come to you even at midnight; then trust in the Lord for ever; and again I say, trust in the Lord, trust in the Lord at all times. Here is one night over, but another night will come, I fear, and it may prove a darker night; night and day have their courses. But does Christ come at midnight; why then should we not trust in God at midnight, in the darkest time? * "At what time I am afraid," says the Psalmist, "I will trust in the Lord." Faith moves Christ for to come the sooner : and therefore, says the apostle, 66 Looking for, and hastening the coming of the Lord." You read it in the English, hastening unto; but according to the Greek,† the words may be read better thus, looking for, and hastening the coming of the Lord. Our very looking for his coming doth hasten his coming. Faith mitigates our calamities, and holds the hands of our enemies. I have read in the life of Tyndale, that he being in the Low Countries, heard of a certain juggling conjuror, that could by his conjuring, command a dish of meat from any prince's table in the world, which he did use to do, and would ordinarily invite his friends unto dinner: whereupon Master Tyndale resolved, that he world go see this act, but would set himsel to believe the contrary; which he did; and the company being come together, and the conjuror endeavouring the same, was so hindered by the faith of Master Tyndale, that he cried out, and said, I cannot do it, there sits the man that hinders me, and holds my hands.‡ I say, faith will hold the hands of wicked and devilish men; such too many we have to deal with in these times: oh, that you would use your faith more and more. And have ye not ground enough for it: Christ comes at midnight; why should you not believe whatever your condition be, although it be never so dark? Again, If Christ come at midnight, then why should those who are employed for Christ, be shaken, or unsettled in his work and service? We many times leave God's work, and are not constant in it because of opposition, which doth make us fear: but will Christ come and own us, and come in a time when we look not for him, in the darkest time; then why should not men * Nec super biendum rebus florentibus nec desperandum adversis. Lu go on with all constancy, even in their darkest fears? ther relates a story of Austin's mother, which also Austin doth mention, who was much troubled for her son Austin, because for the space of seven or nine years, he had been a Manichee, she prayed and continued praying for him; at the last, in a night, she had as a word from God in answer to her prayer these words, Qualis tu, talis ille; As thou so he. Whereupon she was much refreshed, and told him, she had received a promise from the Lord that he should be converted from his error; but he told her the meaning of the words was contrary, that she should be as he was, that is, converted to his opinion; but she did so constantly abide in her sense, that, Facile transivit in sententiam matris, he easily turned to his mother's opinion. And indeed, what more convincing to an adversary than to see one constantly abiding by what is good. A christian, especially a christian magistrate, should be like to Christ, who, when he is in a way of mercy, will not be put out of his way by men. Isaiah xxvii. 4., "Who would set the briars and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together." At verses 2, 3, he speaks of his great love and care to and of his church: "A vineyard of red vine, I the Lord do keep it, I will water it every moment, lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day." Aye, but in this vineyard, there may be many briars and thorns, that may arise up to afflict God's people. True, but says the Lord, Who would set the briars and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them. As if he should say, Indeed these wicked men are as briars and thorns, rending and tearing my poor people, and as briars and thorns they do conjoin and twist together; but though they do rise up against me in the way of my mercy towards my people, yet they shall not put me out of my way; I will even pass through them: yea and though they do rise, it shall be to their own ruin; they shall burn together; I would burn them together, I the Lord would pass through them. Now our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I hope, is in the way of mercy to this poor kingdom; but certainly, he is upon the way to his own kingdom; and though wicked men may obstruct and hinder us, they shall never hinder him, but he will pass through them. Oh, therefore, labour more and more to be like to Christ, keep on your way; for though it be late ere he come, yet he will certainly come, he comes at midnight. Again, If Jesus Christ have come unto us, even at midnight: why should not all of us go forth to meet him with some present of thankfulness? The more abundant, full, free, and continued any mercy is, the more it doth call for thankfulness, Christ hath been in the field for you and fought your battles for these many years; and I must needs say, that of late our divisions and sins have been so great, that I feared they would even drive Christ out of the field: but now I see still he doth own your cause, and own your forces, still he doth keep the field; yea, and goes on marching, as if he were resolved not to leave the field, till he hath conquered all this kingdom with his love; and he hath now given you a taste of his intentions and love in this victory, a seasonable victory, a wonderful victory, an unexpected victory, a midnight victory; oh, thou wonder-working God, shall we not now praise thy name? We read of a great strait and dark condition that Jehoshaphat was in by reason of his enemies; but he crying unto the Lord, the Lord heard and delivered him and his people: insomuch as they kept a day of thanksgiving in the open fields, and they called the name of the place Berachah, the valley of blessing. 