neither fear ye fear, nor be afraid." Verse 13, "Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread." What then? Then at verse 14, " And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling, for a rock of offence, to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem." That is, for those that did say a confederacy; but as for those that did not say a confederacy, the Lord would be a sanctuary unto them.

Those are sure to be hidden by God, that remain green and flourishing in their religion, notwithstanding all the scorching heats of opposition that do fall on them. We read in Rev. ix., that an angel opening the bottomless pit, much smoke ascends, and out of the smoke came locusts like scorpions to destroy, but they might destroy no further than their commission reached; and their commission extends not to the green things. Verse 4, it was commanded them they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree. Some that are dried and withered in their profession; great professors they have been, and are now declined and withered; these may be hurt in the day of the locusts, but whoever remains green may not be touched.

And the text tells us, that the meek of the earth shall be hidden by God; they have a half promise here, and a whole promise in other places of Scripture.

Where is the person, therefore, that is thus qualified? You may go to God, and say, I confess, Lord, I am not worthy to be hidden by thee, I have sinned as others; yet through thy grace, I and my family have been an hiding place to thy children, I have kept the word of thy patience, not feared men's fear, nor said a confederacy with them; I am yet green in my profession, not so strong as the green tree, but yet green as the grass, not withered; and I do apply my soul to the ways of meekness: now, Lord, let me be hidden in this evil day that is come upon us. And, my beloved, as ever you desire to be hid in the day of God's anger, get your souls in-arked in all these promises and scriptures.

Thirdly, Ye may observe from the words, that though God is willing to hide his own people in evil times, yet he doth sometimes leave them at great uncertainties, that they may

not know what shall become of them, only with a may be, of their salvation.

They have more than a may be, for their eternal salvation. "I know that my Redeemer liveth," saith Job. "I am persuaded (saith Paul) that nothing shall separate me from the love of God," &c. Indeed God suffers his own children sometimes, to labour under many doubtings * and fears about their eternal salvation. Luther tells us of one, that lived a very gracious and holy life, yet when he came to die, being filled with doubtings, some of his friends came to him, saying, Sir, what need you be troubled, you have lived most exactly and graciously. True, saith he, I have indeed in your eye, but the eye of man and of God differs;. God's judgment is one, and man's judgment another, and therefore now I do fear to die.† But there is an insuring office set up in the gospel, as to the venture of our eternities. "These things have I written (saith John, 1st Epist. v. 13) that ye may know that ye have eternal life." Not that ye may have eternal life, but that ye may know that ye have it.

But as for our temporal and outward salvation, God doth sometimes leave his people to a may be. So here; and in Joel ii. 14, "Who knows if he will return, and repent, and leave a blessing behind him?" and Exod. xxxii. 30, "Peradventure (saith Moses) I shall make an atonement for your sin."

God loves to have his people trust to the goodness of his nature. If you have a man's word or promise for a kindness, then you trust to his promise. If you have his promise, you say, But he is full, and rich, and of a good nature, and therefore I will venture on him. And is there not infinite sweetness and goodness of nature in God?‡ As God would have us trust sometimes unto his promise, so unto the goodness of his nature; and therefore sometimes he gives but a may be. We are at great uncertainties with God; and when we are left unto uncertainties, then we think and say, Aye, this is just, I have been at uncertainties with God,

* Fidei certitudo importat firmitatem adhæsionis, non semper quietationem intellectus.-Parisiens.

† Alia sunt Dei et hominum judicia.

‡ Amat Deus; non aliunde hoc habet, sed ipse est unde amet; et ideo vehementius amat quia non amorem tam habet quam hoc est ipse.-Augustin.

sometimes praying, and sometimes not, and it is fit he should be so with me, that I may be minded of mine own sin.

The more uncertain a man is, the more, if not ingenuous, he will fear; and the more a man fears before the Lord, the more he will fly unto God: timor nos fecit consiliativos.

Truly we are not ingenuous enough towards God; were we more ingenuous, we should improve our assurance unto greater obedience. Therefore God is fain to rebuke our want of ingenuousness, and this uncertainty carries a report of it.

But suppose it be so, that in evil times we shall not be able to say what shall become of us, what is our duty then? The fourth doctrine tells us, and so I come unto that, which is,

Fourthly, When the tokens of God's anger are abroad, and his people know not what will become of them, but have only a may be for their deliverance, then, and then especially, it is their duty for to seek unto God.

