Several Discourses Considering the Providence of God

SERMON XVIII.

I Am pointing you to some observable things in the motions of Divine Providence, though the way of God in it be in many things unsearchable, and past finding out. Three Observations I have already made, justified them by plenty of instances, and endeavored to give you some reasonable account of them, and suited some Application to them. I proceed now to a fourth, which you may take thus:

Observ. 4. The Providence of God as to its works, relating to his Church and people, rarely as to circumstances answereth the expectations, and confidences of the best of God's people. I will open it in two things:

1. God never faileth the grounded expectations of his people, as to anything which he hath promised. Psa. 9.18, The expectation of the poor shall not perish. Their expectation is upon God, and their Souls wait for God, Psalm 62.5, and their expectation and confidence in him shall not fail; They that trust in him shall not be ashamed. It is made the portion of a wicked man, Prov. 11.7. Prov. 10.18, that his expectation shall perish; but the hope of the righteous shall be gladness. The Wiseman saith, His expectation shall not be cut off, Prov. 23.18; The reason is plain, The expectation of good men is an expectation of faith, and the object of faith is the word of God; and heaven and earth shall pass away, before one tittle of God's word, be it of promise, or precept, shall fail: Many promises as to the Jews, and as to Gospel-Churches are fulfilled; some are yet to be fulfilled: Antichrist is yet to be destroyed; The Jews (doubtless) are to be called in a more plentiful manner than they have yet been. There are many Scriptures that seem to assure a more united, peaceable, glorious state of the Church. Now these Promises, are matter of God's people's expectations; and as to the things promised, the expectations of the poor people of God shall not perish forever: the things shall certainly be accomplished. If their hopes, and expectations, and confidences might fail; the word of God, the truth of God might fail: but this cannot be.

2. But secondly, as to circumstances you shall observe, God rarely answereth the confidences and expectations of the best of men, unless they be part of the Promise. By circumstances, I understand whatsoever is not essential to the thing promised. Particularly, 1. Time, when a thing is done. 2. Place, where a thing is to be done. 3. Particular persons, by whom, as Instruments, God will do his work. 4. Particular means, or actions, by which the things should be brought to pass. These and such like I call Circumstances, as to which God's Providence often fails, not only the earnest desires and expectations, but the highest persuasions and confidences of men; yea even of such as fear him.

1. As to persons. Who, if he had not exactly considered the Promise, subjoined to what God had said, they should four hundred years be servants to the Egyptians, (and it was not like Joseph should indeed live so long); but I say, if he had not considered that, but only received a notion of the delivery of Israel out of Egypt, would not have thought Joseph should have been the man who should have given conduct to that motion? Who would have expected it from Moses, a poor Hebrew child, exposed to the next tide in a thin Ark of Bulrushes? yet by Moses, Providence did the work. When Moses had done that work, and given them forty years conduct in the Wilderness, and was grown an experienced Commander; who would not have thought, and expected that he should have led them over Jordan, and given them possession of the promised Land? But Moses must die, and his servant Joshua must do it. In the captivity of Babylon, the believing Jews doubtless had great expectation of a deliverance, according to the Promises so often repeated by the Prophet: and unquestionably they had their expectations upon this, and that person, probable to have done it; but who could have dreamed that Cyrus should be the man? The Army of Israel under Saul, might reasonably have expected that some or other of the great Soldiers, which were at that time doubtless in the Army of the Israelites, should have encountered Goliath; Who could have thought of a Shepherd's coming and doing of it, with a sling and a stone? There is a Promise under the New Testament for the bringing down of Antichrist, the ruin of Babylon: how often have men's expectations been upon this, or that, or the other Prince to have done it? and to what strange confidences have some, even good people grown? that this, or that person should be the man, should pull Antichrist out of his Seat: we see hither to God hath failed all their expectations; the person appears not that shall do that great work; and when he shall appear, it is likely that it shall be one never talked of, never thought of.

Secondly, As to Time: We have a strange curiosity to know the times and seasons, which is not for us to know, but are reserved only to God. Tell us (say the Disciples) when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the World, Matth. 24.3? Acts 1.6, Wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel? There are three great Promises, or four, concerning the Churches of God, the fulfilling of which we yet expect, 1. That for the destruction of Antichrist, 1 Thess. 2.7, 8. 2. For the full conversion of the Jews, Rom. 11.26, (to speak nothing of many other Texts which look that way). 3. Christ's second coming, of which you know the Scripture speaketh plentifully. 4. A more calm, and flourishing, and peaceable state of the Church; which many Scriptures also seem to look toward: whether for a thousand years precisely, under the conduct of Christ's coming personally, or no, hath, you know, been much disputed: but the generality of the most inquisitive Divines into the will of God, do think there shall be a more peaceable and calm state of the Church of God. Now it is strange to observe the curiosity of many in searching out the precise time when these things, or some of them, should begin, or be. Some have fixed this year; some another. How many agreed in the year 1666, is known to those anything acquainted with books: we see the Providence of God hath hitherto failed all men's conjectures; and still it holds, that of these days and hours knoweth no man; the best Prophets have proved but vain guessers.

I might give you a-like instances as to Places and Means: but you will generally observe it, That the Providence of God rarely, as to circumstances, suiteth any of our fancies. And the same thing we shall observe as to particular cases of Christians, who are ready to think, that if ever, by such an instrument at such a time, or by such a means, they must, or shall obtain their desired mercy. They obtain it probably, but by quite other means, and at other times, and by other instruments than they fancied, and such perhaps as they never thought of; the thing is plain, and evidenced from a daily experience: let us a little inquire into the Reason of it. Hath God a pleasure in frustrating the expectations of his people? or exposing them to the worlds censures, as persons pretending to more acquaintance than they indeed have with the Counsels of God? Surely no: But God by this method of his Provdience does two things: 1. He punisheth the rashness and vanity of his people's spirits. 2. He more consulteth the glory of his own name.

1. He by this means chastiseth the vanity and rashness of his people: there is a great deal of vanity in people's spirits in this particular. Let me show you the great evil of this in some few particulars.

1. There is in it an unwarrantable curiosity. Job tells us, chap. 11.12, That vain man would be wise, though he be like a wild asses colt. We have a great itch after knowledge of things, which God hath hidden from us. Now this is a great Error, and you shall observe it continually checked by our Savior, when anything of it discovered itself even in his best Disciples: when they said to him, Wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel? He saith unto them, It is not for you to know the times and seasons, Acts 1.6, 7. When Peter saith to him, John 21.21, 22, Lord, what shall this man do? Mark our Savior's answer; If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. When the Disciples asked him, Matth. 24.3, Tell us, when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? Jesus answereth and saith unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. God of old had an Ark into which none might look. There are secrets of his Will, which are as yet the Ark of God: we would fain be looking into this Ark, there's our vanity. God chastens us in it with disappointments, that we may learn, not to pry into God's secrets; things which we cannot see, because God hath hidden them; the things are sure, the vision is certain, and there is an appointed time, but that appointed time is not published.

2. There is as to these things an ungrounded confidence, which God also chastiseth by these disappointments: There is nothing more worthy of a Christian, than a believing God upon his word, and a relying upon him for the fulfilling of it. There is nothing more idle, nothing more unworthy of him, than to be confident, where he hath no word to set his foot upon. Now such a confidence as this, is the confidence of people as to circumstances. It is true, as to the Jews deliverance out of Egypt, and out of Babylon, the promise did not only extend to the thing, but to the time: the four hundred years for the first were named, and the 70 years for the latter; yea, and the particular person Cyrus, by whom God would deliver them. But it is not so as to the promises which we live in expectation of the fulfilling of, as to the Church: God hath no-where revealed the year for the ruin of Antichrist, nor for the calling of the Jews; nor when the halcion-days of the Church shall begin, or when Christ shall come to the last judgment. If people will expect any of these things shall begin, or be at such a time, in such a year, by such persons, their Confidences are without ground or bottom, their pretended faith but a rude and bold presumption, a rush growing up without any mire, and a flag growing up without water; and it is but reasonable, that God should chastise these vain Confidences.

3. There is in these things a sinful limitation of God. It is laid to the charge of the Israelites, That they limited the Holy One of Israel, Psal. 78.41. When men tie up God to their circumstances in the fulfilling of his promises, or his threatenings, they limit God. Now this is a great sin, God is a free and a powerful Agent, he works by means, or without means; sometimes by means that seem probable, sometimes by such as have no appearance of probability to produce the effect: he can work how, and when, and by whom he pleaseth: he that fixeth God to his circumstances, secretly saith, It must be thus, or no way; by this means, and by no other, now or never. What ground else is there for the expectation or confidence, if God hath nowhere revealed his Will as to particular circumstances, only as to the accomplishment of the thing in general? God will have us know we are not to limit him.

4. Such expectations and confidences are usually but introductions to a greater unbelief. God hath promised the things in the plain letter of Scripture: the Vision is sure; vain man would be wise, and search out when these things shall be, and where accomplished, and by what instruments and means; at length he fixeth his eye upon some instruments at work in the world, or some means which he fancieth probable to bring these words into a Being. Upon these he raiseth up to himself high expectations, and groweth very confident, that in such a year the thing will be; and such a person shall be God's Instrument, and by such means he will effect it: It proveth no such thing. What a temptation this often proves to men, to believe nothing of the thing; but because they have deceived themselves in expectations and confidences, for which they have no ground, to think also that God hath deceived them, and there shall no such thing at all be as he hath promised?

5. And lastly, These expectations and confidences prove oftentimes very great temptations to the use of unlawful means, in order to the bringing about of what we would have, and know God will bring to pass; and do but fancy that he will do it at such, or such a time, or by such and such instruments. The story of the Anabaptists in Germany is a dreadful story to this purpose; There is a world of evil in these vain confidences and expectations, and consequent to them, which God sometimes punisheth in a more smart and severe manner, as he did to those Rusticks, that so much disturbed the Civil peace in Germany; but generally punisheth by disappointments, to bring us to a regular trust and confidence in him, where we have a plain and sure word to fix our foot upon.

Thus I have shown you the reasonableness of these cross motions of Divine Providence, in point of Divine Justice; that God might punish people's sinnings in them, and caution others against the like guilt.

2. Let me (in the second place) show you the reasonableness of it in order to the glory of God; which I have often told you is the great end which God aims at in all his great Works, whether of Creation, or of Providence.

1. The work is more eminently seen to be the Lord's, although he in effecting it, maketh use of instruments and human means. God doth not always, yea, he doth not ordinarily work miraculously, but maketh use of rational means, and worketh in, with, and by them. Now if God in these workings should make use of means, and instruments, and circumstances, which our fancies prescribe unto him; we should be apt to overlook the mighty Power and Efficiency of God in the means; for the more we have a prospect of an event in the second Causes before it comes, the less we see of the first Cause in it. But when we see ourselves disappointed in all our expectations, as to time, persons, means, circumstances, and the thing brought about by persons we thought not of, at a time we looked not for it, by means not at all in our eyes as probable to effect it; the more is the hand and power of God seen in the effect, while we cry out, This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

2. Again, God hath more Glory from the Prayers, Humiliations, and Praises of his people. By these things God is glorified, as his Will is done, as his Power is recognized. Disappointments produce more extraordinary Prayers and Humiliations: when we meet with them, we see the folly of our rashness, ungrounded confidences; and see reason to lie low before the Lord, with more fervent Prayers to God, to take his work into his own hand, and having manifested to us our follies, now to declare his own wisdom, that having broken our arms of flesh, he would now make bare his own holy arm; and the fulfilling of his word at last by means and circumstances not known to us, produce praises, adorings, and admirings of his infinite wisdom, and further confidences in God for the time to come; when we see arms of flesh broken, and find our bruised reeds and broken staffs but running into our hands, and wounding us, instead of helping us. I have done with the Doctrinal part of this Observation, I come now to the Application of it.

Use 1. The first Use may be, Not to wonder at disappointments of this nature, and to take heed they be no temptations to us. Here are you see two branches: 1. Not to wonder at them. There is nothing more ordinary; it is not often that a Church, or body of people, or a particular soul, or person, obtaineth any great mercy or deliverance in the way they looked for it, or at that moment of time they expected it in. God delights to surprise his people's hearts with joy and gladness: we are sick, and we are ready to think such a person, and by such a means, must heal us: the cure comes quite another way. Naaman thought the Prophet would have come, and laid his hand upon his leprous body: the Prophet bids him go and wash in the waters of Jordan. We are in terrors, in troubles of mind, &c. and we are ready to think, such, or such a Minister must speak to us, and then we shall be relieved; he cometh, and applieth what help he can; we are yet disquieted, and find no relief at all; the mercy comes at last quite another way: Mercy comes to God's People, as Judgment (ordinarily) comes upon sinners, in a way, and upon a day they looked not for it: when with Agag they say, Surely the bitterness of death is past: I say, so mercies ordinarily come to God's People, in an unlooked-for time, in a way, and by persons they looked not for it by.

2. Let not such disappointments be temptations to you: Let them not be temptations to make you distrust the promises, or to use any unlawful and indirect means to obtain your desires. It is not God that hath deceived you: you have but deceived yourselves: God hath made you certain promises of the things; you will limit him to do it by such a time, by such means, by such persons and instruments: The promises express no such things, but have left God to his liberty. You have no reason to distrust God's word, because you have disappointed yourselves.

Use 2. Let us make this use of the Observation, To embrace the promises, and to depend upon God for the fulfilling of them, without limiting him as to circumstances. Let us do this as to those great promises which are behind to be fulfilled: as to the destruction of Antichrist, the calling of the Jews, the second coming of Christ, the more happy and calm state of the Church, &c. The Scripture seems clear as to the things, that they shall be; but it is far from being clear, that it shall be in such a year, or by such a mean or instrument; there is nothing particular of this nature for a good Christian to set the foot of his faith upon. I have shown you, there is a great vanity of Christians in these things. I know Christians have a very great curiosity to search dark Prophecies, to find out the particular circumstances for these things: I cannot commend their diligence; it is much like the hard labor and study of those that have been studying the Philosophers stone; a great deal of money, and much more precious time hath been spent about it, nothing yet effected; no more hath there been in these things: men have wearied themselves in vain, and their study hath been but labor and travel. 2. Again, As to promises that concern our particular souls, for comfort, for a victory over temptations, &c. they are many, they are exceeding sweet; but they are general, not to this or that individual person, but to such as love and fear the Lord, to persons under such or such qualifications; they are exceeding sweet, but they are not made with circumstances. God will have his people trust him, he will have them wait for him. Take heed either of saying, These things shall never be: this is to give the lie to the God of Truth. God says thou shalt live: thou sayest, I shall die, I shall fall by the hand of this temptation: and take heed of saying, If it ever be, it must be by such a time, by such a Minister, it would have been by such a Minister, &c. This is to limit the Holy One of Israel; thou knowest not the ways of God, it is a knowledge too high, too deep for thee: Providence usually bringeth home, both the promises to the Saints, and the threatenings to the Sinners, in a way quite different from what they looked for, or it may be expected it in.

I have spoken enough already to take Christians off this; but yet because it is a great point, a thing wherein we are prone to slip, and wherein our slipping is more than ordinarily dangerous: let me spend a little time further to argue you out of this vanity, and to direct your Souls in the expectation of the fulfilling of Divine Promises.

1. Consider how much the strength of your souls is spent, and how vainly, in the expectations of your own fancies. As the expectation of that for substance, which God never promised, is but the expectation of our own fancy: so neither is the expectation of what God hath promised under such circumstances as are no part of the promse. Now the strength of our Souls runneth much out in such expectations: Let a man but fancy, that in such a year Babylon shall fall, The Jews shall be called; The thousand years shall begin, That by such a time the Church in distress, or his Soul in distress, shall be delivered: It is strange to observe, how the Soul will spend itself upon such a Notion; the thoughts of men run upon it, their wits are bent to interpret dark Scriptures into their own fancies: it presently becomes the main article of their faith, and the great argument of their hope, and the whole subject of their discourses; and at last (possibly) they are enforced to acknowledge, that they had a lie in their right hand. The Prophet useth the expressions upon an higher argument; but yet they are applicable here: Why spend you your strength for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which will not profit? There is nothing that is bread for a Soul, but the Word of God; it hath pitied my Soul many times to observe many (otherwise I hope serious persons), how they have spent themselves in such Enquiries and expectations as these.

