THE RIGHTEOVS MANS EVILS AND THE LORDS DELIVERANCES By GILBERT PRIMEROSE Minister of the French Church of London PSAL. 129.2 Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth yet they have not prevayled against mee LONDON Printed by H. L. for Nathanael Newberry and are to be sold at the signe of the Starre in Popes-head Alley Anno 1625. TO THE RIGHT NOBLE RIGHT HONOVRABLE AND RIGHT RELIgious Lord IAMES MARQVESS of HAMMILTON Earle of Arran and Cambridge Knight of the most noble Order of the Garter Counsellor of the Kings most honourable privie Councell in both Realmes of England and Scotland Lord Great Steward of his Majesties houshold c. RIGHT HONOVRABLE WHat reading of holy Scripture and of Ecclesiasticall stories what experience hath taught mee of the Righteous mans Evils and the Lords deliverances that I preached to my Church at London in nine Sermons which in this booke I have dedicated to your Honour as an acknowledgement of the heroicall and Christian vertues which shine in your most Noble and Honourable person and as an homage due to them not as having any worthinesse and excellencie from their author whereby he should presume to offer them to such a Lord in whom all things excell in worth and shine in a most eminent degree of excellencie In Empires Kingdomes States Cities Families wee read and see the truth of the Oracle which said to ATTALVS King of Bithinia THOU AND THY SON NOT THE SONS OF THY SON His Maiestie who now holdeth the raines of this peaceable and flourishing kingdome is the onely King knowne in the world by stories who can reckon neere two thousand yeeres since his roiall Ancestors of whom he is lincally descended wore Crownes and Scepters In France they thinke it much if a man can prove his Nobilitie by foure Descents Since three hundred and odde yeeres that SIR GILBERT HAMMILTON came from England to Scotland was there advanced to all titles and degrees of honours of dignities of greatnesse among the most noble and honourable of the Realme by the HEROS of those dayes and King without peere ROBERT BRVCE who had knowne in England the antiquitie of his noble house and of all men then living could best iudge of his courage martiall actes and deserts and being preferred there to the mariage of the onely Daughter to my Lord Earle of Murray the Kings Nephew by his Princely Sister became the Stocke of the illustrious Race of the HAMMILTONS in Scotland whereof your Honour is the golden head how many Descents how many generations may be reckoned The fables tell of BELLEROPHON how after he had done many feates of armes not so much by his owne wisdome and strength as by the helpe of his winged Horse called PEGASVS he waxed proud and attempting with the same wings to mount up to heaven was flung to the earth and brake his leg whereby they teach us in a mysticall sense that many after they have beene borne upon the wings of their Princes favour and thereby have done good services conceive too ambitious and proud hopes and as if favour were desert aspiring to ascend into heaven to exalt their Throne above the rest of the starres and to be like unto their Maker are cut downe to the ground in an instant where all their pompe is laid in a grave of shame and dishonour as the Scripture speaketh of the King of Babylon under the name of LVCIFER In all the ancient stories hardly shall we finde any great man whose predecessors or himselfe have not beene stained with the blot of rebellion against their Soveraignes or of some negligence of their dutie towards them But your Honours forefathers had ever their affections so addicted to our Kings that King IAMES the third with the consent of the States and applause of the whole Realme thought them worthy to be rewarded with the mariage of his onely and deare Sister whom he gave in wedlocke to IAMES Lord Hammilton of whom your Lordship is come by many lineall successions This proximitie of blood to our Kings hath ever beene to your Ancesters and to your owne selfe a most attractive Adamant drawing and tying inseparably your hearts desires wills affections duties and services to their will and desires in all innocencie and uprightnesse according to Gods commandement the practice whereof is the stay of the State and the maintainer of peace in the Church and Common-weale FEARE GOD AND THE KING AND MEDDLE NOT WITH FACTIOVS MEN. So that this may be the Poesie of the Cognizance of your Honours most ancient and honourable Family FIDEET OBSEQVIO Of this fidelitie of these long profitable and acceptable services to our Kings continued in your Lordships familie from generation to generation and most effectually confirmed by your owne generous wise and good cariage in the Court and in the State the Kings Maiestie is a most glorious witnesse and a most magnificent rewarder For that affection which his Maiestie sheweth to your Honour those Dignities wherewith hee hath honoured you namely this last of LORD STEWARD of his royall House what are they but publike testimonies of the continuation of your good faithfull and well liked services to his Maiesties Royall person to our most excellent and hopefull Prince his Royall and onely Sonne and to the states of both kingdomes In the Court you are to his Maiestie that which IOSEPH was to PHARAO King of Egypt OBADIAH to ACHAB King of Israel MORDECAI to AHASVERVS King of Persia and ELIAKIM to whom God gave the key of the house of DAVID to the good King EZECHIAH and most like unto THEODORVS in the Court of VALENS Emperour of the Orient who being come of a most ancient and noble stocke and well brought up from the Cradle was not inferiour to any of the Imperiall Court in modestie wisedome erudition and good carriage ever seemed better than the charges and places whereunto he was advanced and was the onely man whose tongue was never licentiously unbridled never spake without consideration and foresight yea was never shut through feare of danger or hope of preferment and therefore was equally loved of great and small as your Lp. for the same vertues is much respected and loved of all states and degrees in both nations For by Gods speciall and rare blessing you carry your selfe in all your demeanour at Court and abroad so wisely that I may boldly affirme that to none if not to you doth belong that rare and wonderfull praise which Cicero giveth to BRVTVS and Marcellin to PRETEXTATVS saying that they did no thing to please yet whatsoever they did pleased and that other which all men gave to ANTHEMIVS Governour to the religious Emperour ARCADIVS HE SEEMED TO BE WISE AND SO HE WAS. The Royall Prophet David saith most truly in the twelfth Psalme that wicked men walke on every side when rascals are exalted among the sonnes of men Then DAVID fleeth and DOEG triumpheth But innocencie is protected oppression is repressed the states flourish
for thy word saying When wilt thou comfort me XVI The comfort to them all is this that their affliction which to them is too too long is but a moment not onely in respect of God y 2. Pet. 3.8 with whom one day is as a thousand yeares and a thousand yeeres as one day but also in regard of the eternity of unspeakeable glory wherewith it shall be swallowed up a Rom 8.18 For I reckon saith the Apostle that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to bee compared with the glory which shall bee revealed in us Glory which these sufferings worke in us b 2. Cor. 4.17 For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a farre more exceeding and eternall weight of glory even so farre as it subdueth our pride mortifieth our lusts and is the Lords high way unto our eternall blisse Whereunto if yee adde the promise of deliverance even in this life nothing shall be wanting to our full comfort XVII What then shall we doe till the Lord come and deliver us what but waite upon the Lords pleasure The lewes knew by revelation from God the time of their bondage in Egypt and captivitie in Babylon which being come to an end they said confidently to God c Psal 102.13 Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Sion for the time to favour her yea the set time is come We have no such revelation and therefore we must bee content to relye upon Gods generall promise and say with David d Psal 130.5 I waite for the LORD my soule doth waite and in his word doe I hope assured that howsoever it seeme that heaven and earth conspire against us and that wee are brought to the pinch he shall put a new song in our mouthes and give us a most plentifull subject to sing as David did e Psal 40.1 In waiting I waited for the LORD and he inclined unto me and heard my cry f Heb. 10.23 For hee is faithfull that promised And g Luk. 1.37 with him no word is impossible The Lord in his great mercies give us this patient hope and assurance for Christ Iesus his deare sons sake who with him and the holy Ghost liveth and raigneth God blessed for evermore Amen SERM. IX Of Gods Iudgements upon Persecuters and of the last deliverance of the Church ESAIAH XXVI 21. For behold the LORD commeth out of his place to visite the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity the earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slaine 1. THe last motive to patience is taken from the Iudgements of God 2. The Lord is said to come when he iudgeth 3. He is said to come out of his place when his iudgements and mercies are made conspicuous 4. He visiteth the inhabitants of the earth eyther in iudgement or in mercy 5. Wicked men are called the inhabitants of the earth for godly men are strangers here 6. God will visite the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity which they thinke to bee good service to God 7. God will be avenged of those which shed the blood of his deare ones 8. Because he is righteous and faithfull 9. Great iudgements on persecuters 10. Namely on great men under the law 11. And principally on those who have persecuted the Christian Church 12. Prosperity in this world is a token of Gods indignation rather than of his love 13. The torments of hell prepared for wicked men 14. Their conscience tells them there is a hell 15. Hell is a place penall in its owne selfe 16. There is there paine of dammage most unsufferable 17. As likewise unconceiveable paine of sense 18. Which is universall 19. And everlasting 20. Persecuters above all others shall be tortured there with most exquisite torments 21. Great shall be in that day the glory of Gods Saints and terrible to their Persecuters 22. Great difference betweene the life and the end of wicked and of godly men 23. The Church cannot be destroyed 24. Exhortation and consolation 1. AS the words of this text are from God the last so should they bee in your hearts a most powerfull motive to a patient tarrying for the blessed time which the wisedome of the Lord hath appointed for the glorious and finall reliefe of his Church from all misery Ye may call the text DAN i e. Iudgement for it threatneth with no small mischiefe all bloody and cruell persecuters and by their overthrow promiseth deliverance to them which are persecuted The time of the one and of the other is not a time of many yeares moneths weekes dayes The afflictions of the Church shall be gone in a moment as ye have heard In a moment also shall come the destruction of those that persecute her who in their greatest prosperity are a Minut. Felix ut victima ad supplicium saginantur ut hostia ad poenam corâ—nantur like beasts fatted b Zeph. 1.8 and crowned with garlands for the day of the Lords sacrifice wherein saith the Lord I will punish the Princes and the Kings children and all such as are clothed with strange apparell II. For behold the Lord commeth O open the eyes of your minde ô bid your faith rise from her sleepe to behold in the immutable truth of the Lords threats in the inevitable power of his iustice in the innumerable iudgements which he hath already dispatched against wicked oppressors in his more than motherly love to his deare ones his promptnesse and readinesse to deliver his Church by the overthrow of all her enemies Hee he himselfe he who is the Lord will destroy them Neither shall they be able to shield themselves against the Lord He will not tarry he will not delay his comming Behold be commeth he is already on his iourney III. From whence commeth he Out of his place O Lord Art thou so in one place that thou art not at the same time in all places O infinite Maiestie c August ad Volusian Epist 3. Novit ubique totus esse nullo contmeri loco Novit venire non recedendo ubi erat Novit abire non desereÌ„do quo venerat Miratur hoc mens humaena quia non capit fortasse non credit thou canst be every where at one time and yet thou art do where Thou fillest with thy presence every place and loe thou art not contained in any place Thou canst come and not goe from the place where thou wast Thou canst depart and not leave the place whereunto thou didst come Our soules wonder at this but because of their narrownesse they cannot comprehend it O Lord grant that we may beleeve it And tell us how thou who hast the heaven for d Esa 66.1 thy throne and the earth for thy footstoole thou who sayest of thy selfe Doe I not fill the heaven and the earth O most wonderfull God teach us how thou commest and goest Dost thou not speake so not of
but the evill which I would not that I doe Whereof the Apostle rendreth this reason writing to the Galathians b Gal. 5.17 for the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that yee cannot doe the things that yee would teaching most cleerely that the sinnes of the spirituall man come from his weakenesse and not from his will otherwise they should be sinnes of malice and not of infirmitie I conclude then that if mans righteousnesse be strictly examined in the balance of the Law there never was and c Eccles 7.20 there is not a iust man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not saving our Lord Iesus Christ who through the prerogative of his immaculate conception by the wonderfull operation of the holy Spirit was d Rom. 8.3 in the likenesse of sinfull flesh e Heb. 7.26 holy harmelesse undefiled separate from sinners and for that cause is called f Act. 3.14 the Righteous that title belonging only to him in that respect 1. Ioh. 2.1 VI. But what godly men cannot claime to themselves in the rigorous strictnesse of the Law that they finde in Gods mercifull acceptation and in the modification of his blessed Gospel wherein he entitleth his beloved children with this honourable name of Righteous men judging of them not by the imperfect perfection of their righteousnesses g Esa 64.6 which are as filthy ragges but by their affection and earnest endevour to be such as they should and which they strive with might and maine to be h Phil. 3.7 13 14. forgetting those things which are behinde and reaching forth to those things which are before and so pressing toward the marke for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus For God who sheweth himselfe in the Law clothed with the majestuous and inexorable severitie of a Iudge representeth himselfe in the Gospel as a Father arrayed with meekenesse and mercy regarding the willingnesse of his children rather than anie perfection which may besought but shall not be found in their obedidience so long as they are in the way to their home For in the faithfull and true Christian there are two men i Ephes 4.22 24. The old man which we carry with us from our mothers womb when we are first borne and the new man which is given to us when wee are borne againe That man is Satans worke and the bitter fruit of the rebellion of the first Adam This man is the worke of Gods Spirit and the sweet fruit of the obedience of the second Adam That man is corrupt by deceitfull lusts and therefore is ever busied in drawing us away from goodnesse and entising us to evill This man is created after God in righteousnesse and true holinesse and is ever thrusting us forward from evill to good That man is strong and mightie This man is feeble and withstandeth with great difficultie That man though very powerfull hard to be overcome waxeth old and decayeth from day to day untill he be altogether destroyed This man increaseth every day in might and