gleanings of Ephraim? What are the onions and garlick of Egypt to the grapes of Canaan? Abana and Pharphar rivers of Damafcus, to Jordan and the rest of the waters of Ifrael: The waters that flow from the Cisternes of the Creatures, are like the waters of Tema which soon vanish away: hence is it that the Lord complaines of the peoples grand folly and backsliding, Jer. 2. 13. For my people have committed two evills, they have forsaken me the fountaine of living waters, and hewed them out Cisternes, broken Cisternes that can hold no water: A miserable choyce, worse then that of Glaucus. Diogenes taxed the folly of men of his time, quod res pre- Diogenes. tiofas minimo emerent venderentque vilissimas plurimo, because they would buy pretious things at an under rate, and overvalue base things:so may I condemne the folly of those, who overvalue worldly comforts, and in the meane time have a cheape esteem of those things which are above; Perhaps God hath given thee a beautifull Child, and thou mak'st an Idoll of it, he straight way takes it from thee; God hath given thee riches, thou makest the wedge of Gold thy confidence, God therefore blowes upon them. Fire or water or perfidious servants are made scourges unto thee: Thou art in prosperity, and thou hast the world at will, and gloriest in thy condition, God sends an affliction to make thee know thy selfe, and rowse thee from thy security; carry it then home with thee for a truth, write it with the poynt of a Diamond, that however thou may'st flatter thy selfe, yet cafting the best with the worse, thou wilt find all things here below to be but vanity, and vexatiof spirit, and that there is no follid joy and contentment under the fun; For thats joy (as the Philosopher define it) in quo quiefcit animus, wherein the heart takes up it's rest, and this cannot be found but in God alone.

3. Amidit greatest crossesse, straights and extremities, then is 3. Demonst. Gods opportunity to open his store-house, and let downe com- God helpsaforts in abundance. In the midst of streights and difficulties, when midst greahumane policy gives up the bucklers, then it's Gods accustomed test Croffeß. manner to manifest himselfe to his servants comfort. When Abraham was injoyn'd the hardest service, to be his owne fons executioner, he went in obedience to Gods command; he came to the place, made the Altar ready, lifted up his hand to give the deaths blow; then an unexpected second message comes of deliverance, Gen. 22. 12. Abraham, Abrabam bold thy hand. The execution

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is hindred, and the intention of his obedience received a gratious entertainment. Now Abraham for this unexpected providence would willingly offer some sacrifice of thanksgiving, and speedy provision might be as improbable as was his fons preservation, yet then in such a great neceffity, behold behind him a Ramme caught in a thicket by the hornes, a burnt offering of Gods own providing: So that the saying is no more common then true, Mans extremity is Gods opportunity. The example of St Paul' is inftar omnium very fit for my present purpose, the whole story is worthy of perufall, that which I shall make use of is described, A. 21. 30, 31, 32. And all the Citty was moved, and the people ran togeather and they took Paul and drew him out of the temple, and forth-with the dores were shut, and as they went about to kili him, tydings came to the chiefe Captaine of the band that all Jerusalem was in an uprore, who immediatly took Souldiers and Centurions, and ran down unto them, and when they saw the chiefe Captaine and Souldiers, they left beating of Paul. Each passage is of speciall observation. 1. A generall insurrection, all the Citty. 2. Their violent opposition they drew him out. 3. Their bloody intention, it was to kill Paul.

4. The entrance upon execution, they were beating him to beat out his life !

Now in this streight here's matter for God (and none else) to shew himselfe: Now the divine hand to difpofeth that tydings of deliverance come, let him alone, he hath more work to do: Satan and his instruments. are chained by God, and can go no further then hee'l permit them. In this extremity the divine power was clearely manifested. Out of the deep David made his fupplication: Abyssus abyffum vocat, a depth of misery, calls for a depth of mercy; Daniel prayed in the Lions Den, Jeremiah in the Dungeon, Jonah in the Whales belly, the Apostles in prison. These are Gods times of audience. When we are involv'd in miseries, and know not how to wind our selves out, then God leads us by the hand. God hath severall waies to refresh his people, as he did Peter when he was a sinking, then Chrift takes him by the hand. God carries his people through thick and thinne, amidst their greatest fufferings, God hath waies to deliver them. God hath a way in the sea, to preserve thee in a Shipwrack, God hath a way in perfecution to stablish his people in the faith, and make them of an undaunted courage, God hath away in any difference, to compose it, and cause men to live at peace in one family, in one corporation, in one Church, in one Common-wealth. The reason many times why, we fee not quickly the appearance of a mercy is, because matters are not yet brought to such a straight and exigency, as all plea of glorying may be took from man, and the more praise and glory may redound unto the God of our falvation. God saved the Ifraelites by a few, and by improbable meanes as by rammes-hornes, empty pitchers &c: that so they might not vaunt, but attribute the victory unto the Lord. Now then in a pinch of need, when thou art driven upon pressing exigencies, look beyond Hills and Mountaines unto the Lord only, whence cometh thy help; Cast thy care upon the Lord, and he will fustaine thee; God made the Ravens to be Eliahs purveyors in a great famine, theres still the fame God as good, as able as ever: although ψεύσεται τὸ ἐργὸν τῆς ἐλαῖαι, (as the Septuagint renders it) the labour of the Olive shall lye, yet confider God is a God of truth, he hath faid it, I will never leave thee, nor forfake thee, Heb. 13.5.. When all creature comforts faile thee, yet thou haft abundant matter in God to comfort thee, who will never faile them that seek him: In the mount, in thy greatest straights, God will be seen to make a provision of comforts for thee, and therefore let the Lord be the joy of thy foule.

