The Golden Scepter Held Forth to the Humble, Treatise · Doctrine 1

The Golden Scepter Held Forth to the Humble · Treatise · Doctrine 1

p. 1… CHRON. 7. 14.

If my people which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seeke my face, and turne from their wicked wayes: then will I heare in heaven, and will bee mercifull to their sin, and will heale their land.

THese words containe the answer GOD gave to Salomons Prayer, which hee made when hee dedicated the Temple: His Prayer was, that when they prayed on earth, hee should heare in heaven: And God promiseth in the words I have read to do all that Salomon asketh: which promise containes three parts.

First, That hee would heare in heaven, which p. 21.phrase notes out either his power, that he is able to bring to passe what he assents to doe; men are said to heare on earth, because they can doe little; but God in heaven; or else it implies, that though hee seemes to be farre off from his people, yea though in heaven, yet he will heare at last.

The Second part is, that he will pardon their sins, 2and it is of all other mercies the greatest, for sin hinders all good things, and openeth a gap to all evills, and therefore David saith, Blessed is the man, whose sin is forgiven: of all requests it is the greatest that wee can make, and of all grants the greatest that God vouchsafeth.

Thirdly, He will heale their land, and remove their affliction: Now observe the order of this, in that 3before he doth it, he pardons their sin.

Now this promise is farther set forth by two things.

First, the persons to whom it is made; the people of Israel and Iudah, notified by two attributes; 1First they are his people; Secondly, called by his name, or on whom his name is called, as the name of the husband is called upon the wife, or of the fa ther upon the sonnes; and as they in Antioch, and we are called Christians from CHRIST.

Secondly, the conditions this promise is made upon for it is the Lords manner to put promises upon 2conditions.

First, if they bee humbled, and humble themselves.1

Secondly, if that humiliation, bee not contained within the compasse of their brests onelyonly, but expressed p. 32by prayer and confession of sins.

Thirdly, if they seeke my face, seeke to bee reconciled, 3seeke his presence as separated from all things else, not seeking Corne, Wine, Oyle, but GOD himselfe.

Fourthly, if they part with their sins in seeking, 4for they cannot maintaine Communion with him else, for God dwels in light, and he who walkes in darkenesse, can have no fellowship with him. And thus you have the Analysis of the words; wee in handling them will not use this method, but begin with the words as they lye, and will observe first these three Doctrines from these words.

If my people called by my Name

FIrst, God sends sharpe afflictions on his owne 1 Doct.people: this appeares by the Coherence, for in the words before the text, If I send plague, &c. then if my people, &c.

Secondly, that yet in them the Lord is very tender 2 Doct.and full of compassion to his people; this loving compellation [my people] argues as much, it is as if he should say, I cannot forget you, for you are called by my Name, you are mine, though I thus punish you.

Thirdly, that the Lords Name is called upon his 3 Doct.people. For the first, the Scripture is frequent in examples of this kind, so as I shall not need to stand to name any places to you, they are so well knowne already.

I come to reasons of it, why it is so.

duplicate page p. 1duplicate page p. 2duplicate page p. 3duplicate page p. 4First, he sends sharpe afflictions on them because he loves them, they are such as belong to him, and Reas. 1.the ground of this reason is, because, Ira est tam ex amore quam ex odio; Anger is as much out of love as hatred; it is a true rule though it may seeme a paradox, because when one loves another, hee desires much from the party beloved and expects much from him, and therefore a crosse and stubborne action from such a one provokes more to anger, than from any other man; as from a Son, from a Friend, from a Wife, it woundeth more; and therefore God saith of himselfe, that he is a jealous God: Iealousie is a mixt affection of love and anger, the meaning is, if I find my peoples affection stealing out from me, I am presently affected, as a jealous husband useth to be in such a case, and there is no anger to that, nor none sooner stirred: God will indure ten times as much from another, but when one that he hath taken into covenant with him, offends him, he is angry, and will therefore be sure to send some sharpe affliction on him, which is the fruit of his anger, for his anger is not in vaine.

Secondly, hee doth it that his Name might not bee blasphemed, that was the reason he gives, why hee 2.punished David when he committed adultery, for the Lord must of necessity doe it for their sakes that stand by and looke on, to shew to them that he cannot indure such things, no not in his owne people.

