the ordering of our ioy The Blessings that God hath renued vnto vs in this great deliuerance are very manie and yet some come neere vnto the fountaine then others Some that haue beene giuen vs as we say with the right hand As whatsoeuer principally concerne the life to come Namely the Nursery of the Church consisting of the Nurses both temporall and spirituall 1. Thessal 2. of the Milke of the Gospell and communion of Saints to be nourished thereby Together with the manifold pledges and fruites thereof as Peace of conscience our ioye in the Spirit and growth in Christ and such like Others haue beene the blessings of the left hand as our Goods Country Friends c. Examine wee now our selues whither our ioy hath beene ordered aright or no if it hath beene first the blessings of the right hand rather then for the other Nay if wee could haue beene contented to haue redeemed the blessings of the right hand with the losse of the blessings of the left nay if nowe wee can bee contented to abate our ioy in the one that wee may take our fill in the other these are good tokens that our ioy is ordered aright So was the affection of Mephibosheth ordered aright when the King would make him some part of a mendes by diuidyng the Lands bewixt him and Ziba his ioy was so inflamed with the enioying of the greater blessings that his Lord the King was come home in peace that hee euen resolued let him take all the lands as beeing not willing that the lesser blessinge should haue any part in his ioy Oh that wee had this testimonie of our true ioy for this deliuerance that wee did nowe more reioyce in the reuiuyng of the Gospell and the meanes thereof the publique blessing of happie gouernment then in any priuate blessing whatsoeuer prefering Ierusalem to all our mirth Oh that many may not iustly be charged with this disordered ioy that they could haue beene contented to haue lost the bessings of the right hand and haue thought it
stand not vpon that fauour which they doe not acknowledge yet let them respect the power of man which surely shall meete with their desperate attempts And lest by their secret conueyance they might hope to escape let them know further that their sinne shall finde them out and rather than they shall escape vnpunished Behold saith the holy Ghost Their owne tongues shall fall vpon them to betray their wickednesse and become the executioners of Gods righteous iudgements vpon them For so it followeth He shall cause their owne tongues to fall vpon them Loe heere a third degree of Gods iustice against the wicked themselues shall be the instruments of their owne confusion the snares which they haue laid for the righteous shall confound themselues that the Lord may yet be more apparantly iustified when he iudgeth and the wicked more confounded by the cause of their discouerie A verie vsuall and righteous course of Gods proceeding against them discouering both the admirable vprightnesse of Gods Iudgements vpon them and also his profound wisedome in executing the same It is a comfortable promise which the Lord makes vnto his children That the righteous shall escape out of trouble and the wicked shall come in their stead By which phrase that the wicked shall come in their stead the meaning of the holy ghost is that looke what troubles the wicked haue deuised against the Godly what snares soeuer they haue layd to entrappe them they shal be the pits wherevnto them selues shall fall and their owne mischiefe shall light vpon their owne pates So doth the spirit of God witnes that it hath befallen the wicked he hath made a pit and diggedit and is fallen into the pit that he hath made and concludes the like course of Gods iustice for the time to come that his mischiefe shall returne vpon his owne head and his crueltie shall fall vpon his owne pate So did cruell Haman erect a gallowes to make away the seruant of God and yet at length was hanged thereon So was the sword of Goliah the instrument of his own destructioÌ„ And vpon the experience hereof the spirit commends it as worthy the obseruation vnto all posteritie makes it a notable means to declare the iustice of God The Lord is knowne by executing of iudgments the wicked is snared in the workes of his owne hands Higgaion Selah Signifying that this admirable course of meeting with the wicked in their owne policies and snaring them in their mischiefs which they haue intended against the righteous is a meanes to make euen the wicked acknowledge God and to confesse his righteous iudgements in thus taking them in their inuentions So when the enemies of God had entended by powder to deuoure the Lords Annointed and his posteritie and therby to bring an vnter confusion both vpon the church and common-wealth it pleased the Lord to take some of them in their owne snares and by the like engine to seaze vpon them then did they acknowledge the righteous hand of God and whereas before they stood vpon a desperate defence now being amated and confounded with this admirable iustice of God they were not onely compelled to giue testimonie thereunto but further also to yeeld themselues in a fearefull and desperate manner vnto the same and were further iustly cut off euen by the like vengeance Behold here the righteous and woonderfull iustice of God against the wicked in rendring treason with treason that they which haue intended to betray others shal now betray themselues and so make way to the righteous iudgements of God Oh let