of His mercy Psal. 130. 4. But there is forgiveness with thee that thou maist be feared The Unregenerate fears God for his Vengeance but the Regenerate fears him for his Forgiveness He looks not on God as he is in himself A consuming Fire but as He is in His Son a still small voice God is a still small voice only in his Enternal Word In him he wil speak Peace unto his People and to his Saints Psal. 85. 8. But if he speak not in His Son Then he is a God speaking out of the midst of the Fire Deut. 4. 33. And his Voice is accordingly with Thunderings and Lightnings a voice great in Power and full of Majesty such as breaketh the Cedars of Lebanon Psal. 29. and is able to rend our stony Hearts but by no means to comfort and raise up our dejected Souls Wherefore the true Believer looks upon God in Christ where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God The right hand of God is terrible in it self but not now Christ is sitting at it The Psalmist cals upon God to pluck His right hand out of his Bosom to consume his Adversaries and his blaspheming Enemies Ps. 74. And which of us is not so much Gods enemy as to be speedily consumed Did not the son of God our blessed Saviour sit on his Fathers right hand to keep him from plucking it out of his Bosome to consume us Or when he plucks it out to interpose betwixt us and it That God cannot strike us but through the loins of his only begotten and only beloved son So secure is that Soul which is in Christ That it may draw neer with a true Heart in full assurance of Faith Heb. 10. 22. Even to the right Hand of God T is an orderly motion of the Soul Going to God in Christ That is the fourth If your Affections carry your soul to God thus Voluntarily thus Universally thus Judiciously thus Orderly T is an invincible argument an undeniable Proof that your soul lives in God and therefore may comfortably from him expect Everlasting Life For you may then say with Saint Paul Gal. 2 20. I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me And the life which I now â—…ive in thâ—… Flesh I live by the Faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me Many men have measured their Faith by the strength of its perswasion and have mistaken Themselves for they have taken Phancy for Faith but never was any man mistaken in his Faith who measured it by the strength of its Affection This is the surest way to know whether you have a true Faith in Christ and whether your soul doth truly live in him by that Faith And if you shall yet further ask what degree of Faith is required to make the soul ascend up unto its Saviour I must answer it is not the measure or the Degree but the Sincerity of Faith that maketh it a saving Faith and placeth the man that hath it in the state of Salvation wherein we may see the infinite Goodness of God towards the souls of men For were such or such a degree of Faith required to justifie a Sinner no man could ever have any comfortable Assurance of his Justification for no man can exactly know the Degree of his own Faith And he that believes the most stedfastly had need to say Lord I believe Help thou my Unbelief Mar. 9. 24. He may undertake for the Sincerity He cannot for the strength or measure of his Faith But now since it is the True and Lively Faith that justifies it is enough that a man only know he doth truly believe and so rest and rely upon the merits of his Saviour for his justification For this is the Apostolical Benediction Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity Eph. 6. 24. Sincerity not sufficiency of love is the Touchstone to try the Soul whether it be in the state of Grace The Apostle saith not in Abundance for fear of disturbing the Peace of souls for who can tell when he loveth the Lord Jesus Christ abundantly considering how often He sins against Him But He saith In sincerity to establish and confirm the Peace of Souls For every one that Loveth knoweth the sincerity of his own love the Soul being an Infallible judge of its own Act in the Quality when it may easily be mistaken in the Quantity Saint Peters threefold denyal of his Master had stopped his mouth from Professing the Abundance but not from Professing the sincerity of his Love Yea Lord saith he Thou knowest that I love Thee Iohn 21. 15. He knew well the sincerity of his own Love or He durst not have appealed to the Searcher of Hearts to be Judge of that Sincerity As if he had said Though I do not know That I love thee sufficiently yet I do know That I love thee truly and sincerely And thou knowest it too nor could 〈◊〉 truly say Thou knowest that I love thee if I did not know it my self O happy man whose conscience bears him witness That he Truly Repents Truly Believes and Truly Loves For He can promise to himself not only Admittance to God but also Acceptance with Him For if he can say from the bottome of his Heartâ—… Lord I repent He must be comforted iâ—… This That He who came to call sinners to Repentance Mat. 9. 13. will not reject a Sinner that is Repenting He thaâ—… promised to spare a whole Nation for one Converts sake Jer. 5. 