The Faith of Dying Jacob, Part 10 – Part 11
But God shall be with you.
Observ. 3. 'Tis full security and comfort when the great God saith, I will be with you:
Heb. 13. 5, 6. He hath said I will never leave you, nor forsake you; so that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man can do unto me: All will do well, God being General, Convoy and Pilot. The Child in the Storm was not afraid, because its Father was at the Helm. The Lord of Hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge: This God upon Mount Zions Assemblies will be a Cloud and Smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming Fire by night, a defence and a glory, Isa. 4. 5. He shall cover Benjamin all the day long, and shall dwell between his shoulders, and why there? but as from on high to descry all dangers, Deut. 33. 12. Because he is at my right hand, saith David, I shall not be moved: and why there? because that is strongest, and most ready to defend, and to strike an Enemy in the face: This will turn Zions sighing time into singing: The singing of Birds will come, and the Harpers shall stand together with the Lamb. Moses well knew in what stead the presence and glory of God would stand him, when he resolved not to stir a foot without it. Joshua could not be quiet till he knew which side the Captain of the Lords Hosts would be on.
'Twas a debate among Philosophers whether an Army of Lions, an Hart being their Leader, or an Army of Harts a Lion being their Leader were the stronger, and they concluded on this latter from the inspiriting vigour of a generous Leader. 'Twas enough to Abraham Gen. 17. 1. to Isaac Gen. 26. 3. to Jacob 28. & 5. 31 and 3. to Gideon Judg. 6. 12. to Solomon and his Princes building the Lords House, 1 Chron. 28. 20. 22. and 18. The Lord saying I will be with thee; so to Mary, the Angel saying, Hail, thou art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee, Luke 1. 28.
To hearten in all engagements with Enemies, this was enough, God is with you, Deut. 7. 21. 20 and 3, 4. 2 Chron. 13. 10. 12. Isa. 41. 10. This buoys up sinking hearts, as Bladders keeps them above water. Isa. 12. last. Cry out, and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion, great is the bely One of Israel in the midst of thee. Babylon sings in her heart, she shall be no Widdow nor Childless, but the laugh from her wanton Spleen is soon quenched, and she hath neither Husband nor Child, Isa. 47. 8. Men have huge delicious Festival Dreams, but awaking have not one bit, or drop. Lots were cast for Christs Garment, but God kept it whole. They say, let us take the Houses of God in Possession, O my God make them like a wheel, and as stubble before the wind, Psal. 83. 12, 13. Woe to all that distress Ariel, the City of God, the Seat of his Worship. As Birds flying, so will the Lord defend Jerusalem, Isa. 31. 5. The little Birds are ready to fly in the face of them that would stry their Nests: His fire is in Zion, (Deum habent concivem) and why? to burn up the wicked, and to warm his people, Zech. 2. The Lord promiseth to be a wall of fire, and a glory in the midst of his people. The Devil observing an hedge about Job, was loth to venture to prick his fingers; 'twill be harder for him to break through a wall of fire, and to pull God's house down over his head.
1. 'Tis full security, God saying, I will be with you, if we mind the Competitors or Combatants in all the Churches dangers: The Combatants are God and Man, the Arm of God; And who hath an Arm like God? and an Arm of flesh; Isa 31. 3. The Egyptians are men and not God, and their horses flesh, and not spirit; when the Lord shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall together: Both die together upon the spot in their contesting with God. Elisha comforteth Israel, There are more for us than against us. David tells daring Goliah, Thou comest with Sword, Spear and Shield, but I come in the name of the Lord of Hosts.
1. 'Tis the Almighty God, the Rock of Ages, who cometh upon Princes as Mortar, and as the Potter treadeth Clay, who hath twenty thousand Chariots, and ten thousand times ten thousand ministring to him, whose breath like a Whirl-wind carrieth away the stubble and chaff; whose Look through the cloud scattered the Egyptians, and made them cry, Let us flee, for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians, Exod. 14. 5. Who put a collar on the Assyrians neck, and sent him back to his place; that disquieted Babylon, and brought forth his redeemed, though holding them fast, not as Water-dogs, that quickly drop their prey. And on the other side, 'tis man, a fading leaf, a piece of mouldring Clay, who cannot stand before the face or force of a Moth. What, saith Eliphaz, doth thine eyes wink at, that thou turnest thy spirit against God? and lettest such words go out of thy mouth? Job 15. 12, 13.