vigour and like the people of Israel when they were upon their journey ascending to appeare before God in Sion goeth k Psal 84.7 from strength to strength till he come l Ephes 4.13 unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ. So that man is at the last subdued overthrowne and killed by this man as the monstrous Gyant Goliah was by little David That man where he reigneth bringeth forth for fruit m Rom. 6.21 22. shame and his end is death This man hath his fruit in holinesse and his end is everlasting life From hence it is that God when he is to speake and make us know what account he maketh of his servants considereth them not according unto those relickes of the old man whose strength is weakened and whose life decayeth and dyeth every day to call them Sinners and wicked ones but for his n Phil. 1.6 owne good workes sake which he hath begun in them and will performe untill the day of Iesus Christ calleth them Saints Righteous Perfect For the Divels worke in us is not so considerable to defame us publikely with the disgracefull name of Sinners and wicked men as Gods worke is to grace us with the honourable title of Saints and Righteous men namely seeing the Lord maintaineth setteth forward performeth his own good work at length destroyeth Satans work in us as I have said What wonder then if he qualifieth us with titles of honour according as we are already shall be hereafter for ever and ever through his power and grace and not according as Satan hath made us and as wee shall not be alwayes for evermore For this cause it is written that o Numb 23.21 He hath not beheld iniquity in Iacob neyther hath he seene perversenesse in Israel Not that there is none but because p Mich. 7.18 he pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant if his heritage covering it with the precious robe of the righteousnesse of his deare Son q Col. 1.22 in whom he hath made us holy unblameable unreproveable and r Coloss 2.10 complete in his own fight And therefore righteous and perfect in Christ of unrighteous and uncomplete in our selves VII The man whom God calleth righteous in this sense is pourtrayed by the holy Spirit as well negatively as affirmatively David saith of him negatively that Å¿ Psal 1.1 he walketh not in the counsaile of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of sinners nor sitteth in the seate of the scornefull and t Psal 119 3. doth no iniquitie S. Iohn saith that v 1. Ioh. 3.6 9. bee sinneth not or as he explaineth himselfe doth not commit sinne that is to say he sinneth not with pleasure and content Whereof the holy Apostle rendreth two reasons for the first he saith that he that committeth sinne is of the Divell he is Satans bond slave for the Divell sinneth from the beginning he hath ever beene is and shall be busied in ill doing Therefore whosoever sinneth as he doth is his and not Gods But the righteous man is delivered out of his clawes through our Lord Iesus Christ the Sonne of God x Vers 8. who for this purpose was manifested that he might destroy the workes of the Divell His second reason is this y Vers 9. Whosoever is borne of God doth not commit sinne for his seed the seed of his predestination and of his Spirit remaineth in him and he cannot sinne because he is borne of God a Bern. de natuâ—â digai tat amoâ— c. 6. Piccatum patitur potius quà m facit quiex Deo natur est Bernard saith That he rather suffereth sinne than committeth it According to that saying of the Apostle b Rom. 7.20 If I doe that I
children there is no part of his body which thou hast spared and it seemes that thou doest not let him live but to bewaile his owne disaster wherefore then doest thou not follow thy thrust and prosecute thy designes Alas saith hee I have done all that I could I have done nothing of that which I intended for hee hath not cursed God for this I plotted all these mischiefes against him And I am so farre from gaining any thing thereby that much otherwise casting him in the burning furnace of most sensible and smarting tribulations I have made him more beautifull and glorious I deemed that he should curse God and loe he blesseth him I thought to bring him in contempt upon the ashes and loe loe hee is more righteous more constant more worshipfull upon the dunghill than he was in his goodly and gorgeous house in the honorable company of his wife children friends and servants The orientall pearles are not so faire as his pockes the smelling of roses is not so sweete as the stinke of his breath his sores are cleerer and brighter than the beames of the Sun I have alas procured unto him an eternall renowne upon the face of the whole earth I am cause that he shall bee from henceforth to all men a patterne and example of faith of patience of constancie in their most heavie calamities I have digged a pit for him and I am fallen into the ditch which I have made he is exalted and I am confounded XIII This example is sufficient Adde unto it that which is written of the Bride in the song of Salomon She is so inflamed with the love of her Spouse that y Cant. 1.2 her onely desire is to bee led into his chamber that there hee may kisse her with the kisses of his mouth that there she may be glad and rejoyce in his love But when he is absent from her as he seemes to bee in her affliction when a Cant. 3.2 she rises and goes about the citie in the streetes and in the broad wayes to seeke him whom her soule loveth b Cant. 5.7 when the watch men that goe about the citie finde her and smite her and wound her when the keepers of the walles take away her veile from her and yet she leaveth not off to cry to them Saw ye him whom my soule loveth the flames of her love make a fairer blaze and cast a greater heat Then then all they which behold her see evidently that c Cant. 8.6 7. love is strong as death that iealousie is hard as the grave the coals thereof are coales of fire and a most vehement flame Many waters cannot quench that love neither can the floods drowne it If a man give all the substance of his house for love it would utterly be contemned XIV How should the love the patience the zeale the constancy of Paul have bin known if God had not crushed and ground him with continuall tentations and afflictions wheresoever he went he was advertised by the holy Ghost d Act. 20.23 24. that bonds and afflictions waited for him O how unpleasant fearfull a message would that be to many at this day and hee what But faith he none of these things moove me neither count I my life deare unto my felfe so that I might finish my course with ioy and the ministery which I have received of the Lord Iesus to testifie the Gospell of the grace of God e Act. 21.11 22 13. The Disciples besought him with teares not to goe up to Ierusalem where Agabus had prophecyed that hee should bee bound But he rebuking them answered What meane ye to weepe and breake mine heart for I am ready not to bee bound onely but also to dye at Ierusalem for the name of the Lord Iesus XV. When the Palatinate was in peace when the Churches of France lived in their townes of suretie without feare what wonder if they professed the Gospell publikely But now when their sorts are levelled and cast downe to the ground when their townes are dismantled when they are curbed with strong Citadels when they are disarmed among armed enemies when they see nothing in their streets but the plagues of Egypt but swarmes of Priests which are a most noysome mixture of filthy and slinking flyes but great store of Iesuites which like loathsome frogs come unsent for leaping and croaking into their houses and bed-chambers but an infinite multitude of Monkes which as so many locusts eate up all their substance but armies of souldiers which are to them the louzie disease wherewith their bodies are pestered their flesh is consumed all the blood of their veines is suckt up when they looke for nothing but present death when a toy shall take their enemies in the head to compell them once againe to solemnize with teares and shedding of their innocent blood S. Bartholomewes feast Then to persevere in the faith then to maintaine stedfastly and stoutly the Gospell then to abhorre more and more Papistry and the man of sinne to contemne the contempt of insolent Papists to shut up their eares against the charming voice of the craftie Iesuite to hold their mouthes open to confesse Iesus Christ and to blesse God is a manifest demonstration of true faith and of that constancy which is worthy of a Christian Wherfore as Moses said to the people of Israel that God would suffer f Deut. 13.1 2 3. false Prophets and dreamers of dreames to arise among them to proove them and to know whether they loved the Lord their God with all their heart and with all their soule And as the Apostle said to the Corinthians g 1. Cor. 11.19 There must be heresies amongst you that they which are approoved may be made manifest among you So I say that the righteous man must have many evills that it may be known that hee serveth God neither for the present goods which he hath received of his bountifull hand neither for hope of any worldly benefite to come but for his owne sake as a lover seeketh no recompence of his love but that which he findeth in the dignitie and excellencie of the thing beloved XVI Moreover these many evils are as so many exercises and practices of the manifold graces wherewith God hath copiously furnished and graced the righteous man God that said to him h Heb. 13.5 I will never leave thee 1. Faith nor forsake thee If he beleeve that when his Garners are full of Corne when his Canes burst with Wine when he sitteth in peace among his owne people it is no wonder but here here is a good exercise of his faith to beleeve so when he seeth nothing on the left nothing on the right hand nothing before nothing behind but needinesse but want but beggerie when he is threatned with present death to believe certainly to say resolutely as the three Salamanders did to Nebucadnezzar i Dan. 3.17 Our God whom we serve is
of that same town any word but this Blandina I am a Christian and we do no evill When Decius persecuted the Church Babylas Bishop of Antioch Babylas led to the place of execution with his three sonnes desired that they should be first put to death to the end that he might exhort and confirme them which when hee had done his wife comforted him and after she had seen her husband and three children suffer death for Christs sake buried them together Much otherwise the Father and the Sonne with whom I was familiar The Father beseeched that he should die first that his Sonne who was a godly and learned Preacher might comfort him Then it was a wonderfull spectacle to Papists to see the Sonne at the foote of the gallowes preaching to his Father the merits of the death of Christ the vertue of his resurrection the vanitie of the world the unspeakable joyes of Paradise to heare him crying alowd Father ye cannot so soone knocke at the gate of heaven but Christ will open ye cannot so soone enter but I shall follow to hear and behold the old and venerable Father answering with a cheerefull countenance Sonne I see the heavens open and Iesus Christ at the right hand of God Then they were amazed to marke againe the young Minister forgetting himselfe and with a constant face preaching to other two which were also in the executioners hands the forgivenesse of sins the resurrection of the flesh and life everlasting To consider how constantly the foure died with what fervencie of celestial prayers they commended their spirits into Gods hands Then the chiefe of the Capuchin Monkes said to his companions Si coelum Huguenotis datur istis debetur If heaven bee given to Huguenots it is due to these men Then some Gentlemen cryed O happie religion which breeds in men a contempt of death which we dread most and a most sure hope of salvation who would not who should not fight manfully for the defence and suffer constantly for the confession of such a religion This day onely have we begun to know Christ Condemned men have been our Preachers We shall never hate Huguenotes any more XVIII Learne of all this discourse what difference there is betwixt the upright man and the hypocrite Iohn the Baptist calleth afflictions f Mat. 3.12 Gods fanne wherewith when he hath throughly purged his floore the chaffe flyeth away into the ayre and finally is burnt up with unquenchable fire but the wheate is gathered into the garner Hypocrites are chaffe lying in time of peace intermixt with the faithfull which are Gods wheat but g Psal 1.4 5. the wind of persecution driveth them away neyther can they stand in the congregation of the righteous for then there is nothing to be seene but Apostasies defections abjuring of the truth renouncing of the Gospell forsaking of all Communion with the Church Iesus Christ compareth tribulation and persecution h Mat 13.5 6 8 20 21 23. to the burning Sunne scorching the seede which hath no deepnesse of earth so that it withereth away but warming the seede which falls into good ground and making it to bring foorth fruite some an hundred fold some sixtie fold some thirtie fold The Hypocrite receiveth the word with joy but because hee hath not in himselfe the roote of an upright conscience when persecution ariseth because of word he is offended and starteth backe The righteous man is the good ground the sunne of persecution may blacken him but it cannot burne him In the most hot dayes of tribulation he is most plentious in good workes therefore the whole Church cryeth in the Canticles i Cant. 1.5 6. O ye daughters of Ierusalem I am blacke but comely k Bernar. in Cant. ser 25. Blacke in your judgement Comely in the judgement of God and Angels Blacke without l Vestro maleficio by your mischiefe for the Sunne of persecution hath looked upon me my mothers children were angry with me these good Catholikes have persecuted me Comely within m Dei beneficio through Gods benefit for n Psal 45.13 the Kings daughter is all glorious within As the tents of of Kedar as the curtaines of Salomon which are all blacke and dustie without but within are decked with most precious implements To conclude cast gold in water it keepeth its owne yellow shining cast it in the fire and melt it it becommeth brighter Cast earth in water it is by and by changed into mud cast hay in water it will suddenly rot cast earth in the fire it is instantly turned into dust and made a sport to the wind cast hay into the fire with a blaze it is made smoake and ashes So befalls it to the righteous man the hypocrite The hypocrit when he thriveth most and full-gorgeth himself with pleasures is like hay and a lumpe of earth in the water he is nothing but rottennesse and putrefaction when Gods hand is upon him he howles he despites God hee curseth him to his face and in the stirring of an eye is consumed he perisheth he vanisheth like earth and straw in the fire But the righteous man in his greatest prosperitie shineth in all godlinesse before men as gold in water and when hee is cast in the fierie furnace of tribulation he is like gold in the fire his workes then yeeld a more radiant lustre than before XIX The Lord in his mercy sanctifie us and make us throughly righteous that when the day of our tryall shall come we may be found to be fine metall and abiding the hammer the scissers and the fire may through faith and patience inherite the promises of grace peace and eternall life through the merits of our Lord Iesus Christ who o 1. Ioh. 5.20 is the true God and eternall life to whom is due and to whom let us render now and for evermore all praise honour and glory Amen SERMON V. Of the causes of the righteous mans Evills PSALM XXXIV XIX Many are the Evills of the Righteous 1. THe righteous man when hee suffereth for righteousnesse sake is honoured 2. It is a great glory to suffer for a good cause 3. Namely for God as many have done 4. To suffer for the Gospell is most glorious of all 5. Of those which suffer for the Gospell some are Confessors some Martyrs 6. What it is to be a Martyr 7. Three conditions required in a Martyr 8. The great glory of Martyrdome in that it makes the Martyrs resemble the Prophets Apostles and other Saints 9. Yea and Iesus Christ himselfe yet with foure differences 10. God afflicteth righteous men for other mens sake 1. That they may be converted 11.2 That they may bee instructed not to worship righteous men 12.3 That they may bee spurred to imitate their Christian vertues 13.4 That they may consider Gods wrath against sinne and feare 14. Finally God afflicteth the righteous man for his owne glory whereof there are many