1. if but one of them did Seek Truth who had formerly despised it will much more spare that soul in which himself hath wrought a true Conversion For he cannot despise the works of his own hands though he cannot but despise and abandon the works of Ours Those words then of the man that was born blind God heareth not sinners had little reason to Trouble Saint Augustine for fear no mans Prayers should be heard for that all are sinners which made him find out this exception rather then exposition Verbum coeci adhuc inuncti i. e. nondum illuminati ideò non est Ratum This was the saying of a blind man before his eyes were fully opened to see or his heart was illuminated to know the truth and therefore it holds not But we need no such exception for this is one of those common Notions which the Devil and Sin could not blot out of the hearts of men and therefore we find it in effect avowed by a Heathen Poet Hom. Il. a. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God heareth those that obey him and consequently heareth not the disobedient and unrighteous which is all one with this God heareth not sinners and this may be verified saith Aquinas de Peccatore in quantum est peccator 22 ae qu. 83. art 16. Of sinners as far forth as they are sinners for so God heareth them not yet he may and doth hear them
as penitents God heareth not such sinners as are willingly and wilfully under the Power and Dominion of sin such as are habitually sinful and still remain in the state of sin For A man may be a sinner yet not be in the state of sin That notes a Momentany Action but this a standing Relation or a setled continuance status notat Dispositionem cum quadam immobilitate saith Aquinas That makes a man unworthy of Gods Favor but this makes him uncapable of it So saith the Prophet What hath my beloved to do in mine house seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many and the holy Flesh is passed from thee when thou dost evil then thou rejoycest Jer. 11. 15. These words shew the state of sin and the miserable condition of that state The state of sin is the working of lewdness with many and rejoycing in that work neither Reluctancie before it nor Repentance after it And the miserable condition of that state is not to have to do in Gods house i. e. Not to have any right to the Word Sacraments for the Holy Flesh here saith R. David is the Flesh of Gods Altar An Impenitent sinner hath nothing to do with that Holy Flesh and if he will needs intrude himself to have to do with it yet it shall not be Holy Flesh to him he shall have no benefit of its Holiness Nay to him it shall be in its effect what it is already in his account an unholy thing Heb. 10. 29. Impura es ipsa ac proinde non potes non impurare omnes oblationes tuas saith Trem. Thou thy self being in the state of impurity canst not but make all thy offerings impure Thy Prayers will be turned into sin Psal. 109. 7. And how then can thy sin not be turned into Death Therefore he that will offer to God an acceptable offering must first offer himself For if God accept not the person he will not accept the offering The Lord first had respect to Abel then to his offering Gen. 4. 4. Wherefore it neerly concerns every Christian to forsake all his sins and to assure himself that he is in the state of Grace and Acceptance with God for that else he cannot be assured that either his Prayer or his Prayses will be accepted And how shall we better know the state of Grace then from his mouth whose hands nailed to the Cross made it And whose side Pierced on the Cross poured it forth to us And he plainly tells us that our state is either of God or of the Devil John 8. 42. If God were your Father you would love me From whence we may infer they that do love Christ have God for their Father and consequently are in a Good in a Happy state But v. 4. 4. Ye are of your Father the Devil and the lusts of your Father ye will do From whence we may infer they that will needs do the lusts of the Devil have the Devil for their father Not simply they that do the lusts but they that wilfully do them The Text it self gives us this Distinction saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ye will do them For there is a great difference betwixt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Facio and Volo Facere I do and I will do For Saint Paul saith of himself the evil which I would not that I do Rom. 7. 19. and yet proves that he is in the state of Regeneration notwithstanding his doing it Now if I do that I would not it is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me v. 21. Sin may dwell in me but I may not dwell in sin If I do that evil I would not it is because sin dwelleth in me But if I will that evil I do it is because I dwell in sin and am one of those of whom it is said ye are yet in your sins 1 Cor. 15. 17. He saith not your sins are in you but you are in your sins not they possessed by you but you possessed by them not they have a being in you but you have a being in them This Regiment of Satan doth not come to Quarter with you against your will but you have made an Invitation to them and Provision for them they find the house swept and garnished and look upon it as their own and so have their Habitation with you as that they also have Dominion over you And in this respect doth our blessed Saviour say to the Jews ye shall dye in your sins That is in the Guilt and under the Bondage of your sins unless by faith in Christ you get out of that Guilt out of that Bondage for so it is said If ye believe not that ' I am he ye shall dye in your sins John 8. 