116 A MEMORIAL OF THE DELIVERANCE
loss of Llood: — all these, I say, and sundry other such-like things as these, are " the Lord's doing, and marvellous in our eyes."
Especially let us remember how in three things the Lord made his bow quite naked in his late deliverance.
(].) In leavening the counsels of the enemy ivith their oiun folly.
(2.) In ordering all events to his own jjraise.
(3.) By controlling with his mighty j^ower the issue of all under- takings.
(1.) In leavening their counsels tuith their oiun folly. God's ^ power and the efficacy of his providence is not more clearly mani- fested in any thing than in his effectual working in the debates, ad- vices, consultations, and reasonings of his enemies, compassing his ends by their inventions. When God is in none of the thoughts of men by his fear, he is in them all by his providence. The sun is ope- rative with his heat where he reacheth not with his light, and hath an influence on prexiious minerals in the deptlis and dark bottoms of rocks and mountains. The all-piercing providence of God dives into the deep counsels of the hearts of the sons of men, and brings out precious gold from thence, where the gi-acious light of his counte- nance shines not at all. Men freely advise, debate, use and improve their own reasons, wisdom, interests, not once casting an eye -to the Almighty ; and yet all this while do his work more than their own. All the counsellings, plottings of Joseph's brethren, — all the transac- tions of the Jews, Herod, and Pilate, about the death of Christ, with other the like instances, abundantly prove it."^ Take a few instances wherein God " made his bow quite naked " in the counsels of his and our enemies.
In general, they consult to take arms, wherein God had fully ap- peared against them, — when, in all probability, their work would have been done without them. Had they not fought, by this time they had been conquerors. One half-year's peace more, — which we desired on any terms, and they would on no terms bear, — in all likelihood had set them where they would be. Their work went on, as if they had hired the kingdom to serve them in catching weather. What with some men's folly, others' treacheiy, all our divisions, — had not their own counsels set them on fighting, — I think we should suddenly have chosen them and theirs to be umpires of our quairels. God saw when it was time to deal with them. In their undertaking in our own county, I could give sundry instances how God mixed a perverse
' " Quoil Iioinines peccant eorum est, quod pcccando lioe vol illud agant ex virtute Dei est, ti-nobras prout visum est dividoiitis."— AuJ,^, do Piffid. " Oportet han-eses esse, sed tiuueii non ideo boiuun hieresos, quia eas esse oporteliaf, quasi Jion et malum oportueiit esse ; nam et Dominum tradi oportebat, sed vie traditori 1 " — Tertul., I'raif. ad Ila;r.
> Geu. xlv. 7, 1. 20; Acts iv. 27, 28. . •
OF ESSEX COUNTY, AND COMMITTEE. Tl7
spirit of folly and error in all their counsels. A part of the magis- tracy of the county is seized on. Therein their intention towards the residue is clearly discovered ; yet not any attempt made to secure them, — which they might easily have accomplished, — although they could not but suppose that there were some gentlemen of public and active spirits left that would be industrious in opposition unto them. Was not the Lord in their counsels also, when they suffered a small, inconsiderable party, in a little village within a few miles of them, to grow into such a body as at length they durst not attempt, when they might have broken their whole endeavour with half a hundred of
O
men? Doubtless, of innumerable such things as these we may say, with the prophet, " The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced" the people, " even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof. The Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof; and they have caused" the people " to eiT in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit," Isa. xix. 13, 14. Doubtless the wrath of man shall praise the Lord, and the remainder of it will he restrain.
(2.) In ordering all events to his own praise. The timing of the enemies' eruptions in several places is that which fills all hearts with wonder, and all mouths with discourse, in these days. From the first to the last they had their season. Had they come together, to the eyes of flesh the whole nation had been swallowed up in that deluge. In particular, let Essex take notice of the goodness of God. The high thoughts and threats of men, which made us for divers weeks fear a massacre, were not suffered to break out into open hostility until the very next day after their strength was broken, in the neigh- bour county of Kent; — as if the Lord should have said, " I have had you in a chain all this while: though you have showed your teeth, you have not devoured ; now go out of my chain, — I have a net ready for you." For the armies coming to our assistance, I cannot see how we needed them many days sooner, or could have wanted them one day longer. Farther, these home-bred eruptions were timely sea- soned, to rouse the discontented soldiery and divided nation to be ready to resist the Scottish invasion ; — God also being magnified in this, that in this sweet disposal of events unto his glory, the counsels of many of those in whom we thought we might confide ran totally cross to the appearance of God in his providence. What shall we say to these things? If the Lord be for us, Avho shall be against us? All these things came forth from the Lord of hosts, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in operation, Isa. xxviii. 29. Whoso is wise -will ponder them, and they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord.