Thirdly, The manner how God hath brought about these mercies is so rare, as that we may not only say (as David to the Woman) Is not the hand of Joab in all this? but we may certainly conclude, The hand of God is most conspicuous in all Englands mercies; Never since the first day of the creation of the world, when God brought light out of darkness, hath God more appeared in the works of his providence in bringing good out of evil, than in these last years, wherein he hath suffered the enemies of the Church and State to dig pits, and then he hath caught them in the pits that they themselves have digged; In the net which they bid is their own ⟨p. 11⟩1foot taken; the wicked is snared in the works of his own hand. Higgaion. Selah. As Christ whipped out the buyers and sellers by a whip made of their own cords, which they brought to tie their beasts withal; so God hath whipped out the enemies of this Church and State, by whips of their own making; He hath taken them by their own iniquities, and hath held them with the cords 2of their own sin: Goliath is killed with his own sword; H•man hanged upon his own G•llowes: All that our enemies have done these many years hath been but as the weaving of a spiders web, 3and the hatching of Cockatrice eggs, for they have consumed their bowels by what they have weaved, and they are destroyed by the eggs which they have hatched; God hath delivered us not only by little means, by unlikely means, but by contrary means; he hath brought unity out of division: The endeavours to divide the Nations of England and Scotland, have been the means of their farther union: (we have indeed a saying, Omne malum ab Aquilone; but we may well turn it, and say, Omne bonum ab Aquilone, for Scotland hath been the cause of a great deal of good to England) God hath brought liberty out of oppression: If things had not been so bad, they would not now have been so good; if mans wickedness had not been so evident, Gods goodness had not been so transparent; God hath made our enemies Preservatives, to be their Destructives, and hath ruinated them by what they thought to be established; their very rising hath been their ruin; and by endeavouring to bring themselves too high, they have overgrasped themselves, and almost lost all; In all those things wherein they dealt proudly, God was above them:
Thirdly, The manner how God hath brought about these mercies is so rare, as that we may not onely say (as David to the Woman) Is not the hand of Joab in all this? but we may certainely conclude, The hand of God is most conspicuous in all Englands mercies; Never since the first day of the creation of the world, when God brought light out of darknesse, hath God more appeared in the workes of his providence in bringing good out of evill, than in these last yeares, wherein he hath suffered the enemies of the Church and State to dig pits, and then he hath caught them in the pits that they themselves have digged; In the net which they bid is their owne ⟨p. 11⟩1foot taken; the wicked is snared in the workes of his owne hand. Higgaion. Selah. As Christ whipped out the buyers and sellers by a whip made of their owne cords, which they brought to tye their beasts withall; so God hath whipped out the enemies of this Church and State, by whips of their owne making; He hath taken them by their owne iniquities, and hath held them with the cords 2of their owne sinne: Goliah is killed with his owne sword; H•man hanged upon his owne G•llowes: All that our enemies have done these many yeares hath beene but as the weaving of a spiders web, 3and the hatching of Co•atrice egges, for they have consumed their bowels by what they have weaved, and they are destroyed by the egges which they have hatched; God hath delivered us not onely by little meanes, by unlikely meanes, but by contrary meanes; he hath brought unity out of division: The indeavours to divide the Nations of England and Scotland, have beene the meanes of their farther union: (we have indeed a saying, Omne malum ab Aquilone; but we may well turne it, and say, Omne bonum ab Aquilone, for Scotland hath beene the cause of a great deale of good to England) God hath brought liberty out of oppression: If things had not beene so bad, they would not now have beene so good; if mans wickednesse had not beene so evident, Gods goodnesse had not been so transparent; God hath made our enemies Preservatives, to be their Destructives, and hath ruinated them by what they thought to be established; their very rising hath beene their ruine; and by indeavouring to bring themselves too high, they have overgrasped themselves, and almost lost all; In all those things wherein they dealt proudly, God was above them:
- 1Psa•. 9. 16
- 2Prov. 5. 22.
- 3Isaiah. 59.Esay. 59.
