the whole Armour ofGod. 35 teous fury, and from beneath of their own accufing and torment, ingconfciences. Secondly, others take the phrafe in a more reftrained fenfe, to denote thofe particular feafons of our life, wherein more efpe- cially we meet with afflictions and fufferings. Reza reads it tempore adver(o,in the time of our adverfity. Though our whole life be evil, if compared with [-leavens bliffe ful flue, our clear- eft day,night to that glorious morning; yet one part of our life compared with another may becalled good, and the other evil, we have our viciffitudes here. The Providences of God to his Saints here, while on this low bottome of earth are mixt and particoloured, as was fignified by the Ipeckled horlet in Ze_ Ezek.1 8. chariaht vifion;Red and white, peace and war, joy and forrow checker our days. Earth is a middle place betwixt heaven and ,hell, and fo is our Rate here; it partakes of both : we go up- hill and down till we get to our journeys end, yea, we finde the deepeft (lough neareft our fathers houfe. Death, I mean, in- ' to which all the other troublesofour life fall, as flreames into tome &eat river, and with which theyall end , and are fwal- lowed up. This being the comprehenfive evil, I conceive to be meant here, being made remarkable by a double article iv 7; ifAieSt 7;1. 170Pfle; that day , that evil day, not ex- cluding thole other dayes of tribulation whichIntervene. Thefo are but fo many petty deaths, every one fnatching away a piece of our lives with them, or like Pages fent before to ufher in this King of terrours that comes behinde. The phrafe being opened ; let us confider the flrength of this firft argument, with which the Apofile reinforceth his ex- hortation, of taking to our felves the whole Armour of God, and that confifts in three weighty circumftances. Firif, the nature and quality of this day of afffietion, it is an r . evil day. Secondly,the unavoidableneffe of this svil day of afffiClion,im- 2. plied in the forme of fpeech, that you may withfiand in the evil day. He (huts outall hope ofefcaping, as if he had faid you have no way but to withfland, pleafe not your felves with thoughts of thunning battel ; the evil day mutt come, be you, arm'd or not armed. Thirdly, the neceffity of this armour,, to withf140(1. As we
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