his Humanitie wherin the Diuinitie was apparrelled like a Man yea like a Seruant He euen hee hath prouided the food of eternal life to which all temporall blessings are annexed by promise for those who in this Egypt this sinfull land or world of sin doe goe downe to the Vallie of Teares in a full and hearty repentance what remaines but that with a full and whole repentance wee purchase these temporall and eternall blessings that wee may not die but liue 11 This full and consummate Profitable and necessary Associates of Repentance Repentance should be followed with Inuocation or we may rather say it doth follow it For Inuocation and Prayer is indeede the naturall Issue of true Repentance For sinne being put away by Repentance which stood as a Cloude betweene God and the soule and did hide the Face of God from the Eyes of the soule now the light of Gods countenance shineth on the soule and the comfortable beames of his fauour doe refresh her God doth meete the soule with a fauourable aspect from which gathering courage and comfort shee dares speake vnto him and say Psal. 51. 18. A broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise Doe good in thy good pleasure vnto Sion build thou the walls of Ierusalem When the soule feeles the weight of sinne abated and lightned by Repentance hope of pardon increaseth and from hope increasing ariseth confidence then from this confidence springeth vp prayer Againe when the bodie of sinne is diminished and brought low by Repentance then the new man flourisheth and prospereth The flesh and the spirit are like two seales whereof one being depressed the other mounts vp and now the flesh being put down by Repentance the spirit riseth vp and growes strong and the spirit being strong vttereth strong cries and grones that cannot bee expressed Shee speakes to God in the very language of Heauen which flesh and blood vnderstands not but he knowes the meaning of the spirit who gaue the spirit vnto man There is an Abba Father which no man knowes but he that hath it and he that hath it cannot expresse it it is like the earning of a Lambe whereby she owneth her Damme by which she owneth her but knowes not her selfe whereby by she owneth her There is a secret earning and owning of God for a Father put into the soule of a sonne of God by the Spirit which new-begetteth him and thereby he calls God Father and yet not he but the very feed and spirit of his Father in him And when this call ascends vp vnto God it moueth his bowels of compassion So that if a mother could forget her childe yet God cannot forget his sonne Esay 49. 1◠It is it selfe a forcible motiue to bring down blessings and it makes way for other preuailing petitions and therefore Christ doth set this word of Father as an head on his absolute praier that by it the petitions following may pierce like an arrow and enter into the presence and acceptation of the Almighty Wherefore hauing our hearts sprinkled from an euill Conscience Heb. 10. 22. and our bodies washed with pure water let vs draw neere with a true heart in full assurance of faith Hauing repented let vs aske mercy and forgiuenesse and that remission of punishments which followes the remission of guilt Yea if our hearts bee hard and cannot repent as we desire let vs aske the grace and spirit of Repentance For on the one side it is condemned in the Iewes that they pray not for Repentance in their punishments for sinne So saith holy Daniel Dan. 9. 13. 14. All this euill is come vpon vs yet made wee not our Prayer before the Lord our God that we might turne from our iniquities and vnderstand thy Truth Therfore hath the Lord watched vpon the euill and brought it vpon vs. And on the other side it is said All things that yee shall aske in Praier Mat. 21. 22 beleeuing ye shall receiue Luke 11. 13 Yea God will giue the Holy Ghost to them that aske him Pray then for the Spirit of Compunction and Repentance of him that hath promised to giue it and pray for the Compunction and Repentance when thou hast the spirit making this the burden of thy Psalme Turn vs againe O Lord of Hosts And not onely so but adde hereunto Psal. 80. Cause thy face to shine and wee shall bee saued that is pray for Repentance and hauing repented pray for the fauour of God and the Saluation or Deliuerance which attend it And indeed so inseparable is Deliuerance from Prayer that if God doth promise to send a Deliuerance yet he expects that Prayer should come to fetch it of him God had promised a Deliuerance to the Iewes from the Captiuitie of Babylon after seuenty yeeres Yet he saith Ier. 29. 12. Then shall you call vpon me and shall goe and pray vnto me and I will hearken vnto you And euen vpon this foundation did Daniel Dan. 9. 2. build his excellent prayer vnto God for his Nation Wherefore let vs take Gods owne way which he points vnto vs to come to his owne Blessings A way so often beaten and tried to leade assuredly to blessings and euen to the blessing of Deliuerance from the punishments of sinne that the storie of the Iudges is full of continuall patternes Neh. 9. 27. 