Consider (secondly) how the faith of your souls is often endangered and shaken by your disappointments in these things. I do but name this again; for I before enlarged upon it. How ready are we to dis-believe the Promise wholly, because it comes not in the circumstances that we fancied it would come! The Apostle was aware of this great Evil; and therefore when some had been prophesying in the Church of the Thessalonians, of a sudden coming of Christ to Judgment, he writeth to that Church, 2 Thess. 2.1, 2, Now we beseech you brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that you be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us; as if the day of Christ were at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means. The Apostle saw that this hasty and ungrounded expectation of Christ's coming, under such circumstances as he had now here revealed, did not only tend to the troubling of Christians when they saw themselves disappointed, but also to the shaking of their faith, as to the thing itself: and therefore beseecheth them, by the coming of our Lord Jesus, and by their gathering together unto him: what can be the meaning of that, but this? If ever you expect the joyful coming of Christ, and would keep your faith steady as to it; if ever you would be with us gathered unto him, concern not yourselves in those who would limit the Promises to the circumstances of their own fancying: Let them pretend Revelations of the Spirit, or wrest the word of God; yet faith the Apostle, let them not deceive you. You have an eminent instance of this shaking of Christians faith, so consequential to this limiting of God to circumstances, Luke 22.31. There was a Promise of redeeming Israel: Christ had been crucified, and three days were passed, and they had heard nothing tending to their expectation: say they, We trusted it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and besides all this, today is the third day since these things were done. Their faith began to shake as to the main Promise, because Providence in the accomplishment of them, did not fit it with the circumstances which they had fancied.

Thirdly, Consider, it much hindereth that duty of waiting upon God, which the Scripture so often presseth upon us. I need not mention particular Scriptures: there is hardly any one duty more pressed upon Christians in Scripture, than this patient waiting upon, and for God. Now how doth that Soul wait upon God, that limits God to his circumstances of time, place, means, persons? he indeed waiteth upon those circumstances a while; but when he is disappointed as to them, he knoweth not how to wait upon God any longer. The Soul which truly waiteth on God, leaveth circumstances unto him. You will say unto me in the next place, What then is the duty of a Christian with respect to the Promises, whether concerning the Church, or his own soul in particular? I answer, to receive and embrace them, and be persuaded of the truth of them, and leave unto God the way, time, manner, and circumstances for fulfilling of them, which he hath not revealed: going on in the way of our plain duty, till God shall please to give a being to his Word. You shall see your duty, Heb. 11.13, These all died in the faith, not having received the promises; but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. What promises were these? The promises of Canaan, of the Messias. Abraham saw Christ's day, and rejoiced (saith our Savior); They received these promises in their ears, God revealed his will for these things; they saw them afar off, as things like to come to pass many years after; they were persuaded of them, of the truth of them, that God would give them a being: they embraced them with thankful believing hearts, and lived so, as that they confessed themselves strangers and pilgrims of the Earth; in a constant course of self-denial, and fulfilling the will of God, and in a crucifixion to the World: they never stood troubling themselves to search out the particular time, and circumstances, when, and which way God would do these things: but kept in the faith of the Promise; leaving circumstances unto God: Let us go and do likewise. I shall conclude this discourse with a Text of our Savior's, Luke 17.20, 21, And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the Kingdom of God should come? He answered and said, the Kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here, or Lo there, for behold the Kingdom of God is within you. Let me a little open these words to you: The Kingdom of God, that is, the great things which concern the Kingdom of God; these are not brought to pass, and come not with Observation, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , that's the Original phrase, we translate with Observation. There are divers interpretations given of that Text: Not with a superstitious observation of days, months, and years; so some make the sense, according to that of the Apostle to the Galatians, You observe days, and months, and years: I am afraid of you, &c. And Rom. 14, 17, The kingdom of God is not in meat, and drink, but righteousness and peace. Some understand it of external Observations of meat and drink, such as God had commanded to the Jews: but the most, and most valuable Interpreters agree in one of these two senses: which indeed well considered, both make but one.

1. So as it may or can be observed. Thus Brugensis, Piscator, and Beza, who indeed translates it, Ita ut observari possit; so as it can be observed. Theophylact understands it of the time; so as the time cannot be fixed, nor the place neither. It followeth, Neither shall they say, Lo here is Christ, or lo there.

2. Not with a worldly Pomp, Splendor or Ceremony. Thus Stella, Chemnitz, Erasmus, Piscator, &c. This is the same indeed with the other: and therefore they generally add, ut observari possit, we do not use to observe the coming of a Kingdom, but by observing some Pomp, Splendor, &c. preliminary to it. Now (saith Christ) the Kingdom of God cometh not so as it can be observed, it stealeth upon men and surpriseth them: it cometh not by observation. Christ indeed hath given us general signs of his second coming, and of the end of the World, &c. But he hath also added, Of that day and hour knoweth no man. I suppose the same thing is to be said as to the Promises for calling the Jews: for the expected peace, and tranquility of the Church of God, when the usual years shall begin, &c. Believe the thing, pray, wait, that is all which we have to do in the case.

SERMON XIX.

I Am yet proceeding in recommending to you some further Observations I have made upon the motions of Actual Providence, in the execution of the eternal Counsels and Purposes of God; and fulfilling his Word, whether of Promise or Threatning. Four I have done with: A Fifth I shall now offer and discourse a little upon it.

5th Observ. The Actual Providence of God, in the production of its great works, relating to his Church, or the particular members of it, doth ordinarily suit or fit the circumstances of the world, or the circumstrances of particular persons, to the work he intendeth to produce.

I say Ordinarily. Every Rule must have some Exception: especially such Rules, as upon observation we fix concerning the methods of Divine Providence. The infinitely wise God treadeth not always in the same steps; I say, in his great works relating either to the Church, or to such particular persons as are members of it: These two, I before told you were the great Objects of Special Providence. As Canaan of old was the Land which God cared for, upon which his Eye was, from the beginning of the year to the end of it: so his Church still is, and to the end of the World will be the object of his more special care; and with reference to which, Providence produceth its most remarkable works: Hence you shall observe throughout all the Scripture, though mention be made of such other Sons as the Patriarchs had, and other Nations and Princes contemporary with those of the Jews, are named; yet very little of their story is recorded, and that only subservient to the story that was to keep a Record of God's dealings with his own people. This makes me restrain the Observation to the Church and Members of it; and that which I recommend to your remark is, God's ordinary fitting the circumstances of the adjacent world (which lies round about the Church, as the mountains about Jerusalem, or the Nations of old about Canaan ) to what he is producing in his Church; and the particular circumstances of persons, to the work God hath to produce, more eminent with relation unto them.

1. I will show you this, with reference to the productions of Providence, relating to the collective body of his people, which we call the Church.

2. With reference to particular persons, that have relation to this body, in matters of an outward concern.

3. With reference unto the souls of his people, in matters of a more inward and spiritual concern.

1. With reference to the great products of Providence relating to the body of his people, called the Church.

1. The Jews (you know, under the Old Testament) were the only people that could lay claim to this great Name, To whom God was nigh, in the midst of whom he dwelt, whom he so often delivered, and for whom he so signally engaged. Great works of Providence we read of relating to them: their deliverance out of Egypt, and conduct through the wilderness; their bringing out of Babylon after their seventy years Captivity, and re-building their Temple and City. The sending of the Messiah. When the Providence of God sets about these works, let us observe how God fitted circumstances to these great products, making everything beautiful in his time (as Solomon saith in Eccles. 3.11.) In the bringing of the Children of Israel out of Egypt, God did two things: 1. He brought out the Jews out of a Nation where they had been bred, and lived some hundreds of years: His Providence now fitteth circumstances to this; it suffereth the King of Egypt most miserably to oppress them, so as they were weary of their lives. It is hardly else conceivable, that they would willingly have quitted their possessions, and their Native-Country, to obtain a land promised 400 years before; and that not without overcoming the difficulties of an houling wilderness, and many years fighting. The Providence of God also destroyeth Egypt by Ten successive plagues, else the King and his Servants would never have let so many 100000 persons go out of their Dominions. Circumstances were fitted by God to the design of his Providence: they must be grievously oppressed, that they may be made willing to go; and Pharaohs People and Nation must be destroyed, that he may suffer them to get into a body for a march, and furnish them with a viaticum for their journey. Pharaoh and his Army must be destroyed; alas, the Israelites are in no circumstances fit to fight them: the Sea shall divide itself, they shall see the Israelites go through safely as on dry ground: this shall allure them to follow them, then the waters shall return and swallow them up.

2. God brings this people out of Babylon: he had promised, that after 70 years they should come out; Cyrus, he conquers Babylon just at that time, and it was his interest to let them go, as much as it was the interest of the Kings of Babylon to keep them there: He thus endeared the Jews to him, and thus transplanted a Colony; yea, and secured Jerusalem to his obedience, which was before under the Command of the Babylonians, who were his Enemies.

3. The sending of the Messias was a great product of Divine Providence: he was to introduce a new way of worship, to preach (what to them in their corrupted state) was a new Doctrine: had the Jews been in their heighth, this would by no means have been endured by them: See how God fitteth the worlds circumstances, to this great product of Providence: The scepter is departed from Judah, and the lawgiver from his feet: the Jews are become Tributaries to the Romans, and under their power; so they were not so brisk as they would have been: There is a general peace over all the world, so as the Romans were not so jealous of making parties and factions: people were more at leisure to listen to the Gospel, and Prince of peace. Now comes the Lord Jesus Christ. If we should carry the business a little further, What great work hath God ever done since, in which we may not see a remarkable fitting of the worlds circumstances to the production of it? I will instance but in one or two things, referring to the Protestant-Reformation.

Our reformation you know was began in the time of Henry the Eight; How did God fit our circumstances to it? King Henry shall fall out with the Pope, because he will not allow his divorce, and so shall break with him, and set up a purer course of Religion; it was hardly to have been imagined, how England should have been freed from Popery at another time, by the advantage of the chief Magistrates assistance.

There was a strange concurrence of Divine Providences in the reformation which was begun in Germany. Luther was raised up, a man of a most invincible spirit and courage: Printing was found out a-few years before in that very Country, in 1440; by which means, Luther's, and others books were presently diffused throughout all Europe, [ V. Sculteti annales, l. 1. c. 1.] The knowledge of Arts and Learning, were just restored to the world, after the long darkness and ignorance in which Popery had muffled the world. Many secret favorers of Religion were admitted to great places in the Popish-Church, who either out of favor to the reformed Religion, or out of love to their learning, shown great kindness to the first Reformers: several great Princes of Germany were also prepared; some possibly out of conscience, others out of principles of honor, favoring and protecting Luther. In short, the Providence of God hath hardly at any time produced any great work, in the change of the State of the Church, or of any Kingdom; but his fitting of the circumstances of the world to it, have been strangely obvious and remarkable to every observing eye.

2. Let us, secondly, take a view of the Providence of God working as to particular persons, with reference to things of a more outward concern: take it in the instances of Joseph, of David, of Haman, of the three Children, and Daniel. David was to be brought to be King over Israel and Judah; from a Shepherds boy, to be a great Prince; he shall first kill Goliath; he shall be sent for to Court, to drive away Saul's evil spirit with his Harp; he shall marry, the Kings Daughter, and grow great with Jonathan. Joseph is to become a great man in Egypt; he shall first be recommended to Pharaoh, grow great with him, a famine shall come, he shall save much people alive; and thus be in great honor, and in a capacity to serve his Fathers family. The Providence of God designs to preserve the Jews, to advance Mordecai, to ruin Haman. An Hebrew Lady, by a strange Providence shall come to be Queen, and one that shall be Mordecai's Niece. Haman shall be found upon the bed with Esther, and mistaken in his Complement to her, as if he had a design to force her, &c. Infinite are the instances which might be brought.

3. Let us consider the motions of Providence with reference to the souls of people, as to their best and most spiritual concerns. If God hath much people in Macedonia, St. Paul shall be called thither: he ordereth Ministers to places, or particular persons to a Ministry proper for the work, in a strange way many a time, when he hath a design to do good to particular souls. But here let me recommend one observation to you; When he designeth the trial of a Child of his, with inward troubles and temptations, he usually fits it with an unhealthy body, suited to such impressions; and when he designeth the restoring of quiet and peace to the spirit, he ordinarily fits it with an healthy body: Not that all the trouble and disquietudes of the spirit floweth from the indisposition of the body; the contrary is evident enough to any who diligently observe Christians at such times, and may know many others under the same kinds, and possibly greater degrees of bodily distempers, whose minds are not so disturbed, who have no such temptations, &c. But seldom it is, but such inward troubles are circumstanced with bodily disturbances; and so on the contrary, it is rare to find a peaceful, quiet, rejoicing spirit; but it is suited also with a freedom from bodily distempers, especially such as have an influence upon the head, and affect that. But I shall enlarge no further upon what is so evident to any who observeth anything of the motions of Divine Providence.

Reas. Now the Reason of this is evident; Because, though the Providence of God sometimes produceth things miraculously; yet it ordinarily produceth them by the way of means: some means, although possibly not adequate, and fully proportioned to the production. The Providence of God is a servant to his Glory: that is the end for which it works, for which it always worketh, and can work for no other end: but it doth not always work for the glorifying of God in the same Attribute: sometimes it glorifieth his Power, sometimes his Wisdom, sometimes his Goodness and Mercy, &c. It glorified God's Power in the destruction of Pharaoh; he was ruined by the immediate supernatural hand of God; but ordinarily the Providence of God worketh by means, and the Wisdom of God is most eminently seen, in contriving, and ordering, and disposing means unthought-of; and yet ordinarily the Power of God is also glorified, the means being such as are very unlikely, or improbable to produce such an effect. Now this being granted, that the most ordinary way of God's working is by means, little or much; there must be an ordering and preparation of them: and this is the reason of God's fitting adjacent circumstances to his work which he produceth; those circumstances, being the ordinary means, which God thinks fit to make use of, to work in, with, and by. And here the great Power and Wisdom of God is seen, in ordering the affairs of the world, so as they shall suit his great designs and purposes, that men see reason to cry out, O the depth of the wisdom and of the Counsel of God! So that, look as God did not bring man into the World, till he had fitted the World for his use and Government; nor doth bring any creature (by his continued Creation) into the World, before its table is prepared: the Fly, the Silk-worm, &c. doth not prevent its meat; so neither doth God's work prevent the means, by which he designeth the accomplishment of it. Thus everything is brought forth in its time, and every work of God is thus made glorious.

Secondly, God by this means, putteth a wonderful beauty upon his works of Providence. The beauty of any creature, you know, doth not only lie in the color of it, and the loveliness of that; but in the Symmetry and proportion of all its parts. Hence our Eye judgeth sometimes a person that is of a good complexion, to have little or nothing of beauty; but a good mixture of color, with a good symmetry and proportion of parts, must concur to a perfect beauty. God's work is perfect, and his ways are Judgment, Deut. 32.4, and he is excellent in working, Jer. 32.19. The glory of the Lord is much concerned, not only in the goodness of his works; but in the perfection and beauty of it. Now it adds much to the beauty of a work, when it is brought forth in a fit season, and is as an apple of gold in a picture of silver. The unlook'd-for concurrence of all circumstances to the production of any great work of God, makes it appear very admirable in our Eyes.

Thirdly, God doth by this means wonderfully glorify, both his Power and his Wisdom, in the Eyes of the men of the World. 1. His power: when men see the whole Creation sequacious to his Will and Counsel; that as soon as he begins, and sets out in any work, there is a fudden change in the creature, and all of them follow him in his paths. As the power of a great Prince is herein magnified, all his Subjects possibly are secure and at quiet, and peace, and think nothing of the Prince's counsels: But no sooner doth he set up his Standard, or cause his Drums to be beat up, but presently all his Subjects are in arms, and ready to follow him, upon what designs he pleaseth to lead them. This speaketh now the great power and influence, this Prince hath upon his Subjects. So now, to observe the World as it were all at quiet, and minding no such thing, and God then beginning some great work, and as it were setting up his Standard; and it is no sooner up, but all men flock to it, as if it had been a design laid amongst them. To make it plain by an instance; The whole World almost was in a dead sleep of Popish-ignorance and superstition, and in all human appearance, none thought or dreamed of any Reformation: God no sooner proclaimeth his design of Reformation, and useth Luther to set up his standard at Wittenburg 1516; it was but by a pitiful Monk: but as if this had been a design of a long contrivance in the World, and laid in the several parts of Germany, Duke Frederick the Saxon-Elector, falls in with him; Franciscus Picus Mirandula, at Rome persuades a Reformation, Marquess Caracciolus, and Bernhardenus Boniface, Marquess of Oria turn Confessors at Naples: Zwingli stands up for Reformation in Switzerland; Myconius, at Thuring (I think all in a year) and then other parts in Germany, till the Reformation had overspread the greatest part of Germany. What a wonderful Specimen was this of the power of God upon men, upon the hearts of men in the World? yea, and thus the Wisdom of God is wonderfully magnified: for by this means all the World comes to be convinced, that God could not have begun, or done his work in a fitter time. Indeed, God could have done it with equal advantage at any time, having at all times the hearts of Princes, and of all men in his hand: but those that do not so wistly consider the influence of God upon men's hearts in the cause, and only view human circumstances, when they see God bringing forth his work, at a time when the World is prepared and fitted for it, must adore the wisdom of God in it.