all discontented and desperately malicious persons learne hence this lesson That they thinke no euill of the King no not in their priuie chamber that they neither speake nor practise any euill against the Lords Annointed For behold not onely the soules of the heauen shall carrie the voice and that which hath wings shall declare the matter but there is a bird in the bosome that shall discouer the same and shall giue the tongue no rest though it be neuer so hemd in with his double guard till it haue eased the conscience and iustified the Lord. And seeing the Lord is knowne by this manner of executing his iudgements that the wicked are taken in their own snares there by causing euen his enemies to giue testimony vnto him tremble then ye Aâ—heists which say in your harts there is no God when by his visible Iudgements hee thus iustifies himselfe against you and compels your mouthes to confesse his power And seeing his righteous purpose by this his admirable proceeding against you is to confound you in the thing you most put confidence in Oh lye down in your confusion and let shame couer your faces in that you and your fathers haue sinned against the Lord your God Say now with those true conuerts That the hope of the hils is in vaine that all your carnal wisedome and confidence hath grosly deceiued you And let this wonderfull wisdome of the Lord thus finding you out in your secrecie confounding you in the same cause you to hate the darknes that hath so deceiued you And to giue your selues hereafter to be informed by the light that so howsoeuer your sin may be met withall by teÌ„porall iudgments in this life yet being a meanes to worke in you true repentance your soules may be saued in the day of the Lord Iesus As for vs beloued who haue this experience of Gods mercie let vs not hereafter be afraid of the policies of the wicked let not their power secrecie nor any subtiltie that they shall be able to vse cause vs to close with them in their policies or to eat of such thinges as please them that so we may hold them frends vnto vs therby and free our selues from the snares which they haue laid to entrap vs. If we resist the Diuell he will fly from vs. And if we giue not our strength to these Witches children and betray not our selues vnto them by fearing their policies so daubing with them Behold the Lord watcheth ouer vs to ouer-turne their mischiefs and rather than faile their own tongues shall disclose them that so they may fall into the pit which they haue digged for others It followeth And whosoeuer shall see them shall fly away The meaning whereof is that the terrour of such iudgments which the Lord hath layd vpon them shall so distract and confound their wisedome in their leagues and confederacies that they which banded them selues together for the desolation of the church seeing now the same deliuered and them selues iustly met withall shall not onely hereby be scattered and dispersed by the seuerity of the vengeaÌ„ce but further also shall most fearfully disperse them selues to auoid if it may be that reuenging hand Yea not onely the Actors in this mischiefe shal be put to flight but whosoeuer shall see this
thankefulnesse are two want of vnderstanding how God hath done for vs and secondly misunderstanding and misconstering of the benefits of God either in the nature of theÌ„ as if all were done of duetie and merit and not of free grace and mercy or in the measure of them as if we knew best what was fit for vs then God himselfe The former is a disuse generall vnto those that enioy great blessings man being in honour hath no vnderstanding but may be compared to the beasts that perish the other is more g speciall vnto those that thinke they haue best right and make the best vse of theÌ„ as our meritmongers wil-worshippers of al sorts By the one whereof wee shal be so blinded that we cannot see how God hath done for vs by the other wee shal be peruerted as not to knowe what wee againe are to do for God Yf our mindes shal be so blinded as not vnderstand what God hath done for vs this disease wil be known by these symptomes and accidents h First though God hath reuealed his loue towards vs euen in all the blessings which our hearts haue desired yet will wee say impudently wherein dost thou loue vs acknowledging nothing of what the Lord hath done vnto vs Secondly if in some sort wee shall apprehend the goodnesse of God yet shall we be so blinded on the right way with the loue of these earthly thinges as that though wee haue and may farther be pertakers of spirituall graces yet shall wee account these as nothing in respect of the comforts of this life but with prophane Esau resolue what is this birthright vnto me seeing I die for hunger as seeing onely with the left eye into the blessings of the left hand still shall we crie out with those carnall beasts who will shew vs any good as if there were no good but the goods of this life as if all spirituall comforts were nothing vnto vs seeing wee wanted our bellies full of these hidden treasures A verie dangerous temptation incident to our carnall ghospellers who measuring the Lord principally by the things of this life are so affected and satisfied therewith that hauing these things they take it as a sufficient pledge of Gods fauour towards them but wanting the same they by and by murmuer and repine against the Lord as if hee had at all shewed them no good Yf therefore God giue them their desire as he did