28. These Nehemiah summeth vp When they cried to thee thou heardest them from Heauen and according to thy manifold mercies thou gauest them Sauiours who saued them out of the hand of their Enemies Yea he saith again When they returned and cried vnto thee thou heardest them from Heauen and many times didst thou deliuer them according to thy Mercies Wherefore since crying to God is the way to deliuerance let vs neuer leaue going in this way vntill we come to Deliuerance 12 But let vs know withall To preuaile with God our petitions must aime to Gods glorie Psal. 50. 15 that he which said Call vpon me in the day of trouble and I will deliuer you 〈◊〉 this also And 〈…〉 glorifie me To glorifie 〈…〉 God must 〈…〉 intended by vs when we seeke a Deliuerance and performed by vs when wee haue it Yea hauing receiued some deliuerances already let vs bee thankefull for them and that is the way to get more For when God hath the fruite of his Mercies he will not spare to sow much where he reapes much First we must intend the Glorie of God in the Praiers which wee make for Deliuerance from troubles or any other blessing Yea by this very point of Gods glory let vs binde and adiure him For that is a principall meanes by which to preuaile with God to make Gods glory the scope of our prayers Therefore our Sauiour who is the wisdome of God makes the first petition of his perfect prayer That Gods Name may bee hallowed For hee knew that if in the first and chiefest place we
men of Israel haue once beene smitten by the men of Ai and doe the second time flee before them Iosh. 8. 5. 6. 7. They will come out after vs saith Ioshua till wee haue drawne or pulled them from the City Then shall yee rise vp from the Ambush and seize vpon the Citie for the Lord your God hath deliuered it into your hand By this baite of infirmity doth God draw his enemies to open their mouthes to swallow the Church but then the hooke of Omnipotence that lyeth hid vnder it taketh and killeth them And euen now in the distresse of Gods Army wee see that done which Iohn saw before would bee done I saw the Beast Reu. 19. 19. 20. and the Kings of the earth and their Armies gathered together to make war against him that sate on the horse against his army And why should we not hope to see that euent which Iohn also saw following this gathering together And the Beast was taken and with him the false Prophet A second regard hath God to men in this lownesse of the Church and that is a regard to the Church it selfe For when God doth prepare a glorious victorie for his Church his Church must bee duely prepared for the receiuing of this victorie And this lownesse doth diuersly prepare her First it calls her to the life of faith to liue by faith and not by sight For when visible things faile her then is shee forced to run by faith to things inuisible when that failes her which she sees then she cleares vp the eye of faith that she may haue some euidence of things not seene Heb. 11. So S t. Paul saith of the widow 1. Tim. 5 5. that being desolate shee trusteth in God And as soon as Iehosaphat hath said Wee haue no might against this great company that commeth against vs neither know wee what to doe it presently followes 2. Chro. 20. 12. But our eyes are on thee 2. Cor. 1. And S t. Paul hauing receiued the sentence of death trusteth in God that raiseth the dead Thus when the outward eye seeth no helpe in the creature the inward eye of faith is awaked to look only on the Creator And indeed nothing but faith is fit to receiue a miraculous Mercie When God makes bare his Arme in some great and wonderfull deliuerance hee will haue his people by faith to looke vp to this arme and wholly to depend on it Therfore Christ Iesus when he is ready to bestow a miraculous healing he vsually calleth for faith to receiue it And euen now by the distresse of the Church doth God call the Church to this faith And no question if by this faith we be duly prepared for the great worke of Gods mercy in the deliuerance of the Church wee shall heare that gratious answer which the faithfull vsed to receiue Goe in peace thy Faith hath saued thee Lastly by the weakenesse of the Church God calls the Church to Repentance and so prepareth her for victorie Hee calls her by the fire of affliction from drosfe to puritie from wantonness to the grace of God from the forme of godlinesse to the power thereof There growes much drosse of Carnalitie about a Church in the time of ease and men turne the grace of God into wantonnesse There is wanton liuing wanton preaching and wanton hearing Men play with Religion and are not in earnest when they are about religious things Yea when they haue formally falsly done religious things they fall heartily to things of the world the false profession of true Religion being not much vnlike the profession of a false worship the consequence wherof is this Exod. 32. 6. The people sate downe to eate and drinke and rose vp to play But is such a Church fit for a glorious and miraculous deliuerance Can wee expect that God should make bare his arme to saue a Luxurious a Gluttonous a Drunken Congregation No it must bee purged from these and made white before God wil deliuer it and crowne it with victorie Therefore by this Esa. 27. 9. affliction shall the Iiniquitie of Iacob be purged and this is all the fruite to take away their sinne The Church is scoured and purged by affliction and being purged then may shee heare vers â— Hath hee smitten him as hee smote those that smote him or is hee slaine according to the slaughter of them that are slaine by him For the Iudgement that begins with the house of God but as a fiery triall 1. Pet. 4. 