A word of the occasion* for which I made choice of this portion of Scrip- ture. Here is a double fitness to the occasion, both at home and abroad, ' If God be with us, who can be against us !'
God was at home in '88. f He was with us in the powder treason : he was with us in the great sickness to preserve us, + and to give us our lives for a prey. He hath been with us ; and we ought not to forget this, but upon occasion of this great deliverance, to call all former deliverances to mind, national and personal ; to consider how often God hath given us our lives, and how oft he hath preserved us from death ; and to take occasion to bless God for all at once, and so to make some special use of these meetings.
Then if we look abroad, God hath been with us in that he hath been his church, § for they and we make but one body. That member that hath not a sympathy with the body, it is but a dead member. Therefore if we
* In margin here, ' Novemb. 5,' ' The Gunpowder Plot.'— G.
t That is, 1588, the Armada year.— G. § Qu, ' with his church' ?— Ed.
; That is, ' The Plague.'— G.
I
SAINT PAUL S CHALLENGE. 397
■we be not aflfected witli the presence of God witli the armies abroad, wo are dead members. We may say, in regard of these outward deliverances, ' God hath been with us, and none hath been against us.' If God had not been with us in the powder-plot, where had w'e been ? Our lives would have been made a prey. That that would have been done, would have been more than the blowing up of the parliament. They would have blown up the kingdom with the king, and religion with religious persons, and the state with statesmen. It would have brought a confusion of all, and would have moulded all after an idolatrous antichristian fashion. It would have overthrown the state, and persons, and all. The issues would have been worse than the present thing. And, therefore, if God had not been with us, as he was graciously with us, what would have become of us ? as it is in Ps. cxxiv. 1. If God had not been with us, they had made us a prey, and overwhelmed and devoured us all ; thei'e had been no hope.
Have not we cause to bless God and be thankful ? Therefore let us labour to do it for ourselves and our neighbours. How shall we shew our thankful- ness to God ? Not in outward manifestations only, which is laudable, and a good demonstration of the affections of people. But alas ! what is that ? We must shew our thankfulness in loving that religion that God hath so witnessed for, and defended so miraculously. Labour to love the truth, to entertain it in the love of it, and to bring our hearts to a more perfect hatred of popery ; for if we wax cold and indifferent, or oppose God's cause, and undermine it, do we think that God w'ould suffer this long ? Would he not spue us out of his mouth ? — with reverence I speak it. Though he have defended us again and again, he will be gone with his truth and religion. It came not alone, nor it will not go alone. If religion go, our peace and prosperity, and the flourishing of our state, all will go. It is our ark. If that go away, our happiness goes away. Let us make much of religion. That is the way to be thankful.
Again, Let us shew our thankfulness by giving and doing some good to the poor, by refreshing their bowels, that they may have occasion to bless God.
And for the time to come let us trust in God ; that God will be with us if we be with him, and to stick to him. Who then shall be against us ? Let the devil, and Rome, and hell, be all against us, if God be with us. Bellarmiue goes about to prove Luther a false prophet (a). Luther, as he was a courageous man, and had a great and mighty spii-it of faith and prayer, so his expressions w^ere suitable to his spirit. What saith he ? The cause that I defend is Christ's and God's cause, and all the world shall not stand against it. It shall prevail. If there be a counsel in earth, there is a coun- sel in heaven that will disappoint all. God laughs in heaven at his ene- mies, and shall we weep ?* And things are in a good way if we can go on and help the cause of God with oui- prayers and faith that God will go on ; and with our cheerfulness and joy that God may delight to go on with his own cause. We may encourage ourselves, though perhaps we shall not see the issue of these thmgs, yet posterity shall see it. * Cf. Vol. I. page 126.— G. -
NOTE.
(a) P. 397.—' Bellarmine goes about to prove Luther,' &c. Any of the numerous treatises of the great Jesuit will furnish examples of his ' railing' against the greater Eeforraer. See specially his Disputationes. — G.