The heads of some sermons preached at Finnick, the 17 of August. 1662 By…

Matth. 14: 26.

WE were speaking of the out-gate of the Disciples from a sad trial, and that their deliverance did not appear, until the fourth watch of the night. He is pleased to wind-up the trials of his People higher than they thought they would ever have born-out, but though he delayed a long time, yet now he sets forward, and comes to them. I told you that the deliverance of his People doth come in due time: Now when Christ sets forward, they apprehend him to be some Spirit or Devil. So it holds-out this Doctrine

WE were speaking of the out-gate of the Disciples from a sad trial, and that their deliverance did not appear, untill the fourth watch of the night. He is pleased to wind-up the trials of his People higher than they thought they would ever have born-out, but though he delayed a long time, yet now he sets foreward, and comes to them. I told you that the deliverance of his People doth come in due time: Now when Christ sets foreward, they apprehend him to be some Spirit or Devil. So it holds-out this Doctrin

1. That many times when the Lord sets forward to the deliverance of his People, they do exceedingly mistake him, as is eminently clear in the text, and as it was in the case of his People, when Moses brought them out of Egypt. And here I shall show you, in what cases his People mistake him, when he sets forward to deliver them. 2. What causeth them mistake. First, They mistake him, when they are under great affliction of spirit, and sorely ⟨p. 12⟩beaten with trials, then they are ready to mistake him; and in that case they are unfit judges of God's appearance, or what he doth or saith for their help and good: they are under such a frame of spirit, as to expound all he doth or saith, to be wrath. When Israel was in Egypt, they were so sorely beaten with affliction, that they would not give an answer or an ear to what Moses said unto them, because of the anguish of spirit they were under, they had been so injured with affliction for a long time. And when a soul hath been sorely beaten with the evidences of his anger a long time, and the terrors of hell hath compassed them about, ye will not readily persuade them of any thing that is for their good; they are not fit judges. 2. They mistake him, when they are under deep apprehensions of their own guilt, for then they measure every thing by their own deserving, and speak as Peter did, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man: ye will say it's a good word, but it doth not belong to me.