laylour No No. They praied they sang praises unto God so loud that the prisoners heard them Then O marvellous power of God! i Ver. 26. suddenly there was a great earthquake the foundations of the prison were shaken all the doores were opened and every mans bands were loosed If they had beene unbound if they had walked with full libertie up and down in the prison if they had taken hold of the pillars thereof as Samson did and shaken them the miracle had not bin so conspicuous but when they are throwne downe into the lowest prison when they are loaden with cloggs when they are bound so fast that they cannot budge when through their onely prayer the earth trembleth the foundations of the darke dungeon skip like a yong Vnicorne when all the prisoners bands burst and are broken asunder as a threed of Tow is broken when it toucheth the fire when all those which were tyed were loosed and the laylor who had bound them was himselfe tyed with terrour and despaire and finally delivered from the bondage of sinne and honoured with the glorious libertie of the children of God by the preaching of these two most contemptible prisoners Gods power shined more bright than the Sunne in the fairest Summers day and shewed it selfe alwayes most wonderfull Can yee but wonder when yee see k Act. 24.25 Felix sitting to judge Paul and yet trembling at the words which Paul spake as if Paul had judged him when Festus is amazed l Act. 26.24 28. and Agrippa is almost perswaded by this prisoner arraigned before them to be a Christian The Doctor is tyed his speech is on wings and flyeth abroad the Preacher is shut up in prison his doctrine runneth swiftly everie where Can yee binde the beames of the Sunne and imprison them when that shall be done Tyrants shall shackle the Gospel and unfeather it that it flye not Ye may behold the same marvell of Gods power mercie wisedome in the rest of the Apostles in the whole Christian Church m 1. Cor. 1.27 28. Learning hath beene instructed by ignorance Wisedome hath beene confounded by foolishnesse By weakenesse the might of the world hath bin destroyed n 2 Cor. 10.5 everie thought is brought into captivitie to the obedience of Christ and in us unto this day is fulfilled that which the Lord said to Paul o 2. Cor. 12.9 My strength is made perfect in weakenesse That both in the conversion of the world and protection of the Church p 2. Cor. 4.7 the excellencie of this power may bee of God and not of us XVI Where then are they which judge of a mans blisse and happinesse by his prosperitie esteem those who with Paul and the rest of the Apostles q 1. Cor. 4.11 hunger and thirst are naked are buffeted have no certaine dwelling place c. to be miserable unhappie and as odious to God as they are haynous to men Will they say that to be corrected of God is a token of his wrath But r Pro. 3.11 12. the wise man and Å¿ Heb. 12.5 6. the holy Apostle say farre otherwayes My sonne despise not thou the chastening of the Lord and faint not when thou art rebuked of him for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth scourgeth everie son whom he receiveth Are ye not the sonnes of God Looke to all Gods children who have been before you Have they not all groned under Gods chastising hand some in one manner some in another Therefore t Ver 7 8. if ye endure chastening God dealeth you as with sonnes for what sonne is he whom the father chasteneth not Then when ye aske if God doth well to use you hardly if yee be children your question is answered But if ye be without chastisement whereof all are partakers then are ye bastards and not sonnes Will they deny that to bee kept from sinne is a very good thing Let them consider that v Ver. 9 10. we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us and we gave them reverence Shall vvee not much rather be in subiection unto the Father of Spirits and live for they verily for a few dayes chastened us after their owne pleasure but hee for our profit that wee might bee partakers of his holinesse that not onely wee may bee corrected of sinnes past but also preserved and witholden from sinning in time to come and so lead a godly life before God and men Now x Ver. 11. no chastening for the present seemeth to be ioyous but grievous Neverthelesse afterward it yeeldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousnesse unto them which are exercised thereby Their faith their hope their charitie their constancie their patience their humilitie their devotion are both tryed and exercised Hath not experience taught you that the vine when it is bared at the root purged weeded husbanded carefully becometh more fruitfull and at the vintage filleth the Fat 's with sweet wine Even so saith Christ y Ioh. 15.2 my Father purgeth every branch that beareth fruit that it may bring foorth more fruit Cast gold into the fire and a Goldsmith shall make a ring of it If yee will build a house for good service for comliness for pleasure and honour the stones must be hewen smooth the timber must be squared carved with the hammer chisel Even so God melteth and purifieth us in the fire of affliction to make us precious jewels for his cabinet he polisheth smootheth us with the hammer chisel of tribulations to make us living stones in his heavenly Ierusalem which groweth unto an holy Temple in the Lord. XVII If yee had seene the Churches of France in their affliction ye should have marked in them a wonderfull change and would have said that these evills had befallen them for their greater good Their dammages were great as ye have heard but their advantages were greater They became more honest and meek more heedfull to the word more zealous to Gods service more prone and bent to all the dueties of charitie All foolish and filthie talking was banished from their mouthes their tongues infected no more the aire with lascivious and wanton songs Sighing sobbing groning to God was their delight prayers singing of Psalms mutuall exhortations to amendment of life was their ordinary speech Those whose habitation before that time was night and day in the Tavernes departed not from the holy assemblies crying to God for grace mercie and peace with fasting and prayers night day Drunkennesse gave place to sobriety pride to humilitie dissolution to modestie crueltie to humanitie Our enmities and dissentions were turned into kisses of charitie into brotherly imbracements into all indevours and good offices of true friendship in the communion of Saints Our doores were shut to all riot dissolutenesse insolencie Our hearts were open to God Our houses were become Churches where God was religiously and with true zeale worshipped by parents and children by maisters and
chambers and shut thy doores about thee hide thy felfe as it were for a little moment untill the indignation be overpast Then wings are given her l Rev. 12.14 that she may flie into the wildernesse into her place from the face of the serpent and be nourished there for a time and times and halfe a time even for the time of Gods good pleasure Then having her backe turned to the world her face to God then being in her conjunction with Iesus Christ her Sun she possesseth in him a secret but a most cleer perfect light Then is fulfilled in her that which is written in the Psalmes m Psal 45.13 The kings daughter is all glorious within She remaineth not alwayes thus but after the few dayes of her vanishing out of the sight of the world like a bride coming out of her chamber shee rejoyceth to begin her race againe and to quicken with her light them that dwell in the valley of the shadow of death having nothing firme nothing constant in this world but the inconstancie of her unsteadfast estate As there is a vicissitude and interchangeable course of light and darkenesse of the day the night of Summer and Winter As n Eccles 1.6 9. the thing that hath bin is that which shall be and that which is done is that which shall bee done and there is no new thing under the Sunne all things having in their inequalitie this equalitie that they goe and come like the wind which whirleth about continually from the South to the North and returneth againe according to his circutes So the Church of God so righteous men which are in the Church have their alterations changings from good to evill from evill to good and againe from good to evill from prosperity to adversity from adversity to prosperity by a perpetuall and most constant revolution till the great and long looked-for day of refreshing come and put an end to all our evills ingulfing them in the eternall joyes of heavenly goods And therefore David telleth us in our text by forme of history through his owne experience and fortelleth us by forme of prophecie that Many are the Evills of the Righteous But the Lord delivereth him out of them all II. Peruse all the ancient histories and yee shall finde that it hath ever been so The first man was scarcely come out of Gods hands and created after the likenesse of his maker when Satan tempted seduced overthrew and plunged him into an Ocean of evills and woes Then he might have wept because Many are the evills of the Righteous Look how soon he is cast down to the ground by Satans malice he is as soone lifted up by the mighty power of Gods hand and the mercifull promise of the seed of the woman Then he might have sung for joy because the Lord delivereth him out of them all The promise was a prediction of the vicissitude of evills and of goods shared to the Church o Gen. 3 15. I will saith God to the serpent put enmitie betweene thee and the woman and betweene thy seede and her seede It shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heele The seede of the woman is Iesus Christ the righteous and the Church of righteous men with him and under him The serpent shall bruise the Churches heel Many are the Evills of the Righteous The seed of the woman shall bruise his head But the Lord delivereth him out of them all p Gen. 4.8.25 Cain killing Abel his righteous brother caused a heart-breaking sorrow to his righteous parents Adam Eue Many are the Evills of the Righteous God gave them another seede in stead of Abel whom Cain slew and they called him Seth But the Lord delivereth him out of them all When the world was drowned in a deluge of waters Noah was constrained to see all his kindred and all the children of God overwhelmed by the flood and to lie prisoner in the Arke with his familie q Gen. 8.13 the space of a yeare among all kind of beasts to save his life Many are the Evills of the Righteous At the yeares end God remembred him drying up the waters brought him out of that captivitie and r Gen. 9.9 established a new covenant with him But the Lord delivereth him out of them all Å¿ Gen. 12 1 4. Heb. 11.8 9 Abraham obeying Gods calling left his country his kindred and fathers house and went out not knowing whither hee went hee sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange countrey dwelling in tabernacles which hee removed from one nation to another from one kingdome to another people His wife was twice ravished the countrey people abused him his nephew Lot rewarded his good deeds with unthankfulnes with all this his wife was barren and hee had no children Many are the Evills of the Righteous In the middest of his afflictions as it were in the fit of an ague t Gen. 24 35. God gave him flocks and heards and silver and gold and camels and asses and men-servants and maid-servants in so great a number that v Gen. 14.14 he armed of his servants borne in his owne house three hundred and eighteene for the rescuing of Lot x Psal 105 14 15. God suffered no man to doe him wrong he rebuked Kings for his sake saying Touch not mine anointed and doe my Prophets no harme Hee constrained them to render him his wife undefiled he gave him a sonne in his old age to make him laugh But the Lord delivereth him out of them all God prophecied to Abraham that y Gen. 15.13 14. his seed should be a stranger in a land that was not theirs and should serve them and be afflicted by them foure hundred yeares So it was And so was averred this saying of David Many are the evills of the Righteous Heare also the prophecie of the Catastrophe And also that nation whom they shall serve will I iudge and afterward shall they come out with great substance So was it also But the Lord delivereth him out of them all When the people had taken possession of the Land of promise flowing with milke and hony how many times were they beaten vanquished subdued oppressed by the Philistines Amorites Moabites and other neighbors Many are the evills of the Righteous They cryed to God and he heard their requests he sent them men clothed with his Spirit which delivered them he gave them as many dayes of peace as they had of warre But the Lord delivereth him out of all Ye have heard in what troubles in what dangers in what disquiet and perplexities David lived a great while after he was anointed King of Israel and what afflictions he had in his owne familie ye know also what was the event of them all and that he spake by his owne experience when he said Many are the evils of the Righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of them all Ye have read
his and his righteousnesse cannot but moove him to undertake the defense thereof Vpon this foundation the Church made this prayer to God q Psal 44.22 23. For thy sake are wee killed all the day long we are counted as sheep for the slaughter awake why sleepest thou O Lord arise cast us not off for ever 3. Because he hath promised to deliver the righteous and it is a part of his righteousnesse to keepe his promise Hence is this prayer of David r Psal 71.2 Deliver mee in thy righteousnesse ſ Psal 143 1. answer me in thy righteousnesse Hence is this excellent saying of the blessed Apostle t 2. Tim. 4.7 8. I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith Henceforth there is laid up for mee a crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Iudge shall give at that day and not to me onely but unto them also that love his appearing Sweet v Bern. de gratia libero arbitrio in fine Bernard How calleth he the crowne which hee presumeth to be laid up for him the crowne of righteousnesse Is it not because that which is promised gratis of meere good will is asked righteously and as a thing due Finally he saith x 2. Tim. 1.12 I know whom I have beleeved and I am perswaded that hee is able to keepe depositum meum that which I have committed unto him He calleth Gods promise his depost and because he beleeved him who had made the promise hee redemands considently the thing promised promised through mercy but now to bee payed through righteousnesse The crowne then which Paul looketh for is the crowne of righteousnesse but of the righteousnesse of God not of his owne righteousnesse for it is a righteous thing that he render that which he oweth and hee oweth that which he hath promised this then is the righteousnesse whereof the Apostle thinketh so well even the promise of God For this cause David called Gods promises the word of his righteousnesse saying y Psal 119 123. Mine eyes faile for thy salvation and for the word of thy righteousnesse XIX Now God not onely delivereth the righteous man but also delivereth wicked men and fills them with many blessings for the righteous sake z Gen. 7.7 He saved Ham in the Arke for Noah his fathers sake a Gen. 6.9 who was a iust man and perfect in his generations walking with God b Gen. 18.32 If there had been tenne righteous men in Sodom God would not have destroyed it for tennes sake c Gen. 19.22 neither could he destroy it as long as righteous Lot was in it d Gen. 17.20 Ismael was blessed for Abrahā his fathers sake e Gen. 30.27 Laban confessed that the Lord had blessed him for Iacobs sake f Gen. 29.5 He blessed Potiphars house for Iosephs sake How