Fourthly, God doth by this means check the haste and precipitancy, and rashness of our spirits, and show us our own folly. We are very prone to prescribe to God, and to limit the holy One: Wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel (say the Disciples)? Now when we see God disappointing our hopes and expectations, and bringing forth his work in his own time; when the worlds circumstances fit it, and all things concur to it; then we understand our own folly and rashness, and that our spirits are too hasty; then we see, that if the work of God had been brought forth in our time, it had not been half so easily effected, nor half so beautiful. Methinks here we are like some foolish, ignorant children, that view the Carpenter at work about some goodly frame of an house: the Carpenter you know, doth his work by degrees; first he fitteth one piece, and layeth it by him, then another, and so a third: The child vieweth this, and not understanding the contrivance, he is every day crying to his father to set it up; Father, when do you set up the house? shall it not go up this day? tomorrow, &c The child thinks that there is nothing to do, but to set up this piece, or that piece: but his wiser Father, knows that he must have every piece fitted and prepared, the joints and the tenons ready to couple one piece to another; or it would be to no purpose to begin to set up the building, before it were framed, and one part coupled to the other: The child at last, when he seeth his Father set it up all, and the parts fitted one to another, then it begins to see its self a fool, and to understand that its Father was wiser than it; against another time it learneth wit, to let the Father alone to his own wisdom, time, and contrivance. The Father might have lost his pains, and spoiled some pieces of good timber, and done nothing else, in sooner hearkening to the child's importunity. It may be the child in its haste, hoists up a piece of timber, but it falls down upon him, and bruiseth him, &c. It is much the same case with us: we look for a Reformation, we believe God will sit as a Refiner upon Zion; we cannot let God alone to his own time, till he hath fitted the world's circumstances to his design; but it may be we are hastening of God, not only by modest prayers, submitted to his will (which is our duty), but by murmurings and repinings at God: It may be we, like the hasty child, are hoisting up some pieces of timber, encouraging some or other to begin it irregularly; and by that means get nothing but a knock, or a bruise, and lose such Instruments as might have been useful. But at last, we see God bring forth his work, the world is (as to its circumstances) fitted to it: then we see our folly. David was anointed to the Kingdom of Israel and Judah; after this, he is called to Court, he is made the Kings son-in-law: If any one upon this should have made a party for David, to have rent the Kingdom from Saul (a defensive party he indeed had to protect him from Saul's rage, but no more), he had undoubtedly but made himself a prey. But David waiteth year after year, till God had fitted the circumstances of that Kingdom to his design: till Saul and Jonathan were gone, and the people's hearts were enamored, and set upon David, and the Captain of the Army was turned also to him; and when these circumstances concurred, then he brings forth his great work, and setteth his Servant David peaceably upon the Throne promised unto him. Thus far I have enlarged upon the Explicatory part of this Observation: I now come to the Application of it.

Use 1. In the first place, Let us learn from hence, to adore the wisdom of God, in his great productions of Providence. There is much, very much of God to be seen, in his great products of Providence: but he is to be seen in them, in nothing more than this, his adopting and fitting the world to his designs. With how much blood must David have come to the Kingdom, the children of Israel been brought out of Egypt and Babylon, had it not been for this? Oh, the infinite, unsearchable wisdom of God! his footsteps are not known, his ways are past a creature's finding out. Wisdom in action is then much seen, when the action is not attempted, but at such a time as it takes effect. The wisdom of the Smith teacheth him to strike, when the Mettal is hot and malleable. The wise General opens not his trenches, till all is ready to make the Sally, or assault: nor springs the Mine, till it be carried right under the wall. Herein is the infinite wisdom of God seen, that he attempt • not a great work, until he hath accommodated circumstances to it.

Use 2. Secondly, Observe from hence; That the miscarrying of a good design, must be the product of man's improvidence; not of God's directive Providence. There are many instances might be given of men's miscarrying in a good design, that is, in the attempt of things which God will certainly bring to pass. How many have perished, in their undertakings of works of Reformation, their works miscarried? The Providence of God, is not indeed excluded out of these events: it permitted those persons so to act, it governed their action: But it was their own ungrounded zeal and sinful passions, and undue precipitancy that caused their miscarriage. God's effective Providence never miscarrieth in its designs; for it always, either produceth a thing by an almighty-Power, miraculously; or else so fitteth the worlds circumstances afore-hand, that if it be to be done mediately, it is certainly produced. It is only man's haste and mis-guided zeal, that makes any good work abortive. By a good work here, I understand, whatsoever is made the Object of a Divine Promise; and (by the way) this may teach us, not to let go our hold on the Promise, upon any such disaster. If the work be of God, if it be anything which God hath promised, it shall be effected, though it may miscarry in a first, or second undertaking; either because the Providence of God is driving another design, viz. in the accomplishment of it, first to punish some undertakers in it for their sins, which was the case of the Israelites against Benjamin, and against Ai; or for their precipitancy, and rash setting upon it out of God's time; or their ill-managery of it: yet let not your faith fail in the Promise, for the work shall revive in God's time, when he hath fitted the Worlds circumstances a little better to it; it shall go on. But thirdly,

Use 3. Let me call upon you to Observe this in God's providential Dispensations, both towards the Church, and towards your own Souls in particular: Whoso is wise, observeth these things (saith the Text), and he shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. This is a very observable thing, it will make us spiritually wise, it will make us to understand much of the Lord's loving-kindness, in the products of his Providence. 1. I say first, it will give us spiritual wisdom, and in a great measure make us to understand God's time for the production of his great works; and very much guide us, as to our duty in the use of means: what, and of what nature is seasonable, and proper for us to make use of. For Example, There is a great expectation of the Conversion of the Jews; whether the whole Body of them shall be converted, or no, and whether they shall return to Jerusalem, and again build, and inhabit, that once holy City, I cannot say: But the Scripture seemeth to incline very much, That there shall be a far greater conversion of them, and calling of them in, than yet hath been. But to look for this suddenly, or to fix it upon any certain year, must needs be a very great, an idle and groundless vanity: we must first see the Worlds circumstances much better fitted to it, than we yet do; whilst either the lives, or blasphemies of the Jews are such, as it is not reasonable that Christian Princes should endure them in their Territories; or the spirits of Christians are such, as they will not so endure them, or such Idolatries and Superstitions are amongst Christians, as are abomination to that people: the circumstances of the World do not seem fitted to the production of such a great and noble work. If we should live to see the bitterness of the Jews against Christ abated, and the bitterness of Christians Spirits against them more generally allayed; The lives, and worship of Christians more reformed from such superstitions as they abominate, and the lives of the Jews more reduced to rules of Christians; we might then hope for something of this nature, and judge God's time at hand. To give another instance: Protestants do believe, or at least did (till of late some have began to doubt it) That the Pope of Rome was the great Antichrist: That wicked one, of whom the Apostle prophesied, 2 Thess. 2.8, that should be revealed, whom God would consume with the spirit of his mouth, and with the brightness of his coming: He it is, ver. 4, who opposeth, and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. The mystery of his iniquity began to work, even in the Apostle's time, though there was none of many years after owned the name of Pope; or arrogant title of Universal Bishop, or Vicar of Christ, &c. But the Apostle, ver. 6, tells us, there was something which then hindered his being revealed, and would let, until he should be taken away. The Roman Empire hindered, nor is that hindrance yet taken away. 'It is true, there is but a stump of that Empire remaining in Germany, Spain, France, England, many other great boughs are lop'd off it; but most of them kept their Antichristian favor, though they changed their temporal Lord's, and set up for, and by themselves, as to temporal subjection and dominion. You see and hear how fierce, the French, the Spaniards, the Portugals, &c. the house of Austria, are for the Romish Religion. 'It is true, England hath broke that yoke off its neck; so hath Holland: the Gospel hath got a great foot in Germany, France, Denmark, Poland, Sweden, Hungary; but yet the Devil hath a large Chapel in most of those places. It is the National Religion of France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the Imperial Proper-territories. God is fitting the circumstances of the World, much to his promised Work; of destroying this Antichrist with the spirit of his mouth, with the brightness of his coming. England is fallen off, Holland is fallen off, a great part of Switzerland, many Cities and Territories in Germany, Sweden, and Denmark; great numbers in France. God is by degrees doing his work, and a great deal is done within the space of a hundred and fifty years last past (for it is no longer since Luther began to shake his Throne): but yet the circumstances of the World do not look, as if it were like to be a work we should see in our age; nor it may be our children's children. Methinks the Scripture looks, as if that man of sin should die a natural death, not a violent one. I mean, that that Religion should be loathed out of the World, not fought out of it; God will consume it with the Spirit of his mouth, and with the brightness of his coming: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit (saith the Lord). I tell you but my judgment, that before the fall of Antichrist, you must yet see a greater falling off from Popery, by the Princes of other Nations and their people. The Worlds circumstances do not yet seem fitted to that great Work: God may work Miracles in the case, but I know no ground we have to expect them. I am very confident that Antichrist is in his wane, much past his full, declining every day; and therefore the fears of some, that that ridiculous Religion should again over-spread England, or Holland, or any other reformed Church, do not much afflict me: I take that for granted, that Babylon is falling; but when we shall hear that joyful sound, Babylon is fallen, Babylon is fallen, that I cannot tell you: but in the general I think, we must first see the World otherwise circumstanced than it is.

2. By this observation of the motions of Providence, you shall also understand much of God's set time, as to showing mercy to your own particular soul: viz. when your bodily, or spiritual circumstances are fitted for the desired mercy.

1. I say first, when your bodily circumstances are fitted to it. There is nothing more evident, than the dependence of our minds upon our bodies, and the influence that some bodily distempers (especially) have upon our souls and minds: now although it be true, that God can work miraculously, and by light can break through a darkness, be it never so thick, and ravish a Soul with unspeakable joy and peace, though at that time it be yoked to a dark, cloudy, melancholic, disturbed body: yet God useth not to work Miracles ordinarily, but to move in a more ordinary course of Providence, by the use and application of means that are proper: so that as it is seldom, but God useth the disorders and disturbances of the body, to influence and afflict the mind, and to be (at least an adjuvant) cause, when he will trouble a Soul: so he usually restoreth health, and a better constitution of body, when he intends to restore peace and quiet, and a composure of spirit; I say, ordinarily he doth so. And hence again in the next place,

3. We by giving attendance to this Observation, may learn our duty in reference to the use of Means, so as to use what is proper to its season: for there is great wisdom to be used in apportioning means. For Example: as to the bringing down of Antichrist, if God's time be not come, the means are not, girding our swords upon our thighs, &c. (I question whether that will ever be a Mean proper to be used in that case); but endeavoring by all means possible, to loath the World of Popish superstitions and ceremonies, and all the idolatry of that Synagogue, and of all the cheats they put upon the World, and alienate the hearts of people from them. So for calling the Jews: the means to be used is not inciting them to get into a body, and heading them, &c. but to convince them of their errors, to endeavor the sweetening of their spirits, the enlightening their minds with the knowledge of the truth of the Gospel; and reconciling them to the Christian Religion, and showing them the Examples of an holy life and conversation. So in case of particular Souls, where the discomposure of the mind, is originated in, or further advantaged by bodily distempers (which is a thing very frequently happening); I do not take it to be the duty of a Christian, merely to pray and hear, but also to use natural means proper for the abating of these distempers: yet not this, without Prayer and use of Ordinances, both for the blessing of God upon such means, and for the further influences of his supernatural grace; for God fitteth the circumstances of the person that is to receive the mercy, to the desired mercy, when he intendeth the bestowing of it; as well as the circumstances of the World, to the mercy which in his set-time he intendeth for his Church: so, as I say, this observing of this method of Providence duly attended to, addeth spiritual Wisdom to a Christian, as in discerning of God's time for mercy; so also in directing him to his duty, as to proper means to be used by him in the way of his duty, in order to the obtaining of the mercy; teaching him to know, what Israel ought to do: what a good Christian ought to do under the circumstances, under which God hath brought him.

2. By an attendance to this working of Providence, you shall understand much of the loving-kindness of the Lord; very much of the goodness and love of God to Nations and Churches, is seen in this his fitting of the worlds circumstances to his designs, before he produceth them; as his designs are effected without tumult and bloodshed, which otherwise through men's opposition to it, would not be avoided. With how much bloodshed (in all human probability) must the Children of Israel have first came out of Egypt, then out of Babylon, had not God fitted the circumstances of the world, to those designs of his Providence? Who could have imagined, either the first Plantation of Gospel-Doctrine and Churches, or the after-reformation of it, when Popery had everywhere obscured it, had not God by an infinitely-wise Providence, first fitted the circumstances of the world to his own works? To give you an instance, so late, that it is in most of your memories. The Restauration of our present Sovereign, was a great work of Providence; had not God fitted the circumstances of the three Nations for such a work, with how much tumult, confusion, and blood-shed must it have been effected? It were easy to make the same observation of particular Providences, relateing to ourselves; we shall find that God brings forth his works in their seasons, and his season is always such as the Wit and Wisdom of Man, had it been to choose, could not have chosen a fitter: He maketh everything beautiful in his time (saith Solomon). Indeed this is all the beauty of Providence (almost) which we discern: Beauty in persons lies much in symmetry, or proportion of parts, and mixture of colors: There is a Beauty of Providence, that lies in the symmetry and proportion of it to the revealed Will and Promises of God: but the further beauty of Providence lieth in the seasonableness of it, and the fittedness of God's work to the circumstances of the world, or of our persons at that time, when he produceth it. And herein we understand much of the loving-kindness of God. But I shall add no more to this Observation.

SERMON XX.

I Am going on in making some special Observations concerning the motions of Divine Providence: Five I have already made and discoursed, I proceed now to a sixth.

Observ. 6. It usually subordinateth the civil affairs of the world, to the Religious concerns of his Church.

1. The world was of old divided into the circumcision, and the uncircumcision, that is, Jews and Gentiles: The Jews which were the circumcision, made the visible Church, until Christ's ascension, or at least until he came in the flesh. Since it hath been divided into Jews, Christians, and Heathens; I speak not merely of the name Christians, (that I know was first given the Disciples of Christ at Antioch): but I understand under that notion, such as own Jesus Christ, and the Doctrine of his Gospel: these make up the New-Testament Church, the Gospel-Church: the whole number of them makes up the Church Catholic visible. Those of them in this or that Nation, make up the visible Church in such a Nation. Indeed a particular Organical-Church can consist of no more than so many, as have either explicitly or implicitly agreed to walk together under the charge and inspection of such or such Officers.

2. But there is a world amongst Christians, as well as amongst Heathens; all Hypocrites, and seeming Professors, who are carnal, and savor nothing but earthly things, make up this world: which is opposed to the invisible Church, which is restrained to the number of true and real Saints, who glory not in appearance, but in truth and reality. Now this Church of God, is that which God hath set his love upon above all other people in the world.

1. The first and great objects of his love, are those whom he hath chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, and for whom in time Christ died, and whom God hath effectually called, and translated out of darkness into marvelous light. These are those whom God hath set a part for himself, Psal. 4.3. A chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, to show forth the praises of him, who hath called them out of darkness, into marvelous light.

