Two Sermons for the Direction for Christian Carriage

DAVIDS Remembrancer.

T HIS Psalm, as appeareth by the whole tenor of it, was composed by the Prophet DAVID during the time of some grievous and tedious temporal affliction; and that accompanied also (as may seem) with some spiritual desertion.

And it may well for the subject matter of it be termed

DAVIDS Remembrancer; as being penned by him for this end, to put God in mind of him, and of his present forlorn and distressed estate.

The Psalm consisteth of three principal Parts.

There is first a grievous complaint of his present condition; propounded by way of expostulation;

• 1. In regard of God; who seemed not to regard him.
• 2. In regard of himself, by means thereof driven to his shifts, and in a manner at his wits end.
• 3. In regard of his adversaries; who took occasion thereby to triumph and insult over him.

There is secondly an humble suit and request commenced by him to God, and conceived in three distinct parts, answering the three branches of his former complaint. For 1. He requesteth God that he would Behold and hear; that he would vouchsafe to regard him, and turn his face again towards him, and not send him away, inaudita querelà, unheard and unanswered.

2. He addeth some Reasons why he desireth and requireth God thus to hear and regard him.

•… . In regard of himself, that he sleep not in death: not meant, as some think, of sleeping in Sin; though Sin in Scripture be oft compared to Sleep; no •… , as others, of the •… eath of grief and despair; though that be said too to be a kind of Death; and maketh a man's life oft no better, yea more bitter than Death: nor yet as others. of dying eternally, of being everlastingly damned: but of temporal death, (that is usually termed a Sleep; and is nothing indeed but a Sleep longer than usual; yea in some sort a perpetual Sleep, because to continue as long as the world lasteth:) that he might not die in this distressed and discomfortable estate.

2. In regard of his malicious and evil affected Adversaries; that they might not have longer or further cause of joy and triumph in his overthrow, as having now without all help or hope of recovery, gotten the upper hand of him.

And there is thirdly a cheerful and a comfortable Conclusion, wherein as recollecting himself, and controlling the voice of sense with the voice of Faith;

• 1. He professeth his trust and confidence in God.
• 2. He promiseth himself assured help and deliverance from God.
• And 3. He praiseth God for it, as if already he had received it: See the picture of an hopeful heart, saith Chrysostom, he craveth aid of God, and before he have it, he renders thanks for it, as if already he had it.

And thus have you the Sum and Substance of the Psalm, with the several parts of it.

To return to the first Branch of his Complaint, which I purpose only to insist on.

First, for the Manner of it, or Phrase it is conceived in; there are four several Readings, though in effect for sense and substance much the same.

For 1. Some read the words of the former Part, without stop or stay, as one continued sentence; How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord, forever? But they both neglect the pause in the Hebrew; and beside make no very good sense.

2. Others make a pause, but a pause misplaced; and they thus read them; How long, O Lord, wilt thou forget me? For ever? As elsewhere, How long, O God, shall the Adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy Name forever? But the pause here in the Original, is after Domine; not after Obliuisceris.

3. Others placing the pause aright, read the words as an Aposiopesis, that is, a broken or imperfect sentence, not unfit to express passion. Qu •… usque, Domine? How long, O Lord? As if he had said; How long will it be ere thou mind me? In aeternum obliuisceris? Wilt thou never again think on me? How long wilt thou hide thy face away from me? And the like we may find in diverse other places; How long, O Lord? wilt thou be angry forever? Shall thy jealousy burn like fire? And, How long, Lord? Wilt thou hide thy face forever? Shall thy wrath burn like fire? Yea the very self-same Aposiopesis apparently, where he saith; But thou, O Lord, how long? And, Return, O Lord: how long? And let it repent thee concerning thy servants: As also of •… elsewhere.

4. It may well be read by way of Reduplication, (a form very fit also to express the vehement affection of a soul surcharged with sorrow, and pinched in with pain;) enclosing the middle part of the Verse within a Parenthesis: How long, O Lord? (wilt thou never remember me?) how long, (I say) wilt thou hide thy face away from me? And the like Reduplication is found also elsewhere, where he saith, How long shall the wicked, O Lord? How long (I say) shall the wicked exult?

Either of the two latter may well stand with the Context of the words in the Original.

Secondly, For the Matter and substance of it:

1. There are two things complained of:

1. That God had forgotten him.

2. That he had hid his face away from him. Both humanitûs dicta, spoken by way of resemblance from the manner of men, and the one going a degree beyond the other. It is more to hide his face from him, than not to remember him.

We may out of vnmindfulnesse sometime forget one, whom we wish otherwise well unto: but when we do wittingly and willingly turn or hide our face away from him, it is a sign that either we hate and abhor him, or at least desire not to mind or remember him. There is an implication of bare neglect in the one; an intimation of anger and indignation, of displeasure and evil will in the other.

For God therefore to forget DAVID, not to mind him, or look after him, is much! If his eye be never so little once off us, the spiritual adversary is ready presently to seize on us, as the Kite on the Chicke, if the Hen look not carefully after it.

But for God, DAVIDS only joy and stay, to turn his face away from him, that he may not mind him, as if in anger and evil-will towards him, he had cast off all care of him, yea were resolved to reject him, and were willing to expose him to the will of those that would rejoice in his ruin: this is much more. There is an vnmindfulnesse of him implied in the former; an evil mind▪ towards him implied in the latter.

And surely, if in the favor of God there be life; yea his favor is better than life it self: then undoubtedly such apprehension of his disfauour and displeasure must needs be as death, yea more bitter than death it self to the soul so deserted.

2. Both these are further aggravated by the circumstance of time; the long continuance of either.

• 1. For the time past; he had been long in this estate already.
• 2. For the time to come; it was uncertain how long it would last.

Now for God for an instant to be angry with some of his, and to hide his face from them, cannot be but most heavy to those that have formerly enjoyed it, and been before in his favor: (for as for others; those, we say, that were never out of hell, think there is no other heaven.) The least frown of his face, or bending of his brows, is a very hell it self to such: Thou turnedst but thy face away, saith DAVID, and I was troubled.

But to have it last and continue so for a long time together, what a daunting and dismaying must it needs be to that soul, that shall esteem it self in a manner to lie so long in hell, and to have in some sort an hell so long here out of hell, where it had a kind of heaven before?

And yet further again, though this heavy and disconsolate estate should last long, and were yet to last far longer; yet if there were some certain stint of time set how long it should last; the eye of the soul being fixed upon that term, it would be some comfort to consider how the time wore away. But where the eye of the mind meeteth with no object to stint it, but (as it is with persons distressed at Sea in a thick fog, that have rowed and wrought long till their hearts ache again, and beaten to and fro, but can descry no shore; or as it is with those that are in hell, whose torments have no stint, but are boundless and endless) it is as far from an end still, for ought it can descry, as at first; it hath lasted thus long, and it is uncertain how long longer it may last: This is that that might break an heart of stone or steel, that might enforce the forlorn soul to sink down under the heavy burden and unsupportable weight of it, overwhelmed with horror, and swallowed up with despair, were there not somewhat else (even an hand of God himself) to support and uphold it.

And yet was this, as we see here, DAVIDS estate at the present. He complaineth that God had forgotten him, yea he had hid his face from him: this discomfortable estate had lasted long with him already, and it was uncertain yet how long it would last.

Whence observe we this Instruction, that God's Church and dearest Children are oft in that case, what for outward afflictions, what for inward desertions, that both in the sight of others, and to their own sense and feeling, God seemeth to have rejected them, and not to regard them.

In the sight, I say, of others: for so say the profane proud, oppressing and pursuing the poor; God hath forgotten them; he hath hidden away his face, and will never more look after them. And DAVIDS enemies of him, (if he were Author of that Psalm;) God hath forsaken him; let us pursue him, and seize on him: for there is none to deliver him.

Yea to their own sense and feeling. For so Zion the Mother of the faithful complaineth; The Lord hath forsaken me, and my God hath forgotten me. So the Children of the Church, and those no bastardly brood neither, but such as continued firm unto God, and faithful with him, complain also, That though they had not forgotten God, nor dealt disloyally with him; yet God had forgotten them and hid his face away from them. So DAVID, a man after God's own heart, and (as his name soundeth) the Lord's Darling, or the beloved of the Lord, yet maketh grievous complaints often-times unto God, and in holy manner debateth the matter, and expostulateth with God, both here and elsewhere: I will say to God my rock; Why hast thou forgotten me? And, Lord, why reiectest thou my soul, and hidest thy face away from me? I am like to the dead, that lie slain in the grave; that are cut off from thine hand, and thou rememberest no more.

Yea not DAVID alone as a Type of him; but the only begotten of God himself, his Son of Love, as he termeth him, his dearest Darling, (though he thought him not too dear for us) when he was on the Cross, not in his enemies eyes and account only, that twitted him with his trust in God, who seemed then not to regard him, but to his own sense and feeling too, seemed neglected and forgotten, as by that bitter and lamentable complaint that he then made, appeareth; My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And if it were so with Christ, DAVIDS Lord; no marvel if the like also sometime befell DAVID: if this betided the head, no marvel if it betide the body too: If it were sometime the state of the native Son, that had never been other; no marvel if it be the state oft of adopted Sons, of such as have of Servants been made Sons, of such as have from Bond-slaves been advanced to that honor.

Which yet we are not so to understand, as if God could forget any man, or as if God could forg •… t ought. Obliuion is a defect, and cannot befall him, who is perfection it self. But as we are said to forget things, when we do no more regard them, or take notice of them, or look after them, than if we had forgotten them: Forget thy people and thy Fathers house, saith the Psalmist to Rharaobs Daughter; And rich men are said to forget their poor kindred and acquaintance: So is God said to forget m •… n, when he doth not respect them, when he taketh no care of them, when for good he no more regardeth them, than if he had clean forgotten them.

Now in this manner doth God indeed forget some; some he seemeth to forget, though indeed he do not forget them.

As Ambrose saith, That God doth wholly forsake some: as he did Judas and Saul, whom he utterly cast off. Some he seemeth to forsake, but he forsaketh not indeed. As our Savior Christ, albeit God seemed to have forsaken him, when not only he left him in his cruel enemies hands, and suffered them to work their wills upon him, but even poured out his own heavy wrath and indignation upon him; and he complained therefore as before, That his God had forsaken him; yet was he not indeed then forsaken, but even then heard and helped; nor was he ever left alone; but though his Disciples all forsook him▪ and fled from him; yet his Father forsook him not, but abode ever with him: And DAVID, though he complain sometime in the same terms that our Savior did; yet elsewhere he acknowledgeth that how soever he had said in his haste, (in the heat of temptation,) that he was cast out of God's sight, yet even then did God hear him, and grant his requests.

In like manner, some God thus forgetteth indeed. (As they forget him; so he forgetteth them. ) Call the Child Loruchamah, saith God to Hoshea; for I will have no more mercy on the house of Israel; but (as the Vulgar Latin hath it) I will utterly forget them: or rather (after the Original) I will never forgive them: but because they have forgotten the Law of their God, I will forget them; when I have visited their ways on them, and rewarded them for their deeds. God threateneth, (saith Ruffine) both to remember to damn them, and to forget ever to show mercy upon them, when he hath once condemned them. Some he seemeth to forget, when he doth not. He neglecteth not the godly, no not when he neglecteth them: Yea, he remembereth them then best, when he seemeth least to regard them, when he seemeth most of all to forget them. Though the wicked, when he hath his will on the poor, thinketh that God hath forgotten them, and doth not at all mind them; yet the poor, saith the Psalmist, shall not always be forgotten; nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever. But God when he maketh inquisition for blood, will make it appear then that he remembereth them, and that he doth not forget the poor man's complaint, nor will ever fail any of those that seek to him and trust in him. And though Zion complain that her God had forgotten her; yet the Lord telleth her, and assureth her that even then he had her as fresh in mind, as if she were written upon his hands, and her present estate was never out of his eye: yea that he could no more forget her, than a woman could her child, or than the kindest and tenderest mother that is the fruit of her own womb.

But why doth God, may some say, then deal thus strangely with his dear ones, and by seeming not to regard them, yea by seeming to reject them, suffer them to be in so woeful and ruefull an estate, that they are in a manner like persons utterly forlorn for the present?

I answer: God doth this for diverse ends; whereof these are some of the principal.

First, to try their sincerity, their confidence in God, their constancy with God, whether their hearts be sincere toward him, and upright with him, or no; whether they will keep constantly in God's ways, though God seem to neglect them, or seek to indirect courses, because God seemeth not to regard them. God left Hezekiah, saith the holy Ghost, to try him and to kn •… w, that is, to make known, what was in his •… art. And the Lord tempteth you, saith Moses 〈◊〉 the Israelites, to humble you, and to prove you, and to know what is in your heart, whether you love him heartily, and will constantly keep his Commandments or no. As a Father will sometimes cross his Son, to try the Childes disposition, to see how he will take it, whether he will mutter and grumble at it, and grow humorous and wayward, neglect his duty to his Father, because his Father seemeth to neglect him, or make offer to run away and withdraw himself from his Fathers obedience, because he seemeth to carry himself harshly and roughly toward him, and to provoke him thereunto: So doth God likewise ofttimes cross his children, and seemeth to neglect them, to try their disposition, what metal they are made of, how they stand affected toward him: whether they will neglect God, because God seemeth to neglect them, forbear to serve him, because he seemeth to forget them, cease to depend upon him, because he seemeth not to look after them, to provide for them, or to protect them: like •… orams profane Purseuant; This evil, saith he, is of God; and why should I depend then on God any longer? Or whether they will still constantly cleave to him, though he seem not to regard them, nor to have any care of them; and say with Isaiah; Yet will I wait upon God, though he have hid his face from us, and I will look for him though he look not on us; for they are all blessed that wait on him; and he will not fail in due time to show mercy unto all them, that do so constantly wait on him. As Samuel dealt with Saul; he kept away till the last hour, to see what Saul would do, when Samuel seemed not to keep touch with him. So 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 doth God with his Saints, and with those that be in league with him; he withdraweth himself oft, and keepeth aloof off for a long time together, to try what they will do, and what courses they will take, when God seemeth to break with them, and to leave them in the suds, as we say, amids many difficulties much perplexed, as it was with DAVID at this time.

Thus was Saul's hypocrisy discovered. He would seem to depend on God; and sought to him in his troubles and asked advice of him. But when God seemed to neglect him, and ga •… e him no answer, neither by dream, nor vision, nor by Vrim and Thummim, neither by Prophet, nor by Prie •… t, then left he God and sought to the Sorceresse, and by the Sorceresse to Satan.

Where a question may be moved, how that is true that the Holy Ghost saith else-where, that Saul did not at all ask counsel of God. Saul asked counsel of God, saith one place; but the Lord gave him no answer: And, Thus died Saul in his sin, saith another place, which he sinned, in that he asked counsel of a Witch, and asked not of God; and therefore the Lord •… ew him.

But the answer is easy; and may be returned in two Rules of the Civil Law.

1. That is not deemed done, that is not sincerely done; or that is not done so as it should. God accounteth that as not 〈◊〉 , that is not done in sincerity. Take it b •… 〈◊〉 like: It is said of the idolatrous Heathen that were placed in Samaria, that they feared the Lord, and yet served their own Idols too; and yet in the very next verse again it is said of the very same persons, Neither they, nor their children fear God to this day: Their Fear was no fear, because no sincere fear: and so Saul's seeking to God no seeking, because no sincere seeking. The Lord is near to all that call on him, but that call on him in sincerity. And , The true worshippers are such as worship in Spirit and Truth. But no counterfeit coin will go for currant with him.

2. That is not done, that holdeth not out, that keepeth not firm. There is nothing said to be done, as long as ought is yet undone; Perseverance is all in all. He is faithful indeed that holdeth out to the last. He is a true lover, that loveth ever. But He never loved truly, that loveth not continually: He was never a true friend, that ever ceaseth to be a friend, that is not a friend always, that loveth not in adversity, as well as in prosperity, nor is content to take part with him, whom he seemeth to love in either: So he never truly trusted in God, that ever ceaseth to depend upon him, that dareth not trust God as well at sea as on land, as well in adversity as in prosperity, that is ready to leave and give over relying on God, so soon as God leaveth in outward show at least to look after him.

On the other side, thus was Job's sincerity approved. Why, saith he to God, doest thou hide thy face away from me? and carriest thyself as an enemy towards me? Surely for no other end, Job, but to try thy sincerity; and to make it manifest what thou art. The Devil slandered Job, and traduced him, as if he had been but an hireling, one that served God only to serve his own turn upon God; and would therefore soon leave God, if God should seem to leave him, yea would not stick to curse God, if he should but a little anger him, to his face. But the Devil proved a liar, like himself: it was far otherwise with Job: As he was no hireling, so he proved no changeling. As the Heathen man saith of one, He ceased not to worship even an angry God: Though he slay me, saith Job, yet I will trust still in him. And thus the Saints of God approve unto God their own sincerity; in that though God had forgotten them, yet they had not forgotten him; though he had smitten them, (that is, by smiting thrown and thrust them down) to the very bottom of the Sea, the place where the Whales lodge, and had over-whelmed them with the shadow of death; and suffered them to be butchered and massacred all the day long, as if they were no other than sheep sent to the shambles, and set apart for the slaughter; yet for all this, they would not from him, nor seek to any other but him: As Diogenes the Cynic sometime told his Master Antisthenes, there was no cudgel so crabbed that could drive them away from him.

