A word in season to this present generation, or, A sober and serious discourse…

Thirdly, Know for your comfort, that you shall have mercy and kindness, and what ever good you need in due season, at that very instant, at that very nick of time wherein you most need mercy. God will time your ¹mercies, and your blessings for you, he is nigh and will not fail you at a dead lift. When Abraham had bound his Son, and bent his sword, and the knife was up, then comes a voice from Heaven: Abraham, Abraham hold thy hand. At that very nick of time when the four hundred and thirty years were expired, Israel was delivered ²out of their captivity and slavery. Deut. 11. 14. I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain, and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.] God gives rain to all by a Providence, but he gives rain to his Israel by virtue of ³a promise: God engages himself not only to give rain, but to give it in due season; he will give the first rain after the sowing of the seed, that it might take rooting in the Earth; and he will give the latter rain a little before Harvest, that the cars might be full: O my Friends! it is wonderful mercy, that God will time our mercies for us. When Jehoshaphat was put to a hard pinch, at that ⁴very nick of time God owns him, stands by him, and gives him a great victory. When David was at a great ⁵plunge, Saul being at his very heels, at that very nick of time, tidings were brought to Saul, that the Philistines had invaded the land, and so David escapes: When all humane help failed, God came in and helped at a dead lift. So Julian was cut of by the Persian War, at that very nick of time when he had vowed at his return, to make a Sacrifice of the Christians lives. And so Charles the Fifth was diverted from persecuting of the Protestants, by the Turks breaking into Hungary, at that very nick of time when his heart was set upon a ⟨p. 211⟩