Thirdly, because he hath said, that he will be sanctified of all that draw neere to him, he will have them 3.know that he is an holy God, hating iniquity; and that none should draw nigh to him, but such as have p. 5holy hearts, and pure hands: and this was the reason why he did send fire upon Corah, Dathan and Abiram; Num. 16. 9Num 16:9The Lord hath separated you, and you draw neare to himselfe, saith Moses to them, and that in the nearest manner to doe service as Priests to offer Sacrifice, and you are among the heads of the people, and therefore he will not forbeare you, others that are afarre off (it may bee) God will long and farre forbeare, but others that are sanctified to the Lord, and draw neare to him in profession and in the opinion of others, and also so indeed, of those God will either bee sanctified by their bringing holy hearts before him, or else he will vindicate his holinesse by punishing them, and will not suffer them to go on with prophane hearts.

Fourthly, because they are his people among whom 4hee walkes, and with whom he dwels, 2 Cor. 6. and the three last verses, and the beginning of the seventh Chapter, he is conversant among them; But you will say, is he not every where else? yes, but he is there as a man is in his owne house, among his sons and daughters, observing every thing, looking narrowly to them, and because he is still with them, therefore hee will endure no uncleannesse among them: thence it was that in the Campe he commanded every man to carry his paddle with him, when he went aside to bury it, that no outward filthinesse might appeare, for I walke among you, hee did it, to shew by that which is odious to us, that wee should hide what is odious to him, namely sin, and filthinesse, which caused him to loath his house, to loath Israel: when Israel was so unswept and so filthy, p. 6God loathed it and so departed from it, and so Asahel came upon them. God will bee sure to plow his owne ground, whatsoever becomes of the wast, to weede his owne Garden, though the rest of the world should be let alone, to grow wild.

But you will object and say, that the Saints wee see, often sin, and afflictions doe not follow.

I answer, it may be and doth fall out often, and the reason is because God findes his worke done to his hand. If they plow themselves up, God will not, but if we do it by halves (as that is our fault we leave many balkes behinde us) then God alwaies comes with afflictions, yet then the lesse that you leave behind unplowed, the lesse will God afflict you: if you humble your selves throughly, you shall escape, except only in the case of scandall, and then God must needs do it for their sakes that looke on, as in David, God would have all the world see his punishment on him, as well as they knew of his sinne, but this comfort you may have though you have greatly sinned, (if not scandalously) that humble your selves throughly, and you shall escape.

Learne from hence to feare the Lord, to tremble at his words, and seeing he will endure no uncleannesse Vse 1.in his owne people, stand in aw and sin not: labour to bring your hearts to such a constitution, to such an awfull respect as to feare to omit any good duty, or commit the least sinne, and this had need to be urged upon you, for it is the cause of all that laxiture and loosenesse in our profession, that we doe not feare the Lord as we should. If we had p. 7the feare of the Lòrd before our eyes (as the Apostles speakes Rom. 3.) that is, if we saw the Lord so as to feare him, we should walke warily and look how, and where wee set every step, and the reason why you are so uneven and not like your selves, is from want of the feare of the Lord: Now the reason of that phrase of the Apostle that the feare of God is said to bee before your eyes is from the nature of feare, Timor figit oculum, as if a man bee busie about any thing, if there be any thing that he feares, he wil still have an eye to that, and he watcheth least it should come with some by blow, when he thinks not of it, and so doth the feare of the Lord worke where it is, it fastneth our eyes on him: And if the Lord were thus before our eyes to feare him, it would make us walke more evenly and more constantly with him. And therefore when the holy Ghost in Scripture would chuse to commend a man, he singles out this propertie, especially of fearing God, as that Iob was an upright man fearing God, and so speaking of Cornelius, it is said that hee was, a just man fearing God, and so Abraham when hee would expresse the wickednesse of the Court of Abimelech, he sayes, the feare of the Lord is not in this place, that is, there is no religion nor good men, God is not regarded there, and the more feare, the lesse sin, stand in awe Psal. 4.Ps 4and sinne not. If a man stand in awe of the Lord he would be afraid of every sin, he would be afraid of vaine thoughts, to bee vaine in his speeches and to give way to the least wickednesse, afraid of every inordinate affection, hee would be afraid how hee spent the time from morning till night, and how to p. 8give an account thereof, afraid of recreations, least he should sleepe too much, or sleepe too little, eate too much, or eate too little, as knowing all is but to whet the sithe to make him the fitter for his harvest worke, and therefore would be afraid to forbeare refreshments too-much or to use them too little. I beseech you therefore that are in Covenant with the Lord, and nearest to him, that know your selves to bee within the Covenant, to consider this and learne to feare. And to helpe you in this, take two places of Scripture, 1 Pet. 1. 7. If you call on the Father who judgeth without respect of persons, according to every mans worke, passe the time of your sojourning here in feare; that is, seeing you have such a Father that judgeth every person, all his children, he will certainely afflict you if you offend him: Therefore feare to do it. The other is, Heb. 12. 28, 29: Let us serve him with all reverence and godly feare, for even our God is a consuming fire, [our God] whom we worship is not made all of mercy, he hath other Attributes joyned with them, to you he is a consuming fire; If you will not serve him with feare, though not immediately to consume you utterly, yet to afflict you, and thereby to consume your lusts; so as it is a dangerous thing to be negligent of him, to meddle with him who is a consuming fire.

