Forty sermons whereof twenty one are now first publish'd, the greatest part preach'd before the King and on solemn occasions / by Richard Allestree ... ; to these is prefixt an account of the author's life.

SERMON VIII. OF THE HIDING PLACE From Indignation. (Book 8)

Isaiah 26. 20.

Come my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thy self as it were for a little mo∣ment, until the Indignation be overpast.

UPON the Eve as it were and the Vigils to the day of Indignation, when we cannot but look upon it as ready to be pour'd out on us in a full stream, when we see destruction make close approches to us, work round about us, and punishment like our sin lies at the very door, ready either to enter in upon us, or seize us if we offer to come out; to offer at a way to prevent all this, that should discover to you a safe retreat from those threats that pursue this Nation in general, open a shelter from the present storm, can∣not chuse but be seasonable; yet such a thing the Text do's venture at, and if God himself knew the best way to keep off his Indigna∣tion from us, then here it is; for he prescribes, Come my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thy self as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.

Before I do divide the Text, I shall tell you in what sense I inter∣pret those words, Enter thou into thy chamber and shut the doors about thee, which if it be not according to the immediat and literal im∣portance of them, is yet such as is justified by a parallel place of Scripture dictated by our Savior himself, and will afford us most wholesom observations. I take them in the sense they have Matt. 6. 6. But thou, when thou praiest, enter into thy chamber and shut thy door, so that here they will be the form of prescribing praier: in dangerous and sad times, when if thoua 1.1 look unto the earth, thou shalt behold nothing but trouble, and darkness, and dimness of anguish, why then lift up thine eyes to Heaven, go to thy Praiers; in times of change when thou knowest not which way to betake thy self, go to the Closet of thy devotions, take off thy thoughts from these sad objects here below, and fix them on the comforts of Religion, divert thy thoughts from the occasions of discontent, and employ them in meditations upon God, in converses with him, in contemplations

of his Promises and joys; in one word spend thy time in Praiers and Devotions.

That's the sense; the parts are 1. A perswading invitation, come my people; wherein are the persons invited, my people, secondly the invitation, come.

2. Here is that they are invited to, set down by way of counsel, and that hath several branches.

1. Enter thou into thy chambers.

2. Shut thy doors about thee.

3. Hide thy self, with the duration of it as it were for a little mo∣ment; and secondly the end of this and all the rest, that the Indi∣gnation may pass over them; until the Indignation be overpast.

In the handling of them I shall take this course, first from the first general I shall speak somwhat of the persons invited; that have this compellation my people, and giving you some reasons of it.

From the second I shall observe that in times of storm or any sad∣ness the onely way to withdraw our selves from the violences of discontents and troubles, is to retire to praiers, and the onely com∣fort then is in the Closet-exercises of Devotion.

3. From the next part, hide thy self, that Praiers are in sad daies the onely great security, and the devotion-chamber a sure hiding place from Indignation.

4. From the duration, that the sorrows of the afflictions, which God does suffer to fall upon his own devout People, they last but for a little moment.

5. From the last there is none of Gods Indignation in them, all that overpasses them.

First of the compellation my People, come my People. Now God may speak to those here for two reasons; first to shew us that in the times of storm and of the breakings out of indignation God invites none to courses of security, puts none upon ways of safety, do's not take care of any but those that are his People, and those in whom his People are concern'd, as Kings, who are the nursing Fathers of his Church; as for others let them take their own courses, look to themselves, but come ye, come my People. My People is a word that includes relation, and wherein it do's consist you will find from the correlative set together with it in the very making of the Covenant, b 1.2 I will be their God, and they shall be my People; they who take God to be their Lord, and assume to become his obedient liege People, such have indeed a right and title to his Protections: to provide for and take care of them it is his office, he undertook it in his Cove∣nant, and not to do it were to renounce his compact, which he bound himself to with an Oath, which 'tis impossible for him to do. But as for others, they have no plea to these. Can Rebels claim protection, and such who renounce relations, that put themselves off from being his People, expect that he should look after and take care of them, be their Guardian and Security? The different con∣dition of these two sorts of People in relation to Gods caring for them in time of judgment you will find Mal 3. 16, 17, 18. In the times of undisturb'd abundance and of full prosperity, when the God of this World is good to them that serve him, when the Lord