often was the people of Israel saved from the fierie Wrath of God through the praiers of g Exod. 32.14 Num. 14.13 Psal 106.13 Moses Were not h 2. King 2.12 2. King 13 14. Elijah Elisha the Charet of Israel and the horse-men thereof more steedable to their people than an armie of horsemen i Act. 27.24 37. God gave he not to Paul all them that sailed with him which were two hundred threescore and sixteene soules When it was said to the soules that were under the Altar that k Rev. 6.11 they should rost yet for a little season untill their fellow-servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were should bee fulfilled This is to teach us that Gods Elect and the righteous men which are in the world are the upholders thereof and that it must finish when they shal be taken away from it as if ye pull from a ruinous house the props wherewith it is supported it goeth swiftly to the ground XX. Therefore let us above all things set our minds and hearts upon righteousnesse and endeavour to attaine to true holinesse of life that as it was said to Abraham l Gen. 12.2 Thou shalt be a blessing so may we be a blessing both to our selves and others namely that in the darke day of Gods indignation we may be m Psal 1.5 able to stand in judgement and with the congregation of the righteous n Psal 118.19 20. enter into the gates of righteousnesse and dwell forever o 2. Pet. 3.13 in these new heavens promised unto us wherein dwelleth righteousnesse and that through the most precious and powerfull merits of our onely Lord and Saviour p 1. Ioh. 2.2 Iesus Christ the righteous to whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all praise glory and honour both now and evermore Amen SERM. VII Of the infinite number and of the divers meanes of the Lords deliveries PSALM XXXIV XIX But the Lord delivereth him out of them all 1 THe righteous mans evills and the Lords deliverances are the exposition of Sampsons riddle 2. As many evills as many deliverances yea of each evill many deliverances 3. Exhortation to hope and trust in the Lord. 4. The Lord delivereth by meanes against means without meanes 5. He delivereth by weake meanes as by flight whereof shall be spoken in the next Sermon 6. Hee opposeth men to men and delivereth his Church by the sword 7. He maketh his creatures of all kinds to fight for his Church 8. He is wonderfull in the delivering of his Church against the nature of the meanes 9. He delivereth also without meanes 10. When his Church is destitute of all helpe and of all hope hee alone delivereth her without any visible helpe 11. When the righteous man is overcome he overcommeth his enemies and so is delivered 12. As it is most evident by the examples of Shadrach Meschah and Abednego 13. Of Eleazer 14. Of the seven brethren and of their mother mentioned in the second book of the Maccabees 15. As also of Christians in great number as of Steven 16. Of many Martyrs in the Primitive Church 17. And since the reformation 18. Such victories come of faith love and zeale 19. Prayer 1 THis text is a cleere exposition of Sampsons riddle a Iudg. 14.14 Out of the eater came forth meate and out of the strong came foorth sweetnesse afflictions are the eaters and as it seemes to men the destroyers of the righteous man and what is stronger than death what meat so good so seasonable of so excellent a rellish as comfort in affliction as joy in the middest of sorrow as glory and honor in shame what so sweet as to find heaven in hell content in discontent life in death Many are the evills of the righteous man There is the roaring Lyon rising up against him not one lyon but many there is the eater or rather there be the eaters b 1. Pet. 5.8 which walke about seeking to devoure him But the LORD delivereth him out of them all there is
meate there is sweetnesse In darknesse hee findeth light in weaknesse strength in despaire hope in trouble peace of conscience in raging and roaring furie patience in evill good in the divels most grimme and dreadfull mannonr the joyes and pleasures of paradise in all his afflictions most powerfull most wonderfull most joyfull deliveries his afflictions are many But the Lord delivereth him out of them all II. His afflictions are many they are almost infinite they are enchained and follow one another so hard so nigh that he complaineth with Iob in his griefe c Iob 9.18 Hee will not suffer mee to take my breath but filleth mee with bitternesse But who can relate the Lords deliveries and salvations whereof David which had passed thorow so many evills confessed that d Psal 71.15 he knew not the number Thinke not that any affliction severally that all the afflictions which are incident to men though they were camped and set in battell against thee can surmount his force and good will towards thee Fearest thou to starve for hunger e 1. Kin. 17 4 6 14. Commanded he not the Ravens to feed Elijah at the brook of Cherith increased hee not the handfull of meale in the widows barrell and the little oyle which was in her Cruse f Psal 147.9 Hee giveth to the beast his food and to the yong Ravens which cry and shall he forsake thee for whom his deare Sonne Iesus Christ is dead g Psal 33.18 19. Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that feare him upon them that hope in his mercy to deliver their soule from death and to keepe them alive in famine Art thou dried up with thirst Remember that he opened l Gen. 21.19 Agars eyes and shee saw a well of water m Exod. 17.6 Psal 105.41 That he smote the rock in Horeb and the waters gushed out they ranne in the drie places like a river and quenched the thirst of his people that n Iudg. 15.19 he clave one of the grinders that was in the jaw-bone of the asse and made water to come thereout for Samson Fearest thou the plague which round about thee maketh havock of man beast and wouldst but canst not practise the cōmon precept Citò longè tardè Quickly far late The heat of the Sun the moistnes of the Moon do they annoy thee o Psal 91.5 6 7. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night nor for the arrow that fleeth by day nor for the pestilence that walkes in darknes nor for the destruction that wasteth at Noone day A thousand shall fall at thy side and tenne thousand at thy right hand but it shall not come nigh thee p Psal 121.5 6. The LORD is thy keeper the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand The Sunne shall not smite thee by day nor the Moon by night Art thou exiled for Christs sake Art thou constrained to live amongst a people whose tongue thou understandest not God who q Psal 56.8 numbered Davids wandrings r Psal 147.2 will gather together the outcasts of Israel ſ Esa 43.6 Hee will say to the North Give up and to the South Keepe not backe bring my Sonnes from farre and my daughters from the end of the earth In the meane while he will follow thee in thine exile and blesse thee as t Gen. 46.4 he went downe with Iacob into Aegypt and blessed him there Art thou cast in a low pit where thou sittest in darknesse and in the shadow of death being bound in stockes and fetters among swearers blasphemers robbers and other malefactors hee which put in v Gen. 41.9 a Courtiers heart to speak for Ioseph which sent x Act. 12.7 his Angel to deliver Peter whom Herod had imprisoned y Act. 16.26 Hee which shooke all the foundations of the prison where Paul and Silas were laid in the stockes opened the doores and loosed the prisoners bonds hath a thousand meanes to breake the gates of brasse to cut the barres of iron in sunder to loose thy bands and bring thee out of darknesse out of the dungeon of the shadow of death Art thou a seafaring man one of those of whom a Pittacus one of the seven wise men said that they are neither among the living nor amongst the dead ever living within foure inches of death and therefore ever dying When b Psal 107.25 26 27 c. God commandeth and raiseth the stormie wind which lifteth up the waves thereof They mount up to the heaven they goe downe againe to the depths then soule is melted because of trouble They reele to and fro and stagger like a drunken man and are at their wits end Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble and he bringeth them out of their distresses He maketh the storme a calme so that the vvaves thereof are still Then are they glad because they be quiet So he bringeth them unto their desired haven Do thou the like cry to the Lord as the Disciples did c Matth. 8.25 26. Lord save us we perish and hee will arise and rebuke the Windes and the Sea and there shall bee a great calme Art thou faln into the Turks pitiless hands Art thou taken in warre and condemned to the miserable slaverie of rowing night and day in the gallies hearing and feeling nothing but whips whistling and reeling upon thy naked shoulders Be of a good courage and waite upon the Lord who in his owne time will say of thee as he said of Ioseph d Psal 81.6 7. I removed his shoulder from the burden his hands were delivered from the pots Thou callest in trouble and I delivered thee I answered thee in the secret place of thunder Thy heart is it torne in peeces with calumnies and revilings The day shall come I speake by mine owne experience and therefore I say the day shall come when thou shalt sing to God e Psal 31.19 20. O how great is thy goodnesse which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sonnes of men Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man thou shalt keepe them secretly in a pavillion from the strife of tongues The wicked trayleth hee hayleth he thee before the Iudges without cause wonder not at that f Psal 37.32 33 34. The wicked watcheth the righteous and seeketh to slay him The LORD will not leave him in his hand nor condemne him when hee is iudged wait on the LORD and keepe his way and hee shall exalt thee to inherit the Land when the wicked are cut off thou shalt see it Art thou sick of a mortall disease as g 2 Kin. 20 1 2. Hezekiah was turne thy face to the wall as he did pray unto the Lord as he did Cry to God as David did h Psal 41.4 LORD be mercifull unto mee heal
my soule for I have sinned against thee and he i Psal 107.20 will send his word and heal thee and deliver thee from the tombe Seest thou the evill dayes of warre be not discouraged but say confidently upon that which thou hast seen in France of that which thou shalt see in the Palatinat k Psal 46.7 8 9 10 11. The LORD of hosts is with us the God of Iacob is our refuge Selah Come behold the works of the LORD what desolations he hath made in the earth He maketh warres to cease unto the end of the earth He breaketh the bow and cutteth the speare in sunder he burneth the chariot in the fire Bee still saith he and know that I am God I will be exalted among the Heathen I will bee exalted in the earth The LORD of hosts is with us The God of Iacob is our refuge Is there any thing impossible to the LORD l Psal 76.12 Heshall cut off the spirit of Princes Hee is terrible to the Kings of the earth After so many deliveries we sing to the glory of his power m Psal 74.13 14. Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength thou breakest the heads of the Whales in the waters Thou breakest the heads of Leviathan in peeces and givest him to bee meat to the people inhabiting the wildernesse If there rise n Zech. 1.19 20 21. foure hornes to scatter Iudah Israel and Ierusalem there shall also arise foure smiths to fray and break them how often have we seene such things Wee shall see them againe and againe for the Lord of hosts is with us Can there any affliction so great befall us as to be deprived of Gods Word your father 's felt the pricke and smart of it in Philip the second Charles the ninth and Queene Maries dayes Now is fulfilled in France and in the Palatinat the prophecie of Esaiah o Esa 30.20 21. Though the Lord give you the bread of adversitie and the water of affliction yet shall not thy Teachers bee removed into a corner any more but thine eyes shall see thy Teachers and thine eares shall heare a voice behind thee saying This is the way walke ye in it when ye turne to the right hand and when yee turne to the left Blessed bee God who in this countrey giveth us with the bread of his Word the bread of prosperitie p Psal 110 2. He ruleth there in the midst of his enemies Here hee is like a father in the midst of his children The greatest of all our evills is sinne And we sing unto him morning and evening with heart and mouth q Psal 103.1 2 3. O my soule blesse the LORD and all that is within mee bless his holy Name Blesse the LORD ô my soule and forget not all his benefits who forgiveth ALL thine iniquities who healeth ALL thy diseases c. Hast thou any other evill which neither is in my knowledge nor in my memorie r Exod. 14.21 Exod. 15.4 6. Hee who made the sea dry land and whose right hand dashed in peeces Pharao and his hoste ſ Iosh 3.15 16. He that made the waters of Iordan rise up upon an heape and stand still even then when they overflowed all the bankes t Dan. 3.25 Hee who gave refreshing to the three Confessors in the midst of the burning furnace v Dan 6.22 He who delivered Daniel from the jawes of the Lions x Ion. 2.2 11. He who kept Ionah alive in the Whales belly and turned into a custodie that hell where he looked for present death y Ezec. 37.7 8 9 10. Hee who putteth breath into drie bones who tyeth them together with sinewes who covereth them with flesh and skin who by a marvellous resurrection setteth them upon their feete and maketh them an exceeding great armie is not like unto Isaac unto whom Esau said a Gen. 27.38 Hast thou but one blessing my father bless me even me also O my father As hee hath judgements b Deu. 32.34 laid up in store and sealed up among his treasures so hath he c Deu. 28.32 a good treasure of deliveries which cannot bee dryed up d Psal 106 2. Who can utter the mighty actes of the LORD who can shew foorth all his praise e Psal 139.17 18. How precious ô God are my thoughts of them how great is the sum of them If I should count them they are mo in number than the sand when I awake I am still with thee my spirit cannot conceive the number of thy deliveries III. I say then to you all as David said of old to his people f Psal 130.7 8. Let Israel hope in the LORD for with the LORD there is mercy much good-will to deliver your brethren which are now afflicted and to deliver you when hee shall also sit as a refiner to try and purifie you And with him is plentious redemption With him is force strength to redeeme he may doe it he can doe it he will doe it Hee shall redeem Israel from ALL his iniquities g 1. Cor. 10 13. He will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but wil with the tentation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it Yea h Psal 121 7 8. the LORD shall preserve thee from ALL evill hee shall preserve thy soule The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy comming in from this time foorth and even for evermore IV. But how shall wee keepe reckoning of the LORDS deliveries seeing the maner of them goeth beyond all our wit and understanding for they are not all of one sort and the least and smallest of them is wonderfull Sometimes he worketh by meanes that we neglect them not Now and then hee giveth most miraculous deliveries besides and contrarie to all meanes that wee put not our hope and confidence in them Often hee delivereth the righteous man without all meanes to teach us to trust in him onely V. His meanes are divers and in their diversitie so many that it is almost impossible to reduce them into certaine heads In some ye see nothing but weaknesse In others might and strength In some wisedome in others follie In each of them such a varietie that neither am I able to expresse nor ye to conceive them Hee saved Moses David Elijah Iesus Christ Paul at divers times many zealous men among the Iewes under the bloody persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes many Confessors and faithfull brethren among the Christians in the primitive Church in our Fathers dayes and in ours by flight a most weake tedious and troublesome meane but yet a meane lawfull and approved of him as we shall see in the next Sermon VI. i Psal 33.16 17. There is no King saved by the multitude of any host a mighty man is not delivered by much strength An horse is a vaine thing for safety neither shall he deliver any by
