I would here therefore exhort and beseech ye in the Lord, to consider the ground ye stand upon, the principles ye work by, the cause ye manage; and I appeal to you, whether do ye not think that God is in all these wars, that the event of battles is only in the hand of God? Some of you, no friends to parliament, nor the cause of God in their hands, have tried many ways, as once Balaam, to curse Israel; sometimes ye have got upon one hill, and there ye have built an altar, thinking from thence to curse God's people; when that would not do, then you got upon a second; when ye could not do it from thence, then ye got to a third mountain: one while ye thought to have done it by the strength of your old skilful soldiery; when that would not do, then ye came home, and sought to make divisions among us, and to raise jealousies between brethren; seeing that would not do it sufficiently, you have now gotten to a third mountain, labouring to stir up the countries to make insurrection, and yet ye cannot curse them from these. Wherefore now after all, do ye not think that God is against you; can ye believe that God is with you, after all these successive victories that have fallen against you? Have ye not read that scripture, "The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth, the wicked are snared in the works of their own hands?" and have ye not been snared in the works of your own hands; have ye not risen to fall; have not your own doings been your undoing; and will ye yet go on to plot, consult, design; what, will ye never have done? Well then, go on, consult, plot, devise, associate, confederate together, try the conclusion, work to the utmost; yet know that when ye have done all, and as ye think have the better, and all is your own, then will Christ come upon you at midnight, in an hour and time when ye do least expect him, and it will be a darker night than ever yet you saw; for our Lord and Saviour Christ, he doth come as at the last, so now in these his precedaneous comings, still at midnight, he doth come at midnight. Be wise now therefore, oh, ye princes, nobles, rulers, judges, gentlemen, and others: kiss the Son, lest ye perish in the way, for Christ is upon his way unto his kingdom.

Again, this doctrine looks wishly upon such as Christ comes for. Why should any of God's people despair or be discouraged, saying, Christ is now gone, and will never come

come again; he hath hid himself, and I shall never see his face again. Nay, but he does come at midnight, that is his time, a time wherein he is least expected, a dark time, the darkest time, the sleepiest time, the coldest time, a time when all your candles are out, and your comforts out, when you cannot see your hand, your working hand, your praying hand, when you say all is gone and lost, and I shall never see the light again, comfort again; then doth Christ say, This is my time, it is now dark, and night, and midnight with my servant, now will I go and comfort and deliver him: why should any godly man be discouraged, whatever his condition be; shall Christ come at midnight, and shall I be discouraged because I am in the dark? Oh, my soul, remember this, Christ comes at midnight, in all his comings, still he doth come at midnight. And that this is Christ's constant course with all his people, see what is said in Hosea vi. 3, "Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord, his going forth is prepared as the morning, and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." Oh, but I am a poor ignorant creature, do not know or understand the mind and will of God in these actions, and transactions of things abroad. Be it so, yet, says the Lord, you shall know him, if ye follow on to know him. Oh, but I am in a sad and a dark condition, benighted with some affliction. Be it so, Christ will come, and he will come as the morning; as sure and certain as the morning comes, so will Christ come; and though it be a dark night, yet ye say, certainly morning will come again; so confident may you be of Christ's coming; for, saith the text, he will come as the morning: that is, certainly. Oh, but I shall faint in the meanwhile, he will stay long ere he comes. Nay, but he will come in season, as the former, and as the latter rain; the former and the latter rain come in their seasons; so will Christ do, and therewithal your comforts shall be all revived and refreshed; why should then any of God's people be discouraged?

But suppose that the Lord Jesus do comfortably appear to us in a dark condition, when we look not for him, as now he hath done to this kingdom: what is our duty that doth flow from hence?

If Jesus Christ hath appeared to you in the dark, and

*

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, "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 himselt 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.
† Προδοκώντας και σπεύδοντας την παρουσιαν, 2 Peter iii. 12.
Fide armatus, difficilia queque potest.

go on with all constancy, even in their darkest fears? Luther 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;