Secondly, God doth this to exercise the gifts and graces of his Spirit in them. For many graces of God, as Patience, Confidence in God, and the like, are like Torches and Tapers, that show dim in the light, but burn clear in the dark; or like the Moon, and the Stars, that are not seen in the day, but shine bright in the night. There is no use of patience when all things go well with us. Ye have heard of Job's patience, saith James. But we had never heard of it, had Job never been in trouble. There is no sight of faith, when we do sensibly see and feel as it were the love and good will of God towards us in the pregnant and plentiful effects and fruits of his favor. It is the efficacy of faith, saith Augustine, to believe what we see not; for it is the reward of faith for us to see what we believe. But when it is winter time with us, and the sap is all down in the root, little sign or show of it to be seen abroad, or above ground in the branches; when all outward, yea and inward signs of God's love and favor towards us, and of his care and regard of us shall seem to fail and be withdrawn from us; when we shall see and feel nothing, but arguments of his anger and wrath, troubles without and terrors within, God's face turned from us, or his angry look towards us; yet even then through these thick and black clouds to descry and discern the bright sunneshine of God's favor; and contrary to sense and reason, carnal sense, & corrupt reason, to believe that God loveth us, when he lowreth on us, and seemeth even to loath us, that we are in favor still with him when he knitteth the brows and frowneth on us, that he remembereth us and thinketh on us when he seemeth to forget us, that he is a gracious God and a sure Savior to us, when he seemeth b •… nt to destroy us; this i •… the excellency of faith indeed. And for the exercise of this and other the like graces in his, doth God oft withdraw himself from them, as the Nu •… e doth from the child, to teach it to exercise the feet, and learn to stand and go of it self without help or hold. Or as the Eagle with her young ones, which when they are grown fledge, she turneth out of the nest, nor bear •… h them ever on her wing, though sometimes she so do, but to 〈◊〉 them to 〈◊〉 , •… lieth from them, and leaveth them sometime to shift for themselves. God led you along the wilderness, saith Moses to the Israelites, to h •… mble you▪ and to teach you, that man 〈◊〉 not by bread, but by God's word; to teach them to swim without bladders, to go without crutches, to depend upon the ba •… e word of God, when bread and water should sails; and to learn, as, with the Apostle, not to trust in themselves, so not to trust to the m •… anes, but in him that worketh by them, and that can as well work for us without them, when they fail.

Thirdly, to en •… re us to patience, and holy obedience, and submission of our wills to the good pleasure of God. As a father sometime will cross his child in those things that he hath a mind to, yea and it may be are not evil for him neither otherwise, and deny him some things that he doth most of all desire, though they be such things as he is willing enough, yea and hath a purpose afterward to bestow on him, only thereby to enure him to rest contented with his will, and to submit and refer his desires to his pleasure: So doth God oftentimes withdraw and with-hold long from his children outward joys, inward comforts, the light of his countenance, the fruits of his favor, the things they most desire, and that he purposeth one day to bestow on them, though he keep them back for the present, thereby to enure them to patience and child-like submission; that they may learn to practice what they daily pray, and what our Savior as well by practice as by precept, hath taught them to say, Not my will, but thy will be done. For as patience maketh trial; so trial breedeth patience. As by patience, and by nothing more, is our sincerity approved: (nothing putteth our piety to the proof more than patience:) so such trials as these do enure to patience and obedience: (As it is said of our Savior, That though he were the Son, yet he learned obedience by those things that he suffered: ) a lesson at the first not so easily learned of us, til by continuance of sufferings we have been enured to the yoke. By these and the like courses therefore God enureth and instructeth his children to bear quietly such burdens as he pleaseth to lay on them; as also to wait his leisure, and abide his good pleasure, who knoweth what is best for them, and will deny nothing in his due season▪ unto them; but as a wise Physician, saith Augustine, dieting his patient, will both give them what is fit for them to have, and give it them then when it is fit for them to have it.

Fourthly, God dealeth thus many times with his children, to work in them a greater hatred and detestation of sin; whereof this hiding of his face from them, is oft a fruit and an effect. When you stretch forth your hands, saith God by the Prophet, I will hide mine eyes from you, and though you make many prayers, I will not hear you, because your hands are full of blo •… d. And saith the same Prophet, speaking in the person of God's people; Thou hast •… id thy face from us, and hast consumed us because of our iniquities. Yea in the Lamentations the people of God complain, that God had euerwhelmed them with his wrath, and covered himself with a cloud, that their prayers might not pass, nor have access to his Highness; because they had sinned and rebelled against him, and he therefore had not spared them. And certainly that is one principal cause, the sins of God's Church and Children, their rebellious courses, their untoward carriage, their wickedness, their wanto •… nesse, their evil demeanure towards him, that maketh God to turn away his loving countenance from them, and that not only for a time to look off them, till they humble themselves before him, but even for some space of time after also, to look strangely upon them. He doth as a wise and discreet Father, who when his Son hath offended him, though upon his submission he be reconciled unto him, and be inwardly as well affected again towards him, as ever, yet will make some show of anger still, it may be, and lowre and frown on him for a long time after, that he may not suddenly take heart to grace, as we say, again; but may by that means be drawn to be both more seriously sorry for his offense past, and more fearful for the future of offending his Father. So dealeth God with his children, when they have done amiss and run riot, though upon their repentance he be at one again with them, yet he concealeth it long many times; neither is his countenance oft the same for a long time after towards them, that formerly it had been.

Thus dealt DAVID with Absalom; and thus God himself with DAVID. After that Absalom by a train had made away his brother Ammon, and was fled upon it to Geshur; DAVID a Father but too indulgent, ( that was his fault, and he smarted shrewdly for it) after some space of time, when the sorrow for his son Ammon was over, began to earn inwardly after Absalom; and since that Ammon was gone, he was loath to lose the comfort of his Absalom also, whom he loved but too well, and far better than his Absalom loved him. And though he strove to conceal it, yet he could not but discover it. Joab wisely discerned it, and used the woman of Tekoa as a midwife, to deliver DAVIDS heart of that that it went great with, and was full of pain withal; and to draw that from him as by constraint or importunity, which DAVID was of himself over-willing unto already. Thus Absalom his exile must be called home at length, though with some difficulty: and the matter must proceed not as from DAVID, but from I •… ab: DAVIDS affection to Absalom must by all means be concealed: Yea, after Absalom was returned, though DAVID, no doubt, longed still after him, and in some sort doated on him, and was m •… re seriously and sincerely desiro •… to see Absalom, than Absalom was to see DAVID; yet, Let him turn, saith he, to his own house, and not se •… my face. And so dwelt Absalom, DAVIDS be •… beloved some, (for he had not yet Solomon) for the space of two years in Jerusalem, where the Court most was, and yet might not all that while so much as see the King his fathers face, or have access once to his presence. DAVID, no doubt, was perfectly reconciled in heart to him, and counted it no small cross that he must thus be deprived of him; but knowing Absolom's disposition, how soon he might be returning to some such like practice, if he were suddenly taken into grace again, was content to enforce himself to this harsh and unpleasing carriage towards him, (unpleasing, I say, as well to DAVID himself, as to Absalom) to prevent some such further mischief (if it might have been) that might otherwise▪ both befall himself and Absolo •… , as upon the change of his countenance towards him shortly after ensued.

Now look how DAVID dealt with Absalom, so dealt God himself with DAVID. After that foul abuse of Bathsheba, and the murder of Uriah, albeit DAVID had to Nathan freely confessed his offense, and Nathan from God again assured him of the free and full forgiveness of it; The Lord hath taken away thy sin, thou shalt not die for it: Yet the Lord, the more thoroughly to humble him for it, and to make him the more wary for the time to come of shunning that that might produce again such fearful effects, did not look upon him so lovingly for a long time after, as before he had wont to do. Read but the Psalm that he made after Nathan had been with him; and see how earnestly and instantly he crieth and calleth upon God still, to turn his face away from his sin, and to look in mercy upon himself, not to cast him wholly out of his sight, nor to take his good Spirit utterly away from him, to restore unto him again those inward comforts and joys, which through the light of God's countenance he had formerly enjoyed, but had in a manner clean lost, and was wholly deprived of for the present. And in like manner doth God deal with many other of his dear servants, after some heinous and notorious crimes by them committed, he withdraweth oft his face and favorable countenance away from them, not till they repent only, but even after they have repented of them, to make them wiser and warier for the time to come, and to detest their own folly the more for the present.

Fifthly, God oft thus withdraweth and estrangeth himself from his, That the cross incumbent may have its full and perfect work on them, which if it were sooner removed, it would be the worse for them, as when the corrasiue plaster is pulled off ere the dead flesh is eaten out: and indeed as it were to no end for the Surgeon to clap on a corrasiue, if he should pull it off again instantly, before it have done ought; it were to no purpose for the Finer to put his gold into the fire, if he should either pull it out again, or put out his fire, before the ore be melted, and the drossy matter severed: So it would be to small purpose for God to lay crosses on us, for the bettering and amending of us, if he should presently again so soon as we feel the smart of them, and begin to whine under his hand, remove them away instantly, ere we be at all bettered by them, or have that effected on us that God intendeth in them.

Count it matter of much joy, my brethren, saith James, when you fall into many trials, or troubles. Since you know that the trial of your faith bringeth forth patience: And let patience have her perfect work, that you may be sound and entire. And for the furthering and consummating of this work, doth God oftentimes thus withdraw himself, as it were, out of the way, and seemeth to keep aloof off, when he is yet near at hand with us. He doth as the Physician or Surgeon doth with his Patient, when he meeteth with a sore festered or full of dead flesh: He applieth some sharp corrasiue to purge the wound, and to eat out the dead flesh, that would else hinder the cure. Which being done, the Patient, it may be, impatient of pain, as soon as he feeleth the smart of it, crieth to have it removed. But he telleth him, No, it must stay there till it have eaten to the quick, and effected that thoroughly for which it is applied. And to this purpose having given charge to them that be about him, to see that nothing be stirred till he come again to him, withdraweth and retireth himself till it be full time to take it off again. Mean while the Patient lying in pain, counteth every minute an hour till the Surgeon come back again, and if he stay long, thinketh that sure he hath forgotten him, while he is taken up with other Patients, or is otherwise employed, and will never in any time return again to him: when as the Surgeon, it may be, is all this while but in the very next room to him, there by the hour-glass, to that purpose set up, attending but the time, till the plaster have wrought that that it is to effect. And in the very self-same manner doth God deal oft with his dearest ones. Thus Paul buffeted by Satan, (it was no small corrasiue and heart-sore, you may be well assured, that troubled so much so magnanimous a spirit as his was) was instant with God more than once or twice to be rid of that evil. But the answer he had from God was, that he must patiently abide it: he should not want his grace that should enable him to undergo it. But it would be worse with him, if it were otherwise; he would be in much peril of being puffed up with pride, if he were wholly freed from it. Yea thus DAVID, when God's hand was sometime upon him, and he felt it harsh and heavy, he crieth earnestly unto God, to have it removed from him: Take, saith he, thy plague away from me; I am even consumed with the stroke of thine hand. And he pleadeth with God, as the Patient would do with the Physician, when he is full of pain with that that is applied, he is sure that the plaster hath done enough by this time: It is good for me that I have been afflicted. This affliction surely hath done me much good, I am very much amended by it. For Before I was afflicted I went astray; but since I have been thus troubled, I am grown more careful of my courses; now I keep thy commandments. But God saw that in DAVID, that he, it may be, saw not in himself. He saw much dead flesh, much corrupt matter behind, that was yet to be eaten out, or it would be ready soon to break forth into some outrage, as also afterward it did, when DAVID came to be free from that harsh course of cure, and hard and strict diet, that God had a long time before held him to.

True it is that God dealeth not with us in this kind, as the Finer doth with his oar, who never linneth melting it, and passing it thorough the fire again and again, as long as any drossy matter remaineth mixed with it; or as those that boil broths or curious confections for sick persons, that never leave blowing and boiling so long as any scum at all ariseth on them. If he should so do, we should never be any of us out of the furnace of affliction; even the very best of us should be ever either in, or over the fire, always burning or boiling as long as we lived. For so long as we live here, we shall retain some of this dross still: nor will our scum be utterly purged out of us, while we abide here. But yet, howsoever God doth not go so exactly to work with us, (the cross would sooner eat our hearts out of our bodies, than work all spiritual filth and dross out of our souls) yet he will have that he doth in this kind, work to some purpose with us, he will not have us come out of the fire as we went in, he will not endure we should come off the fire as foul and as full of scum, as we were when he set us on. And that the cross may have this effect indeed on us, he doth in mercy to us, till it be done, withdraw himself from us, that his wonted manner of presence may not hinder the work of it.

Sixthly, God dealeth thus oft with them, to stir up and kindle their zeal, to make them more fervent in prayer, and in seeking unto him, and to take away that coldness and remisnes that usually groweth upon them, when they are free from such afflictions. Thus he neglected the Israelites, though fighting in a just quarrel, and suffered them to fall before their brethren the Benjamites, maintaining a bad cause, til they fasted and prayed more earnestly, and by a kind of holy and religious importunity wrested aid and assistance from God. Thus he delayed & put off the poor woman of Canaan crying after him: he would neither hear her, nor the Disciples making suit for her: he answered her at first with a seeming kind of sullen silence; then with a cutting answer, sharper than his former silence; I am not sent, but to the lost sheep of Israel: And, It is not fit to take the children's bread, and to cast it to Dogs. But those speeches were but as blasts of the belowes, not to blow out, but to blow up the fire of her faith, and to make it so to blaze, as should astonish those that saw it. And it is a dissimulation, saith Bernard, not an indignation, a concealment of affection, no abatement of love, that Christ in the Cantieles ost with draweth and hideth himself from his dearly beloved, and is not found of her▪ nor returneth to her, so soon as she calleth; it is but to exercise her love, to inflame her affection, to make her more eager in seeking up and down after him.

He doth as a father that hath a son at the University, who though he understand, by his Tutor or some other friends, of his wants, yet will not take notice of them, till from his son himself he hear of them, Let him write; saith he, himself for them; and it may be he shall write twice too before he have what he desireth; because he will by such means have him both to learn to know his duty, and to exercise his pen also for his own good: So our heavenly Father, though he know well enough what we have need of, nor will he suffer us to want ought that shall be needful for us, yet he will have our wants made known to him by suit▪ and supplication, ere he will •… ache notice of them, yea he will make us sue long many times ere he fulfil our desires, because he will have us to exercise his Spirit of Prayer in us. Or as the Nurse, who perceiving that the child beginneth to neglect her, withdraweth her self aside, and keepeth some-while out of sight, yea and letteth the child, it may be, cry a good ere she come again to it, to make it grow more fond on her, when it hath been afraid of losing her: So DAVID, when in his prosperity he began to presume more than was meet on God's favor, and to grow somewhat reckless in that regard, as if God were now so firm to him, that he were sure never to lose him, nor to have the effects and fruits of it ever withdrawn from him, albeit he were not altogether so careful to use all good means to retain it, as formerly he had been. Thou turnedst, saith he, thy face from me: and then being sore troubled, he sought earnestly with strong cries and salt tears, to recover and regain again the sense of God's favor, which by his own neglect he thus had lost. Or as a Father, saith one, that holding an Apple in his hand, which the child would fain have, letteth him toile and tug at it, and with much ado unloose finger after finger, yea, and it may be, whine and cry heartily ere he come by it: So doth God many times with us, to make us wrestle with him, and as Jacob sometime by intention and eagerness of prayer wring favor away from him; and as the poor Widow did by the unjust Judge, even by our importunity overcome him. Or as our Savior Christ dealt with the 〈◊〉 Disciples, when he made as though he would go further, though he meant not to leave them, to make them the more instant on him, to press him to stay with them: So doth God many times make as though he were leaving, or had left us, to incite us to a more fervent and instant usage of all holy means, whereby we may either keep his favor with us, while we yet have it, or fetch it again when it is gone.

Seventhly, God doth thus to commend to us his mercy, to teach us to make more account of his favor, when by the want of it we have felt what a bitter thing it is to be without it, and after long miss of it, come to re-enjoy it again. The present evil is ever the greatest: and the fit we felt last seemeth usually the sharpest. But the present good is deemed commonly the least; and that that goeth from us better, than that that abideth by us: and albeit the departure of ought from us, make it never a whit the better, yet any good thing seemeth better when it is going, and better yet when it is gone, than it did while either there was yet no fear of losing it, or it had not yet left us. We never understand the worth of anything so well, as by the want of it. The eye cannot so well judge of an object, if it be •… ited too near it; nor if it be continually without any intermission in the eye. The continued and continual enjoyment of the best things, yea and of those that best please us, though not always the best indeed, without intermission or enter-change, is wont to breed, if not a surfe •… , yet a glut and a satiety, that so dulleth the souls appetite, that it maketh us as less apprehensive of, so less affected with the benefit that we enjoy in them. Health is never known what a jewel it is, till by sickness we have been some time deprived of it. Not do God's children know so well, what a blessing they have of the sense of God's favor, till by some spiritual desertion they have been a while berest of it. But as health is better esteemed, when we have been sick some time: and fire is more comfortable when we have been a while in the cold: and our meat is then best relished, when we have fasted longer than ordinary: and rest is most delightful, when we have been tolled and are tired: and liberty is more welcome when we have been some time restrained of it, than when without interruption we have constantly retained it: So God's favorable aspect is much more acceptable and comfortable, when the sun-shine of his favor beginneth to break forth again, after some black and bitter tempests and storms of his wrath; especially when they have been of long continuance, and much pains hath been taken for the recovery of it again.

