that should break his two Horns and trample him under his Feet; and if King Cyrus had died before the Obtaining of the Kingdom of Babylon, how fhould Ifaiah's Prophecy been accomplish'd? For he paints out this young Conqueror in his moft lively Colours, and calls him by his Name in this Expreffion, I have faid of Cyrus, he is my Shepherd, and shall perform all my Pleafure, even faying to Jerufalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the Temple, thy Foundation fhall be laid, Ifa. xliv.

If the Devil could have destroy'd St. Paul's Life before his Journey to Damafcus, where he was strangely converted by a Miracle, how could God's immutable Decree be accomplished; for he had defigned him from his Mother's Womb, to be a noble Veffel of his Grace and Mercy, and a faithful Ambassador of his Son, Gal. i. If the penitent Thief had died before he had feen the Light, or if he had been killed in one of his Robberies, how could he have been converted upon the Cross, where he repented of his Crimes; or how could he have heard from our Saviour these bleffed and comfortable Words, Verily, I fay unto thee, thou fhalt be with me this Day in Paradife? Luke xxiii.

The Heathens have perceived and understood this Truth, but they have darken'd and defac'd it by their impertinent and ridiculous Fictions: For their Poets tell us, there are Three Parca, or infernal Goddeffes; the one holds the Diftaff, and fpins; the other winds up the Thread; the third cuts it, and puts a Period thereby to the Life of Man. By this Fable they intend to teach us, that God lengthens or fhortens at his Pleafure Man's Life. As it is therefore certain that God has numbred our Days, he hath also appointed, in his infinite Wisdom, the Means to convey us out of the World. If one dies in Peace, another is killed in War; if one departs in his Bed, another is hang'd upon aGibbet; if one perishes with Famine, another is ftifled with the Plague; if one is ftruck with Thunder, the other is torn in pieces with wild Beasts; if one is choaked in the Waters, the other perifhes in the Flames;

in fhort, if the Separation of the Soul from the Body happens in a different Manner, it is not without the exprefs Leave and Orders of our heavenly Father. Therefore when we see the strangest Accidents come to pass,and the most unexpected and tragick Deaths before our Eyes, we must remember the Saying of the Prophet Jeremy, when he faw the Burning and Plunder of Jerufalem, Who is he that faith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commanded it not? Out of the Mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good, Lam. iii. We must then confider with the Prophet Isaiah, That it is God that creates the Light and Darkness, and that fends Profperity and Adversity, Ifa. xv. 45. or with Amos, who enquires whether there be any Evil in the City, and the Lord bath not done it? Amos iii. That is to fay, that there is no Affliction nor Death that happens, but God has appointed it, and fore ordained it by his wife Providence. If the Devil cannot deftroy Job's Flock of Sheep, nor hurry headlong into the Sea the Herds of Swine without his leave, who holds him faft in Chains, Mat. viii. let us perfuade ourselves, that all the Powers of Hell and the World cannot caufe us to die by a violent Death, if God hath not ordained it before in the Refolutions of his infinite Wisdom. So that if at any time a Prince or Magiftrate speaks to us in Pilate's Language to our Saviour, Knoweft thou not that I have Power to crucify thee, and Power to fave thee? Joh. xvi. being ftrengthened with an holy Confidence, let us anfwer him as our Saviour, Thou shouldst not have that Power over me, if it were not given thee from above. Without the Leave and the Pleasure of my God, thou canst not take from me an Hair of my Head.

We read in the Book of Judges, that when Abimelech affaulted the Tower of Thebez, with a Refolution to win it on a fudden, a Woman caft from the Top a Piece of a Milftone, that fell upon his Head, and brake his Scull, Judg. ix. If we look only upon fecond Causes, this Accident may appear to be ftrange and unexpected; but we muft lift up our Eyes to the Al

G

mighty

mighty Hand of an All-feeing Power and Wisdom, far more dextrous than that of this poor Woman. For the fame Relation declares, that God by this Means brought to pass Jotham's Prophecy, and rendered the Wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his Father, in flaying his Seventy Brethren with his unmerciful Hand, upon his own guilty Head.

Abab King of Ifrael was difguifed, with a Design to fight with the Syrians, 1 Kings xxii. An unknown Soldier lets fly by Chance an Arrow out of his Bow, which ftruck him in the weakest Part of his Armour, wounded him to Death, and the Dogs licked the Blood that iffued out of his Wounds. At this Sight a carnal and earthly Mind may fay, that this was but an Accident of War; but the Spirit of God informs us better, that this happened to fulfil the Prophecy of Elijah, and the dreadful Threatnings which he had pronounced against this wicked Prince, who laboured by tyrannical and devilish Means, to invade other Mens Poffeffions; Thus faith the Lord, in the Place where Dogs licked up the Blood of Naboth, hall Dogs lick thy Blood, even thine, 1 Kings xxi.