lets men alone, and the ungodly thrive, then indeed his protections are not much regarded, but wickedness & wealth seem the strongest security: but when God sends his Indignation abroad, and when his Judgments sweep away those confidences, then this will be a comfortable consideration, come what will come I have one that hath writ me in his note-book, in his Book of Remembrance, to put him in mind that he is to provide for me: and when the most flo∣rishing ungodly shall be stript of all his hopes and trusts, no least re∣lief from them, nor can he look for any from the Lord, God hath not so much as directions for him here, he hath no part, not in his per∣swasions, is not invited to his Coun••els; then have I one that will make me up amongst his Jewels, have the same cares of me as of his peculiar precious treasures, and calls me to security, Come my People.

Or secondly my People, to let us see what arts of invitation God does use to perswade us to take good counsel; he gives us all the compellations of kindness, and speaks us as fair as possibly, not to do him a courtesy but to be kind to our selves. In other places, when he hath no design upon them, then he cries to Moses, thou and thy People Exod. 32. 7. but when he would do good unto us, when he would entice us to be safe, then come my People. So he does elsewhere use all the titles of love, and cloths his invitations with the wordings of our most known Courtships, that that which useth to prevail with us, may do his work upon us. So in the Can∣ticles 5. 2. Open to me my love, my dove, my spouse, my undefiled; and the whole book is but the Arts of Divine wooing. Strange that the heavenly Bridegroom must court so much to be receiv'd by his Spouse! Good God! that thou must be forc'd to give us good words to prevail with us to be good unto our selves, that we must be sooth'd, temted, and flatter'd into preservations and mercies, that we should refuse remedy and Antidote unless it be guilded; that to lie hid in times of Judgment, and to escape Indignation is not mo∣tive enough to us, but we must be woo'd to do so: safety it self must speak us fair or we will none of it, and God must flatter us into the places of security, Come my People, enter into thy chambers, the next.

Enter thou into thy chambers. Whence we did observe, that in times of storm and calamity the onely way to withdraw our selves from the violences of discontents and troubles, is to retire to Praiers and Closet exercises of Devotion. If I should go to prove this, I might read you the whole book of Psalms, the Psalter being but Davids Liturgy in time of sadness, the service and the refresh∣ments of his sorrows. To tell you that he says, In my trouble I will go call upon the Lord Psal. 18. 6. and when I was in trouble I called upon the Lord Psal. 120. 1. or again, for the love that I bear unto them they take now my contrary part, but I give my self unto praier Psal. 109. 4. this would be to no purpose, for the whole book is but doing this. And indeed to do it, is the best counsel God himself do's give, 'tis that he do's invite us to in such a discourse, come my people, enter.

And for the comforts of it, I shall enclose them in the application, which shall pass by that strange mistake that is in some men, who seek to quench the sorrows of calamity by the entertainments of

sin, to divert sad thoughts by vicious company, to refresh themselves with the jollities of iniquity, to choak the remembrance of their afflictions with riot, and drown it in excesses. Alas, 'tis not go abroad unto the open lodgings of intemperance and to the Inns of pleasure, but come and enter thou into thy chambers.

And secondly it shall omit that very near as great mistake of them, who in times of impending calamity busy themselves with the cares of the world, whose hearts are then especially set on thriving, and they immerse themselves in the wayes of gain, looking on that as the thing that is to be their great security, and that they shall provide against all sad events by that. Strange! that in the time of pungent troubles, when they are encompassed with misery, to run into the thorns and briars, as our Savior calls them, should be our onely hopeful refuge and retiring place, that men should be then most griping after that, the cares of keeping which, and the fears of loosing it are the onely great things that make calamity grievous. He, who then makes himself Master of possessions, gives pledges to Affliction. Shall I then put my self further out into the world, when Gods discretion bids me enter thou into thy chambers.

