bowe abode in strength and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob Psal. 3. 2. Many say of my soul There is no help for him in God See so sweet a But vers. 3. But thou O Lord art a shield for me my glory and the lifter up of my head So is the childe of Gods condition made up of two haltes Psal. 18. 18. Hence the fall They prevented me in the day of my calamity Then the rise But the Lord was my stay Psal. 22. 7. All that see me laugh me to scorn c. Hence faiths rise vers. 9. But thou art he that took me out of the wombe c. Psal. 30. 5. Weeping may endure for a night then the returne But joy cometh in the morning Psal. 34. 19. Many are the troubles of the righteous this is their down but they lie not But the Lord delivereth them out of all Psal. 71. 7. I am a wonder to many that is dark night but the day dawneth againe But thou art my strong hold So doth the servant of God fall Psal. 109. 4. For my love they were mine adversaries but faith riseth again But I give my self to prayer Psal. 118. 13. Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall see the escape But the Lord helped me vers. 18. The Lord hath chastised me sore shall he lie in that condition No But he hath not delivered me to death Esay 54. 7. For a smal moment I have forsaken thee behold the returne But with great mercies wil I gather thee Esay 63. 6. For we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnes as filthy rags we all do fade as a leafe our iniquities like the winde have taken us away this is death and look to life again vers. 8. But thou O Lord art our Father c. Jer. 1. 19. They shall fight against thee there were but a whole Parliament all the estates of the Land Kings Princes Priests and People against Jeremiah but he must not lie on the dust But they shall not prevaile against thee for I am with thee to deliver thee Joh. 16. 22. Ye now therefore have sorrow that is a sad case yet it hath a turne But I will see you againe and ye shall rejoyce and your joy shall no man take from you so are these two at once in the Lords witnesses his Apostles 2. Cor. 4. 9. persecuted But not forsaken cast down But not destroyed 2. Tim. 4 16. At my first appearing no man stood with me but all men forsook me yet is he lifted up vers. 17. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me Secondly There is a contexture of contraries as black and white sweet and sowre woven through other as day-light and night in a morning twy-light as contraries in one subject 2. Cor. 6. 9. As dying and behold we live as chastened yet not killed verse 10. Or as sorrowfull yet alwayes rejoycing as poor yet making many rich as having nothing yet possessing all things How can these two be in one They kill us but we die not they bury us but we live againe in the grave we have nothing and we have all things we have we want not Rom. 8 36. Killed all the day long and counted as sleep for the slaughter 37. Neverthelesse in all these more than Conquerours c. Hence they are killed all the day long and they live all the day long I know not how it is but the Churches death is a living and a breathing death their poverty a rich poverty their shame glorious shame their sadnesse joyfull sadnesse their foyles victorious foyles their paine an health and an easie paine their weaknesse strong and mighty weaknesse I desire to make some use of this And 1. There be no worldly States and Monarchies of whom this can be said Their Kingdome such as cannot be destroyed Where is there a worldly Kingdome that cannot be shaken Moab was a Kingdome and yet Moab shall die in his own vomit Jer. 48. 26. Aegypt is a great Kingdome and yet it is broken like an old Clay-pot or a lame Vessell The foure great Monarchies are become like foure May-flowres withered and their rosie blossoms are fallen off them in their moneth Did they mean no truth who said of earthly Kingdomes Omnis faelicitas ad culmen perducta retrogreditur and Magna suo pondere ruunt VVorldly felicity when it is at the height of the Stairs sitteth downe and slippeth back againe And great things of this Earth are a burden to themselves summisque negatum stare diu It is denied to great things to stand long Alas how long did one of the Kings of Gods People raigne even Zachariah poore six moneths Shallum came not to this he raigned in Samaria one moneth And Zimri who came to the Crowne by blood had a shorter raigne He did walk with a Crowne seven dayes If Pope Victor the fifth had a longer time of a golden chaire it was but five years and Clemens the third ruled but three yeers and Alexander the eleventh only two yeers And though it be but a fiction that Kingdomes have their fatall yeers and Monarnarchies are under Planetary houres yet some truth must be in this Kingdomes have their infancy and come to a greater strength till they come to their flowre and then they begin to turn and it is congruous to their experienced truth That Kingdomes finde old age And gray hairs are here and there upon Ephraim and he knoweth not 7. 