the Israelits concerning the body so farre as they see him and yet send leanenesse into their souâ—es not giuing them that which they see not nor seeke after as surely as God is not vniust in giuing them herein more then their hearts can desire so they must needs be inexcusable in that hauing asmuch nay more then indeede they sought for they would not seeke yet for more of that bountifull hand which was not wanting to giue but that they wanted faith to receaue A third token of not vnderstanding what God hath done for vs is our forgetfulnesse of such benefits which are dayly bestowed certaine it is that the mercies of the Lord are renewed euery morning and yet who is there that makes vp his audite therof once in the weeke nay may we not be iustly charged with thâ—s that God is not so ready to giue as we to forget hee not so forward in bestowing as we in burying his blessings in forgetfulnesse And is not this to forget the goodnesse of God all one as if wee did not vnderstand it nay surely we shall find it to lie more heauily vpon vs in that this forgetfulnesse both implies some apprehension of them and therefore makes vs more inexcuseable then if wee had not vnderstood them at al and so exposing vs most desperately vnto all impietie doth thereby hasten the wrath of God vpon vs. Thus may wee faile in the vnderstanding of the good that God hath done for vs and by meanes hereof wee lye open to two dangerous euils the one whereof is that not apprehending the good which we receiue we shall not be able to make vse of any good but as the Prophet Ieremie tels vs we shal be like the heath in the wildernesse neither being able to see when any good commeth and so not able to make any profitable vse thereof by which meanes proouing vnprofitable seruants we shall be subiect to a second iudgement not onely to haue such tallents taken from vs but in steed thereof as the Prophet Esaiah threatneth Seeing when mercie is shewed vnto the wicked he will not learne righteousnesse but in the land of quitie hee will doe wickedly and doth not consider the greatnesse of Iehouah therefore thus saith the holy Ghost Seeing they will not see oh Iehouah when thy hand is exalted to their good therefore they shall see and bee confounded with the zeale of thy people and the fire of thine enemies shall deuoure them Thus shall it befall those that will not behold the mercies of GOD to bee stirred vp thereby to thankefull obedience for the same if they shutte their eyes against Gods blessings the Lord will open them with his iudgements and they shall see in the day of Iudgement GOD the Aâ—enger which will not acknowledge him their great rewarde Wouldest thou therefore auoide that sight of Gods vengeance which shall spiritually blind thee that so thou maiest be oppressed with the horror of it and it shall necessarily open thine eyes that thou maiest bee the more confounded with the sense of thine owne miserie Oh then learne to beholde the good that is present with thee First if Gods hand bee exalted in fauour vpon thee if the eye of his prouidence hath waited ouer thee for thy deliuerance if hee haue not onely bestowed great blessings vpon thee but renewed them daily vnto thee by preuenting and remoouing the euills which might haue taken them away oh cease not againe againe to renew those streames of Gods mercies which he hath powred out vnto thee that they may lead thee to the fountaine so quite thee therein Certenly as the workes of God are worthy this dutie that they should be regarded so do they aboundantly herein requite the same in that the inuisible things of God namely his eternall power and godhead seene in the creation of the world beeing considered in his works do shew the glory of his kingdome speake of his power If therfore thou shalt not slightly passeouer the mercies of thy God but shalt take a full view of them as their worth doth require they shall be so manye teachers to instruct thee in the knowledge of thy God that so thou mayest acknowledge him the giuer of them yea they shal further lead thee to a knowledge of thy self that so finding thy selfe vnworthy of the least of Gods mercies thou maist both be humbled in the gift so giue glory to the giuer and aduanced
acknowledge that our cause is Gods yet they shall continue their malice against so good a cause yet they shall thus desperately fight against heauen and prouoke the holy one of Israel to their iust confusion And yet behold the Lord will open their mouthes further to their fearefull condemnation euen by the gratious deliuerances that he performeth vnto his children It was much that Saul should iustifie the innocencie of Dauid wonderfull was the Lord herein to wring from a reprobate the approbation of his seruant and very holy herein was the Iustice of God in discouering this wilfull obstinacy of a cast-away that so hee might prepare him thereby to his further condemnation But all this while innocency though it were praised yet it went a begging Dauid might be promised a kingdome yet was not sure of his life Nay for the safegard of it he is driueÌ„ to a narrow shift euen in a sort to venture his innocency it selfe So are Gods children to seeke of that which is theirs in hope that God may haue the glory of what they do enioy so doth the Lord prepare his to the obtaining of a blessing that comming vnto it at so hard a rate they might more highly prize it when they shall obtaine But did not the Lord heere giue his