But thirdly I apply directly to the calamitous, however destitute and unhappy. When thou art brought at once low enough for pity, but so unhappy as to be scorn'd, ruin'd, and contemn'd too, come here, and pour out thy soul into the bosom of him, who thou art sure will not refuse thee, nor turn away his face from thee, but stands here to invite thee with all the compellations of love. Here thou mayst lay open thy case to him that had so much kindness to thee as to die for thee, and mingle thy own tears with the bloud of God that was shed for thee. To have any friend whom to impart thy griefs to, is in good measure to unlade and emty thy self of them: thou hast here the most faithful bosom of thy Savior, whom thou mayst behold in the same postures of affliction that thou thy self art in, out of affection to thee and suffering for thee, in Agonies of one and the other, sweating as much with heats of love to thee as of pain for thee, hanging down his head upon the cross with lan∣guishments of kindness and of weakness, and his arms stretch'd into the posture of receiving thee to his embraces, and his side open'd, not onely to shed bloud and water for thee, but to receive thy tears and give thee passage to his very heart. Come then my People, come to me; if thy sad expectations be like plummets at thy heart and weigh it down, yet lift up thy heart together with thy hands in assur'd confidence that that kindness, which did thus express it self, will never fail thee. If notwithstanding this, the pressure make thy thoughts to sink and thy soul to grovel, let it be but a bowing down in submission to my will, who certainly know what is best for thee: come then and give thy self up into my hands, as into the hands of a faithful Redeemer. Now the devout soul doing so, by often betaking himself to God upon these occasions, becomes ac∣quainted with his Maker, and in all discontents he will strait run to his Acquaintance there to disburden himself; and in all fears thither he hasts for shelter with the very same complacencies that our Savior says the young one does to the wings of the hen at the

approach of danger: there the soul nestles, and is hugely pleas'd with the apprehensions of its comfortable warm security. By fre∣quent converses of this kind and other practices of Devotion, and Meditations on the mercies of his providence and his protecting kindnesses, besides the glories of his Preparations towards his future Estate, the soul mounts up to great degrees of confidence and fami∣liaritie with God: and God does use, when a heart does thus ply and follow him and become intimate with him, to reveal himself also to that heart in the midst of his devotions; when he is con∣versing with the Lord, he will breathe into him the inspirations of Heaven, and with soft whispers speak peace close to his heart, break in upon him with flashes of joy, warm him with gleams of comfort which ravish the soul with delight in the emploiment. Hence grow strange intercourses betwixt them, the Lord pours in of his Holy Spirit, that bond and ligament of God and the soul, that maintains perpetual commerce between them; they do nothing but close and mingle as it were, till the heart mount up to those extasies that we read of in devout persons, that entertain themselves to miracle in the enjoyment of those Contemplations, which these exercises do afford them. The heart then melts no longer in the tears and sorrows of affliction, but with the dissolvings of love; when thro excess of complacency in God and in his joys, the soul hath a kind of impotency of Spirit, so as it cannot contain it self within it self, but as a liquid thing hath its overflowings, and is poured out into the bosom of the beloved, and by an outgoing faints from it self into an union with the Object of its affections. And the Soul that by the practices of Devotion is brought to be thus affected, hath not onely fulfill'd the counsel of the Text, retir'd into his chambers, but is also brought into Gods chambers, so the Spouse in the Canticles expresses c. 1. 4. The King hath brought me into his chambers, and c. 2. 4. He brought me into his banquetting house, and his banner over me was love; and in c. 3. 10. she describ'd the bed-chamber whether she was brought, the midst whereof was pav'd with love: and all this means but the entertainments of devout Con∣templations. And Christ in the Parable concerning importunate continuance in Praiers saith itc 1.3 opens the bed-chamber door and gets in thither. And then, my Brethren, what need I be troubled how the world does go abroad, when I am entertain'd in Gods ban∣quetting house, and in his bed-chamber? It were easy for me to produce instances of them that were so taken up with the joys of Devotion, that they had scarce any thoughts for any thing besides, they even forgot that which was most necessary to their being, it made all other passions to languish, they had no appetites for other things, at least there was no vigour in those appetites, onely de∣caied desires from which the soul was quite retir'd, and minded no∣thing but the Object of their Praiers, being as it were in trance and swoons of Devotion. Neither is this any strange thing or without reason, that the Soul that loves should be so employ'd about and bent upon the Object of those desires, as to neglect all other of its offices, so impetuous in serving them that it abandons all its other business, attends no faculty but that which is engag'd upon that