2. 'Tis the Living Eternal God whose name is I am, dwelling in Eternity; who hath time enough before him, and can do to morrow what he doth not to day: And sorry man dwelling in an house of Clay, yesterdays start-up, that came out of the Abyss of nothingness, soon to return to his dust, Isa. 51. 11, 12. Rev. 1. 18.
3. 'Tis God most High, God over all, over men, over Devils; and man an underling, a creeping worm: Eccles. 5. 8. If thou seest the oppression of the Poor, and violent perverting of Justice in a Province, marvel not, for he that is higher than the Highest regardeth, and there be higher than they.
4. 'Tis God Wise and Omniscient, whose Projects are Oracles, whose Counsels stand faster than the Pillars of Heaven and Earth; who giveth wisdom to the simple, and turneth Ahitophels devices into foolishness, who is studying to save, men studying to destroy: And man on the other side whose wisdom is but the glitter of a rotten post; and devises but a Spiders web soon swept down, a vain thing compared to the Brazen Net-work of the Lords Counsels: Though mens policies like Leviathans scales be closed together; the Lord tends them in pieces, Prov. 19. 21. Psal. 33. 16. Isa. 8. 9. Associate, gird your selves together, O ye people, and ye shall be broken to pieces, take counsel together, and it shall come to nought, speak the word, and it shall not stand, for God is with us.
5. 'Tis God who never slumbereth nor sleepeth, but watcheth his vineyard night and day, and hath eyes running to and fro for his people: And man who naturally and judicially oft falls into a spirit of slumber. Alexander said he could sleep because Antipater was awake.
6. 'Tis the Soveraign, Insuperable, Irresistible and Unmoveable God, who doth whatever pleaseth him; whose Angels or Chariots so called for speed and strength come out of the Mountains of Brass; to signifie his irreversible Decrees, who hath disposed the whole world, who giveth to man his line: And mutable man over whom God keeps a Negative voice, whom he holdeth in his Chain, and turns about as with Bit and Bridle as he pleaseth, Job 38. 31. Canst thou bind the sweet influences of the Pleiades? hinder the delicious fruitful Spring: Or loose the Bands of Orion? take off its clutches of Frost and Snow that imprison Nature: Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth? The warm Summer: Or canst thou guide Arcturus with his Sons? A Winter Constellation, or great Star that hath lesser as Sons attending upon it.
7. 'Tis the Infinite, Omnipresent God, who is never out of the Chair, who can see into the darkest nooks and depths of Hell, who can see from the beginning to the end, whose Eye-lids try the Children of Men: And dim sighted man, who stumbleth at he knows not what, and cannot see one hour before him to know what a day or an hour will bring forth. Tobiah thought to come on the Jews unawares, but God made the matter known.
This is the God that Faith in all dangers speaketh withal before it comes to any concluding Censure or Sentence.
2. Gods being with Israel is sufficient security, because he hath Saviours enough, Defensive and Offensive, Propugnacula & Oppugnacula, is never at a loss for Instruments, these he useth not from necessity, but in convenience, and honour to Man, Obad. 17. Saviours shall be on Mount Zion to judge the Mount of Esau: He hath Carpenters enough to fray the Horns: Seven Shepherds and eight Principal men to drive out the Assyrian from Israel's Palaces, Mich. 5. 5. And commonly the Lord breeds up these Saviours in the Courts and Houses of his peoples Enemies: Moses is bred up in the Court of Pharaoh. Jonathan Davids Friend in Sauls: Nehemiah in the Court of Artaxerxes: Obadiah in Ahabs Jeremiah is cherished by Nebuchadnezzar. The Lord can make the Earth to help the woman: can make Devils good Physicians for the destruction of the Flesh, and the Saving of the Soul: If men grow inhumane, he can make Ravens feed Elijah, and Dogs give ease to Lazarus; can bring forth his great Armies, the Locust, the Canker-worm and the Caterpillars, Joel 2. 25. Can set Frogs and Flies upon Pharaoh, and smite a proud Herod with a biting Worm.
