2 The Lord is her strength.

3 The Lord will perform two great mercies to her. 1 He will make her feet like hindes feet.

2 He will make her walk upon her high places.

Under the title of Salvation, I comprehend not onely corporall, and fpirituall, but eternall falvation alfo.

2 Under the name of ftrength, I underftand the whole mercy of fupportation, by which God doth preferve them in their deportation and return.

3 Under the title of Hindes feet, I contein the mercy of expedition, whereby they are delivered from their captivity in Babylon.

4 Under the title of walking upon high places, the mercy of reftitution to their own land, and of conftitution, and eftablishing of them in their land.

The juft live, and are fupported by faith, apprehending. thefe full mercies.

I Of Salvation.

The Church of God hath need of falvation, and therefore great caufe to rejoyce in it.

1 In refpect of her fpirituall enemies, for your adverfary the Devill goeth about like a roaring lyon feeking to devour: faith the Apostle.

These spirituall enemies do affault the Church.

1 Out of their own malignity and envy to man, and to this purpose, the powers and principalities of darkneffe do go always armed both with temptations to corrupt them, and with fiery darts of provocations to destroy them, for this it is, that Satan goeth and cometh to furvey the earth, and to pry i and search where he may faften any hold,, where he may gripe: fo St. Bernard faith. Hoftes indefeffi nos affiduè oppugnant, modò apertè, modò fraudulentèr: he gives this reafon Invidet humano generi, quia pra videt horum Deum futurum.

2 By way of commiffion, for God doth employ Devils in the Church amongft his holy ones, both for probation of their faith, for exercife of their patience, for prefervation of them

Сасс 3

in

in humility, for punishment of their fin, for fweetning to the m the hopes, and quickening their defires of a better life, and for the polishing and burnishing of their example, that othersthat be lookers on, may know before hand, that this life to a just man is militia a warfare, and they that will joyn with the Church, mut know before they put their hand to the plough, what hazards they must run, left they look back, and make their fin more then it was by apoftafie, departing away from the living God.

It is cleer in fobs example, that Satan had commiffion from God himself to try the faith, and love, and patience, and humility of fob, and to make him an example.

And as clear it is, which the Pfalmift faith of Ifratt, when Pfal.78.21 they started afide from God, that a fire was kindled in facob, and anger came up against Ifrael: and in thefe executions, God doth uphold the miniftery and fervice of evill angels, as he did against his enemies the Egyptians, of whom it is for faid. Verfe 49. He cast upon them the fierceneffe of his wrath, anger, and indignation and trouble, by fending evill angels amongst them.

St. Paul confeffeth that least he should be too much exal2 Cor.12.7 ted with that Metaphyficall rapture above measure. There was given me a thorn in the flesh, the meffenger of Satan to buffet me, left I should be exalted above measure.

Pfal.83.5.

6.

7.

Thus in refpect of fpirituall enemies without us, we have need of a falvation, the rather becaufe our own corruptions within us are falfe to us, and ready to joyn with Satan against

us.

2- In refpect of humane oppofition, for the regiment and Kingdom of Chrift is thus affigned to him; Be thou ruler in the midst of thine enemies. David doth well expreffe this.

For they have confulted together with one confent, they are confederate against thee.

The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ifhmaelites, of Moab, and the Hagarenes

Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek, the Philiftines, with the inhabitants of Tyre.

Afhur

Afhur also is joyned with them, they have holpen the children of

Lot.

Here is no mention of this fweeping broom of Babylon, that comes in the Reer of this march, and carrieth' them clean away.

Christendom bath for many years fuffered from the Turke, whose invasions encroach upon the bounds thereof, and gain ground of it daily.

And even within onr felves, the Pope and all the friends of his Hierarchie, do hate and perfecute fo much of the true Proteftant Church, as they either can or dare attempt, and the earth hath nothing to fhew more bloudy and cruell then the Spanish Inquifition: nothing more cunning and dangerously plotting then the fociety of Jefuits: fo, that in refpect of humane oppofition, there is great need of a falvation

3 In refpect of the punishments deferved for fin, for what Nation hath fo kept in their fins to themselves, that wee have not found means to impart them even into the Church. Solomon could not take a wife out of Egypt, but his wifdom proved too weak a fence against the temptation to Idolatry. Nehemiah preffeth this example.