Things long looked for are most welcome, when they come at the last: And that is commonly sweetest, that is gotten with most sweat. Samuel was the dearer to Anna, because she had stayed long for him, and by earnest suit at length obtained him, when she was almost out of hope of him. So was John the Baptist to his Parents, who had long sought him of God, and were vouchsafed him in their latter years. Jacob loved Benjamin, because he paid so dear for him; he bought him with the life of his beloved Rachel that died of him: and both him and Joseph, because he had them in his old age; yea so full of joy was Jacob, when he saw Joseph again, whom he had long wanted, and had clean given over for gone, that he desired not to live a day longer.

It is a good note of Ambroses, from a speech of the Apostles, that God loveth to have many sue to him for one, that he may have thanks again of the more. So God loveth to have his blessings and favors begged long ere he part with them, that we may learn the better to value them, and to make more account of them, and to be more thankful to him for them, when we have them. For when they come unsued for, we are wont to make the less of them. Profered ware, for the most part, is but slightly esteemed of. We make light of the first and the latter rain, of the constant course of the Sun, and the seasons of the year, though on these things dependeth the stay and the staff of our life, because they come commonly in a constant and an ordinary course: But when a little dash of rain cometh after fasting and prayer upon a long drought, we are usually as more affected with it, so more thankful to God for it, than for all the sweet dew or the plentiful showers that God's flagons shed down upon us the whole year before. Oh, saith DAVID, when he had some space of time found a restraint of God's favor, that before he had enjoyed, now if God would vouchsafe to look lovingly upon him, and restore him the wonted sight and sense of his favor again, he would teach sinners God's ways, and his mouth should set forth God's praise; and he would offer up to God anything, that he should desire and would accept of. And for this cause, no doubt, among others, doth God make us many times sue long for it, and cry with DAVID, How long, Lord? before it do come; to make it more welcome to us, and us more thankful for it when it doth come.

Lastly, he doth so, to make us the more careful to keep his favor, and the sense of it, when we have it, and the more wary to shun and avoid all such courses, whereby we may either lose it or hazard the loss of it: when we shall find by woeful experience, that being once gone, it is not usually so easily recalled or recovered.

That that is hardly earned, is wont to be more carefully kept. A man will not in haste or unadvisedly spend his penny, that he hath labored hard and taken much pains for; especially if he know not how to get so much again, but with the like difficulty when that is gone: But lightly come, we say, and lightly gone; young Gallants that never knew what the getting of money meant, are ready when they come to it, to let all fly abroad, as if they could have it again with a wish or a word, when they would. If God, when (for just causes best known to himself, and for the most part for evil desert and bad demeanure on our part) he hath turned his face away from us, and carried himself strangely toward us, he should by and by suddenly upon the first and least bend of our hamme, or formal sob, or superficial sigh, or a forced tear or twain, or some faint and heartless prayer turn it again toward us, and look kindly again on us; it is to be feared that even the best of us would be over-much careless of retaining it when we had it. But now when we shall find by woeful and dreadful experience in the bitterness of our spirits, that God's face being once clouded toward us, or turned from us, it must, or may at least cost us many a deep sigh, and a salt tear, long looking, and much longing, even till our heart faint, and our eyes fail, much anguish of mind and perplexity of spirit, much striving and struggling with our own corruption and weakness, and much straining and wrestling by earnest suit and supplication, by fasting and instancie of prayer, ere we can come to prevail so far with God, as to have those thick clouds of his wrath dispelled, and that loving and amiable aspect of his vouchsafed us again; this cannot but make us (if we be not desperately reckless) exceeding careful of all good courses that may keep and retain it with us, when we have it, and no less fearful of ought that may again estrange it away from us. The Spouse in the Canticles, when after long search, with much ado, she had at length lighted on her beloved, whom by her neglect of him, she had unadvisedly given occasion to withdraw himself from her: I took hold on him, saith she, and I will not let him go again. And, Turn away from thy wrath, say the people of God to God in the Psalm, and Let thy face shine forth once again on us: and then will we never go back from thee again, nor give thee the like cause to turn thy face again from us.

And thus you see both in what sense God is said to hide his face from his, and for a long time oft (as both to themselves and to others seemeth) to forget them; as also for what causes he is wont so to do.

Now hence let us learn then:

First, That we take heed how we censure men as forth of God's favor, in regard of any outward afflictions, yea or inward desertions, though they be great and grievous, long and tedious, sticking close by them without removal or amendment, producing in them many hideous and fearful effects, so that in the eyes of the world, as well themselves as others, God may seem to have cast them off utterly, and to have forgotten them forever. It hath been the state of God's best Saints, of his dearest Children, of his faithfullest Servants, yea of the only Son himself, the Saint of Saints, when he bare the burden of our sins. So that, as DAVID speaketh, if we should so deem, if we should go by this rule, and thereby judge of men's estates, we should condemn, not God's only Son only, which some sometime did, as forth of God's favor, but the whole progeny of God's children, the whole race of the righteous, whose Lot and Portion it hath oft been to be in this woeful condition, and to drink of this bitter cup, that Christ their head began to them; and to pass this sharp trial, this fiery and bloody baptism, that their Savior past before them.

If we cannot see how such courses may stand with God's love: we must remember that God's ways, and his works, and dealings with his, are wonderful and unsearchable, far above our reach, and such as we are not able to comprehend. For my ways, saith he, are not as your ways, nor my thoughts as your thoughts. But look how far the heaven is higher than the earth, so far are my ways above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts.

And yet may we in some sort even by human courses conceive, how such things as these are, may well stand even with the greatest love. For God, as the Heathen man well observeth, hath as well a fatherly discretion, as a motherly affection. His love is not a foolish and an indiscreet love, such as many fond mothers have, but a wise, a discreet, a judicious love, such as wise and prudent parents have. He so loveth his children, as he hath a care of their good; and disposeth and administereth all things so as may be for it. A fond mother would have her son always by her good will at home with her, and never out of her sight; would have him crossed in nothing, but let him have his will in everything, though it be to his own evil. But the wise parent driveth him out at doors, sendeth him forth to school, bindeth him apprentice, it may be, or boordeth him abroad, where he seeth him but seldom, breaketh him oft of his will, frowneth on him and correcteth him when he doth otherwise than well; and yet loveth he him no less than the fond mother doth, yea he doth all that he doth in this kind out of love.

Again, further it may stand well with such a fathers love, not to correct his child only for his faults, when he doth amiss, but, when some disease shall require it, to hire the Surgeon to cut him, and to leave him fast bound in his hands, and either to withdraw himself, while the thing is a doing, or if he be by, to refuse to vnbinde him, or to do ought for him, when being in fear or in pain he shall cry and call upon him to stay the Surgeons hand, or to help to untie him. Nor would the Surgeon himself, were he to cure or cut his own child, use a blunter launcet in the cutting of him, or not cut him so much, or so deep, the disease requiring it, as he would do with a mere stranger.

And why may it not stand then with the love of God to deal thus harshly and sharply with his dearest children, when either their outward evil courses, or their inward corruptions, by way either of correction, or of cure, (and yet what is correction it self but a kind of cure?) shall require it? He may love them no less, though he hide himself from them, than the nurse, or the mother doth her child, when she hideth her self a while from it, and yet to save her own life, would be full loath to lose or to leave it. Not to add, that the courses that God useth in this kind, are ofttimes as well exercises for those that be in health and good plight for the present, as Physic for those that be crazy and sick, surprised with some deadly or dangerous disease.

Secondly, This may be a warning to God's children, to take heed how they take liberty to sin upon assurance of God's favor, and presumption of his goodness and fatherly loving kindness. For though God do love us, yet he doateth not on us. If we carry our selves saucily or stubbornly towards him, he will not bear it; if we take bad courses, he will not endure it. He will not suffer us through his forbearance of us to be hardened in evil: but by some means or other he will be sure to bring us home again, if at least we belong to him, and to his election of love. And though he cast us not off utterly, though he damn us not eternally; yet he may so seem to forget us, so estrange himself from us, so withdraw and with-hold from us the light of his countenance, that the bright beams of his favor may never shine forth again on us, as formerly they have done, so long as we live, and so may we come to have not a purgatory, but a very hell in our souls while we live here; go drooping and dwindling, distressed, distracted and de •… ected all our life long, and be in little better case for the time than the reprobate oft are, yea than the very devils and damned souls in hell themselves. Though we escape with our lives, yet the cure may be so costly, and the course of Physic and Surgery that God shall take with us, may be so harsh and unpleasant, may put us to those bitter pangs, and unsupportable pains, that it may make us curse the day that ever we did wittingly and willingly that that might provoke such a wrath, or require such a cure, and wish a thousand and a thousand times that we had been, not fast asleep in our beds, but dead and buried in our graves when we did it.

It is a vain thing therefore for any man to presume so, as to say or think, God will never sure deal so roughly with me, though I carry myself otherwise then I ought towards him. Yea it is most fearful and dangerous upon such impious imaginations to presume to displease & provoke him to wrath. For to omit that it is a note of a most ungracious disposition for a man therefore to be evil, because God is good; and to take liberty to himself to wrong God, because God loveth him. Art thou dearer to God than DAVID was? Art thou deeper in God's books, or higher in his favor than he? Yet how sharply God dealt with him; how roughly, yea how rigorously (as might seem to fleshly reason) he handled him, having provoked him to wrath, and incurred his displeasure, may appear by those Psalms wherein at large he complaineth of it. And how long it was in these cases ere he could recover his former estate of inward comfort and sense of grace with God again, appeareth likewise by his earnest suit, so oft and so instantly commenced for it, both here and else-where.

Thirdly, The consideration hereof should instruct us, not to be utterly dismayed and discouraged, if either we shall find and feel our own estate, or shall see and observe the state of God's Church and children to be such as DAVIDS was at this present, and all Israel's at other times.

That we be not daunted and disheartened, though we meet with many afflictions and distractions, as well troubles without as terrors within, and shall see no sign of God's assistance, but all show rather of the contrary, the fruits of God's favor and love being all withdrawn and withheld from us, and God seeming to carry himself not as a friend, but as a 〈◊〉 towards us, writing bitter things against us, and suffering fearful things to befall us. But learn, as the Prophet Isaiah speaketh, when we sit in darkness, and have no light, when we can find no light of joy without, nor spark of comfort within, yet even then to trust in the name of the Lord, and to stay our selves upon our God. We must remember that, as the Apostle saith, We walk by faith, and not by sight: So we live by faith, and not by senseFaith g •… eth not by feeling; nay it goeth oft against feeling. And this is the very pitch and height of faith, as for a man with Abraham, above hope to believe under hope, so to believe all contrary to that that we see and feel, to believe that. God then loveth us, is a kind Father, and will be a sure Savior unto us, when we feel his hand heavy on us, and he seemeth even bent to destroy us.

We are saved by hope, saith the Apostle; but hope that i •… see •… e is no hope. And so we are sa •… ed by faith; and though this faith be a kind of spiritual sight, and that surer and certainer than bodily sight; and those things that are not seen by it, are better seen, than those things that are seen; yet the faith (to speak properly) that is seen is no faith: for Faith is the evidence of things unseen? For a man therefore to believe that he is in grace with God, when he hath pregnant proofs of God's favor, it is a matter of no mastery. But to believe then when he seeth not, yea to believe it then when he seeth and feeleth all to the contrary in the apprehension of carnal reason, this is the praise and commendation of faith indeed.

We must consider what is or should be the ground and stay of our faith: not these outward props, which we are wont so much to lean on and to trust to, not our own sight or sense, that oft faileth and deludeth us, but God's word and his truth, and the stability of his promise, which though heaven and earth should pass away, and all things should return to their first Chaos again, yet shall never in ought fail any of those that depend upon it. Remember thy word, saith. DAVID, unto thy servant, wherein thou hast made me to put my trust: That is my comfort in my trouble; for thy word putteth life into me. And, Thou art my shelter and my shield; and my trust is in thy word. And learn we herein to imitate the earth that we tread on. Though being a massy body, it hangeth in the midst of the air, environed with the heavens, and yet keepeth his place steedily, and never stirreth an inch from it, having no props or shores to uphold it, no beams or bars to fasten it, nothing to stay or establish it, but the bare word of God alone. For by his powerful word, saith the Apostle, he upholdeth all things. And, Thy word, saith the Psalmist, O Lord, abideth forever. And, Thy truth is from age to age: thou hast laid the foundation of the earth, and it standeth still. It abideth by it to this day by virtue of thine ordinance. And in like manner must we learn to depend upon the bare word of God, when all other props and stays shall be pulled away from us: to trust him upon his bare promise without pledge or pawn. Else weedeale with him no otherwise than any Usurer will with the veriest beggar or banckrout that is, when he cometh to borrow money of him. Though he dare not trust him on his word; nor on his bond neither (it is naught worth; nothing better than his word;) yet on his pawn or his pledge he dare trust either the poorest or the vnfaith fullest man that is. But as Augustine sai •… well, That it is but a •… h •… lotrie love for a woman to love the gift more than the giver; and so to lone the giver no longer than he giveth: So it is but an harlotrit faith for a man to trust God's pledge or pawn more than God himself, and so to trust him no further than he seeth or feeleth what he doth. Yea thetruth is, that in these cases, when we dare trust God no further, •… orrely on him any longer than we have so me pledga or pawn of his providence, we must not him, but we trust his pledge, as he trusteth not the poor man, but trusteth only his pawn, that dare not lend him ought but upon his pawn. And hereby may we try and examine the sincerity and the soundness of our faith, what it is indeed that we rely upon, what it is that we trust to: If we can say, as DAVID here afterward in the shutting up of the Psalm, That we then trust in God's mercy, and expect safety from him, even when he seemeth to have forgotten us, and to have hidden his face from us; if we can then comfort our selves in the Lord our God, when all other aids and comforts have taken their leave of us. It is a feeble faith that cannot stand without stilts, a lame faith that cannot go without crutches. Hereby will appear whether a man's stilts bear him up or no, if he be able to stand, when they are taken away from him: if he can, it is a sign he rested not on them, though he made use of them; if he cannot, it were they, not his legs that upheld him. And hereby may it appear what our faith and confidence is founded on, whether on God's word or his pledge, his pawn or his promise: If when the pledge or the pawn is gone, yet our faith abideth still firm, it is a sign that it was fixed on God himself, and not on it: But if when it is gone, our faith falleth to the ground, it is a sign that our faith was wholly founded on it, not on God or God's word, which abiding still firm, our faith were it thereon founded would continue steadfast with it. For Those that trust in the Lord, saith the Psalmist, are as Mount Zion, that standeth fast, and never stirreth. And this is that that we should by all means labor and strive unto, that our faith may rest and rely on God himself, and his infallible and vnfaileable word of promise, not upon the outward pledges and pawns of his providence, nor on the ordinary effects and fruits of his favor, that so when these shall be withdrawn, yea and withheld long, it may be, from us, so that God may in anger seem to have hid his fare from us, and to have forgotten us, which, as we see, hath been o •… t-times the state and condition of God's children, yet we may not be disheartened, but see light even in darkness, and be able to discern the sweet sun-shine of God's favor even thorough the thickest clouds of his fiercest wrath.