2. Next to these is the whole body of the visible Church. To the body of the Jews appertained the Adoption, and the Glory, and the Covenants, and the giving of the Law, and the Service of God, and the Promises, Rom. 9.4, 5. And, as the Scripture mentioneth divers privileges which were peculiar to the Jews, and are to the Church; as to have the Oracles of God, the Word and Sacraments; so doubtless there are many promises which relate to the whole body of the Church, which argue God's peculiar kindness to that body of people. Whether it be, because God hath more honor from them, than from Pagans, or for the sake of his invisible Church which is amongst them, I shall not undertake to determine, certain it is that the thing is so. Now the Observation which I make, is but a further evidence of this love, that God by his Providence disposeth and governeth the affairs of the world, in a just subordination to the good of his Church; and to those wise ends, which with reference to that he is bringing about: and this is true, both in reference to the Pagan world, and the Christian world; according to the design which God hath, by which he doth design to do good to his whole Church; so he disposeth and governeth the affairs of the Pagan world. And according to the design God hath, by which he designs to bring about good to the sincere Servants of God in any place; so he disposeth, ordereth and governeth the affairs of ungodly men, amongst whom they live.

This will appear by a twofold Observation, which you shall make:

1. Concerning the variety of the same people's spirits.

2. Concerning the variety of their actions.

1. As to the variety of the same people's spirits, with reference to the Church of God, and those especially in it, that walk more fully and close with God. It is matter of astonishment to those who do not wistly consider the wheel within the wheel, or the spirit of the living God within the wheels, upon which all the great actions of the world do turn: the world is sometimes all in an uproar against those they nickname Puritans, that is, such as exercise themselves to keep a good conscience, both towards God, and towards men, (for that is the true description of such a person); and if profane and carnal men hate some that are otherwise in their Conversation, it is but their mistake, for they think them so; holiness and strict walking, is the thing they hate, revile, and malign: If you were of the world (saith our Savior) the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you, John 15.19. sometimes again the scene is quite altered, that of the Prophet Zechariah is fulfilled: Ten men take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that the Lord is with you: men stand amazed at this. The People of God are the same, walk in the same method of Conversation: but the hand of God is in the thing. Sometimes God designeth in his external Providence to smile upon his people, and give them some breathing-time, a few halcion-days; then they shall find favor in the eyes of the great men of the Earth, and of their lesser neighbors: another time he designeth to scourge and chasten his people, then every ones spirit shall be up, and their tongues let loose against them. Thus it was with the Israelites, God's ancient people, Exod. 11.7. But against any of the children of Israel, shall not a dog move his tongue. The Psalmist telleth us, Psal. 105.23, 24. That Israel came into Egypt, and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham, and he increased his people greatly, and made them stronger than their enemies, Vers. 25. He turned their hearts to hate his people, to deal subtly with his servants.

2. The great variety of actions in the world, doth also demonstrate this. In the 12th of the Revelations you have, as Divines think, shown unto John the state of the Gospel-Church, there represented under the notion of a woman clothed with the Sun, having the Moon under her feet, travelling, and in pain. The Devil and his instruments, the Enemies of the Church, set out under the notion of a great Red Dragon, Vers. 3. Having seven heads, and ten horns, and seven crowns: This Dragon was cast unto the earth, and there ver. 13. He persecuted the woman, who had the wings of an Eagle given her, by which she fled into the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent, verse. 15. The serpent cast out of his mouth water, as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away off the flood. Now verse. 16. it is said, That the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood, which the Dragon cast out of his mouth. Very good Interpreters, by the Earth there understand, Homines terrenos, per quos, saepe aliud agents, Deus Ecclesiam suam mirabiliter protexit; The men of the Earth, by whom (though they intend no such thing) God often wonderfully protecteth his Church. God sometimes designeth to scourge and chasten his people for their sins, then all the world is in arms against them; sometimes again, he designeth to increase his Church, and give them further ground to enlarge their Territories, and increase their borders: he then accordingly disposeth the spirits of the men of the world: and the truth is, the various complexion of those Nations in the world, that are Enemies to the Gospel of Christ, and of those persons, that are certain Enemies to the power and practice of Godliness, is a thing, of which an account can hardly be given by him, that doth not consider this; That God hath a people in the world, that are dear unto him, and with whom in the wisdom of his Providence he dealeth diversely, sometimes exalting, and lifting them up; another time humbling them, and keeping them low, and with relation to these he governs the hearts and actions of Princes, and great men, and of the lower sort of men also; subordinating the affairs of the world to his designs, with reference to these people. God hath a design to multiply the seed of Jacob, according to his promise; though there be a famine in Canaan, it shall not destroy them; his Providence directeth one of that family to be sold into Egypt, to become a great man there, to save much people alive, to give them rest, and a time to multiply there peaceably, 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 Exod. 1.7. And the children of Israel were fruitful, and multiplied, and increased abundantly, and waxed exceeding mighty, and the land was filled with them, Exod. 1.7. But there was another part of the promise to be fulfilled, they were to come out of Egypt, and to inherit the promised land of Canaan. God accordingly ordereth the actions of the Kings of Egypt; they shall grow jealous of them, and set themselves to destroy them: He turned their hearts to hate his people (saith the Psalmist) and to deal subtly with his servants. David is anointed to be King over Israel and Judah, and to the Kingdom he must come, the Philistines shall protect him; he shall flee to them for sanctuary against Saul, and they shall afford it him. On the contrary God hath a design to chasten the Israelites, and David their King; the Philistines shall be their constant Enemies, seeking all advantages against them. There is nothing more remarkable in Divine Providence than this is: Who seeth, and is not astonished, sometimes to observe the strange difference in the complexion and inclinations of the wicked world, to God's little remnant in it? The ebbing and flowing of the Tide (of which none that I know hath as yet given the world a satisfactory account) is not so unaccountable a thing as this is. If we do not admit of the hypothesis of this Observation; Will not any one be amazed to consider how the Gospel should at first have gotten any footing in the world, but for this? What a strange thing it was, that John the Baptist, the harbinger of our blessed Lord, should be suffered to come preaching in the wilderness; and so plainly to point out the coming of the Messias, that Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the Region round about Jordan, should go out to him, confess their sins, and be baptized of him: that immediately upon this Christ should come, and meet with that acceptance he did, though indeed it was true, that the generality of his own received him not. That first the seventy, and then the twelve should go out to Preach the Gospel, and Paul alone should carry it from Jerusalem to Illyricum; and the great persecutions should not arise, till the Gospel had got such a footing, that it was not to be rooted out; but they rather tended to the furtherance, than to the hindrance of it. I say these were all strange things to him, that considereth not how God, to this great end, subordinated the affairs of the world. The Jews were then tributary to the Romans, and so in no capacity to show themselves such hinderers of this, as probably they otherwise would have been: The Romans were a great while more careless in the matters of Religion; while the Gospel continued in Judea, it made little noise in the world, and was looked upon but as a division amongst the Jews in matters of Religion: in which the great masters of the world concerned not themselves so much; and when the Apostles first carried the Gospel amongst the Heathens, it was at first little taken notice of, while the Christians grew very numerous; so as ten persecutions, succeeding one another, could not root them out; and the same thing you shall constantly observe in any great works of Providence relating to the Church. It could not have been thought, that Germany and France should have so easily fallen in with the carrying on of the Reformation, if the Providence of God had not first fitted the world for it, by the complexion of Princes, the diversity of their interests, by suffering the ignorance and sottishness of the Popish-Clergy, together with their covetousness, ambition and debauchery, to grow to that heighth, that they grew an abomination to all men.

And as it is in the Political and Ecclesiastical body, so it is as to the particular persons of Christians; the Providence of God (ordinarily) disposeth the body, according to the work which he hath to do upon the soul. But that is more foreign to my observation, therefore I shall not enlarge upon it. Besides that I spake something to it under the former observation, which hath some cognation with this, this only differing from it in this, showing you, that the Providence of God doth not make the Church lacquey to the world, but he makes the world lacquey to the Church; and subordinateth the business of the world to his own great designs, relating to the Church. Now if you ask me the reason of this, it doubtless lieth,

Reas. In the peculiar favor of God, to that people in the world, which bear the name of his Church. You have an expression, Psal. 87.2. The Lord loveth the gates of Zion, more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Zion was the place, at the foot of which the Temple was built, where all the worship which God had in the world performed according to his will was performed: The tabernacle in Shiloh was forsaken, Psal. 78.60. God hath a particular kindness for any place, for any persons, amongst whom his 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 true worship is, and where he hath placed to himself a Tabernacle; though God had a kindness for the whole seed of Jacob, yet he loved the gates of Zion above all the dwellings of Jacob, because that was the place where his worship was regularly performed. It holds still under the New Testament, and will hold to the end of the world; wheresoever God hath a Church, or people, he hath a particular kindness for that people: they are in Scripture called the house of God. God is said to dwell, and walk amongst them; and God hath yet a more particular favor to those that are the invisible part of the visible Church; I mean such as truly belong unto God, that worship him in spirit, and in truth; that fear the Lord, and hope in his mercies, as the Psalmist expresseth it, Psal. 33.18. All the world is nothing to God, in comparison of this little flock, to whom it is his will to give a Kingdom: He hath given them his Christ, and shall he not with him give them all things? This were easily to be proved to you from a variety of Scripture, and arguments drawn from thence. Now supposing this, it is no wonder if he subordinateth his works in the world, to his designs here: This is that Canaan which the Lord careth for, and upon which his eyes are from one end of the year to another, Deut. 11. His heritage, the dearly beloved of his soul, Jer. 12.7. His peculiar treasure, his sister, his spouse, the redeemed and ransomed of the Lord, his portion; in short, there is a multitude of expressions, by which God hath shown that his Church, the whole body of people owning and professing him; and especially those of them, that worship him in spirit and truth, and walk up to the rule of his word, are dearer to him than all the world besides. He calls them his bride, Rev. 21.9. His beloved, Psal. 108.6. His building, 1 Cor. 3.9. His City, Heb. 12.22. His chosen generation, 1 Pet. 2.9. His family, Eph. 3.15. His husbandry, 1 Cor. 3.9. His Kingdom, the lot of his inheritance. Now considering this, it is no wonder at all, that the Providence of God should manage all the affairs of the world, in subordination to his designs, for the good of this body. All the relation of God to others, is but that of a Creator; and they are no better than the synagogues of Satan, as to the Divine Worship that is in them: and the throne of Satan, with respect to the homage of their Conversation: They are called children of wrath, of disobedience, of the curse, strangers, and foreigners. If God sometimes gives up his people into the hands of wicked men, it is either, 1. For his people's good, to purge away their dross, and take away their tinn (as the Prophet expresseth it), or for to ripen sinners for their destruction, that they may by it fill up the measure of their iniquities. Methinks you have a full proof of this Observation, in the 105 Psalm: the Psalmist in that Psalm, is calling the Church of the Jews to give thanks unto the Lord, to sing unto him, to talk of all his wondrous works. Then followeth a recapitulation of those great things which God had done for them; amongst which, this is reckoned, that he subordinated his motions of Providence amongst the men, and the nations of the world, to his gracious designs for them; Vers. 14. He suffered no man to do them wrong; yea he reproved Kings for their sake; saying, Touch not mine anointed, do my prophets no harm; and so he goes on, almost quite through that Psalm. Now I say, the reason of all this was, his love set upon this people. As most of us have some particular persons, that our heart is most set upon; some particular interest and design that we drive on: now whoever those persons be, or whatever that design be, we make all the rest of our actions to be subordinate to that. So the great God having set up his glory as his great interest and design, and set apart him and them that are godly for himself; it is no wonder at all if he ruleth all the world, and governeth all the affairs of it, in subordination to this great interest, and the good of this people. I now come to the Application of this Observation.

Use 1. In the first place (as I said before upon the other Observation, so I say here): From hence a wise and observing Christian, may in a great measure know, what weather it is like to be in the Climate of the Church: How it is like to fare with them that are the People of God. They are, and always were the far lesser part of the world; and their quiet and tranquility (to look with a rational eye) doth much depend upon the complexion of the men of the world, and their inclinations: if God intends a calm and tranquility to the Church, he usually so ordereth the world, that the earth helps the woman, the men of the world, either out of good nature, or (which indeed mostly is the business) out of interest, show them kindness. Hence you shall observe, that when God intendeth the tranquility and prosperity of the Church, his Providence (ordinarily) bringeth one of these things to pass.

1. He sometimes raiseth up some eminent servant of his, to do great services for the men of the world: this you see in the case of Joseph, God had designed the Jews a prospering, multiplying time in the land of Egypt: he raiseth up Joseph, makes him a Privy-Counselor to Pharaoh, yea the second man in Egypt; and this by endowing him with a power to interpret Pharaohs dream, so he came to be a great man, and was a protection to the Church of God for many years in Egypt. So when they were in the Captivity of Babylon, we do not read, that besides their Captivity, and their want of their worship at Jerusalem, their condition was very sad; but in the peace of that Country, they had peace, yet they were amongst Heathens and Idolaters: but the Providence of God raised up Daniel and the three Children, and by giving them great Wisdom, and some miraculous deliverances of them, he brought them into a great credit; and Daniel was made first President over 120 Provinces. God designed afterwards the Jews peaceable building of the Temple, and enjoyment of their own land; his Providence brings Esther (one of them) to be Queen, makes use of Mordecai to discover a great treason, and by this means brings these two eminent friends to his Church, into great reputation. The like might be paralleled all along in story, and may be every day observed: but the Scripture-instances are enough.

2. Sometimes the Providence of God makes the Earth to help the woman, by making his people the balance to the clashing interests of the men of the world: and this is a very ordinary method of Divine Providence. The men of the world are not always friends one with another; if they were (in human probability) the Church would quickly be swallowed up. But their lusts will not suffer them always to agree, and then the Providence of God (ordinarily) maketh his Church the balance: and so they obtain peace and protection, either by a neutrality, not engaging on either side, or by strengthening the weaker party against the stronger, where the case is such, that they can do it with consistency to their duty to God, and religious principles. David with his little company, upon this account doubtless, was protected by the King of the Philistines a while.

3. Sometimes the Providence of God raiseth up his people to such a considerableness, as to the commerce and trade of a Nation; that they cannot be rooted out, without cutting the sinews of a nation, and breaking the strength of it. The Prince (who Solomon saith is served by the field) is concerned as to his revenue; the poor are highly concerned as to their employment and livelihood; it may be many of the maddest of their Enemies are concerned; for there is a strange twisting of all men's interests in the trade and commerce of a Nation. This is another way by which the Providence of God helpeth and maketh the earthy part of the world to help the Woman his Church.

4. Sometimes the Providence of God suffers the maddest Enemies of his people, to run out to such strange extravagancies of oppression, and injustice, of folly, and superstition in worship, of looseness and debauchery in morals; that the soberer part of men, though no great friends to the practice and power of godliness, yet is not able to bear them, but choose rather to take the part of them with whom they agree better in matters of civil justice, and sobriety, and temperance, though not at all better in matters of true Religion and Godliness. This was the very case in the beginning of Reformation, both in Germany, and other places: The Providence of God having designed a better time for the true worshippers of him, had so ordered it in his great Wisdom, that the Church men of the Popish party, had made themselves a just abomination to all sober persons; the generality of their watch-men were such as they were in Israel and Judah, just before their ruin described, Isa. 56.10. His watch-men are blind, they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, that cannot bark, sleeping, loving to slumber; yea they are greedy dogs, that can never have enough; and shepherds that cannot understand, they all look to their own way, everyone for his gain, from his quarter: Come you, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink, and tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant. Just such a Clergy they had in Germany, and in England, and other parts too before the reformation. Some learned men they had, but they (for the most part) spent their studies and pains about trifles in Divinity, subtle school-niceties and distinctions, signifying nothing to men's salvation: the generality of them were drunken sots, and debauched persons, dumb dogs that could not bark; neither pray, nor preach, nor say anything (almost) beyond what they had in their mass-books; but thought to have carried all before them, with the forms of a few latin Prayers, their Albes and Stoles, and Levitical habits, &c. yea and they were greedy dogs too, never thinking they had enough. This was that ruined them, their selling men pardons for a sum of money, everyone looking for his tithes and oblations, but none regarding people's souls. And by the way, observe this, A generally debauched, ignorant, sottish, cruel Clergy, is a certain sign, either of an approaching ruin to that nation, or to that party, by a reformation of the nation. To the Jews it was a prognostic of an approaching ruin: All you beasts of the field come to devour, yea all you beasts of the forest (saith the Prophet), his watchmen are blinded, &c. Upon the reformation from Popery, it was a prognostic of reformation, and indeed so it is ordinarily, where there is not like people, like priests. But God keepeth up in any considerable number of people, an abomination and hatred of those Priests, and their courses; but where they fall in with them, applaud, patronize them, and these are the men they are for, The interpretation be to those that hate that people.

