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IT was a very terrible speach, which the Lord uttered unto his Disciples, in the preceeding verses, that they should be betray∣ed, and that some of them should be put to death, and that they should be hated of all men: Behold heere how he giveth unto them a singu∣lar
comforts, as Balme of Gilead, for healing of their hearts that were wounded; But, said he, there shall not a haire of your head perish.
Observe heere first what me∣thod the Lord keepeth in dealing with his servants, their worse things goe first and comforts come last; their estate is like that wine in Cana, the best came last. Gods walk∣ing towards his owne is like his comming to Elijah at the cave of Horeb, before God came in the calme, a great and strong winde went before him, which rent the mountaines, and brake the rocks, and after the winde, came an earth∣quake, & after the earthquake, came a fire; after these three were past, the Lord came in a still small voice. At the first, Mary Christs mother got a hard answere from him, wo∣man, what have I to doe with thee? But a little after, he did more then she required; at the first he called
the woman of Canaan a dog, but a little after he shew himself all love; the childe of God beareth Gods yoke in his youth, his first dayes are har∣dest; God casteth downe before he raiseth up; many a sore heart had Hannah, before her Samuel came; Job suffered much before he could say, God maketh my heart soft. The Prophet Zechariah saw first foure hornes scattering Judah, but after anone came the comforts of the Carpenters that came to fray them.
The use, When troubles ly heavy upon us, let us comfort our selves in this, better is coming; a foule Februar is a comfort to the labourer, because he looketh for a dry March: Sanctified afflictions in youth, should be a comfort, telling us, that God is comming in the calme: The way to the wealthy place is to passe through fire and wa∣ter; the Lord said to his two dis∣sciples,
O fooles! Behoved it not Christ to suffer all these things, and so to enter into his glory? Gaping of wounded men, and tumbling of gar∣ments into blood, goe before the songs of victory: Christ himselfe was hanged on a crosse on earth, before he was honoured on a throne in Heaven; He was first cast down on his face upon the earth, yea de∣seended into hell, before hee was set at the right Hand of GOD in Heaven. The Gardener when hee setteth a tree, at the first set∣ting downe hee shaketh it to and fro, and treadeth downe its roots with great force, for to fasten it the more surely; so doth GOD with his dearest servants, that Hee may cause those that come of Jaakob to take root.
It is for those that goe to hell to receive all their good things on earth: Job speaking of the Wic∣ked, said They have no changes; wic∣ked
mens eyes stand out with fat∣nesse: the portion of Kings meate is a defiling thing, beasts that goe in fattest pastures are neerest the slaughter: The portion of Gods children is not heere, their rest is in another place, their last shall be best; If many be the troubles of the righteous, within a short space the Lord shall deliver him out of them all; yea in the midst of the fierie tryall wee shall still bee in safetie, though in some hours of tempta∣tion wee may bee as David like a bottell in the smoak, or in deaths val∣ley, having our soule in our hand; but O tarry a little, and God will arise, and help his servants, The end of that man is peace: troubled Da∣vid said to God with great bold∣nesse, Afterward thou shalt receive mee to glory; let this be like a staffe of steele for our faith to lean upon in a stormie day; Gods children must be bold, not subjects to the King of terrours.
Let us now come to the parti∣cular comfort mentioned in my text: the Lord here saith, that there shall not a haire of your head perish. The wicked are mighty and cru∣ell, they as on horse back ride over the heads of the godly, yet are they not able to carry a hair with them, but by Gods permission; not a hair of your head, said Christ, shall perish.
Observe heere that the LORD hath a singular regard to all those that love him; they are to him as the apple of his eye, hee most care∣fully keepeth them: Hee is not like idoles, that care not for their worshippers, Thy Calfe, O Samaria hath cast thee off, but God will ne∣ver cast off his servants; Baal did not regard the cryes of his priests, though they cryed from morning unto noone, and cut themselves with knives, but the Lord alwayes re∣gardeth his servants, his eyes are still upon all the haires of their
head. The tender hearted mother and nurse are very carefull, to keep their young suckling, yet their care faints, when they are over∣come with sleepe: but hee who is above, and keepeth his servants, doth neither slumber nor sleep; ma∣ny hairs may fall from the childe, and the mother never know what becometh of them, but a haire of our head falleth not to the ground but he hath an eye on it: This is no hyperbolick speach, for the Lord as he is omnipotent to do all things, so is hee omniscient to know all things, even to the number of all the haires of all the heads in the world; he knoweth the full num∣ber of the sand, and of the drops of the sea, as perfectly as we know how many eyes wee have in our head; he preserveth us so, that the least things that concerne us shall not perish.