12. 17. shall end with the sinners and vnrighteous like a consuming fire When the first appeareth more pure glorious the second shall not appeare at all Wherefore if wee by our Corrections the Church of France by her late Chastisements and Germany by her present Scourgings would turn to him that smites them by turning from their sins to his righteousnesse surely Psal. 112. to the righteous light should arise in the midst of darknes Esa 32. 17 For the work of Righteousnes shall be peace and the effect of Righteousnes quietness assurance for euer Esa. 33. 1. And then withall followes a Woe to thee that spoylest and thou wast not spoyled when thou shalt cease to spoile thou shalt be spoiled Let God then haue of his Church the end of his chastisements euen true spirituall and sincere holinesse and then the chastisements of his Church will end But then will he begin with the enemies of his Church hee will awake as a Gyant refreshed with wine Psal. 2. 5. Hee shall speake to them in his wrath and vexe them in his sore displeasure Esa. 41. 12. Thou shalt seek them and thou shalt not finde them euen them that contended with thee They that war against thee shall be as nothing and as a thing of naught And thus while the Church by her lownesse is brought to puritie puritie brings her to victorie FINIS
in and by how many Prophets yet euen at the last cast when the sword was whetting and readie to strike a Doore was opened to them Amend your wayes Ierem. 26. 13. and your doings and obey the voyce of the Lord your God and the Lord will repent him of the euill that hee hath pronounced against you What could bee more peremptorie than the prophesie of Ionah against the Niniuites A day was prefixed which stood before them and seemed to inclose them that they should neuer goe beyond it Yet their faith had espyed this doore of Mercy as it were by a little Crany Ionah 3. 9. Who can tell if God will turne and repent and turne away from his fierce anger that wee perish not Behold a strange Faith that so much beleeued in Gods mercy that it seemed to doubt of his truth Nay far bee that from so excellent a Faith They beleeued both the Truth and Mercy of God for they so much beleeued and hoped in his Mercy to penitent sinners that they beleeued that the same Mercy had left some secret way of Truth by which it might passe vnto them and they goe forth vnto it And in this point their faith seemed to exceed the faith of the Prophet For the Prophet thought his owne honour would bee lost if so peremptorie a sentence were not peremptorily performed But these men beleeued it stood well with the honour of God that a peremptory sentence vpon penitence might be dissolued And indeede theirs was true faith and his thought was but an errour For the word of God whose Truth is a true ground of Faith is the very foundation of that which they beleeued At what instant Ier. 18. 7. I shall speake of a Nation and concerning a Kingdome to plucke vp and to pull downe and to destroy it if that Nation against whom I haue pronounced turne from their Euill I will repent of the euill that I thought to doe vnto them Thus we see in the denunciation of Gods Iudgements there is an implied Reseruation and this Reseruation is the Doore at which the Nineuites and other beleeuing penitents may finde a way to escape Yea the peremptorinesse of the sentence which seemeth to hedge vs in may be the very meanes to bring vs to the way of escaping For the peremptorinesse of a sentence strikes the sentence strongly as it were a spurre into the sides of resty and dull flesh and bloud and stirs vp mankinde hardly to labour for that Issue which seemes so hard and almost impossible to be found And indeede this finding God vsually proposeth as the scope of his warning He tells vs of Iudgements comming that wee may finde the way to auoid them If he meant to destroy his readiest way were not to forewarne It was Sauls case when he was neere to the period of Ruine The Lord answered him not neither by dreames 1. Sam. 28 6. nor by vrim nor by Prophets Let vs therefore account premonitions to bee Summons vnto Iudgement but yet by a silent and implied Reseruation offering vs Mercie And betweene the time of denunciation and full performance let vs thinke that offer continued to vs. For the Time of warning is commonly a time of Truce betweene God and Man and a time of Respite between Wrath and Punishment Therefore is it called The day of a person or people euen a day of Grace Luke 19. 42 wherin iudgement is suspended and may bee preuented And if in this their day those things are not hid from their eies which may make their peace with God the peace of God will preserue them from the Iudgements of God Wherefore let vs not thinke that euery forewarning is a binding for a prediction ordinarily bindeth no farther than mens impeni tence bindeth it For in it selfe a premonition is an offer of loosing as well as a sentence of binding There is a gate of Mercy in it and man hath a Key wherewith to open it Yea the Iudge himselfe who seemes to inclose vs in prison calls vpon vs to make vse of it and by the hardnesse and difficultie of escaping stirs and spurs vs vp to an earnest seeking of the meanes of our Freedom 4. If any man aske what is the Key by which this gate is opened Spirituall helpes are the true helpes to set vs at liberty from Iudgements 1. Sam. 10. 