How sharply did God deale with David, who was yet nearer him than any of us; first he tooke away the child from him, which to him was a sharpe affliction, he being a tender Father, and had a strong affection to his life, as appeares by his fastings, and the like hee had to Absolon, who yet was a Rebell p. 9against him; and then to have almost all the people to fall from him, when he was an old King, to have Concubines abused so openly, and the sword never to depart from his house; all these sate close to him, went neare his soule; besides his shame, to have his sin discovered to all the world, as appeares by Psal. 51. Have not wee cause then to spend o…r time in feare, if hee dealt thus with David? and doe not say, that though he dealt thus with David offending of him, that yet he will not doe thus with me, for is he not a Father that judgeth all his sonnes, and that without respect of persons, as the Apostle saith? Consider also what he did to Iacob and Rebecca for consulting and agreeing to get the blessing by a lye, for though the thing shee went about was good and they had a warrant for it, and their end was good; yet they used ill meanes (a lye). But GOD met with them both for it, Iacob was therefore put to live twenty yeares from his Mothers house (whereas he should have staid Gods leisure, and not have beene too hasty for the accomplishment of that promise, for he that believeth doth not make haste: and so God promiseth riches and all good things to his children, as much as they can desire, but they must not make haste, that is their fault) and when he was comming home againe, what a feare was hee put to from Esau, that lye of his being the cause of their falling out! and how did Rebecca also for all that while want the comfort of a sonne shee loved, and had none to live with but Esau? And so Moses was dearer to God than any man upon earth, hee never spake with any face to face as with him, yet p. 10he would have slaine him in the Inne, for not circumcising his Child, and also because of that other sin at the waters of Meriba, he chuseth an affliction for him, wherein he most of all crossed his desires denying him to goe into the Land of Canaan, it may bee some small affliction in shew as this seemed to be, which yet pincheth sorely, and some great affliction on the contrary in bulke to others, that is not so to him that beares it; And thus he also deales with Eli, a zealous man (would any of us were so in these dayes) for when newes was brought that his sonnes were dead, and many of the people slaine, he was not so much troubled at that, as that the Arke of the Lord was taken, and this amazed him so as that he fell backward and brake his necke: you see the holinesse of the man, yet because he had preferred his sonnes before the Lord, did not governe them well, God did not onelyonly thus take away his life, and of his sonnes, but the Priesthood also from his house for ever, and have not wee all cause to feare then? How did hee deale with the good Prophet that was slaine by a Lion, his fault that he beleeved another mans word, pretending that he had Gods Word, when hee had Gods Word expresly given to himselfe, this sinne was as the sin of Eve who beleeved the Divels word, when she had Gods Word expresly, and therefore let us when we have the Word of the Lord sticke close to it. And so however hee deale with Gideon a worthy man reckoned up among those worthies, Heb. 11. yet when he made an Ephod, see what judgement fel upon his children, Iudg. 9. and all his house was cut off.