Did not Solomon King of Ifrael fin by these things: yet among many Nations, was there not a King like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him King over all Ifrael; nevertheless, even him did out-landifh women caufe to fin.

The children of Ifrael could not eat of the fat and fruits of the land of Gohen, to relieve their famine,but they were mingled with the Egyptians, and learned their works:and worshipped their gods. Therefore, in regard of their many and great fins, they needed falvation.

Thefe fins endangered their heavenly hopes, for the thereof is death.

This Doctrine may turn to great profit to us.

wages

If wee apply our felves to the means, by which wee may apprehend this falvation: For this generall apprehenfion of Gods mercy in Chrift, which the moft part of common profef

fors

fors truft to, will never juftifie any man in the fight of God,

except

He be by the law of God, brought to a fight and fenfe, to a confeffion and acknowledgment of all his fins.

2 To a true forrow and mortification of the flesh for them. 3 To a ferious deprecation of the wrath of God due to them, in the justice of God.

4 To amendment of life, ruled and governed by the holy Word of God rightly understood.

5 To a faithfull application of the fufficient merits of Jesus Chrift to our felves, which faith doth fo root and ground us in Chrift, that wee become one with him, fo that wee may lay the burthen of our fins upon him, and put the robe of his holy righteoufnefs upon us.

For fo doing, we may rejoyce in our falvation,as his free gift to us, and as our full acquitall and discharge from all our fins before God.

So that the ignorant perfon that liveth in darkness, not knowing the mystery of his falvation.

And the blinded Papift who trufteth either to the power of his own free will, or to the merit of his own works, or righteousneffe, or to the mediation of Saints and Angels, or the mother of our Lord, to propitiate on his behalf, or that trufteth to the Popes indulgence and pardon of all his fins.

Or that believeth to have falvation by the difpenfation of the Church treasure, the fupererogate works of over-doers that have done more then the Law of God hath required of them.

Alfo the unconscionably prophane that go on in their fins without check of the inward man, their hearts never fmiting them for that they mif-do, all thefe are excluded from this falvation, Jefus Chrift died for none fuch, and goeth not forth with his anointed amongst them.

Thefe fhall have no falvation hereafter, they can have no true joy here, and therefore when the evill day commeth, they are fhaken with the terrour of the Lord, and they finde no

balm

balm in Gilead, their fins do appear to them greater then the mercies of God.

Let those who have the comfortable affurance of their fal- Ufe 2. vation, rejoyce therein in the Lord, and take heed of prefumption of Gods mercy, which is one of the worms of faith: let them take heed of receiving the grace of God in vain, of recidivation, and relapfe into their former fins of murmuring at the Lords chastisements, of quenching the fpirit, of crucifying again the lord: for we fee that it is poffible for thofe Heb.6.4,5 who were once enlightened, and bave tafted of the heavenly gift, and were made pertakers of the holy Ghost: have tafted the good Word of God, and the power of the world to come to fall away which putteth Jefus Chrift to open thame

innilo sta la Therefore, the joy of our falvation must not be rooted and grounded in our felves, but in the Lord, that the whole honour of it may redound to him as the whole benefit and profit of it doth redound to us.

alvation is onely of God, viirbosols and

ឃ

3

Doct.2.

Jonah 2.9.

It is fonahs faith. Salvation is of the Lordi odt at det Nors It is Davids faith. Salvation belongeth only unto the Lord. God taketh it upon himself: I, even I, am the Lord, and be- Pfal.3.8. fide me there is no Saviour.

Pf.43.11.

Ofe 13.4.

He giveth it as a reafon of his firft Commandement. Thou fhalt know no Good me, for there is no Saviour befide me. Ribben I may call heaven and earth to record this day, tobavouch here? the truth of this, for, who is it that fupporteth the great frame of the whole univerfe? who is he that knoweth the numbers of the ftars, and calleth them all by their names, that sendeth forth the Sun as a bridegroom out of his chamber, and as a mighty gyant to run his race? who is it that maketh and keepeth the covenant between day and night to take their turns for the use of man? who is it that clotheth the lilies, that feedeth the birds of the ayr, that can neither labour nor spin, that preferveth man and beaft, but the Lord? All these look Pfal.36.6. up unto thee, and thou giveft them their meat in due sea

fon.

Dddd

It