Object, does not so much as lend it self to any outward organ, feeds and advances onely that affection, but leaves the rest to decay and languish, and being destitute of soul to die. Just so, if the love of those Contemplations which Devotions afford take possession of the heart, it becomes heartless to all other functions, careless and lan∣guid to every thing besides; the Soul is so wholly bent upon the Object of those impatient desires, that it does not animate any other inclinations, they have no spirit in them, but are weak and faint, neither can they employ the heart so as to make him mind them: but just as the enamour'd person, that may be call'd and waken'd into some other business, but let his thoughts alone, and they run to his desires, there they unite and center. And to a Soul that is thus taken up, what's the world, or the miscarriages that are therein? Are there fears abroad? They do but make me then withdraw into my chamber, where there are all these joys. Does judgment threaten an utter desolation, make solitude about us, and drive us intod 1.4 the place of dragons, in Davids words? I will retire that way into Gods bed-chamber. Is the dimness of anguish, and darkness as of the shadow of death coming upon the Land? yet I am sure, that in the little Oratory there is the light of Gods Coun∣tenance. Does Calamity rifle all, plunder the very bosom, breasts and bowels; the bosom of its dearest guest, the breasts of their dear burden, the bowels of their daily food, and rob necessity? Yea, but how stands my Praier-chamber? It is not quite so ill, if they have left me the food of immortality, the Body and Bloud of Christ; it cannot plunder me of my Devotions, and there is always blessed entertainment in Gods banquetting house.

If these comforts do seem too subtil and too notional for any, tho this do happen merely by being unacquainted with the things that give them, and I have shew'd you the way how you may cer∣tainly arrive at them, of which this is the sum. The devout Soul receives in times of discontent not onely liberty, but invitation to go and bemoan his case to him that hath God-like compassions for him, so much love to him as to die for him, and to cast himself with confidence upon such a kindness, submitting to his all-wise, all-loving will. These submissions are secondly rewarded by him with the great contents of having Gods will don upon him, with the comforts of finding that it is indeed best for him. And sure I am there are that have experience, that never any sad thing hap∣pened to them, but they found that it was for the best. Thirdly the custom of this repairing to God, and giving themselves up to his guidance, begets a great acquaintance, an intimacy with the Lord; he reveals himself and his comforts to that soul: it do's en∣joy strange refreshings from enlightnings, breathings, inspirations, evidences, and assurances, even tasts of promises and preparations. Lastly the contemplations of these, and familiarity with God be∣gets transcendencies of love and joy, which when they are once en∣tertain'd, their desires languish to all other things, they seem low and of base alloy, and consequently they take no content in them, being swallowed up by the other.