So that I say, from hence observing Christians may make a great judgment, how it is likely to go with the Church: you must lay down this for a principle, That no wicked men have any hearty love and affection for those that are the people of God. There is an Enmity which God hath put betwixt the seed of the woman, and the seed of the serpent, and nothing but grace will wear it out; besides, they see themselves shamed, and condemned every day by their contrary conversation. It is only the interest of the men of the world, that gives them any breathing-time, and maketh the earth to help the woman. So that if at any time you can but make up a judgment, from what quarter the the wind blows for the men of the worlds interest, you may go a great way to determine, how at such a time it is like to fare with the Church and People of God: for God ordinarily subordinates his government of the world, to his designs with reference to his Church. If there happens to be such a juncture of affairs, that the People of God are few in any place, like a gleaning of grapes after a vintage, or an Olive-berry or two upon the top-boughs; there is little good to be hoped for, unless God by his Providence makes some particular persons amongst them highly serviceable, or instrumental in the state where they live; either discovering some plots or treasons (which was the case in Mordecai's time), or brings some of them to some great favor, which was the cause of the Israelites first in Egypt, then in Babylon, and Esther afterwards upon their return from Babylon; or else God by his Providence secureth his little flock, by suffering some intestine factions to rise amongst the men of the world, or stirring up other enemies against that part of the world, that they have something else to do, and cannot attend the execution of their malice upon the servants of God: or blesseth a particular state with a good-natured Prince, that is not inclined to rigor and severity, but naturally abhorreth the blood and ruin of people: though usually, if the latter be the case, it is but an incertain time with the Church; for good natures are ordinarily with ease inclined this way or that, according to the mutability of prevailing Counsels.

But now if the People of God in any nation be a considerable number, and you see the Providence of God hath raised them up, to be men of interest many of them, either with respect to their Wisdom, or Estates, or Employments; though their Enemies be many and boisterous, yet there is no great fear (unless of particular persons suffering): God seems to have subordinated the world to their peace. For though some few imprudent men, that are rash and malicious, and some hot-spurred Church-men, who understand little of politics, may in such a juncture be for nothing but fire and faggot: yet God, who in his Providence hath ordered civil affairs so, that it should be the interest of the men of the world to give them liberty and peace, will seldom suffer those whom he hath betrusted with the government of the affairs of the world (unless he designeth to bring a period to the state) so far to overlook their interests, as to gratify the lusts of malicious and rash men.

Again, If you see in any place, God suffering men calling themselves Ministers, to degenerate into such sots in their Conversation, or to run into such heighths of superstitious vanities and fooleries, as all men condemn and see the vanity of; or to be so insufficient for any part of their work, that they can do nothing of it, but are contemptible unto all, and make the offering of God to be abhorred: This is another juncture of affairs, when you may either fear the ruin of the place, or hope for a reformation, or more quiet abode for God's People in it. And (by the way) my enlargement upon this Observation, may mind the People of God of the Policy, as well as Piety of a threefold duty.

1. The first is, All just homage and serviceableness unto such rulers as God hath set over the places wherein their lot is cast: I say just homage, for it is better to obey God than Man; and we cannot obey Man, where Obedience to him is disobedience to God. But the more any of our consciences towards God straitens us, as to some points of Obedience, the more we should be serviceable in what we may. If it at any time falls in our way to secure their lives, by discovering dangerous plots and conspiracies; Mordecai by such a service, made himself the Protector of all the people of the Jews. If we be called to it, and can assist them with our arms, with our wisdom, counsel, with our service and industry; remember what great instruments for the good of God's People, Joseph, Daniel, the three Children, Nehemiah, &c. were made.

2. Observe here also the Policy, as well as Piety of the practice of all moral virtue: Justice to all, charity and liberality to the poor, temperance, sobriety, all manner of loveliness in Conversation; there must be something more than these things to commend you to God: but these are the things that must commend you to the world. Moral virtue hath a great cognation with human Nature: though men's lusts and passions sometimes run them out to acts of injustice, and oppression, and debauchery; yet nobody would willingly himself be oppressed, or dealt unjustly with, or have his own wife and daughters debauched. It is very rare but the highest and maddest Enemies of the People of God are malicious and debauched persons; few of them persons of moral virtue and honesty: make but yourselves great Examples of these things, and you will certainly at one time or other be too hard for your adversaries; the world so loatheth their injustice, cruelty, oppression, hard-heartedness, their drunkenness, and uncleanness, their lying, cheating, and defrauding, that it will vomit them out.

3. It lets you also see the Policy, as well as Piety, of keeping close to God in the matters of his worship. The sottishness and superstition of Priests signifieth good, not hurt to you, unless you approve of their savings and doings: But when the prophets prophecy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means, and the people love to have it so: what will you do in the end thereof? Jer. 5.32. If the ministry in any nation be sottish in their lives, corrupt in their Doctrines, superstitious in their Worship, dumb dogs, that can neither pray nor preach, let not the people love to have it so, and comply with them, and own them. God will not long suffer his flock to be rent in pieces with such wolves, nor be at the will of such idol-shepherds. But I have enlarged far enough upon this first branch of Application, I shall be shorter in the other.

2. Observe from hence both the felicity and duty of the people of God. 1. Their felicity and dignity.

Their dignity. I remember the Psalmist admiring the mercy of God towards man, and expressing his Dignity, Psal. 8.6, 7. Thou madest him to have dominion over the work of thy hands, thou hast put all things under his feet: all sheep, and oxen, yea and the beasts of the field, the fouls of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the seas. This is a great dignity of man, that God hath subordinated all the works of Creation, all the orders of Creatures beneath him, unto him. But what a dignity is this to which God hath advanced his Church, that all the affairs of the world should be (as it were) put under their feet? that they should not only have a dominion over the works of the Lord's hands in Creation, as sheep, and neat cattle, and fouls, and fishes, but also all the Lord's works of Providence: that the Kingdoms of the Earth, and the great affairs of states should be ruled with reference to the good of this little flock. What a felicity it is to be within this hedge, to be a member of this body of people; I mean a true member of the Church of God? I know the whole visible Church (as I have before shown you) is under a special Providence: But it is not to be thought that God should do much for Hypocrites and Formalists: What advantages they have from the Providence of God, they have for the sake of those better servants of God, with whom they are joined in an external communion. And certainly in the last place, this obligeth all within the Church of God, to a more special duty. Doth God subordinate all his great actions and motions in the world, to his gracious designs and counsels relating to that body of people of which we are a part? Surely then it were but reasonable for us to subordinate all our little actions in the world, to the honor and glory of God: God's glorifying of himself is his great design, he aims at no other end, and it ought also to be our highest design. He hath chosen a certain people out of the world, and marked them out for himself, as the people in whom, and by whom he will be more especially glorified: This people is called his Church. God subordinateth all his great actions in the world to his gracious designs upon, and for these; certainly in reason, Whether we eat or drink, or whatsoever we do, we should (according to the Apostles Precept) do all to the glory of God. His people are those whom he hath created, whom he hath formed for himself; all the world is nothing to God in comparison of them, they are the dearly beloved of his Soul. What love, reverence, obedience is but reasonable on our parts towards this great God? What ingratitude must it argue on our part, to prefer anything in design or action to the Honor and Glory of this God? We can never live enough unto, nor do enough for that God, who hath done, and doth do so much for us. This Observation might be many other ways improved, but I shall add no more.

SERMON XXI.

I Proceed yet in making some Observations upon the motions of Divine Providence. A seventh Observation I shall make, is this:

Observ. 7. It ordinarily enforceth wicked men, who mean nothing less, yet to do the Lord's work.

It is the great art of a Politician to serve himself of every humor: A good Penman will write almost with any Pen, and a good work-man will work with any tool; and the great and wise God herein showeth the greatness of his Wisdom, that he also works with any tools, and doth his business by any instruments. The Stars shall fight in their courses, against Sizera; the Sun, and the Moon, against the Canaanites; the Frogs, the Lice, and the Flies against Pharaoh; the Earth against Corah, Dathan, and Abiram. Now in this there shines forth a great deal of Divine Power; thus God showeth himself to the world, to be the Lord of hosts, to have all the hosts of Heaven and Earth at his command. So that as a great General, who hath several Regiments under his Command, at his pleasure, he sometimes commandeth out one, sometimes another, as it pleaseth him upon a particular service: so doth our great and mighty God; and as that great Commander, showing his vast Army to his friend, is reported to have said, there is not one of these, but if I bid him throw himself down a Precipice, or into a River, he will do it: so there is not any company of inanimate, or brute Creatures, not one Company in the whole Army of the Lord of Hosts; but like the Centurion's servants, if he saith unto them, Go, they go; if Do this, they do it. But though much of the Wisdom and Power of God be seen in this, yet it is more eminently seen in the use he makes of wicked men, to accomplish his designs, which is a thing very usual in the motions of Divine Providence. As that Politician doth most show his Wisdom, that maketh his Enemies serve him; so God in this doth commend to us his infinite Wisdom, to make use of the Sons of men, that have a perfect hatred and enmity to God, and all his holy designs, that they shall serve him, and accomplish his designs. Now this Observation justifieth itself by a great variety of instances. You have one in holy Writ very plain, Isa. 10.5, 6, 7. O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation: I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them like mire of the streets: Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so. Assyria you see was the Rod of God's anger: God's indignation was his staff: Thou couldest do nothing against me, saith Christ to Pilate, if it were not given thee from above. He went upon God's errand, when he went against God's People the Jews; they had proved an hypocritical people, and God had determined to make the people, that had been the dearly beloved of his soul, the people of his wrath: God gave him his charge to spoil, to take the prey, to tread down the people. O but how should God persuade the Assyrian to serve him? The Assyrians were Enemies to the true God; the Text telleth you, Howbeit he meaneth not so: neither is it in his heart to think so. He thought of nothing less than serving of God's design, that which he thought of was plunder and spoil, and prey for his Soldiers, as the Apostle saith of himself, 2 Cor. 12.16. Being crafty, I took you by guile; so we may say of God, being wise, infinitely wise, he took the Assyrian by guile; or rather by his infinite wisdom. This is that which the Psalmist saith Psal. 76.10. Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: The wrath of man shall praise God: How can that be! James tells us, That the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God: Well, but for all that it shall praise God; God will make use of their wrath and malice, to bring forth his great designs. Who would ever have thought, that Pharaoh the King of Egypt should have been a great instrument to have brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt? Yet he was rather a greater instrument in it than Moses was: Moses did no more than lead out of Egypt a willing people, and solicit Pharaoh to give his consent: Pharaoh was God's instrument to make them willing; he meant nothing less, he saw the people grew great and mighty, Come on (saith he) let us deal wisely (that is, subtly) with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get themselves out of our land: here was all he aimed at in his oppressing them, to bring them low, and keep them still under his subjection. Observe how God made use of this. The Children of Israel were now seated and settled, and multiplied in a fertile Country, and had it not been for the King of Egypt's oppressing them, would never have been willing to have left the flesh-pots, and onions, and garlic of Egypt: but for this dealing of Pharaoh with them, making them to serve with rigor, slaying their male-children, &c. This quite tired them, and made them willing to go out of Egypt towards Canaan. But let me a little show you what a variety of lusts in wicked men's hearts, God hath from time to time made use of, to accomplish the great designs of his Providence, with reference to his people: and indeed it is hard to say, what lust in sinners hearts God hath not made use of (at one time or other), and made it to serve the holy and wise designs of his Providence.

1. The lusts of the eye and flesh, are of all other the most unmanlike brutish passions; yet the Providence of God hath sometimes taken advantage of these for the glory of God. You all know what a strange influence Esther's being advanced to be Queen of Persia, had upon God's design for the building of the second Temple in Ezra's time; she was the great instrument to save the whole Church of the Jews (the only Church God had upon the Earth at that time) from utter ruin. God made use of the lust of Ahasuerus to bring this about; he takes a Teach to Vashti, for refusing to come to him, to be shown to his Princes, and turns her away, and then must look for the greatest beauty could be found: Esther proveth to be she. What a strange instance of this had we of this in King Henry the Eighth of that name in this Nation? Those who know anything of the story of those times, know, that it was no abhorrence of the Idolatry and Superstition of the Popish-Religion, that set him upon the work of Reformation. After some beginnings of it, the six Articles came out: Papists were burnt on one side of Smithfield, Protestants on the other: but the King was weary of his Wife, and had a mind to another. His wife indeed was one whom Protestant-Divines judged he could not keep (having been his brothers wife) without a continual living in incest; the Pope (who thinks he can dispense with anything) he thinks or decrees she was his wife, and would give no dispensation for a divorce; the Popish-Universities, and Divines (who never fail to be on their holy Fathers side) all oppose the King in his desire of change: This angers the King, and was the first motive to his business of Reformation, and casting off the Pope's Supremacy. Nor is this any reproach at all to the Lord's work of Reformation amongst us; there's nothing more ordinary, than for God to make the wrath of man to praise him, and make use of the lusts of men, to bring about his own designs.

2. Ambition is another lust, which fireth the heart of wicked men, especially great men. It is an excessive desire of Honor and Dominion. Poor wretches, born to, and brought up in little circumstances, and low stations in the world, are ordinarily not so much infected with this; it is the great man's lust. God makes an eminent use of this. See it in the case of Jehu, a proud ambitious man, that had in him a great lust, and desire of rule and honor; God had a quarrel against the house of Ahab, by his Providence he ordereth Jehu to the Kingdom, makes use of him to destroy Joram, the Son of Ahab, and Ahaziah, the King of Judah the Son-in law of Ahab, and Jezebel, Ahab's wife, whom God had threatened for the blood of Naboth, and his whole Family, until none remained, 2 Kings 8. verse. 23, 24, 25. chap. 9. verse. 9, 10, 24, 27, 35, chap. 10. verse. 7, 11, 17. And thus he delivered his seven thousand in Israel, that had not bowed knee to Baal, from the idolatry, cruelty, and oppression of a vile and wicked Prince. Jehu indeed in all this, pretended a great zeal for God, and did destroy Baal from Israel, 2 King. 10.28; but yet ver. 9. Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them; to wit, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that were in Dan. Vers. 31. But Jehu took no heed to walk in the way of the Lord God of Israel, with all his heart, for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin. Hence it was, that though the Lord tells him, 2 King. 10.30. That he had done well in executing that which was right in the eyes of God, and had done according to all that was in God's heart, as to the house of Ahab; and therefore promised him a reward for it, viz. that for it, his children of the fourth generation, should sit on the throne of Israel; yet God by the Prophet Hosea told them, Hos. 1.4. Yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu: The business was no more than this. Jehu was an ambitious Prince, that loved honor and dominion, the Providence of God maketh use of this lust of his, to bring about his holy and righteous designs upon that wicked family of Ahab, and for the delivery of his people from their oppressions. This was the case of Haman, a proud ambitious Courtier in the Court of Persia; he had a mind to be great, this made him malice Mordecai, he would not bow his knee to him; this made him propose such great things to be done, to the man whom the King should please to show favor and honor to; the Text tells you he said, To whom will the King delight to do honor, more than to myself? God maketh use of his ambition to bring Mordecai into honor, and to save the whole people of the Jews: and thus it ordinarily falls out in lesser spheres; the humble disposition of God's People inclining them to give honor, to whom honor belongeth, and not to deny civil respects to the worst of men, doth often commend them to those that are ambitious of honor and respect, and maketh them their friends; God making use of his Enemies ambition for their sake, which by the way commendeth to all that fear God, that Precept of the Apostle, Rom. 13.7. Render therefore to everyone their dues, tribute to whom tribute, custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

3. Another lust of men, which you shall find God's Providence hath made great use of, is curiosity. A curiosity to know secrets: What shall come to pass in after-times? or a curiosity to delight in rare workmanship of any sort, &c? This is a great vanity of the heart of man; but the Providence of God hath made great use of it. Of the first sort, there are in holy Writ the instances of Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar; both of them dreamed dreams, wherein God revealed to them things that were to come to pass in the world. Then God inspireth Joseph, a great friend to his people, and Daniel with wisdom to interpret these dreams to them: this brought them both into high and great favor with those mighty Princes, in subjection to whom the Jews at those times were. This indeed is not an ordinary work of Providence, but what God hath done. The second is more ordinary, men have a curiosity to see, and have fine pieces of work done, to hear rare music, to see fine mathematical operations. Indeed some of these things are very useful, but a curiosity in many of them, is but vanity; Solomon after a long experience, so concludes it: but the wise God often makes a most remarkable use of this lust in men's hearts. David's skill at his harp brought him to Court. And many sober persons skill, dexterity, and activity in arts and sciences, hath made them very acceptable to those that have had the power of the world in their hands, and put them into great capacities to serve the interest of God in the world: where God hath both shown his Wisdom, in making use of men's lust of curiosity for his own glory; and also in making his own common and ordinary gifts so serviceable also.

