The Godly Mans Journey to Heaven, Treatise 2 · Meditation 13
13. Our most mercifull and mightie God hath the hearts of all in his hands; and can alter them as he hath to do with them, for his glorie, the comfort of his children, and the confusion of theirs and his enemies.
IOine, ô my soule, the 25. and 36. verses of the 2. of Exodus, with the 6. and 7. and 10. verses, of the 5. Chapter of that same booke, that thou mayest learne, euen with ioy to put on that head-peece of hope: possessing alwayes thy selfe in patience, confidently and leasurely, depending vponupon thy God; euen when the King, the taskmaisters who commanded vnderunder the King, yea, when with the King and his taskmaisters, the whole people of the land are set against thee, and busied about nothing but thy ouerthrow, and destruction. But wherefore should I do this, ô my soule, because he who hath the hearts of all men in his hands, can alter both courts, and countrie so, that that man, who that day, who that yeare, would neither grant thee for begging, nor sell thee for siluer, a poore sheaue of straw to make bricke to thy King: will another day, another yeare, giuegive thee willingly, and freely, all his gold chaines, all his bracelets, all his rings, and so spoile himselfe to make thee rich. And would ye not thinke this a wonder of wonders? Liue here not manie this day, who hauing experience of this in their owne person may say; that King who sometime was seeking me to hauehave offered my bodie to the gallowes, my head to the axe; hath since that time louingly embraced me, gratiously accepted me to kisse his hand, and set me higher then euer I was before. Hast thou compared, ô my soule, the end of the 3. of Ester, with the end of the 8. of Ester. In the end of the 3. of Ester, the Scribes writing letters, the King is signating letters, and the postes are running and riding through the countrie with letters. In the end of the 8. of Ester, the Scribes are writing letters also, and the postes are running and riding vponupon horses of prize, and dromedaries with letters. Alwayes tell me what letters be the Scribes writing, is the King signating, and are the postes carrying in the end of the 3. of Ester? and what letters be these which the Scribes are writing, the King signating, and the postes carrying in the end of the 8. of Ester? In the end of the 3. of Ester, letters are writing, signating, and carrying by the Scribes, King, and postes, to roote out kill, and to destroy all the Iewes, both yong and old, children and women in one day. In the end of the 8, of Ester, letters are writing, signating and carrying by the same Scribes, by the same King, by these postes; who wrote, signated, and carried the former, granting the Iewes in what Citie soeuer they were, to gather themselues together, and to stand for their liues, and to roote out, to kill, and to destroy all the power of the people, and the Prouince that vexed them, both children and women, and to spoile their goods. Hast thou compared, ô my soule, the 19. 20. and 21. verses of the 3. of Daniel with the 28. 29. 30. verses of that same Chapter. In the 19. 20. and 21. verses, fierce Nabuchadnezar is furiously set against Hananiaeh, Mishah, and Azariah, and that God whom they worshipped: that he will hauehave them cast into, and deuoured by the hot fierie fornace. But in the 28. 29. and 30. verses, pacified Nabuchadnezar, thinketh so reuerently of this God, and is so fauourably disposed, toward them, that blessing their God, he maketh a decree, that euerie people and language which spake any blasphemie against their God should be drawne in peeces, and hauehave their houses made a iakes: and besides this, he promoted these three in the prouince of Babel highly, whom he decreed before to burne cruelly. We vse to say (and would to God our tongues were accustomed with such speeches:) happie are they who can make friends with strong folke. And when I consider this, ô my soule, I must say blessed be he who can make deare friends of deadly foes. Alwayes what must thou do, ô my soule, to the end thou mayst find this to thy comfort and benefite. Let that wise King Salomon informe thee, as he was informed by that true Salomon the King of wisdome.Prou. 16. 7. When the wayes of a man please the Lord, he will make his enemies to be at peace with him. If thou here comparest, ô my soule, the 41. verse of the 27. of Genesis, with the 4. of the 33. of Genesis, and with the 29. verse of the 35. of Genesis, thou shalt find this to be most true. In the 41. verse of the 27. of Genesis, I heare cruell Esau threatning to slay his brother Iacob, when the dayes of mourning for his father should come; alwayes, not only see I this same Esau in the 4. verse of the 33. of Genesis, embracing this Iacob, falling vppon the necke of this Iacob, but in the 29. verse of the 35. of Genesis, I see Esau and Iacob most kindly (as it became brethren) burying their dead father Isaac, so great aduantage reaped Iacob, by walking before God. If a subiect then find that he is wronged by his King, let him not do that which may grieue God, and please his King, to the end he may obtaine his Kings fauour. If a child find that he is wronged by his father, let him not do that which may grieue God and please his father, that he may obtaine his fathers fauour. If a husband find that he is wronged by his wife, let him not do that which may grieue God and please his wife, to the end he may obtaine his wifes fauour. If a wife find that she is wronged by her husband, let her not do that which may grieue God and please her husband, to the end that she may obtaine her husbands fauour. But let them all sticke constantly by God, doing that alwayes which is good in his eyes; so be sure that God shall either moue king, husband, child, wife, and so forth; to do that which they should, or else strengthen subiect, child, wife, husband, to beare out with contentment the greatest wrongs that can be done vntounto them; wilt thou not then, ô my soule, louelove this God, seeke this God, serue this God against all men, whether he clap thee, or cuffe thee; heal thee, or wound thee; quicken thee, or slay thee?