254 SIXTH SERMON who alone is the Lord that healeth us, who alone can join the two sticks of Ephraim and Judah, and make them one, Exod. xv. 26. Ezek. xxxvii. 19. that he would still the raging of the sea, and command a calm again. He can say, Ephraim shall say thus and thus ; he hath the hearts of kings, and consequently of all other men in his hands, Prov. xxi. 1. and he can turn them as rivers of water, which way soever he will, as men by art can derive waters and divert them from one course to another (as they did in the siege of Ba- bylon) as historians tell us, whereunto the scripture seemeth to refer, Isa. xliii. 15, 16. xliv. 23. 28. Jer 1. 23. li. 36. he can sway, alter, divert, overrule the purposes of men as it pleaseth him, reconciling lambs and lions unto one another, Isa. xi. 6. making Israel, Egypt, and Assyria agree together, Isa. xix. 24, 25. he can say to Balaam, Bless, when his mind was to curse, Josh. xxiv. 10. he can turn the wrath of Laban into a covenant of kindness with Jacob, Gen. xxxi. 24. 44. and when Esau had advantage to execute his threats against his brother, he can then turn reso- lutions of cruelty into kisses, Gen. xxxiii. 4. and when Saul hath compassed David and his men round about ; and is most likely to take them, he can even then take him off by a necessary diversion, 1 Sam. xxiii. 26 -28. This is the comfort of God's people, that whatever men say, except God say it too, it shall come all to nothing. He can restrain the wrath of men whensoever it pleaseth him, and he will do it when it hath proceeded so far as to glorify his power, and to make way for the more notable mani- festation of his goodness to his people, Psa. lxxvi. 10. And thus far of God's answer to the covenant of Ephraim. They promised to renounce idols, and here God promiseth that they should renounce them.
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