24. To live out of Christ is to live in sin and to live in sin is the way to die in sin and to die in sin is to die eternally For he that dies in sin is an eternal sinner and is therefore justly punished with eternal death Peccavit in suo aeterno saith Saint Greg. He sinned in his eternity and yet his whole life was but a span-long The reason is He that sins impenitently would sin eternally if he might live eternally He sins eternally in his Resolution though not in his Action and shews whose child he is by doing the works of his Father and wilfully doing them The works of your Father ye will do A man may do the lusts of the Devil and yet be the child of God but he cannot wilfully do them and continue in that wilfulness but he must be the child of the Devil He alone hath Right in him and he will claim his Right He will claim him as a Father claims his child For this is the specifical difference betwixt the Regenerate and the Unregenerate Both are sinners but the one sinneth eagerly with desire and Habitually with delight the other desireth not to sin and delighteth not in sinning Though he may sometimes do the work of the Devil yet it is against his will for he Desires and delights to do the work of God And that 's the reason our Blessed Saviour hath taught such a man to call God his Father and he would not have taught him to call God so were he indeed not so For truth teacheth no man to tell a lye much less in his Prayers wherefore in that we are taught to say Our Father it is evident that we are bound to be in the state of Regeneration or we have no right to say our Prayers For we are not taught to say Our Father in respect of our corporal Creation for so God is the Father of the wicked as well as of the Righteous but of our spiritual Regeneration That God is Our Father by spiritual Generation for that according to his Abundant mercy he hath begotten us again to lively hope 1 Pet. 1. 3. For of his own will begat he us with the word of
of Christ 2 Cor. 10. 5. and by cleansing and purging my will and affections for true faith is in the will no less then in the understanding from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7. 1. For Impiety doth directly dispose the soul to Infidelity And they that are men of corrupt minds though of never so clear Judgements are also reprobate concerning the Faith 2 Tim. 3. 8. The Union of the soul with Christ by hope is expressed and withal required Isa. 26. 3. Thou wilt keep him in perfect Peace Heb. Peace Peace the peace of a Good Conscience here of a blessed eternity hereafter whose mind is staid on thee because he trusteth in thee v. 4. Trust ye in the Lord for ever for in the Lord Iehovah is everlasting strength God takes it for an honour to be trusted he that most trusts him most honours him and he that least honours him least trusts him Offer the sacrifices of Righteousness and put your trust in the Lord Psal. 4. 5. He that offers not the sacrifice cannot have the trust For he that doth not think it sit to honour him cannot think it safe to trust him therefore let my hope in Christ be such as becometh a Christian and much more such as becometh Christ such as becometh a Christian not provoking him whiles I trust him much more such as becomethChrist trusting him with what he cares to be trusted that is my soul and for what is worth his trust that is my Salvation The Union or Conjunction of the soul with Christ by Charity is expressed and in that required 1 John 4. 16. And we have known and believed the Love that God hath to us God is love and he that dwelleth 〈◊〉 love dwelleth in God and God in him here we must observe that the soul is uniâ—…ed unto Christ not by every kind of love â—…ut by a Right a Great a Firm love a right â—…ove which loves him before all things for 〈◊〉 loves him upon this ground because he â—…oved us first We have known and believed â—…he love which God hath to us A great love which loves him above all things so that â—…he soul wills not for it self but for God â—…ares not to know any thing but by him â—…or desire any thing but for him nor do â—…ny thing but with him nay yet more â—…ares not to live or move or have any being â—…ut in him and to him alone He that truâ—…y Loves dwells not where he lives â—…ut where he Loves He dwelleth in Love Thirdly and lastly a Firm Love which loves God beyond all things by a â—…ove that hath an everlasting continuance 〈◊〉 love not capable of being corrupted and therefore not of being interrupted For where the love of God is without corruption as in Heaven it is also without Interruption where it is a pure love there it is also an Everlasting Love A love so desiring an Union as to be fully resolved against a separation He that dwells in Gods love will not endure the thought oâ—… being put out of his dwelling And He thaâ—… dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God iâ—… him Excellent is the Rule of the Casuistâ—… Spiritale bonum divinum consistere in Amicitia inter Deum Hominem ac per hoc iâ—… consentire conversari convivere colloqâ—… cum Deo Cajetane in summula verbâ—… Acedia The Spiritual good of man oâ—… the blessing of the Soul consists in this thâ—… a man hath friendship with God and consequently that he lives for him to him witâ—… him in him Lives for him by consent tâ—… him by conversation with him by cohabitation in him by contentation And this iâ—… the friendship that the good