heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, we returned, &c.-Neh. iv. 7-9. 11. 15. Haman's great design was to destroy Mordecai and all the Jews; and it went on far: but God then turned it quite about.-Esth. v. vi. vii. viii. Job could not be touched by Satan any farther, or otherwise, than so far as God gave him leave.-Job i. 9-12. ii. 4-6. He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. He taketh the wise in their own craftiness, &c. They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday.Job v. 12-14. Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, &c. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.Ps. ii. 1, 2. 4. 6. lix. 7, 8. He ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors. Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood: he made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made: his mischief shall return upon his own head; and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.-Ps. vii. 13-16. ix. 15, 16. They intended evil against thee; they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform. Ps. xxi. 11. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Ps. xxiii. 5. The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.-Ps. xxxiii. 10, 11. Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.-Ps. lxxvi. 10. When Israel were but few in number, &c. when they went from one nation to another, &c. he suffered no man to do them wrong; yea, he reproved kings for their sakes.-Ps. cv. 12-15. By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.-Ps. xli. 11. If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us, then they had swallowed us up quick.-Ps. exxiv. 1-7. Gen. xxxi. 42. There are many devices in a man's heart, nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.-Prov. xix. 21, There is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against the Lord.-Prov. xxi. 30. Gen. xi. 4, &c. Be quiet, and fear not, &c. Because Syria, &c. have taken evil counsel against thee, saying, Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, &c. Thus saith the Lord God, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.-Isa. vii. 4-7. Micah iv. 11-13. Associate yourselves, O ye people; and ye shall be broken in pieces, &c. Gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought: speak the word and it shall not stand: for God is with us.-Isa. viii. 9, 10. Jer. xlviii. 30. O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, &c. I will send him against an hypocritical nation, &c. Howbeit, he meaneth not so, &c. It is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few. Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work, &c. I will punish the fruit, &c.-Isa. x. 5-7.12. Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord; and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay.-Isa. xxix. 15, 16. Sennacherib comes against Jerusa lem, and by Rabshakeh proclaims and depart hence, for Herod will kill his proud design; but God wonder- thee. And he said unto them, Go fully disappointed him.-Isa. xxxvi. ye, tell that fox, Behold, I cast out xxxvii. devils, and I do cures to day, and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected; nevertheless, I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following, &c.-Luke xiii. 31-33. John vii. 30. Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me. Whosoever shall gather together against thee, shall fall for thy sake, &c. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.-Isa. liv. 15. 17. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him (or put him to flight).-Isa. lix. 19. I am with thee, &c. They shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee. -Jer. i. 18, 19. xv. 11. 20. xx. 11. Although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come, &c. I will even gather you from the people, &c.-Ezek. xi. 16, 17. All that the envious presidents and princes could do and devise against Daniel could not hurt him; but he prospered in the reign of Darius, and of Cyrus. And so the three children. -Dan. vi. 28. Ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake; but there shall not an hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls.— Luke xxi. 17-19. When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness, &c.— Luke xxii. 53. John viii. 20. Then saith Pilate, &c. Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above.-John xix. 10, 11. Against thy holy child Jesus, both Herod, &c. were gathered together, for to do what thy hand and counsel determined before to be done.-Acts iv. 27, 28. They took counsel to slay the apostles; but Gamaliel said, Refrain from these men, and let them alone; for if this counsel, or this work be of men, it will come to nought; but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it, lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.-Acts v. 33-40. When Saul was going in his fury to persecute the Christians, God meets with him, and stays the persecution.-Acts ix. 1, &c. ere they did eat: yet God disappointed them.-Acts xxiii. 12, 13. God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able.-1 Cor. x. 13. Cons. IV. That God orders and determines the Measure, Manner, Time, and Continuance of Afflictions and Persecutions, and that according to our Necessities. GOD said unto Abraham, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years, &c. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again.