As the motions of the earth are guided and governed by the motions of the heavens; and the earth's fruitfulness depends on the heaven's influence: so do the motions of our hearts and lives, and all their fruitfulness, depend on the influence of God. When the scales are even, gold-weight, then is a fit time to put in some grains of prayer: who knows but that one prayer then may turn the scales?

It is the duty of all the saints, in days of God's anger, and uncertain times, to commit their ways unto God. I will tell thee, saith Job's friend to him, what I would do in thy case, "Unto God would I seek, unto God would I commit my cause," Job v. viii. "Commit thy ways unto God, and thy thoughts shall be established," saith Solomon, Prov.

xvi. 3.

And indeed, there is no such way to establish our thoughts or kingdom, as to commit our ways unto God. Luther hath a notable story to this purpose: There was, saith he, a great contest between a duke of Saxony and a bishop of Germany, insomuch as the duke intended war against him; but before the war, he would send out a spy, to observe the bishop's actions and motions; and the spy being returned, Come, saith the duke, what is the bishop a doing? Oh, sir, saith he, you may easily surprize him, he lives without fear, idle, doing nothing, making no preparations for war. No,

said the duke, but what said the bishop then? He saith he will feed his flock, preach the word, visit the sick; and as for this war, he will totius belli molem Deo committere, he will commit the whole weight and bulk of the war unto God himself. Aye, saith the duke, then bellum ei inferat diabolus, non ego; then let the devil wage war against him, for I will not. Thus faith turns away the fury of the sword; and committing our cause unto God, turns away the anger and wrath of God. But a man cannot commit his cause unto God, unless he doth seek unto God; and therefore, when his anger is abroad, and people at uncertainty, then it is their duty, then and then especially for to seek unto him.

By this truth we know now what we ought to do.

Your thoughts may prevent me, and say, But the wrath and anger of God is pacified toward us, and this nation: is not the war at an end; are not our swords fully beaten into plough-shares?

Now I would to God it were so; and long, oh, long may you sit under your vines and fig-trees, praising the name of your God: yet give me leave to tell you three reasons why I conceive that God is angry with us still, the day of his anger not yet done.

1. The plague is begun. The beginnings of a plague are the signs of God's anger. "Run in quickly," saith Moses, "wrath is gone forth, the plague is begun," Num. xvi. 46. 2. I cannot but think God is angry with us still, because we are so angry with one another. When God is reconciled to a people, they are reconciled among themselves: our reconciliation an emanation of his. Then the lion and the lamb lie down together: then the sucking child plays on the hole of the asp. Then envy,* the root of all division, and the wrath of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Judah ceaseth, Isa. xi. Our love is a reflection of God's love. His love is the cause of our love; but our love is the sign of his love: so contrary. You may observe therefore what the Lord saith by Micah, chap, vii. 5, to this purpose, "Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide, keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom." These are treacherous times, and wrathful times. For, saith he, verse 6,

* Tolle invidiam et tuum est quod habeo, tolle invidiam et meum est quod

habes.

"the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her motherin-law; a man's enemies are they of his own house." Here is anger indeed, much like that of our times. But what is all this to God's anger? Yes, says he, verse 9, "I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him." Where these things are in this posture, there is God's indignation.

You know the parable in Matt. xviii., "A certain servant owed his master a thousand talents, and said, I will go to my Lord, and say, Have patience with me and I will pay thee all, which he did, and his master forgave him. But then he meets with his fellow-servant that owed him an hundred pence and when that servant said the like words unto him, which he spoke unto his master, he took him by the throat, and cast him into prison, which (says the parable) his Lord hearing of, was wrath." Beloved, God hath forgiven us a thousand talents: our fellow-servants owe us some lesser sums, and we cannot forgive them, but take them by the throat; surely our Lord and Master cannot but be angry still.

3. I cannot but think that God is angry with us still; because the former sins that God hath been punishing all this while, do still live among us: live in their principles, live in the spirit of them, live in their practises under other names and notions: old sins walking up and down under new clothes.

3

Three great sins there are for which God hath been contending with us for divers years. Idolatry and superstition. Opposition of the saints, and the power of godliness. Oppression and injustice. I know that for oaths and drunkenness, and adultery, the land hath mourned: but these three named, are the great capital sins that God doth usually draw out the sword against nations for.

Now I appeal to you: doth not idolatry and superstition live in the principle of it? Give me leave to instance in one particular: the superstitious men of the former times, commanded bowing before altars, at the name of Jesus, and before bread in the Lord's supper. But I pray, What was the principle whereby they forced their superstitions but this? That God commandeth the worship both of soul and