So likewise for the Church of God, when we shall see it either in general, or in some principal parts of it, so left unto the fury and rage of her malitions and mischieueus-minded Adversaries, that God seemeth not to regard it, or what becometh of it, but even suffereth them to have their own will upon it; in so much, that as Gregory Nazianzen saith of his time, God's former providence and care of keeping his Church may seem utterly to fail, and that he hath ceased and given over to do for it in these days as he had wont to do in former times: yea when we shall see it left in such plight, not for a short space only, but for so long a time together (her enemies might and malice daily growing more and more, and her means on the other side daily more and more failing, and her might and power daily more and more impaired and impoverished,) that God may seem clean to have forgotten her, and to think no more of her, but even to have cast her off forever: yet must we not despair even then of her preservation, and of the raising of her up again. But as Jehoshaphat in his straights, have the eyes of our faith fixed upon God, and his word: who hath promised (and his promise shall never fail, or prove false) never to lean or forsake his, though for a time he may seem so to do. And we must withal remember that this is no new matter, but the same that ofttimes hath befallen the Church of God formerly. That man's extremity is God's opportunity. It is now time for thee, saith DAVID, Lord, to put to thy hand, when men have even destroyed thy Law. So then is God's time to help his Church, when it seemeth ready to be destroyed and even utterly swallowed up forever. Then is the fittest time for the Angel to call to Abraham to stay his hand, when the knife is even at Isaac's throat, and he given up now for dead. And then is the seasonablest time for God to set in foot for the rescuing of his Church and children, and the deliverance of his chosen ones, when the enemies dagger is at their very heart, and they seem now given up for gone. As Philo sometime told his people, That he was verily persuaded that God would now do something for them, because Gaius was so earnestly bent against them; yea that then God's help is nearest, when man's is furthest off. As it is commonly said, Where the Philosopher endeth, there the Physician beginneth; and where the Physician endeth, there the Divine beginneth: So where man's aid endeth, there God's aid beginneth. Deliverance is oft nearest, when destruction seemeth surest. It is never fitter time for God to put to his helping hand, than when all human helps, that are wont to be as veils and curtains drawn between our eye and God's hand, do utterly fail: When judgment, saith the Prophet, was turned back, and Justice stood aloof off, and Truth was fallen in the streets, and Equitte could not enter, and all true dealing failed; and by refraining from evil men made themselves but a prey to the evil: and the Lord saw it, and wondered that no man would stand up or put forth himself to stand for the truth: Then did he himself put in to save by his own arm, and by his justice to support those that were ready to sink. Then put he on Judgment as a Corslet, and Salvation as an Helmet; and Vengeance as a 〈◊〉 , and Wrath as a Cloake: to repay the fury of his adversaries, and to recompeno •… his enemies. Then, saith the Prophet, God did thus: and why not till then? Surely (to omit all other ends) to get himself the more glory. That they might fear the Name of the Lord from the West, and his glory from the Sun-rising; when with a blast of his breath, he should suddenly turn the Tide again, and the Spirit of the Lord should drive back, yea and carry away the enemy, that brake in like a fl •… d, had surrounded a great part, and was like to over-flow and over-whelme all. That ma •… s fury, as the Psalmist speaketh, might turn to God's glory, when by his bare rebuke with a word of his mouth, both horse and chariot are cast into a dead sleep, and the troops of archers are utterly discomfited, and the remnant of their rage is contrary to expectation restrained. That he may be known and magnified for a mighty God, and a powerful Protector; when, though the Nations rage, and the kingdoms are in such a commotion, that the earth seemeth to shake withal, and the very mountains to be removed, and swallowed up in the sea; yet he suddenly stilleth all; breaketh their bows, knappeth their spears a sunder, and burneth up their chariots, and by a general desolation, and destruction of his enemies, settleth such peace the whole world over, (for the behoove of his Church, and the freer passage of his truth) as was in Augustus time, when the Prince of Peace came into the world.

Fourthly, Let us learn in these cases to examine our selves where we find such things to befall us, whether we have not been or grown careless in endeavoring to retain the favor of God with us, and to maintain the work of his Spirit in us: and strive therein to be more fervent, wherein formerly we have been slack. For that is one cause why God is wont so to estrange himself from his children, to fetch them home to him, that are too prone to stray from him, when he dealeth kindly with them; and to make them more earnest and fervent in those things, that they had waxed remiss and reckless in before, when they were free from such afflictions; that as water pent up in a pipe, shooteth up higher than it would otherwise, had it scope and space to disperse it self; so our thoughts and desires that would otherwise be straying abroad and wandering in the ends of the world, being by affliction and anguish straitened and restrained, might be carried higher to heauenward, as Noah's Ark was with the waters of the Deluge, and confined unto him, whom they were wandering from before, as the Chicken from her damme, till she be frighted with the Kite.

And this is the use therefore that we should make of such desertions, that we be thereby incited to strive to hold that the faster, that we seem in danger to lose; that we stir up our selves to take faster hold on God, as those that look down from some steep place, when they feel their heads begin to swim, or find themselves in danger of falling, are wont to take better hold of the rail that may stay them; cling closer about him, as the nurse child hangeth on the nurse or the mother, when she seemeth about to leave it, or threatens to throw it down; and as the wheel of the water-mill, the more violently the flood driveth it away from it, the more violently doth it still turn again upon the stream: So the more violently God with both hands seemeth to thrust and shooue us away from him, the more instantly and eagerly should we enforce our selves to press upon him. Since for that end he doth it, not that he desireth to be rid of us, but that he may not lose us, that we may come nearer home to him, abide firmer with him, and sit closer by him than formerly we have done: like the father, that when his son hath some way displeased him, biddeth him away, out of his sight, (though he would be loath he should so do,) not to drive him away indeed, but to make him draw nearer to him, and by humble submission more earnestly endeavor to pacify and appease his fathers wrath, and seek to regain his favor and good will again: or like as he did with Moses, when he bade him let him alone, that he might destroy that rebellious and idolatrous people; not that Moses should so let him alone indeed, but rather that he might not leave him, but be the more earnest in suit with him on his people's behalf, and not give over till he had obtained his suit for them.

And in like manner should we be affected also in regard of God's Church, when we shall see it to be in such estate as was formerly observed. We should make her case our own; and take occasion thereby, to be the more instant with God, that his face may be turned to it, that seemeth to be turned from it, and that in mercy and goodness he will remember and think upon her as his Spouse, whom now, when like a widow for lorne and desolate, she sitteth weeping and wailing, he seemeth to have forgotten, and not at all to regard.

Thus may we observe that DAVID concludeth diverse of his Psalms made when he was in such estate himself, with suit and supplication for the Church of God in general. Oh be favorable, for thy good pleasures sake, to Zion; and build up the walls of Jerusalem. And, Deliver Israel, O Lord, out of all his troubles. His own present condition was a mean to put him in mind of the afflicted and distressed estate of other of God's servants. And the like use should we all make, either of God's hand on our selves, or of his dealings in this kind with his Church and children abroad, albeit we our selves remain free: You that are mindful of the Lord, saith the Prophet, what ever you be, be not silent; be importunate with him, and give him no rest, till he repair Zion's breaches, and set up Jerusalem again to be the glory of the world.

For to this very end doth God oft as it were wink, and withdraw himself from his people, that we may with strong cries on all hands awake and fetch him again. True it is indeed that God is not as Baal, of whom Elias sometime said to his Priests, Crie aloud; peradventure he sleepeth, and you must wake him. No▪ he that hath the charge of Israel neither slumbereth nor sleepeth. And yet he winketh, if I may so say, and seemeth sometime to sleep, as our Savior slept in the ship, when his Disciples were like to have been cast away the whilst; and he doth thus sleep to make us awake; he seemeth to sleep, to make us awake out of our sleep, and cry the louder to wake him out of his seeming sleep. Up, Lord, say they, why sleepest thou? Awake, we beseech thee; and stand not aloof off forever. Why dost thou hide thy face away from us? and forgettest what misery and affliction we are in? As the Disciples to our Savior, when they awoke him out of sleep; Save us, Master: Carest thou not that we perish? And again, The Lord awaked, as one that had been asleep. Thus at this very present doth God seem to be asleep, while the enemies of his Church daily prevail and get ground of her, and triumph over her. He seemeth, I say, to sleep, and he would by our out-cries be awaked. And sure it is to be doubted that we have not yet cried long enough or loud enough, that he seemeth to sleep still, and doth not yet rouse and raise up himself for the deliverance of his distressed ones.

Fifthly, Is this oft the estate of God's children, that not in the sight of others only, but to their own sense and feeling too, God seemeth to have left them, and to have cast them clean off? And may it therefore, for ought we know, prove the estate of each of us? For nothing in this kind befalleth one, but what may befall any: whose estate may not that be, that was DAVIDS once? yea rather that was DAVIDS oft? The consideration hereof then should stir us up everyone to labor before hand to get good assurance of God's favor while we are free yet from such afflictions, from such spiritual desertions. As Xenophon saith (and it was a good speech though of a mere natural man,) That it stood rich men upon to make God their friend in prosperity, that •… they might be sure to find a friend of him in adversity. So it standeth us upon to get good assurance of God's favor and love towards us, while we are free from afflictions, that when they shall befall us, we may have comfort of that assurance which formerly we have gotten. For it is with God's children commonly in this case, as it is with one that hath received such a blow or wound on the head, as that though it be not deadly, nor depriveth him wholly of life, yet so astonisheth him for the time, that albeit he have life in him with Eutychus, yet he hath no sense of it: or as with one in a swoon; that discerneth not the light of the Sun, though it shine full upon him, nor can see ought, or take notice of those that stand about him and take pains with him. Or as it is with those that have been seasick, & are giddy when they come first ashore, all seemeth to turn round with them, and the earth it self to reel and roll up and down as the ship did. And even so is it usually with them at such times, though they have spiritual life of grace in them, yet they feel it not; ( Create in me, saith DAVID, O Lord, a new heart, as if all were to be begun again:) though they be in God's favor, yet they see it not; they are not able to discern (there is such a mist over their eyes) the beams of God's love and favor toward them, though it shine out brightly even then full in their face, nor his provident eye over them, and care of them, though even then also it be working about them for their benefit, as effectually as ever. All seemeth to be shaken with them, even God's eternal love it self toward them, though more firm than the pillars of heaven and earth it self are. It is no time therefore then for a man to take trial of his own estate, when his thoughts and affections are so disturbed and distracted, as DAVID confesseth that it was with him at this time. But it is a •… it▪time for him to make use then of his former trial. For that man that hath before▪time taken sound trial of himself, and upon due and diligent search, hath found himself to be in the estate of grace, and consequently in favor with God; he may then yet take notice therefore, and reap comfort thereby, not regarding what then for the present he feeleth, but remembering what upon such inquiry he hath formerly found; and assuring himself, since that the gifts and graces of God are without repentance; and that once elected and ever beloved; for Whom God loveth once, he loveth forever; he is no changeling in his love; that therefore the grace that once he had is not utterly gone, though he cannot now discern it; nor the grace that he once was in with God is not utterly lost, though it be so concealed, that for the present he cannot now descry it. And as women that go with child, when they have sometime felt the child stir in the womb, do thereby know that they have quickened, and have truly conceived, though they do not always so feel it. So if once we have found upon due and sound trial good assurance of God's grace and favor by the effectual and powerful work of his good Spirit upon our souls, and by the comfortable motions thereof in our hearts, though we have not the like always, (as Alas, saith religious Bernard, they come but seldom with many a one, and when they do come, they are soon gone again ) yet we may be assured that we have conceived and are quickened, and that spiritual life is not gone again, though we find it not so sensibly to work in us at all times, yea the rather here may we build upon it, as having far better assurance, than women can in such cases have of the life of that they go with; because that that is conceived in them being bred of mortal and corruptible seed, though it have been quickened, yet may die and miscarry, ere they be delivered of it; whereas that that is by God's word and his Spirit bred and conceived in us, being bred of immortal and incorruptible seed, by the word of God that liveth and lasteth forever, if it be once there conceived, can never die nor decay again, but endureth to eternity, as he himself doth, by whose Spirit it is begotten and bred in us. Or as one that hath at leisure times cast up and balanced his accounts, and brought all to one entire sum, is at any time ready, if on a sudden he be called to a reckoning, though he have not time or leisure then amids many distractions otherwise to run over his reckonings, or to cast up the particulars, yet to tell how things stand with him; it requireth no more but the bare reading, he need not stand to recount it, being sure that it was well and truly cast up before: So he that hath before-time truly tried his own estate, and made his reckonings up concerning the same with God and his word, may thereby know then how it standeth with him in regard of God, by calling to mind only the issue of his former examination, when by reason of disturbance and distraction through the violence of temptation, he shall have little leisure or liberty to take any exact trial or proof of it at the present.

Exceeding injurious therefore are they herein to themselves, that defer and put off the trial of their estate till such times; and by reason that then either their sacrifice affordeth no good signs, or they light on an evil Interpreter, that turneth all to the worst, by such their delay they miss then of much comfort, that otherwise they might have had, if they had taken trial of themselves and their estates in due time, but by means of their neglect thereof they are then deprived of, when they have most need of it. And surely did men know beforehand what need they should have, and what want they may find of comfort in such cases, and how unfit and unapt they are like then to find themselves for such employments, they would be questionless more careful to sift and examine themselves before such times of trial, and by good assurance of God's grace and favor gained beforehand, treasure up some store of comfort that may then stand them instead, when there shall be no Manna found abroad in the fields, nor such sweet dew dropping down upon their dry and thirsty souls, as there hath done formerly. It is a wise and a prudent course, in Summer to lay up against Winter; in time of peace to provide for war; and before storms come, for men to furnish themselves with such necessaries as they may then stand in need of. And it will be our best wisdom to get and lay up such matter of comfort beforehand, that whensoever such times of trouble and trial shall come, we may▪ have that at hand then, that may stand us instead, and not be driven to seek for it, when we should make use of it, and shall find it hard to come by, if we were not furnished with it before.

Sixthly, If God in such our afflictions and desertions do not instantly answer us, if he send not comfort and deliverance so soon as we call for it; if he shall hide himself from us, and seem not willing to be found of us so soon as ever we seek him; (that which we do not yet oft, when we seem to do) let us take heed how we grow thereupon impatient. Let us remember that God heareth us, even when he seemeth to be deaf towards us; He heareth us to our profit, though not to our pleasure; and to our behoove, though not according to our desire: He is present with us, even when he delayeth us; yea he is present with us, in that he doth delay us; and that is better then present with us, that for the present is denied us. It is a point of mercy in him, that he is not so forward to show mercy. There is no cause therefore for us to be impatient, since that all is for our good; yea Patience it self is good for us; which hereby God doth not try only and exercise, but work in us, and enure us unto. And it is good for us to learn quietly to bear God's yoke, to sit down by it, yea to lie down under it, and thrust our mouth in the dust, assuring our selves that so doing we shall have a good issue of it, and shall do well in the end.

Patience, I say, is for our good: But by impatiency there is no good to be gotten. It will be but 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 a means •… to make God lay harder and •… er things on us▪ when we begin to grow impatient under his hand. As a discreet Father, when his son shall take pet at some small matter that his father hath crossed him in▪ may well thereupon take occasion, yea and many times doth, to give him some further and greater cause of disconte •… , •… o bring him thereby to know himself and his duty, and to teach him to rest content with that that his father will ha •… e: So when God sendeth small •… r and lighter crosses, and men wax wa •… pish and waiwa •… d under them, God is wont to second them with greater and weightier afflictions, to work patience into them▪ and to enure them to the yoke▪ which being patiently borne, will become lighter unto us, and may the sooner in all likelihood be removed from us, having taken 〈◊〉 that lesson that God thereby would learn us. Whereas by impatience it will but grow more grievous unto us, as the sh •… e is to the fowl, that by fluttring and straining makes the string straiter, to her greater tor •… , and yet is never the nearer getting out again; as the yoke is to the beast, that by striving and struggling with it, hath galled her neck, and yet is compelled to draw still in it, with more pain then from her own folly, than from the weight of it, or of that that she draweth in it: And we shall but thereby procure to our selves the more evil; as the sick-man in a burning fever, while by tossing and tumbling to and fro, he seeketh to find ease, doth but exasperate the disease, and increase his own grief.

Let us beware therefore of impatience; But let us take heed especially, how any length of afflictions maketh us once think of leaving God, or of seeking with Saul to Satan, by putting our hands unto wickedness, or using indirect courses, for the saluing and easing or relieving of our selves. It was the Devils policy that he used, but without success, with our Savior; to bear him in hand that his Father had cast off all care of him, thereby to persuade him to depend no longer upon his providence, who if he did love him or regard him, would not so suffer him to starve. And it is one of the slights that even to this day he useth oft with God's servants, thereby in time of affliction to withdraw them from relying on God, who seemeth not to look after them, as if they were sure to perish, if they shifted not for themselves, but trusted still to him, that had no care at all of them. And howsoever by this engine he prevailed not with our Savior, yet by it with many other, too many, too oft he prevails, and maketh them commit much folly. For while through weakness of faith, and want of patience, they are loath to wait God's good leisure, and desirous to be rid, in all haste, of the present affliction, they put their hand oft to such courses as produce fearful effects, and use such sory shifts for the relieving of themselves▪ as do but plunge them further and deeper into such a labyrinth of evils, as they are many times never able to get out of again. So that it fareth with them, as with persons unskillful in swimming, that having ventured past their depth, and being in danger now of drowning, while hastily and inconsiderately they catch at what cometh next hand, to save themselves with, lay hold oft on weeds, that do but entangle them, and draw them deeper under water, and there keep them down from ever getting up again, till they be (that which by such means they •… ought to prevent) indeed drowned. This subtle slight of Satan we must be careful in these cases to discover, and say to our selves, when such things shall be suggested unto us: This is but my weakness, or Satan's wickedness: God I know hath not left me, though he may seem not to look after me. He now trieth me whether mine heart be upright with him or no; whether I will cleave constantly to him, though he d •… e nothing but cross me, and abide still with him, though he seem wholly to neglect me; or whether I will leave him, and give over adhering unto him, if he do not use me as I would that he should. And therefore I will resolve, that I may not prove unsound, to keep constantly with him and not hearken to Satan, nor yield to such indirect courses, as by him shall be suggested, for the procuring either of ease or of delivery, whatsoever shall come of it.