p. 11These examples are usefull for you to consider, that you might know and feare the Lord, and the want of this is the cause of this remissnesse and loosnesse in our profession, and that we doe not so consider our waies. Saint Paul was an holy man, and one that stood in neere termes with Iesus Christ, yet feared exceedingly, 2 Cor. 5. Wee knowing the terrour of the Lord perswade men; And Iob that was very exact in his life, which appeares by the 31. Chap. which Chapter is nothing else but an expression of the manner of his carriage, which was very exact, verse 23. he gives this as a reason, the punishments of the Lord were a terrour to me, and so in the 2. verse the reason why he would not give liberty to his eys to looke on a Maid, was for that hee considered, what portion then shall I have with the Almighty? and this feare of the Lord is needfull at this time, when God hath discovered himselfe to be angry with the Land, which is not onelyonly for the grosse sinnes of wicked men, but the sinnes of the Saints also; It is your coldnesse, remissenesse and laxitude. I have two grounds for it, first in the Revel. 2. because Ephesus was fallen from her first love, therefore he would remove her Candlesticke, that is, the whole Church among them, carry them into Captivity, for I cannot see by the Candlesticke how only the Ministery should be ment; and so in the Rev. 3. because Laodicea was neither hot nor cold; therefore will I spue them out of my mouth, God would endure them no longer, and therefore you that thinke your estates the best, even you have had a hand in this plague, you thinke that other mens sinnes, the sinnes of wicked p. 12men are the cause of it, but God he knoweth, that they cannot pray and have no life in them, as you have; and though-their sinnes also be a cause, and a maine cause, as appeares by the Amorites, whose sinnes when full, God punished; yet I say they are yours also: And therefore, when there is an evident signe, that God hath a controversie with a Kingdome and the Churches, and a signe of his wrath is proclamed from heaven, then every man must doe something; now feare the Lord, be zealous, repent and doe your first workes, begin now to mend your pace to heaven: and yet would onelyonly there were a want of zeale among you, yea is it not in disgrace, is not a zealous man hooted at, as an Owle among us? this place, the excellency of it is exceedingly abated and eclipsed, the zeale of it is withered, the Lord is departed from us; learne to bee more zealous, and God will returne and cause you to flourish againe; for when God lookes upon a people, it is with them as with the earth in spring time, and when hee departs from them, they are as withered trees in winter, and where now is the zeale of former times, the Communion of Saints, the heating and whetting of one another, by mutuall exhortations; where is the boldnesse for the Lord? Those holy prayers, those former times are gone, the light of those times remaine, but not the heate, as also if wee looke backe upon that Generation of Queene Elizabeth; how are we changed! they were zealous, but here is another generation come in their roome, that is dead, and cold, and yet we have their light, but ignis qui in illis calidus, in nobis lucidus tantum. But, I beseech you, that you would now begin to stirre up your selves, especially in these times of fasting, when there must bee an extraordinary renewing of a mans covenant with God, that you would not now be so cold, and so dilute as you have beene; and seeing you have that you would have, and have desired long publike dayes of humiliation, that you would labour to spend them with all care and diligence and quicknesse of spirit, and to consider that the maine is to bee done at home with your selves, for the end of these dayes is, that you may be humbled, which you will never bee, till you consider your particular sinnes, get up early in the morning, for then your spirits are quicke, and so you will have a long time before you come to the congregation, and get you all that while alone, and consider your particular sinnes, and the holy duties you neglect, and renew your repentance, and enter into covenant; and then when you come hither you shall finde the word to have another manner of working upon you than it hath ordinarily.

If God be thus ready to punish his own children, Vse 2.and that thus sharpely, it shewes the sinne of those that are fearelesse and carelesse, which provoketh God exceedingly, Zach. 4. 15. I am very sore displeased with the carelesse heathen, the heathens had sinnes enow besides to anger the Lord, yet this sinne did it above other sinnes, and it is not to bee wondred at that it should, for it is a rule in Philosophy, and most true, that of all things that which provoketh a man most, is contempt, in so much that Aristotle maketh it the onelyonly cause of anger, though p. 14therein he is deceived, yet it is the maine; we use to say non respondere pro convitio est, it is a signe of contempt not to answer againe, as when a man is chidden and stricken, & non respondere to goe by, as if hee tooke no notice of it at Gods hand, this is contempt. And thus a Father when he is angry with his son, or a Master with his servant, how hainously doth hee take it! And so God who now hath discovered his wrath to the whole Land, and to every particular man in it, this neglect of him will cause his wrath to wax hot against us, but yet for the land in generall wee have cause to hope that his wrath doth not so, but that God takes it well at our hands, that we are thus publickly assembled: but let mee say this, though, to every particular man, though God spare the Kingdome, yet if thou neglect him and bee carelesse, it will goe the worse with thee however. In the 50. Psalme when hee had expressed great threatnings in the former verses; hee concludes with this, Consider this, O all yee that forget God! you that minde him not, least hee teare you in peeces, and there bee none to deliver you: and so in the Prophet Ieremy 5, 12, 13, 14. verses, because you say that his words are but winde, they shall be as fire, and you as drie wood, and they shall devoure you. This is the great fault of men, that they are ready to feare things which they should not feare, the creatures, poverty and discredit, but are backward to feare the Lord.