seruant some token that hee would recompence him according to his innocency yea surely the Lord that opened the mouth of his enemy to giue testimony vnto the one hee also opened the same to be a Prophet of the other HarkeÌ„ my beloued woÌ„der at the prouidence of God I know saith Saule that thou shalt be King and that the kingdome of Israel shal be established in thy hand Loe here Saule is amonge the Prophets to declare glad tidings to the Saints to speak feareful things against themselues Harken howe the wife of Haman becomes a prophetesse vnto her husband of the deliuerance of the Church and a swift witnesse of the destruction of the enemies thereof If Mordecay saith she be of the seede of the Iewes before whom thou hast begunne to fall thou shalt not preuaile against him but shalt surely fall before him Marke I pray you the ground of this prophecye the wicked haue begunne to fall before the righteous nation some vpper hand haue they had against their enemies what doth this infidell collect herevpon surely the wicked shall fall more and more before the righteous till at lenght the righteous shal haue dominion ouer them in the morning Wouldst thou then haue a token that thine enemies shal be confounded consider then howe from time to time they haue fallen before thee certeÌ„ly if thou be of the seed of the Iewes and of that royall generation thou shalt one day haue all thine enemies thy footstoole Wouldst thou haue a further euidence to confirme this vnto thee behold the Lord shall open the mouth of thine enemie to bewray their fainting spirits that so thou maist be comforted as Gideons Souldiers were by this testimony of thine enemies that the Lord shal giue them vp into thy hands and thou shalt make a ful end of them Oh but thou wilt say how can these things stand together Saul tells Dauid he shall certenly be King and yet hee continues persecuting him to take away his life from him May not this be a policy to make him secure that he may the more easily seaze vpon him I see indeed will the weake Christian say that God hath deliuered his church from time to time I heare euen the enemie giuing ouer for a time as confessing with the Pharesie Behold we preuaile nothing against him for all the world runneth after him and yet I see the aduersaries are in hope stil I see they are stil practising and plotting against the soules of the righteous what may I conceaue hereof may I not iustly feare with Dauid that I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul that at length these aduersaries shall obtaine their desire against the church and therevpon resolue rather vpon some indirect course to corrupt my conscience or abate of my sincerity that so glosing with them I might finde fauour in their sight Oh stay here whosoeuer thou art that shalt be thus affected giue mee the hearing a while to satisfie thee herein Tell me I pray thee why doth Sathan our maine aduersary so violently and incessantly persecute the Church of GOD doth not the spirit giue thee the reason because his time is short if thou therefore seest the instruments of Satan still to rage more fiercely against the spouse of Christ know thou for a certenty that their time is but short and that thou maist not want a prophesie to confirme thee herein consider but what their desperate practises doe speake vnto thee If they were not affraid to loose their kingdome if they had not a presage in their conscience that Christs Kingdome would one day preuaile surely they would be still and follow their flesh potts they would not so persecute and plot as they doe they would not thus spend their goods and venture their liues and all against the poore Church of God Alas it is not for Christs kingdome what pretence soeuer they haue for they haue said plainelie We will not haue this man to raigne ouer vs. But the trueth is to holde their own Here is the matter the Iewes had this Oracle from their Father the Deuill that if they let Christ alone the Romanes would come and take away their Kingdome And therefore they resolue that Christ must bee persecuted his death must be the life of their vsurped power their conscience told them that they were but vsurpers the very life and holy conuersation of Christ was a manifest conuiction and condemnation of them so that their conscience told them that Christ Iesus was that holy one whom they ought to haue obeyed and yet their hypocrysie replyed if wee giue him honour wee shall loose ours and so their deuilish policy concluded to their owne confusion better one perish then our whole Kingdome goe downe faine would they haue done him homage so he would haue serued their turne to Daube vp their hypocrisie and vnderproppe their toâ—tering Kingdome but yet because they saw his course to bee cleane contrary a sharpe reprouer of their hipocrisie and a mayne beaterdowne of their carnall pompe and vanity hereupon against their conscience they followed their persuite against him and doe you marke herein how their Father deceiued them their practises against the sonne of God made way to his Glory and the redemption of mankind and so proued the occasion of the ouerthrow of their kingdome So doth the Lord Confound the wisdome of the wise and turneth their malice vpon their owne pates In like sort the aduersaries of the Church haue carried themselues A kingdome they haue vsurped vpon by the power of Sathan and through his Subtilty and violence they haue seazed vpon the Lords