2. The Great: Against the Saints

BY engaging them againſt the people of the moſt high, againſt thoſe that are his jewels, his pleaſant portion, the delight of his eye, and the joy of his heart, &c. Thus he drew Pharaoh to engage⁶³⁵ againſt the children of Iſrael, and that was his overthrow. So he engaged⁶³⁶ Haman againſt the Iews, and ſo brought him to hang upon that gallows that he had made for Mordecai. So he engaged⁶³⁷ thoſe Princes and Preſidents againſt Daniel, which was the utter ruine of them and their relations. So in Revel. 20.⁶³⁸ 7, 8, 9. And when the thouſand yeares are expired, Satan ſhall be looſed out of his priſon. And he ſhall goe out to deceive the Nations which are in the four quarters of the earth▪ Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: whoſe number is as the ſand of the Sea. And they went up upon the breadth of the earth, and compaſſed the camp of the Saints about, and the beloved City: p. 278 and fire came down from God out of Heaven, and conſumed them.

1. 635. Exod. 14.
2. 636. Heſter 7.
3. 637. Dan. 6.
4. 638. Revel. 20. 7, 8, 9. [moved in the edition]

THe firſt Remedie againſt this Device⁶³⁹ of Satan, is, ſolemnly to conſider, that none have engaged againſt the⁶⁴⁰ Saints, but have been ruin’d by the God of Saints; divine juſtice hath been too hard for all that have oppoſed and engaged againſt the Saints, as is evident in Saul, Pharaoh, Haman, &c. He reproved Kings for their ſakes, ſaying, Touch not mine anointed, nor do my Prophets no harm; when men of Balaams ſpirit tnd principles have been engaged againſt the Saints, how hath the Angel of the Lord met them in the way, and juſled their bones againſt the wall? how hath hee broke their backs, and necks, and by his drawn ſword cut them off in the prime of their dayes, and in the height of their ſins? Ah! what a harveſt hath hell had⁶⁴¹ in our dayes, of thoſe who have engaged againſt the Lamb, and thoſe that are called choſen and faithfull? ah how hath divine Juſtice powred out their p. 279 blood as water upon the ground? how hath he laid their honour and glory in the duſt? who in the pride, and madneſſe of their hearts ſaid, as Pharaoh, we will purſue, we will overtake, we will divide the ſpoile, our luſts ſhall be ſatisfied upon them: we will draw our ſword, our hand ſhall deſtroy them; in the things wherein they have ſpoken & done proudly, Juſtice hath been above them. Hiſtory abounds in nothing more then in inſtances of this kind, &c.

1. 639. 1 Remedie. [dropped from the edition]
2. 640. As they ſaid once of the Grecians in the Epigram, whom they thought invulnerable; we ſhoot at them, but they fall not downe, we wound them, and not kill them, &c.
3. 641. Tanto plas gloriae referemus quoniam eo plures ſuperabimus, the number of oppoſers makes the Chriſtians conqueſt the more illuſtrious, ſaid Paedarelus in Eraſmus.

The ſecond Remedie againſt this Device⁶⁴² of Satan, is to dwell ſometime every morning upon theſe following Scriptures, wherein God hath engaged himſelfe to ſtand by his people, and for his people, and to make them victorious over the greateſt, and wiſeſt of their enemies.⁶⁴³ Aſſociate your ſelves (ſaith the Lord by the Prophet) oh yee people, and⁶⁴⁴ and yee ſhall be broken in pieces, and give eare, all ye of far Countries: gird your ſelves & ye ſhal be broken in pieces gird your ſelves and ye ſhall be broken in pieces. Take counſell together, and it ſhall come to nougbt: ſpeake the word, and it ſhall not ſtand, for God is with us. Feare not thou worm Jacob,⁶⁴⁵ and ye men of Iſrael, I will help thee ſaith the Lord, and thy Redemer the holy one of Iſrael. Behold, I will make thee a new ſharp threſhing inſtrument having teeth, p. 280 thou ſhalt threſh the mountaines, and beate them ſmall, and ſhalt make the hills as chaff.⁶⁴⁶ Thou ſhalt fanne them, and the winde ſhall carry them away, and the whirle-winde ſhall ſcatter them, and thou ſhalt rejoyce in the Lord, and ſhalt glory in the holy one of Iſrael. No weapon that is formed againſt⁶⁴⁷ thee ſhall proſper, and every tongue that ſhall riſe againſt thee in judgement, thou ſhalt condemn. This is the heritage of the ſervants of the Lord, and their righteouſneſſe is of me ſaith the Lord. Now alſo many⁶⁴⁸ Nations are gathered together againſt thee, that ſay, let her be defiled, and let our eye looke upon Zion. But they know not⁶⁴⁹ the thoughts of the Lord, neither underſtand they his counſell; for he ſhall gather them as the ſheaves into the floore. Ariſe and threſh⁶⁵⁰ oh daughter of Zion, for I will make thy horne iron, and I will make thy hoofs braſſe, and thou ſhalt beat in pieces many people, and I will conſecrate their gaine unto the Lord, and their ſubſtance unto the Lord of the⁶⁵¹ whole earth. Behold, I will make Jeruſalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they ſhall be in the ſiege both againſt Judah and againſt Jeruſalem. And in that day will I make Jeruſalem a burden ſome ſtone for all people, all that burden themſelves with it ſhall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together againſt it.

1. 642. 2 Remedie. [dropped from the edition]
2. 643. Iſa. 8. 9, 10.
3. 644. Occidit poterant ſed vinci non poterant, ſaid Cyprian of the Chriſtians in his time. [moved in the edition]
4. 645. Iſa. 41. 14, 15.
5. 646. Verſe 16.
6. 647. Iſa. 54. 17.
7. 648. Mica 4. 11.
8. 649. Verſe 12.
9. 650. Verſe 13.
10. 651. Zach. 12. 2, 3.