The Angel Gabriel said well to
Mary, nothing shall bee unpossible with God; no not, were it to make a virgine to conceive a Son, or a Camel to go thorow a needle eye; He who hath spread cut the skie, which is strong, and as a molten looking glasse, Hee with whom is terrible Majestie; He who is almightie and excellent in power, can most easily preserve his servants, so that not a haire of their head shall perish, no not in a most bloody time, even when it is said of the sword, Ah it is made bright, it is wrapt up for the slaughter.
When God had said, It is even the time of Jacobs trouble, he in the same verse subjoineth, but hee shall be saved out of it; Mans extremitie is Gods opportunitie: Aske yee now, said the Lord, whether a man doth travaile with childe? Wherefore doe I see every man, with his hands on his loines, as a woman in travaile, and all faces are turned into palenesse?
Behold terrible things, and very strange, every man in trouble as a woman in travaile, but in the eight verse followeth a faire deliverance, I, said the Lord, will breake the yoke from off thy neck: See how the Lord was ready to save his servants in greatest danger, so that not a haire of their head did perish: When Je∣remiah was in prison among mire, the Lord sent unto him an Ebed∣melech, with old cast clouts, and rotten ragges, to put under his arme holes, to draw him out of the dun∣geon; the Lord would not suffer his servant to perish.
The use: Let this serve for com∣fort unto you; If yee serve God well, Hee will bee suretie for you for good, and likewise will safely keepe you, and all that ye have in these dayes of warre, he will pre∣serve your husbands and sons, that they be not killed, your wives that they be not abused, your virgins
that they be not deflored, you•• houses that they bee not spoiled, your cattell, and coffers that the•• be not carried away; yea, more•• yee faithfully serve him, their sha•••• not a haire of your head perish; no•• a haire of Shadrach was burnt in the fiery furnace; no King can do the like to any at his service: God only is a shelter and strong tower o•• defence; none but God can keep a man that he perish not, his preser∣vation reacheth to the smallest hai•• our head: And to speake in th•• words of a Kings oath, As the Lord liveth that made us this soule, there shall not a haire of your head pe∣rish; This is most easie to him that by his hand of power overturneth the mountains by the roots.
HEere it may be objected and said by a carnall man, that more then the haires of the heads of Gods servants perish; for many
good men are slaine and murde∣red: In the words preceeding the Lord himself said, some of you shall they cause to be put to death, many good mens houses are spoiled, their cattell like Jobs oxen and asses are carried away, how then is it heere said, that there shall not a haire of their head perish: Con¦cerning the comfort of this text, I may say as Ezekiel said to God Ah Lord God, they say of me, doeth he not speake parables or riddles? Wee know not what hee meanes, while he saith, that God so keep∣eth mens haires, that not one of them shall perish, Doth the LORD care for oxen? saith the Apostle, so doe many say, Doth the Lord care for a haire of a mans head?
the Lord, yet notwithstanding many with Job in his fit of miscon∣tentment, must needes fill their mouths with arguments and dis∣pute with the Lord, as though hee were bound to give them a compt of all his doings.
The Lord in Hosea said a feare∣full word, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; Ignorance is the destruction of many; ignorance maketh men to thinke when they see others slaine, robbed, and spoi∣led for the Gospel, that they and all their estate are perished: O thou, said Micah, that art named the house of Jacob, is the Spirit of the LORD straitened? O thou that art named a Christian, is the arme of the Lord shortned, that he can not work and save us, so that the least haire of our head perish not?
