discover to us. God makes use of small occasions to reveale great impieties. We know a small piece of paper let us see that darke and secret concell of the Papists in the Powder Treason; therefore let us make this use of it.

"Use of acknowledgment.

"To acknowledge the omnipotency of God, who commands all creatures, even the least, to effect greatest things. As to the Centurion; he saith to one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Do this, and he doth it. He is a God that brings forth the things that are hidden into light: there is no darknesse to thee, oh God: the night and the day are both one.

"Passage.

"His Excellency the Earl of Essex made a free protestation to forget and trample upon all former aspersions, and of the honourable respects he bare to sir William Waller; the malignants giving out, that there were great differences betwixt them.

"Providence.

"It hath been the enemies great designe to devide us, and it is the only jesuiticall trick, for the Jesuites in Germany will come over into the Lutheran Churches, and be Lutherans for a time, to enflame the differences betwixt them and the Calvinists; this the devill begune in paradise in the seed of division, and continued through Cain and Abel, through Ismael and Isaac, through

Jacob

Jacob and Esau, through the tribes and kingdoms of Israell and Judah: but God hath a providence still to disappoint him; and when the godly have had any eminent designe, and layd the foundation of it in unity, then the wicked agents of Sathen have been working. Sanballad and Tobiah laboured to withdraw the King's heart from Nehemiah and the Jews; and when Paul and Barnabas drew many Jewes and Gentiles after them, the unbeleiving Jewes stirred up some, and made their minds evill affected against the bretheren. These attempts have been working in our armies and unions; but God still frustrates the purposes of such endeavours, and keepes the hearts of our commanders close to one another. God is the Lord of love; he can send a spirit of affection and peace; such he put betwixt David and Jonathan, and he can mingle a spirit of perversenesse, as betwixt Abimelech and the men of Shechem. He can take up differences and compose emulations: he made Esau and Jacob embrace. Let us make this use.

"Use of approach.

"Oh, let us approach neere unto our God, who is the fountaine from whence all blessed correspondencies take their rise, and are fed. Let us admire our mercy in these sweet unions, and praise God in that Canticle, Oh, what a comely thing it is, bretheren, to dwell together in unitie!'

"Passage.

"Captaine Sydenham is wrought upon by the earl of Craford, to betray the town of Poole in Dorsetshire; he gives him money, but the captain acquaints the governour: and when Craford entered in the night in hopes, they discharged their ordnance, and slew and tooke divers.

"Providence and use.

"We may still see the restlesse working of Sathan in his instruments. How he tries all wayes, and moves all stones, and doth not only tempt immediately by his own essence, but he stirs up others; he suggests to the soules of wicked men many of their devices and designes, therefore he is called the prince of the air working in the children of disobedience. And though men have corruption enough in themselves to put them upon unlawfull wayes and courses, yet he always aides them, and advances their evill councellors, and mingles and contributes his too: and such wicked and ungodly attempts do alwayes argue the wickednesse of a cause; for a good cause and good ends will alwayes pursue and continue good wayes and direct proceedings. Their windings and turnings are but the crooked courses of the serpent, and are alwayes about; men never arriving so surely and right at their wished desires: and when the ungodly do take. advice of their hearts to walke in such paths, the devill he makes the way easie, and puts them on

4

fast;

fast; and to be sure, though he flatter them in his suggestions, yet he will do this to cast some destructive accidents and misfortunes into the way; and God suffers him so to do, that the wicked may be taken in the worke of their own hands, and fall into their own pits, and be caught in their own snares.' Let us then make this use of it.

"Use of admiration.

"Let us admire the justice of God upon the ungodly, and their unlawfull courses, for God hath usually a disappointment for the crafty. Achitophel and Haman are examples in the word of God, who both perished by their own councells. And let us praise God too for his care and providence over his church and people, who turneth all the mischiefs that are plotted against them into their greater deliverance, and more glorious preservation, so as we may say in David's language,Surely the rage of man shall praise thee, the rest of the rage shalt thou restrain.'

“Passage.

"Doctor Featley, a divine, is discovered to be an intelligencer to Oxford, his letters taken, and he confesses. Mr. Motte and Mr. Hungerford who went from London to Oxford constantly as spies, one of them is apprehended. Mr. Wat Mountague, the jesuitical professer for the queen, is taken in the disguise of a French

man.

"Providence.

"Providence.

"We have more cause to admire. God still, who brings to light every day such practise; surely there is no inchantment against Israel. How many have the discoveries been since this Parliament began! Had not God lighted us into their dark plots with a beame of his own, we had been long ago desolated and ruined, but he that is bound to his church by such a solemn covenant from all eternity, which he hath revealed in his son, and hath laid open in many other particular promises, that he is obliged to deliver us, to reveal our destructions which our enemies have digged deep to hide. One would think now that when they see themselves brought forth, all their disguises taken off, and they found out so providentially, that they should walk hereafter in more plain and honest ways; but this is the greatest intoxication that Satan uses; to fill up and poison the soul with carnall assurances and confidence, till he totally betray them. Let us make this use.

"Use of Godly walking.

"Since it hath pleased God to put out such a candle into the hands of the Parliament and his people, to finde out their enemies by the light of such a providence in their shady walkings, Oh, let us keep to him in his wayes. Oh, lead me in thy paths,' sayes David, for if we walk in Gods wayes, God will shew us the wayes of our