A Golden Chain

XVII.

The wicked in their distress may pray to God, and God may hear their prayers, and grant them their request,^a as the Israelites wickedly murmuring against God, desired flesh in the wilderness: God heard their cry, and rained Quails among them. But god heareth the wicked after one sort, & them that fear him after another: them that fear him, he granteth their requests of love and mercy: to the other of indignation and anger. ^bAs may appear in the Israelites, who when they were in eating of their Quails, and the meat was within their teeth, God in his anger stroke them with a sore plague. And (which is more strange then this) God hath performed that which he hath promised to the unbelievers, though they refused to ask it at his hands, even then when they were particularly commanded: ^cof this thing we have a worthy example in King Achas, who utterly refused to have a sign of his deliverance, and the confusion of his enemies, when God offered it to him, and yet the Lord delivered him.

The wicked in their distresse may pray to God, and God may heare their praiers, and grant them their request,^a as the Israelites wickedly murmuring against God, desired flesh in the wildernes: God heard their crie, and rained Quailes among them. But god heareth the wicked after one sort, & them that feare him after another: them that feare him, he granteth their requests of loue and mercy: to the other of indignation and anger. ^b