Such constancy shall seal up unto us our sincerity; and shall not want with God a rich and a royal reward. For he that shall so continue depending upon God, when all human helps shall fail him, and all lawful means of relief; choosing rather to endure grief and pain all his life long, and to live a life more bitter than death it self, than to make trial of any unlawful course to procure ease and relief; such a man so dying, saith Chrysostom, shall have his place in heaven among the Martyrs; yea such a one is no other then a Martyr indeed▪ he is as good a Martyr as he that leaveth his head on the block, or is burnt to ashes at a stake for the testimony of God's truth, and the keeping of a good conscience. All the difference between the one and the other is this; that to the one it is said, Deny Christ, or thou shalt die; to the other it is said, Do evil, or thou shalt live wretchedly, thou shalt live a life little better, if not worse, than death. He is once for all a Martyr, that will rather endure the one; he is oft, yea every day a Martyr, as Paul saith of himself, that he died daily, that chooseth rather to undergo the other. Too prone we are to stray from God, when he useth us well, when he dealeth lovingly with us: but a most blessed thing it is, when our hearts are so linked to him, that we will not stir an inch from him, though he seem to carry himself never so harshly towards us.

Lastly, Would we have God in these cases to remember us? let us be careful then to remember him; yea let us then learn to remember our selves. Let us take heed how we forget him, if we would not have him to forget us: for our forgetfulness of him, and our duty to him, is for the most part the cause that moveth him to forget us. As indeed what can be more just, or what more equal, than for God to forget us, when we forget him, and to neglect us, when we regard not him; to refuse to hear us, when we refuse to hear him? Or how can we with any color complain of the one, when we are guilty of the other? Yea when God seemeth to have forgotten us, if we would have him again remember us, Let not us then be backward to remember our selves: But let us apply our selves to make a right use of the cross; help to further the effect of it, do not cross or hinder the work of it. The more speedy success God's hand hath with us, the sooner it is like to be removed away from us. DAVIDS struggling with it, and hanging back, and refusing to yield to that that God thereby required of him, was a mean to continue it the longer upon him, and to put him to the more pain. And this undoubtedly is one main cause of the long continuance of many evils, that men are humbled, as Bernard speaketh, and yet are not humble; they will break in sunder, ere they will bow or bend under God's hand. Let us apply our selves therefore to that which by the cross God requireth of us, if we desire to have the cross removed again away from us.

Now this that we may do:

First, We must endeavor to inquire and find out the cause of the cross, and the ground of God's aversion of his face away from us. A disease can never be well cured, till the cause of it be discovered: Nor can we take any right course for the removal of a cross, unless that that hath procured it be in some sort discovered. The voice of the Lord, saith the Prophet Micah, crieth unto the City. God by his judgments preacheth not verbal, but real Sermons unto us. He preacheth even without preaching, as Basil speaketh. As he is said to hold his peace, though he do speak, when he doth not punish; so is he said to preach, though he speak not, when he doth punish. His very Judgments are real Sermons of reformation and repentance. They have a voice, saith the Prophet: But everyone understandeth not this voice: They speak in a strange language to many, to the most; as Paul's companions, when Christ spake to him, they hear a noise and no more.

The foolish, saith the Psalmist, conceive it not, and the brutish understand it not. But a man of wisdom, the wise man, saith the Prophet, knoweth what it meaneth. And as the Psal mist speaketh of God's works of mercy; Who so is wise to observe these things, such shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord: So of his works of Judgment saith Jeremiah, Who so is wise to understand these things, to him the Mouth of God speaketh, and he is able to declare what this Voice of God saith. And of both of them the Prophet Hoshe, Who so is wise, will understand these things: and who so is of understanding, will know that the Lord's ways are strait and even, and the just shall walk in them, but the wicked shall fall in them. To use Chrysostom's comparison, yea and Augustine's too; Lay you a book open before a child, or one that cannot read, he may gaze & stare on it, but he can make no use of it, because he understandeth nothing at all in it. But bring it to one that can read, and that understandeth the language it is written in, and he can read you many stories or instructions out of it. It is as dumb and silent to the one; it speaketh to, and talketh with the other. In like manner is it with God's Judgments, as Augustine also well applieth it: all sorts of men see them, but few are able aright to read them, or to understand them what they say.

But what is it that the wise man is by them admonished? Surely, to listen to the Rod, saith Micah; and who, or what it is that hath procured it: to inquire, saith Jeremiah, what is the cause, why the Land is spoiled, and lieth burnt up like a wild wilderness, that no man passeth thorough; that is, to search out the cause of the present cross. To which purpose also God's people in the time of their captivity, Let us search, say they, and sift out our works and our ways. They had before entered into some discourse and dispute with themselves, what might be the cause of that their calamity. And first they lay down this for an undoubted and undeniable position, That there is no evil that befalleth any, either person or people, but the Lord hath his hand in it. Dare any man, say they, say, that ought cometh to pass, and the Lord hath not appointed it? Doth not both good and evil come out of his mouth? But what then? Doth God as earthly fathers do, who in an idle humor sometime correct their children without cause? Or doth God take pleasure in stamping upon his people, and in vexing and grieving of them? No: he doth not willingly, or from the heart punish, and afflict the sons of men. It is a grief to him to be grievous unto us; it is a pain to him to be punishing of us. It goeth as much against the heart with him to afflict, as it goeth against the hair with us to be afflicted. Why but, what is the cause then that he dealeth so harshly with us, that he carrieth himself so austerely towards us? Wherefore is the living Man afflicted? Man suffereth for his sin. We have sinned and rebelled against him: and he hath not spared us. God is good of himself; he hath his harshness from us; it is our corruption that requireth it. A disordered patient maketh a cruel Physician. By our disordered courses, we enforce him to anger, in whom anger is not; and even wrest and wring that from him, that in some sort is not in him. Therefore, saith he, have I smitten thee with the wounds of an enemy, for the multitude of thine iniquities, and because thy transgressions are grievous. What these sins of theirs therefore were, do they desire and purpose to make Search, that so coming to understand the true cause of their calamity, they may set upon some course for means of recovery. And in like manner ought we to do upon the like occasions, say as Job doth; Shew me, O Lord, or make known to me, wherefore thou contendest with me: do as DAVID did, when in Israel they had had a long time of dearth; He went to ask of God for what cause it might be: make a search into, take surueigh of our hearts and our lives; labor, as Solomon speaketh, to find out the plague, the cause of it at least, in our hearts, and in our courses.

And for our better furtherance herein we may consider,

1. What sins especially God hath in his Word threatened such Judgments against, as are present on us, or any part of his Church. For if such sins be now found rife or reigning among us, there is just cause to suspect that God by such Judgments doth make good his Word; sealeth up the Truth of it; and thereby showeth, that His menaces are not vain, or ineffectual; that his Prophets words, as the profane people sometime spake, are not windy.

2. What sins God hath formerly inflicted the like plagues for on others: which if these times be found to imitate those in, it may well be deemed, that God in Justice, as he findeth us like them in practice, so he maketh us like them in punishment; as he findeth the like sins among us, so he poureth the like plagues upon us; as he sindeth us sick of the same sores, so he plieth us with the same plasters.

3. How we have abused those things, or our selves in those things, wherein or whereby God doth punish us. For there is oft an Analogy and a proportion between men's practices and God's punishments, between their transgressions and his Judgments. Look wherein men offend, therein usually are they punished. And blessings abused are turned oft into curses, as the staff sometime into a Serpent, that men may be crossed and plagued in those things, which they were not thankful for, or used not well, when they were blessed in them. DAVID was too indulgent a Father to his children, and he smarted shrewdly for it in Ammon’s rape of Tamar, Absolom's murder of Ammon, and both Absolom's, and afterwards Adoniaes rebellion. When God's people abused those temporal blessings of gold and silver, corn and wine, wool and flax, that he had bestowed on them, God threateneth to return, and take them again away from them. And in like manner he threateneth them, when they observed not his Sabbaths, that their Land, during their captivity, should rest and lie waste untilled and vntoiled, because it rested not on their Sabbaths, when they dwelt in it: As also that because they set light by the word of God when they had it, he would send a famine of hearing it, when they should be constrained to seek far and near for, and yet not find that, which they then refused when they might have had it, or made no reckoning of, when in great plenty they had it: And because they did not serve the Lord their God with a good will, and with a cheerful heart in the abundance of all things; they should therefore serve their enemies, which he should send upon them, in hunger, and thirst, and nakedness, and want of all things: And as they had served strange gods in their own Land, so they should serve strangers in a Land that was not their own.

4. How we may have been faulty towards others, in those things that we now suffer our selves. For there is a just retaliation oft in such cases with God. And there is nothing more equal than such requitals. DAVID abuseth the wife of Uriah; and his own son abuseth his in the same sort. He slayeth Uriah▪ himself with the sword; and for the slaughter of Uriah the sword haunteth his house. Adoni-bezeks cruelty on those that he had conquered, was requited with the like, executed through God's just judgment on him by those into whose hands he fell: and even he himself acknowledgeth the equity of it. And God threateneth such as oppress poor widows and orphans, That their wives shall be widows, and their children orphans.

5. What neglects or evil acts being faulty in them, we have been admonished of, or checked for, either publicly in the Ministry of the Word▪ or privately by good offices of friends or others, yea or inwardly by the voice of our own heart, or the motions and suggestions of God's Spirit, and yet we have not regarded to amend and reform. For it is an usual thing with God, when his Word taken not place, nor prevaileth with us, to second it with the Rod, as thereby to seal up and confirm the truth of it; so to make us the more attentive unto it. He doth as Absalom did with Joab, when he would not come at him, having sent once or twice for him, he caused his servants to set his corn on fire, and then cometh Joab to him without further sending for, to know what he would with him, and why he had so served him. And so, saith Elihu, doth God; he calleth upon men many times to break off their bad courses, either by outward admonitions, or by inward suggestions; which when men regard not, he layeth some affliction upon them, that continueth with them, and sticketh by them, till it have opened their ears that were stopped before, and pulled down their pride, or taken down their stomach, and made them to say with Saul stricken down to the ground, Lord, what is it that thou wouldest have me to do?

6. How we have abused, as well God's Iudgments, as his Mercies; how we have either refused or neglected to hearken as well to the sound of God's R •… d as to the Voice of his Word; what afflictions have formerly been inflicted on us, whereof little or no use at all hath been made by us. For that is also usually God's manner, when men profit not by such crosses as he hath formerly exercised them with, to proceed from shorter to some of longer continuance, from milder to sharper courses. He dealeth with the sons of men, as the Physician doth with his patient; who when he findeth that the potion which he hath given his patient will not work with him, he secondeth it with some stronger purge; when he perceiveth the disease to be so settled, that sudden courses will not serve, he prescribeth him a course of some longer continuance. So our Savior fore-warned the poor man, whom he had healed, That if he sinned again, some worse matter would befall him: his not profiting by the former, would procure unto him some further, some far heavier cross. And God threateneth his People, that if lighter matters would not amend them, he would lay harsher and heavier things on them, till they were even in a manner wasted and consumed with all.

Secondly, what we find our selves thus faulty in, we should endeavor to reform. As we must labor to find out the cause of the evil, and what hath turned God's face from us; so should we withal labor to remove the same, that the Cause being taken away, the effect also may cease; and that God's face that is now turned from us may be turned again toward •… 〈◊〉 ▪ For this should be the end of our search, to discover what is amiss▪ and this the end of our discovery, to amend and remove the evil discovered, either in our hearts or in our lives. Otherwise our search is but vain and frivolous, and our inquiry insincere. Yea, better were it for us never to have been so forward to search, if we be not as forward to redress, what upon search we have found to be otherwise than well with us. It must needs aggravate wrath, when we are shown, or see what is amiss, and are not careful to amend.

Let us search and try our ways, say they, and return unto the Lord: (as DAVID of himself, I considered my ways, and turned my feet▪ unto thy paths, whereupon such consideration, I found that I had swerved from them:) And then Let us lift up our hearts with our hands unto the Lord our God in heaven. A •… if it were to no end for them to seek unto God▪ by prayer, till they had pulled down the partition wall that 〈◊〉 between them and him; and hindered their suits from getting access to him, or obtaining success with him: until they had, as searched out▪ so reformed and removed such evils, as upon their search had presented themselves to their fight, and as came to view upon this their suru •… igh. And indeed till this course be taken, it i •… •… o small purpose to pray. It is as if the person pricked or wounded should cry and call upon the Surgeon to have some case of his pain, but would not endure to have the splinter or the arrow-head pulled out that sticketh fast in his flesh, and causeth his grief: or as if people should pray to God to stay the rage and fury of the burning, when an house or town is on fire, and themselves the mean while pour on oil, or throw on fuel to the fire. This God himself noteth, as the main cause of the continuance of his heavy hand upon his people, Thou criedst, saith he, unto me; O my Father, and the Guide of my youth, Wilt thou retain thy wrath always? wilt thou be angry forever? This thou sayedst; but thou diddest evil more and more still. And, They howl to me on their beds for their corn and their wine; but they rebel against me still. And again; Therefore is not the wrath of God yet turned away, but his hand is stretched out still; because the people turn not to him that smiteth them; nor are turned away from their sins. And surely so long indeed there is no hope of prevailing with God; If I see iniquity in mine heart, saith DAVID, (and be loath to leave it; ) or, If with my heart I look after it, (as we are wont to look after such things as we love and delight in, and are not willing to forgo;) the Lord will never hear any prayer of mine that I make to him. As the cause therefore of the disease must be removed, (and it can be dealt with til it be discovered) ere there can be any sound cure of the disease, or such as shall constantly continue: So our sins 〈◊〉 be r •… oued that 〈◊〉 God's face and favor from •… s▪ and withdraw▪ his regard of us, ere we can hope to have his carriage towards us altered for the better▪ or any end of our present evils. We enforce him to continue his hard dealing with •… s while we do otherwise, we restrain him from doing that, that of himself otherwise he would do, and is of himself in his own nature most ready and willing unto, did not we ourselves with hold him from it. So that while we continue still in our 〈◊〉 and excesses, our own practice crosseth and hindereth the effect and fruit of our prayers; and we are like those Heathen, of whom the Cy •… icke observed, that they prayed indeed to their God's for health; but at the very 〈◊〉 when they so did, they used such excess •… s could not but greatly impair health, and so willfully deprived themselves of that that they prayed for▪

Thirdly, that we may 〈◊〉 because 〈◊〉 heart i •… not i •… our 〈◊◊〉 ▪ nor is it 〈◊〉 power to direct his own paths▪ no •… are 〈◊〉 able of themselves to effec •… 〈◊〉 in us▪ o •… to work good on us without the aid of God's Spirit working together with them •… 〈◊〉 should 〈◊〉 earnest with God by prayer, that •… e 〈◊〉 be •… sed, as he doth correct us, so 〈◊◊〉 to 〈◊〉 us; as he sendeth 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 that he 〈◊〉 vouchsafe grace, whereby we may make a good use of them, and learn to profit by them; as to show and make known to us what he aimeth at in them, so to enable us in some measure to do that which he requireth of us; to turn us unto him, that he may return unto us.

And lastly, when we have thus done, then may we with the more comfort and confidence deal with the Lord for the removal of the evil it self, be it outward or inward. Then may we seek to him with good assurance of success, because we seek him as we should; we may then praying hope indeed to be heard, those clouds of our iniquities being dispersed & dispelled, that before hindered the passage of our prayers. In a word, thus we repenting of, and turning from our sins, that have turned God away from us, and returning to him that hath hid his face from us, he will turn again in mercy and goodness unto us, and make the light of his countenance again to shine forth upon us; we remembering our selves, he will cease longer to forget us; Yea, he will begin in mercy again to remember us, who in wrath seemed to have forgotten us; and show that he so doth to our comfort, and the confusion of our foes, by raising of us, and lifting up our heads again, and not suffering them to triumph over us, as formerly they have done.

NOAES OBEDIENCE.

T His parcel of Scripture containeth a brief Sum of a Story related more at large by Moses in his first Book and sixth Chapter, concerning the Patriarke NOA, the tenth from Adam, and as Basil of Seleucia well termeth him, a second Adam, the Father of all mankind since the Flood, of all that are at this day in the world, or that shall be to the worlds end.

The effect and substance whereof is this, An act of NOAES obedience, together with the grounds and the fruits or effects of it.

• 1. His act of obedience, the building of the Ark.
• 2.
  The grounds of his so doing:

  Without, God's warning;

  Within, his Faith, and his fear.
• 3. The fruits and effects thereof, good or bad; Good, in regard of him and his; the saving of them temporally, of himself also eternally: Bad, in regard of others; the condemning of the wicked world.

Or thus:

• 1. God's warning, NOA being warned of God, &c.
• 2. The fruit of it in NOA; and that threefold; Faith, Fear, and Care.
• 3. The effect of this his faithful, awful, and careful carriage; and that also three-fold; thereby, He saved his Household: He condemned the World: He became inheritor of the righteousness that is by Faith.