Yet let others lower souls take the comfort of this consideration;

when things are so, that if they look into the world they can see no∣thing round about them but the prospect of trouble, and if they go on, besides the loss of all the opportunities of Religion, the la∣bors of their whole life will but serve the ruins of an hour, that they have provided onely for spoil, heap't up for rapine, and gather'd but a prey; when the affliction of such an hours consideration shall have made them forget all their prosperity, so that in the whole com∣pass of things they cannot find one occasion of comfort: why then those hours they have spent or shall go and lay out on devotion and the service of God, they shall be sure will turn to their account, both here as to the preservation of those opportunities and of their Church; for sure if God be likely to be mov'd to the continuance of them, 'tis to those that will make use of them, and 'tis for them, (for what should others do with them, that do not value them nor use them?) and will also turn to their account hereafter. That Praiers and those other exercises go up for a memorial to God, as the Angel told devout Cornelius, and prepare them mansions there, when they shall be divested of all other habitations, and that with Mary here is the better part that cannot be taken from them, that when their Riches have forsaken them, taken the adverse party, and gon to their enimies, these will stick by them, go along with them even up to Gods Tribunal, and take their part at the day of Judgment, when nothing dares appear for them but Christ and Piety. Oh my Brethren, when you or I have spent one hearty hour in humble zealous devotions, the hopes of the issues of that hour, the confidence that God hath heard your and my Praiers, and do's accept this our service, and will eternally reward it, if we con∣tinue thus, tho we be not able to raise our selves up to those heights of joy and love and complacency before recited, yet those lower hopes and confidences have more comfort in them than all the hours of pleasure in my life; for what have I of that, when the frolick's over. I may as well look for the footsteps of an impres∣sion on the water whose gliding streams instantly smooth them∣selves, or search for the tracts of birds in the yeilding air that shuts and closes up it self in a little moment, as seek for relicts of joy after the pleasure is past: alas the delight did vanish with the laughter, and the comfort died as soon as the smile, the very me∣morial of them is perisht, and there is nothing of them left alive, but that now all is don, I am never the better for them. But the comforts of my devouter hours shall never die, but when I go to die my self, will be like life and immortality to me. O the strange acquiescencies of soul in the Consideration! the few hours that a man hath spent piously, how they will calm death, assist in agonies, and releive from pains! how such a Soul anticipates his Heaven! The truth is, to such an one death is welcom, and life, tho it have on it the shadow of death, is full of comfort. For when all the world about is Egypt, a devout man, tho he have but his chamber to re∣tire to, and his doors be shut upon him, he lives in Goshen; when the consuming fire did run upon the ground throughout the land, there was no storm in Goshen Exod. 9. 26. and when flashes of judg∣ment do burst in upon other persons, 'tis calm in the Praier-room.

When the destroying Angel had overrun every house in Egypt with death, when there was nothing but carcasses and crying in each dwelling, there was not one sick in Goshen Exod. 12. 30. When a thick darkness dwelt upon the Nation, the Israelites had lights in all their dwellings Exod. 10. 23. and when a sad dark cloud does sit upon Gods Countenance and pour down inundations of tempest on a people, yet then his face does shine in the Closets of devotion, there he breaks in and does reveal his comforts; God is so there, as his Angel was at that time, a Pillar of light to them, and of cloud to those others, Exod. 14. 20. and when in this their pilgrimage he takes off their chariot-wheels, v. 25. that they drive heavily, prest with the weight of afflictions and the heavier incumbrances of the World, striving against the tide and torrent of troubles, en∣countring nothing but rubs and crosses, and having on no wheels, none of Gods comforts to bear them up, they march heavily till at last the waters overwhelm them: when as to those others the waters were a wall on the right hand and on the left; and to the devout persons the troubles of their times, by making them retire into their chambers, prove an occasion of security, which brings on the next observation from the words, hide thy self.