3. The Lord can sprinkle Enemies hearts with grace or meekness, That the Wolf shall dwell with the Lamb, and the Leopard lie down with the Kid, that they shall no more hurt or destroy in his holy Mountain. The Lord can make the ravenous Bird Cyrus a feeding Shepherd, and Heathens his sanctified ones, Isa. 13. 1. The King's heart is in the hand of the Lord, he turneth it as the Rivers of Water, can make them flow backward, or turn them into a side channel. Persecuting Saul becomes a Preacher: A people that have not known me shall serve me; strangers shall submit themselves unto me. Isa. 52. last. He shall sprinkle many Nations: The Kings shall shut their mouths at him: They that opened their mouth with fury and blasphemy, shall be silent in adoration of Divine Majesty; for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
4. Because the Lord can do all alone by his self wisdom and power, when there are none to help, none shut up or left; when all are driven off the stage: When a Nation is rackt all out of joynt, he can wheel in every dis-joynted bone into its socket. I know, saith Job, thou canst do all things. Princes are strong by their Subjects, Generals by their Armies; but God is strong by himself to bring his Enterprizes to pass. His own Arm brought salvation, Isa. 59. 16. He can take away without hands, Dan. 8. 35. Job 37. 23. He regardeth not the wise in heart. He can spare the profound subtle Politician. Of whom took he counsel? Who hath been his Instructor? The glorious God shall be a place of broad Rivers. He shall reign before his Antients gloriously. …sa. 33. 21. & 24. 23. When the question was moved, Who shall destroy Babylon? 'Tis answered, Strong is the Lord that judgeth Babylon. When the Nations rush like the rushing of many waters, God shall rebuke them. Behold, the Lord God will come with a strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him. Behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. All Nations before him are as nothing, and they are counted to him less than nothing and vanity, Isa. 40. 10, 17. This is the God that will contend with them that contend with Israel. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee, shall be ashamed, and confounded; they shall be as nothing, and they that strive with thee shall perish.
If there be no visible helps on Earth, God hath invisible Heav'nly Hosts, Glorious nimble powerful Angels that can dispatch Sennacheribs thousands in a night, that can fetch Peter out of Prison, and open the Iron Gates without asking leave of the Guard. Psal. 57. 2. He shall send from Heaven and save me; But who shall come? Shall Justice come? No; God shall send forth his Mercy and his Truth. He can send to Red-Seas, to Fiery Furnaces, to Lions Dens, to the Belly of Hell, and save his Redeemed, can pull out of the Waters though reaching up to the Neck. He is God and not man, therefore we are not consumed.
I Die.
Use. If all, if the best die, then acquaint thy self with Death, expect and prepare for it.
To die is too solemn a thing to be done ex tempore: The wise Virgins had Lamps burning, and Oil in their Vessels, yet the Bridegroom coming, they trimmed their Lamps to burn brighter and clearer, Matth. 25. 7. Prudent Princes prepare long afore the Field Battle, where their all shall lie at Stake: Praepara te in vestibulo ut possis ingredi triclinium: There is no sitting or lying down on the Bed of rest or Feasting till the Feet be washed. Put off thy Shoes, for the Ground on which thou art to tread is holy. The Ancients had their Sepulchres in their Gardens, so had Joseph, a Prick to his Rose, Vinegar to his sweet Sawce, a Mask over Beauty, and a means to moderate earthly affections: The Pictures or Statues of the dead in Churches are made kneeling, to tell us the need of acquainting our selves with God by Prayer. Holy Job waited all the days of his appointed time till his change came: David's Arithmetick was in numbring his days that he might apply his Heart to Wisdom. Mans Stadium or Stage is set, gird up thy Loins to finish thy course well. Samuel to anoint Saul, sends him to Rachels Sepulchre: The Grecian Emperors inaugurated, had in one hand a flaming Fire-brand, quickly out, in the other a Vessel full of dead mens Ashes, to teach the Brevity of Life, and to quench its Vanity: My Soul, saith David, is continually in my Hand, a Principal Jewel that he knew might be soon dropt, carefully to be secured. The first possession Abraham bought in Canaan, was not House nor Land, but a burying place; by death he took possession of the living promise. Gen. 23. 4. The first piece of Houshold-stuff Seleucus bought in Babylon, was a Sepulchre to lie in. Tamerlain in his marches carried a Winding-sheet, to make him sober in his Victories by the displays of Deaths Flag. In the Isle of Man, 'tis said the Virgins first Spun their Winding-sheet, and at Feasts had them girded about them, some Heathens had plain Houses and Houshold-stuff, as there to live but a short time; and costly Sepulchres as there to continue long.
2. If Israel dies willingly why dost thou mourn? Thou rejoycest to see thy Daughter well married, to see thy Son taking the possession of a rich estate: Wouldst have the Ship always upon a stormy Sea? Jerome brings in the Lord speaking to Paula mourning for her Daughter, I have made thy Child mine, dost envy my possession? Wouldst by mourning fetch her back from Rivers of Pleasure to a Valley of Tears? From a Throne to a Dunghil? John 14. 28. If ye loved me, ye would rejoyce, because I go to the Father.