9. It is much better to bee a subject or one of the States of the Kingdome of grace for grace knoweth no old age nor hath grace an internall principle of corruption for it is the seed of eternall glory and though the Powers of the Earth may subvert the foundation and Fundamentall Laws of earthly Kingdoms yet cannot Christs Kingdome or the constitution of it be broken But that which doth loose the Pillars of a Kingdome is sinne Amos. 1. For three transgressions of Edom and for foure I will not turne away the punishment thereof So Ammon Moab Judah are under the same punishment There is no way to secure England from wrath but turning to the Lord And especially two sinnes in the State are to be seriously taken to heart 1. You suffered many worthy servants of God who pleaded the Lords cause for a Reformation against the Prelates to be silenced deprived imprisoned banished Both in the reigne of Queene Elizabeth and of King James Prelates oppressed the servants of Christ and did tyrannize over the conscience of the Lords people in this Land former Parliaments did not give Christ and his servants faire Justice and now hath the Lord stirred up these oppressors to oppresse your Parliament and to raise bloody wars against the Land 2. It is said Hos. 5. 11. Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgement because he willingly followed the Commandement It hath been the sinne of this Land that when
sunk and overwhelmed if those three hold good which Papists and Arminians hold 1. Our salvation were in danger if free-will which hath its rise and working in time were the Axeltree upon which are rolled the wheeles of eternall election and reprobation But there is as good reason to say that a sucking childe may reach up his arme above the Sunne and Starres and roll about the wheele of the first Heaven from East to West and turne the wheele again from West to East as to say that time-free-will can turn about the eternall counsel of God and that our acts of believing are not believing and our good and evil works which have their rise from yesterday and to day and are like Jonahs gourd up and down in one night doe roll about the eternall will and decree of God from favour and love to hatred and rejecting of men Better make the former of all things supreame and soveraigne then give the Prerogative Royall of all to naughty and sinfull clay 2. We could easily grant that it were in mens power to destroy the Church of God and that the King of the bottomlesse pit and his Lady and Queen Babylon the great whore and their sonnes Papists and Prelates might cut off the name of the Lords Israel if upon the supposall of their dream of N. media scientia the new eyes which Jesuits with all humble submission and glory to the glorious God bee it spoken have given to the Almighty contingency did rule all for upon the nod and dominion of causes without all determination of Gods righteous providence and eternall counsel all revolutions of Church and Kingdomes depend say they and all hang upon these two poles may be may not be what hindereth then that Christ have no Spouse no redeemed people and that he be a husband without a wife a King without Subjects a Saviour without a ransomed people as they expresly teach who with Arminians are advocates for nature and pleaders against the grace of God but wee believe God to bee eternall and his counsel eternall and his eternall decree to have a strong influence in the safety of his Church against which the gates of hell shall not prevail and that Divels Men Babylon Rome Spain Irish rebels powers on earth in their plots machinations counsels endeavours battels victories all which come from free causes are yet chained and fast linked to the high dominion and independent soveraignty of an eternall God And we believe that this differenceth Jehovah from all other Gods who as Esay saith Can neither do good nor evil Therefore there is not an arrow steepd in hell and shot against the Church but it cometh out of Gods bow and he saith it Esay 43. 13. Yea before the day was I am he and there is none that can deliver out of my hand I wil worke and who shall let it The Churches victories and deliverance depend upon an eternall hand and therefore the sonnes of Belial prevail not and the sons of Jacob are not consumed 3. It were a desperate matter for the elect to be saved if the first Adam were our surety but our Tutor Jesus Christ is old and wise the ancient of dayes Daniel 7. 13. and he hath seven eies they cannot chuse but hold the apostasie of the Saints who make free-will our tutor And therefore if I were halfe in heaven and my one foot in eternity and my other in time if such a sinfull principle as free-will should tutour and guide me I should come back again out of heaven and be damned eternally If any weak soule apprehending wrath and under a fervour of desertion should complain What hindreth me to be eternally condemned for I am not distracted I am privie to my selfe that I have sold my birth-right and sinned against the grace of God hainously Let me answer That the selling of your birth-right dependeth upon the consent of your tutor Jesus Christ who is the King of ages as no minor can sell his inheritance without the consent of his tutor and if he should doe it it cannot stand in Law but may be revoked Christ is first heire and all the elect joynt heires with him Rom. 8. 