Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity…

Again, it may be the Lord hath done the thing, but in another manner then thou expectest: many times the same thing is done, though not in the same fashion. A man desires money and riches, it may be the Lord denies him that, and gives him meat, and drink, and clothing. A man desires his enemies may be at peace with him, God denies him this it may be, but he gives him a helmet to bear it off; and so for other things. I say it is to be considered that the Lord may do the same thing in another manner, though it be not in the same kind that we expect.

Again, it may be the Lord hath done the thing, but in another manner then thou expectest: many times the same thing is done, though not in the same fashion. A man desires money and riches, it may be the Lord denies him that, and gives him meat, and drink, and cloathing. A man desires his enemies may be at peace with him, God denies him this it may be, but he gives him a helmet to bear it off; and so for other things. I say it is to be considered that the Lord may do the same thing in another manner, though it be not in the same kind that we expect.

Besides, God may do it by another means then we look for. Commonly we pitch upon some means, which we think, if it fail, all is gone, but the Lord may go another way to work. I will instance no more in these things; for this is not the thing that I must stand upon. Only I say that when we make our prayers to God, we must consider what answer we have of them. And this we should do upon this occasion of Thanksgiving^*, when we have sought to the Lord in prayer, and fasting, as we have done, we are now to consider what answer the Lord ⟨p. 405⟩hath given: he hath removed the judgement: we must set it down among the memorandums of his mercy, that he hath heard our prayers and healed our land. But I say, I must not stand upon this.²