27. he may plainly see it in the places alledged In euery one of them it is Repenting and Turning from euill waies But flesh and bloud replies in the language of Belial For as the men of Belial said of the King whom God had annointed Shall this man saue vs So flesh and bloud saith of the meanes which God hath sanctified Shal such an ayerie and inuisible thing saue vs Yet most true it is that inuisible things must saue vs or wee cannot bee saued Spirituall things are inuisible and spirituall things must saue vs. And no wonder for spirituall things worke our eternal saluation and if they can worke the greater why should they not be able to worke out the lesser saluation When a question is made concerning the great Saluation Act. 2. 37. 38. Men and Brethren what shall we doe to be saued The first word of the Answer is Repent And why should not the same answer serue for a lesser saluation Againe if wee looke vpon the way wherein wee came to be bound wee shall finde a spirituall way to bee our onely way to loosing If wee looke to heauen we shall finde it is God that bindes vs there and God is a spirit Now Ioh. 4. 24. according to the reason of CHRIST himselfe if God be a Spirit it is a spirituall meanes that can only bee powerfull with a spirit And if wee looke below we shall finde it is sin that prouoketh God to binde man and sinne is a spirituall disease euen a deprauation of the Image of God in the soule and spirit of Man or a fruit of it Now it is plaine that a spirituall remedy can only cure a spirituall disease The soule will not bee fed by the food of the body neither by bodily physicke will it bee cured Wherfore in regard of God who is offended and in regard of thy sinne that hath offended him behold the word of God turning thee from carnall and visible to spirituall and insuisible Remedies Micah 6. 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rams or with ten thousands of Riuers of Oyle shall I giue my first-borne for my transgression the fruite of my body for the sinne of my soule Hee hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to doe iustly and to loue mercy and to humble thy selfe in walking with thy God Neither hath God herein giuen meere words but his deeds haue beene as good as his words The Scripture is full of examples that this meanes which the world thinkes to be weaknesse hath beene strong vnto
or Aduancers of Repentance Oyle of Sc. Sect. 8. 9. It hath beene formerly noted that it belongeth to all and among al chiefly to the chiefest by whom this dutie may be best communicated to all And so notice was first taken of the Magistrate as being first in Eminence And indeede the supreme Magistrate ouerspreading all his people with a generall Authoritie most fitly enioyneth and spreadeth out a generall humiliation Therefore we read that Kings were the Ordainers of generall Fasts Fasts being by them made generall haue produced generall Blessings And therefore is the Fast it selfe a great benefite bestowed by the Prince on his Subiects it being a general Summons to Repentance and Humiliation whereby the Euills and Miseries which lye vpon the people may bee taken away and turned into Blessings Yea what greater benefite can there be than to bestow that greatest and highest Remedy which is able to cure a people though sicke at heart yea when the vsuall Remedies are sicke themselues it is able to cure them and from thenceforth themselues being cured they are able to cure vs. And here I cannot but extoll the fauour of God to this Nation and the goodnesse of our gracious King to his Subiects who in the straights and sufferings of this people gaue them this chiefe soueraign Remedie A gift how euer carnall men may esteeme it of principall value and highest Consequence to a Nation labouring in an Agony vnder the Iudgements of God For as the greatest Tyranny is expressed in that Character of Ieroboam Hee made Israel to sinne 1. King 15. 30. since he that made Israel to sinne 2. King 17. 22. 23. made Israel to perish so is it the greatest Mercy and Goodnes of a Prince to draw the people from sinne by calling them to Repentance For being turned from sinne the perishing which attendeth sinne is also turned away By this meanes did the King of Nineueh more good to his Subiects than all his Treasures all his policies and all the power of a Citie of three dayes iourney could haue done for them For when God who is a spirit comes to fight with a Nation those carnal weapons are too gross wherewith to fight against a spirit but spiritual weapons can onely serue the turne in a spirituall warfare But wee need not to trauell farre eyther to ancient times or forreine places to shew the benefits and blessings which a King procureth to his people by calling them vnto publicke Humiliation for euen these late acts of Humiliation which haue been performed by the Decree of our Soueraigne haue beene followed with immediate blessings euen blessings that follow them so close that they doe more than point at their Causes See more