4. A fourth lust, which you shall observe God to make an ordinary use of, is that of covetousness. The People of God many times buy their peace and tranquility; sometimes they obtain it by their usefulness in trade and traffick, and the detriment the public revenue would have by rooting them out: sometimes they make themselves friends with their industrious hands, sometimes with their liberal hand: This was but our Savior's counsel, Luk. 16.9. Make to yourselves friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness. It is particularly said of Joseph, when he was a servant to Potiphar, Gen. 39.2, 3. That the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man.—And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand: and Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him, and he made him overseer over all his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. This was God's first step to bring Joseph into a great capacity, that he might be able to protect his people.

5. I will instance but in one lust more, that is, the malice, hatred, and cruelty of wicked men, Psal. 76.10. Surely the wrah of man shall praise thee. Now this seems a strange thing, but there is nothing more ordinary than this. The malice and cruelty of Pharaoh, contributed much to the Children of Israel's coming out of Egypt: had they not been so cruelly dealt with, they would never have been so willing to have removed: it is no better than madness, not to be justified by Religion, nor yet by Reason, for private persons to rise up in arms against their rulers: but Solomon tells us, Oppressian makes wise men mad, and God sometimes makes use of the madness, both of his Enemies, and of his own People, to bring about his own designs. Far be it from me, either to encourage, or to justify such actions; my business is only to show you how far God makes use of men's lusts. But the most ordinary and regular way, which God maketh use of in this case, is by making the soberer part of the Princes and Rulers of a Nation, sensible of the greatness of their people's sufferings, and the unreasonableness of the rage and madness of their adversaries; and giving them bowels of compassion to their brethren, though it may be they be not of their minds. I remember I have somewhere read it in one of the French Historians, that a great Peer of that Nation (though a Papist) in the midst of that woeful havoc, the fury of the Romish Priests were making, stood up in Counsel, and said, He had no patience to see French-men so used. And this is very ordinary, the men of the world are not all of a complexion: some of them are men of Honor and Virtue, men of Justice, Charity and Mercy, persons almost persuaded to be Christians, not far from the Kingdom of God; in short, men of moral virtue, abhorring sottishness and cruelty: others of them are men of blood, and violence, and cruelty. These latter are they that make the great havoc in the Church of God, breathing out (like Saul, Act. 9.) threatenings and slaughters against the Disciples of the Lord; and commonly like Saul, they have letters from the high-priests, to Damascus, to the synagogues. It is much, but it is observable from the very beginning of story—that the greatest cruelty and rage which the People of God, that have desired to walk more strictly and holily with him have met with, hath been from the corrupt Priests and Ministry. It was thus upon the first general corruption of the Priesthood in Israel: that was you know upon the revolt of the ten Tribes in Jeroboam's time: for though before that there were personal corruptions, as that of Hophni and Phinehas, yet (generally) they kept to the Law of God; but in Jeroboam's time, the body of the Priests was corrupt; for the Scripture said, That Jeroboam made of the meanest people priests of the high places, whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places, 1 King. 13.33. It was not to be thought that so great a body of that people should all be corrupted, many there were that kept close to the instituted worship of God at Jerusalem, and would go thither: though abundance of the people, as Hosea saith, Willingly walked after the Commandment, Hos. 5.11. The Commandment of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, the Commandment of which you read, 1 King. 12.28, 29, &c. yet many would not. Now as to these, the Prophet Hosea tells us, Hos. 5.1. The Priests were a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor, and the revolters were profound to make slaughter. So it was in our Savior's time, the Priests, and Scribes, and Pharisees, were the cruel Enemies of Christ, and his Disciples, as you read in the Gospels, and the story of the Acts of the Apostles. And so it always hath been, and still is in the Church of Rome, their Priests and Jesuits are the bloody men, the cruel men against those that cannot comply with them. But now there are a great many others, that are persons of better nature and temper, that hate sensuality, and cruelty, and injustice, and oppression. Now God often makes use of the immoralities of the Enemies of the People of God, to bring about his designs for their liberty and deliverance: men of honor and virtue, abhor the sensuality and beastliness of the great Enemies of the Church; and although themselves (possibly) be not of the minds of the People of God, yet they abhor injustice, and oppression, and cruelty, and sensuality; and this makes them favor the poor servants of God, as men that have done nothing worthy of such deaths, or bonds, or to be so unreasonably dealt with: and thus God maketh the wrath and rage of bloody men to praise him.

I might go on, and show you how God makes use of the wars and fightings, the envy, emulation and strife, which often arise amongst the men of the world, (and James 3.1. Whence come all these, but from the lusts that war in our members? ) to gain his people liberty and protection. But I have spoken enough to justify this Observation: but it may be some will say to me, Why doth God do this? Could not God do his work by other instruments? And were it not more suitable to the Holiness of God, to bring about his designs by better instruments? To which the answer were good enough to say, Who art thou that disputest with God? It is enough for us, that thus it pleaseth him, and that this is consistent enough, both with his Holiness and Wisdom. It is not inconsistent with his holiness, to mean, and to turn that for good, which men mean, and intend for evil, (as in Joseph's case, Gen. 50.20.) for God doth not put this malice into their hearts, he only suffereth them to walk in their own ways, and then governeth their lusts to his own praise and glory. But I shall show you, that this is a very reasonable motion and working of Divine Providence, which will appear to you by the following Considerations:

1. That God by this showeth his infinite wisdom and power, by how much there is the less aptitude and disposition in a cause, to bring forth an effect; by so much must the power and wisdom of the efficient cause be made more glorious. Now there is nothing in nature less disposed to the Glory of God, nor that hath so much antipathy to the Glory of God, as sin and lust. What cannot that God do, that can make men's lusts to praise him? Lust (of its own nature) opposeth God, nothing is so contrary to his designs; for God to make this now to serve his designs, and to bring about his Counsels; this must glorify God, as an Almighty God, that can do whatsoever he pleaseth, and by what means soever he pleaseth; yea, and by this means God maketh his Wisdom admirable. When he taketh the wise in their own craftiness, Come (saith Pharaoh ) let us deal wisely with them: God makes Pharaoh's wisdom to destroy his people, a great means to deliver his people. What an infinitely-wise God did he by this declare himself? Turning Pharaoh's wisdom into folly, and making it to operate directly contrary to his deliberations.

2. A second Consideration is this, That it is but reasonable that God should make some use of the worst of men. The worst of men are the Lord's creatures, he hath made them, he doth much for them, they live upon his hand of Providence; 'tis reasonable they should do him some service: now, intentionally, and designedly, a wicked man will do God no service at all; his heart is quite another way, his life is a pursuit of one lust or other; if God did not get glory on him besides his intention, he could have no service at all from him. There is no reason that lewd and wicked men, covetous, ambitious men, bloody and cruel men should live in the world for nothing; and be maintained from God's basket for nothing, without doing him any service; they will not serve God, as reasonable creatures should do, offering up their bodies as a living acceptable sacrifice to God, which the Apostle, Rom. 12.1, determines our reasonable service: The Apostle therefore to the Thessalonians, calls wicked men unreasonable. They shall therefore serve God, as brute creatures, as the beasts of the field serve him; not knowing what they do, as a mere machine, and engine serveth us by the force of our hand; nay in a worse degree quite contrary to their own counsels, intentions, and designs. God could have no service from wicked men, if he did not get himself a glory from their lusts, as he got himself glory upon Pharaoh.

3. There is something in God's Counsels to be produced in the world, that is fit for no other hands, than the hands of sinners, and is hard to be effected any way, but from their lusts. These are the acts of his Punitive Justice upon his People. God is compelled by his Justice, sometimes to kindle a fire in Zion, and to set up a furnace in Jerusalem, to melt, and to try his people, in order to the purging out of their dross, and taking away their tin. Now as it is lust which kindleth all fires, so (ordinarily) it is the lust of God's Enemies, of wicked men, which bloweth up this fire. Sometimes indeed Ephraim is against Mamasses, and Manasseh against Ephraim; but (ordinarily) it is the Assyrian, or Egyptian, or Babylonian, that must destroy Israel. Men do not use to set sheep to hunt, and tear sheep; but to make use of dogs for that work.

4. This is a reasonable motion of Providence, to encourage the people of God, never to despair, but continually to hope in the Lord's mercy. That which usually discourageth our hope in God, for any good as to his Church, is the heighth of the rage of Enemies, the sad and forlorn state of things, the appearance of never an instrument like to do any service for God, or for his People. But none of all this is a sufficient ground for discouragement, if God can make use of the worst of men, and make the lusts of people serviceable to his own wise counsels, and bringing about his purposes. I might also have added, that these motions of Providence are reasonable to show wicked men their folly, and how vainly they set themselves against the counsels and purposes of God; who ordinarily taketh them by guile, and overthroweth them in their own craftiness. But I have enlarged enough upon the doctrinal part of this Observation, I now come to the Application of it.

Use 1. In the first place let us here admire the infinite power, and the wisdom of God, and learn at all times to trust in his word. What cannot that God do? What will not the wisdom of that God extend to, who can make the highest and proudest Enemies, which his glory hath, to serve the designs and counsels of his glory? The work of Creation, is not so much a work of infinite power and wisdom, as this work of Providence. In Creation, God only produceth being out of not being: here God brings out his glory from that which hath an unmeasurable contrariety to his glory: nothing is so desperately opposite to the glory of God, as the sordid lusts of man's heart: no creature is so opposite to the honor and glory of God, as a resolved malicious sinner is. Now for God to make such a wretch to serve him, nay, to make such a wretch in the hottest pursuit of his lusts to serve him; and by the satisfaction of his lusts, to serve the great design of his glory: O what an Almighty Power, what an infinite wisdom must this speak in God!

And this I say should recommend God to us, as a God that may at any time, under any face of things, be trusted. We cannot see a worser face of things, than when wickedness is at the heighth, men in the heighth of rage and malice against the People of God: when all kind of filthiness and sensuality abounds in a place; when the vilest men are exalted, and the wicked walk on every side: they are put together, Psal. 12.8. But under such dispensations, Christians, trouble not yourselves as to God's care of his Church: indeed it is, and ought to be an afflicting dispensation. 1. For the glory of God. Under such a face of things, the holy Name of God is blasphemed, the honor of God is at present laid in the dust. 2. Such a time must needs be a time of great suffering to the holy and innocent servants of God. Many particular servants of God, must be made great sufferers under such a Providence: But yet encourage yourself in God; he that can bring light out of darkness, can, and will bring good out of such an evil as this is. The Providence of God doth ordinarily compel even the worst of men to do his work; howbeit that they mean not so: one way or other they shall do the Lord's work; if no other way, yet by making their own folly manifest to all men: God often brings wicked men upon the stage, to make them more abominable. There are many in the world, men of sobriety and virtue, would not have believed there had been such horrible injustice, and oppression, such horrible, and insatiable avarice, such merciless cruelty in the hearts of many sinners, if they did not see them play their parts upon a stage in the world. In the mean time know that you trust in a God, that knoweth how to make use of men's malice, and to make the maddest and desperatest sinner serve his purposes.

Use 2. In the second place, what a foundation doth this notion lay, for an Exhortation to all, to break off their sins by true repentance, and to give unto God a voluntary chosen service.

1. To break off their sins by a true repentance. I remember our Lord's words to Saul, out of Heaven, Saul, Saul, (saith he) why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. Suppose a person, whose heart the Devil hath filled with all malice, that if he could, he would pluck God out of Heaven, and root out the Name of God from the Earth: yet methinks this should discourage him in his fullest career and madness; to think, that he that sitteth in the Heavens, laugheth him to scorn; and when he hath done all he can, he shall but have effected the Lord's counsels, and done the Lord's work, although he meant not so. Let therefore the sinners of the Earth be instructed, and learn wisdom: they cannot do what they list, and many times, wherein they think, and talk proudly, God showeth himself above them, and they do God's work quite besides, and contrary to their own intentions. There is no encountering with a God, who can make the wrath of man to praise him, and restrain the remainder of it when he pleaseth. 2. If this be so, certainly it is wisdom in men, designedly and intentionally to serve God: otherwise they lose their reward, at least their spiritual and eternal reward. We find God with temporal rewards, sometimes rewarding men, that do some things at his command, though their hearts in the action be not right with God: so Jehu was rewarded, his Sons inherited the Throne to the 4th generation; but God at last visited the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu. But no man hath a spiritual reward, inward joy. and peace of conscience; nor shall have an eternal reward, but that man, who with purpose of heart serveth the Lord.

SERMON XXII.

I Proceed yet in making some Observations concerning the motions of Providence, in the preservation and government of the world. An eighth Observation, which I shall make, and a little enlarge upon, is this:

Observ. 8. That the Providence of God is wonderfully seen in bringing to light hidden counsels of darkness, and punishing of sins, which tend to the disturbance of civil societies. Indeed there are not many sins but have an ill influence upon human society; and the reason is, because there is no law in the world so fitted to the prosperous beings of Societies, as the law of the Lord is: but yet there are some which tend to a more eminent disturbance and confusion in them. Such are now plottings and treasons against Princes, whom God hath made the heads of these Societies; Seditions, and raising up mutinies, murders, &c. These make great gaps and disorders in political bodies, and you shall observe the Providence of God bearing an eminent testimony against them, Eccles. 10.20. Curse not the King, nō not in thy thought, and curse not the rich in thy bed-chamber; for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter: it shall be discovered, it shall be suddenly discovered, and by ways, that one would never think of. Two things you shall observe in the workings of Divine Providence as to this thing.

1. That it is very rarely, that the Providence of God suffereth any such designs to come to any effect and issue.

2. That if at any time he doth for the punishment of flagitious rulers suffer them to come to issue, he very rarely suffereth the actors in them to go down to their graves in peace. This abundantly justifieth itself in the story of Scripture, and in all other story.

'It is very rarely, that the Providence of God suffereth conspiracies to take effect. Of an hundred plots, that you read of in story, to take away the lives of Princes, and make disturbances in political affairs, it is very rare to read of any that take effect, Job 5.12. either the Lord makes their own hearts to fail them, or weakeneth their hands, that they cannot find their enterprize; or put's it into the hearts of some of the conspirators to reveal the matter, or causeth some strange impression and jealousies in those whose lives are aimed at: some way or other the Providence of God worketh, to crush the cockatrices egg, before it hatcheth into a serpent. Our Queen Elizabeth was a famous instance of the special Providence of God in this kind, over such, as God maketh rulers over others. What a strange discovery had we of the Powder-treason in this Nation? But this is but the first thing which I commended to you under this Observation.

2. Sometimes the Providence of God, for his wise ends, doth suffer such conspiracies to come to issue; either for the personal sins of such rulers, or for the sins of the people, over whom God hath set them; but when he doth, he rarely suffereth the actors in them to go down to their graves in peace. You read 2 Sam. 4. that Baanah and Recab, two servants of Ishbosheth, conspired against him, and slew him, ver. 9. David causeth them both to be slain. Baasha, 1 King. 16.27, conspireth against Nadab, and slayeth him; (indeed the Scripture doth not express the particular kind of his death) but he threatened him by Jehu the Prophet, 1 King. 16.3, 4. and tells us, ver. 7. That the wrath of the Lord came against him for all the evil that he did—in being like to the house of Jeroboam, and because he killed him, that is, he killed Nadab, the Son of Jeroboam.

And against Elah his Son, Zimri killed him, ver. 20. Had Zimri peace that slew his master? no, he killed himself; when he had reigned but seven days, ver. 28, after him Ahab (a most wicked man) died in war, his Son Jehoram was slain by Jehu, and Jehu executed both the Lord's counsel and command in what he did; so the Lord spared him, and three or four after him of his generation, to fulfil his promise to Jehu. After this, 2 King. 15, Shallum conspireth against Zechariah, and slayeth him, but reigns only one month; and Menahem requiteth his bloodshed, and slayeth him: Joash was slain for the blood of the Sons of Jehoiada, 2 King. 24.23. Amaziah his Son succeedeth him, 2 Chron. 25.1. & ver. 3. He slayeth his servants that had slain the King his father. And as this notion is justified everywhere in sacred story, so civil story also maketh it good: Solomon saith, He that breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him: Government is the hedge of a Nation, and rulers are the stakes in that hedge, that keep it together; and it is very rare, but the Providence of God ordereth it so, that a serpent biteth him, who breaketh this hedge, which the Providence of God hath set up about a Nation, or People. Princes and Rulers, are (in a great measure) privileged persons, and have great prerogatives from Divine Providence. And this motion of Divine Providence seemeth very reasonable. 1. If we consider the relation that they have unto God. 2. Or their usefulness unto men. I say, first, if we consider their relation unto God, which I shall open to you in three things: • : They are the Ordinance of God. 2: They are God's Creatures. 3. They are God's Vicegerents.