17. and joynt heires in Law though many persons yet they make but one heire consider then if he who is your eternall King of ages and so unchangeable hath not given his consent to the bargaine that you should sell his birth-right and inheritance and under him your own birth-right you had no power to doe it Christ because he is God eternall cannot subscribe nor signe with his hand the writs wherein you have sold your inheritance therefore the bargaine in Law is a meere nullity Thirdly if he be God enduring for ever What fooles are we to place our hope in a King that shall die Surely they cast their anchor in ill ground who trust in the creature thou puttest thy heaven betwixt the browes of a King and in the light of his countenance he is but a man and may change and though his favour were constant yet when his eye-strings shall be broken with one breath he shall breathe out his own soule and thy heaven And what canst thou then say or do because sence and the flesh leadeth us and time goeth about us from the cradle to the grave we are all for time we are for a time-Court a time-Glory a time-Prince a time-Friend a time-Husband a time-Brother a time-Heaven and happinesse a time-deliverance in trouble time-Riches time-joy and time-pleasure time-triumphing a time-life c. But we may finde in this King of ages who indureth for ever these same good things of another nature as we finde in God eternall Court eternall Glory an eternall King an eternall Friend an eternall Husband an eternall Brother an eternall Happinesse an eternall Salvation eternall riches eternall victory and triumph and in summe life eternall His Kingdome such as cannot be destroyed The other classe of arguments to prove Daniels God to be the true God is from his government His Kingdome that is The people of his kingdome cannot be destroyed and now the King doth say though there be variety and choyce of gods in Chaldea and Persia yet Daniels God is incomparably above them all and Daniel and his fellowes are blessed and more happy in their God then all that serve other gods The Lord when he is tried will be found the onely excellent and matchlesse God above all gods and none like to him and his people the onely happy people that mans portion is fallen in pleasant lines who hath the Lord for his portion but I must go on to make good this doctrine That the Kingdome and Church of God is the most permanent and induring society on earth and a Kingdome which cannot fail and I go upon these grounds There is a most firm and sure Covenant made betwixt the Lord and his people Jer. 31. 35. Thus saith the Lord that giveth the Sun for a light by day and the
A SERMON PREACHED To the Honourable HOVSE OF COMMONS At their late Solemne Fast Wednesday Jan. 31. 1644. BY SAMUEL RUTHERFURD Professor of Divinitie in the University of S. Andrews EXOD. 3. 2. And hee looked and behold the Bush burned with fire and the Bush was not consumed Published by Order of the House of Commons EDINBURGH Printed by Evan Tyler Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majestie 1644. Die Mercurii 31. Ianuar. 1644. IT is this day ordered by the Commons assembled in Parliament That Mr. Rous do from this House give thanks unto Mr. Rutherfurd for the great paines he took in the Sermon he preached this day at the intreaty of the said Commons at S. Margarets Westminster it being the day of publike Humiliation and to desire him to print his Sermon And it is ordered that none presume to print his Sermon without authority under the hand-writing of the said Mr. Rutherfurd H. Elsynge Cler. Parl. D. Com. I appoint Richard Whittaker and Andrew Crooke to print my Sermon Samuel Rutherfurd To the Christian Reader WHether time or the fashion hath obtained of me worthy Reader that this Sermon should come under the providence of your favourable judgement and Candor I can hardly determine But you have it as it is onely I shall heartily desire in reviewing of it your serious thoughts in these insuing considerations 1. What I speak here of God and his excellency is but a shadow to the expressions of others and what others can say men or Angels is but a short and rude shadow of that infinite All the High Jehovah Creator of Heaven and Earth so my thoughts come forth as shadows of shadows for there behoved to be much honey in the Inke much of Heaven in the breast much of God in the Pen of any who speaketh of such a transcendent subject yet if these do affect you it is possible I say more if not I shall desire not to spill the Lords highest praises with my low-creeping under-expressions 2. Concerning Gods dispensation now in Brittaine and his Churches condition I shall be your debter in all humble modesty to beg these thoughts to go along with God As 1. Let the Lord have a charitable sense and good construction of his most wise dispensation and beleeve that he who hath his fire in Zion and his furnace in Jerusalem seeth good that Christs Crosse should be the Church of Christs birth-right and that a life-rent of afflictions is a surer way for Zion then Summer-dayes 2. You are not to stumble that God will not fit his times to mens apprehensions when to raine and when to shine fair neither is clay to usurp the chair and dispute the matter to make the All-wise providence a School-Probleme nor asks Why is our Zion builded with carcasses of men in two kingdomes fallen as dung in the open field and as the handfull after the harvest man Why is the wall of the daughter of Zion sprinkled with blood One thing I know It is better to beleeve then to dispute and to adore then to plead with him who giveth not account of his matters 3. Innocencie in these times is better then court with princes and the condition of the heirs of Heaven yea their tears better then the joy of the hypocrite 4. Christs