Chap. 34. An Expofztton upon the Bokof ] o. B. Verf. 3 E. Sot Let us breake their bands afunder, and call away their cords from us; fo force fpeake and doe about the bands and cords of divine chaflifements, they will breake from them, or breake them,ifpof- fibly they can. Let fuch remetnber,'tis belt when they are inGods bands, to let him untie them,and when they are inhis prifon,'tis good to abide there, till he is pleafed to difcharge and let them out. The Apoflles being in prifon, the Magifirates fent the Ser- geants, Paying, Let thefemengoe, but Paul fayd unto them , they havebeaten as openlyuncondemned, being Romanes , and have cal us into prifon, and now doe they thrufl as out privily, nay verily, but let them come themfelves and fetch us out. A godly man when un- der reuiraint by the illegal or rigorous dealings of the M'agillrate, will not accept his liberty,upon unworthy termes; furely then he will n t make anefcape out of the hand of God unwarrantably. Hé is ready to accept his liberty with much thankfullneffe, but he will not force it with violence. A godlyman would free himfelfe from fin, and get heaven by a kind of force (as ChrifI fpeakes in the Gofpel) but he would not free himfelfe from fufFering by force, no get his eafc by violence. When God bindes him, he faith ( according to this reading) I willnot breake; But you will fay, who maybe fayd to breake or get by force out of the chaining hand ofGod? I anfwer ; Firlt, dry doe it-, by wayof interpretation, who are impatient and unquiet in their affliclions. A child that llrivesand 1l: uggles under his fathers rod , breakes away fromhim as much as he can. Secondly, , They a&ually breake fromunder the handof God, who byany finfull way helpe themfelves out of their afiliclions. Such,whenGod bath bound them with the cordsof affli lion,goe to the Devill tolode & let them our. ' l'is fad when God impri- fons a man, But O how fad is it to go ro the Devill for a releafe .; yet fodoe all they who beingunder affliólion, endeavour to free themfelvesby any finful way;efpecially when they who areperfe- cuted for the faith & truth of Chrifi,break their faith withChrifl, andquit the truthbefore profefféd,rhat they may quit themfelves from perfecution. O takeheed of fuch deliverances, rather dye under the affli&ing hand of God, or the perfecutinghand ofman, then free your felves f om either byputtingyour hand o» fulfer- ing your mouth tofin. Better be utterlybroken by affliólion,then Kkkkk fo
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