Whence we draw, that Praiers and the exercises of Piety are in sad days the onely great security, and the Devotion-chamber a sure hiding place from trouble. And indeed where else should we take shelter, but in our Sanctuary? Where should we seek for re∣fuge, but at the horns of the Altar, where we offer up the incense of our Praiers, and the lifting up of our hands is as the evening Sa∣crifice? I have told you to retire thus into your chambers is to en∣ter Gods bed-chamber, and where is safety to be had, if it be not there? Is there not full quietness and calm in the Lords with∣drawing rooms? Not to tell you that David plac't his Rock, his For∣tress, his Castle, his every word of safety upon this foundation: not to reckon up an infinity of places besides Psalm 27. 5. and 61. 2, 3, 4, 5. I shall onely say, that 'tis impossible for any Sermon to say better what I have to say for him that betakes himself to these se∣cret rooms and nestles there, nor more pertinent to a time of sick∣ness and distress, than the 91. Psalm hath spoke v. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, &c. and to which 'twere vanity, if not Tautology to add. Should I labour to evince this further, I could prove strangely to you, that good hearty devout Praiers are in time of danger a Secu∣rity even to a Miracle. Security from the fury of men, when single Prayers did resist an Army, when Moses's hand lifted up in his de∣votions slew more Amalekites than the armed hands of Joshua and all his Regiments stretcht out; for when Moses lifted up his hand, then Israel prevailed Exod. 17. 11. Security against the storm of Gods assault; for a Praier of Moses is call'd a standing in the breach against the Lord, when he came to destroy the People by a plague, Psalm 106. 23. so God said he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach to turn away his wrathful indigna∣tion, least he should destroy them. They are terms of war, and do ex∣press the desperatest act of Valour which war hath occasion for; when wall and rampart could not resist the storm of shot, but the

Assault made its way thro stones and bulwarks, then must courage become the Rampart, maintain the breach, and repulse the Assai∣lants. This is the danger and the glory of Valour, and this very expression do's Scripture make use of to declare the force and cou∣rage of a zealous Praier. When Gods indignation had storm'd the People, when it had made a gap, a breach to enter and overrun them in a moment, and the Angel with his sword drawn was as∣saulting, had began his deaths, in steps Moses, arm'd but with single Praier maintains the breach, and turns away the Indigna∣tion. Neither was this all, for it did not onely beat off his fury, but assail'd him also, as it were took God captive, and held him that he could not fall upon them. For in the 32. Exod. 9, 10. he cries to Moses, it is a stiff-necked people, now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them in a moment: let me alone Hebr. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 dimitte me, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 permitte me ut invalescat, Syr. & nunc si permiseris mihi, invalescet, Arab. dimitte deprecationem tuam à facie mea, Chald. Loose me, and let me go, suffer me, let me alone that I may destroy them; do not pray to me, thy strong desires are as bonds and cords upon me, loose me, and do not hold me: I can do nothing if thou pray, my arm of power, my stretcht our arm is held in, it is restrain'd by thy strong cries, thy violent sighs they cool my wrath that it cannot wax hot against them, thy zeal it is irresistible; do not therefore make use of it, do not hinder me, do not pray now, let me alone, and I will make of thee a greater Nation; I will bribe thee to silence, because my fury will not withstand thy Praiers; if thou maintain the breach, I shall not take this People now by storm: be hir'd then to with∣draw, let me alone. But Moses he would take no bribes from God, but he besought the Lord his God, as it follows there, and the sudden effect of his Praier was, the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people. Here's the power of a fervent Praier, it hath a kind of force on the Almighty, a force that he does seem as it were afraid of, & would have prevented; and so does often, warning his Ministers the Prophets,d 1.5 Pray not for this people, I will not have you pray least you should prevail upon mine indignation and overcome my anger. And see then if you can find out such another security; many defences may be made which will hold out against the fury of men and their arm'd indignation, but notwithstanding those defenses they lie open still to Heaven, no walls or bulwarks to be made against that; upwards they are all gap and breach, and God may storm them where they have no works. If we be strong enough to keep out all our foes, we are not fortified to keep out plagues, have no guard against Gods hand, his arrows fly over any defences. But behold here defences against his Indignation, a line which he cannot enter; Praiers will keep him off, and in the chamber of thy devotions thou maiest hide thy self from the storms of Heaven: when God turn'd Engineer, this was the direction he gave to keep out himself, Come my people enter into thy chamber, and shut thy doors about thee, hide thy self.