his great strength Yet God imployeth often men horses hosts for the safety of the king deliverie of his people opposing men to men flesh to flesh vanitie to vanitie Thus he introduced his people into the land of Canaan by Ioshua delivered them often by the Iudges by David and other good Kings Thus after he had tryed the faith patience and constancie of the christian Church for the space of 3. hundred years by x. most heavy persecutions he stird up Constantine the Great to deliver them by the sword from their enemies In these skirmishes and combats men fight but k 1. Sam. 17.17 the battell is the LORDS It is he which giveth the victorie to them on whose side he is as the scales of a ballance hang upon that side where there is most weight This was that which Moses prophecied to his people l Deut. 33.27 The eternall God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting armes and he shall thrust out thy enemies from before thee and shall say Destroy them This was the confession of the Church of Israel with prayer and thanksgiving m Psal 44.3 4 5 6 7 8. Our Fathers got not the land in possession by their owne sword neither did their owne arme save them but thy right hand and thine arm and the light of thy countenance because thou hadst a favour unto them Thou art my King O God command deliverances for Iacob Through thee will wee push downe our enemies Through thy Name will wee tread them under that rise up against us for I will not trust in my bow neither shall my sword save mee But thou hast saved us from our enemies and hast put them to shame that bated us In God wee boast all the day long and praise thy Name for ever Selah Looke on what side God is there few are enow there two are enow there one is enough Few are enow Gedeon and three hundred men were sufficient against the Midianites because n Iudg. 6.16 the LORD said unto him Surely I will be with thee and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man Therefore when hee was going to fight hee cōmanded his souldiers to cry o Iudg. 7.18 The sword of the LORD and of Gedeon First the sword of the LORD as being the principall combatant Next of Gedeon as of a weak instrument in Gods hands and as the Midianite dreamed p Vers 23. a cake of barley bread which tumbling into the host of Midian smote it and put it to flight Three hundred Albigenses of Angrogne defended themselves in a medow against seven thousand Papists and having no other armour but slings gave them the chase Two are enow as q 1. Sam. 14.6 Ionathan and the young man that bare his armour against the garrison of the Philistins For as hee faid there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few When it is Gods pleasure to deliver by one one is enough r Iudg. 15.15 Samson with the jaw-bone of an Asse slew a thousand Philistins and ſ Iudg. 16.27 30. pulling down the house upon three thousand of them slew them all Wonderfull were the exploits of Davids Worthies but principally of t 2. Sam. 23.8 the first three for each of them being aloue slew many hundred of Gods enemies because God was with them But where God is not with men there a great host is as weake as one man And therefore when God drew himselfe back from the Iewes by reason of their sinnes they made their moan and said v Psal 44.9 10. Thou hast cast us off and put us to shame and goest not foorth with our armies Thou makest us to turn backe from the enemie and they which hate us spoile for themselves VII Sometimes God armeth his creatures and they fight against the enemies of his people either alone or jointly with them He fought against Pharao by turning of the river into blood by Frogs by Lice by swarmes of Flies by the murraine of Beasts by the plague of Boyles and Blanes of Haile Thunder and Lightning of Locusts and Darknesse at last by his Angell which smote all the first-borne of Aegypt from men unto the cattell Hezekiah being inclosed in Ierusalem and not able to resist against Senacherib his army x 2. Kin. 19.35 the Angell of the LORD went out and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred foure score and five thousand When of these champions of the heavēly host one alone doth so great deeds what would not doe all Psal 68.17 the Chivalrie of God which is of twenty thousands even of thousands of Angells z Psal 34.7 which encampe round about them that feare God Wherefore David prayed the Lord a Psal 35.5 to send his Angell to chase his enemies b t. 12.7 One Angell delivered Peter a multitude of Angels delivered c 2. King 6.17 Elisha and carryed d Luk. 16.22 Lazarus into Abrahams bosome When Ioshua was fighting against five kings of Canaan e Iosh 10.11 the LORD cast downe great stones from heaven upon them and they were moe which dyed with haile stones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the swords When in the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart and sundry other tribes through lazinesse followed not Deborah and Barak in the warre against Iabin and Sisera the heavens and the starres fought with them against those puissant enemies IIX Often God worketh besides all meanes yea and against the nature of meanes Ioseph is sold by his brethren and cast into a loathsome prison that he may be exalted to the highest glory that is in Kings Courts The sea was a safegard to the people of Israel even then when the Egyptians were overthrowne in the middest of it The blowing of trumpets and the burning lamps were fitter to discover Gedeon with his three hundred disarmed men to the hoste of the Midianites than to discomfit it The f Iosh 6.4 blowing of rammes hornes was not so fit to cast downe the walles of Iericho as to advertise the Citizens to be upon their guard and to watch to hold them up What could Davids sling serve against Goliaths speare and who would not have mocked the three hundred Albigenses fighting with slings against seven thousand men well armed as if they had beene as many birds in a hemp-yard It pleaseth God to deliver so that his Church vaunt not against him saying g Iudg. 7.2 Mine owne hand hath saved med and so relye upon the meanes and make him a co-partner onely of the deliverie and not author thereof When the Lyons spare Daniel when the fire beareth respect to the three Confessors when the Whale swalloweth up Ionah and three dayes and three nights after vomiteth him out of her belly upon the dry land without any harme who can deny but that such deliveries were against the nature of meanes and cannot
fourescore and six yeares and he hath never done me any harm how then should I curse my King which hath saved me q Tert. Apolâ—get c. 1. 46. 49. All the Christians when they were condemned gave thanks as for a great benefit r Iust Mart. Apol. 1. Lucius thanked Vrbicius which had condemned him to die for Christs sake because said hee being delivered from evill masters I am going to my Father the King of heaven Amongst all is wonderfull the constancie of Felicitas a Widow of Rome like unto that of the Mother and of the seven children of whom I have already spoken for she also had seven sonnes Å¿ Gregor 1. hom 3. in Euang. tom 2. Other mothers fear lest their children die before them She feareth lest her sons live after her She converted them to Christ being taken with them shee confirmed them in the confession and faith of Christ Publius the Governor of the towne with faire words sought to entice her Have pittie saith he of thy selfe at least pittie these thy seven sonnes After with rough words hee thought to astonish her But she having in a womans body a mans breast Neither saith she are thy promises able to tickle mee nor thy threats to terrifie mee And choosing rather to loose all her Children than to see then loose Christ of a mother shee became a Preacher unto them and after she had seen them all glorifie the Lord Iesus by their death the love of Christ surmounting in her the griefe which she received of her orbitie she went also with drie eyes a laughing countenance and a most heroicall courage to the place of execution and received there the crowne of Martyrdome And therefore as Christ said of Iohn Baptiste that t Mat 11 9 he was a Prophet yea more than a Prophet so may wee say of her that she was a Martyr yea more than a Martyr Consider the tender love of a mother and ye shall confesse that the death of each of her sonnes was a martyrdome unto her She was then seven times Martyr in her seven sonnes and the eighth time in her own person After I have spoken of such a woman shall I goe back to men Shall I speak of v Euseb hist Eccles lib. 5. cap. 1. Attalus one of the Martyrs of Vienne in France in the time of Antonius Verus the yeare of Christ 178. who being set in a burning chaire of iron preached to the Romanes as if he had bin in a pulpit teaching them what God is reproving their cruelty maintaining the innocencie of Christians and saying This which you do is eating swallowing of mens flesh but we eate not mens flesh neither doe we harme to any man Shall I forget Laurentius Deacon of the Church of Rome who being laid upon an iron grate and a slow burning fire under it that he might feele his death This side said he is inough rosted turn me upon the other which being done after some space he said againe to the Governor x Prudent in hymno Coctum devora Et experimentuÌ„ cape Sit crudum an assum suavius Now both sides are well rosted come eate and try which is sweetest raw or rosted It was a common thing to all Christians in those dayes y Tertull de Idolat cap. 11. Quo ore Christianus thurarius si per Templa transibit quo ore flumantes aras despuet exsufflabit quibus ipse prospexit Minut Felix deos despuuÌ„t rideâ—t sacra when the hangmen would hale them violently to the Temples of their Idolls when the Iudges would command them to bow downe to the Altars and to worship the Idols if they had hands and feete free to breake the Images fling away the Censers trample on the sweete smelling incense and if they were bound they would puffe at the Temples spit at the abominable Images with great contempt wagg their heads at all the diabolicall superstition All this did the holy woman and couragious Martyr z Prud. in Martyrio Eulalia Martyr ad ista nâ—hil sed enim Iâ—fremit in que tyranni oculos Sâ—uta iacit simulacra dehinc Eulalia She did more shee spat upon the Governors face who by all kind of most cruell torments went about to constraine her to idolatry And this puffing and spitting at the onely naming of the false religion was most usuall in those dayes among the brethren O Faith O Courage O Victorie O gods of wood of stone of metall where is your Majestie O Tyrants where your power O cruel Executioners Dissipat impositamque molam where is your fury Loe not men onely but women but young children contemne you fight against you Thuribulis pede prosubigit overcome you XVII Shall passe under silence our own Martyrs to begin with one of the first even Ierome of Prague condemned to be burnt quicke by the bloody councell of Constantia How the stood before his passionate and ignorant Iudges without feare not onely contemning death but also lusting after it x Poggius Florent ep 3 a Papist which was an eye-witnesse of all the actes of that Tragedie relateth with admiration and praise He went to death with a cheerfull countenance when hee came to the place of execution he imbraced the post whereunto he was tied kissed it Perceiving the hangman going behind his back to set the wood on fire lest he should see it he cried unto him Come here come here and kindle the fire before my face for if I had dreaded it I should never have come to this place which I might have shunned Then with a most holy wonderful joy he sung a Psalm to God which the fire and the smoake had much adoe to interrupt Patricke Hammilton a young Gentleman of Scotland as he was going to the fire by his words and lookes affrighted in such sort Alexander Cambell a Dominican Frier his accuser that he became besides himselfe and died madde George Baynam and Iohn Frith Englishmen imbraced kissed their fagots Laurent Sanders imbraced with great joy the post whereunto the hangman was tying him and said O crosse of my good Lord. In France Steven Brun after that his Iudges had pronounced against him the sentence of death cryed with a loud voice My Iudges have condemned mee to live And Iohn Baron being advertised by his Iudges which had condemned him to appeale from them unto the Court of Parliament Can ye not said he bee content to have your owne hands defiled with my blood but ye will have other mens hands polluted with it also Amongst all I admire most the peasant of Lynri which meeting some prisoners condemned for the Religion after he had asked and known of them the cause of their condemnation leapt upon the chariot and went to dye with them Above all the victories of women are most wonderful As the hangman was ready to put to death a loving couple of Martyrs Iohn Bayly and his wife
the wife incouraged the husband saying Sweet heart heave a good heart for this day our marriage with our Lord Iesus shall bee accomplished The religious Gentlewoman Graveron called the day of her martyrdome the day of her marriage with Christ and seeing her companions refuse to give their tongues because there was no such thing mentioned in their sentence she being but a woman resolved them saying It is reasonable and sit that the tongue which hath the priviledge to praise God should also have the prerogative to leape first upon the Altar of burnt offering So Claude Tierry called the halter which was put about her necke the Carkanet and the rope wherewith she was bound to the post the girdle of her marriage with Iesus Christ and therupon made a most excellent discourse of the spirituall marriage of the Lord Iesus with his Church which begins here in the valley of death and is consummated in the mountaines of spices Minut Felix Quam â—ulchrum spectacadum Deo cum Châ—â—â—ia 〈…〉 Congreaâ—us c. Vâ—it enim qut quod conâ—enâ—it obtinuâ— O how pleasant a sight is it in the eyes of God when a Christian buckles with griefe and p ine when he sets himselfe in aray against threats punishments torments when he scoffingly ieasts at the dreadfull name of death at the lowring countenance of the pitilesse hangman when he holds up his libertie against Kings and Princes and yeelds to none but to God to whom he belongs when like a most glorious Triumpher and Conqueror hee insults and triumphes over his Iudge who hath condemned him For he which hath obtained that wherefore he fought hath vainquished XIIX There is nothing difficile where faith in God is nothing dreadfull where the love of God is nothing dolorous where true zeale to the glory of God is As the light of the sunne dimmeth all other lights and as the heat of the sunne cooleth all other heats so the light of faith dimmeth that which worldly men call the light of reason Reason saith as the Proconsull said to Cyprian Take time and advise Faith answereth as Cyprian did a In rebus Dei non est delibecandum In Gods affaires no man must advise Reason saith it is a sweet thing to live Faith saith it is better to dye for Christ than to live without Christ So also the heat of love and true zeale extinguisheth the heat of most burning fires When naturall sense saith it is burning Love answereth it is not so much as hot These are the victories of the faithfull in their most sensible torments they are so ravished and transported by faith with the love of their Saviour that as it were it benummeth them so that they heede not their paines as if they were senselesse for b 1. Ioh. 5.4 whatsoever is borne of God overcommeth the world and this is the victory that overcommeth the world even our faith XIX The Lord in his great mercy increase our faith whereby in this surceasing of outward enemies we may fight valiantly against our inward and spirituall foes which are more dangerous closing our hearts to all the suggestions of Satan to covetousnesse to pride to choler to all the ticklings of filthy lust shutting our eyes to vanity stopping our eares to calumnies flatterers all evill counsells keeping our spirits our soules our bodies blamelesse unto the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ That fighting so we may overcome overcomming triumph triumphing receive the crowne of glory and of immortalitie which God hath prepared for us before the beginning of the world through the precious merites of our LORD IESVS CHRIST to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost bee all prayse all glory all honour both now and for evermore Amen SERM. VIII Of the manner and time of the righteous mans Deliverances ESAIAH XXVI 20. Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doores about thee hide thy selfe as it were for a little moment untill the indignation bee overpast 21. For behold the Lord commeth out of his place to visite the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquitie the earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slaine 1. THe Church like unto the Phoenix findeth life in death 2. Because God according to his promise in this text reviveth her 3. He saveth her often by flight which sometimes is not lawfull 4. At other times is lawfull and necessarie and is commanded by God in this text according to the literall sense 5. Is also confirmed by the examples of godly men in the time of the old Testament 6. In the new Testament Christ himselfe hath commanded to flye in time of persecution 7. And hath confirmed his commandement by his own example the examples of his Apostles and many other most constant and courageous Christians 8. Flying prooved lawfull by three reasons 9. Fleeing is not a forsaking and denying but a confessing of Christ 10. This text in a figurative and allegoricall sense is an exhortation to patience 11. The first argument mooving us to patience is the will of God 12. The second is his wisedome whereby hee converteth all evills to the good of his Church 13. The third is the truth of his promises 14. In the second part of this text he promiseth that the persecution shall last but a moment 15. He reckoneth the yeers the moneths the dayes the moments of the affliction of his Church 16. How affliction which to us seemeth so long is said to continue but for a moment 17. Till that moment expire we must relye upon the truth of Gods promise I. AS of the ashes of the Phoenix when it seemeth to be nothing but dust groweth up another So when the Church to mans iudgement is gone lost and past all hope of recoverie when the persecuters say of her that which the Traytor Absalom a Psal 22.8 Mat. 27.43 and the treacherous Rebells that followed him said of David and the chiefe Priests Scribes and Elders of Christ Hee trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him let him deliver him seeing he delighted in him Then then God by a most excellent and wonderfull deliverance reviveth her and maketh her to spring up againe more beautifull and glorious than she was before The third day of the Massacre of Paris Thuan. lib. 53. which was the Sunday in the moneth of August a bramble flourished in St. Innocents Church-yard The Papists ran to gaze upon it but could not tell wherefore and how a dry thorne blossomed in harvest out of due time and feason except that some tooke it as a token that God approoved their most unnaturall and savage crueltie but the wisest and best sort remembring that b Numb 17.8 Aarans rod which was but a dry peece of wood budded and blossomed and yeelded almonds when the Lord confirmed the Priesthood in the house of Levi and that the condition of the Church was represented unto c Exod. 3.2 Moses by
a burning bush because it is no more esteemed in the world than a bush of briars which the shepheards set on fire said farre otherwayes that the blood of those Innocents which was then shed should bee to the Church as the dew of heaven or as the raine of the first and last season and make it to budde to blossome and bring foorth fruit yet againe more wonderfully and gloriously than before as it came to passe against all hope II. For even then God spake to many of his Saints as he did to the Iewes in their tribulation and commanded them to hide themselves in their cabinets untill the time of indignation were overpast because thē the Lord would come certainely and punish all their persecuters for their iniquity and namely the authors of such blood-shedding and so joyne with their overthrow the deliverie of his Church The remnant of the Church hid themselves the moment of the Lords wrath past Gods enemies were destroyed the Church was delivered and still flourisheth and yeeldeth most excellent fruit to the glory of the Lord our deliverer and to the eternall shame and confusion of our persecuters Here is then a new matter to be handled concerning the manner and the time of the Lords deliveries which is set downe by the Prophet in three severall points The first is a commandement which God giveth to his people saying Come my people enter thou into thy chamber and shut thy doores about thee The second is how long they must lye hid after this manner not for ever not for a long time but for a little moment untill the indignation bee overpast The third is the reason why they must lurke till then because then God will bee avenged of their enemies For behold the Lord commeth out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity c. III. God speaketh to his people by his Prophet and giveth them a most excellent counsell to enter into their cabinets and to shut their doores about them which if ye take litterally is a counsell of holy prudence if ye take it allegorically it is a counsell of godly patience Christian and holy prudence is the rule of the righteous mans actions teaching him how to carry himselfe in all occurrences of times places and persons and how to frame and fit unto them all his actions privy and publike domesticall civill and religious As in time of persecution it will teach him neither to be too timorous to forsake his vocation whereunto God hath called him nor yet too rash and foole-hardy to tempt God by casting himselfe into unnecessarie dangers whereof the word of God which David called d Psal 119 105. a lampe unto his feete and a light unto his path giveth both precepts and examples When we are assured that God calleth us to confesse his holy Name and to glorifie his Majestie eyther by professing openly his word and preaching of it or by suffering for it then we must not aske and farre lesse take counsell of flesh and blood but remember the commandement e Math. 10.28 Feare not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soule but rather feare him which is able to destroy both soule and body in hell Worldly prudence will say These men to whom God sendeth thee are mighty and cruell and will kill thee therefore take heed to thy selfe and flye Sanctified prudence will answer God which hath sent me is stronger and therefore will I not flye f Psal 11.1 In the LORD put I my trust how say ye to my soule Flee as a bird to your mountaine When God sent Samuel to anoint David worldly wisedome answered in him g 1. Sam. 16.2 How can I goe If Saul heare it he will kill me God spake unto him againe and confirmed him then hee gave place to the commandement and went It seemeth that Amazia gave a wise counsell to Amos saying h Amos 7.12 13 14 15 16. O thou Seer goe flee thou away into the land of Iudah and there eate bread and prophesie there but prophesie not againe any more at Bethel for it is the Kings Chappell and it is the Kings Court Yet Amos ruled by another Spirit reiected it and said The LORD said unto me Goe prophesie unto my people Israel that is to say I will obey the Lord and not thee And therfore i Ion. 1.2 3. Ionah yeeldeth too much to his own discourse and too little to Gods commandement when being sent to Niniveh hee tooke shipping to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord which would have beene a foule fault in any private man instructed in the wayes of the Lord how much more was it heinous in a Prophet for who is so negligently and slightly imbrued with the knowledge of God but hee will subscribe to that saying of David k Psal 139.7 8 9 10 11 12. Whither shall I goe from thy Spirit or whither shall I flee from thy presence If I ascend up into heaven thou art there If I make my bed in hell behold thou art there If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts even there shall thy hand leade me and thy right hand shall hold me If I say surely the darknesse shall cover me even the night shall be light about me yea the darkenesse hideth not from thee but the night shineth as the day the darkenesse and the light are both alike to thee Ionah learned by an experimentall knowledge this to be true when the ship wherein he thought to flee from the presence of the Lord was unto him as a paire of stockes to hold him fast Therefore Christ a more compleat patterne to imitate and a more excellent president to follow than Ionah l Mat. 16.21 22 23. when his time was come to bee killed at Ierusalem reprooved Peter and called him Satan for disswading him from it Likewise m Act. 21.11 12 13 14. Paul would not by any meanes be disswaded from going to Ierusalem though Agabus had prophesied unto him that the Iewes should binde him and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles whereof the reason was that hee went thither n Act. 20.22 bound in the Spirit that is to say by particular revelation of the Spirit of the eternall and most wise God When we have such a revelation or by any other meanes are certified that God will have us to remaine and confesse then this precept of Esaiah of hiding our selves in our closets is no wayes directed unto us but rather this of Christ o Mar. 10.27 What I tell you in darkenesse that speake ye in light and what ye heare in the eare that preach ye upon the house tops Then we must not onely goe but run with great cheerefulnesse and alacritie thorow flouds fires swords to obey Gods commandements and say as David said p Psal 139.32 I will run the way of thy
mind is to destroy it for ever but God by the persecutions chastiseth the securitie tryeth the faith exerciseth the patience of his children and setteth forth his owne glory in their delivery as ye have heard in the fourth Sermon He hath ever done so hee will doe so unto the worlds end and therefore let us in all our heavy displeasures rely upon his wisedome as it is written n Psal 37.5 Commit thy way unto to the LORD trust also in him and he shall bring it to passe Then our owne experience shall inforce us to confesse that o Rom 8.28 we know that all things worke together for good to them that love God to them who are called according to his purpose So in Gods wisedome we have a second reason to move us to patience XIII Thirdly we should ever set before our eyes his truth which is more firme and constant than heaven and earth and all things that are therein men may be disloyall and false But p 2. Tim 2.13 if we beleeve not yet he abideth faithfull he cannot deny himselfe He is q 1. Sam. 15.29 the strength of Israel he will not lye nor repent for he is not a man that he should repent He hath wisedome to foresee the events before he promise he hath power to performe whatsoever he promiseth he is goodnesse it selfe and therefore he will throughly fulfill all his promises r Esa 55.10 11. For as the raine commeth downe and the snow from heaven and returneth not thither but watereth the earth and maketh it to bring foorth and bud that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater So saith he shall my word be that goeth foorth out of my mouth it shall not returne unto me voyd but it shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it XIV Wee have his promise in the second part of our text for when he biddeth us hide our selves as it were for little moment untill the indignation be overpast he implyeth in the commandement a most comfortable promise that the affliction of the Church shall last but for a moment which being expired his indignation shall overpasse and the Church shall be delivered This promise and the exhortation grounded upon it is very formall in Habacuc where God speaketh after this manner ſ Hab. 2.3 The vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speake and not lye Though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come it will not tarry The promise is that the vision the prediction concerning the deliverance of the Church hath 〈◊〉 appointed time which being expired God will fulfill it the exhortation is Therefore waite upon it This time is not a long time it is but a moment t Psal 30.5 For his anger endureth but a moment In his favour is life weeping may endure for a night but ioy commeth in the morning as David saith in the thirty Psalme Yee have the like promise in the fiftie and fourth chapter of Isaith v Esa 54.7 8. For a small moment have I forsaken thee but with great mercies will I gather thee I have hid my face from thee for a little in the moment of wrath but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the LORD thy redeemer XV. Here then wee have solid comfort and a soveraigne remedy against impatience in tribulation x Psal 125.3 For the rod of wickednesse shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous lest the righteous put foorth their hands into iniquity we heare the promise and howsoever wee beleeve it we thinke the time to be very long and wee cry as David often in the Psalmes And thou Lord how long for one houre of affliction is more sensible unto us than a yeare of prosperitie Therefore God y Psal 103.14 knowing our frame and remembring bring that we are but dust speaketh unto us according to our hearts desire and telleth us that hee hath a time appointed for our deliverance whereof he keepeth a most exact reckoning and shall not lose the least parcell thereof a Eccl. 3.1 To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven A time to be afflicted a time to bee delivered the time of affliction is to some shorter to some longer To Noah and to his family in the Arke b Gen. 7.11 Gen. 1.13 14. it was of one yeare and tenne dayes To the people of Israel in Egypt c Gen. 15.13 four hundred years To the lews in Babylon d Ier. 25.12 Ier. 29.10 Dan. 5.2 seaventy years To the woman diseased with the bloody e Mar. 9.20 issue twelve yeares To the impotent whom the Lord cured at the poole of Ierusalem f Ioh. 5.5 thirty and eight yeares To the woman delivered of her child to bee fed in the wildernesse g Rev. 12.14 a time and times and halfe a time which are three yeares and an halfe To Moses to be hid h Exod. 2.2 three moneths Hosea speaking of the time of Gods deliveries saith i Hos 6.2 After two dayes will hee revive us In the third day will he raise us up and we shall live in his sight k Ioh. 11.39 Lazarus was in the grave foure dayes l Luk. 18.33 The Lord was put to death and buryed and rose again the third day Hee advertised the Church of Smyrna that shee should have tribulation m Rev. 2.10 tenne dayes He spake of his houre when hee said to his mother n Ioh. 2.4 Mine houre is not yet come Hee said to his Disciples o Ioh. 16.16 A little while and ye shall not see me and againe a little while and ye shall see me In our text God speaketh of a little moment David saith p Psal 37.10 Yet a little while and the wicked shall not be The Apostle saith that q 2. Cor. 4.17 our affliction is light and is but for a moment He saith againe r Heb. 10.37 Yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry S. Peter writeth to the faithfull of his time that ſ 1. Pet. 1.6 for a season they were in heavinesse through manifold temptations And it was said to the soules that were under the Altar that t Rev. they should rest yet for a little season untill their fellow-servants also and their brethren that should bee killed as they were should be fulfilled that is to say untill the end of the world which to flesh and blood is very long for if these blessed soules thought the time which was betweene their death and this vision of Iohn so long that they cryed v ver 10. How long O Lord what wonder if men leading a most wearisome and tedious life under the crosse cry to God as David did x Psal 119 82. Mine eyes faile
thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you and to you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Iesus shall be revealed from heaven with the Angels of his power We must apply this comfort to us for we shall never be without enemies But we have our warranter and protector in heaven who fore warnes us not only of their enterprises but also of their overthrow c Esa 54.15 16 17. Behold saith he they shall surely gather together but not by me whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake Behold I have created the Smith that bloweth the coales in the fire and that bringeth forth an instrument for his worke And I have created the destroyer to destroy No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper and every tongue that shall rise against thee in iudgement shou shalt condemne This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousnesse of me saith the Lord. IX The Church is an Anvile which hath broken in peeces many hammers Or as Zechariah saith d Zach. 12.3 it is a burdensome stone for all people all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it Where are now the foure Monarchies which persecuted the Church Hath not e Dan. 2.34 35 44 45. the stone cut out of the mountaine without hands hath not the Church of Christ the Church which is come downe from Gods holy mountaine even from heaven the Church which is not the work of any man but of God the Church which is but like a little stone in the eyes of the world hath not this little stone broken them all to peeces and consumed them like chaffe which the wind carryeth away But it is become a great mountaine which filleth the whole earth It is a spirituall kingdome which the Lord of heaven hath set up and therefore shall never bee destroyed God said to mount Seir to the people of Edom the children of Esau Because thou hast had a perpetuall hatred and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity in the time that their iniquity had an end Therefore as I live saith the Lord God Ezech. 35.5 I will prepare thee unto blood and blood shall pursue thee sith thou hast not hated blood blood shall pursue thee Have any of the Massacrers of our fathers prospered How many wonderfull judgements of God upon them and their children might I relate unto you if time could permit The gaggers have beene gagged and strangled with wormes bursting out of their stinking throates those which imbrued their hands with innocent blood have swumme in their owne blood the children of persecuters were seene begging at the doores of your fathers whom their fathers had spoiled Many pursued by the divell did runne up and downe like mad men crying that they were damned because they had persecuted the Church and shed innocent blood Then the Church sang to God g Psal 92.5 6 7 8 9 10 11. O LORD how great are thy works and thy thoughts are very deepe A brutish man knoweth not neither doth a foole understand this when the wicked springs as the grasse and when all the workers of iniquity doe flourish it is that they shall be destroyed for ever but thou O LORD art most high for evermore for loe thine enemies O LORD for loe thine enemies shall perish All the workers of iniquity shall be scattered but my horne shalt thou exalt like the horne of the Vnicorne c. X. The author of the booke of Wisedome saith that h Sap. 6.5 sharpe iudgement shall be to them that be in high places And experience teacheth that the iudgements of God on them have beene most sharpe conspicuous and wonderfull i 1. King 21.19 22.38 In the place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth which Achab shed there they licked Achabs blood Proud k 2. King 9.35 36. Iezabel after she had slain the Prophets of the Lord was eaten by dogs Neither was there left in the family of Achab so much as a dogge that pissed against the wall In the beginning of the twenty seaventh chapter following our text the Prophet saith that l Esa 29.1 in that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan the piercing serpent even Leviathan that crooked serpent and hee shall slay the dragon that is in the sea He calleth so the Kings of Assyria and of Babylon which were the most cruell subtile and venemous persecuters of his Church Consider and see how he punished them m 2. King 19. Senacharib was slaine by his owne sonnes in the house of Nisroch his God And n Herodot Euterp◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after his death the Egyptians whom he had oppressed erected unto him an image of stone with this inscription Whosoever looketh upon me let him feare God His third son Esar Haddon was slaine by Merodach Baladan who transported the Empire from Nimveh in Assyria to Babylon in Chaldea o Dan 5.1 Belshazzar the first and last of Merodaches race was killed among the goblets and dishes and in the midst of his Courtiers and Concubines whilest he was blaspheming the name of God the Monarchie was by Cyrus and Darius translated to the Medes and Persians p 2. Macc. 9.9 Antiochus Epiphanes famous for his most unnaturall and barbarous cruelty against the Church of the Iewes was smitten with the incurable and remedilesse sicknesse of wormes and lice which rising up out of his bowells and all the parts of his body consumed his flesh with many and strange torments and such a stinking smell that he himselfe could not abide it Thus dying a most miserable death hee left his Realme to his children amongst whom God sent the Spirit of division and discord which left them never in peace till they were consumed one by another XI Herodées q Ioseph Antiquit. Iudaic. lib. 17. cap. 8. Idem de bello Iudaico lib. 1. ca. 21. murtherer of the children of Bethelem through the righteous judgement of God became parricide of his owne children and at last after he had been long tortured with a cholike passion and unspeakeable torments in his entrails and all disfigured with the dropsie and scurfe wherwith his whole body was spread over was gnawen by swarmes of lice and worms which bursting forth out of those parts of his body which naturall shame commanded him to hide and dolefull necessitie constrained him to discover made him a most filthy and stinking spectacle to his Courtiers and a most loathsome guest to himselfe r Ioseph Autiq. lib. 18. cap. 9. Herodés Antypas who beheaded Iohn Baptist was relegated to Lion with his incestuous wife Herodias and ended there his wicked life by a wretched and miserable death Å¿ Euseb hâ—st
Eccl. lib. 2. cap. 7. Pontius Pilat who condemned Christ to dye was overwhelmed with so many miseries that to be delivered of them all at once he followed the example of Iudas and killed himselfe t Act. 12. Herodés Agrippa after he had for a while persecuted the Christians killed Iames imprisoned Peter taking to himselfe the honour due to God was stricken by an Angell and was eaten of wormes whose pittilesse teeth taught him that he was a medden of putrefaction and not God v Suet on in Nerone cap. 47. 49. Nero the first persecuter of Christians among the Gentiles after that he had set Rome on fire put his wise and learned master to death rifled his mothers entrails to see where he lay when he was in her wombe taking life from her that gave him life burnt quicke or dismembred with the teeth of his dogs many thousands of Christians murthered all his friends and filled the whole Empire with orbity desolation and mourning having no friend but murther and crueltie finding no foe that would kill him Ergo ego inquit nic amicum habeo nee unimicum thrust himselfe thorow with his owne sword and was to himselfe his owne Hangman x Suet. in Domitiano ca. 13. 14. Domitian who worshipped no other God but himselfe who erected Temples and Altars to his own mortall deitie who constrained his people to call him the Lord our God and persecuted the Christians because they would not give that title to any other but to our Lord Iesus Christ nor worship any but God was betrayed of his owne wife in whom hee trusted was slaine by his owne servants was buryed without honour like a filthy carrion I should be too tedious if I should relate to you the tragical deaths of AdriaÌ„ of Severus of Decius of Valerian of Dioclesian of Maximinian of Maxentius of Maximin of Iulian the Apostate of Valens Arrian hereticke who were prodigious examples of Gods veÌ„geance against persecuters Which of you hath not heard or read the strange deaths of Kings and Princes who by murthering of our fathers sought to murther once againe Christ in the cradle and to give life to the beast which had beene wounded to death In them all was in all them that follow their bloody foot-steps shall be fulfilled that which is written in the Psalmes y Psal 21.8 9 10. Thine hand O Lord shall find out all thine enemies thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee Thou shalt make them as a fierie oven in the time of thine anger The Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath and the fire shall devoure them Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth and their seed from among the children of men Have wee not heard it Our owne eyes have they not seene it XII The best of us all is like unto Asaph a Psal 73.2 3 5 6.7 8 9. we are envious at the foolish our steps slip when we see the prosperitie of the wicked They are not in trouble as other men neither are they plagued 〈◊〉 other men Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chainâ—â— violence covereth them as a garment their eyes stand out with fatnesse they have more than heart could wish They are corrupt and speake wickedly concerning oppression they speake loftily they set their mouth against the heavens and their tongue walketh through the earth Then we begin to fret to murmure to deny Gods providence to aske Is there knowledge in the most high These men which prosper are ungodly but wee who cleanse our hearts and wash our hands in innocency are plagued all the day long our chastisement returneth turneth every morning They are happy but we are miserable When we iudge when we speake so are we not foolish and ignorant like unto little children are wee not as beasts before our God If any man have a deadly wound whether is most to bee feared the putrefaction and impostume or the Chirurgions Launcet and Rasor the searing hot yron or the Gangrene What is sinne but the corruption and impostume of the soule what is affliction but the heavenly Physicians Rasor and cauter As then a wise man will say that he whose impostume is not launced is in danger of his life and he who feeleth every day the smart of the Rasor is in hope of recovery howsoever ignorant children will judge otherwayes and will choose rather a lingring and insensible death than a sharpe cure So will hee which entreth into the Sanctuary of God judge and say that sinners when the Lords hand is heavy upon them are happy because they are chastised for their correction as when a man sicke of the dropsie is kept under a strict and pinching diet But hee who covereth his face with fatnesse who spendeth his dayes in mirth and feeleth not the smart of the Lords rod is so much more miserable than the sicke man who being swolne up and defaced with the dropsie liveth in the Tavernes and every day overchargeth his decaying body with surfetting and drunkennesse as the soule is more precious than the body For what are such men but as fatted swine for the great day of the Lords slaughter as I have said And why doth the Lord b Minut. Felix Miseri in hoc altius tolluntur ut decidant altius heave them up and as it were set them on the pinacle of worldly pleasures and honours but to cast them downe into destruction and make their fall more remarkeable as was the fall of Haman persecuter of the Iewes and of Iezabel murtherer of the Prophets XIII But what although some of them d Iob 21.13 23 24. spend their dayes in wealth having still their breasts full of milke and their bones moistened with marrow What although they dye in their full strength and after the long dayes of a joyfull life being wholly at ease and quiet in a moment they goe downe to the grave without the least pricking of griefe without any feeling of the smart of death which may happen to some few in this world Shall they also escape the dint of the wrath and vengeance of the great and righteous Iudge in the world to come When God through a most wonderfull patience and long suffering hath given unto them many yeeres to repent as he gave to the men of the first world in the dayes of c Gen. 6.3 Noah an hundred and twenty yeares to amend their lives and they spend them all in riot in licentiousnesse in persecuting of his Church in presumptuous sinnes against his Majestie selling themselves to worke wickednesse in his sight as f 1. King 21.25 Ahab did will he not turne his patience into fury and pay them home at once requiting them with the unconceiveable punishment of eternall damnation XIV I know they doe what they can to shake out of their thoughts the feare of that judgement and to make their hearts beleeve that there is no such matter
g Iuvenal Sat. 2. Esse aliquos manes subterranea regna Nec pueri credunt that whatsoever was spoken of old amongst the Gentiles is written in the Scriptures is beleeved in the Church of divels of hell of everlasting torments is but a bug-beare or scare-crow to feare superstitious folkes and hold them in awe But they strive unprofitably against the streame of their owne consciences which with a roaring voice doth summon them day and night to appeare before the judgement seat of the inexorable and Almighty Iudge Of all men those feare hell most who say there is no hell The sound of a shaking leafe maketh their hearts to shake for feare when there is none to pursue them And even then when they preach to men that hell is a fable they finde a most direfull hell within themselves burning up the most secret bowells of their wretched soules Why did Iudas hang himselfe when there was none upon earth to doe him any harme if there be no hell Death was more tolerable unto him than the feare of the unestimable torments which now hee suffereth there What were r Suet in Nerone c. 46 the monstrous dreames of Nero What Å¿ Xiphilinus Epitome Dionis the hideous and most ugly ghosts of those whom he had slaine which he saw a little before his death bounding out of the earth and leaping to his throat but a warning to appeare the next day in judgement to give an account of so much Christian and innocent blood which he had most wickedly shed If there bee no judgement after this life from whence came it that t Pro copius de bello Gothico lib. 1. Theodoricke king of the Gothes Protector of the wicked heresie of the Arrians after hee had put to death the 2. worthy Senators of Rome Symmachus Boetius because they maintained the true faith could not looke upon the head of a great fish that was set upon his table crying that it was the head of Symmachus which with most horrible yawning and fierie eyes sought to devoure him That was a citing indeed for suddenly he was taken to his bed and from thence to the grave v Thuanus lib. 57. Aubig 2. tom lib. 1. The Authors of the Massacres of France could not be at quiet many dayes after that bloody Tragedy for the horrible sight of great multitudes of ugly Ravens hovering about the Louure and voyces which cryed incessantly in their eares Murther murther murther suing them to come personally before him who sitteth on the throne and before the Lambe whom they had slaine in his members 'T is a truth not onely x Audreas Liba de cruentatione Cadaverum Levinus Lemnius de occultis natura miraculis lib. 2. cap. 7. ascertained by bookes but also averred by dayly experience in all nations That if a murtherer come in sight of the person whom hee hath slain the Coarse though almost rotten and stinking will bleed and disclose him What is that bleeding but a testimony that if men will not y Psal 58.11 There is a God that iudgeth in the earth and in his owne time will be avenged of all murtherers namely of them who lay violent hands upon his deare ones Therefore when the soules under the Altar cryed for vengeance against the persecuters who had stained their hands with their innocent blood a Rev. 6.11 