1. Rulers are God's Ordinance. This is the reason which the Apostle giveth Christians, for subjection to governors, Rom. 13.1, 2. Let every soul be subject to the higher powers, for there is no power but of God: the powers that be, are ordained of God: whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God. God is a God of order, and not of confusion, as well in States, as in Churches: and for the conservation of this order, he hath been pleased to ordain Government, a subordination and subjection of some unto others: and a man cannot rise up against this, but he must rise up in opposition to a Divine Ordinance. In 1 Pet. 2.13, Rulers are called the Ordinance of man, or as it is in the Greek, an human creature: but that must not be understood of Government in itself, (that is the Ordinance of God). I am aware that that is a Text, that is much made use of to prove Christians duty of Obedience to human Laws and Sanctions. But this seemeth not to be the sense: For, 1. We cannot submit thus to every Ordinance of man for the Lord's sake. Men may command us things which are contrary to the Will and Command of God, and in such cases our Allegiance is first due unto the great God. 2. Again, The distribution that followeth, seemeth not to favor this sense—whether to the King as supreme, or unto rulers sent by him. Let the form of Government, under which you live, be what it will, let the persons entrusted with the execution of this Government, be what they will, their qualities are not so much to be regarded, as the office which they bear. 3. Thus both the Syriac version, and some of the ancients interpret it: the Syriac version interprets it— Be you subject to all the Sons of men. 4. But lastly, The word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , which is there used, is always applied to persons, not to such constitutions, as laws are. Besides, there are that think, that the Apostle useth a dialect, then in use: there is nothing more ordinary in Latin Authors, than those phrases of creare consulem, creare dictatorem, &c. it is a phrase a little in use amongst us, to express the conferring of some particular honors. But I digress too far, certain it is, that as Government in the abstract, so particular governors in the concrete, are the Ordinance of God, and so have a more eminent relation unto God: All men are the creatures of God, they are the works of his hands, rulers are the Ordinance of God.

2. Rulers are God's creatures, and that not in a large sense, (so everything else is) but in a more eminent way; as Rulers in that capacity, to which God hath called them, they are God's creatures; Prov. 8.15. By me Kings reign, and Princes decree justice: by me Princes rule, and nobles, even all the Judges of the earth. It must not be understood only by my sufferance and permission, nor by me in an ordinary course of Providence, as all things are by God; but by me in a way of special Providence and designation: for (as the Psalmist saith), Psal. 75.6, 7. Promotion cometh not from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south: but God is the judge, he pulleth down one, and he setteth up another. And this must be said of the worst of Rulers: they came not up into that place of government, without the Lord. Saul was a Prince bad enough, God foretold by Samuel what he would be; yet you know what a special hand God had in the setting of him up. And God setteth up good or bad Rulers over a people, according to his designs to bless and prosper, or to chastise and punish them. Rulers, as rulers, be they good or bad, gentile, or froward, are God's creatures in an eminent way. Now as a Prince thinks himself obliged in honor to maintain his creatures, whom he hath set up in any place, for any end; so God will maintain Princes, as they are his creatures, raised up for his special designs.

3. Nay further yet, Rulers are God's vicegerents, Psal. 82.6. I have said you are God's; and in this sense it is true which the Apostle saith, There are God's many, and Lord's many. Every Prince is but a Vice-roy to the King of Kings, a Deputy-Lieutenant to the great Lord of Heaven and Earth. This createth a very near relation betwixt God and them, and highly engageth the Providente of God for them. Every Prince taketh a special care of persons, which he sendeth abroad for Ambassadors, and which represent his person and authority. Plots and conspiracies against Princes, are much against God himself. God giveth this reason for his severe Law against murder, Gen. 9.6. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. The Image of God in man, lay much in his Knowledge, Wisdom, Righteousness, dominion over other creatures. If God sendeth a people, a Prince, in whom nothing of the Image of God can be seen in the three former things, Knowledge, or Wisdom, or Righteousness: yet he hath given unto all Rulers a dominion over his creatures, and that not only over brute and inanimate creatures, (every man hath such a dominion, and is a great Prince) but over rational creatures: and herein much of the Image of God, who is the King of kings, and Lord of lords, and ruler of Princes, is to be seen. Now I say considering this great relation of Rulers to God, it is but reasonable that God should watch over them with a special eye of Providence, maintaining his own Ordinance, his own Creatures, his own Vicegerents in the Earth.

2 But secondly, The reasonableness of it will appear, if you consider the usefulness of Rulers unto men. Upon the former account I have shown you how God consulteth his own glory. I shall now show you how God in these motions of Providence consulteth our good. It is usually said, and I think very truly, Better Tyranny than Anarchy; better a very ill oppressive government, then no government: He that would pluck up the government of any place, would but pluck up the bridg, which in a short time, himself will have occasion to go over: so that God in his special Providence towards, and for Rulers, showeth a special kindness to human society. What do laws signify without Executors of them? Now this is the office of Rulers, to execute the Laws, and if some of them be partial in the execution of them, and spare some transgressors; yet there's none of them, but in many things do execute justice, and keep up something of the face of order of human society. But I have hitherto only instanced in one sort of sins, eminently disturbing human societies, treasons, seditions, conspiracies, &c. I come now to a second.

2. Oppression is another sin of this nature, and this must be the sin of Superiors, and men that are in power over others. I may join with it tyranny and cruelty, they are of a great cognation one to another: Oppression is one of the crying sins of a Nation, and the Providence of God is eminently seen in giving testimony against it: this was that sin for which God so plagued Pharaoh, Exod. 3.7. For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise (saith the Lord), and the vengeance of God is so certain against oppressors, that the wise man calleth to us, Prov. 3.31. Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. Doth he flourish? doth he grow rich and great? Envy him not, choose none of his ways. It is very seldom that God letteth eminent oppressors escape. If they be amongst inferior Rulers, God stirreth up their superiors against them at one time or other: If chief rulers be oppressors, God hath other ways to punish them, either immediately by his own hand, as he did Pharaoh; or suffering people to throw off the reins of Government, which was the case of Abijam, though he did but threaten oppression, 1 King. 12.11. All men are not wise, the most of people are over-ruled by their own lusts and passions, and not governed by reason: but even for wise men Solomon tells us, Eccles. 7.7. That oppression will make them mad, put them out of the government of their reason. It is indeed madness, and nothing but madness for private persons to rise up against a government; but we see it sometimes done, and usually oppression, eminent, and general oppression gives the occasion, and is the proximate cause of it; but one way or other God (ordinarily) revengeth oppression by signal Providences; and therefore the wise man saith, Eccles. 5.8. If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and the violent perverting of judgment and justice in a people, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth, and there is higher than they. Now the reason of the special and remarkable Providence of God in this case, may be conceived to be, 1. God's great love to Justice and Judgment. 2. His great kindness to Political Societies. God is a just and righteous God, and loveth justice: Justice is an essential Attribute of God, he could not be God, if he could be unjust: he giveth to everyone their due, and he cannot but give everyone their due; and the righteous God loveth righteousness, and hateth iniquity. Now oppression is nothing else but a violent perverting of Justice and Judgment, by him that hath power on his side. Solomon saith, Prov. 14.31. He that oppresseth the poor, reproacheth his maker: he reproacheth his Maker, because it is God that hath made his brother poor, and put him under his feet. Again, he reproacheth his Maker, because God hateth and abhorreth all oppression and injustice; he pretendeth to rule in the place of God, but he reproacheth his Maker: God dealeth so by none, his law directeth the quite contrary. Again, he reproacheth his Maker, because God hath taken the poor, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow into his special protection; and hath given many particular laws about them, and given the world a particular charge concerning them.

2. As God is a God of Justice, and loveth that; so he hath also a great kindness for human societies, and for brotherly love. God hath in Creation disposed man to society, he is not like the wild Ass, that loveth to be alone in the wilderness; he hath also disposed them to trades and employments, serving one another; so as though a beast, or a bird could live without one another, yet men can live in no degree of felicity (outward felicity) without company; nor can society be well maintained without justice and brotherly love; injustice, violence, and oppression break all human society. There is nothing that breaks human society, more than oppression doth; when the greater devour the lesser, and the richer swallow up those that are more poor, that they might be left alone in the Earth. There's nothing more opposite to brotherly love, the ligament of human society, than oppression is; and therefore the special Providence of God in the punishment of it, and delivering the oppressed from the bondage of it, is not to be judged a strange thing, but exceeding consonant to the nature of God.

3. A third sin which makes gaps in human societies, is murder, a private, willful taking away the life of another; I say private, for if it be done by the hand of Justice, it is no murder: I add willful to distinguish it from casual homicide, when one is the cause of the death of another, not in the least intending him death, or any harm tendent to it. It was one of God's Precepts to Noah, Gen. 9.6. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God made he him. Afterwards it was one of his Ten Commandments, given to his people on Mount Sinai, Thou shalt do no murder. And although in the case of casual homicide, he appointed Cities of refuge, to which the manslayer might fly, and be free from the avenger of blood; yet for the willful murderer, Numb. 35.31. he saith— you shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death; but he shall surely be put to death: and verse 33. So shall you not pollute the land wherein you are: for blood, it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. And accordingly the Providence of God hath (generally) ordered the government of the several parts of the world, that unless it hath been in a very debauchit nation, scarce any place hath been found where the Rulers have not been zealous, even from the light of nature, against willful murderers; and the Providence of God is in nothing more eminently seen, than in the discovery of such transgression, and bringing them to justice. It is a common observation, therefore I shall need the less to insist upon the Justification of it. Sometimes God makes use of the fear and passion, and shy-looks of the guilty conscience of the murderer, to discover himself: sometimes the birds of the air shall pursue him (as I remember I have somewhere read of a famous story of murderers, pursued by Crows and Ravens), sometimes a Dog shall do it; sometimes a Spirit shall do it: in short, the stories are very many, and strange, of the Providence of God in discovering of murder: Murthers make great gaps and disorders in human societies.

4. Adultery is another sin, which maketh great confusion in human society; though not like those beforementioned, but in a more secret way; yet great disorder it begets. By God's old Law, the adulterer was to be put to death; it was an extraordinary act, and one of those we call heroic acts, not to be defended, but by an immediate impetus, by a command from God, that of Phinehas, I mean, taking a javelin, and at once running through Zimri and Cozbi: God justified it, and promised Phinehas a reward for it. The vengeance of God upon those that have given up themselves to this sin, is eminent; he hath prepared a dart to strike through their livers, which he useth in no other case, a peculiar defiling, tormenting disease: The persons that are guilty, are often sent to hell in the act, by the jealousy of Husbands; and by the Laws of most Nations, such manslayers are justified. It is a sin indeed, that doth not make that havoc in human society, which some of those beforementioned do; and therefore the Providence of God is not so remarkably seen in preventing it, and discovering preparations to it; but it is eminently seen in the punishment of it, both as to punishments in this life, and in his threatenings, as to depriving them of a life to come.

5. I will instance in one more, and that is, Rebellion and disobedience to the lawful commands of parents. It is the fifth of of the Ten Commandments, Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Upon which account the Apostle calleth it, the first commandment with promise. Indeed this sin is the root of most disorder that is in political society. The rebellious child seldom proveth a dutiful wife, or good husband, nor good servant, nor good subject, unless grace first maketh a change in their hearts, and bringeth them from under the government of their passions; the Providence of God is therefore eminently to be seen in the punishment of such children. By the Law of God, the Son that obeyed not his father, was to be stoned to death. Read Deut. 21.18, 19, 20. He that curseth his father or mother, shall die the death, Exod. 21.17. Levite. 20.9. Mal. 15.4. Mar. 7.20. And if you observe the Providence of God, it strangely pursueth rebellious children with vengeance, they seldom prosper.

6. I will instance but in one sin more, That is persecution, or eminent disturbance of others, for their conscience towards God. This is a sin which doth not only disturb human society, but the best of human societies, the society of the Church: it disturbeth human society, engageth husband against wife, and children against parents, and brother against brother; it spoileth that commerce and traffic, by which political societies are maintained and upheld. As to that, it cannot be without a great connection and twisting of men's interests of divers persuasions, one with another; so as the interrupting the free course of one, is the interruption of another: and while persons are rifled in their houses, hailed to prisons, there must needs be an interruption in their commerce. But this sin hath this further aggravation, That it makes disturbance in the best societies; the Assemblies of God's People for his worship, are the best of human societies, God is in the midst of them, more present with them, than with any societies in the world besides them. Those that rudely break in upon such Assemblies, break in upon the great God of Heaven and Earth, who hath said, Wheresoever two or three are gathered together in my name, I will be in the midst amongst them; and may justly expect some such extraordinary judgment, as the Sodomites met with, when they would have broken open Lots house, to have pulled the Angels out; but God doth not always work miraculously, but seldom fails (even in this life) to set his mark upon this sort of sinners. It is an observation that I have formerly made to you. You shall in story read of persecutions, which sometimes have lasted long, very long, but seldom of a persecutor that hath lasted long: he is an odious, abominable wretch, whom vengeance will neither suffer to live, nor often to die after the ordinary death of men. He that will but read over the story of the ten Primitive persecutions, will see this abundantly confirmed: or if any thinks those stories too old, let him read what became of Gardener and Bonner, those two bloody wretches in Queen Mary's days, and of divers others that were their instruments, and willingly followed their Commandments; and possibly he may confirm himself in this Observation, by later examples than those also. But I have instanced in those sins, which do most eminently disturb human societies, and spoken enough to the doctrinal part of this Observation. I shall reduce all I shall say by way of Application to two heads: 1. Showing you what advantage this observation giveth me, to call upon all men, but especially those in higher orbs, to praise the Lord. 2. To persuade all men to take heed, as of all sin, so especially of such sins as these are, against which the wrath of God is so eminently revealed.

Use 1. In the first place, let then all men that live upon the Earth praise the Lord; but especially such as are superiors and rulers over others, and more especially such as are his Church. The Psalmist, Psal. 135.1. calls to all, saying, Praise the Lord, praise ye the name of the Lord, and ver. 19, 20, 21. He calleth in particular, Bless the Lord, O house of Israel: Bless the Lord, O house of Aaron: Bless the Lord, O house of Levi; you that fear the Lord, bless the Lord: Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem. 1. This observation calleth to all the sons and daughters of men to bless the Lord. We are all sociable creatures, and much of the comfort of our lives lieth in our societies and fellowships one with another, either in our family-societies, or in our civil-societies, or in our Church-societies. We should think it a life worse than death, to be condemned to live like a wild Ass alone in the wilderness. Now there are some lusts of men, that would spoil us of all this comfort. God peculiarly sets himself against them, and makes these the marks for his arrows of vengeance. The Jews said of the Centurion, He hath loved our nation, and hath built us a synagogue. We may say of our good God, he hath loved mankind, for he hath taken care to preserve order in human societies, and severely to chasten the invaders upon the rights of others. What an engagement doth this lay upon all men to praise the Lord? Certainly sirs, there is a great deal of praise, and glory, and homage due to God from all men, as they are concerned in their several societies. There is a great deal of glory due to God from families, for his testimony against those lusts of men, (such as are murderers and adulterers ) which in a short time would spoil all the comfort of those societies. Certainly every family is bound to worship God, and to walk with God. But particularly,

1. Let Rulers praise the Lord. Let all the Princes of the Earth give homage to him that ought to be served; they are more especial marks for furious and ambitious men's lusts. God's Providence (as you have heard) is eminently seen in preventing their dangers, in revenging their harms. Surely then (as David saith) those that rule over men should be just, ruling them in the fear of the Lord: their light should be like the light of the morning without clouds. God hath not only set them up as lights upon an hill, but he hath made his special Providence to be a lanthorn about them; that 'tis rarely, that the wind of sedition and treason prevails to blow them out, and then 'tis (ordinarily) for some eminent Provocation of God. But I am not speaking to persons in that capacity. You that are parents, praise the Lord: God's special Providence you see reacheth you, and in a great measure secureth you from that great heart-ach of rebellious and disobedient children. I know you will say, How then cometh this to be the great affliction of many good parents? To which I answer: 1. There is many a good parent may have been but like good old Eli, too indulgent and cockering to their children; ordinarily God keepeth up the authority of parents over their children, until themselves have prostituted it; and in the rebellion and disobedience of their children, they may read their own sin, and see as much cause to be humbled for that, as anything else, as David in the case of Adonijah, 1 King. 1.5, 6. And herein the goodness of God towards parents will be seen, that if he doth not (upon their endeavors) secure to them the duty of their children; yet he will not fail to revenge their quarrels against them.

