Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v2

Chap. 4. An Expottion upon the Polk of j O B. Verf. 16, 105 know,whether a revelation were from a goodAngel or from a bad Angel. When a revelation was made by a good Angel, though he fill'd the heart with fear, at the beginning ofhis fpeech,yet he gave comfort in the end,and doled with in confolation. We may obferve in thofe revelations fuch heartning, chearing language as this, Be not a fraid, be ofgoodchear; fo to Daniel,fo to Jobn,fo to Zechariah, fo to lVlary,fò to Gideon. But when a revelation was made by an evill Angel,or by a Witch,as it filled the hearers with feare fo it left them full of feare, it wounded themwith terrours, and it applyed no cure,noplayfier, nothing medicinable to heale thole terrours.We find indeed (iâam. 28.) that whenSaul con- fulted with the Witch of Endor, as,foon as theSpirit appeared, it is faid,that the Witch her fell wasafraid,and there is nomention . madeof Sault being afraid; at the kìr(t; fo that Saul falls a com- forting the Witch, and Paid to her be not afraid: She was a fraid not ofthe Spirit that appeared, but ofSaul, becaufe he had made a law againft Witches; and hence Saul comforts her, in affuraiace ofimpunity: notwithttanding,that finn, both a gain(} the law of God, and hisown. But you (hall find in how fad a conditionSaid himfelf was, before the Devill had done withhits; for as foots asSaul heard the tydings delivered by that perfonated Samuel,he fell into a !shaking fit and was as oneaftoinifhed and dead: hanging upon the rack of thefe torments,the Devill left him; there was no word ofcomfort, no fry eet Rill magical voice to revive and fetch him againe,but a way packs the wicked Spirit,and leaves him over whelm'd with forrow. And then (in ftead ofa better, furely he could not have a work ) the poor Witch comes to comfort and counfel him. They who refufe couníll from the Prophets ofGod may at laff heforced to receive all their comfortfrom a Witch a Pro- phet or Prophe:effe of the Devil, But to the point in hand, we fee when the Devil and wicked Angels (peak terrour, they leave ter- rout: Whearers if God,by good Angels fpeake terrour, or affrights his peoplewith the tokens ofhis prefence,he with a fwcet and fall voice refrefhes and corxtfbrts them, before he departs. Andwe may in that,genaral apply it to our felves. That when God af'ïpnifhes and terrifies us, whenbe makes our bones to fhakt and rottennefs to enter into them, we may expeE comfort and `refxe(hing are at hand ; and we may build upon it, that the more we tremble, the more we (hall be refrethed ; Habakkuk in the place before cited, is eacprefs in this faith, I trembled thatI might

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