252 SIXTH SERMON in God's keeping too, so that they shall not be able to purpose or resolve on any evil against the church, without leave from him. So then when the rage and passions of men break out, tribe divided against tribe, brother against brother, father against child, head against body ; when the band of unity, which was wont to knit together this flourishing kingdom, is broken like the prophet's staff, and therewithal the beauty of the nation miserably withered and decayed, (for these two go still together, Beauty and Bands, Zech. xi. 10. 14.) we must look on all this as God's own work. It was he who sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem, for the mutual punishment of the sins of one another. It was he who turned the hearts of the Egyptians to hate his people, and to deal subtilly with them, Psa. cv. 25. He sent the Assyrian against his people, giving them a charge to take the spoil and the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets, Isa. x. 6. He appointed the sword of the king of Babylon, by his overruling direction, to go against Judah, and not against the Ammonites, Ezek. xxi. 19. He by the secret command of his providence marked some for safety, and gave commission to kill and slay others, Ezek. ix. 4, 5. It is he who giveth Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers, and poureth out upon them the strength of battle, Isa. xlii. 24, 25. If there be evil in a city, in a kingdom, the Lord hath done it, Amos iii. 6. Isa. xlv. 7. This consideration is very useful both to humble us, when we consider that God bath a controversy against the land, and that it is he whom we have to do with in these sad commotions that are in the kingdoms ; and to quiet and silence us, that we may not dare to murmur at the course of his wise and righteous proceedings with us : and to
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=