with God: ira we say is from ire, because when one is angry he goes out of himself; and when he is pacified, he does redire ad seipsum return to himself. Thus it is not in God: Fury is not in me, saith the Lord.

If ye take anger for the effects and fruits thereof, so it is not with God as his mercy is. "His mercy is over all his works," even over the works of his anger. He is no where called an angry God, but a merciful God often. The Psalmist speaking of God's justice, and the fruits of his anger, saith, "His judgments are like the great mountains," Ps. xxxvi. 6, 7: but speaking of his goodness and mercy, saith, "It reacheth unto the clouds." What mountain doth so?

His mercy is for itself, he gives that he may give; he loves that he may love; and shews mercy that he may shew mercy but he is not angry that he may be angry. The Lord is angry a little that he may love for ever, his very anger doth end in love.

Exod. iv. 14-16, "He is slow, the slowest to conceive a wrath, and ready to forgive:" he makes a way to his anger, but the way to mercy lies always open.*

Yet there is anger with him, he hath his days of anger. For as Aquinas says, Excellentia irascentis est causa iræ. The excellency of the person that is angry, is the cause of anger; the more excellency in a person, the sooner he is moved to anger, because pervipensio or contempt, is the greatest provocation to anger. Now there is most excellency in God, and therefore sin being a contempt of him, he cannot but be moved to anger. Anger is the dagger that love wears, to save itself, and to hurt all that wrongs the thing loved: there is love with God, infinite love in God, and therefore there must needs be anger too.

Yea, there is not only wrath, but great wrath with God. His works are like himself: if his anger fix on a person, it extendeth to all the man, soul and body. If one man be angry with another, he may afflict his body, but he cannot

* Iratus est Dominus adversus Moysem, Exod. iv. 14. In quo quæso furor ejus declaratur in quo ira ejus exprimitur? beneficium cognosco, non indignationem; ecce enim verse 15, pollicetur ei virum eloquentissimum in socium legationis et hunc in itinere sibi occursurum; an hæc signa indignationis vel potius amoris ? sed Deus ita liberalis est ut nesciat eis cum punire debeat non benefacere. De Haye in Exod. iv. 14, 15.

reach his soul. God's anger doth especially seize on that part, because he is a Spirit, and doth reach the spirits.

Yea, his anger doth not only extend unto all the man, but as in heaven, when he pours out his glory upon men, he doth enlarge and enable the faculty to receive his mercy, which else could not take it in, or stand under it, the weight of glorious mercy would break the very soul: so, when he is angry, and pours out his wrath upon a person, he enlarges the soul and faculty to receive, and to bear the same.

He blocks up all ways of succour and relief when he is angry, which men cannot do; his own children cannot bear the strokes of his anger, though they be strokes of love; * what are they then when they do come from hatred ?

His anger gives a being to all our angers. What is the wrath of man, kings, princes, or states, but, comparatively, as the claw of the dead lion? If the lion be dead, what hurt can his claw do? It is the anger of God that puts life into all our angers. One drop of his wrath distilled into the soul is able to burst it. Who knows the power of his anger? saith the psalmist. Oh, it is great, it is infinite, it is unspeakable, it is inconceivable: and this wrath and anger of his doth sometimes break forth upon the children of men; he hath his days of anger.

He hath three houses that he puts men into: an house of instruction, an house of correction, an house of destruction. If men mend not in the first they are removed to the second, if they mend not in the second they are removed to the third. As the creditor that lends his money gratis hath his three times; his time of mere love, his time of forbearance and patience after the money is due, his time of execution and judgment after forbearance and patience is tired.

So hath God also a time when he doth freely give forth mercies to the children of men: if they improve them, well; if not, yet then he hath patience with them and forbearance; but if after long forbearance they do not mend and turn unto him, then he brings his judgment, and does execution on them. Oh, there is wrath with God: God hath his days of anger.

Therefore it is not in itself unlawful to be angry, for God

* Si Deus tam aspere percutit ubi parcit, qua aspere percutiet ubi sævtit ? et quanta destructione feriet quos reprobat, si sic cruciat quos amat?-Greg. moral.

is angry sometimes; only your wrath and anger must be in order to reformation, as God's is. "Be angry (says the apostle) and sin not: let not the sun go down on your wrath." The beer or drink may be good in the cup over-night, but if it stand all the night, it sours in the cup: so will your anger sour that stands all night in your hearts, which you lie in. Smoke may be borne whilst it goes up in the chimney, but if it break out into the house or room, it is most offensive: so

is your anger too, yet it is not in itself unlawful to be angry.

Again, If there be wrath with God, and great wrath, how infinitely are our souls bound unto Jesus Christ, by whom we are delivered from the wrath to come, 1 Cor. v. 18, by whom we are reconciled to God the Father, and made friends to him; and being friends, his very wrath and anger are our friends also. As when a man is my friend, not only his power is my friend, his love is my friend, his purse is my friend; but his sword is my friend. So when God is my friend, not only his wisdom is my friend, his power my friend, and mercy my friend; but his wrath and anger are my friends also. Now suppose that one of you should be much in debt, so as not able to pay, and being arrested and carried away into prison, a man should come and pay all your debt, only desiring that you would love him, aad now and then go unto the prison to behold what he had delivered you from; would you not do it? Thus it is with Christ: you were all indebted, and so deeply that you were not able to pay; Christ hath paid our debt, and holds forth his empty veins, saying, Behold, these are the purses that I have emptied to pay your debt; only, I will that you love me, and look now and then upon the wrath and anger from which I have delivered you. Shall we not then love him? Oh that our hearts were inflamed in love unto Jesus Christ!

