I [afes of Conjcience. I. Booke 1Gcn.6.J• hadgrowne to much impietie, and wicked. A nolic,the Lord appointed a certaine fpacc o( Jzo,ycares tOr rheir repentance and conuer· fion;atthevery end and tearme whereof, he brought the flood vpon them, and not be– fore, For if we compare the particular cirI cum!lanceaoftime noted in the7· of Genc– li~,wah rhatwhich S.Pcterwritech, 1.Per. 3· >o.we fhall6ndc, that the inundation of wa– ters came vpon the earth, ac the very point ofttmcbefore determined. Agame,God threatned by Ieremie, that le>·,• f."· thdcwe> for their Gnnes, 01ould beled cap– tiue,and ferue tl~< king of Babcl 70. yearcs. Nowifweraketheiu£1 computation oftime, it ~ tll <ppeare, that fo foone as euer thofe B ycareswcrecxpired, the forc(aid threat was accompl:lhed. And th<roforoDanicl, allu– ding to Icrcmicsprophocies, exactly fetteth itdowne, ''hen be laith, The(amenigbtrva~ Dan S· 3°• B~lfoA;:;,~:.tr kj11g of 1he ChaldellnJ84ine 1 that is, thevcry night wherein rhofe 70. yeaw came to their full ocriod. Andas tliere are fet times,allotted by God for the execurionofhis threarning fentences; fa alfo bath he determined certenly the ac– complinunent of all and euery of his pro– mifes. An example hereof we haue in the Ifrae– lites,of whomethe Lord faid to Abraham, that they fl10uld be in aflliClion in a £!range Gcn,t !•' l· land,43o.yeares,and then be doliuered. This C pronllfeofGod was cxpretT<lyful6lled,aswe reade in the booke ofExodut,For before the end andtearme of thofe yeares,they had no dcliuerance ar all:but when that rime "'·as ex~ pired,euenthat fe!fef•m.d•J departed all the Exod.~>.4• tJofisoflfracl,out ofthc.JandofEgypr. And thouoh Mofes, fourtie yeares before this time~ tooke in hand the worke ofrheirdeli– uerance;yet he did it withcut fuccelfe;and vpAtl.7. ~~. on accrtaine accident, becing himfelfecon– llramed to Hie inroMadian, he liued thereas a £!ranger withIethro his father mlaw,tll the faid time offoure hundred and thirtie yeares was accomplifhed; toward the end wljereof, beeingcalled ofGod tothat oflice,he profpe· D red,and not before.And in the fame manner, harh God fer downea certen period of time, within which he will rxercite hit children moreor lelfe,and at tbeend whereof, and not before, he will relecue and comfort them a– gaine. Now as the certentie of the accomplifh– menr ofGods threacningword ferues to tcrri– fieall wicked liuers from finne: fo the vn– changeable performance of his promifcs, at the very rimeprcfi:xed, and not before, tea– cherh rhc children of God fundry things. Firll,that when they are in any dillrclfe, & haue not prefcnt or fpeedie deliuerance, ac– cording to their defire, they lhouJd waire the Lords Jct(ure, and expeel with patience till the time come,!J.•hich is appointedbyhim for their e2.feand rclccfe: and mthe meanewhile !lay their hearts, byhope~nd ~lliance in hts mercie.The reafon is pl~ine. God 11 Cure in his.word,rherefore though he~uinea may en– dure for a nrght, yet ioy will rerurnc in the morning,Pfal.JO.f, ThustheLord comforteth thelewesin a particular dillrelfe, as we may reade in the prophecieofHabbakuk, where theProphet mthe name of the Iewes, complaineth and expoflulaterh the matterwith God, why hit owne people fhould be fo lamentably aflli– Cled, by aterribleand furious nation, &why they fhould be ledde away captiues, by the Chalde~ns the enemies ofGod 1To this the Lord makes anfwer, that ~she had certenly determined, that iudgement tocorne vpon rhem,focertonly had he •ppointed afer time; wherein they fhould be deliuered, In the meanewhile,he bidsthem to comfort them– feloes in this, that though the aflliClion flJOuldrellvponthem fora feafon , yet vn– doubrcdlythey flmuld b•e~fed •r the length: ·and tkerefore, that they 010uld in patience watre forthe vtfion, that is, theaccompJifh. ment of the vifion touching their ddiuerance. . . Secondly, hencewe learne, thatwe mull notonIybtletNe thepromifes of God tn gene– rAil, that God istrue and faith full in them,, and that he isableand willing tofulfillthem, euen as he maderhem: butwemull~c/uue them inp4rticul.tr.that i'S, with appJication to their proper and feueralcircum!lanccs,which arethe parricular mcanes, placea, and times, whereby,and wherein hebath giuen his word, as touching our frcedome aod exemption from the crolf<. Take an in£lance hereof in the Prophet Daniel, who knew well by the fpirit of Pro– phetic, that the Lord had determined to bringvpon the!ewes 7o.yeares captiuitie in BabyIon. Heknew alfo, that God had pro– mifedtoputan end ro that captiuitie, at the D•n.,; end and tearmeofthofeyeares.Now what did Daniel in this cafeI Vpan knowledge ofthe will ofGod in that poinr,duringthefaid time, hepraiednotvntothe Lord for dehuerance ofhis people: But when he vnder!lood that thetimedrewneere,whereinitwasthewillof Vcr£ • God, that the !ewes fl,ouJJ rerurne our of '• captiuitie,then by faith applying thepromife ofGod to that particular time 1 he befought theLord in praier and fupplication, with fa· fltng infackecloath and •fl>cs, and rhe Lord gaueea,revnro hispraien, and yeelded him agraciousanC\ver. II. Thefecond point is, thatGod, when he deferres deliuerance, dot h it vpon great and weigbtiecaufes and conGdetations, bell knowne to him(elfe, 'fhe6r£lwhereof i<,thatthereby hemight humble menthroughly, and bring them to an vrter deniall of themfclues, and confe– quenrly c•ufe them, to lrarnepatience in af. fltClion;which tbey would not learne; i(rhey might
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