Christian hath with Christ whiles he converseth with him or rather is united to him by Faith Hope and Charity For according to Aristotles rule 8. Eth. c. 5. there may be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There may be Good will in those that live far asunder but Friendship only in those that live together 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 An habitual not an Actual Friendship And he proves it by this Proverb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That the neglect oâ—… want of Friendly salutes and compellations hath dissolved many mens Friendships So is it also in this Spiritual Friendship he that will have Christ for his friend must be sure constantly to live with him wholly to rely on him and daily to call upon him for want of friendly compellations hath made many lose his friendship first falling into a strangeness then into a sullenness and at last into a plain dislike and discontent with their Devotions which makes them not care to have their conversation where they do not expect to have their contentment Wherefore above all things O my soul never let go the exercise of thy Faith Hope and Charity that thou maist never let go thy Saviour Thy faith will best exercise it self about his bitter passion thou wilt see him in the garden sweating blood Thou wilt see him on the Cross dropping blood with his feet nailed fast to stay for thee with his hands stretched out to embrace thee with his Head bowed down to hear thee with his side ready open to receive thee This will be the best exercise of thy faith that God having already punished thy sins in his own beloved Son will not in mercy cannot in justice punish them again in thee his most unworthy servant Hence will thy heart be filled with compassion for his sufferings and much more with compunction for thy sins Hence will thy mouth be filled with Thanksgivings to him for suffering and thy whole Life with a blessed conformity to his sufferings Knowing it is a faithfull saying For if we be dead with him we shall also live with him If we suffer we shall also reign with him 2 Tim. 2. 11 12. Thy hope will best exercise it self about his powerfull Resurrection Thou wilt there see a great Earthquake and a great Man-quake Thou wilâ—… there see a great Earth-quake which opened the Graves so that many of the bodiâ—… of the Saints which slept arose Mat. 27. 53â—… And That Earthquake will much more open thy Heart to let into it thâ—… Blessed Hope that is full of Immortality no less full of comfort the hope of a glorious Resurrection of thy body to the lifâ—… everlasting Thou wilt there also see a greaâ—… Manquake the keepers of the sepulchreâ—… the Roman Souldiers trembling and shaking for fear of the Angel though pooâ—… mercenary Souls they were soon afteâ—… bought out of their Fright and as sooâ—… bought out of their Faith A little paâ—… more then ordinary made them forgâ—…â—…eir Fright and forgo their Faith It madâ—… them turn Preachers though it kept them â—…rom turning Christians but their Doâ—…trine was accordingly fit for Mammons Chaplains fit for money Preachers It was â—…he denying of Christs resurrection
is pardoned do both speak one and the same comfort unto the soul do both signifie one and the same peace Completa est malitia ejus saith the Vulgar translation for militia by a small mistake of the letter as we may suppose but none of the sense For our malitia is our militia our iniquity is our warfare The Hebrew word here used signifies not only the work but also the time of war And Rabbi David saith the Prophet here means The time that Jerusalem was to pass in Banishment or Captivity So that if we joyn the Text and the gloss together we shall find that sin is a time of war of banishment and of captivity Of war with God of banishment from God And of captivity not under God for he can be no Tyrant but under the Devil A sad time certainly as full of fears and jealousies as empty of joyes and comforts anâ—… therefore that must needs be a joyful time wherein this warfare this captivity thiâ—… banishment is at an end because our sin iâ—… pardoned To say this is to speak truly to the heart which is the Hebrew expression for speaking comfortably All other comforts go no farther then the ear then the outward man that his stock is increased his request granted his cause advanced it is only this comfort that enters into the heart and revives the inner man that the time of his warfare banishment and captivity are at an end because his sin is pardoned And this is the comfortable sentence that is already pronounced in Gods Word That he pardoneth and absolveth all them which truly repent and unfeignedly believe his holy Gospel All our labour must be to get this same sentence derived from Gods Word into our own consciences And then surely in the mouth of two such witnesses the least whereof is no less then a thousand it is no doubt but the testimony will be fully and firmly established For as the word doth witness the thing infallibly true in it self so will the conscience witness it insallibly true to us The use of a witness is either for information in defect of evidence or for confirmation in defect of assurance and an infallible witness is both these together For he gives evidence from his testimony and assurance from his infallibility Such an infallible witness is a good conscience that is grounded and established on the Word of God and thence collecteth this comfortable sentence Whosoever truly believeth and heartily repenteth shall not come into condemnation But I do truly believe and heartily repent therefore I shall not come into condemnation The major proposition is clear by the testimony of Gods Word the minor is clear by the testimony of our own consciences which can certainly tell us whether we be hypocrites or true Believers whether we be Sheep to hear the voice of Christ and to follow him that he may give us eternal life John 10. 