God sayes of the Church Rev. 2. 12. Feare not the things thou shalt suffer; what all the world feares, that doe not you feare, feare not the things you p. 15shall suffer, those things you ought not to feare, but feare those things you should doe, and who is afraid of them, least hee should provoke God in them? And so Christ saith, feare not men, no, not those that have power of life and death (if wee should feare any, it should be them) remember that was the commendation of Moses, hee feared not the wrath of Pharaoh; when you place your feare thus amisse, it becomes a snare to you; for it makes your hearts busie upon the creatures, when they ought to be set upon the Lord; but when your feare is placed upon God, it doth exceedingly helpe you, nothing more: to give you an instance or two, you shall finde David exceedingly strucke with the feare of the Lord, when Ziglag was burnt; no accident ever so amazed him: when hee fled before Absolon, hee bore it much better, yet that feare helped al, for it set him a worke to pray; so Iehoshaphats feare did also helpe him, when he heard of a great Army comming against him, it set him on worke to pray, and so turned away the Iudgement: and therefore things that you so feare, when your feare is placed on God, seldome come to passe, for that sets men on worke to prevent them, whereas evill feare brings the thing with it. Saul feared the Armies of the Philistines exceedingly, that made him seeke to the Witch, and this wrought his overthrow which hee feared: so Ieroboam feared the losse of his Kingdome, and that feare made him set up the Calves which lost him his Kingdome indeed; learne therefore to feare the Lord: nothing brings a Iudgement so much as the want of feare, security is the next doore to a Iudgement. p. 16L…hish was a secure people, and when the Army came against them, they and their City fell as Figgs from a tree that are ripe, so did they fall in their enemies mouths, security is a fore-runner to every mans Iudgement, Esay 66. 2. To him that feares mee, saith God, and trembles at my words, to him will I looke to keepe him safe; if not, I will neglect him as much as hee mee, I will have no eye to save him, as hee hath no eye to mee to cause him to feare and tremble. But you wil say, how may I bring my heart to feare the Lord? I answer, first pray to the Lord to strike your hearts with a feare of him, it is the the worke of God to bring the feare of himselfe upon us, for it is hee that brings the feare of one man upon another, hee brought a feare upon all the Nations of the Land, when the people of Israel entered Canaan, much more the feare of himselfe, for the affections are such things as the Lord onelyonly can meddle with, and therefore the Apostle saith, You are taught of the Lord to love one another.

It must be the Lord, that must put in such an affection into you, for his teaching is planting the affections, and so he is said to teach other creatures, that is, to give this or that inclination, and so the Lord is said to fashion the hearts of men; and then they cannot chuse but feare him: therefore goe to the Lord, and say, Lord I am not able to feare thee: and say, Lord thou hast promised to give the Holy Ghost to those that aske it of thee, that worketh every grace: if you would seeke him so, and seeke him importunately, though you had the securest hardest heart of any in the world, hee would at p. 17length teach you to feare him. Ier. 40. I will plant Ier. 40.Jer 40my feare in your hearts, that they shal not depart from me. Thus you see that God takes the doing of this to himselfe, it must be of his planting, and he hath promised also you see to doe it.

This is not all, but there is something we must doe our selves.

Therefore secondly, observe the Lords dealing 2 Observe Gods dealing.with his, learne to know him in his wayes, and that will be a meanes to cause thee to feare him: if any of his children sin, he never lets them goe, for then should they thrive in evill, and prosper in sinne; but if they will bee medling, they shall be sure to finde some bitternesse in the end. When a mans heart is set upon the creatures, there being thornes in them all, and therefore if hee will graspe too much of them, or too hard, hee shall finde it: Gods children are trained up so to it, that God will not let them goe away with a sinne; if they bee too adulterously affected, they shall finde a crosse in such a thing: you may observe this, in the 30. Psalme; Psalm. 30. 5Ps 30:5there you may see the circle God goes in with his children; David had many afflictions, as appeareth by the 5 verse, I cryed, and then God returned to me, and joy came▪ what did David then? I said in my heart, I shall never bee removed: his heart grew wanton, but God would not let him goe away so, God turned away his face againe, and I was troubled. At the 7 verse verse 7.he is you see, in trouble againe: well, David cryes againe, at the 8 and 10 verses, and then God turned his mourning into joy againe. And this to be his dealing you shall finde it in all the Scriptures, but because p. 18we find this his dealing set so close together in this Psalme, therefore I name it. Therefore observe the wayes of the Lord to you, and they that are not acquainted with these his wayes, as yet in themselves, see what hee hath done to others in all the world; in our neighbour Churches: when hee had given a bill of divorce to Israel, yet Iudah had not feared: now when God hath stricken our neighbour Churches, doe you thinke hee will take it well, if we be idle spectators? therefore when he hath stricken another place, learne to feare.