The 3. Remedie againſt this device of⁶⁵² Satan, is, to conſider, that you cannot engage againſt the Saints, but you muſt⁶⁵³ engage againſt God himſelfe, by reaſon of that neer, and bleſſed union that is between God and them; you cannot be fighters againſt the Saints, but you will be found in the caſting up of the account, to be fighters againſt God himſelf; and what greater madneſſe, then for weakneſſe it ſelfe to engage againſt an almighty ſtrength; the neer union that is between the Lord and Beleevers, is ſet forth by that neer union that is betwixt a husband and his Wife.⁶⁵⁴ (They two ſhall be one fleſh; This is a great Miſtery, but I ſpeake concerning Chriſt & the Church) We are members of his body, of his fleſh, and of his bones, ſaith the Apoſtle: This neer union is ſet forth by that union that is between the head and the members, which make up one body, and by that union that is betwixt the graft and the ſtock, which are made one by inſcition. The union between the Lord and a Beleever is ſo neer, that you cannot ſtrike a Beleever, but the Lord is ſenſible of it, and takes it as done to himſelf, Saul, Saul, why perſecuteſt thou⁶⁵⁵ me? And in all their afflictions he was afflicted, &c. Ah ſoules! who ever engaged againſt God, and proſpered? who p. 282 ever took up the ſword againſt him, but periſht by it? God can ſpeak you to hell, and nod you to hell at pleaſure; ‘tis your greateſt concernment to lay downe your weapons at his feet, and to⁶⁵⁶ kiſſe the ſonne leſt he be angry, and you periſh in the mid-way.

1. 652. 3 Remedie. [dropped from the edition]
2. 653. Acts 5. 39. It ſeems to be drawn from the ſable of the Gyants, which were ſaid to make War with the Gods.
3. 654. The ſoules happineſſe conſiſts not in any thing but in its union with God; nor its miſery lies not ſo much in any thing, as in its diſunion from God.
4. 655. Acts 9. 4. Iſa. 63. 9.
5. 656. Pſal. 2. 12.

The 4th Remedie againſt this Device⁶⁵⁷ of Satan is, ſolemnly to conſider, that⁶⁵⁸ you are much engaged to the Saints (as inſtruments) for the mercies that you do enjoy, and for the preventing and removing of many a judgment, that otherwiſe might have been your ruine, before this day; were it not for the Saints ſake, God would quickly make the Heavens to be as braſſe, and the Earth as iron, God would quickly ſtrip thee of thy Robes, and glory, and ſet thee upon the dunghill with Job: They are the props that bear the world from falling about thy eares, and that keep the iron rod from breaking of thy bones. Therefore he ſaid that hee would⁶⁵⁹ deſtroy them, had not Moſes his choſen ſtood before him in the breach, to turn away⁶⁶⁰ his wrath, leſt he ſhould deſtroy them.

1. 657. 4 Remedie. [dropped from the edition]
2. 658. Hic homo potuit apud Deum quod voluit. Said one concerning Luther, he could have what hee would of God.
3. 659. Pſal. 106. 23.
4. 660. Prayer is (porta coeli, clavis Paradiſi) the gate of Heaven, a key to let us into Paradiſe.

Ah! had not the Saints many a time caſt themſelves into the breach, betwixt Gods wrath and you, you had been cut off from the land of the living, and have had your portion with thoſe, p. 283 whoſe names are written in the duſt;⁶⁶¹ many a Nation, many a City, and many a Family is ſurrounded with bleſſings for the Joſephs ſakes that live therein, and are preſerved from many calamities and miſeries, for the Moſeses, the Daniels, the Noahs, and the Jobs ſakes, that dwell amongſt them. That’s a ſweet word, Prov. 10. 25. As the whirlewinde paſſeth, ſo is the wicked no more: but the⁶⁶² righteous is an everlaſting foundation, or is the foundation of the world; the righteous is the foundation of the world, which but for their ſakes would ſoon ſhatter, and fall to ruine: ſo the Pſalmiſt, Pſal. 75. 3. The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are diſſolved, I bear up the pillars of it. Selah.⁶⁶³

1. 661. When the danger is over the Saint is forgotten, is a French Proverb, and that which many Saints in England have found by experience.
2. 662. יסוד עולם Jeſodh gnolam from Joſadh.
3. 663. Mary Queen of Scots, that was Mother to King James, was wont to ſay, that ſhe feared Mr. Knoxes prayer more then an Army of ten thouſand men.

The Emperour Marcus Antonius, being in Almany with his Army, was incloſed in a dry Countrey by his enemies, who ſo ſtopped all the paſſages, that he and his Army were like to periſh for want of water; the Emperours Lievtenant ſeeing him ſo diſtreſſed, told him that he had heard, that the Chriſtians could obtaine any thing of their God, by their prayers; whereupon the Emperour having a legion of Chriſtians in his Army, deſired them to pray to their God, for his and the Armies delivery out of that danger; which p. 284 they preſently did, & preſently a great Thunder fell amongſt the enemies, and abundance of water upon the Romanes, whereby their thirſt was quenched, and the enemies overthrowne without any fight. I ſhall cloſe up this laſt Remedy, with thoſe ſweet words of the Pſalmiſt. In Judah is God knowne, his name is great⁶⁶⁴ in Iſrael: In Salem alſo is his Tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Sion. There brake he the arrowes of the bow, the ſhield, and the ſword, and the bettell. Selah.

1. 664. Pſ. 76. 1, 2, 3.