particular obseruation of these blessings Sect. 22. for they doe touch them and goe hand in hand with them Yea these blessings were affixed to them as the Seales of the most High wherby they were approued that are past and others are inuited for the time to come And as the publike Command of Humiliation sent forth by the Magistrate doth make way for a Blessing vpon his people so also doth his particular Repentance and Prayer For euen the particular vertues of a Prince are generall benefits For as when a Prince doth some great sinne God may breake in by that sinne vpon the sins of the people so the Repentance and Prayer of a Prince may stand in the breach and diuert the Iudgements either broken in or ready to breake in vpon the people There is a president of both in King Dauid for vpon the occasion of his sin in numbering the people the plague brake in vpon Israel And againe by his humiliation and praier God staied the plague from breaking in vpon Iudah and Ierusalem And indeed this Story teacheth Princes by the example of a King according to the heart of the King of kings 2. Sam. 24. 17. in publike Iudgements especially to looke to their owne sinnes and to say with Dauid It is I that haue sinned but these sheepe what haue they done As on the other side it teacheth the people especially to looke on their owne sinnes since wee see by this example that the sinnes of the people may be the occasions of the sinnes of the Prince and of those iudgements that follow them And thus the precious oyntment of sauing Health beginning to bee powred on the head may drop downe euen to the skirts of his garments and by the fauour of God it may be truly said of the Anointed of the Lord Lam. 4. 20. Vnder his shadow we shall liue 20 A second aduancer of humiliation and repentance A second aduancer of Repentance is the Minister is the Minister and he should aduance it both in publike and particular by his function and by his life And surely there are many that doe both and are like Iohn Baptist who was both a burning and a shining light Inwardly burning with that heauenly fire wherewith the spirit baptizeth from that fire shineth forth the light both of doctrine and life And for these wee owe great thankes to the Lord of the Haruest that hath sent forth such labourers into his haruest For these also with Moses Psal. 106. 23. stand in the breach and keepe out the Iudgements of God and that with violence For there is no small might in a true Prophet of God to defend a Nation from the Iudgements of God for if a Prophet and a King may bee beleeued when they speake of such Prophets 2. King 2. 12. Elisha saith it of Eliiah 2. King 13. 14. and Ioash saith the same of Elisha So that the encrease of these are both a signe and cause of safety to a Nation and the diminishing of these a signe and cause of ruine and desolation For what were those times when there was no peace to him that went out 2. Chro. 15. nor to him that came in but when Israel was without a teaching Priest Wherefore to those Elders that doubly build by life and doctrine there belongs iustly double honour and indeed by their two-fold building there ariseth a two-fold safetie both to Church and Common-wealth And as it is a pleasant iust thing that to the skilfull builders of this twofold worke there should be double honour so it is a pleasant good sight to see those that haue this double honour to doe this twofold worke And first for the publicke It was verie comely to see the formost is honour to march in the head of the troupe in the late humiliation which was a holy warre against the iudgements of God A right reuerend Father and a reuerend Deane diuiding the day and the works of the day both prayer and preaching giue encouragement to the exercises of the day And I hope that more places than one are not without patternes of spirituall Captaines that did leade forth their souldiers into this spirituall warfare For it is a hopefull
there is hope for a Nation only let vs come to make sure this hope to vs by making sure and right steps vnto it A first should bee praise and thanks-giuing for these great saluations which wee haue already receiued It hath beene shewed before that by thankfulnesse for old benefites God is moued to giue new and that where hee reapeth plentifully he will plentifully sow Therefore we must be thankfull for the former it wee will hope vpon sure grounds to receiue the latter and wee must giue thankfulnesse for blessings past as a pledge and pawne vnto God that hee shall not lose his due thankes and praise for benefites to come And that our thankfulnesse may bee hearty it must proceed from the loue of God for the true taste of Gods goodnesse in blessings cannot but much moue vs to loue him whose sweetnesse wee taste Therefore the Psalmist saith Psal. 116. 1. I loue the Lord because hee hath heard mee And surely true loue will bring forth true obedience Christ who is truth hath said If a man loue mee he will keep my words Ioh. 14. 23. And indeed obedience is the best thankfulnesse It is better than the sacrifice of praisein the calues of the lips But both together are best For who so offereth praise honoureth mee and to him that ordereth his conuersation aright Psal. 50. 