For the first of them, God's warning: NOA being warned of God.

How this was done is not expressed. And it is in vain therefore for us to inquire. For to what end should such things be with danger determined, as without danger of sin we may well be ignorant of? saith Augustine.

Only thus much we find, that when the whole world was over-grown with wickedness; ( All flesh had corrupted their ways: ) And the Church of God it self was grown to a general Apostasy, by the falling away of the Sons of God; not the Angels, (as Tertullian out of the forged Enoch, and some others, though the Angels also be in some places so termed) and much less Devils (as some other have absurdly conceited;) nor the Sons of God's, that is, Princes and Potentates (though in Scripture sometime so called;) but the posterity of Seth, matching with the daughters of Men, and so contracting affinity with Cain's cursed race, which proved the ruin of the whole world: It repented God that he had made man, that is, he purposed to destroy man, whom before he had made; for such is God's repentance, a change not of his will, but of his work; repentance with Man is a change of the will; repentance with God is the willing of a change.

Now this his purpose and resolution did God impart unto NOA, to wit, that at the end of one hundred and twenty years, (that was the utmost stint and limit set for man's repentance and God's patience; not the list or sise of man's life for future times, as some vainly have imagined, contrary to the evident truth of story) he would bring in a deluge, that should drown up and destroy the whole world. And therefore willed NOA in the mean space to make such a Vessel, according to the pattern then prescribed him, as for bulk and bigness was never the like seen or heard of before or since, not for the saving of him and his alone, (which a far lesser would have done) but for the preserving of the seed of all living creatures.

And this was the warning that the Apostle speaketh of in this place.

Out of which God's dealing with NOA, and the World that then was, observe we this point, that

God seldom sendeth any extraordinary great or general judgment on Person or People, but he giveth usually some warning of it before.

There is no evil in the City, saith the Prophet Amos, that God hath not done. And the Lord will do nothing▪ but he will reveal it to his servants the Prophets. He cutteth men down first commonly by the mouth of his Messengers, the Ministers of his Word, ere he cut them off by the hand of the Ministers, and executioners of his wrath.

There were two famous destructions of Jerusalem and the Jewish Nation; the former by the Chaldeans, the latter by the Romans; and warning was given before of both; by Jeremiah, and other the Prophets of God of the one; and (to omit all other warnings reported by Josephus the Jew, that then lived,) by our Savior Christ the Son of God himself, of the other.

And there are two general Destructions of the whole World; the one past by Water, the other future by Fire. Water, say some, for the heat of lust that then was, and Fire, for the coldness of Charity that shall be (though that may seem somewhat too curious:) And good warning hath been given of both. For of the former, God, you see here, gave warning to NOA, and by NOA to the World; For NOA, saith S. Peter, was a Preacher of Righteousness: Yea the very building of the Ark, such a piece as it was, was a proclaiming of the Flood, and a preaching of repentance: NOA in making of the Ark did, as Basil speaketh, preach without preaching. Every stroke that was struck, every nail that was driven in the framing of it, was a fore-telling of the Flood, and a real Sermon of repentance. And of the latter both Christ himself, and his Apostles Saint Paul and Saint Peter have in their Sermons and writings given warning.

Now this God doth, partly in regard of those that are in mercy to be saved, and partly in regard of those that do deservedly perish.

In regard of those that are to be saved, that they may not be surprised unawares; because he would not have them to perish, but to repent and be saved. And therefore he threateneth before he smiteth: yea he threateneth, saith Augustine, that he may not smite; and he smiteth that he may not slay; and he slayeth some sometime temporally, that others may not be destroyed eternally; that being chastened in the world, they may not be condemned with the world.

In regard of those that perish, the obstinate wicked, to make them the more inexcusable: that they may not say, but that they had fair warning given them before, if they would have taken it. This Gospel, saith our Savior, shall before the worlds end be preached to all Nations throughout the world, to be a witness against them.

And the use of this point (to omit all others) may be twofold unto us;

First, to commend unto us God's patience, yea his mercy and his goodness. Who though he might smite justly without more ado, so soon as men sin, (the general warnings that the light of Nature, and the very letter of the Law afford are sufficient) yet he doth not proceed ordinarily to any extraordinary judgment, but he giveth many fair warnings of it beforehand. A sign that he desireth not to do that that he threateneth, if he were not by man's obstinacy urged thereunto.

For Professed hatred, we say, taketh away opportunity of revenge. A conspiracy against Commodus was frustrate by the folly of one that should have executed it, but would needs tell him what he was to do ere he did it. Those that mind mischief therefore are not wont to give warning. Absalom spake neither good nor bad to his brother Ammon, but watched his time only, and then took it. Nor would God, saith Augustine, proclaim thus what he is about to do, if he were desirous to do it. But he threateneth destruction, that he may not destroy; as by the Prophet Ezekiel himself implieth: And as in the Ninevites it is apparent, who by being threatened with destruction, were saved from being indeed destroyed.

It is not therefore for want either of evil desert on our part, or of good cause and just ground, yea or power on God's part, that he holdeth his hand from smiting so soon as we sin, and in this manner giveth warning before he smite, His hand is not weakened, that he cannot strike us, nor his arm shortened, that he cannot reach us. He hath not lost his power; but he exerciseth his patience: saith Augustine. He exerciseth his patience, while he expecteth our repentance.

And so pass we to the second use.

Where to pass by, only pointing at it in a word, that use that might be made hereof for Imitation, that as God dealeth with us, so should we also deal with others; we should not be, as too many are, A word, we say, and a blow; or, No word, and a stab. For shall God be so patient; and man so impatient? shall God bear with us, and not we bear with our brethren? No: If thy brother wrong thee, saith our Savior, go and tell him of it between him and thee; and if he hear thee not so, take two or three with thee; if he will not hear them neither, then acquaint the Church with it: and if he refuse to hear the voice of the Church too, then mayst thou, and not before, carry thyself toward him, and take such course with him▪ as▪ with an Heathen or a Publican, such as they then were, thou mightest.

But to keep to that that we principally now intend. As this commendeth unto us God's patience, so it should provoke us to repentance; since that by it God calleth us thereunto. The patience, goodness, and longsuffering of God, leadeth thee to repentance, saith the Apostle. That is the end that God aimeth at in it: and that is the use that we should make of it.

Doth God give warning of any general Judgment? And who seeth not that he so doth at the present? To say nothing of ought at home, decay of trade, likelihood of dearth, and the like: Cast we our eyes abroad into foreign parts almost on every side of us, and see if the fire of God's wrath be not gone out already, and hath taken hold of our neighbors houses, yea and burnt diverse, and not a few of them, down to the ground: And it concerneth us, as we say, not them alone, to look to it, when our neighbors houses are on fire. These are real warnings, and very sensible ones, if we be not stupid and senseless.

Doth God then give warning? Let us take it when he giveth it. Therefore I will do this unto thee, saith the Lord by Amos. And because I will do this unto thee; therefore prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. Let us prepare to meet him, that is coming towards us, before he come at us. Let us, according to our Saviors counsel, dispatch Messengers ( our prayers and tears, saith Cyprian ) to meet him on the way, while he is yet afar off, and make an atonement with him, ere his wrath break in upon us. Let us make all haste by speedy and unfeigned repentance to prevent the heavy doom and sentence of death.

Otherwise, let us assure our selves, that though God's patience last long, yet it will not be everlasting. Though he bear with us for a long time, yet he will not always forbear us. Yea, Patience over-much provoked is wont to turn, not into wrath, but into rage. And it is a just thing with God to take those away without further warning, that would not take warning when it was given.

NOA▪ took warning here, and was saved; the World would not take warning, and was suddenly destroyed.

And so we come to consider the fruit of this warning in regard of NOA; what effect it had with him▪

This divine warning therefore wrought in NOA, Faith, Fear▪ and Care; or God's warning wrought Faith, Faith Fear, Fear Care.

God's warning, I say, wrought Faith in NOA; ( by Faith, saith the Apostle▪ NOA fore▪warned of God, &c.) not the habit of Faith▪ which he had before, but a renewed act of it▪ NOA believed this, when nobody but himself would believe it; yea when he was counted▪ no doubt, generally a doting fool for his labor.

And this his Faith is commended by a circumstance of the warning given▪ or the thing forewarned. Of things as yet unseen▪ All warnings are generally of things not seen▪ For what need any be warned of that that themselves see? But this was of a thing an hundred and twenty years off; such as there was no sign or show at all to be seen of, such as no print or footstep of was at all yet; such as neither by outward sense, nor natural reason could be apprehended or conjectured; a thing most unlikely, improbable, incredible, yea in nature impossible.

Where observe we the nature and property of true Faith to apprehend things unseen, to believe upon God's bare word, things not unlikely only and improbable, but even incredible, yea and in some sort also impossible.

Faith, saith this our Apostle, is the evidence of things not seen, and the ground of things hoped for. And to Thomas, saith our Savior, Thomas, thou believest, because thou hast seen. But, Blessed are those that believe and see not. And yet Thomas he believed also more than he saw: (for he saw one thing, saith Augustine, and he believed another thing: ) but blessed are they that believe, though they see nothing at all. For, as the hope that is seen, saith the Apostle, is no hope: so that Faith ( the ground of Hope) that is seen (that is, the object whereof is seen) is (to speak properly) no faith. Faith is of no use or force, saith Gregory, there, where outward sense▪ yea or natural reason, is able to inform us of ought. It is the efficacy of faith to believe what we see not; the reward of faith it shall be, to see what we believe: when we shall come to walk, as the Apostle speaketh, not by faith, but by sight.

Who almost would believe, that the fire of God's wrath should be kindled already, and yet not break forth till an hundred and twenty years after? who would believe that the whole world should be drowned, and return again to that Chaos wherein it lay buried at the first, before sea and land were distinguished and severed either from other? If God should have sent NOA but into England, supposing it to have been then as now it is, to foretell the Inhabitants of this Island, that within a few years their whole Country should be swallowed up of the sea, would not most men have deemed it a thing altogether impossible? yet did NOA believe it upon God's bare word, not concerning someone Island, a little patch of the world, no more to the main Continent, than a small pond or pool to the main Ocean, but concerning the whole world; and accordingly it came to pass.

Somewhat the like we may observe in the King of Nineveh and his people. There cometh Jonah a Jew, a mere stranger among them, and telleth them, that not within an hundred years, but within forty days Nineveh the greatest, the strongest, the chief, the head City of the whole world, a great part whereof the King thereof then commanded, should be utterly destroyed. Had Jonah come to London, and there preached the like some fortnight or three weeks before that Powder-plot was to have been executed, who would have believed it? or thought it a thing credible, yea or possible almost? And yet we know well how near we were to an utter subversion, if God in mercy had not prevented man's malice. But the Ninevites, as well Prince as People, though they saw no preparation towards, no enemy at hand, no likelihood of any sudden invasion, or of subversion by other means, taking Jonah, as he was indeed, for a Prophet of God, believed him on his word, and by their repentance and humiliation, prevented that which otherwise had been.

Add we but one Example more; and that shall be of the Prophet Jeremiah's confident carriage in this kind: He had foretold that Jerusalem should be sacked by the Chaldeans. And the Chaldeans accordingly came and begirt it. But the Jews thus besieged send to Egypt for succor. And the King of Egypt cometh with a great force, raiseth the siege, and relieveth the City. Hereupon began the false Prophets to triumph and insult over Jeremiah, as if he were taken now with the manner, and detected of falsehood, as one that had fore-told that that was not like to be effected. But the Prophet telleth them confidently, relying on God's word, That though they had smitten the Chaldeans, and left not one of them alive, yet should those very slain men rise up out of their tents, and set fire upon that City.

And the Reason hereof is, because Faith resteth & relieth upon two immouable Props, God's ability, and his fidelity, his might, and his truth.

First, upon his ability, might and power; (that was the ground of Abraham's Faith, the Father of the faithful ) able to bring the most unlikely things that are to pass in an instant. For many things are impossible with man: but nothing is impossible, yea nothing▪ difficult with him: nothing but he can do, and do with ease, whose word is his will, and his will his work; who as with a word of his mouth he made all things of nothing, so with a blast of his breath is able to bring all things again unto nothing▪

For work is as easy as word with him; who can do anything more easily than any can say it. There is much difference between saying and doing, saith Bernard; but with man; not with God.

Secondly, upon his 〈◊〉 , his truth▪ his veracitie, (the main prop of Saraes Faith. ) Let God be true, saith the Apostle▪ and all men liars; all that speak without him, or not from him▪ saith Augustine: God therefore is true: yea, he is a God of truth. And not only Deus veritatis, a God of Truth; but Deus veritas, God Truth, Truth it self: And being Truth it self, he cannot lie, nor deny himself▪ It were a want of ability to be able to do so. Though heaven and earth should pass away, (saith our Savior) yet shall no one jot or tittle of his word pass away, until it be all out, every whit of it fulfilled.

Now this then should admonish us to imitate faithful NOA our father herein, if we desire to be his children, as well after the Faith, as we are after the Flesh: to take warning when God gives it; give credit to God's threatenings, though we see them not seconded with any outward effect yet.

And surely, if we ought to take notice with NOA, of such Judgments as God's word alone giveth warning of, though no print or footstep of them be to be seen otherwise; how much more when we have such evident and apparent signs, even to outward sense of some storm coming toward us, as we cannot but see, unless we be of those of whom Bernard saith, That they seek staws to put out their eyes withal; or of whom Justin Martyr saith▪ That they wink willfully, that they may not see what is coming toward them, when some unsavory potion is ministered to them, which they are content, though it go against the stomach with them, to take.

Yea hereby may we try the efficacy of our Faith, if we can believe God on his bare word, when we see no likelihood of performance.

As for his promises, when we dare trust him on his word for the performance of them: not trust him, as we say, only so far as we see him; trust him no further than we can see our selves; that is, not to trust him at all; it is to trust our eyes, and not him: nor to trust him only when we have his pledge or his pawn: that is, not to trust him neither; it is 〈◊◊〉 his 〈◊〉 , and not him: But to trust him on his word, even then when he seemeth to go from, or against his Word; as when he bade Abraham stay Isaac, by whom he looked to have issue for number, a •… the stars of the ski •… , and as the sands by the sea-shore▪ to believe that God will save us, when he seemeth about to slay us; that he loveth us, when he 〈◊〉 on us, and maketh little show of love to us; that he stayeth and bideth by us, when he seemeth to have forsaken v •… ▪ that he remembereth us then, when he seemeth to forget us; that he regardeth us and looketh after us, when he seemeth to neglect us; that he will bring us up, yea he is even then bringing us on to heaven, when he seemeth to thr •… st us down to hell; that he will make good all his gracious promises made to his 〈◊〉 and servants for their safety and deliverance▪ though we see not how he should: this is the strength and efficacy of Faith indeed▪

So for his 〈◊〉 , God hath▪ 〈◊〉 •… lie said, that, •… The Soul that •… neth shall •… e the Death. And, God will 〈◊〉 the head of his Enemies, and the hairy scalp of everyone that goeth on obstinately in his s •… tine▪ But because we see not this ofttimes instantly effected (many wicked ones live merrily, and 〈◊〉 easily; and so seem to scape the scourge here; for what they feel inwardly, none is aware but themselves.) Therefore many imagine that God will be better than his word: they think these things are spoken only to fright men, and to keep them in awe: they cannot believe that God will ever do, what they see him not now do. Because sentence against an evil work is not out of hand executed: therefore is the heart of the sons of men wholly bent to do evil, saith Solomon. Here is the work of faith then, to believe that, that there is no likelihood of by ought that can be discerned for the present. But, though the wicked, saith Solomon, live an hundredth years, and pass them all over in pleasure, (though it be as many years almost to it, as it was here to the Flood, and as little likelihood to see to of the one as of the other,) yet I know that it shall not go well with the wicked.

It is one point of man's misery, saith the Heathen man, above other of the creatures, that Man alone is vexed with care, and grief, and thought, and fear for the future. But it is a main point of man's eminency, say I, above other creatures, and of Christian men above other men, that they are not all for the present, but they have their eyes in their forehead, to foresee future evils. And as the Chinese use to say of themselves, that all other Nations in the world see but with one eye, they only with two: So natural men have but one eye, the carnal eye of natural reason; that can pierce no further than the light of nature reacheth: but Christian men have two, the spiritual eye of faith also, (for the one putteth not out the other) whereby they are enabled to foresee future evils, even such also as no sense or reason is able to apprehend.

And hereby may we try the efficacy of our faith, if even then we believe these things, when there is no sight or show at all of them; which it is better for us to believe now, when it may be for our benefit, than by woeful experience to be taught the truth of them hereafter, when it shall be too late for us to believe that which we shall not then hear from others, or see in others, but feel and sustain sensibly our selves.

But because all will say they believe thus; come we to the touchstone, to the trial. How did NOAES faith appear? or wherein was it shown? His Faith bred Fear. By faith-moved with fear. As he believed the thing told him by God to be true; so he feared the issue, he expected the event of it with fear. And by this his disposition he teacheth us what the nature of true faith is, that in such cases as this was, Faith breedeth Fear.