27 28. or whether we be Goats to follow our own hearts lusts so to persist and perish in our sins and the conclusion cannot but follow the premises Read over the sentence that is set down Matthew 25. and thou wilt easily by comparing thine own actions with that sentence see whether at the last Judgement thou art to be set on Christs right hand or on his left Thou wilt easily see which part of that sentence concerns thee And that part which thine own conscience pronounceth of thee here thy Judge will both pronounce and confirm hereafter I hope that with Mary thou hast chosen that good part and if so cannot but assure thee it shall never be taken from thee Luke 10. 42. For Christ will never reject any man that hath sate at his feet to exercise his humility and patience and heard his Word to exercise his Piety and Obedience He will never say Depart from me to those who here did love his company and enjoy his communion And what is their work who are of his communion but to know and love and praise him And they that are thus of his communion on earth can you think he will excommunicate in heaven Saint John sets forth this Judgement of the conscience very fully in few words 1 John 3. 19 20 21. saying v. 19. And hereby that is by loving in deed and in truth not in word or in tongue as appears from the former verse we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him That is we know that we truly love him and therefore may be well assured of his love For he that loves is assured of love for which cause Beza thus renders Saint James his words Mercy rejoyceth against damnation James 2. 13. For he that is truly merciful hath a special promise to assure him of mercy that he shall not be condemned in the last Judgement and this hard-hearted Age of ours would doubtless much more incline to mercy if we did seriously consider that the sentence of condemnation Mat. 25. is denounced against the unmerciful not against the unjust for taking away but against the unmerciful for not giving but yet if against the unmerciful much more against the unjust for as justice is before mercy in order of nature so is also injustice before unmercifulness wherefore though we discourse of assuring our hearts before God more then any others yet we must needs have a much less assurance of his love because we our selves know that we do love only in word and in tongue not in deed and in truth as it follows v. 20. For if our heart condemn us God is greater then our heart and knoweth all things and therefore can and will condemn us much more then our heart for this is the true meaning of the words not as they are commonly explained That we ought to oppose the greatness of Gods mercy being ready to acquit us against the sentence of our own heart that is ready to condemn us For indeed the words are not spoken to comfort a distressed but to terrifie a guilty conscience It being the Apostles intent to perswade us above all things both to get and to keep a good conscience that we may not condemn our selves and then we may be assured that our God will not condemn us as it follows v. 21. For if our heart condemn us not then have we confidence towards God sc. that he will not condemn us For the whole argument in brief is this If our conscience now condemn us God will also condemn us at the last day But if our conscience acquit us God will also then acquit us the conscience acting Gods part before hand in condemning the guilty and acquiting the innocent whether they have the first Innocency that of Righteousness or the second Innocency that of Faith and Repentance and the same Doctrine is again re-inforced 1 Iohn 4. 17 18. Herein is our love made perfect that we may have boldness in the day of Judgement because as he is so are we in this world
yet t was not I but the grace of God which was with me 1 Cor. 15. 10. And yet for that very cause alone I must needs confess that those are thrice happy who have so far been assisted by Gods grace that they can not Pharisaically but Truly say this for though it was his meer mercy to give the grace yet it is in some sort his Justice both to continue and to regard his own gift So saith Saint Paul God is not unrighteous or unjust to forget your work and labour of love which ye have shewed towards his Name Heb. 6. 