Church can neither shift nor adjourne such a share of affliction as is written in Gods book It is a standing and a current court which hath decreed what graines of Gall and Wormewood England must drink what a cup is prepared for Scotland and the Ballance of wisedome hath weighed by ounce weights how much wrath shall be mixed in the cup of wasted Ireland 5. You know it is generally the condition of the Church if she have any Summer that it is but a good day betwixt two Feavers Heaven heaven is the home and the desired day of the Bride the Lambs wife 6. It is much better to be afflicted then to be guilty and that the Church may have pardon and want peace 7. That the faith which is more precious then gold can bid the devil do his worst and that the patience of the Saints can out-weary the malice of Babylon or Babel on whose skirts is found the blood of the Saints 8 That it is now and ever true as when a hungry man dreameth and behold he eateth but he awaketh and his soul is empty or as when a thirsty man drinketh but he awaketh and behold he is faint so shall the multitude of all nations be that fight against mount Zion 9. Vengeance is gone out from the Lord against those who feast upon Zions teares and they must die the death of the uncircumcised who clapped their hands and stamped with the feet and rejoyced in heart with all their despight against the land of Israel 10. They are in no better condition who refuse to help the Lord against the mighty and whose heart is as a stone and a piece of dead flesh at all the revolutions and tossings of Christs Kingdome who daunce eat and laugh within their own orbe and if their desires bee concentrick to the world and themselves care not whether Joseph die in the stocks or not or whether Zion sink or swim because whatever they had of Religion it was never their minde both to summer and winter Jesus Christ 11. The rise of the Gospel-sun is like the prodigious appearance of a new Comet to the woman that sitteth on many waters to that mother Rome-planted as a Vine in blood the Lionesse whose Whelps Papists and Prelates in Ireland and England have learned to catch the prey and this Comet prophesieth Wo to the Pope King of the bottemlesse pit and his bloody Lady Babel if Christ shall arise and shine in the power of his Gospel 12. God hath now as great a work on the wheels as concerneth the race of the Chariots of Jesus Christ through the habitable world pray O let his Kingdome come and farewell Yours in the Lord Jesus S. R. A SERMON PREACHED Before the Honourable House of COMMONS At their last solemne Fast Wednesday January 31. 1644. DANIEL 6. 26. I make a Decree that in every Dominion of my Kingdome men tremble and feare before the face of the God of Daniel for he is the living God and indureth for ever and his Kingdome that which shall not bee destroyed and his dominion shall bee to the end MEthod requireth that first the words bee expounded secondly that they bee taken up in a right order thirdly that such observations bee hence deduced as serve most for the present condition of the times The words are plaine here first is a Statute of a great King Sim that the seventie interpreters render {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a decretall letter for sometimes though seldome the Lords cause findeth the grace of faire justice with men The matter of the Decree is that men tremble and feare Lehevon zognin vedachalin The Seventie render
governe them and so shall Gods gifts be snares plagues and no gifts If God give a fatherly power to a father to kill all his children and if a State give to their Generall a military power to fell and destroy all his Souldiers so as neither Sonnes nor Souldiers may defend themselves then the fatherly power should be of its owne nature a plague to the Sonnes If any say the Prince the Father because they feare God will not put forth in acts such a power I answer thankes to the Princes goodnesse for that but no thankes to his office and power God gave him the Sword as a Prince if he doe not draw that royall Sword to drink bloud we cannot impute the cause to the nature of the royall gift or intention of God the giver but to the goodnesse of a man which must be bad divinite Doct. 2. So much as Darius hath of God or any good Ruler so far is his spirit for the publick He heareth something of the God of Daniel now then he hath a publick spirit to send something of God to all nations people and languages v. 25. Though there bee nothing to prove that the man had saving grace yet the generall holdeth so much of God as any hath in so farre is he for the publick 1. Because grace is a publicke beame of God and a branch of Gods goodnesse and so of a spreading nature and the better things be the more publicke they are the Sunne is better then a Candle God best of all because every thing that hath beeing hath something of God and Christ best of all because he is the Saviour of many and Col. 1. 20. hath reconciled all things in heaven and earth to himselfe 2. Graces end is the most publick end of the world even Gods glory for all things are for God Rom. 11. 36. Prov. 16. 