23. will I shew the saluation of God Wherefore our Liturgie doth make an entire thanks-giuing for a deliuerance from the Pestilence when it offers the soules and bodies deliuered to be a liuing sacrifice vnto God and withall praiseth and magnifieth Gods mercies in the midst of the Congregation A second step to a sure hope is perseuerance and constancie in the vse of those meanes by which wee attained these blessings already receiued The same meanes to which Gods eare hath beene open it will still bee open yea being now opened already it is much easier to keepe it open than if it were shut to open it Wherefore this doore of mercy being open let vs by pressing into it not only keepe it open but open it wider vntill all mercies bee obtained that may heale our miseries And as repentance and inuocation should by euery one particularly and continually bee set on worke to moue God to continue and perfect his good worke of mercy in vs and vpon vs so it is humbly and heartily to bee desired that the same publike meanes and manner of humiliation may not long bee intermitted vntill God make his face to shine on this Nation in a full deliuerance from generall troubles dangers and straites For why should wee leaue to seeke God by those meanes wherin God doth not leaue to heare vs And why should wee leaue to vse medicines as long as there remaine diseases God hath shewed vs the way how to bee heard and healed Yea hee hath assured vs of healing this way by the earnests of health which this way hee hath sent vnto vs And shall sicknesse giue ouer the Physician before the Physician giue it ouer shall Need bee weary of asking and receiuing before Bounty is weary of hearing and giuing O let vs not shut vp Gods mercies against our selues before God doe shut them vp against vs but while the oyle of mercy is running let vs by humiliation repentance and inuocation enlarge our vessells and open our mouthes wide that hee may fill them If God had denyed vs the example of the Canaanitish woman would haue inuited vs to seeking whose faith was commended and rewarded with a miracle for importunity after rough denyalls But now God hath granted and heard vs were it not a great neglect of Gods goodnesse and our owne happinesse not to goe on in speaking For as it is very fit to be said when the Lord speaketh Speake Lord for thy seruant heareth so it is fit to be said when the Lord heareth Speake seruant for the Lord heareth Gen. 18. Thus did Abraham continue praying for Sodom because God continued hearing and neuer left vntill hee brought the conditions of Sodoms deliuerance to bee so easie that for tenne righteous all Sodom might haue beene spared And surely if our perseuerance in humiliation and prayer shall not stop it may worke the like effect and so our hope may bee sure Rom. 5. For experience saith the Apostle breedes hope and such hope as doth not make ashamed And if hope bee the fruite of experience surely wee had experience that God heareth our prayers and why then shall wee not also haue hope that hee will heare the like prayers hereafter The Apostle that teacheth vs this fruite of experience in his doctrine teacheth it also by his practice For when he hath had experience of Gods goodnesse hee inferreth that trust vpon it which is the ground of things hoped for Who deliuered vs from so great a death and doth deliuer 1. Cor. 1. 10. And now behold his confidence and hope In whom we trust that hee will yet deliuer vs. 22 Neither may our present lowness Our lownesse or the lownes of the Church may not destroy our hope if â—â—yned to â—penâ—nce or the lownesse of those that haue reformed Religion and purged it from Idolatrie take away the hope of Recouery For lownesse is the very way to exaltation and Weakenesse to Strength Wee see here that before S t. Paul came to this experience of Gods deliuerance from whence hee gathers sure hope for deliuerance to come he receiued in himselfe the sentence of death So that a pressing aboue measure and such a pressing as makes an impression of the sentence of death is the way to deliuerance And there are diuers reasons why it should be so First on Gods side God himselfe professeth 2. Cor. 12. 9. My strength is made perfect in weakenesse So that weakenesse is a fit subiect whereon God vseth to glorifie his strength therefore weakenesse may encourage men if they be like-minded to S t. Paul for hereupon he saith I will most gladly glory in my infirmities for when I am weake then am I strong He is so farre from being discouraged that he is encouraged by his weakenesse because weakenesse drawing to it the power of God becomes stronger than the strength of men without God Hee that first brought light out of darkenesse and in Christ Iesus hath brought life out of death he goes on commonly to all his great Workes in a way of contraries that one contrary arising out of another all the honour of the worke may be wholly reserued to God and all eyes turned wholly to him for there is nothing on earth to looke on for a Cause but a contrary and that euen common Reason will tell plainly cannot produce his contrary And this course of God is so vsuall that he hath Titles affixed to him expressing it God who raised the dead and God who brought light out of darkeness and God who comforteth the Abiect Againe the Lownesse of Gods children giues God all