10. where this is in effect his argument He that desists from a just work justly begun is unjust But God is not unjust therefore he will not desist from those good works he hath begun in you so far as not to perfect them and much less so far as not to reward them But I am contented to pretend to no such happiness This is the immortal comfort of the Righteous Let my soul look after the comforts of the sinner wherein I am not like to have the less remedy because I am sure to have the more company I will say then He is to be my Judge whose Majesty I have contemned whose mercy I have neglected whose glory I have hindered whose goodness I have denyed whose presence I have shunned But withall he is to be my Judge for those sins for which I have already Judged and Condemned my self and will he for these Judge and condemn me the second time This is scarce agreeable with his Justice much less is it agreeable with his mercy For the Apostle saith If we would Judge our selves we should not be Judged 1 Cor. 11. 31. I ask how should we not be Judged not temporally that were not to be loved For whom he loveth he chasteneth Heb. 12. 6. And Saint Peter saith That Judgement must begin at the House of God 1 Pet. 4. 17. and sure we are that his love begins there and comes down to particular men but as they are parts of his Family or Houshold we must therefore say That if we would Judge our selves we should not be Judged Eternally For most universally true is that Rule of the Civil Law Favores sunt Ampliandi all matters of Favour are to be enlarged Gods mercies if they could be with Restriction they could scarce be without Repentance and what a cruel mercy were this not to Judge Temporally that he might Judge Eternally I say then I have Judged my self for all my sins and therefore believe that I shall not be Judged of the Lord that is not so Judged as to be condemned in the Judgement For sin as it must be Judged so it can be Judged but once If I have Judged my self for it I shall not be Judged of the Lord I shall then be enabled to pray in Faith unto my Saviour Enter not into Judgement with thy servant Psal. 143. 2. And I am sure that praying thus in Faith I shall find him my Advocate and not my Judge Why should I then be dismayed for fear of that Judgement wherein he is to be the Judge who at first suffered for me as my Surety that he might satisfie his Fathers Justice and my debts Hath ever since prayed for me as my Intercessor and will at last Plead for me as my Advocate SECT V. Comforts against Judgement from the manner of the Judges proceeding THere is none that is guilty but the Law will none that is innocent but the Judge may condemn him what then can be the comfort of a Malefactor but that he shall have his Tryal by a favourable Law and by a more favourable Judge And this is my comfort against the Judgement to come That my Judge will proceed to a favourable Trial with me because according to that Law which will not easily condemn me and with that mind which will readily acquit me For I have confessed my sins and therefore may not doubt but that He is faithful and just to forgive me my sins and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness 1 John 1. 9. He is faithful to forgive my sins because himself hath promised forgiveness He is just to forgive my sins because his Son hath purchased forgiveness And how shall he then not cleanse me from all unrighteousness by his Holy Spirit and seal unto me the assurance of that forgiveness And if I be cleansed from all unrighteousness why should I not be rid of all my fears How can I look upon him as an angry Judge when I have found him a most merciful Father If God will not withdraw his Anger the proud helpers do stoop under him Job 9. 13. That is the Angels saith Jarhci that are the Helpers of Egypt for he there takes Rahab for Egypt as indeed it may signifie which we interpret Proud And proves out of Dan. 10. 13. That particular Nations have particular Angels as it were their Patrons in heaven ready to intercede on their behalf Some late Divines have unadvisedly enlarged those Patrons finding out amongst men some tutelarie Saints which having righteousness over and above to serve their own turn are able to spare enough to help others Hence that strange kind of Invocation O Thomas Didyme succurre nobis miseris ne damnemur cum impiis in adventu Judicis O good Saint Thomas help us that we be not condemned in the last Judgement when alas the Saints will have enough to do to help themselves and the best of them all may say to his Petitioner If the Lord do not help thee whence shall I help thee 2 King 6. 27. But be it so that there may be Phansied such lofty and puissant Helpers for they can never be Proved yet sure we are that if God withdraw not his anger even those Helpers must stoop under him as it is said Job 4. 18. Behold he put no trust in his servants that is his Saints his best servants for the Text makes it an universal Negative admitting of no exception and we may not doubt it concerning any man when we cannot deny it concerning any Angel as it follows And his Angels he charged with folly Therefore if these mighty Helpers cannot in this day of anger help themselves much less can they help me If God withdraw not his anger they must stoop and if they must stoop all that lean and rely upon them must needs fall I will then look after such an Helper as may be able to stand himself and to support me for else it cannot be worth my while and much less worth my Devotion to pray to him for help and truly I can find none but the Eternal Son of God who is able to withdraw the anger of his Father because he was able to satisfie his Justice and yet having him my Helper it will not be safe for me to argue and dispute but only to pray and deprecate as it follows v. 15. Whom though I were righteous yet would I not answer but