When we caft our Eyes upon the tragical Death of Fofias King of Judab; at the first Sight it appears but the Effect of the boiling Heat of Youth, which carried him against Reason obftinately to fight with Pharaob Neco King of Egypt; or of the Strength and Swiftness of his Enemies, according to the Complaint of Feremiah the Prophet, Our Perfecutors are fwifter than the Eagles of the Heaven, they pursue us upon the Mountains, they laid wait for us in the Wilderness; the Breath of our Noftrils, the Anointed of the Lord was taken in their Pits, of whom we faid, under his Shadow will we live among the Heathen, Lam. iv. But to understand the Truth, we must enter farther into the Sanctuary, and adore the Wisdom of God's Decree, that had refolved to take away this good and religious Prince into eternal Reft, and bestow upon him a more noble and richer Crown, before he took in Hand the Sword of Vengeance to punish

the

the People of Ifrael, for the many Idolatries and horrid Crimes of which they had been guilty; by this Means God fulfilled the Prophecy of Hulda, Behold I will gather thee unto thy Fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy Grave in Peace, and thine Eyes fhall not fee all the Evil which I will bring upon this Place, 2 Kings xxii.

When we look upon the Death and Paffion of our Lord Jefus Chrift, we may imagine at the first View, that only the Pharifees Envy, Judas's Treason, the Mutiny of the rude Rabble, Pilate's Injustice, Herod's Jefts, and the Cruelty of the Roman Soldiers, were the Caufes of this Tragedy. But the holy Apoftles Peter and John, unto whom our Saviour had discovered the rareft Secrets of his Wisdom, confider the outward Agents but as the Inftruments to bring God's great Defign, Man's Redemption, to pafs; therefore it is fpoken of in this manner, Acts iv. Against thine holy Child Jefus, whom thou haft anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the People of Ifrael, were gathered together, to do whatfoever thine Hand and thy Counfel determined to be done.

If it happens that a Friend unadvisedly ftrikes another; if in a Wood where he is felling Timber, the Head of the Axe fhould flip out of the Handle, and kill the dearest Friend of the Agent, there can be nothing imagined to be more cafual in regard of the fecond Caufes, Exod.xxi. But God declares in exprefs Terms, that he caufed fuch an one to be under the Hand of his Friend, who killed him against his Will. To fecure the innocent Author of the unexpected Murder, God appointed Cities of Refuge for fuch to fly to, Num. xxxv.

As when the Hour of our Death is come, all the Riches of the World cannot pay our Ranfom, all the Wisdom of the moft prudent Councils, or Strength of a Kingdom, are not able to free us from the Power of Death. On the contrary, when it pleafeth God to fhelter and preferve our Life, all the Subtilty and Cunning of the Devil, all the Power and Fury of the World cannot take it from us. G 2

Efau

Efau in his Rage, full of Vengeance and Displeasure. against his Brother, refolves to kill him. On purpose to accomplish this cruel Defign, he goes to meet him with four hundred Men. But God, who holds in his Hand the Hearts of all the Men in the World; God, who turns the ftony Rocks into Fountains of Water, and the Flints into Rivers of Oyl, forced out of this hardened Heart Tears of Compaffion and Love. The fame Efau, instead of drawing out his Sword against his Brother, embraced him with Expreffions of Kindnefs, kiffed and wept over him.

Jacob's Sons had wickedly intended to destroy their Brother Jofeph, they were ready to imbrue their cruel Hands in the Blood of this innocent Lamb; but by a fecret and most wonderful Providence, God stopped their hellish Defign. This great and fovereign Monarch of the whole World, who draws Light out of Darkness, made ufe of their most damnable Malice and Hatred, to accomplish his good Purpose, and to raise his Servant to a confiderable Degree of Honour and Glory which was prepared for him. These inhuman Souls, full of Envy and Difpleasure, conspired together how to hinder the fulfilling of Jofeph's Dream. But, contrary to their Intention, they made way, and were inftrumental to the Accomplishment of that which God had revealed to his Prophet: Therefore when his Brethren were afraid left he fhould revenge himself upon them, when he had Power in his Hand, he answered them with an Heart full of ChaIrity and Love, Am I in the Place of God? As for you, -ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good, Gen. 1.

David, a Man after God's own Heart, fell into many fearful Dangers, fo that he was reduced ofttimes to the very Gates of Death; but God preserved his Soul from the Grave, his Eyes from Tears, and his Feet from falling, Pfal. cxvi. In the Wilderness of Mabon, King Saul had surrounded him with his Men on every Side, fo that no Help nor Succour was to be

expected