There are two ordinary attendants of faith, faith of future things I mean, and those such as may concern us either directly or indirectly, Hope and Fear. And true faith hath ever one of these twain attending on it, according to the nature of the thing apprehended by it. If it be a good thing that faith apprehendeth, it expecteth it with hope; if an evil thing, with fear. If it be a promise that Faith layeth hold on, it breedeth hope: if it be a threatening that Faith fasteneth on, it worketh Fear.

Yea these two affections, Credulitie and Timiditie, Faith and Fear, do mutually and enterchangeably succeed either other, produce either other. Faith breedeth Fear, and Fear breedeth Faith. Credulitie maketh men timorous: and Timiditie maketh men credulous. Fear is very credulous, and suspicious, ready to incline to the worse side, and to fasten upon every shadow and least show of that that it surmiseth. And as Timiditie is credulous, so Credulitie is as timorous, enforcing the mind to hang in continual suspense and expectation of those evils that it apprehendeth as imminent. Upon Michaes Prophecy Hezekiah believed, and he feared. And upon Ionaes preaching the Ninevites believed God and feared.

Nor indeed can it be otherwise: For what is Fear, but an expectation of some evil impendent. As hope an expectation of good, so fear of evil. But that man that believeth the truth of God's threatenings, cannot but expect the evils threatened in them; and so fear consequently before God's face, proportionably in some sort to the evil expected. Which if the anger or enmity of a mortal man of any might work in those that know or apprehend him to be such: how much more must the wrath of God revealed needs work the same in a far greater measure in those that believe his power to be such as it is?

Again, a mere natural man cannot but fear that evil that he apprehendeth to be near at hand, yea that he seeth full before his face. But true Faith hath an eye; And this eye of Faith maketh things unseen, seen; ( Moses saw him by Faith, that cannot be seen: And Better, saith Ambrose, are those things seen that are not seen, but believed only, than those things that are seen:) things absent present, (as is Christ's body to our Faith, though it be now in heaven, and as far from us, as heaven and earth are distant either from other:) and things a far off near at hand: Abraham above a thousand (yea two thousand) years before with this eye of Faith saw Christ's day, as present, and rejoiced: and NOA in like manner by the same eye of Faith saw the Worlds destruction as present, above an hundred years before the Flood, that caused it, came, and feared.

The reason is in a word: Faith hath it from God, to whom all things are present; for there is no former and latter, first or last with him. And having them from him, she apprehendeth them in some sort as they are with him, on whose word alone, or principally at least, she believeth them.

The use of which point may be, First of all to inform us, what the reason is why there is so little fear in the world, of God, and of his Judgments. Never more wickedness abroad in the world: never iuster cause to expect some general judgment. And yet never more security; never less fear; as if it were the only means of security or of safety for men to be secure. Whereas saith that worthy Bishop Grosthed well in one of his Epistles yet vnprinted, It is our best and surest security, for us never to be secure.

But what is the reason hereof? Surely therefore so little fear, because so little Faith. The general want of fear argueth a general want of Faith. Therefore never more security, because never less faith. Our Savior himself intimateth as much. He telleth of a world of troubles, over and beside a world of wickedness, that should be toward the worlds end. And yet withal that it should then be, as before the Flood it had been, when men gave themselves wholly to eating and drinking, building and planting, making merry and marrying: and as they did nothing else, so they minded naught else, till the Flood came in suddenly and swept them all away at once. They shall cry, Peace, Peace, and all is well; saith the Apostle, until sudden destruction surprise them, as pains and pangs do a woman with child, taken before her reckoning be out. And the reason hereof our Savior secretly doth elsewhere imply, when he saith, The Son of Man when he cometh, shall he find Faith upon earth? As if scarce any Faith should be found in the world at the worlds end: and the most therefore should make but a mock of the last Judgment, as Saint Peter also fore-telleth.

Yea this general security and want of fear, showeth that even the greatest part of those that profess themselves Christians, have not so much Faith as many damned ones, Ahab, Judas and others, have had; nay, not so much Faith as the Devils themselves have; For the Devils, saith Saint James, believe and tremble: which they would also do, if they believed but as they did. If they had no more but even the Historical faith, it could not but work in them the servile Fear. And how can they look to scape hell, that come short herein of those that be already in hell: that are worse in this regard than Ahab, though an hypocrite, though a reprobate, worse than Judas himself, though a Devil incarnate; yea worse herein than those damned Spirits, than the Devils themselves. And what a fearful estate is it to be condemned of those, that either are or shall themselves be damned?

Secondly, This may serve to show a difference between God's Children and worldly men, together with the ground of it.

When warning is given of God's Judgments, as here there was, They fear least, whom they most concern; and they fear most, whom they least concern. They fear most, that have least cause to fear; and they fear least, that have most cause to fear. He feared here that was to be saved; when they feared not that were to be destroyed. God's children ofttimes fear for them, when they fear not for themselves. As for matter of grief, DAVID saith of himself, I beheld the transgressors and was grieved, to see how they brake thy Law: And, Mine eyes run down with streams of water, because men keep not thy Statutes. He was grieved for them, when they were not grieved for themselves; yea he sorrowed, with Paul, for them and their sins, because they sorrowed not for them themselves. If you be sorry, saith Bernard, I am sorry with you; if you be not, I am sorry for you: and the more sory for you, the less sory you are yourself. And indeed, He is most to be bewailed, saith Gregory, that bewaileth himself least. In the natural Body the pain of one limb causeth pain to all his fellow limbs: but in the spiritual Body politique, not the pain only of a limb, but the want of pain in a limb, is a means of pain to the fellow-members. So for matter of fear; Fear, saith he, is fallen upon me, for the wicked, because they forsake thy Law. And, when Thou takest away the wicked of the earth like dross: My flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy Judgments. DAVID feareth for them, when they fear not themselves: their very security maketh him fearful.

But what might be the cause hereof? may some say. The Heathen man himself pointed at it of old. There are, saith he, two kinds of Bastardly Fortitude, of Counterfeit Courage, and those arising from two contrary causes; the one from Skill and Knowledge, the other from Ignorance. The former is, when men seem forward, where others apprehend danger and are fearful, because they know there is no such danger in the matter as others deem, or if there be any, they can tell how by some sleight to avoid it. The latter is, when men are forward and fool-hardie, and free from all fear, because they are not apprehensive of the danger that they are in: like men drunk, that dread naught, because they want wit to discern ought, or like children, that fear not the fire or the candleflame, till they have been senged with it, and feel the smart of it; or like the savage Americans, that would press upon the mouth of the Musket, because they knew not the use and the force of it. Of this latter is the security and the hardiness of the worldly wicked in these cases. It is with them, as with children in a siege; Their parents fear for them, when they fear nothing themselves; yea the parents fear for them more than for themselves: they could shift well enough, it may be, for themselves, but they know not how to save them, or how to escape with them, which without them, it may be, they might. The sucking child lieth in the cradle, not once dreaming of any danger; and the parents fear and care is all for it.

Thirdly, hereby may we examine our Faith, whether it be sound and sincere or no.

First, If it work upon the affections. If it work in us, love or hatred, joy or grief, hope or fear, according to the nature of the object, the quality of the thing apprehended. For that faith or knowledge that swimmeth only in the brain, but sinketh not down into the heart, that consisteth only in speculation, and proceedeth no further, doth not at all pierce into, or work upon the affections, it is no sound knowledge, no true faith; it is but as the glittering of a glow-worm, a light without heat.

Why, saith Bernard, doth Solomon say, That the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom; when as Knowledge and Faith go both before Fear? Because, saith he, there is no true wisdom in either, unless they do work in a man this Fear. The Sun, saith he, affordeth light to many, whom it imparteth no heat to. And it is not the light of it, but the heat, that quickeneth, and maketh fertile and fruitful. It is one thing to know wherein wealth consisteth, and another thing to have it; and it is not the knowing of it, but the having of it that maketh a man rich and wealthy: So it is one thing to know God, and another thing to fear God; and it is not the knowledge of him, but the fear of him; and the knowledge of him so far forth, as it bringeth us to the fear of him, as a man's skill so far forth as it is a means to bring wealth to him, that maketh a man wise and happy. And that knowledge or faith therefore, that worketh not in this manner upon the affections, is but a liveliness shadow, a dead counterfeit of Faith.

Secondly, if it make us stand in awe of God and his Judgments; which he inflicteth oft upon others, even to keep us in awe. So when God smote Uzzah in DAVIDS sight, DAVID (it is said) feared God exceedingly that day. He feared him before, but exceedingly then: that roused up, renewed, and made his fear more fresh. And when Ananias and Sapphira were so suddenly slain, fear came upon the whole Church, and upon all those, not that saw it only, but that heard of it.

This is the nature of true Faith, to work in men's hearts, not a presumptuous security, and a regardlesnesse of God, but an awful fear, a reverent dread, a trembling at his Majesty, when he giveth but warning of Judgments to come; and much more then when his Judgments are already abroad in the world. My flesh trembleth, saith DAVID, for fear of thee, and I am (even heartily) afraid of thy Judgments. And surely if it be the property of the child of God to tremble at his word: Josiah heart melted again for fear at the hearing of the Law: how much more at his work, at his rod, at his scourge, at the shaking of his sword? What awful child will not tremble to see his father take the rod in hand, and it be but to correct some servant therewith? much more if it be to scourge one of his brethren. To fear any evil is natural: to be afraid of God's anger is a work even of grace too. And Nothing more fearful, saith Nazianzen, than not to fear it.

Neither let any here object unto me that of the Psalmist, He shall not be afraid of any evil tidings: for his heart is fixed, and believeth in the Lord.

For the very first words of that self-same Psalm are, Blessed is the man that feareth God. So that He that is not afraid so, yet doth fear. Some fear argueth a want of faith: and a want of faith appeareth by the want of some fear.

There is great difference between a distrustful fear and an awful dread. Faith quelleth and killeth, and expelleth the one: it breedeth, feedeth, fostereth, and cherisheth the other.

And we shall do well to observe how the Holy Ghost therefore oft joineth these two together: The eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, and that hope or trust (for hope and trust are in effect here, as oft else-where; the same) in his mercy. And again, The Lord's delight is in them that fear him, and that hope▪ or trust in his mercy.

In which places, as it is well observed by Augustine, that the Psalmist having said, that fear him, he addeth withal, and that trust or hope in him; to exclude the former fear. For, saith he, Men fear a thief, or a wild beast, in one manner; and children fear their parents in another manner. Men fear the one, so as they fly from them; good children the other, so as they seek to them. And in the latter manner, not in the former, ought men to fear God. Wicked men and damned spirits fear him so, as they fly from him: God's children so fear him, as that yet they sue and seek to him: If they seem to fly from him, it is but to fly to him; they fly but from his Justice to his Mercy: as he that appealed sometime from Philip to Philip, from Philip sleeping to Philip awaked: So do they fly from God to God, from God in justice angry with them, to the same God in mercy pacified and appeased towards them.

So again on the other side doth Bernard well observe, that being to say, that hope in him, he saith first, that fear him. For, saith he well, there are four •… sorts of men: some hope not, some despair, some hope in vain, and some hope aright.

The first sort is of those that neither hope nor fear; neither hope for God's mercy, nor fear God's wrath; it is all one to them, whether God be angry or not angry, whether he be pleased or displeased with them.

The second sort is of those that fear, but hope not; they fear God's wrath, but they hope not in his mercy: they have both their eyes fixed on the wrath and justice of God, neither eye on his mercy or goodness, and so come to be swallowed up with despair.

The third sort is of those that hope, but fear not; they hope in his mercy, but they fear not his wrath; they have both eyes fixed on God's mercy, neither of them on his wrath; and so presuming on his mercy, but having no regard to his wrath, they take liberty to themselves to lie and live in sin, without any remorse of conscience or repentance for the same. But they hope in vain, their faith is no faith, but a fancy, a presuming without promise, having no warrant from God's word. A faith not in God, but in such an I doll as they have framed to themselves, molded out of their own fancy, and set in God's stead, a God made all of mercy, having no anger at all; a far other manner of God, than God's word hath described to us, or rather than the true God hath described himself to us in his word. And if their Faith be so bad, their Hope can be no better; that being of necessity the foundation of this.

The fourth sort is of those that both hope and fear: So hope in God's mercy, as that they stand in awe yet of his wrath: as they cast the one eye on the one, so they fixe the other eye upon the other. And these are those that hope well and profitably, that trust to good purpose in God's mercy.

The first of them neither hope nor fear; the second fear, but hope not; the third hope, but fear not; the fourth hope and fear.

The first regard neither God's wrath, nor his mercy; the second regard his wrath, and not his mercy; the third regard his mercy, and not his wrath; the fourth regard both his mercy, and his wrath. Yea their very faith that reposeth it self on his mercy, maketh them regardful also of his wrath. And hereby therefore may we try our faith, whether it be sound and sincere or no, if it make us stand in awe of him whom we seem to believe and to trust in, especially then, when either he executeth, or giveth warning of Judgment. Which if it do not, it is not true Faith, nor such Faith as NOA here had. They are 〈◊〉 Children of God, no other than Children of wrath, faith Bernard, that fear not God's wrath, that stand not in awe of his Judgments.

Yea lastly, Let this admonish us, to labor to have this Fear wrought in us: whereby we may fear with NOA, and other of the faithful, when God giveth warning of his Judgments, that we may not feel them when they come: When I heard it, saith Habakkuk, my belly shook, and my lips quaked; rottenness ceased upon my bones, and I trembled at my very heart; that I might rest in the day of trouble. The fearing of them now, is the only means to prevent the feeling of them then. And the more now we fear them, the less shall we need then to fear them. He that feareth God's word, shall not feel his Rod. He that feareth before it come, shall the less need to fear when it cometh. Fear we must therefore, saith Gregory well, that we may not fear: fear when we hear it, that we may not fear when we see it: Fear with an awful and child-like fear now, that we may not fear with a distrustful and servile fear then. For those that fear most now shall have least cause to fear then, because they shall then be safe; and those that fear least now, shall fear most then; as those become most fearful, that out of ignorance were most forward, when they come to see and know the danger that they are in, which they apprehended not before.

NOA feared the Flood before it came; and when it came, was in the Ark safe and secure, free from fear of any danger to him or his by it. The wicked World feared it not, because they believed it not, till they saw it, and then were their hearts drowned and overwhelmed with fear and despair, before their bodies were overwhelmed and destroyed with the Flood.

But, fear God! may some say. Why? who doth not fear him? We might rather say with the Psalmist, Who is he that doth fear him? Implying the number of those to be very small that indeed sincerely so do.

But since that the fear of God seemeth so common, and everyone will lay claim to it, come we again to the trial. Wherein appeared NOAES Fear, but in his careful obedience, in his diligent endeavor to prevent the peril, though not yet approaching, not yet apparent? Moued with fear, saith the Apostle, he prepared the Ark for the saving of him and his.

In which Act of his observe we, both his Obedience to God's will and word, and his Care to prevent the peril.

First his Obedience to God's will and word. God biddeth NOA go and make such a Vessel to save him and his from a Flood, that should drown up the whole World. Alas, if he should do it, everyone would but laugh at him for his labor: as no doubt of it full many did. They would think him no wiser than the Prior of Saint Bartholomew's here among us, who upon a vain prediction of an idle and addle-headed Astrologer, went and built him an house at Harow on the Hill, to secure himself from a supposed Flood, that that Astrologer had foretold. As Lots sons in law, when their wives Father told them of a shower of fire and brimstone that should come and destroy all Sodom, they thought that either he mocked but and dalied; or else that he doated and was strangely deluded. So saith Basil of NOA, when he told the World of a Flood that should swallow up the whole World, and set himself thereupon about the building of an Ark, of such strange form and bulk, a work of so great toile and charge, to save himself and his household in, they thought the poor old man doated, he had dreamed, not, as we say, of a dry Summer, but of a wet Winter, he was drowned in a deep melancholy, and would be soused and drowned in his own sweat with moiling and toiling about such a building, before they should be over-flown with, or drowned in any deluge. But all this NOA contemned, and notwithstanding all this, he went not about only, but through with that that God had enjoined.

From which Cariage of NOA we may learn this instruction, that

True Faith and Fear will make a man contemn worldly men's scoffs; and notwithstanding them, do anything that God shall enjoin.