If hee afflicts his owne children thus sharply, let them looke to themselves, that are not his; whether Vse. 3. God will be more severe to wicked men.they be grosse sinners, prophane persons, of whom there is no question; or mere civill men, and formal professors, in whom there is no power of grace: if he bee thus hot against his owne Church, his anger will be seventimes hotter against you: it may bee longer deferred as his manner is, yet when hee strikes, hee will strike you in the roote, not in the branches; and that so as he will not Strike the second time: Consider that in the 50 Psalme, that hee will teare you in peeces; and you that are prophane ones, Psalm. 50.Ps 50let me say to you, as 1 Cor. 10. 22. Doe you provoke the Lord to anger? are you stronger than hee? Those 1 Cor. 10. 221 Cor 10:22that lye in open prophanenes, and doe fight openly 1 Prophane.against the Lord, and have not so much as a shew of turning; yea and those that are meerely civill, and yet lye in secret sinnes; that yet are in health, wealth and credit in the world; it is a signe that God meanes them no good, hee would not let his owne Garden goe so long unplowed.

p. 19And in the second place for professors, that doe 2. Civil men.not answer their profession in their lives, take heed, for he that is not with me is against me; it may be thou art no enemy, not very stirring in any evill way, but because thou art not with GOD in good earnest, because your hearts are not perfect, at the last day you will be found against him, CHRIST will come against you in good earnest as an enemy; and whereas all your hope lies, that GOD is mercifull and CHRIST a Saviour, learne to know that this JESUS, whome you hope to bee saved by, will prove the sharpest enemy against you, Kisse the Son lest he bee angry: the Son may be angry, as he who Rev. 2. hath Revel. 2.Rev 2his eyes like a flame of fire, and his feete like fi ne brasse to tread you to powder; he shall come against you that are formall: and know, that JESUS CHRIST is not only a Saviour, but a Lord; that he came into the world to be a Prince, and the government is upon his shoulders; you forget that part of his office, halfe the end for which CHRIST came into the World, and if you would know what kind of Governor he is, Ex. 23. 21. I will send my Angel with you Exod. 23. 21.Exod 23:21(saith God) that is Christ, beware of him and obey his voyce, and provoke him not, for my name is in him: he is of the same spirit and disposition with his father, and they are both alike affected to sin; beware of him, he goes along with you, and he will not spare you, for the LORD hath put all the government upon him.

Let it not seeme strange, that he hath or should Vse 4. Not to think strange that God afflicts his.deale thus with his Churches abroad; what though the Candlestick bee removed out of the Palatinate, because they were luke-warme, and falne from their p. 20first love? what if he should do it in France? what if in England? in the Low countries? should it seeme strange to us? It is his manner so to doe: Hee removed Iudah and Ierusalem often out of their pla ces; wee should not be offended at it, if he doth, or if he should doe thus with us, as thinking that it is a signe that our religion is not the true religion, and that he doth not love his Churches; yes those hee loves most hee soonest affl…cts, for Iudgement must begin at the house of God, that is, hee lookes on all the world, as on Europe now, and where he seeth his house is, there he beginneth with them, for hee is to use others to afflict them; and therefore he beginnes with them first. Amos 2. 2. You have I knowne of all the Nations, therefore will I afflict you soonest and frequentliest, though not more deeply than others; for though the Church bee brought under water, yet she shall rise againe. I speake this, because men are subject to bee offended at it, and Bel larmine I remember, makes that an argument, that theirs is the Church, because they have had so ma ny victories against the Protestants, and our Church hath beene ever and anon downe, but by that argument the captivity should not have lighted upon Iudah's, but upon Nebuchadnezzars people.