Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord (or for the Lord's sake).Rev. xiv. 13. Cons. III. That God well knows the design and ways of Satan, and all the adversaries of Believers: and that they can do no more, nor proceed further against us than God permits. He turns about their purposes. Your father deceived me, &c. but God suffered him not to hurt me. If he said thus, &c. Laban pursued Jacob, &c. And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad (or from good to bad), &c. It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt : but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob, &c.-Gen. xxxi. 7, 8. 23, 24. 29. 42. When Esau was coming against Jacob with four hundred men, and Jacob was afraid, yet God changed Esau's heart; so that when he met Jacob, he embraced him, &c. which made Jacob say to Esau, I have seen thy face as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.-Gen. xxxii. 6-8. xxxiii. 3, 4. 10. And the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.-Gen. xxxv. 5. Joseph's brethren, when they saw him, &c. conspired against him to slay him. And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh; come now therefore, and let us slay him, &c. and we shall see what will become of his dreams, &c. All which God prevented, and purposed better things.-Gen. xxxvii. 17, &c. xxxix. 1. 19, 20. The king of Egypt designed the weakening of Israel, and preventing their increase: but the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied.-Exod. i. 9—12. 20. And the Lord said, I have surely seen the afflictions of my people, &c. 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. By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.-Ps. xli. 11. 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. Cons. V. That God doth sometimes God that judgeth in the earth.-Ps. 1viii. 10, 11. 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. When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: but the righteous shall see their fall.-Prov. xxix. 16. When David had spared Saul, being in his hands, Saul said to David, Is this thy voice, my son David? &c. Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil; and thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me, forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not, &c.-1 Sam. xxiv. 16—19. Again in the like case, Saul said, I have sinned, &c. Behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.-1 Sam. xxvi. 21. Exod. viii. 8. 19. Haman, Mordecai's great enemy, forced to honour Mordecai.-Esth. vi. 7. 11. Haman is hanged upon the same gallows he erected for Mordecai.Esth. vii. 9, 10. The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.-Ps. ciii. 6. 2 He ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.-Ps. vii. 13. lxiv. 7. They have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves.-Ps. lvii. 6. ix. 15, 16. vii. 15, 16. Rob not the poor, &c. neither oppress the afflicted in the gate: for the Lord shall spoil the soul of those that spoiled thein.-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. The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance, &c. so that a man shall say, &c. Verily he is a 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. 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. |