4. mens private ends are sinfull ends 3. The more gracious men be the more publick they are David will not be David alone in praising God but Psal. 148. he wil have a world in with him even Angels Sun Moone Stars Heaven of Heavens Dragons deeps fire hail snow vapour stormy winde mountains trees beasts creeping things fowles Kings Judges old and young to hold up the song Moses Paul would lay out in ransome their part of heaven to redeeme Gods glory and salvation to the Lords Church the Martyrs desired that their pain torment might praise and exalt God How broad how catholicke and publicke was his spirit who said 1 Cor. 9 19. Though I be free from all men yet have I made my selfe servant unto all that I might gaine the more 20. And unto the Iews I became as a Iew that I might gain the Iewes to them that are under the Law as under the Law that I might gaine them that are under the Law 21. To them that are without the Law as without Law being not without Law to God but under the Law to Christ that I might gain them that are without Law 22. To the weake became I as weake I am made all things to all men that I might by all meanes save some A publike spirit is not himselfe he is made a Jew a Gentile a weake man not a weak man he is made Law and Gospel he is made a bridge over a River that the Church may goe over him drie he complyeth with all who but lend out halfe a looke to Christ and he is in a complement of grace a servant to all 2 Corinth 4. 5. We preach not our selves except wee preach our owne sinnes our owne condemnation by nature and that wee under-preach all eminencie in our selves but our selves your servants for Christs sake yea your servants servants for Christ See the Complement of a publicke heart of one who is willing to stoope and put his head and haire under the feet of the Church and of the poorest and most despised passenger who maketh out for heaven Vse Then Grace maketh men rich Parliament men and there is a wide difference betwixt a publicke man and a publicke spirit all Parliament men are publicke men but they are not all publike spirits else so many of them would not have deserted the publicke and runne away from Christs Colours to seeke their owne private Idols Men void of grace make an Idol of themselves every wicked man is wholly himselfe and wholly his owne Phil. 2. 21. They all seeke their owne not the things of Jesus Christ Hee who is for the Bridegroome cannot bee against the Bride nor against the Common-wealth he who is a Statesman of heaven and knoweth savingly the fundamentall Lawes of Jesus Christ the power and prerogative roall of the King of Kings he who is acquainted with the frame and constitution of the Kingdome of sinne in his owne heart he who feareth God who feareth his owne light and is awed with the Decrees and Lawes of an inlightened conscience shall be fast for the publicke and the man who selleth his Religion and his soule for his private ends will soone sell his countrey his Parlament the Lawes and Liberties of the Kingdome Will hee put the Law of God and the Crowne and Scepter of that Princely Lord Jesus to the market and will hee sticke for his Court and Honour to sell the Lawes of England and will hee forfeit Heaven and will hee not forfeit you all and your Parliament and Liberties O then bee intreated now to bee for Heaven and Christ as his publicke State-wits to convey Decrees for Christs honour for Reformation against Babylon and her sonnes through this whole Kingdome You have now power and opportunitie to send the Glory of Christ over Sea to all Europe the eyes of Nations are upon you exalt the Sonne of God thinke it not sweet policie to have peace with Babylon and warre with God consider if Church and State did ever prosper since the Queenes Idol of the Masse was set up amongst you and what is your part when many Masses are now in the Kings Court at Oxford I make a Decree There was a wicked Law and a cursed Decree made by Darius that for thirtie dayes neither Daniel nor any of Gods people should pray to God or to any god save to Darius Daniels enemies prevaile thus farre that Daniel the Churches right eye now in the Court should be decourted and cast out to bee meate to beasts Behold the artifice and fathomlesse depth of Gods wisedome who bringeth a contrary Decree out of this wicked Decree even a Decree for adoring that God of Daniel whom they had dishonoured Doct. It is the art of the deepe wisedome of divine providence to bring good out of the sinnes of his enemies and the sufferings of his owne Iosephs brethren moved with envie sell their brother Potiphar casteth him in prison the wisedome of God commeth in in the game and hee exalteth Joseph and keepeth alive people in famine Herod Pilate Jewes and Gentiles crucifie the Lord of glory the Art
being and it is most agreeable to reason that JEHOVAH who is the first being and hath being of himself should be the living God And you do not finde man called living man though man have a life as God is called the living God he is the living God because all life is originally in him Psal. 36. 9. With thee is the well of life Joh. 1. 