We might for the further proof of this point, muster up a multitude of Examples: Abraham's leaving his own Country and Kindred, to wander up and down he knew not whither himself, in hope of an inheritance that he never had as long as he lived: and the causing of himself to be Circumcised, when he was almost an hundred year old, together with his young son, and the rest of his family, a thing that was never heard of before, and such as would of any natural conceit be deemed not ridiculous only, but most indecent: King DAVIDS dancing before the Ark, for which Micol derided him: The Prophet Esaies going naked (though not so naked as many imagine,) without his upper garment, his prophetical habit, and without shoes on his feet: Jeremiah's breaking of a bottle for the confirmation of his Prophecy: his wearing of a wooden yoke, and going up and down with it about his neck: And his making of yokes and fetters, and sending them with such strange messages to foreign Princes, and those Infidels, by the hands of their own Ambassadors: Ezekiel's laying siege-to a model of the City, upon a tyle or a table, and making battery against it, and placing an iron pan between him and it: His lying and sleeping upon his left side alone, for a long time together: His making and eating bread of corn and pulse of all sorts mingled together, (meat fitter for beasts, than for any man to feed on,) and baking it with cow-sherds in the open and public view of his people; even of those that desired nothing more than matter to laugh and leere at him: The cutting of his hair, dividing it by weight, burning in the fire a third part, smiting with a knife another third, and scattering another third abroad into the wind; then taking a few of them and binding them up, and yet of them again, pulling some out again and throwing them into the fire: The carrying out of his housholdstuffe on his shoulders, thorough a hole digged in the wall, by day-light, and removing it himself from place to place, while a multitude of all sorts should stand by and look on. And, to pass by all others, Hoshe as marrying first of a light housewife, a common harlot; and after one that had been false to her former husband; imposing strange names on the children that he had by them: these, I say, and many other beside these might be alleged: but I hasten; and this of NOA may well countervail them all; a work of so great difficulty, that would take up so much time, be so long a doing, require so much travail, and so infinite expense, and all done for the preventing of so unlikely a danger: Many, no doubt, would flock about him out of all quarters to see it: many would be continually gazing upon him, when he should be at work about it: many a broad jest, many a bitter scoff would be broken upon him. No man would be thought ever to have taken more pains to beggar himself, or to have been at more cost, out of a vain fear of misery, to make himself miserable. But all these difficulties, and all the disgrace it might bring with it, NOAES Faith and his Fear overcame.

And no marvel.

For first, true Faith it is of a courageous, of an undaunted, of an unconquerable Nature. That which hath made men contemn fire and fagot; no marvel if it make them contemn the blasts of men's breath; which are no more able to shake a well grounded Faith, than the winds are able to stir the earth, though they should all at once blow upon it, and assault it from all points.

And again, the greater Fear ever expelleth the less. One Fear frighteth away another, as one nail is wont to drive out another. Fear not them, that is, men; but fear him, that is, God, saith our Savior: as if the Fear of the one would chase away all Fear of the other. And, Fear not their fear, but let the Lord of hosts be your fear, saith the Prophet. He that feareth him, saith Origen, feareth nothing but him. That fear will soon displace and dispossess all other fears. He that feareth the wrath of the almighty and everliving God, will set light by the reproach or the rebuke of any mortal man, yea of a whole world of them, as we see NOA here did.

In like manner ought it to be with everyone of us. We must be content to do as God biddeth us, and not refuse to yield to ought that he shall enjoin us, though we shall be but befooled and laughed at for our labor.

The Casuists say, that a man may lawfully break an human Constitution concerning a matter otherwise merely indifferent, when for observing of it he shall bebut counted a fool and derided for his labor. But no such pretence will excuse us from the doing of ought that God requireth of us. He that is ashamed of me and my word, (that is, of what I enjoin him) faith our Savior, before this wicked and bastardy generation, him will the Son of Man be ashamed of, when he cometh in his glory, and his holy Angels with him. We must not think much therefore to be derided and counted fools for his sake: we should esteem it rather, as the Apostles sometimes did, even a grace to be disgraced for him. They went away from the Council, saith the Holy Ghost, rejoicing, that they were vouchsafed the dignity to be dishonored for Christ's sake.

Nor is this admonition and exhortation needless in our times, wherein the careful going about the building of the spiritual Ark, exposeth men, if not so much and so openly as the making of the material Ark did NOA, yet too freely and too frequently, to the mocks and scoffs of profane people.

Be not ashamed, saith Augustine, of thy Christian profession. Be not ashamed of it? will some say. It seemeth a needless admonition. There are so few now that are not Christians, that if a man be not one, he shall rather be noted and pointed at. But for all that, saith he, try it when thou wilt, and thou shalt find my words true. Do but strive to live according to the rules of Christianity; and see if thou be not derided and scoffed at for it by those, that are Christians in Name, but not in deed. And the like may be said truly of these times of ours, wherein Religion is grown to be, as Bernard sometime complained, not a matter of form, but a matter of scorn: Simon Zealots is become an odious Name; profession of Piety is accounted Pharisaism, scrupulousity, and hypocrisy; the fear of God esteemed folly; & 〈◊〉 religious carriage made commonly matter of reproach. If a man live somewhat more strictly than the looser sort do, though not so strictly neither as his Christian profession requireth of him, (for even the best and the forwardest have their failings, and come far short of what they should) he shall not scape to have those opprobrious rearmes and titles fastened on him, of a Precisian, a Puritan, and the like, by those that affect looseness, and account the strictness of others a real controlling of their carriage. If he be conversant in God's word, and diligent in frequenting the ministry of it; he is a Bible-bearer, and a gadder up and down after Sermons. If he make conscience of an oath, and will reprove others when they swear; he is a superstitious fellow, too straitlaced, more nice than wise. If he will not swill and swagger, drink healths and play the goodfellow, go for company to a Brothel-house, or to a Play-house, little better, the very seminaries and nurseries of all filthiness and profaneness; he is a man altogether unsociable, of a melancholy disposition, little better than a lunatic, as they said sometime of John the Baptist. If he will bear an evil word, & put up a supposed wrong, not stab or challenge at least any one that shall give him the lie, nor be ready to right himself by private revenge; he is a coward, a meacock, baseminded, a man of no courage, one of God Almighty's fools, at the least and the best. These and the like censures must a man make account to undergo, even among Christians, if he be careful of upholding and maintaining his Christian profession, and of making good what in his Baptism he bound himself unto.

But as the Heathen man, Socrates, sometime said, That a man must be content to be accounted a Fool, that he may be happy; so we must make account and be content to bear this, and much more than this, if ever we hope or look to be happy, and to come unto heaven.

Yea if we believe and fear, (which hereby also we may try whether we do or no, as we would seem and profess all to do) our very Faith and Fear will make us set light by such paper-shot, and carry us on thorough the pikes, not of evil tongues, but of the eagerest opposition that either Satan himself, or any limb of his shall be able to make against us to turn us out of the good ways of God; we will never a whit fear or regard the one, if we do thoroughly fear the other.

Let us fear, saith Augustine, that we may not fear. Let us fear wisely, that we may not fear foolishly: That we may not fear Man, with the blessed Martyrs of Christ, let us fear God. Yea▪ let us not fear, say I, that we may not fear. Let us not fear now, lest we fear much more hereafter. Let us not fear the scoffs of men now, lest we feel the wrath of God hereafter. Better it is for us to be mocked for doing good, than to be damned for not doing it. Let us not be like Children therefore, that fear an ugly vizard, that cannot hurt them, but fear not the fire, that may scorch them: fear the blasts of man's breath, and not fear the fire of God's wrath. Let us only fear this, how we fear man or ought more than God. For there is nothing indeed fearful but that; nothing at least so fearful as it. Our not fearing the one now, may prevent the terror of the other; as on the other side, the fearing of the one, though not worthy our fear, if we give way to it, will assuredly procure the other. He that feareth now, where there is no cause to fear, shall another day have just cause to fear, when his vain fear shall have betrayed him to things truly fearful.

He is a fool, we say, that will be laughed out of his coat: but he were a double fool, that would be laughed out of his skin; that would hazard the loss of his soul, and of his eternal salvation, because he is loath to be laughed at, to quit himself of the mocks and scoffs of profane persons. Yea undoubtedly if we do in deed and truth believe the truth of God's word, and stand with holy NOA here in awe of his wrath: we will never give over our godly courses for such windy stuff as this is; our very fear it self will not suffer us, though we would.

And so pass we to the second thing that we observed in this Act of NOA, to wit, his Care to prevent the evil imminent; together with that point of Instruction which thence may be gathered, that

Fear breedeth Care.

As Faith breedeth Fear, so Fear breedeth Care. NOA, as he believed and feared, so he was careful with all speed to use all good means for the preventing of the peril that otherwise would have been. So Jacob, when he heard of his brother Esau's coming against him with four hundred men after him, being sore afraid of him, was careful of using all means, either for the pacifying of his wrath, or the saving of his family, some part of them at least, from his fury. So the Egyptians, when Moses had given warning of such a storm to come as would destroy all that were found abroad in the fields, so many of them as believed and feared the word of God took warning, and caused both their servants and their cattle to take and keep house for the preventing of that peril.

Nor can it in reason be otherwise. Where Faith hath wrought Fear, Fear cannot but work Care. Where the head hath wrought upon the heart▪ there the heart cannot but work upon the hand▪ And the hand is ever at the hearts command, ready to its utmost ability to execute whatsoever the heart exacteth of it.

Again, where there is a fear of evil, there is a desire also to escape evil; (for everything naturally affecteth it own good ) and a desire proportionable to the fear: and where a desire▪ to escape evil, an endeavor to use all means of escape: and ^z an endeavor likewise proportionable to that desire. Where there is a strong persuasion then, and apprehension of some great evil impendent, there cannot but be a great measure of fear: and where so great fear▪ no less vehement a desire of escape; and where such vehement desire, a most earnest and careful endeavor of preventing, if by any means it may be, that evil.

Add we hereunto that Faith, as it maketh things absent present, and things far off as at hand; and so maketh men to be affected with evils, as are by God, or from God, revealed to them, though yet absent, or far off, yet as if they were present, and at hand: So it maketh them as careful instantly, without longer delay, to betake them to such courses, as for the preventing and avoiding of those evils are deemed requisite, which to the eye of their faith are as imminent, or as present.

And lastly, That no affection is more vigilant, more violent, more forcible than fear, either to curb and restrain men of what otherwise they would, or to urge and contstrain them to what otherwise they are unwilling unto.

Jacob could not rest all night long, when he feared Esau's approach: nor Sampson longer repose himself on Dalilaes lap, when he heard once that the Philistines were upon him. Temptations of Fear are esteemed the most violent. And in human laws there is a nullity therefore held of actions extorted and wrung from men by fear: because in such case a man is held not to be a free man, to have no power or command in some sort of himself. The fear of God's wrath therefore in these cases, where it is fresh in the soul, cannot but shake off all security, cut off all carelessness, banish and abandon all slothful and reckless delay, and urge and enforce to all speedy and diligent usage of those means, whereby it may be pacified, and the evil prevented that may accrue from it.

Now hereby try we our Faith again, yea and our Fear too. Compare we NOA and our selves together; and see how contrary he and we are either to other: yea see how like we are in these days 〈◊〉 to the world that then was, than to him, as our S •… iour himself also fore •… old that it would be.

Consider his carefulness. God speaketh thus to NOA; An hundred and twenty years hence will I bring in a Flood that shall drown the whole world: and therefore if then wilt be then saved, go thy way out of hand, and build thee such an Ark as I shall show thee. And this God told NOA, when he was about some five hundred year old; for six hundred year old he was when the Flood came. So that NOA might well have thought thus with himself; I am five hundred year old already, and it will be yet an hundred and upward before the Flood come; Why? I may well be either dead and r •… tten in my grave before that time, or at least-wise very near the end of my days. And who would go t •… ile and •… ile so about building of a vessel of such bulk and bigness, to prolong his life so short a time? Or else, It was an hundred and twenty year yet to it; and what need he then go •… in all haste about it? he might go and take his pleasure for this hundredth year, and then set upon it some twenty 〈◊〉 ten year before, and get more help then and disp •… th it the sooner. But NOA did not, he could not, he durst not defer the doing of it, but went instantly in hand with it.

On the other side see our carelessness. God foret •… eth us that a second general destruction shall come▪ not by water▪ but by fire, the 〈◊〉 element of the twain; which even Heathen also have taken notice of: and that none then shall be saved but those that have a spiritual Temple or Sanctuary built in their souls, an house for his Spirit to inhabit, as hard and difficult a piece of work, as ever the making of the Ark was. As NOA before he could go about that building, he must first fell his wood, saw out his planckes, hew out his timber, &c. So before we can raise this spiritual building, we must pull down an old frame, an erection of the Devils rearing, that standeth where it must stand, and rid the place of the rubbish and remainders of it: Now this requireth much toile and labor, and will take us up much time: And yet we defer and put off all, and think we shall have time enough for it hereafter, though none of us are like to live near 〈◊〉 hundred▪ years, none sure to live half an hundred hours to an end. And what would we do, or how would we live, if we were sure that we should not die, ere an hundred years were expired and had past over our heads, when we have no care to provide for the preventing of this peril, being not sure of a day, not of an hour?

Again, God gave NOA warning by word only of 〈◊〉 evils, whereof no print or footstep was to be seen at the present. And NOA is stricken with fear, & prepareth presently to prevent it. God giveth us warning not by word only, but by deed, by evident arguments of his wrath already broke forth, and burning up our brethren almost on every side of us. And yet who layeth it to heart, or prepareth to prevent the evil that so evidently appeareth to approach?

Now what is the reason of such difference both in the one kind and in the other? (NOA so careful, and we so careless:) but that he believed and feared; and we do not? What else was it, that made Lots Sons▪ in law stay still in Sodom, though they were told what would become of it? What else, that made some of those Egyptians so careless, as to leave men and beasts abroad, when Moses had given warning of the storm that should come? But that the one believed not Lots word; the other feared not the Lord's word: the one believed not, and therefore feared not; and the other feared not, because they believed not? neither of both cared, because neither of both feared. And what else is it that maketh men stay still in their sin, and make no provision to prevent God's wrath, both revealed in his word, and manifested in his work; but that they believe not the one, they dread not the other?

And this may convince multitudes, even of professed Christians, to have neither Faith nor Fear. They live so securely, so carelessly, as if there were neither heaven nor hell: they prepare no more to meet God, when in wrath he seemeth to approach, then as if they cared not whether he came or no▪

Yet should we ask any of these, whether they believed the word of God or no, whether they feared the wrath of God or no? they would answer, they did; and be angry that any man should make doubt of it: they should be worse than beasts▪ no better than flat Atheists, if they did not. But, the wickedness of the wicked man assureth me, saith the Psalmist, that there is no fear of God before his eyes. And the loose and dissolute, the secure and careless courses of such evidently show, whatsoever▪ they may say, that there is neither Faith, nor fear of God in them, that they neither believe his Word, nor stand in awe of his wrath, they durst not for their lives do so as they do, if they did. If you fear, saith Augustine, how is it that you take no more care? Could Jacob sleep quietly, when he understood of Esau's approach? Or durst Sampson for all his strength and stontnesse lie still, when he heard that the Philistines were upon him? Much less durst any man, or could any man, that feared God's wrath, lie sleeping in sin, when warning were given of God's wrath, or while (it is the state of every impenitent person, had he a spiritual eye to discern it) the black clouds of his vengeance ready to seize on him, hung continually over his head. Say what thou wilt therefore, whosoever thou art that so livest, diddest thou fear God▪ as thou pretendest and professest to do, thou couldest not live so securely, thou durst not live so loosely; thou durst as well eat thy nails off, as we say, as do many things that daily thou doest; thy very fear would not let thee, it would not suffer thee to rest: it would be as a thorn at thy heart, and a spurr at thy side, to rouse thee and awake thee, and to keep thee from rest, till thou hadst procured thine own safety▪ and to urge and enforce thee to all speedy, careful, and industrious endeavor, whereby the same might be effected.

Well, to wind up all in a word: Let us all be like NOA; take warning when God giveth it; Believe what he 〈◊〉 ; fear before his face, especially when we see signs of his wrath, as we do pregnant ones at this present; use all care and endeavor to •… uert his▪ wrath, and to prevent the peril, when▪ we perceive i •… to approach. That can no way be done but by repentance of our sins, reformation of our lives, and alteration of our sinful and secure courses. This course therefore let everyone of us take without further delay; and pray that others also may do the like. It may be that God hearing the prayers, seeing the tears, and regarding the repentance of some few, may be moved to show mercy on the whole, though the generality remain still unreformed. All his fellow passengers their lives were bestowed upon Paul. Sodom had been saved, if but ten only had so done in it; Jerusalem, if but one alone. Or if the Lord be so peremptorily bent to destroy, and to bring in some general judgment, that though Moses and Samuel should sue for a people, they should not prevail with him, though NOA, Daniel and Job were among them, they should not save son nor daughter, (not so much as was saved in the Flood,) but themselves single only: yet shall we, by so doing, with NOA build an Ark, at least, for our selves, and our own souls. We shall be marked out for salvation, as those were that the Prophet speaketh of, in the general destruction. And one of these three shall undoubtedly befall us: Either we shall be taken away, with Josiah, before the evil come, and depart hence, to be laid up with our Fathers, in peace. Or, with Jeremiah, Baruch, and Ebed-melech, we shall have our lives given us for a prey: for the Lord knoweth even in general judgments how to save his: Or our afflictions, shall be seasoned, sweetened, and sanctified unto us; and though of themselves not good, yet shall they be turned to our good; and our decease, if we do perish in them, shall be but a means of translating us, from a wretched and a miserable life here; (where to live long, is but to be long in pain, and where by living long, we are constrained not to hear and see only, but to suffer; nor to endure only, but to do many things that willingly we would not;) to a more happy, comfortable, and blessed life elsewhere; wherein we shall never so much as see or hear of misery anymore.