-Gen. xv. 13-16. And it came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years, the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the host of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.-Exod. xii. 40, 41. 51. . God led Israel not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near: for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.-Exod. xiii. 17. Their heart was not right with him, &c. but he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not; yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.-Ps. lxxviii. 37-39. I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.-Ps. cxix. 75. It shall come to pass, when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon Mount Zion, and upon Jerusalem: I will punish the fruit of the stout heart, &c. O my people, be not afraid of the Assyrian, he shall smite thee with a rod, &c. a very little while, and the indig For yet God that judgeth in the earth.-Ps. lviii. 10, 11. Cons. V. That God doth sometimes make Enemies, and Persecutors themselves, to attest the Saints' innocency, when they suffer; and will surely avenge them upon their Adversaries. God did so with Joseph's brethren, and they acknowledged his innocency, and God's justice.-Gen. xlii. 21. Pharaoh acknowledged he had sinned against Moses, &c. and begs forgiveness.-Exod. x. 16, 17. He will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries and will be merciful unto his land, &c.—Deut. xxxii. 43. Ps. x. 14. The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.—Ps. ciii. 6. Rob not the poor, &c. neither oppress the afflicted in the gate: for the Lord shall spoil the soul of those that spoiled them.-Prov. xxii. 22, 23. Be not afraid, &c. for yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction.-Isa. x. 24, 25. Jer. xxx. 16, 17. 20. Lord, when thine hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see and be ashamed for their envy at the people (or toward thy people), &c. Isa. xxvi. 11. All that watch for iniquity, are cut off that make a man an offender for a word.-Isa. xxix. 20, 21. : Behold, your God will come with vengeance; with recompense he will come and save you.-Isa. xxxv. 4. I was wrath with my people, &c. thou didst shew them no mercy, &c. therefore these two things shall come to thee in a moment, &c.-Isa. xlvii. 5-9. Fear ye not the reproach of men, &c. for the moth shall eat them up like a garment: and the worm shall eat them like wood, &c. Thus saith the Lord thy God, &c. that pleadeth the cause of his people: behold, I have taken out of thy hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury, &c. but I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee which have said to thy soul, Bow down, &c.-Isa. li. 7, 8. 20. 22, 23. Your brethren that hated you, &c. he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.-Isa. lxvi. 5. God threatens several nations for their insolent insulting over his people the Jews, and for their cruel usage of them and declares the vengeance he would take against them.-Ezek. xxv. xxvi. xxxv. xxxvi. Jer. 1. 11-13. xxx. 16. xii. 14. Obad. 8, &c. Micah ii. 1—3. Nebuchadnezzar, who had caused Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be cast into the burning fiery furnace, now said unto them, Ye servants of the most high God, come forth, &c. and the king promoted them.-Dan. iii. 21. 26. 30. So did Darius, when Daniel, by the prosecution of the presidents and princes, was cast into the lions' den; he came and said, O Daniel, servant of the living God, &c. And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives, &c.-Dan. vi. 20.24. Gen. xxvi. 27-29. God threatened the heads and princes of Israel, for their persecuting and oppressing his people. Micah iii. 1, &c. I tell you, that he will avenge them speedily.-Luke xviii. 7, 8. Pilate himself said of Christ, I have found no fault in him, &c. And the centurion said of Christ, Certainly this was a righteous man.-Luke xxiii. 14. 17. Shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him? Though he bear long with them, King Agrippa and Festus both said of Paul, This man doth nothing worthy of death, or of bonds.-Acts xxvi. 30, 31. xxv. 25. In nothing terrified by your adversaries, which is to them an evident token of perdition, &c, and that of God.-Phil. i. 28. Josh. xi. 20. They have persecuted us, &c. for wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.-1 Thess. ii. 15, 16. It is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you, &c.-2 Thess. i. 6. He that leadeth into captivity, shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword, must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.-Rev. xiii. 10. Babylon is fallen, &c. here is the patience of the saints. - Rev. xiv. 8-12. xviii. 2. ― Thou art righteous, O Lord, &c. because thou hast judged thus: for they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.-Rev. xvi. 5, 6. xviii. 19, 20. 24. xix. 2. Rejoice over her, ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hath avenged you on her.-Rev. xviii. 20. xix. 2. Cons. VI: That God will comfort, uphold, and preserve his, in all their Troubles; and not lay more on them than they can bear. In that he himself hath suffered, being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.-Heb. ii. 18. iv. 15, v. 2. Although with hatred they shall persecute him, &c. yet shall his bow remain in his strength.-Gen. xlix. 23, 24. And it came to pass, when Pharaoh |