To come to the objection, I say that it is but a blinde objection, these that have the eye of faith do
clearely see that God preserveth his owne, that not a haire of their head doth perish:: Thy husband is he slaine? thy children are they kil∣led for Christs names sake? thou must not therefore esteeme that they are perished; faith will not speake so: If the King should come, and take a beggars childe in in this Province of Cliddisdaile, and make him a Barron in Barren∣thorow, the nixt adjacent Province, would the beggar say that his son were perished? would he not rather say with Jacob, hearing of Josephs honour in Egypt; It is enough, I will goe and see my son? So David said of his dead son, I will go to him: what I pray you is the distance of the heaven from the earth to a live∣ly faith? It is but as it were to goe from one Province to another; yea, but from one side of the streete to another: When ye marry your daughters they goe from you; if
yee heare that they are well with their good Husbands, yee are glad, yee will not thinke them pe∣rished, because they are gone a little from the house: Now all the god∣ly that are slaine for Gods name, are but gone as it were to the other side of the street, to their most worthie husband Christ who hath given to them in the heavens right to the tree of life, where continual∣ly they see God face to face, that face wherein is fulnesse of joy; open a little the eyes of your faith, and ye shall find all this to be so as I speak: none properly perish but these who after death, are damned to be burnt in hell fire: to him that goeth to heaven may well be said of life eternall, that which God said to Ieremiah of his naturall life Thy life shall be for a prey to thee.
As for your worldly goods and riches; yee will say, the bloodie and barbarous man of war, hath
spoiled me, and taken all away, and so where is now the promise, that not a haire of our head shall perish?
To this I answere, let your slee∣ping faith waken, what say yee? is all your riches perished, because all hath beene taken away for Christs name sake? I say it is not perished: Tell me if when yee have lent a thousand pounds to a worthie wealthie faithfull man, bound fast by his obligation, think ye that all your money is perished, because it is out of your hand? I thinke not; But so it is, all that is taken from you for Christs names sake is in a better hand, it is lent unto Christ, who hath given an obligation sealed with his blood, that yee shall be surely payed with such an increase, that the greatest usurer in the land never required the like; even a hundreth for one: yea, more then all, everlasting life. If thou would see the obli∣gation,
behold it is heere in readi∣nesse, registrate in the Bookes of Counsell of heaven,
Matth. XIX. Verse 29. BEhold, said one to Christ, wee have forsaken all, and followed thee, what shall wee have therefore?
Now follow the words of the ob∣ligation.
Jesus said, Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or wife, or children, or lands, for my Names sake, shall re∣ceive an hundred fold, and shall in∣herite everlasting life.
Let these who esteeme this to bee but a Banquerupts Bond, keepe well their houses and lands for themselves; it may bee that shortly they losse such things for
the sake of some other, who will never repare their losses, so that both they and all that they have, shall perish. Gods wrath shall not spare their very haire; his ra∣sor of wrath like that hired rasor in Isaiah, shall shave the head and haire of the feet, and shall also con∣sume the beard, even to the verie stumps, hair and all shall perish.
As for you who have faith to believe, yee may heere clearly know that GODS children, and all that they have, are well kept, yea ••o that a haire of their head shall not perish: To all the godly let it be heere said as Christ said to Thomas Bee not faithlesse, but be∣lieving. I may well lay of Christ when he promiseth any thing, that which Naomi said to Ruth of Bo∣oz, Sit still, untill thou know how the matter will fall, for the man will not be in rest, untill he have finished the thing: nay, he will doe much more
then hee promiseth heere; to save us that wee perish not, to preserve us from evill, is a very great bles∣sing, but more, the Lord will give us gifts, even grace heere, and glo∣ry heereafter. After that King David had ended his festivall sa∣crifice, Hee dealt to every one of I∣srael, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine; What was all that? But O the gifts that God will deale to every one that serve Him faithfully! After this life all such shall sit upon Thrones: Crownes and Kingdomes in Hea∣ven are Gods gifts prepared for e∣very man, and every woman, that willingly suffer on earth tribulati∣on for his Names sake: such shall not only not perish, but shall for ever enjoy pleasures, which eye never saw, nor ear heard, nor ever could enter into the heart of man.
was, What shall be done to the man whom the king delighteth to ho∣nour? All the greatest things that Haman could invent, and say, were these, Let the royall apparell bee brought, which the King useth to weare, and the horse that the King ri∣deth upon, and the Crown royall which is set upon his head, and by one of the Princes bring him on horsebacke through the streets of the citie, and proclame before him Thus shall it be done to the man whom the King de∣lighteth to honour: What were all these things, I pray you? an appa∣rell, and a horse, and a crown, and a proclamation? that was all; all these things were like that meate that Christ spake off, when he said Labour not for the meat that perish∣eth: all these things are long since passed away, the horse, and the crowne, and the royall apparell, and all that faire shew, is past and perished, like a glauncing spark of
fire, which flying from a Smiths stithie dieth in the flight.
