ChrifisComing i4 u our midnight. Ii Chrift : Oh 1 what a gracious Saviour have1, that could find in his heart to find me out with his mercy in this darkecondi- tion, in this unexpe&ed time ! His time is not as our time, as his thoughts are not as ours, Chrift is the goodSamaritan, he will poure wine and oyle into thebleeding wounds of his fervants , but he will firft let the Prieft paffe by , and the Le- vice pafre by, and fuch meanes and helpes paffe by , which we ordinarily expect comfort from;andwhen we have none from them , fayes he , now is a time for me but by that time all oter helpes are palled by , it will he midnight ; but though it be midnight ( fayes Chrift) it is all one to me, for I create light,and my thoughts, and my times, are not as mans are. And though man come with help and fuccour in the day time , yet I will come at midnight. Oh ! what glorious difpenfations of love and mercy is here I What is the iffue of this doarine ? what if Chrift do come at midnight ? This Dodrine lookes wi(hly upon two forts of people , fuch as he doth come againft , and fuch as he cloth come for. Some foolifh virgins there are whom Chrift comes again% and thefe he will come upon at midnight , take them in their beds, when they are faft afleepe in their fin , and are molt fe- 1 cure. Ye have heard of the lamentation of Norwich ; there was a generation of men that rote up and threatned to (troy the godly Party there;but the Lord fo ordered things in his providence , that thole whom they threatned to deftroy, , were preferved,and the deftroyers perifhed;nigh two or three hundred ( if relations be right ) blown up with powder, or /polled, and three godly families, confifting of about twenty perfons , in feverall roomes of the houfe that was blowne, up , were all preferved , and not a bone ofthem broken, I whilft the ocher flew up into the aire , as Ipedaclesof divine anger, as if God fhould fpeak from Heaven , thefe are the people whom I would have preferved, and thofe are the people , that I would have punifhed, But ah I poore de- ftroyed foules who perifhed in the thunder of Gods anger, C 2. did eXpplic.
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