I have read of a certain monk, that being in a town where there was a great fire, and divers of the houses and families escaping, he ran up and down the town, saying to delivered persons, Deo gratias pro te; Deo gratias pro me: God be thanked for thee; God be thanked for me: God be thanked for thee, and God be thanked for me. Now this kingdom hath been all on fire, and we that are here, as so many firebrands pulled out of England's burnings. Who may not run up and down, saying, God be thanked for thee, and God be

thanked for me? But what is this fire to the fire of God's eternal wrath? and this we are delivered from by Christ. Oh, blessed be God for Christ, for his love in Christ.

Again, If there be wrath with God, and great wrath, which after forbearance breaks forth upon the children of men; then we see what great and just cause there is why those that are in place should send forth godly and faithful preachers into all the parts of this kingdom that may preach the gospel of peace. Every godly, faithful minister, preacher, is an under officer to Jesus Christ, a reconciler: "We beseech you, in Christ's stead, be reconciled," says the apostle, 1 Cor. v. 19, 20. Thousand and ten thousand souls in this kingdom that lie under wrath. Oh, that God would effectually stir up your hearts to send forth more labourers into this harvest. The harvest is great, the labourers few, but the work is necessary, for poor ignorant souls to be delivered from the wrath to What though every formality cannot be had now which you would have at another time? Sure it is necessary that men and women should be delivered from the wrath to

come.

come.

Melancthon makes mention of two certain persons in Austin's time, that were in a ship which was like to perish in a storm at sea, the one very godly but yet not baptized, the other baptized but excommunicated; there being no other christian in the ship with them, and they fearing they should be both cast away, knew not what to do in that condition; he that was not baptized desired baptism by the hands of him that was excommunicate, and he that was excommunicated desired absolution from the other, and so it was concluded; whereupon the question was moved, whether these acts were valid and good.

Austin commended the actions, which I only mention to

* Augustin. ad Fortunatum narrat. historiam quæ continet eruditam disputationem; ait enim in una nove fuisse quendam pium, sed nondum baptizatum verum karηxovμevov, et alterum baptizatum, qui tamen lapsus et si cuperat pœnitentiam agere, tamen nondum erat absolutus, quod juxta veteres canones irrogabantur poene exempli causa ante absolutionem. Addit Augustin. præter hos neminem ibi fuisse christianum; quum autem naufragium timerent, petit karηxovμεvos ab illo altero baptismum; qui cum isti impertiisset baptismum, visissim ab eo petit absolutionem; proinde quæritur an hæc administratio sacramentorum valuerit? Augustinus reste respondet valuisse; et quidam hanc historiam tantopere commendat ut dicat neminem tenere lachrymas posse qui eam audiat. disput. P. Melanch.-Lutheri Opera, tom i. 443. Wittebergæ 1558.

shew what men of judgment think lawful in case of necessity. I plead not for the like action: but now, if ever, there is a time of necessity, when some things may be done which are not ordinary. Do not ye hear the souls of poor, ignorant people crying from several countries, Help, O parliament ! Help, O nobles! Help to deliver us from the wrath to come! And blessed are those persons that have a hand in so good a work as this.

Secondly, You may observe from the words, that in days and times of God's anger, he is exceeding willing to hide his own people; therefore he exhorteth them to the hiding means. "Seek ye the Lord," &c.

"Come, O my people," says the Lord by the prophet Isaiah, chap. xxvi., "enter into your chambers, and shut the doors about you, hide yourselves till the day of mine indignation be overpast."

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem," says Christ, foreseeing the day of anger that was coming, "how often would I have gathered your children as a hen gathereth her chickens ?" The hen doth, therefore, gather her chickens under her wings, that they may be hid from danger. Christ says, he would often have done it: "How often would I," &c., Luke xix. 41. And that it may appear he was very willing, the text tells us that he wept over Jerusalem when he spake these words. Children weep upon all occasions, wise men seldom. It was

some great matter that made Christ weep: here Christ weeps ; and why but because they would not be hidden. Yet this people a wicked and an ungodly people. Oh, how willing is he, then, for to hide the saints!

If he be so willing to hide his own children, how is it that so many of his dear servants have fallen in these late wars: some spoiled, wasted in their estates, some maimed in their bodies, some killed by sword: if God be willing to hide his people, why then so many exposed to dangers ?

God will never sell away his people or their comforts but for a valuable consideration. Nothing of his children not dear unto them; their lives dear, their estates dear, their names dear: he will have a valuable consideration for whatever they lose; though they do lose for present, yet they do and shall gain thereby.* God knows how to deliver from

* Mercatura est quedara, minora amittere ut majora lucreris.-Parisiensis.