But O, that which Christ shall give to these that suffer affliction for his names sake, shall never pe∣rish; hee shall give unto them not a loafe, as David gave to his sub∣jects, but a life that is eternall. A crowne that fadeth not away. John sayeth, that they shall see his face, and his name shall bee in their fore∣heads, as a mark crying, This shall it be done to the man whom Christ delighteth to honour. But woe to the wicked, for though they set their nest among the starres, both they and all that they have shall perish; their soule shall perish, their body shall perish, and their estate also shall perish. * Gods wrath, as I said before, shall not spare their very haire; his rasor of wrath, like that rasor in Isaiah, shall shave the head, and the hair of the feet, and shall also consume the beard, even
to the very stumps, haire and all shall perish: they have not a Jesus for to save; they will loose nothing for his Names sake, and for their sake he will save nothing of theirs, and so at last they shall loose all; though they were Kings and Prin∣ces, the Lord in furie shall cry, I will overturn, overturn, overturn all their wealth, their honour, and their majestie: All the earth, said the Lord, shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousie; then all the worm-eaten glory of the wicked, with all their good things, and great designes, shall anone wither away, like Jonahs gourd. As they sew the winde, so shall they reape the whirlewinde, which hath neither stalk, nor bud that can yeeld any meal; as it was said of Ephraim, All their glory shall flee away like a bird.
But as for all the godly, albe∣it by the wicked they be stoned, and sowne asunder, and slaine with
the sword; or with Shadrah, be cast into a fierie furnace, or with Da∣niel into a Lions den, the words of my text shall still remaine true, not a haire of their head shall perish: The Lord hath a great respect un∣to his servants; I, said he, will be as the dew unto Israel, he shall grow as the lillie, and cast foorth his roots as Lebanon: Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? My people saith the Lord, shall never be asha∣med, not a hair of their head shall perish. Away with that doubt∣ing If of Esther, If I perish, I pe∣rish; The Heavens and the Earth shall passe away, They, saith the Psalmist, shall perish, but not a haire of our head shall perish.
Jer. 8.22
The do∣ctrine.
John. 2.10
1 King 19.12
John 2.4
Mat. 15.27
Lam. 3.27
1 Sam. 1.7
Job 23.16
Note. Zech. 1.19
The use. Note.
Psal. 66.12
Luke 24.26.
Isa. 9.5
Note.
Jsa. 27.6
Luk. 16.25
Psal. 73.7
Dan. 1.8
Psal. 34.19
Psal. 119.83 Psal. 23.4 Psal. 119.109. Psal. 68.1 Psal. 37.37
Psal. 73.24
Job 18.14
Note.
Psal. 66.12
The do∣ctrine.
Zech. 2.8
Note.
Hos. 8.5
1 King 18.26.
Note.
Luk. 1.37
Markio. 25 Job 37.18
22.
23.
Eze. 21.15
Ier. 30.7
Jer. 30.6
Ier. 38.12
The use. Note. Psal. 119.122.
Dan. 3.27
Psal. 61.3
Note.
Ier. 38.16
Ier. 28.9
Job 1.13
Note.
Eze. 20.49
1 Cor. 9.9
Zech. 2.13
Hos. 4.6
Micah 2.7
Note.
Gen. 45.28
2 Sam. 12.23.
Note.
Rev. 22.14
Psal. 16.11
Ier. 39.18
Note.
Note.
Note.
Isa. 7 20.
Joh. 20.27
Note.
Ruth. 3.18
Note.
1 Chro. 16.3.
Note.
Esther 6.6
John 6.27
1 Chron. 16.3. 1 Pet. 5.4
Rev. 22.4
Note.
Obad. 1.4
Ezek. 21.27
Zepha. 3.8
Luk. 16.25
Jon. 4.7.
Note.
Hos. 8.7
Hos. 9.11
Heb. 11.37
Dan. 3.20
Dan. 6.16
Hos. 14.5
Ioel. 2.26
Note.
Esth. 4.16
Plal 102.26