A plain and familiar exposition of the eleventh and twelfth chapters of the Proverbs…A plaine and familiar exposition of the eleuenth and twelfth chapters of the Prouerbes…

Though ungodly men have many friends, and such as be mighty: though they join all their forces together to aide and defend one another, or all of them one, yet they shall not be able to minister any help or succour when the Lord taketh them in hand to plague them. On the other side, though righteous men seem to be in great peril, and have fewer friends, and those also poor and feeble, yet they shall get out and be delivered, and not only so, but their children and posterity also shall be preserved: So that whereas many strong wicked men cannot deliver one, one weak godly man shall deliver many.

THough vngodly men haue many friends, and such as bee mightie: though they ioyne all their forces together to aide and defend one another, or all of them one, yet they shall not bee able to minister any helpe or succour when the Lord taketh them in hand to plague them. On the other side, though righteous men seeme to be in great perill, and haue fewer friends, and those also poore and feeble, yet they shall get out and be deliuered, and not onely so, but their children and posteritie also shall be preserued: So that whereas many strong wicked men cannot deliuer one, one weake godly man shall deliuer many.

Doct. 1 Ungodly men are nothing the better for all the friends they have: their plotting together and combination is of no force at all for their preservation, but rather for their ruin. The Lord by the Prophet Isaiah doth deridingly challenge, and after a sort dare the enemies of the Church to attempt any thing against his ⟨p. 72⟩people upon their peril: Gather together on heaps O ye people, and ¹ye shall be broken in pieces: gird your selves, and ye shall be broken in pieces: take counsel together, yet it shall be brought to nought: pronounce a decree, yet it shall not stand. As if he should have said: Make your selves as strong as ye can, with multitude, leagues, armour, consultations, authority, and by what means ye can, and as oft as ye will; yet all shall do your selves no good, and nothing shall do my servants harm. When the Canaanites and other inhabitants of that land were to be punished, how many Kings with their people banded themselves together against Joshua and the Israelites? and yet it was to no purpose: they did but offer themselves to the sword: that stood Joshua in good stead; for it would have been long before he could have found them out, and slain them singly man by man.