He that should meet Protestants, covenanted Protestants, that had sworn in the presence of the great God to extirpate popery and prelacy, as the Scots in Ulster ; others that counted themselves under no less sacred bond for the main- tenance of prelates, service-books, and the like, as the whole party of Ormond's adherents; joined with a mighty number, that had for eight years together sealed their vows to the Romish religion, with our blood and their own ; adding to them those that were profound to revolt up and down, as suited their own interest, as some in Munster; all closing with that party, which themselves had laboured to render most odious and execrable, as most defiled with innocent blood : he, I say, that should see all these after seven years mutual conflicting, andembruingtheir hands in each other's blood, to march all one way together, cannot but marvel, 'quo una iter facerent,' whither they should journey so friendly together. Neither surely, would his admiration be lessened, when he should hear, that the first thing they in- tended and agreed upon was, to cover the innocent blood of
284 THE STEADFASTNESS OF PROMISES,
forty-one coutraiy to that promise: 'Behold tlie Lord cometh out of his place, to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity : the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain ;' Isa. xxvi. 21. and nextly, to establish catholic religion, or the kingdom of Babel, in the whole nation, in opposition to the engaged truth, and in our days visibly manifested power of the Lord Jesus; with sundry such-like things, contrary to their science and conscience, their covenant and light, yea, the trust and honesty of most of the chief leaders of them. Now how can the promise stand in the way of this Hydra? What says it to this combined opposition?
[L] Why first, saith the Lord, 'Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished;' Prov. xi. 2L Their covering shall be too short, and narrow, to hide the blood which God will have disclosed.
[2.] And nextly, though they will give their power to the beast, and fight against the Lamb, consenting in this, who agree in nothing else in the world ; yet they shall be broken in pieces, though they associate themselves they shall be broken in pieces. If Rezin and the son of Remaliah, Syria and Ephraira, old adversaries, combine together for a new enmity against Judah ; if covenant and prelacy, popery and treachery, blood and (as to that) innocency, join hand in hand, to stand in the way of the promise; yet I will not in this join with them, says the Lord. Though they were preserved all distinctly in their several interests for seven years, in their mutual conflicts, that they might be scourges to one another; yet if they close to keep off the engagement of God in the word of his promise, notmuch more than the fourth part of one year shall consume some of them to nothing, and fill the residue with indignation and anguish.
By what means God hath mightily and effectually wrought, by mixing folly with their counsels, putting fear, terror, and amazcdness upon all their undertakings, to carry on his own purpose, I could easily give considerable in- stances. That which hath been spoken in general, may suffice to bottom us on this, that whilst we are in the way of God, all staggering at the issue is from unbelief; for he can, he will do more such things as these.
AND SINFULXESS OF STA GCi EUI N^G. 285
Use 1. My first use shall be as unto temporals; for they also, as I told you, come under the promise, not to be stag- gered at, witli the limitations before mentioned. Learn hence then to live more by faith in all your actings : believe and you shall be established ; I have in the days of my pil- grimage seen this evil under the sun : many professors of the gospel called out to public actings have made it their great desian to manao-e all their affairs with wisdom and policy, like the men of the residue of the nations. Living by faith upon the promises hath appeared to them as too low a thing, for the condition and employment wherein they now are; now they must plot, and contrive, and design, lay down principles of carnal fleshly wisdom to be pursued to the uttermost. And what I pray hath been the issue of such undertakings ?
(1.) First, The power of religion hath totally been de- voured by that lean, hungry, never-to-be-satisfied beast of carnal policy: no signs left that itwas ever in their bosoms. Conformity unto Christ in gospel graces is looked on as a mean, contemptible thing. Some of them have fallen to downright atheism, most of them to wretched formality in the things of God. And then,
(2.) Secondly, Their plots and undertakings have gene- rally proved tympanous and birthless; vexation and disap- pointment hath been the portion of the residue of their days. The ceasing to lean upon the Lord, and striving to be wise in our actings, like the men of the world, hath made more Rehoboams, than any one thing in this generation.
What now lies at the bottom of all this? Merely stag- gering at the promise, through unbelief. What building is that like to be, which hath a staggering foundation ? When God answers not Saul, he goes to the devil. When the promise will not support us, we go to carnal policy: neither can it otherwise be. Engaged men finding one way to dis- appoint them, presently betake themselves to another. If men begin once to stagger at the promise, and to conclude, in their fears, that it will not receive accomplishment, that the fountain will be dry, they cannot but think it high time to dig cisterns for themselves. When David says, he shall one day perish by the hand of Saul, whatever God had said to the contrary, his next advice is, Let me go to the Philis-