2 Chron. xx. 26. In Joshua's time the people of Israel were in a great strait by reason of the Amalekites, who came upon them when they were weak; but the Lord fought for his people, smote their enemies, and they were quite destroyed; whereupon Israel made an altar, and called it, Jehovah-nissi, the Lord my shield. In Samuel's time, again, they were in a great distress by reason of their enemies; but they cried to the Lord, and he delivered them, and destroyed all their enemies: then they set up a stone, and called it, Ebenezer, the stone of help, saying, "Hitherunto the Lord hath holpen us." Afterwards, again, they were brought very low, into a very dark estate, sold into the hands of their enemies; but the Lord raised them up saviours, Deborah and Barak, and delivered them from all their enemies: and then they penned a psalm of praise, the vth of Judges, wherein they do ascribe and give the glory of all unto God himself; wherein they make an honourable mention of the instruments which God used; they did not revile the instruments but honoured them; wherein they condemned and cursed those that would not go forth to help the Lord, "Curse ye Meroz;" wherein they commended the tribes and countries who came forth and willingly offered themselves unto the service of the Lord; wherein they prayed against the enemies of the church and then mark the issue, at the last verse, "And the land had rest forty years." And such an issue, not only forty years, many times forty years rest may you have, as an issue of the praises of this day. but But yet, observe, still some monument of praise was erected; sometimes a stone, sometimes an altar, always one monument or other of praise. And have we no altar; no stone now; no name of God to celebrate now; no present of thankfulness to bring to our God this day? Is there no act of mercy to be shewn; none of Christ's friends to be relieved? Shall we make no progress; shall we stand still; do nothing, as men in amaze? Shall we make no improvement of this deliverance and victory? Why should we not all sit down under our relations, and say, How shall I make improvement of this mercy; what shall I do now for God and Christ that I did not before; is there nothing in your hand; what, no present to be given to Christ; have we nothing at all? then let us bring the sense of our own nothing; for the more humble ye are after victories, the more thankful for victories. And if ye have no present in your hand this day to bring unto God for this victory, yet bring the victory itself and give it to God. Ye give to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's: why? because his image is upon them; and hath not this victory much of the image of God upon it? When David was delivered from his enemies, we read, in Psalm cxvi., that he checks himself for his former unbelief, "I said in my haste," &c., and gathers up himself into God again; "Return unto thy rest, O my soul." When delivered from his enemies, as we read in Psa. cxviii., he found a retreat from man. O my soul, trust not in princes, not in man, nor in the sons of men; trust not in princes. The word in the Hebrew is, ingenuous men, for princes should be ingenuous; and if any men are to be trusted to, they are ingenuous men; but being delivered from men, he retreats from men, and says, O my soul, trust not in men, nor in the sons of men, not in princes, not in ingenuous men. Yes, and in that Psalm he call upon others also for to praise the Lord, and so let us do in his words: "Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures for ever: he stilleth the rage of the sea and the tumults of the people, for his mercy endures for ever." Who hath owned your cause again, and your forces again, for his mercy endures for ever; who hath remembered you in your low condition, for his mercy endures for ever; and hath visited us with his love at midnight, for his mercy endures for ever. "Oh, give thanks unto the God of gods, for his mercy endures for ever. Praise the Lord." If Christ come at midnight, then methinks his personal coming is not far off. I cannot say it is midnight in that respect, but surely it is very late; it is very dark, and it hath been dark a great while. We read of two sorts of signs which go before the coming of Jesus Christ; some that are more remote and transient, some that are more immediate and just at his coming. Those that are more immediate and just at his coming, ye read of in Matt. xxiv. 29, 30: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heaven shall be shaken, and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn; and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory." These are yet to come. But those that are more remote, all seem to be past already. Before the coming of Christ, says the apostle, the man of sin shall be revealed: that is past. Before the coming of Christ there shall false prophets arise, and say, I am Christ; and another, I am Christ: that is past. Before the personal coming of Christ there shall be wars and rumours of wars: this is past. And before that day there shall be great divisions, even in the matter of religion; one saying, Lo, here is Christ; and another, Lo, there is Christ: this is already. And immediately before, and at his coming, men shall be smiting their fellow servants, eating and drinking with the drunken: this is already. The wise and the foolish virgins shall be all asleep and was there ever a time when both wise and foolish were more asleep than now? When men set themselves to sleep, they draw their curtains, put out their lights, and will have no more light come in; so now, when men are asleep, their senses are bound up that |