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all; or let God gently and favourably offer his mercies unto man, and by his word exhort him never so much to repentance, it is for the most part in vain. Therefore God, by his Prophets Moses and Isaiah, called heaven and earth to witness against man's stubbornness and hardness of heart. (Deut. xxxii. Isa. i.)

There is also out of this trouble of the water this doctrine to be learned, how to receive consolation, and how to learn fear by the creatures of God that bear no life, and yet be thus troubled. Consolation in this sort, when the penitent man that suffereth affliction and trouble, seeth insensible things moved and unquieted that never offended, he shall judge the less wonder at his own trouble. When he seeth that a sinner and a wretched offender of God is punished, he shall learn fear. When he seeth God doth punish his creatures that never offended, for the sin of man, what punishment is, man worthy to have, that is nothing but sin itself? And what fear should this bring into Christian men's consciences, to know that no creature deserveth punishment, no creature disobeyeth God, but the devil and man? Oh! what man or woman can with faith look uponthe least flowers of the field, and not hate himself ? In summer-time, when men shall see the meadows and gardens so marvellously apparalled with flowers of every colour, so that they shall not be able to discern whether their beauty better please the eye, or their sweet savour the nose, what may they learn, in thinking of themselves (as the truth is) that there is nothing in them but filth and sin, that most heinously stink before the face of God? And when man shall perçcive that flowers fade, and lose both beauty to the eye, and sweet savour to the nose, that never transgressed, what may miserable man think he is worthy to lose, that is nothing but sin, and ever offendeth? Again, when man shall perceive that God

thus marvellously, after long winter and great storms, doth raise out of the vile earth so beautiful flowers, plants, and trees, what consolation may the man take, that hath his faith in Christ, to think that all his sins in his precious blood be forgiven, and after long persecution and cruel death, he shall come to eternal life. After this sort did the Prophet consider the works of God, and the troubles of his creatures, and received great consolation thereby.

"The

In the end of this verse the Prophet saith, depths were troubled." In the which words he hath aptly shewed the mighty power of God, and perceiveth how the record of God's fact may be his consolation. In this that he saith, "The depths were troubled," there be divers understandings. If he mean of the seas, when they are troublesome and tempestuous by foul weather, he speaketh rather after the judgment of such (as suffer the trouble and peril of the waves) that think at one time they fall to the bottom of the sea, and at another time they be rather upon high mountains than upon the waters, the rages thereof be so extreme: yet indeed, the bottom of the sea be not felt, neither doth the ship that is saved descend so far; but the tempests be so sore, that it seemeth to the sufferers thereof that no extremity can be more. In this sense it serveth marvellously the Prophet's purpose: for as they that endure the tempests of the sea, think there could be no more extremity than they sustain, so do they that suffer the tempest of mistrust and despair (for a time) of the conscience, think they could endure no more extremity of conscience: whereas indeed, if God should suffer them to feel the extremity, it were eternal death, as the extremity of the sea in tempests is shipwreck and loss of man and goods. But if it be understood as it standeth in the letter, then hath the Prophet relation to the mighty hand of God, that

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brake the Red Sea even unto the very bottom, and also the water of Jordan, that his people might have both a nigh way, a safe way, and a glorious way towards the land that the Lord had promised them. (Exod. xiv. Joshua, iii.) And then in this sense we learn, that although water and wind, with all troubles else, cover the face of the earth, in the bottom of the sea, and is not possible to come to the use of man, even so the troublesome temptations and great terror of God's wrath against sin cover the soul of man, that, unto the judgment of the flesh, it shall never come to have the use and fruition of God's holy favour again.

But now, as we see by miracle, God maketh dry the depth of horrible seas, and turneth the bottom of them to the use of man, so doth he in the blood of Christ (by the operation of the Holy Ghost) dry up and clean lade out the ponds and deep seas of mistrust and heaviness out of the soul, and turneth the soul itself to the use of his own honour, in the joys ́everlasting. And as the water covereth the beauty of the land, so do sin and temptation cover the image and beauty of man's soul in this life. But as with a word God can remedy the one, so with the least of his mercies he can redress the other. And for the better experience and more certainty thereof, we see it proved by this Prophet Asaph in this place. For the ground was never more overwhelmed with water, nor the bright sun with dim clouds, than was this poor Prophet's spirit with heaviness and sorrow of sin and temptations. Therefore he feeleth how God easeth the heart, and recordeth how he banished floods and waters, to make his people a way to rest and tranquillity.

Ver. 17. The clouds poured out water, the air thundered, and thine arrows went abroad."

The Prophet remembereth the marvellous inunda

tion and drowning of the world in the days of Noah, that drowned all the world for sin, saving such as were in the ark or ship with Noah. And he remembereth also the horrible thunder that was heard of the people, when God gave his law unto them upon Mount Sinai. Likewise, he calleth to remembrance the plagues of Egypt, wherewithal God punished Pharaoh, his people, and the whole land (Gen. vii. Exod. xix.): which pains and plagues he calleth (after the phrase of Scripture) arrows and darts. (Exodus, v. vi. vii. viii. ix. x. xi.) These remembrances may be comforts to the hearers and to the readers, two manners of ways. First in this, that God, when he punisheth, punisheth justly, as he did the .whole world for sin : whereof he Prophet gathereth, If sin justly merited do trouble all the generation of man, it is no great marvel, though sin trouble me, that am but one man, and a vile sinner. If sin brought all flesh unto death, saving those that were in the ship, is it any marvel, though sin make me to tremble and quake ? Again, if God, when he gave the law to Moses and to the people, spake out of thunder, declaring what a thing it was to transgress that law, insomuch that all the people were afraid to hear the Lord speak, and desired that Moses might supply his room (Exod. xix.); what marvel is it that my conscience trembleth, feeling that my soul hath offended the laws of God? And if Pharaoh and his realm were sore afraid of God's outward plagues, what cause have I to fear the inward dread and sorrowful sight of sin, shewed unto me by God's law? So that we may take this consolation out of this place, that God is a just Judge to punish sin, and not a tyrant, that punisheth of affection or wilful desire. And so said David, “Whensoever or howsoever thou punish (let men say and judge as they

list), thou art just, and righteous be all thy doings." (Psalm li. x. cxxx.)

The other consolation is, that in the midst of all adversities, God preserved penitent and faithful sinners; as in the time of the universal flood, the water hurted not Noah, nor such as were in the ship. In the time of Pharaoh's plagues, the Israelites took no harm. At the giving of the law, the Israelites perished not with lightning and thunder. Even so sorrows and anguish, diffidence and weakness of faith, they are plagues and punishments for all men by reason of sin; yet penitent sinners, by reason of faith in Christ, take no hurt nor damnation by them, as it appeareth by this Prophet that was troubled in the spirit and in the body, as marvellously as could be, but yet in Christ escaped the danger, as all men shall do that repent and believe. (Rom. viii.) Whereof we learn, that as the rain falleth generally, and yet bettereth no earth to bring forth her fruit, but such as is apt to receive the rain (stony rocks and barren ground being nothing the better); even so do the plagues and rain of God's displeasure plague all mankind, but none be the better therefor, but such as repent and bewail their sins, that gave God just occasion thus to punish them. (Heb. vi. x.) The same is to be considered also of the verse that followeth, which is this:

Ver. 18. "The lightning shone upon the ground, the earth was moved, and shook therewithal."

By these manner of speeches, "The lightning shone, and the earth quaked," the Prophet setteth forth the strength and might of God's power, and willeth men to love him and to fear him; for he is able to defend and preserve his faithful, and to punish and plague the wicked. And the like he saith in the verse following:

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