I shall not stay to give you the qualifications of the Praiers that are likely to prevail, how first S^t James saithe 1.6 we must ask in faith no∣thing

doubting, not wavering in our purposes, praying for what we esteem the truth, but not resolv'd if things should otherwise suc∣ceed whether we should not comply with them; and how secondly when we are to pray we must be such, as God hath not resolv'd against, and so he will not hear us: but now returning to my subject.

Now briefly to apply this, and here I will not say this Counsel was indeed intended for days of persecution, & that not so much in re∣gard of the malady, as in the nature of the prescription, when he that will go to his praiers must indeed enter into his chambers, and hide his devotions too as well as himself; if thou desirest at such a sea∣son to secure thy self, enter into thy Closet, being not permitted to go into the Church: but this I will say, that even then when the Altar is no Refuge, and the Temple wants a Sanctuary, and the Holy of Holies an Asylum, even then the Closet will give shelter. Devotions are a kind of Omnipotent Securities, they are shields against the arrows of the Almighty: if for want of praiers to make up the breach it come to pass that a people is destroy'd, and God saith 'tis for that as much as for the demerits of their guilt Ezek. 22. 29, 30, 31. The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy; yea they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully, and I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land that I should not destroy it, but I found none: therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them, I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath, their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God: if the performances of it be a making good the gap against his wrath, methinks it should a little move us in all our exigencies to stand upon our guard, to know our own strengths, and not lazily to suffer our selves to perish, when we may contend and strive with God to save our selves. Or if the line of destruction be stretcht out upon our Nation, if it have filled up the measure to the height, that God have sworn tho Noah, Daniel, and Job were among his people, yet should they save but their own lives, that is, their Praiers should not prevail with him for an impunity unto the land: however if we our selves desire in that great spreading ruin yet to escape, to lurk so that the Angel of destruction may not find us out; here is a place of Gods own choice to hide thee in. His fury will not search there for thee to destroy thee, where his own self did bid thee to retire for safety. He that commanded thee to enter into thy chambers, did not mean to come there to seek thee out to ruin thee; he that bid thee shut thy doors, intended that the indigna∣tion should not call in, but should pass by thee, which the Text do's tacitly promise in the last words, until the indignation be overpast. Some of the storm may fall upon a devout man notwithstanding all his careful Praiers, but there's no anger nor no fury in that storm; that he reserveth for the wicked, those who do take no care for the averting of his wrath, but resolve to enjoy their pleasures and their sins, till indignation overtake them, and sweep them and their delights away at once. To these indeed every affliction is vengeance and judgment, and their fiery trials here are but tasts

and prelusions of Gods fearful wrath and fiery indignation; but to the careful devout souls they are but the strokes of love, chastise∣ments of a father, there is no indignation in them;f 1.7 I will take her into the wilderness, saith God by the Prophet Hosea, and I will speak comfortably unto her, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, I will speak unto her heart, in those desolate lonely places I will wooe her, and those dark soli∣tudes of affliction shall be my opportunities of courtship, I will take her into the wilderness, and speak unto her heart, and give her the val∣ley of Achor, the vale of trouble, for a door of hope. 'Tis not his in∣dignation this to them, but his way of love, his way of making jointures; he puts them in the vale of Achor: or if vengeance be gon out against the people, yet devotion in the chamber is likeg 1.8 bloud upon the Israelites door posts, the indignation does go by it, makes a Passover, it enters into the houses of the Egyptians onely, but when it finds thy doors thus shut 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the indignation does overpass, especially if it find such a 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 as the bloud of Christ. The Angel of destruction could not enter the doors, where but the type of it was dasht upon the door, the Paschal bloud; how then will he fly the truth, the bloud of Christ our Passover? Come then my people, enter &c.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Isaiah 8. 22.
• b 1.2

  Jer. 31. 33.
• c 1.3

  Matt. 7. 8.
• d 1.4

  Psalm 44. 19.
• d 1.5

  Jer. 7. 16. cap. 11. 14. cap. 14. 11.
• e 1.6

  James 1. 6.
• f 1.7

  Hosea 2. 14.
• g 1.8

  Exod. 12. 13.