4. In him was life all heat is orignally in fire and in other things at the second hand all light originally in the Sun and other things have light by loane onely and light in other things is from the Sun by a sort of grace 2. He is the living God in opposition to dead Idols who Psal. 115. want life 3. And have mouthes and speak not eyes they have but see not you need not be afraid of the Paâ—ists gods of wood and silver and gold But because I haste to an â—nd The use is 1. If all things that live and we mortall men borrow our life from God we are to correct three errours 1. We take this borrowed breath for our proper heritage and we make this lifâ— our Idol and our last end hence all is done for this life men betray the cause of God for their life men desert the cause of God Parliament Countrey and Religion for a life to them and theirs men kill and destroy for life men rise early in the morning and go late to bed at night and eat the bread of sorrow for life but oh little do wee for the living God and a communion with the living God in the best life the life of grace Our second error is that as our life is but a borrowed thing we do not think on two things 1. The paying of the annuall of this borrowed sum even the dedication of our life actions wayes and purposes to God and his honour Secondly we doe not think of paying back again the principall sum and who hath the sum in his hand and his soul in readinesse to render to God 2. But like bankrupts we minde not to pay except we be arrested and then the soul is taken from money but if we do not render it the ghuest is pulled out but doth not come out anima ejicitur non egreditur Who liveth as having no morrow who walketh as if death were alwayes at his right side 3. We love best the worst of our life we are much for the time-accidents and the clay-accidents of this life such as are court honour riches pleasure ease some sell Religion to be free from plundering others to keep a whole skin and to go to heaven as they imagine without losse of bloud comply with Papists Prelates Court and the Times And for that which scarce deserveth the name of Life men give as the Lyer saith Job 2. 4. skinne for skinne and all that they have for life but oh that noble accident of life eternity of life or rather that excellent substance eternall life is much neglected the life hidden up with Christ in God Col 3. 3. is regarded 2. How sweet is it to make God a friend sure and induring to thy soule who cannot die is it sure to trust in the Prince who returneth to his Earth the Earth whereof he is a landed heritor when he dieth Psal. 146. 3. Is it not surer to trust in the Lord who made the Heaven and the Earth vers. 6. Is it sure to trust 1. Tim. 6. 17. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in riches which deale not plainly and fairly with us nor go out the high way but are uncertain like a friend and you know not when to have him and when to want him Is it not better to trust in that living God that God who liveth for ever whereas riches is a dead and a dying God David speaking of his owne greatnesse valour in war through Gods strength and of Nations People and Kingdomes who served him yet looketh on one above all Psal. 18. 46. The Lord liveth and blessed bee my Rock this putteth me in minde of a Prince who heard of the death of many of great and noble friends in war and that this Duke and this Prince and this and this worthy friend was killed in war yet comforted himself with this vivit imperator sat habeo the Emperour liveth and I am happy enough But is not this better to a soule that knoweth God my father is killed my brother lost my Prince dead my deare friend buried but God liveth and blessed be my Rock yea but say thy God the King of Brittaine liveth yet his favour to thee may die before he die himself and then what hast thou Court Court is made of glasse and can glister and be broken in one houre the pavement of the chamber of presence is Icy and slidy and thou maist fall It is known to many the Courtier is as a compter laid downe in the compting Table to day for a thousand pound and taken up and laid downe in the next accompt for a farthing O but these two be sweetly combined The ever-living God and The ever-loving God how comfortable that I beleeve Gods love toward me is as old as God and that as God did never begin to be God so he never began to love me but as he is eternall so his love is eternall and I know the Court shall not change upon me And abiding or stedfast for ever This is another attribute of Gods blessed nature that Darius ascribeth to God He is a God eternall Daniel 7. 13. He is the ancient of dayes Psal. 102. 26. The Heavens shall perish but thou shalt endure yea all of them wax old as a garment as a vesture shalt thou change them and they shall be changed 27. But thou art the same and thy yeers shall have no end I know now that the whole created masse of heaven and earth and all therein is but as a web of cloth and as a Sute of clothes and the best end of the web is old and moth-eaten and shall bee laid by as an old threed-bare Cloak ragged and holed when God shall endure for ever and ever 2. Time goeth not about God as it goeth about creatures there is not with him yesterday and to morrow and this yeere and the last yeere but his duration is an instant standing alwayes still you and I slide through moneths and yeeres and at length wee are over ears in time and under the water by death but he standeth still his being is in no flux or motion from first and last from time past to time to come because he is Revel. 1. 17. The first and the last and v. 8. The Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending saith the Lord he which is and which was and which is to come Imagine there were a verbe that doth involve an action done and ended yesterday and in doing to day and to be done to morrow and yet a compleatly perfected action that should expresse