it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season untill their fellow-servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were should be fulfilled For as God spared the b Gen. 15.16 Amorites till their iniquity was full and as the Lord said to the Scribes and Pharisees c Mat. 23.32 Fillye up the measure of your fathers because then all the righteous blood which their fathers had shed was to come upon them So the Lord hath a time appointed for the full deliverance of his Church and everlasting destruction of his enemies even the last and great day of this decaying world d 2. Thes 1.7 8 9 10 When the Lord Iesus shall be revealed from heaven with the Angels of his power in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ who shall bee punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power when he shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to bee admired in all that beleeve in that day XV. Day which is a day of wrath e Zephan 1.15 a day of trouble and distresse a day of vastnesse and desolation a day of darknes and gloominesse a day of clouds and thicke darkenesse A night rather than a day yea both a day and a night A day wherein Gods judgements against all ungodly men shall shine cleerer than the noone day A night because of the place of the extreamity of the universalitie of the eternity of the effects of the paine whereunto they shall bee condemned by this thundering voice and unrecallable sentence of their righteous ludge f Mat. 25.41 Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the divell and his Angels To hell must they goe even to the darke and ugly g 1. Pet. 3.19 prison which shall be the last habitation of all ungodly sinners How pleasant how faire soever a prison be we say that there were never faire prisons And therefore what will not a man suffer rather than to goe to prison he will flee he will give all that he hath hee will runne to his friends and cry for succour h Aug. de verbis Aposto li. serm 18 Contremiscis c onturbaris pallescis c. S. Augustine saith that in his time they would flee to the Church runne to the Bishop fall downe lye wallowing at his feete cry with a pale countenance with a trembling voice My Lord I am troubled my Lord I am to be cast in prison take pitty of me relieve me So hard so unsufferable a paine doth it seeme to all men to bee in prison though it there were no other paine to be suffered but to be closed up Yea our owne houses would be hatefull unto us if our liberty of going abroad were restrained O then how huge how intolerable shall bee the torments of those bloody butchers who have shed the blood of Gods Saints like water when they shall bee cast headlong into the hellish prison which may bee most properly called i Iob 10.21 22. the land of darknesse and of the shadow of death Where there is no order and where light it selfe is darknesse O how shall they tremble how shall they cry and teare their soules when they shall bee violently throwne downe into the k Luk. 18.31 deepe and bottomlesse pit which m Aug. in 50. Homilius hom 16 â—uÌ„ sine poenitentiae remedio infoelices peccatores exceperit c. when it hath received impenitent sinners
indignation and he shall bee tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy Angels and the smoake of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever and they have no rest day nor night In vaine shall they strive and struggle to rid themselves from the eternall chaines of darkenesse wherewith they are tyed in that bottomlesse Mine for like unto fishprickt with the Anglers hooke the more they wrench and wriggle to escape faster and faster are they intangled and sinke deeper into the burning lake of death and damnation Are not darkenesse blood fire brimstone burning alive torments fearefull enough to make the haire to bristle and the stoutest heart to melt as waxe against the fire and yet all these are but shadowes and counterfeits of the extreamity of paine wherewith the damned are racked in hell If Nebuchadnezzars hot glowing furnaces if Antiochus caldrons of boyling oyle if Phalaris fierie brazen Bull if Davids sawes harrowes of yron and mortars if the needles the pinsers the burning yron grates and brazen chaires if the tympan the spits the flaying of living men and other torments practised by Tyrants against Christians were so fell and hideous if dayly men invent new tortures more fierce and terrible than those were doubtlesse the paines of hell which the divell deviseth or rather which are of Gods owne invention are ten thousand times more horrible than mans heart can imagine As in all Gods workes i Aug. epist 3. ad Volasianum Tota ratio facti potentia facientis Considera authorem tolle dubitanonē the reason of the doing is the power of the doer So in this let Atheists consider the author and all their doubts will cease God hath said it and will he not performe it XIIX As every member joynt and part of wicked men conspire together in sinne to offend God so the righteous and Almighty God hath bequeathed to each of them a severall torment The mind shall be racked with the consideration of the unexpugnable wrath of God and contemplation of its own endlesse infelicity The memory shall be continually tormented with the remembrance of the manifold and foule sinnes which were causes of such plagues The conscience shall feele a k Esa 66.24 Mar. 9.44 worme ever gnawing it with a most bitter but unfruitfull remorse of sinne The phantasie shall bee troubled with ghastly visions The eyes shall see nothing but ugly divells and damned persons The eares shall heare nothing but roarings of the infernall spirits but shriekes and dreadfull cryes of tortured malefactors What the palat shall taste what the nostrils shal smell what the hands shall catch hold of what the other parts of the body shall suffer in that dark dungeon of Gods wrath I know not This I know that as l 1. Cor. 3.9 eye hath not seene nor eare heard neither have entred into into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him in the kingdome of light with his owne selfe so no tongue can utter yea no heart can imagine the manifold and bitter plagues which the justice of God hath reserved for them that hate him in the kingdome of darkenesse with the m Iob 18.14 King of terrors XIX Happy would they thinke themselves if after many myriades of yeares they might hope for some reliefe but to fill up the unmeasurable measure of their miseries they know that God hath called the fire wherein they burne n Mat. 25.41 everlasting the death whereunto they are condemned o 2. Thes 1.9 everlasting destruction and qualifieth with the same title the worme which gnaweth their never-dying conscience saying that p Mark 9.48 it dyeth not They know that the entrance into hell is large and easie but the regresse impossible They know that the power and justice of God hath appointed unto them an immortall death an endlesse end everlasting darkenesse in the middest of an ay-burning fire poyson of dragons cruell venime of aspes bitternesse it selfe to eate and to drinke in the blackenesse of an eternall night whereupon the cloud of Gods curse and the shadow of death shall dwell for ever and the light of comfort shall never shine XX. This is the share allotted to all them that feare not God to q Luk. 16.19 the rich man who did no harme to Lazarus but onely refused to give him meate and to r Mat. 25.41 42. all his mates to ſ Mat. 25.30 the unprofitable servant to him who goeth to the marriage-feast without t Mat. 22.11 12 13. a wedding garment O then two and threefold more shall bee children of hell all those which throw the crummes of bread out of Lazarus mouth which are never weary of ill doing which have all their garments stained with the blood of Gods servants Shall it v Mat. 10.15 Mat. 11.22.24 be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of iudgement than for those who receive not the Preachers of the Gospell and refuse to heare the word Oh then how intolearble shall be then the plagues of God upon the Neroes Dioclesians all the persecuters of the Gospell x Psal 11.5 6. The Lord tryeth the righteous but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soule hateth Vpon the wicked hee shall raine snares fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest that shall be the portion of their cup. Then then y Rev. 16.10 they shall gnaw their tongues for paine then nothing shall be heard and seene amongst them but a Mat. 12.13 weeping and gnashing of teeth but crying b Rev. 6.16 to mountaines and rockes to fall upon them and to death to come and kill them when c Rev. 3.6 death shall flee from them d Aug. de Tempore serm 252. Quta quibus in hoc seculo vita offertur nolunt accipere in inferno quaerent mortem non poterint invenire When in this world life is offered unto them they refuse to accept it Therefore in hell they shall seeke death and shall not find it In that desire as there is a great sinne so there is in it a great paine It is a righteous thing with God to punish sinne therefore it is a sinne in the prisoners of hell to desire to shake off the punishment of sinne Againe e Quid tam poenale quā semper velle quod nūquam erit c. What is more penall saith Bernard than ever to desire that which never shall be and ever to be unwilling to that which shall never but be They shall never obtaine what they would and evermore sustaine what they would not XXI Adde unto all those punishments one which shall bee to all the persecuters of the Church a deadly wound ever bleeding for in that great day f Esa 26.19 Rev. 20.13 the earth the grave the sea death it selfe shall deliver up the dead which are in them the Martyrs whom these
murtherers have slain shall arise and bee received into eternall glory in the presence of their enemies with this welcome from the eternall Iudge g Mat. 25 34. Come ye blessed of my Father inherite the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world O most wonderfull inheritance h Aug. Hareditas Domini nou minuitur multitudine possessorian tanta singulis quanta universis It is not diminished by the multitude of those which possesse it It is as large to every one apart as to the whole multitude together O most excellent and glorious inheritance It is a kingdome wherein our darkenesse shall bee converted into light our sorrow into ioy our trouble into peace our weaknesse into strength our dishonour into honour our ignominie into glory our misery into happinesse our death into life our patient hope into the reall enioying of all good our prayers into thanks-giving Where the heavens shall receive us the holy Angells welcome us the blessed Saints ioyne themselves unto us where our bodies being made of mortall immortall of naturall spirituall of burthensome nimble shall shine brighter than the fairest summer-day Where i 1. Cor. 15.28 God himselfe without any meanes shall bee all in all perfect and absolute knowledge to our mindes an ocean of love to our hearts soveraigne good and the blessed center of eternall rest to all our restlesse affections where he himselfe after a most wonderfull and glorious manner which cannot be imagined shall be light in our eyes melody in our eares the wished and longed-for obiect of all our senses where he saith That k Rev. 21.3 he himselfe shall be with us and be our God l Aug. de Civit Dei li. 22. capaile i. he shall be unto us all whereby we may be satisfied and whatsoever all may honestly desire life salvation meate drinke riches glory honour peace and all good Which David expressed in few words saying m Psal 16.11 In thy presence is fulnesse of ioy at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore And againe n Psa 17.15 As for me I will behold thy face in righteousnesse I will be satisfied when I awake with thy likenesse For then God shall be the end of all our desires then o Aug. idid Ipse finis evit desideriorum nostrorum qui sine fine vide bitur sine faslidio amabitur sine fatigatione laud abitur We shall see him without end wee shall love him without loathing we shall prayse him without wearying Then also our enemies shall see our glory in him and with him and as the Author of the booke of Wisedome saith p Sap. 5.2 When they see it they shall be troubled with terrible feare and shall be amazed at the strangenesse of our salvation so farre beyond all that they looked for c. XXII O then dearely beloved let us learne to discerne wisely q Mal. 3.18 betweene the righteous and the wicked betweene him that serveth God and him that serveth him not Salomon saith that r Pro. 13.9 the lampe of the wicked shall bee put out comparing wicked men to a candle which when it begins to burne giveth a faire light but endeth in stinking smoake and caligiousnesse for their end is worse than their beginning because Å¿ Iob 21.30 they are reserved to the day of destruction to the day when wrath shall be brought foorth On the other side t Psal 37.37 39 40. Marke the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace because the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD he is their strength in the time of trouble and the Lord shall helpe them and deliver them he shall deliver them from the wicked and save them because they trust in him The short dayes of mans fading and dying life me thinkes may be most conveniently compared to a stage-play wherein often Kings sonnes mount on the scaffold disguised in poore mens rags and beggers march with a stately pase attired in sumptuous robes about their greasie bodies hiding scurvie heads under crowns of gold and stretching forth a royall Scepter with scabbed hands but when the curtaines are remooved when the Tragedy is ended and the Players are stript of their borrowed apparell he that made so many vaine glorious shewes and called himselfe Hercules or Agamemnon is knowne to be poore Irus who goeth begging thorow the streetes and crackling crusts of browne bread betweene his muddie and rotten teeth and hee that was thought to be Irus is knowne to be the royall sonne of Aeacus T is even so betweene the Church and the world when v Luk. 16.19 20. Lazarus starves for hunger at the rich mans gate and the rich man jetteth in his purple and makes good cheere when x Mat. 27.39 Christ is nayled upon the crosse and his enemies stand hard by reviling him when the y Rev. 11.9 10 11 12. dead bodies of Christs two witnesses lye unburied in the streets of the great City and they that dwell upon the earth reioyce over them and thanke their gods of gold silver brasse because they have overcome them it seemes that those which are thus afflicted are but poore snakes forsaken of God and that those others which swim with content in the Ocean of worldly pleasures are Gods deare ones But when the divells shall bury the rich Glutton in the lowest pit of hell when boiling there in the lake of fire and brimstone he shall lift up his eyes and see Lazarus in Abrahams bosome abundantly satisfied with the fatnesse of the house of God drinking great draughts in the river of his pleasures when the spirit of life from God shall enter into his two witnesses when they shall rise againe stand upon their feet and ascend up to heaven when a Mat. 24.30 Iesus Christ shall come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory when he shall set his sheepe on his right hand and the goates on the left when b Rev. 1.7 they which pierced him shall see him and by him shall be throwne downe into the rich Mine of eternall torments c Aug. 50. homil Homil 16. Morituri vitae morti sine sine victuri to dye there unto life and to live unto death world without when those d Sap. 5.4 5 whose life they accounted madnesse and their end disgrace shall be received into the haven of eternall securitie then then all the Bulls of Bashan shall know that al their life was but a ridiculous move-merry their pleasures but a shew their felicitie but the glympse of a shadow that those whom they had sometimes in derision and who were in their mouthes a Proverb of reproach are Gods beloved children and his most precious jewells XXIII O then where are they that thinke to overthrow the Church And when will they listen to this truth Minde they to raine downe upon the Church a deluge of