930 AFFLICT I 0 N COMPARED TO A F L 0 0 D. Book IV. fore and difmal Sort, fo that the Mountains, the great Ones of the Earth, quake at him, and all are afraid of his Judgments, and cry out to the Rocks and Hills to cover them: 'The Lord thundered with a great 'Thunder on that Day upon the Philijlines, and difcomfited them, &c. 1 Sam. vii. 10. 'I' he Lord a/fo thundered in the Heavens, and the Highefl gave his Voice, Hail-flones and Coals of Fire: Yea, he fent out his Arrows, and feattered them; and hejhot out Lightening, and difcomfited them, Pfal. xviii. 12, 13, 14. IV. A Storm and cruel Tempe£1: is irrefiO:ible; Man cannot withO:and it when it comes : So the Wrath and Judgments of God, when they come in fury upon a People, there is no refiO:ing of them : Who can fland before his Indignation ? V. ·A dreadful Storm many times makes fad Defolation, blowing down Houfes, and tearing up Trees by the Roots: So the Wrath of God many times makes great Defo– lation; it fweeps away Thoufands, and ten Thoufands, leaving Towns and Cities a[. moll: without Inhabitants : Come, fee what Defolation the Lord bath made in the Earth. VI. God fometimes fulfers the Devil to raife the Wind, who thereby does oreat Mif– chief, as in Job's Cafe, Job i. I 9· So the Devil, and his lnO:ruments, are m~ny times fulfered to raife a great Sorm of Perfecution upon the Lord's People. AFFLICTION COMPARED TO A FLOOD. Cf'he Lordfitteth upon the Flood, &c. Pfal. xxix. 10. All thy Floods and Waves are gone over me, &c. Pfal. xlii. 7· For the Enemy fball come in like a Flood, &c. Ifa. lix. '9· 'Fhe Floods have lifted up their Heads, 0 Lord, &c. Pfa!. xeiii. 3· And the Floods came, &c. Matt. v1i. 27. BY Floods fame underftand ungodly Men; others, Affiicrions; and thofe principall}' which wicked Men bring upon the Saints. Thus Ainfworth, and divers others, expound it. Affiicrions and Troubles, faith Caryl on Job xxvii. 20. are often com– pared to Waters in the Scriptures, &c. P A R A L L E L ~ I. A Flood is the gathering together of many Waters: So the Ungodly ofr-times gather themfelves together again£1: the Righteous: For lo, thine Enemies make a <.J'umult; and they that hate thee, bave lifted up the Hend.-'Fhe 'Tabernacles of Edom, and the Ifhmaelites ; of Moab, and the Hagarens, Gebal, and Amman, and Amalek, the PhiliO:ines, with the Inhabitants of Tyre, &c. Pfal.lxxxiii. 2, 6, 7· And as many En~mies combine together againft the Saints; fo oftentimes many Affiicrions of divers Kinds do befet them : Many are the A./fliflions of the Righteous. g. A Flood, or many Waters meeting together, roar, and make a great Noife: So th Wicked, combining together again£1: the lntere£1: of Chri£1:, roar, as it were, in bel hing out cruel Threatenings againft the Saints. Thus Pharaoh and the Egyptians made a great Noife, as if they would in a Moment have fwallowed up poor fjrael. :!'he Enemy faid, I •will purfue, 1 will overtake, I will divide the Spoil: My Lufl jhall be fati.ified upon tbem; I will draw my Sword, my Hand jhall deflroy them, Exod. xv. 9· Ill. A Flood comes many times fuddenly : So do Affii[tions and Troubles come \lpon God's People. . IV. A Flood many times rifes very high, overflowing all Banks and Bounds: So the Ungodly rife high in Rage and Malice again£1: the Saints, breaking down all Bounds cf Law and J uO:ice, and Banks of Humanity, making fearfullncurfions upon the juft Rights and Privileges of God's People, both Civil and Ecclefiaftical. V. Floods come violently, there is no ftopping them: So Affiicrions come in like manner oftentimes upon the Saints; there is no e!Caping or £topping the difmal Provi· dence of God. VI. Floods of Water come fucceffively, one Wave following another : So do Trou– bles and AffliCtions frequently upon a Believer; like Job's Melfengers, one at the Heels of another. VII. Floods many times drive down Trees and Hot1fes, fSc. So Affiicrions and grievous Calamities drive down, and carry away the Houfe and Hope of a foolifh Builder, or unfound Profelfor, Matt. vii. 26. l N FE-
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