To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
1. God hath variety of Servants and Serjeants to arrest his enemies where ever they be.
All the Elements, and all the Creatures are enemies to those that are enemies to God. He hath Armies at Sea and Land against them. He hath not onely Serpents Metaphorical, the Devil and his Instrument, Rev. 12.9. but also natural Serpents, and Sea-monsters innumerable, ready to execute
his commands on his enemies. God is the best friend, and the saddest foe. If he be against us, he is an Omnipresent ene∣my, and can pursue us by Sea and Land; for he is every where by his Essence, Presence and Power. He is God above all, through all, and in us all, Iob 11.8, 9. Ephes. 4.6. He is o∣ver all by his Power, in all the Saints by his Spirit, and through all the world by his providence. He is an Omnipresent Essence and Being, Prov. 15.3. There is no hiding our selves in se∣cret from him, Ier. 23.23, 24. He is in Heaven by his glory and Majesty; in Hell by his justice, wrath and power; in Sea and Land by his providence, Act. 17.27.
Take heed then of displeasing him, other enemies you may flye from, but there is no flying from his presence. Walk therefore sincerely as in his eye, as Enoch, Noah, and Abra∣ham did. Seneca counselled his scholars to do all, tanquam spectet Cato, as if some severe Cato did alwaies behold them. But we should rather do all, tanquam spectet Deus, remembring his All-seeing eye is still upon us. This is an excellent preser∣vative against sin. This kept Ioseph chaste, Gen. 39.9. and Iob and David, pure, Iob 31.4. Psal. 119.136. I have kept all thy precepts, why so? because all my waies are before thee, Heb. 4.13.
'Tis meer Atheism, and the want of consideration of that All-seeing eye of God, which is the root of all the villany that is acted in the world, Psal. 94.5, 6, 8. Ezek. 9.9. As Nimrod was said to be a mighty hunter before the Lord; so many may be said, to be mighty drunkards, mighty swearers, lyars, chea∣ters, dissemblers, &c. before the Lord. But let it alwaies be our care to lead a life worthy of such a presence, passing the time of our sojourning in Gods fear. This may be 1. A spur to duty, 2. A motive to Sincerity, 3. A corrosive to sin, 4. A cordial in afflictions. Remember in all thy distresses, hee is an Omnipresent friend. He was with Joseph in the prison, with Jeremy in the dungeon, with Jonah in the Whales belly, with Daniel in the Lions den, with Israel in Egypt, Exod. 3.9. and with Paul before Nero, 2 Tim. 4.17. He knows our Tenta∣tions, our adversaries, our abilities, and will not suffer us to be tempted above our strength, Rev. 2.3.
See this point excellently en∣larged, by Mr. Caryl on Job 22.12. p. 108. to 115. and Mr. Love on 2 Chro. 16.9.