4. The leaft of Gods comforts will make a superabundant re-4. Demont. compense for all the discomforts in the world. A cup of cold The least of water shall not loose its reward, and you know theres a vast dis- Gods comproportion, betweene a cup of cold water and the Kingdome of forts will Heaven. God takes notice of every teare that the Saints thed, and make aand he exhales them into his bottle, and when the time of refresh- mends for ing thall come from his prefence he will wipe away all teares from all difcomtheir eyes. Admit a man hath endured a scoffe, or a taunt, an forts. approbrious nickname for Chrift, or admit, that he hath refifted unto blood, fryed at a stake for the Gospell of Chrift, could a man I say dye ten thousand kinds of death, yet all these sufferings are not worthy to be compared, with the joy that shall be revealed, for one moment in heaven will make amends for all; With this meditation Christ cheared up his disciples, Matth. 19. 29. Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or filters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or Lands for my names Sake shall re

ceive an hundred fold, and shall inherit everlasting life. When Peter told Christ that they had forsaken all, and what was that? A poore all, a few rotten poles, and fishers nets, or some such like thing, our Saviour acquaints them of their thriving bargaine, of their happy exchange which they had made, by the loffe of earth to gaine heaven, O do not inhance thy griefe saying that no mans forrow is like thine, there cannot be a more Emphaticall Antithefis, then in 2 Cor. 4. 17. Τὸ γδ ταραυτίκα ἔλαφρὸν τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν καθ' ὑπερβολὴν εἰς ὑποβολὴν, ἀώνιον βάρΘ δόξης κατεργάζεται ἡμιν. Our Transiation cannot reach these sublime expreffions: Our light affliction which is but for a moment, worketh for us a farre more exceeding and eternall weight of glory. Suppose thou art afflicted with outward croffeffe, and in the meane time God settles the tranquility of thy foule, in liev of outward, God vouchsafes unto thee inward comforts, how art thou a looser by this? Suppose thou haft run in a greedy pursuit of some defiderable obje&, thou haft pursued thy pleasure, with as much violence as Rachell did her children, Give me (faith shee) children or else I dye: Now God in wisdome crosseth thee, he knowes whats better for thee then thou dost for thy selfe, God opens thy eyes, and then thou difcernest what a fingular mercy it is, that God disappointed thee of thy defire. We must not carve out waies of comfort to our selves, if we be our owne chusers we shall dearely smart for it. When the children of Ifrael lusted for meate, God sent them Quailes, but they had better have been without them, for whilst the meate was in their mouths the wrath of the Lord came upon them. The Ifraelites would have no nay, but must have a King; The Lord gave them a King in his anger, and took him away in his wrath, Hof. 13. 11. It's farre better to have a croffe in mercy, and so sanctified, as we may difcerne the opened bowells of God, then the greateft confluence of riches, and revenues when they are sent in judgment, and in Gods displeasure. John Ardley a bleffed Martyr griev'd that he had but one life to lay downe for Christ, if I bad (faith he) as many lifes as there are heyres of f my my head, they should all goe for Christ. It was the strength of faith that made Gordius another Godly Martyr believe, that all the threats of his enemies were but as feeds, from which he should reape immortality, and eternall joyes. Here's the comfort, that those which fow in teares shall reape in joy: Let not us shrink then at any difficult service, which Chrift

puts

puts us upon: For all the troubles and hard-ships, which befall us in this vale of misery, (provided we fuffer for Chrifts fake) will augment our future joyes in the kingdome of heaven. When thou comest thither, it will never repent thee in the least, that thou ever sufferest any thing for the name of Christ. Thy sufferings and forrowes here are but finite, and limited, but the joyes of Gods kingdome are infinite and incomprehensible: wherefore the Apostle describes them by way of negation, neither eye hath Seen, nor eare bath heard, neither bath it entred into the heart of man to conceive the things that God hath prepared for them that love him.

5. And lastly, all the waies of God are comfortable, and a- 5. Demonst. bouud in joy: The waies of wisdome are waies of pleasantnesse, All the ways and all her paths are peace, Prov. 3. 17. O what ravishing delight of God, are and pleasure is there in the law of God: O how I love thy law waies of joy (faith David) the law of thy mouth is better unto me then thou- and comfands of Gold and Silver, Pfal. 119. 127. I love (faith he) thy fort. commandments above Gold, yea above fine Gold. They were sweeter unto him then honey and the honey combe; Oh! what a sweet thing is it to heare God speaking unto us in his word, and for us to speake unto him by our prayers, herein confists the life of a Chriftians life, Oh! what a sweet thing is it to be fed with spirituall viands, when we are admitted unto the Lords Table, Oh! what sweetnesse is to be extracted out of the Communion of Saints, There be many (faith the Pfalmist) that say who will shew us any good, Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us, thou hast put gladnesse in our heart, more then in the time that their corne and wine increased, Pfal. 4. 6, 7. One beame of Gods reconciled countenance, more cheares up a Godly mans spirit, then barnes full of corne, and coffers cramm'd with Gold. Oh! that I could perswade you in the feare of God, to the beliefe of this truth, that all the paths of God are full of joy and comfort. It's an horrid afperfion cast upon the waies of Godlineffe, that religion makes men of melancholy and dumpish spirits, the joy whereof they are pertakers is inconceivable: Spe gaudent they rejoyce in hope faith St Paul: Ἐλπιζοντες ευφραίνεσι, They that hope, rejoyce (faith Ariftotle,) Seneca tells us what joy he would have, Seneca Volo illam letitiam tibi domi. I would have thy joy to be at home. The joy of the Godly is abundant in their owne breast and in