2. Let the poor and weak of the earth praise the Lord: he hath declared himself the father of the fatherless, and the judge of the widows, a refuge for the oppressed, Psal. 68.5. Exod. 22.5. Psal. 10.11. How are all the widows, and fatherless children, all the poor and oppressed people of the world bound to praise, and to serve this God, who hath taken upon himself the special patronage and protection of them? This indeed would be the best use we could possibly make of this Observation, relating to the special Providence of God, if it might lay a special obligation upon all those, who are thus especially concerned, to magnify God as their great patron and defender. And how can they praise God more effectually, than in doing those particular duties which concern them all in their respective relations? or with reference to those peculiar circumstances of Providence, under which they are acted. I shall add but one branch of Application more, and indeed it is not a new Use, for it is a part of our praise and homage which we owe unto God upon this Reflexion, viz.

Use 2. To all, to take heed of those sins, which God in his word declares himself more eminently to abhor, and in the execution of Providence, doth most severely punish. All sin is in itself a filthy and abominable thing, and the just object of every good man's hatred: for should not we hate what God hateth? and what hath of all things the greatest opposition to God? yes, we ought to hate it with a perfect hatred. But such is the naughtiness of our heart, that we are not so led to an hatred and abhorrence of sin, from the intrinsical evil, and obliquity of it, as from the dangerous and pernicious consequence of it. Death, eternal death is the wages of every sin; but this being only matter of faith to bold sinners, (none having ever come from the dead to give them an account of those flames) the punishments of sin in this life, are those things which most deter carnal sensual men. But if men will look no further, nor believe anymore; yet let this lay some law upon us, and make us afraid of those sins which I have instanced in, being such, whose judgment the Providence of God seldom letteth sleep so long, as to another life. Let this mind us not to meddle with them that are given to change, that curse Kings and Rulers in their bed-chambers, and are of turbulent and unquiet spirits, always plotting, and contriving seditions, and treasons, and disturbances to civil governors: it is very rarely, that God suffereth their designs to come to issue, or their persons to come to the grave in peace. 2. What a law should it lay upon the rich and great men of the earth, to take heed of violent perverting justice and judgment, of turning away the causes of the widows, and the fatherless in judgment: To consider, that he who is the highest, doth consider the matter; and there is one higher than the highest of them, who abuse their power to trample the poor underfoot. If men be not turned Atheists, and have banished all the fear of God from their eyes and hearts; it must a little give them law, and lay them under some restraints, as to those horrible sins, of murder, persecution, defiling their neighbors wives, &c. To consider that these are some of the sins, which go ordinarily beforehand to judgment, and which God usually revengeth by some special remarkable Providences in this life. But it is time to finish this discourse. Let us beg God's blessing upon it.

SERMON XXIII.

I Am in a discourse about the observable things of Divine Providence. When do you think, shall I have finished it? Day unto day uttereth speech, night unto night declareth knowledge. When I have said all that I can, I must conclude with Job, Lo these are parts of his ways, but how little a portion of him do we understand? However, it is wonderfully sweet to know the least of God. If a learned man could think it worth his while to write a book of the admiranda Nili, the admirable and observable things of the famous River of Nile; What a book might be written, and how much worth a pen-man's hand would it be, to write a book, and call it, Admiranda, or Observanda Providentiae Divinae, the admirable and observable things of Divine Providence? But leaving Prefaces, I proceed to a ninth Observation, which is this:

Observ. 9. The Providence of God often repayeth both good and evil, and especially charity and cruelty in this life in its own kind, 1 Cor. 3.8. 2 Cor. 5.10. That God will reward every man according to his works, is most certain, and is a piece of Divine Justice; he cannot condemn the innocent, nor clear the guilty, there will be a now when God will visit for all sin: and though sinners do evil an hundred years, yet the day of vengeance will come. And to let us know the certainty of it, oftentimes the Prophets of God in the denouncing of judgments yet a far off, cried out, It is come, It is come; and gave the alarm, as if the enemy had already entered the gates. But God doth not recompense all sinners in this life: Judgment comes afterward. But for those whom God doth chastise in this life, he doth not punish them all the same way; some are punished with temporal judgments, and those some of them of one sort, some of another: others he punisheth with spiritual judgments, blindness of mind, hardness of heart. And it is the same case for rewards of grace, some have little reward for all their service for God, until they come in Heaven; others are rewarded in this life, but in different manners. The Observation which I am making, concerneth charity and mercy, and the vices opposite to it, such as are, cruelty, hardheartedness to those in want and misery. In these cases I observe God's Providence often retaliates. I say, 1. The Providence of God doth often recompense other sins in this manner, but especially sins against charity and brotherly love. God many times repayeth other sins in their kind: our Savior by this argument dissuades from rash censuring, and censorious judging of others, Matth. 7.1, 2. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be meted to you again. (A text which if well thought upon, should deter Christians from the too common practice of censuring and judging one another) especially in doubtful things, where they are not of a mind; as if sincerity and uprightness were the Prerogative of a party in Religion, or annexed to some particular forms. You know God threatened David for his adultery with Bathsheba, That he would take his wives before his eyes, and give them to his neighbor, and he should lie with his wives in the sight of the Sun, 2 Sam. 12.11. and it was fulfilled by the permission (though not by the instigation) of Divine Providence, in 2 Sam. 16.22. Spoiling and plundering of others, taking away their goods without a just warrant from God, is another sin we find thus threatened, Isa. 33.1. Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wert not spoiled; those that thou so rifledst, never did thee any wrong; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee: when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled, and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee. But that indeed referreth to the more special observation, as to sins opposite to that Charity we should exercise to our brethren, to which I now come. I say it is very observable, that God punisheth sins against charity, and rewardeth deeds, and acts of charity in their kind, secundum legem Talionis, ordinarily giving the Authors of both like for like. I will first show it you in the motions of Providence, as to the execution of Vindicative Justice, in the punishment of sins against Charity. Against which men may sin, either by omissions, hardening their hearts from their brother in distress, not relieving him when it is in their power, according to their ability; or by commissions: murders, oppressions, cruelty, are all sins against Charity. 1. For omissions. It is a dreadful text, Prov. 21.13. He that stoppeth his ear against the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, and shall not be heard. A text worth deliberating upon by those who find their hearts so shut up in cafes of Charity: not that we are bound to hear the cry of all that are poor. There are some poor, that the greatest act of Charity we can show them, is not to relieve them, that they may learn not to be idle, and wander up and down begging, refusing to work. The poor we are concerned in, are God's poor; I hope we favor none that are lazy, idle, or lewd, and by that means bring themselves to, and continue themselves at a morsel of bread: far be it from me, or any Minister of Jesus Christ, to plead for such. You from us hear the cries of the Lord's poor, take heed of stopping your ears at their cry, remember Solomon's word, God's word by Solomon: He that doth so, he also shall cry, and not be heard: you may also come into such a condition, or you may have a child may come to it through age, through God's hand upon him. You remember the story of Naomi, she went out full, she returned empty; the story of Job, and others in Scripture. I could tell you the stories of Belisarius, of divers persons of far greater estates (some of them), than any that hear me this day, yet brought to live upon the baskets of others: who knows what you or yours may come to? Do you think the great fire at London 1666, that at Northampton but the last year; That at a Town in this County two or three years ago, at Cottenham in Cambridge-shire the other day, hath not given many instances of this nature? (for God of late hath very remarkably contended with England, as by such a plague, as our forefathers never knew; so by a multitude of such devouring fires, for number and greatness not to be paralleled). God make us to understand his Rod, and how many ways he is as a moth unto England, secretly, and gradually, and almost irreparably devouring and destroying us. This maketh our days full of the cry of the poor: God grant we be not also full of such as stop their ears at the cry of the poor, either giving nothing, or in no proportion to relieve them. I wish we could consider and remember that Text, and think what may be our portion, and do as we would be done by, and remember, God often punisheth this uncharitableness in its kind. Men of hardhearts in prosperity, (ordinarily) meet with hard-hearts in their adversity; with what measure they mete to others, it is meted unto them again. The Apostle, Gal. 6.1. persuadeth the restoring of a brother fallen in the spirit of meekness, and useth this Topic, Considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. And to the Hebrews he speaks, To remember them that are bound, as bound with them: and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves in the body, Heb. 13.2. There's much in those words, Lest thou also be tempted, and those, as being yourselves in the body. In cases of true charity, Christians, as they should consider other things, so they should consider, that they themselves are in the body; they may lose their estates, their health, their limbs; they are not in Heaven yet, they are in the world, and they are in the body; they are not merely spirits invulnerable, impenetrable: Men should think my house may be fired, and all I have lost in an hour or two: I may lose my eyes, my limbs, as this poor creature hath, I am in the body. So in those words there's a great Emphasis, Lest thou also be tempted: Tempted, sometimes signifies as much as afflicted, (though indeed in that Text it seems to signify solicited to sin, and overcome). God (saith the Apostle) for thy rigid dealing with thy brother, over-born with a temptation to sin, may suffer the Devil to give thee a foil; wouldest thou in such a case be roughly dealt with thyself? With what measure men mete to others, God measureth to them again. Let me say to you, take heed of omitting your duty in a charitable act, lest thou also comest to be so afflicted, as to need others charity; and when thou art so, God should repay thee in thy own kind, so straiten men's hearts towards thee, that from persons, from whom thou mightest have expected pounds, thou hast not so many pence: think with thyself how such a thing would please you? Let me here give you two rules, which I think your Reasons will all concur with.

1. It is a foolish thing for any person (in circumstances of mortality) so to govern himself in his conversation, as if he were not subject to the common accidents of that state. The Apostle saith of Elijah, That he was a man subject to like passions with other men: The Apostle speaks of human weaknesses, sinful infirmities; and God considereth that, and gives us allowances for it: and therefore though Job had many ill fits of impatience, when the hand of God was heavy upon him; yet God saith, Behold the patience of Job. We are all of us also subject to the same sufferings, and the Apostle from this Topic, comforteth his Corinthians in those first (and furious) times of the Gospel, 1 Cor. 10.13. There hath no temptation taken you, but what is common to men. Now I say there is nothing more foolish, than for any of us in our conversation to govern ourselves, as if we were not so, but out of the gun shot of the chastising Providence of God. Our bodies are subject to death, to sicknesses, to old age, and impotencies; our estates are exposed to the fire, to the thief, to the merciless soldier, to the oppressor. Now for a man in his conversation to govern himself so, as if he were never to die; as if he were never to be sick; as if it were not possible that a fire should devour his pleasant things, that he or his should not be brought to straits, is no better than folly and madness.

2. It is as foolish a thing for a man to promise himself, that in case of such accidents, others should be kinder to him, than he hath been to others in the same circumstances. We cannot so much as fancy such a thing, without supposing them better-natured, or more gracious, either of which is at best a reproach to ourselves. And this is but reasonable for us to think, although we consider not the influence of God in the case, who hath told us, That he who stoppeth his ear against the cry of the poor, he also shall cry, and not be heard; and hath the hearts of all men in his hand, and can easily shut them up (in judgment) against the cries of those who have sinfully stopped their ears against the cries of those who have cried to them in their distress. Hence it follows, that it is but reasonable for us in these cases thus to conclude. I have now a fair estate, but it is subject to decay, a fire may consume it in a moment, soldiers may devour it, either in my or my children's days: I have now an healthy body, sound and perfect limbs, I may grow sickly, lose my limbs, my senses, and be brought into the condition of a receiver, who am now a giver. Why should I think that any should consider me, or mine in such circumstances, more than I consider others? Let me therefore do unto others, as I would have others do unto me: I have no reason to look, that it should be meted to me again, better measure then I measure unto others. But I have dwelt too long upon this first, showing you how the Providence of God doth often retaliate hard heartedness, by suffering the hearts of others to harden against men in straits, who have stopit their ears against the cries of others to them in distress.

2. But there are other kinds of uncharitableness, which God doth ordinarily repay in their kind. Those are acts, bearing the highest opposition to charity, tending to the utter ruin and destruction of their brethren: such as murders, cruelties, and barbarous and inhumane usage of others. We shall find in the old Law, that God in divers cases established a law of Retaliation. If any mischief followed such a striking a woman with child, as caused a miscarriage, God ordained they should give eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe, Exod. 21.23, 24, 25. and in the case of a false witness there was such a law, Deut. 19.16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. which you may read at your leisure. It was God's will, that a witness who had testified falsely against any man, (if he were once found a false witness) should suffer the very same thing that the other should have suffered. So that throughout all the Jewish period, the Providence of God did (ordinarily) execute this Justice by the hands of Magistrates. But you must not mistake to think this rule of God was without exceptions; for oftentimes exceptions were made with respect to the quality of the persons, and this by the Law of God, Exod. 21.16. He that cursed his father or mother, was to die the death: that now was more than like for like: and ver. 26. If a master had struck a servant, and put out his eye, the masters punishment was only to manumit his servant, not to pay eye for eye: the reason was the disparity of persons. I might observe to you, that the Providence of God directed other Magistrates, then those he set up amongst his own people, to enact laws, to render like for like: in many cases especially, where offenses were eminently against mercy and charity, (though with the like respect to persons and other circumstances) which is enough (by the way) to evidence the justice of such laws in many cases. But further, the Providence of God, in this retaliating sins of this nature, is eminent in those whom he took to punish with his own hand. In the case of Pharaoh, he cruelly caused the maleinfants of the Jewish children to be drowned; God causeth him, and his host to be swallowed up in the red Sea. In the case of Adonibezek, Judge. 1.6. The Israelites took him, and cut off his thumbs, and great toes. You never read that the Israelites served any Enemy so, either before or after that time; and doubtless what they did, was by an extraordinary instinct from God. Ver. 7. Adonibezek acknowledgeth the hand of God in it, Threescore and ten Kings (saith he) having their thumbs and great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table; as I have done, so God hath requited me, 1 Sam. 15.33. When Samuel cometh to slay Agag by God's Commandment, observe what he saith, As thy sword hath made many women childless: so this day thy mother shall be made childless as to thee, and he cut him in pieces before the Lord. And this is that which God hath said, Rev. 13.10. He that leadeth into captivity, shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword, shall be killed with the sword: and in Rev. 18.6. speaking of mystical Babylon (by which our Forefathers have understood Rome, though late Authors have otherwise endeavored to interpret it), and the fall of it, saith God, Reward her even as she hath rewarded you, and double unto her double, according to her works; in the cup which she hath filled, fill her double. You see still those whom God hath thus punished from time to time, have ordinarily been great offenders against mercy and charity, great actors of cruelty; the wickedness of these men, God hath ordinarily retaliated, and paid them in their own kind. I have hitherto justified the first part of my observation, that God very ordinarily doth repay eminent sinners against charity in their own kind; what hath been wanting, there's hardly any observing Christian but will be able to make up in his daily observation; 'tis very seldom but God gives cruel and bloody, and mischievous men blood to drink, and cruelty to digest; if he gives it not to them, he ordinarily doth it to their children, as he did to Saul, and to Ahab, and to Jehu. Saul's children were hanged by David at God's command, for his bloody house; Ahab's seventy Sons were slain for his bloodshed and cruelty. And God repaid the blood which Jehu shed in Jesreel, (though in it he executed God's counsel) unto his children, as the Prophet saith expressly. God gave Manasseh his children ( Josiah only excepted) blood to drink, to requite him for his filling of Jerusalem with innocent blood.

2. Let me now justify the Observation as to the second part of it. God's retaliation of charity: Charity is a word of a very vast extent, and comprehendeth under it all acts of kindness done unto our brethren, standing in need of our help. It is a saying I have met with somewhere, A man seldom himself experienceth in himself, that misery which he hath truly felt in others. Many great and exceeding precious promises are made to it, as if it were all