NoDeuill mot-smell to Man, than Man. the third Sunday inLent. Ser.zz.. 3 1 their mind. But it isa lamentable cafe,thatoneman fhould feruetopunifh ano- therman,andbe made the inftrument of his hurt, or become his Hangman. Fi- oat commanded the Roman Souldiers towhip Chrift ; and they mighthaue bin excufed,had they notexceeded their Commifïion.It was decreed in Heauen,& foretoldby the Prophets,Thar hewas to bewhipt;butthe jufticeofGodcon- tenting it Pelf with a few ftripes,thefe bloudyvillains gauehim 5 ooo.& butthat 'his hourewas not yet come,they would if it had beenpoffiiible hauewhipt him todeath. A common Hangman darenot exceed the order of the Iudge ; but Man,when God makes him the Executionerofhis wrath,breakes theboundsof his Commifhon,andtonnes ryot. Man becing fet onby God , is like a Maftiffe that is let onbyhis Mailer who is eafìly put on vponBull or Beare , but hardly taken off. Flay faith,That GodmadeZenacharib the rodofhiswrath , and the ftaffe ofhis indignation;and that hecommanded him to take the fpoyle, and to take theprey,and to tread them vnder feet,like themire inthe (Freer ; but excee- ding his Commiflion (Gods purpofebeing onely tohumble his Children and bring themto repentance) heafterwards fcourged himfoundly forit. Indignatio mea inmenu tua; God had put this chaftifement into thehands ofa tyrant(as his inftrument) who hadnot the wit tocarrie himfelfe accordingly, &therefore he punifhed himaccording to hisdefarts. He rebuked the Feuerandit left her . Saint 1.4uguiline deliuereth fome mens opinions,whoaffirme, That things withoutlife,as Sickene(re,Peftilence, &Fa- mine, wereoccafionedby euill Angelis, onewhile for ourgood, another while for our hurt ; but al wayes for the feruice ofGod,and to fhew themfelues obe- dientto his Empire. And this is the true fenceandm°aning of Imperauit febri, He rebukedthe Feuer ; and ofvocauitf4mem, Hecalled aFamine. Not that aFeuer yrFamine haueany eares to heare or vnderftand any thing, butbecaufe the An- gelltowhom the power is committed,dothheareand obeyhis will. In this Article there are twomanifeft truths. Theone, That the Angells,aswell good as bad, are many times minifters of our punifhments,by famine,peftilence,barrenneffe ,tempefts,fickneffe,&death. And this truth ismadegood byinnumerable ftories in Scripture; as in that of lab, whole Corne the Deuill deftroyed, threw downe hisHoules, carried away his Cartell,andkilled his Children; ThatofSarah, who had feuenhusbands flàine by t rfmodeus the Deufll;Thofe plagues of Egypr,whereof(faith Dauid) theDeuills were the Inftruments ; Hecafi upon themthefrercene ofhisanger, in- dignation,and wrath,andvexatioi, by thefending out ofmill LAngeks where God makesthem his Hangmen or Executioners. And in another place,Fire andheile, fnowandvapours, f ormiewinds,whichexecute his Word,&c. OfgoodAngels there arelikewifemany ftories ; as that of thofe that came toSodom ; and thatof the Angell that flew thefouldiers ofZenacherib. Theother, That tohaue things without life tobeobedient to theEmpireof our SauiourChrift, there isno fuch neceflitie thatthey fhouldbee rftooued and gouerned by Angels, eithergood orbad, as Saint Hierome and Saint t fuguffine haueboth obferued. Foralbeit towards vs, and inthemfelues theyare infenci- ble,yettowards God theyare notfo,He calls the thingsthat are net, as if they were. Noris it any thing ftrange, that theHeauens or the Earth fhould haueeares, or that thofe things fhouldanfwerandobeyat Gods call, wholeend is Gods glo- rie : thewaters at Gods command gather themfelues intoheapes , and whenhe (ayesbut theword, theyagáinewithdraw themfelues : he prefcribesboundsto the Sea, [Hitherto(halt thou come,andnofurthers ]at hisWordagaine,the Sea is made Ffay I o. Pfat. t ot. Pfa1.75, 49. pfaL t 48. Euenthings without fenc are obedient vnto God; PP( 106.
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