Who would set the Briers, and Thorns against me in Battle? there are a Company of wicked and ungodly men that may set themselves against me like Briers, and Thorns; But saith he, I will go through them if they come in my way, I will consume them, I will burn them together. But my people, they are my Vineyard, I will deal gently with them, I will be a prop, and a support to them. And then he comes in with this, let them take hold of my strength that they may make peace with me: as if he should say, you are pore weak creatures, you are indeed my Vineyard, and my Vine, but you are weak, and when a storm comes, you are ready to bow down, and lie quash upon the ground; yea, but saith God, though you think that my wrath is abroad in the world, yet my power and my wrath is against mine enemies, and all my power, and my strength, are for you, it is no otherwise but as the setting of a prop under a Vine in a time of tempest when a storm would beat the Vine to the ground, my power shall be set under to keep it up. Now you should (saith he) take hold of this my strength, as the Vine claspeth about the prop, and so make peace with me. This is an excellent text to put you on in these dangerous times to be sure to make peace with God. You that are godly, and have some hopes that God is at peace with you, it may be you are troubled with fears of danger, know that God puts under his ⟨p. 55⟩power, and his strength, and he would have you take hold of it, take hold of my strength saith he, even as the Vine takes hold of the prop, and so by renewing the act of Faith upon my power, and goodness, thereby you shall renew your peace with me, that whatsoever fury is abroad to burn the Briers, and Thorns, yet you shall have peace with me, and that power of mine that is put forth to destroy them, shall be a prop to uphold you. So that this Scripture, as it makes much for the opening of what I said before, so it seems to put you on to a labouring, and endeavouring to make your peace with God in troublesome times. Set therefore before your eyes the power of God, the greatness of God: That is one interpretation. Then set before your eyes the goodness, and the mercy of God, that your hearts may come and twist themselves about this God, as the Vine doth about the prop, or the hop about the pole.
Who would set the Briers, and Thorns against me in Battail? there are a Company of wicked and ungodly men that may set themselves against me like Briers, and Thorns; But saith he, I wil go through them if they come in my way, I wil consume them, I wil burn them together. But my people, they are my Vinyard, I wil deal gently with them, I wil be a prop, and a support to them. And then he comes in with this, let them take hold of my strength that they may make peace with me: as if he should say, you are pore weak creatures, you are indeed my Vinyard, and my Vine, but you are weak, and when a storm comes, you are ready to bow down, and ly quash upon the ground; yea, but saith God, though you think that my wrath is abroad in the world, yet my power and my wrath is against mine enemies, and al my power, and my strength, are for you, it is no otherwise but as the seting of a prop under a Vine in a time of tempest when a storme would beat the Vine to the ground, my power shal be set under to keep it up. Now you should (saith he) take hold of this my strength, as the Vine claspeth about the prop, and so make peace with me. This is an excellent text to put you on in these dangerous times to be sure to make peace with God. You that are godly, and have some hopes that God is at peace with you, it may be you are troubled with fears of danger, know that God puts under his ⟨p. 55⟩power, and his strength, and he would have you take hold of it, take hold of my strength saith he, even as the Vine takes hold of the prop, and so by renewing the act of Faith upon my power, and goodness, thereby you shal renew your peace with me, that whatsoever fury is abroad to burn the Briers, and Thorns, yet you shal have peace with me, and that power of mine that is put forth to destroy them, shal be a prop to uphold you. So that this Scripture, as it makes much for the openning of what I said before, so it seems to put you on to a laboring, and indeavouring to make your peace with God in troublesome times. Set therefore before your eyes the power of God, the greatness of God: That is one interpretation. Then set before your eyes the goodness, and the mercy of God, that your hearts may come and twist themselves about this God, as the Vine doth about the prop, or the hop about the pole.
